Doing It Over
Page 80

“What are you—”
“Shh,” he hushed her, rode her fully clothed, and she came.
Her frame trembled and her mind went blank.
Wyatt released her then, pulling her to her feet. “C’mon,” he said against her hair. “I’m not done yet.”
“That was crazy,” she managed once they were in his room, the door closed.
“And fun,” he said as he pulled his shirt from his shoulders.
She leaned against the door and watched him undress. His confidence in his nudity was absolute.
Once he kicked the last of his clothing free, he stood tall, a cocky smile on his face. “What are you waiting for, woman?”
Good question.
Wyatt used his time staying at the inn to map out the project Miss Gina planned. What started out as a space for her was starting to look more and more like a guest house to accommodate Melanie and Hope.
When he questioned the woman, she just shrugged and told him something else she wanted the place to have. Two bathrooms, maybe a kitchen after all.
“You’re suggesting I build a second house.”
“You can do it, can’t ya?”
He lifted his hands to the large home behind them. “You already have a big house.”
She waved him off and walked inside.
Wyatt moved on with the project, happy with the distraction.
Melanie was in the kitchen, determined to master a few meals with the aid of a microwave, she told him. The fact that she was on the phone with Zoe while doing so made him laugh.
Hope had moped around the backyard for a good hour, complaining about being bored and the itch inside her cast. It didn’t help that it was in the high eighties with a fair amount of humidity usually reserved for the South.
He thought he heard the sound of a car on the gravel, and was confirmed when Melanie poked her head out the back door. “I think it’s your dad,” she told him.
“I’ll be right there.”
He left his notepad on an outside table, wiped his feet, and walked through the main hall of the house right as Hope was running down the stairs.
“Careful. You don’t want to break your other arm.”
She laughed as she fled through the front door.
Melanie’s gaze was fixed and a little troubled.
Hope screamed, laughed, and screamed again.
When Wyatt looked to see what the fuss was about, he stared.
“For me?” Hope yelled as she ran down the steps of the inn.
“Well he isn’t for me.” William opened the back door of his rental car and out ran a four-legged, panting bundle of energy that pounced on Hope with oversize paws and a pink tongue.
Hope attempted to avoid some of the puppy saliva by turning her head. It didn’t work.
“He didn’t,” Melanie muttered under her breath.
“Looks like he did.”
“Can I keep him, Mommy? Can I?”
The screen door opened and Miss Gina’s voice followed. “Well look at that.”
Hope giggled and fell on her butt, which gave the yellow Labrador puppy the platform he needed to lick every inch of Hope’s body.
“William!” Melanie said his name with a warning.
William flashed the same dimples Wyatt saw every day in the mirror and Melanie sighed.
“He’s cute, isn’t he?”
“I might have to kill you.” Because watching the shadows lift from Hope’s eyes when the puppy barked, licked, and came back for more wasn’t something Mel would make go away, and Wyatt knew it.
Miss Gina sat on the edge of the top step. “What are you gonna name him, Hope?”
The puppy took notice of Miss Gina sitting at his level and bounded up the steps and into her space.
The woman allowed the assault of tongue and wagging tail before the puppy decided Hope was a better playmate.
Wyatt placed an arm over Melanie’s shoulders.
“I’m going to kill your dad.”
“No you’re not.”
“Okay, I’m going to think about killing your dad.”
He laughed.
“I know the perfect name for him,” Hope announced.
“What is it, darlin’?” William asked with his elbows resting on the top of his rental car as he watched her play.
“Sir Knight.” She looked into the puppy’s eyes. “Do you like that name?”
The puppy barked his approval.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
“The troublesome thing about court battles is the long waits of nothing happening. As lawyers, we try and hammer out as many of the details in private before bringing anything before a judge.”
“And did you get anything hammered out?” Melanie asked over her coffee.
“Hammered? No . . . figured, yes. I think I might have determined what is motivating Nathan to seek custody.”
“Don’t keep us waiting.” Wyatt sat across the table in rapt attention.
“As you know, Nathan is the third attorney in his family. In line with his father and grandfather. But unlike his predecessors, there isn’t a lot of respect for the youngest Stone. It took him three times before he passed the bar exam. When he did, he thought he’d immediately begin working with his father and those in his firm. Not so.” William sipped his coffee and continued. “Not in the complete sense in any event.”
“What does a lawyer do if not practice law?” Melanie asked. She couldn’t imagine the blow to Nathan’s ego after finally passing the test and not being able to do the job. Then again, he hadn’t really shown a lot of joy in pursuing law in the first place.
“He’s been shadowing a newer associate for the better part of a year. Word is, his temper is starting to flare at not being able to do more.”