Quiet Walks the Tiger Read Online Free PDF Page B

licentious; it was one of teasing but respectful admiration. Foolishly, Sloan found herself blushing.
    “Well, er, can I get you something?” she asked, laughing a bit nervously as she walked to the stereo to carefully lift the needle. “A cool drink? I have iced tea, lemonade, and oh, I think a few beers—”
    “Run and take your shower, first,” Wesley suggested, smiling at Jamie. “Then I’d love to have a glass of tea with you.”
    “Thanks,” she smiled wryly. “But I can’t. The baby should be waking up any minute.”
    “I’m the proud uncle of four nieces and six nephews,” he told her. “If your little one wakes, I’m sure I’ll be able to handle him.”
    “No!” Sloan protested. “I can’t have you watching my children—”
    “Sure you can.”
    Sloan smiled uneasily. That lopsided grin of his could be most endearing and, and unnerving! He really was an attractive and...what?...man. Vital. The word sprang to her mind, followed by one even more disturbing—sexy. He may have retired from pro ball, but his sturdy structure and lithe movements proved him to be every inch an athlete.
    “All right,” Sloan murmured, confused by her jittery reaction to him. I’m the one out to entice him! she reminded herself. “Thanks. I’ll just hop in and out. I’ll hurry.”
    “Take your time. I’ll be fine.”
    She smiled faintly as she sidled by him, warned Jamie to be good, and hurried into the shower. Once there, she did take more time than she had intended. She scrubbed her skin pink and worked her hair into a rich lather with scented shampoo. It wouldn’t dry, she realized as she fluffed it with a towel, but clean wet was better than sweaty wet! She splashed herself with a light daytime cologne that smelled of fresh fields and applied a touch of low-keyed makeup. Satisfied with the results, she slipped into a pair of hip-hugging jeans and a cool halter top. Although the nights were cool, the Pennsylvania summers could be murder in the day.
    She emerged from the bathroom feeling much more confident. The role of femme fatale was played more easily in the right costume. Affecting a brilliant smile, she moved into the living room with a calculated walk.
    The children were all awake, all ensconced on Wesley’s lap as he sat on the floor with them, embellishing a worn book of fairy tales. A painful little tug pulled at her heart as she watched the scene.
    Wesley hadn’t lied; he was a natural with children. Even two-year-old Terry sat with wide eyes glued on the storyteller’s face.
    Sloan forget all about her bewitching smile and swinging walk as she paused in the hallway, an erratic pulse beating through her veins. He liked the children. He hadn’t even let a day go by without coming to see her. The more she saw of him, the more she liked.
    The tale of Cinderella, told in his deep, compelling voice, came to an end with the prince and princess living happily ever after. Laura jumped to her feet, demanding another story.
    “Not now, my pet,” Sloan said softly, coming to scoop her daughter into her arms with a laugh. Laura’s eyes were huge and blue like her own, and they snapped with outrage, causing Sloan and Wesley both to chuckle.
    “Mommy!” Laura began her protest. “Go back to the bathroom.”
    “Hey, young lady!” Sloan chastised her. “Don’t you talk to me like that.”
    “Remember our promise!” Wesley intercepted quickly, sneaking a wink which encompassed the three children.
    “Pizza!” Jamie happily expounded to his mother. He never could keep a secret.
    “If it’s all right with your mother,” Wesley said sternly. “And if you behave for the rest of the afternoon.” He glanced at Sloan apologetically. “I hope you’ll forgive a bit of bribery.”
    Sloan bit back a chuckle and sank gracefully to the floor beside them. “The best of us stoop to it now and then. Kids,” she said, praying they chose to obey without argument, “go on into the playroom for a while