Intimate Strangers by Danielle Taylor Page B

the tightness of his shoulders and the growled mumbling beneath his breath in what she now knew to be Afrikaans. “Damn, I can’t figure these buckles out.”
    Chelsea bit her lip in an effort to keep her laughter from erupting and slipped past Tiaan to demonstrate how to secure Ruan in his car seat. “There.” She patted her sleeping son on the cheek and stepped back, meeting with a wall of muscle and warmth behind her.
    “Thank you,” his breath danced through her hair to meet her ear. She felt his hands on her waist, sliding down to the edge of her jeans. “Thank you for your patience with me.”
    This complete one-eighty degree change in his personality was confusing, but mostly, it made her want to cuddle up beside Tiaan and listen to the sound of his beating heart. When he was sweet and kind like this, Chelsea had to refrain from imagining their future together. She had to remind herself that Christiaan Carstens was only here for a short time, and only for Ruan.
    “Um, you’re welcome.” She quickly slipped away from him and ran to her car where she barricaded herself inside.
    In her rear view mirror, Chelsea watched Tiaan’s thoroughly perplexed expression turn to one of raised brows, saw his shoulders rise and fall sharply in a shrug, and followed after him as he got into the driver’s seat. He peered over his shoulder about four times before staring the vehicle, waved to her, and then he backed out of the driveway and onto the street. Chelsea drove behind him, trying not to stare at his deep and intense gaze in his rear view mirror for the duration of the trip back to the Dunlop’s house.
    “Why don’t we go out for a little while?” Tiaan suggested as he waited for her to unclip the car seat and take Ruan from the SUV. “Maybe take a walk?”
    “That sounds like a great idea, doesn’t it Chelsea?”
    At her name, Chelsea whipped her gaze to the front door just in time to witness Hannah running down the path, hair floating wildly behind her. “Um, b-but Ruan–”
    “We’ll look after him for you, right Kayla?”
    Bottom lip pulled between her teeth, Chelsea watched as Mac’s daughter came outside with Erik on her hip. She was outnumbered here. They shouldn’t be so supportive! Why couldn’t these people just be angry with her for running, or for coming back? Why didn’t they tell Tiaan off for how he treated her during his stay with them so far?
    “Sure!” Kayla answered, bending to pick up the toy Erik dropped on the grass. “It’s almost time for him to go down anyways and once Ruan has some milk, he’ll be fast asleep again.”
    As if on cue, her baby whimpered, stretched, and let out a high-pitched cry. Tiaan’s eyes widened and a light sheen of sweat developed on his brow. Then she had to fight the laughter bubbling up in her tummy at the sight of a man who didn’t know what to do with a crying baby. Thankfully, Kayla and Hannah both erupted in a fit of giggles and hauled the man holding the shrieking baby inside.
    While they showed Tiaan how to change a diaper, Chelsea slipped into the kitchen, found a clean and dry cup, and began expressing some milk for Ruan. She made sure there was enough just in case she and Tiaan were gone for longer than expected, then put the milk in the fridge and went outside to grab her things.
    She skidded to a halt upon seeing the mountain of a man dressed in a dark long-sleeved shirt and black jeans rummaging through his vehicle – which currently contained most of what she owned. Mackenzie ducked out from the SUV with almost all of her luggage tucked beneath his massive arms and held in his giant hands. The man was mammoth in stature. Hannah often said she felt safe in his arms but Chelsea had always been a little frightened of him. Until he offered her a hug shortly after Ruan was born. One corner of her mouth tugged back at the memory.
    Hannah had been correct. Chelsea had felt incredibly safe, and cared for too. It still amazed her that these