Loving Lydia (Atlantic Divide) Read Online Free PDF Page A

something to upset you, would you please tell me? I’m not in the habit of apologizing for something I may or may not have done, but you’re acting a little strange.” She jerked her arm away from him, a little more forcefully than she intended, and had to take a step back to avoid staggering.
    “I don’t want you to touch me. Please stop touching me. You seem to do it all the time and … and it makes me uncomfortable.” She stared at the base of his throat so she didn’t have to look into his eyes. It wasn’t that she was lying. He did make her feel uncomfortable, just not in the way she intimated. It was her own feelings she was uncomfortable with. It wasn’t what he did to her, but how he made her feel.
    He stepped forward into her space, but she kept her eyes on the same level they were before, adjusted them to his closeness, and stared at his chest.
    “Lydia, it was you who touched me before. In fact, I think we could go so far as to call it a caress.” She knew his eyes gazed at the top of her head and couldn’t bring herself to look up at him. She was starting to feel like such a fool. “I don’t have a problem with you stroking me, but I’m damned if it’s going to be one-sided.” His voice was low, but it had lost the mellowness of before. “Lydia, honey.” Her startled eyes shot up to his. “I want to kiss you.”
    She blinked. She wasn’t sure she’d heard him correctly.
    “And I will kiss you, because if I don’t, I’m going to regret it for the rest of my life.”
    She held her breath for a moment as they stared at each other. He brought his hand up and tucked her hair behind her ear, trailing his roughened fingers down the side of her cheek and across her jaw line. He smiled and her heart kicked up a pace. Her limbs didn’t feel as though they wanted to move, but she thought she’d better, otherwise he might think it was an invitation. He leaned down, took hold of her hand, and jerked her gently in the direction of the ranch house. She had to trot to keep up with his long-legged stride.
    She didn’t have a clue what to make of him. He’d said he was going to kiss her, and she was getting ready to run like hell if he tried. Well, she thought she might have run, but she wasn’t sure her watery legs would have allowed that. Then, he didn’t. Perhaps it was because they were in the middle of a field and anyone would be able see. Perhaps he didn’t want to be seen kissing her. She was so confused. She didn’t want him to kiss her. So, when was he going to kiss her?
    She arrived in the kitchen, breathless, to find her sister besieged by the twins. Kate was laughing and crying, and the children climbed all over her like a rash. Lydia rushed forward.
    “Aaron, Rosie, be careful. Aunt Katie has a baby in her tummy, we don’t want it to get hurt.” The children backed off, but Kate pulled them back into her arms.
    “The baby’s fine, Lydia, and these two needed a little rough and tumble. Don’t fuss.” Kate glanced up, and her eyes narrowed as she took in Lydia’s flushed appearance and Sam’s long, lazy look.
    “Is everything okay?” Her tone was sharp, and she directed the question to Lydia, whose face flushed a deeper color and caused Kate to turn her head slowly in Sam’s direction. With a look of disbelief and a coolly raised eyebrow, her mouth opened, but before she could say anything, Lydia stepped forward, holding her arms out for a cuddle.
    “Oh, it’s so good to see you, you look lovely. Are you all right? Tell me what happened last night.” Lydia placed her hand on Kate’s stomach and laughed at the solidness of it. “Oh my, that’s really hard. That must be all baby in there, Kate. It’s going to be huge.” She laughed with delight as Kate gave her a warning look. Doctors made the worst patients, and Kate would be no exception. She knew too much and she was far too intolerant.
    “When will the baby come out?” piped Rosie.
    “Just as soon as it’s ready,