Hunter could see her reasoning, but that didn’t change the fact that she’d waited thirty-two years before she’d clued him in on who had fathered him or that all that time she’d had private investigators reporting his and his brothers’ every move. “Why did you wait so long to tell us?”
“I wanted all three of you to gain some life experiences of your own instead of having to live down your father’s reputation of being an international playboy,” she said pragmatically. “That would have been a huge burden for all of you. Not to mention how it would have affected you to learn that you had a multimillion-dollar trust fund and would eventually inherit a sizable part of my business holdings.”
As Hunter mulled over what she’d said, he couldn’t help but agree with her. Handling the knowledge that he’d become an overnight millionaire and owner of his own business was hard enough to grasp at the age of thirty-two. He couldn’t imagine the effect it would have had on him at a much earlier age.
But before he could comment, Emerald added, “And before you ask, it was extremely hard for me to read about your accomplishments in a private investigator’s report while you were growing up and not be there to see them for myself.” She leaned forward as if to emphasize her point. “What I did and the way I went about it I did out of love. Believe me, nothing would have pleased me more than to have had a traditional grandmother’s relationship with you and your brothers. But I had to give that up in order to protect you.”
Thinking it over, Hunter realized that as difficult as it had been for him growing up not knowing who his father was, it had to have been much harder for Emerald. She’d known all about him and his brothers but hadn’t been able to let any of them know how she felt.
“I guess all we can do now is move forward,” he said, thinking aloud.
“I believe that would be wise,” Emerald agreed. “Taking over the Life Medevac Helicopter Service is a good start for you, and I expect you to do quite well.” She surprised him when she rose from the chair and rounded the desk to kiss his cheek. “It’s time to get back to what you do best—flying helicopters and helping those in need—and leave the past behind, Hunter. It’s history and can’t be changed. But the future is an unwritten page and sometimes found where you least expect it.”
Chapter Four
“If you don’t stop letting Hunter O’Banyon kiss you, you’re going to be as big as a barn,” Callie muttered, poking another snickerdoodle into her mouth as she measured the ingredients for a double batch of chocolate-chocolate-chip cookies.
The minute she’d arrived back home from her meeting with Hunter, she’d walked straight into the kitchen, put on her apron and started baking. Five dozen snickerdoodles, a double batch of sugar cookies and a pan of brownies later, she still hadn’t been able to forget how his lips had felt on hers. Warm, firm and deliciously male, his mouth could very easily be classified as a lethal weapon. At least for her.
Spooning chocolate dough onto cookie sheets, she wondered what there was about Hunter that caused her to abandon every ounce of common sense she possessed. All he had to do was touch her and she clung to him like a piece of plastic shrink-wrap on a hot plate.
She slid the pan of cookie dough into the oven and set the timer. Then, sitting down at the table while she waited on the cookies to bake, Callie stared off into space.
It wasn’t uncommon for a woman in her second trimester to find herself feeling more sensual than ever before, but she didn’t think her pregnancy hormones could account for the compelling attraction she experienced with Hunter. With just a look he could make her heart flutter. And when he touched her, she practically melted into a puddle at his feet. She hadn’t had that kind of reaction to Craig, and he was her baby’s father.
Lost in thought, it took her a moment to realize someone was knocking on her door. Hurrying to remove the pan of cookies from the oven, when she walked into the living room and opened the door, she found Hunter squatted down beside the steps. He had replaced the loose board with a new one and was pounding nails into the wood with no more than a couple of whacks with a hammer. She swallowed hard when she noticed how his bicep and the muscles in his forearm flexed with each blow.
“That should last a while,” he said, straightening to his full height. “And it’ll be a lot safer for you.”
When she finally found her voice, she nodded. “Thank you.”
He wiped the sweat from his forehead on the sleeve of his T-shirt. “Is there anything else that needs fixing or that you’d like me to take a look at while I’m here?”
“I can’t think of anything.” She motioned toward the door. “Would you like to come in to cool off and have a glass of iced tea?”
Smiling, he nodded. “That sounds like a winner.” He put the hammer and a small sack of nails in the back of his truck, then climbed the steps to Callie’s cottage. “It’s not as humid here in southwest Texas as it is in Florida, but it’s still hotter than hell.”
Callie laughed as they walked inside the house. “It’s late August. What do you expect?”
“Good point,” he said, grinning.
When they walked into the kitchen, she poured them each a glass of iced tea. “Having lived close to the Gulf all my life, I’m not used to all this dry heat.”
“Thank God for air-conditioning.”
“Amen to that.” She smiled as she placed her hand on her rounded stomach. “I’ve been hotter this summer than I’ve ever been in my life.”
“It’s no wonder you’re hot, with the oven on all the time.” Chuckling, he looked at the plates of cookies and brownies sitting on the counter. “I see you’ve been at it again.”
She smiled wanly. There was no way she was going to tell him that just the thought of him kissing her could send her into a baking frenzy.
He reached for a brownie. “What are you going to do with all this stuff?”
Thinking quickly, she shrugged. “Schools are always having bake sales. I thought I’d donate some of the things I’ve baked for their fund-raisers. And after the baby is born, I doubt that I’ll have a lot of time, so I’ve frozen a lot of what I’ve made.”
“Good idea.” He grinned. “I’m sure Corey will appreciate that.”
“I’m sure he will. He eats constantly but never seems to fill up.” She frowned. “Do all boys eat like they have a bottomless pit for a stomach?”