That McCloud Woman Read Online Free PDF Page A

of
the views. It was a beautiful place, well constructed, though still in need of
repair. There was a peacefulness about the place and its setting that seemed to
tug at him.
    Peaceful. That word
again. He frowned, thinking how the day before he'd thought the same thing
about the town of Driftwood when he'd been staring at its main street through
the café's window. Now here he was planted right smack-dab in the middle of it
all—the town, the house, the pastoral setting—and he sure as hell didn't feel
very peaceful. Not when he considered the kids who inhabited the house … or the
woman who cared for them.
    He
glanced at the bedside table and at the bottle of whiskey sitting on top of it.
His friend. His companion. His catharsis for a pain that just wouldn't go away.
    He
frowned and reached for the bottle, curling his fingers around its neck. Amber
liquid sloshed against its side as he leaned over and shoved the bottle
underneath the bed and out of his sight. The whiskey had failed to work its
magical charm for him this time. His dreams during the night, though different
from his past ones, were no less disturbing. They had been filled with an
angel-faced woman with eyes so deep a blue a man could drown in them, and a
gentle touch that made his skin heat and his heart yearn for things that could
never be.
    With
a groan, he rolled to his side again, and stared out the window. As if his
thoughts had drawn her, the back door of the Pond House opened and the woman
who had filled his dreams stepped out onto the flagstone patio.
    Alayna.
    She
wore a long, cotton robe, the same shade of blue as her eyes. It billowed
around her legs in the early-morning breeze like a cloud in a summer sky.
Barefoot and with her blond hair still mussed with sleep, she looked young and
innocent … and good enough to eat. While he watched, she hugged her arms up
under her breasts, tipped her face up to the sky and drew in a deep, cleansing
breath. A soft, sensual smile curved her lips as she filled her lungs with the
fresh, early-morning air. Even from his distance, Jack could see the rise of
her breasts over her folded arms, and his groin tightened in response.
    Damn,
but she was pretty, and as sexy as any woman he'd ever seen. He shifted, easing
the unexpected ache that jumped to life between his legs. Unable to look away
from her, he continued to watch as she walked around the patio, pausing to
fluff a floral pillow on a chair, then stooping to pull a weed from a
terra-cotta pot filled with pink geraniums and trailing ivy. With her
movements, the robe parted, revealing a brief peek at tanned legs, and when she
stooped, the top gaped, baring an even more enticing view of the valley between
her breasts.
    Eve
couldn't have waved that apple under Adam's nose with a greater effect.
    Jack
felt the desire mounting and rolled to his back and away from the tempting
sight, his eyes wide, his breath coming fast and hard. He fisted his hands in
the tangle of bed linens, forced his gaze to remain on the ceiling and made
himself draw in three deep breaths.
    Kids, he reminded
himself. The woman had kids. And Jack Cordell wanted no part of them. The woman or her brood.
    Alayna
stuck her head out the kitchen door and offered Jack a sunny smile. "Good
morning! You're up early."
    Seeing
that she still wore the same blue robe he'd seen her in earlier, Jack frowned
and glanced away, setting his toolbox on the flagstone patio. "Didn't see
any sense in wasting time getting started."
    "Have
you had breakfast?" She laughed before he could answer, flapping a
dismissing hand at him. "Of course you haven't," she said, shaking
her head at the foolishness of her question. "You wouldn't have had a
chance to stock the cabin with food, yet." She waved her hand again, this
time gesturing for him to come inside. "I was just whipping up a batch of
pancakes. There's plenty for two."
    Without
waiting for an answer, she slipped back into the kitchen, letting the door
close softly