Know Your Heart: A New Zealand - Tracey Alvarez Page 0,22

around her.

“Daddy said I could look in your caravan! Can I, can I?”

Tightness gripped her chest as she ruffled the little boy’s dark curls. Hearing Drew call Nate “Daddy” never got old. And being adopted as his unofficial aunty did mushy things to her insides. The boy didn’t seem to mind her occasional awkwardness. As an only child, she had no nieces and nephews to spoil, and her only experience with kids on set were a wailing baby and a prima-donna nine-year-old who threw a tantrum like a spoilt toddler if her favorite brand of organic juice wasn’t available.

“I’m sure Daisy would love to visit with you. Go ahead and have a look around.”

“The caravan’s called Daisy?” Nate came up behind Drew. “You didn’t tell me that the other day.”

“Privileged information,” she said.

“That’s so cool!” Drew zipped over to the open door where Lauren caught him by his dungaree straps.

“Gumboots off,” Lauren said.

“I know.” A theatrical sigh. “You told me before we came over.”

Drew and Lauren disappeared inside. Nate draped a companionable arm around Sav’s shoulder.

“Bit of trouble with the awning, little cousin?”

“Mongrel of a thing. I’d get one end fixed and then the other would jam.”

“Could’ve asked me or Glen to give you a hand.”

She hissed out a breath. “Because a girl can’t cope with a stupid awning? I, don’t, think, so.”

“Like that, huh?” Nate grinned down.

“You sure know how to pick your friends. Did you rescue him from the local pound because he made puppy eyes?”

“Guess I’m the stray you’re talking about.” Glen’s deep voice came from right behind her.

Her heart stuttered—not just from being startled, but by a growing awareness settling low in her belly. She half turned toward him. “Aren’t you meant to be writing?”

“We’ve got guests.” He shoved a hand into his jeans pocket, the whisper of a smile moving across his mouth.

“My guests—my family.”

“Aw, Aunty Sav, can’t we share?” Glen nodded at the two-foot-high concrete gnome keeping Daisy’s back door pinned open. “Love the lawn ornament. Classy.”

She fluttered her lashes. “He’s your namesake—with you both having solid concrete heads and all.”

“Aren’t you cute?”

Sav’s lip curled, a retort on the tip of her tongue. Then she spotted Lauren in Daisy’s doorway, wriggling her eyebrows at Nate, her lips pressed together in suppressed mirth.

“Now, now,” Lauren said. “Let’s not squabble. Glen, be a sweetheart and give Nate a hand to fix Daisy’s awning, would you?”

“Yes, sweetheart, help me get the awning sorted before you two start throwing spit balls at each other.” Nate shoulder-checked Glen, who grinned wryly and shoved him back.

“I can help—”

“Take a chill pill, diva,” said Glen. “Nate and I have got this.”

“Diva?” Her cousin’s gaze turned speculative. “We’ve progressed to nicknames now?”

Glen’s gaze locked with Savannah’s. Her nipples tightened against her silky bra cup. Just a little but enough that she couldn’t deny the chemistry boiling between them.

Lauren and Drew hopped down from the caravan. Drew spotted Glen and let out a yelp of excitement. The boy raced across the grass to tug on Glen’s hand.

“Hi, Glen. Can you teach me some more pirate moves?”

“Have you been practicing?”

Drew assumed the same position Glen had two nights ago, thrusting his little fist out and lunging forward. “On guard, you scurvy me-hearty!”

Glen laughed and staggered back, pretending to take a hit to the stomach. “You have been practicing.”

“I practiced with a stick until Java took it and ran away. He thought we were playing fetch, silly dog.”

Nate scooped up Drew and hoisted him onto his shoulders. “Do you remember what you were going to ask Glen and Aunty Sav?”

Drew thumped his gumboot-covered feet against Nate’s chest and grinned over at first Sav, then Glen. “Yep. We’re going fishing this afternoon, and I want you guys to come.”

Sav glanced at her script, hastily stuffed into the folder when she’d heard Nate’s Range Rover. “Oh, well, I really…”

At the same instant, Glen said, “Maybe another time…”

Drew’s smile drooped in the corners until his little Cupid’s bow mouth went completely straight. Sav glanced from Nate to Lauren, back to Drew’s shiny eyes, and then her gaze zipped across to Glen. Aw, balls. Glen could do what he liked, but she couldn’t say no.

“I’d love to come. I haven’t been fishing for a long time.”

The boy’s mouth curved.

Glen sighed and said, “Count me in too, then.”

“Yay!” Drew said. “This time, I’m going to catch a fish—a really, really big fish.”

“Maybe even a shark.” Glen chuckled.

Sav’s belly tightened around a little kernel of heat. The man had a seriously