Page 55 of Maliea's Hero
She rolled onto her back and stretched out her arm, expecting to encounter a muscular body in the bed beside her. When all she touched was bunched sheets and a pillow, she opened her eyes and stared at the empty space beside her.
Maliea sat up and quickly scanned the room. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and pushed to her feet, listening for the sounds of movement from the other room. The door to the bedroom was almost all the way closed.
No sounds came from the sitting room or the other bedroom.
She pulled open the door and hurried to her daughter’s bedroom, where she found an empty bed, neatly made.
“Nani?” she called out as she crossed the bedroom to duck her head into the adjoining bathroom.
There was no sign of Nani or Reid. Any other time, Maliea would be concerned about her missing daughter. Knowing Reid was looking out for her calmed any fears.
A high-pitched squeal caught Maliea’s attention. She went to the French door and stared out through the panes to a barn resting on a gentle slope a hundred yards away from the house and the people between them.
Nani held hands and skipped between Kalea and Hawk as they walked up the hill toward the house. She grinned and laughed at something Kalea said.
Reid followed close behind, a smile lifting the corners of his lips.
Having agreed to go with Reid to follow the clues in her father’s storybook, Maliea was relieved to see how happy Nani was with Hawk and Kalea.
Anxious to get moving and find a way to the islands her father had visited in his research, Maliea hurriedly changed into jeans and a mint-green pullover shirt that clung to the curves of her breasts. It was one of her favorites, and she always felt sexy wearing it. Not that Taylor had ever noticed.
She’d bet Reid would.
Shoving her feet into her hiking shoes, she grabbed a swimsuit from the trash bag, a change of clothes and underwear and stuffed them into the small backpack she’d salvaged from her apartment. Not knowing how long they’d be gone, she added a toothbrush, toothpaste and a hairbrush.
Satisfied she was prepared for a possible overnight excursion, she descended the staircase, arriving at the bottom in time to hear her daughter’s happy voice coming from the direction of the kitchen.
Maliea found Nani, Reid, Kalea, Hawk and Mr. Parkman in the kitchen. A short man, wearing an apron and wielding a spatula, scraped fluffy yellow scrambled eggs into a large serving bowl.
Hawk carried the bowl to a large kitchen table set with six place settings. He laid the bowl between platters of pancakes and bacon. A basket of toast, jars of various jellies and a small pitcher of syrup rounded out the selection of food.
Hawk smiled at Maliea. “Just in time for breakfast.”
The man in the apron set a large pitcher of orange juice on the table.
Hawk waved a hand toward the man. “Maliea, this is Ule, the ranch cook. Ule, this is Maliea, and I believe you’ve already met Nani and Reid.”
Ule nodded. “I have. Welcome to Parkman Ranch. Sit. Eat before it gets cold.”
Everyone gathered around the table, including Ule, and took seats. Reid helped Nani into a chair between himself and Maliea and then held Maliea’s chair as she settled into it. His hand brushed her shoulder briefly, sending a rush of heat through her body.
Images of his hands exploring every inch of her body send more heat rushing up her neck into her cheeks. She settled her napkin across her lap. “I’m sorry I slept in. Did I miss anything?”
“Not at all,” Hawk said. “Reid said you needed the rest, so he brought Nani down.”
“We took Nani down to the barn to help us feed the horses.” Kalea smiled across the table at Nani. “She was a big help.”
“I petted Dante’s nose,” Nani announced, excitedly. “His lips tickled my hand.” She held up her hand.
“Don’t worry,” Kalea said. “We washed up as soon as we got back to the house.”
“Aunt Kalea and Uncle Hawk are going to teach me how to ride a horse,” Nani said.
“Only if your mother is okay with it,” Kalea reminded the child.
Nani looked up at her mother, her eyes rounding, pleading. “Can I? Please?”
“We’ll be very careful,” Kalea said. “We will only lead her around an enclosed corral on one of the gentlest mares.”