“Son of a--” Hawk swore the words several times beneath his breath as he removed the cover from the hot tub one handed and braced his weight on a crutch with the other.
“Need some help?” Clara asked from the kitchen doorway.
He turned to offer her an apologetic smile. “Sorry. I was just venting a little frustration.”
“I’ve heard the tone and the words before, Hawk,” she said. A smile laced with understanding curved her lips. She stepped over the threshold and helped him slide the lightweight vinyl cover behind the lounge.
“I keep the tub covered when it’s not in use in case one of the team comes over with the kids.”
“Good idea. Children are drawn to water like ducks to a pond. They’d be in it fully clothed in a heartbeat.”
“Yeah.” He flipped the switches engaging the heater and the pump. “It only takes a little while to heat.” He lowered himself to the lounge and set aside the crutch. “Think Zoe would want to soak for a few minutes, if she’s still awake?”
She laughed and shook her head at him.
“Sorry, I didn’t think how that would sound. I just noticed she was in pain last night when she went to her room. I thought it might ease off if she relaxed in the tub for a little while.”
Clara remained silent for a moment. She took a seat beside him. “I think she’ll turn the use of the hot tub down, though she probably needs to take advantage of it,” she said, her words measured. “Zoe is self-conscious of her leg. When she was young she just went right on as though nothing were wrong with it, but her first year in college, something happened. She won’t willingly let you or anyone else see it.”
He frowned. He hadn’t seen this coming. Uneasiness took root in the pit of his stomach.
Clara ran a restless hand over the auburn curls that framed a face only a little fuller than her daughter’s. “I’m only telling you this so you won’t take her refusals personally.”
He forced a nonchalant shrug. “We’ll just have to arrange a daily time so she can have some privacy then.”
She smiled. “You know, even when your children are adults, a parent can’t really control the desire to shield them. Zoe likes to think she’s tough.”
“She is in some ways,” he said.
“But not about this.” Her blue eyes, so similar to her daughters, held a sadness that went soul deep.
He nodded. “Understood.”
“You and your men were wonderful today,” she said, changing the subject.
He smiled. “Awe shucks, ma’am- it weren’t nothin’.”
“I really appreciate everything you’re doing for us.”
He shrugged and focused on her face. “It’s a big house. Big enough for the three of us, and then some.”
“If we start encroaching on your space more than we should, don’t hesitate to speak up about it.” She got to her feet.
“It’s not going to happen.”
She shook her head at him. “You’re used to baching it, Hawk. It may grow tedious having two women under foot.”
“It’ll be okay, Clara. If I start to feel crowded, I can always bug out for a few days.”
“This is your home. If you need some space, we can do the bugging out.” She turned as she reached the kitchen door. “If you have difficulty getting in or out of the tub, don’t hesitate to yell.”
He smiled at the comical image that came to mind of the two slightly built women trying to get his two hundred and ten pound frame out of the water. “I think I can handle it, but I’ll keep it in mind.”
His smile listed as Clara left. Zoe would probably leave him afloat and tell him to soak his head, as well as his knee.
His jaw tensed. It wasn’t just his team’s welfare he had in mind. He didn’t want to see her hurt. For all their joking about marriage and rehearsal dinners, he couldn’t picture any of his men being ready to take the plunge.
Zoe wasn’t the kind of woman a man looked to for no-strings sex. Her shy flirtatiousness fired his protective instincts, but it also fired everything south of his belt as well. Knowing it probably did the same to his men drove him crazy, and damned if he knew what to do about it.
And what if one of them were responsible for Cutter’s injuries?
The only one he could be sure of was himself. He had to protect her.