Chapter Twenty-Two

Sarah opened her eyes and found Luke staring at her. She was surprised to see him, and disoriented, but his warm smile and the feel of his hand brushing over her hair grounded her and made her heart trip.

“Good morning, darlin’.”

She loved the sound of his deep voice and the warmth in his words. “Hi. Am I sleeping on your kitchen table?”

The charming grin made her belly flutter. “Yes, you are.”

“Great.” Embarrassment warmed her cheeks. “How long have I been here?”

Luke leaned in. “That’s a complex question. You’ve been asleep for nearly a whole day. You got out of bed about an hour ago and sleepwalked down here to the kitchen. But if you want the bigger question answered, according to Jack, you’re really old, thirty-two. So that’s how long you’ve been here.”

“Are you laughing at me?”

“A little bit. You sure are pretty when you’re rested and lying on my table.”

Not inclined to move from her spot in front of him—and Luke looked content to have her there, offered up like Thanksgiving dinner—she rolled to her side and laid her head on her arm to look at him. Luke sat back and she drank in the sight of his sexy bare chest, beard-scruffy jaw, and tousled golden hair.

“Is Margaret really mad?”

“She’s definitely riled. Since you didn’t wake up by dinner, she called and asked if I’d take the boys because she was afraid to put them to bed upstairs. If they woke up in the night, she wouldn’t be able to hear them. And I think getting up those stairs is simply too difficult for her with her arthritis. I think she was afraid she might fall.”

“I’ve noticed she never goes upstairs. I’m glad she called you. Are the boys okay? They must be worried.”

“They’re asleep upstairs. They worried about you for about five minutes.”

She raised a brow.

“They got a good look at you sleeping while the doctor checked you out.”

She pressed her hand to her head. “I vaguely remember someone poking at me.”

“You did not want to wake up. The doctor gave you a once-over, including a vitamin shot, and said to go ahead and let you sleep. It was the best medicine.”

“You didn’t need to call a doctor to come out here.”

“You collapsed and then you wouldn’t wake up,” he snapped, letting his deep concern show. “Sorry.”

Her heart ached. She hated that she’d scared him. “You were really worried.”

“More than I can say.” He raked his fingers through his tousled hair. “Once the boys knew you were okay, we played ball, video games, and roasted hot dogs over the firepit. Once they were sufficiently dirty and tired, I gave them a bath in the big tub, full of bubbles, read them a couple stories, and put them to bed.” Luke grinned. “We had a great time. I love those boys.”

“You do?” She believed him. She just didn’t expect him to express it so easily.