Free Another Chance to Love You by Robin Lee Hatcher Page B

a kind of nostalgia?
    Daniel burst out laughing, and Heather did the same. The joyful sound filled the kitchen, making it feel warm and cozy. Like a family.
    Monica would be making a terrible mistake to allow herself to fall under the spell of Daniel’s considerable charms. Any woman in her right mind would know that.
    Please, God, she prayed. Keep me in my right mind.
     
    Daniel’s jambalaya—made with ham, smoked sausage, onions, celery, bell peppers and rice and seasoned with bay leaves, mustard, cumin, garlic and thyme—brought rave reviews from mother and daughter alike. Daniel was pleased and amused by Monica’s surprise that he’d learned to cook something beyond wieners and beans in the last decade.
    After supper, father and daughter did the dishes, then Daniel helped Heather with her homework, a task he found as delightful as everything else he did with her. When Monica announced it was Heather’s bedtime, he knew it was a not-so-subtle hint for him to say good-night and depart, but he pretended not to understand. He wasn’t ready to leave yet. Only a small, silent house awaited him. He preferred to stay here…with Monica.
    There was no denying the attraction that crackled between them all evening. He felt it whenever they were close. He thought she must feel it, too, judging by the wary look in her eyes.
    That kiss had changed things.
    There’d been other women in his life through the years. He’d even been engaged to one of them. But right at this moment, he couldn’t think of any of their names or even what they’d looked like. He knew, beyond a doubt, it had been a long time since a simple kiss had affected him this much.
    Monica returned to the kitchen after seeing Heather to bed. She glanced nervously at Daniel before retrieving a bottle of chilled water from the refrigerator.
    He watched her tip her head back and swallow. He found the arch of her delicate white throat enticing and wanted nothing so much as to trace tiny kisses down its length.
    She lowered her head, met his gaze across the room, and he knew she’d read his thoughts by the way her eyes widened, knew she felt the same pull of attraction simmering between them.
    “You should go, Daniel.”
    He rose from his chair. “You feel it, too.”
    “Yes.”
    “Then don’t you think we should find out what—”
    “No, I don’t.”
    “But why not?” He took a step forward. “We’re both adults.”
    She lifted a hand, stopping his approach. “Yes, Daniel. We are both adults, and that’s all the more reason why we must do the responsible thing. The moral thing. I’ve changed since you knew me, Daniel. It’s more important to me that I please God than myself…or you.”
    She meant every word she said, he realized.
    “Daniel, if I ever become involved with a man again, he’ll have to share my love of Jesus. To do otherwise would be an enormous mistake.”
    Anger stirred in his chest. “Why? Doesn’t your God love anybody but Bible-quoting Christians?”
    “No.” Her gaze was patient. “He loves everyone. Jesus loves them so much He died for each one of them. He died for you, too. All He wants is for you to let Him into your life.”
    Daniel released a harsh laugh, the rude sound telling her what he thought of her religion.
    She shook her head, her expression sad now. “That’s exactly why it would never work between us. You’ve rejected the one thing that means the absolute most to me, my faith in Jesus.” Tears glimmered in her eyes. “We have no future together, Daniel. Don’t try to pretend we do. The cost is too high.”
    He swore beneath his breath. He hadn’t meant to make her cry. He felt like a jerk.
    Slowly he headed for the hall. In the doorway, he stopped and looked in Monica’s direction. “I’m sorry. You’re right. This is about Heather, not you and me. I’ll keep that in mind from now on.”
     
    Monica heard the front door close behind him as he left. The sound made her flinch.
    She hadn’t