“You’re more than welcome,” Mac said, then gave him a moment to regroup by glancing over at Gayle.
She had stopped sifting and stood watching him. A sad, encouraging smile came to her lips. No matter what, she was always strong for everyone around her. Last night had been an anomaly for her—a moment of weakness he might never see again, because that wasn’t who she was. She was strength and dominance wrapped up in a small package. He’d never be able to forget what she’d shared with him last night, or the connection he’d felt with her on far more than a sexual level. Two people who’d had to learn to move on after losing those closest to them, and in such a similar way. Only someone who had gone through it could understand. It was a rare thing.
“How is your wife?” Mac asked the man when he seemed to have gathered himself.
“She had to have surgery. Her hip was completely crushed. She broke a couple of ribs, too, and sprained her wrist really badly, but her prognosis is good.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Mac said. He smiled down at the little girl, who was carefully studying the bear. “How are you doing?”
She looked up, her face somber. “I miss my momma.”
“I’ll bet she misses you, too, a whole lot. I see you still have your teddy bear.”
She hugged it tight. “We get to sleep in the big bed with Daddy at Nana’s.”
He suspected the little girl would probably have many nights sleeping close to her father. The man knew what he’d come close to losing and would be forever changed because of it.
“So, you’re staying at your nana’s.”
“Nana made me cupcakes for dinner. We took some to Momma.”
The father smiled down at her. “She loved them, didn’t she, pumpkin?”
The girl brightened a little as she nodded.
“What do you think you’ll do now?” Mac asked him, glancing at the empty place where the man’s house once stood.
The guy stared out over the flattened land. “Rebuild. Brandi and I met here, got married, and made a family here. Neither of us can imagine living anywhere else.”
Would Mac have done the same thing if things had ended differently? That hadn’t been his path, though. His path had led him—
Again his eyes found Gayle. She was chatting with the older woman now, who was actually laughing.
He didn’t exactly know what place she was meant to have in his life…or what she should be to him. Maybe nothing more than the person who brought him back to life and helped him move on. But he would always have a connection with her, especially after this experience. And somehow, he didn’t find that connection as frightening as he once did.
“I wish you and your family all the best,” Mac said.
“We wish the same to you.”
“Daddy, look. It’s Gayle.”
“Want to go say hi, sweetie?” The little girl nodded, and the man looked at Mac again, sincerity etched in every cell of his face. It reached deep inside Mac. “Thank you. If there’s ever anything…”
Mac smiled and shook his hand, then the man strode off toward Gayle. She gave him a warm smile that squeezed Mac’s chest. The man lowered his daughter, and Gayle squatted and returned the hug Sophie flung at her, then said something animatedly that banished the somber little face and earned a genuine smile from the girl.
Gayle would make a great mother one day.
But how would she ever be able to juggle family life with her dangerous profession? Though Mac had seen the true benefits of her storm chasing, he was also acutely aware of the risks. Carried the bruises on his back from the hail yesterday as a reminder. If he hadn’t been there, the hail could’ve seriously hurt her or worse. How could she continue putting herself in danger if she got pregnant? Or with a family back home waiting for her?
Why did the very idea twist his stomach?
And which part of it didn’t set well with him? The idea of a family worried sick over her every time she headed out to chase a storm? Or the thought of her family not including him…?
Nope. The last thought didn’t set well with him, at all.
However, he was not staying in Kansas. And no matter how he may or may not feel about Gayle, he wasn’t prepared to live the life of a chaser’s spouse, or even significant other.
A special friend with benefits? Sure. He was definitely up for that.
But anything more…there was no possible way.
Chapter Eleven
Groaning, Gayle shuffled into her house and closed the door. Finally. They’d stayed out an extra two days helping the little town with cleanup and had just driven back home this afternoon. After almost a week of living in the SUV and run-down motels, eating fast food or whatever they could grab at a convenience store, she was ready for a long, hot bath with a big glass of wine and her own bed—where she planned to sleep for the next forty-eight hours.