“Breakfast is on.” Fred’s voice broke into the quiet moment.
“Shall we?” Jared took her hand. “We’ll bring our food in here.” He turned his attention to the dog. “Lurch, you stay here with Chloe. We’ll be right back.”
Eight
Kim set the large shopping bags on the desk, then went to the car and brought in more of her purchases. She removed the items from the sacks…disposable diapers, clothing, a few toys and a couple of children’s books. She went to the car for a third time to bring in the box containing a stroller. When she returned from her fourth trip carrying the toddler car seat, she encountered Jared. Lurch was next to him, with Chloe sitting on the dog’s back as if she was riding a pony. The little girl’s laugh lit up her face and sent a wave of relief through Kim. Her concerns about leaving Chloe with Jared were apparently unfounded.
Kim looked quizzically at Jared. “How did you get your dog to act the part of a toddler-size horse?”
“It didn’t take any work on my part. The two of them seem to have a natural affinity for each other. Lurch is curious about this little person and has become protective of her. I think it started when he kept her from rolling off the sofa while she was sleeping.”
“How did you and Chloe get along while I was gone?” She couldn’t hide the wariness in her voice. She had been reluctant to leave the little girl alone with Jared while she did the shopping, but he had insisted that she was better qualified to make the purchases than he was, and obviously it had worked out all right. “Did she give you any trouble?”
Jared ignored her questions as he helped her unpack the bags. “You look like you have enough stuff here to last for weeks.”
“Not really. You’d be surprised at how quickly a toddler can go through things.” She handed him his credit card and the receipts for the purchases. “How is Fred coming with his childproofing chores?”
“He’s about done. Child-proof fasteners on all the low cupboards and the drawers, gates at both the top and bottom of the staircase, covers on the electrical outlets. I’ve taken everything small and breakable off the coffee tables and end tables. The pool has an automatic roll-on cover that I’ll keep closed when the pool’s not in use. The hot tub is always covered when not in use. I called and am having a crib delivered. It should be here any time. I also made sure she had her midmorning snack just like you instructed. Now, is there anything else we need to do?”
She stopped unpacking and fixed him with a level gaze. “Do you mean other than calling the authorities about an abandoned child?”
His expression became stern. “We’ve already been through this. No police and no child welfare people. She stays here with me, at least until we can get this thing sorted out and find her mother.”
Jared softened his manner as he reached out and gently touched Kim’s cheek. “You look tired. I think you should go home and get some sleep. Fred and I can manage here.”
“Oh?” She gave him a dubious look. “Like you managed to change her diaper and handle her crying last night?”
“But now I know what to do and how to do it.”
“Sure you do.” Her skepticism came through loud and clear.
“You don’t sound convinced.”
She handed him the box containing the stroller. “It says here some assembly required. Do you think you can handle that?”
He took the box from her. “No problem.”
Kim took Chloe off the dog’s back. She smiled at the little girl and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “And you can come with me. We’re going to take a bath and then put on some nice new clothes.”
Jared set the box on the desk and turned his attention to Kim. “Did I hear that correctly?” A lascivious grin spread across his face, matching the lustful gleam in his eyes. “We are going to take a bath? You and Chloe in the tub together? Do you need any help? Can I wash your back? And if not, can I at least watch?”
She shot him a disdainful glare, then took the little girl’s hand. “Come on, Chloe. Jared has work to do.” Lurch trailed along behind them as they left the office reception room.
Jared watched them for a moment as they walked away. It was a sight that grabbed his senses and refused to let go. It was a family portrait of togetherness and contentment, of a mother and child engaged in the simple joys of everyday life. He found it strangely appealing and at the same time uncomfortably disturbing. He turned his attention to assembling the stroller, but he couldn’t shake the image of Kim and Chloe from his mind.
He worked quickly and efficiently. When he had finished with the stroller he unpacked the car seat and inspected it. He sat on the edge of the desk and took a good look at the many items Kim had purchased for Chloe. He had been a little nervous about taking care of Chloe by himself while she was gone, but he had been right in insisting that Kim do the shopping. He picked up one of the books. It never would have occurred to him to buy a book to read to the little girl. And the disposable diapers…he had no idea they came in various sizes. That would have stumped him, too.
He really did not know the first thing about children. He wouldn’t have thought about the things that needed to be done to childproof a house, either. He would have managed to get breakable items moved to higher places, but the need for safety fasteners on cupboards and drawers and electrical outlets never would have entered his mind. It had been very fortunate that Kim had been available to help him get organized. He knew he somehow would have managed without her, but it would have been a matter of trial and error, with lots of uneasy moments along the way.
And the time while Kim was gone…well, he had no idea that toddlers could move so fast. It took a constant vigil on his part to keep up with her while trying to childproof the house. With luck she would slow down after satisfying her curiosity by exploring and inspecting her new surroundings. He tried to stifle a yawn without any success. He had already been exhausted from being up all night without the added element of running after an active child all morning. He allowed a soft chuckle. He was only thirty-eight, but for a moment he felt closer to fifty.
The ringing doorbell interrupted his thoughts. A minute later there was a crib standing in his entryway. He took it upstairs and rolled it down the hallway toward his bedroom, not sure exactly where he was going to put it. He stopped in front of the guest bedroom across the hall from his room. The sounds of Chloe laughing filtered into the hallway. He pushed the crib into the guest bedroom, then peeked into the private bathroom on the other side of the room.
Kim was on her knees leaning across the edge of the bathtub. Chloe had splashed water all over the front of Kim’s T-shirt. His gaze focused on the way the wet fabric clung to her breasts. A tightness pulled across his chest, and an apprehensive jitter flitted around inside his stomach. His mind went to the lovemaking they had shared, to the earthy sensuality of their togetherness.
He watched her with Chloe a few minutes longer. A surprising sensation of warmth spread through his body. Unlike what his life had been before, Kim’s presence left him feeling somehow settled and content. He didn’t know where the feeling came from or why it was there, but it felt good. Then a sharp jab of panic overpowered the contentment and sent a nervous tremor through his consciousness.
“How are you getting along in here?” He didn’t like the slightly husky sound of his voice.
A startled Kim looked up. “I didn’t hear you come in.” She returned to rinsing the shampoo from Chloe’s hair as she spoke. “We’re just about done. Normally she wouldn’t take a bath in the middle of the day, but I don’t know when she last had one. I’ll put her pajamas on her, feed her lunch, then put her down for a much needed nap. I’m surprised she’s not cranky after the disturbed night she had.”
“The crib is here. I thought I’d put it in my bedroom so she wouldn’t feel alone at night, and that way I would hear her if she woke up and wanted something.”
Kim lifted the little girl out of the bathtub and wrapped her in a large bath towel. She had been
thinking about where to put the crib when it arrived, but wasn’t sure how to express her reservations about what he had decided.
“Are you sure that’s what you want to do?” She busied herself drying Chloe. It provided her with an excuse for not looking at him as she said what was on her mind. “I mean…it would be very intrusive into your personal life. You’d run the risk of waking her when you got ready for bed at night or when you got up in the morning.” Kim towel dried Chloe’s hair, then combed it. “It’s just that since you insist on keeping her here for a day or so, I think it might be better if she had her own room.”
Kim dressed the little girl while Jared moved the crib into place. She stood holding the toddler’s hand. “I think we’re ready to go to the kitchen and have lunch now.”
Jared started off at a quick pace, then stopped and turned to wait for Kim and Chloe to catch up with him. A sheepish expression covered his features as he gestured toward the little girl. “The way she ran around while you were out shopping, I just assumed she’d walk that fast, too.”
“She has little legs and can only take little steps.”
The three of them proceeded to the kitchen, where Fred was putting away his tools.
“I’ve finished here, Jared. If that’s all you need, I’d best be gettin’ myself downtown to the construction site. I should’ve been there three hours ago.”
“You go ahead. Thanks, Fred, for taking care of this for me.”
Kim watched as Fred exited through the utility room, then turned toward Jared. “A construction project?”
“It’s nothing.” Jared looked around as if searching for something. “Anything special you want for lunch? What about Chloe? What can we fix for her?”
Kim immediately recognized Jared’s attempt to change the topic. What was he trying to hide? Well, Otter Crest wasn’t that large. A new construction project should be easy to spot. Maybe he wasn’t going to answer her question, but she fully intended to take a detour in that direction on her way home.
She stifled a yawn. She had only been asleep about four hours when Jared called her at three o’clock that morning and she had been going nonstop ever since. She stifled another yawn as she reached for the refrigerator door. He reached out and grasped her hand as he stared into the depths of her blue eyes.
Jared continued to clutch her hand, not wanting to let go of the warmth that radiated to his senses. Every time he touched her he wanted to carry her off to his bedroom and make love to her. And there was more. He wanted more, but exactly what it was that he wanted frightened him to the point where he refused to acknowledge it. He tugged on her hand, pulling her closer to him.
“Hungry.” A little hand yanked at the bottom of Kim’s T-shirt, breaking what could have easily become an intimate moment of seduction that she knew she needed to avoid. She eased her hand out of his. Equal parts of relief and disappointment assailed her senses as she broke the physical contact.
Kim stirred as the sleep lifted from her brain, then she suddenly sat upright. She pulled back the bedspread that covered her. She furrowed her brow in confusion. She didn’t recall having pulled the spread over her. She checked the time and was surprised to find that she had been sleeping for two hours. She remembered putting Chloe down for her nap following lunch, then stretching out on the bed in the guest room. Just until Chloe gets to sleep, she had thought. She knew she was tired but had no idea she was so tired that she would fall asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
She glanced toward the crib to check on Chloe and spotted Jared. He was asleep in a large easy chair he had pulled next to the crib. He had to be even more exhausted than she was. At least she had gotten about four hours of sleep before his call woke her. He hadn’t had any sleep at all.
She stared at his handsome features. Even though he was sleeping, the expression on his face gave him an uneasy look beyond the understandable exhaustion, as if something was troubling him. He had taken a great deal of responsibility on himself when he had decided to keep Chloe at his house. And he had done it without consideration for what was in it for him. His every spoken concern had been for the little girl’s welfare rather than his convenience. It was a very admirable and selfless decision for someone she had originally pegged as nothing more than an irresponsible playboy.
She looked at the bedspread and the way it had been pulled from the other side of the bed so it covered her. Had Jared done that? Had he acted on a genuine concern for her comfort with the personal gesture of covering her? A warm feeling spread through her body. His actions were totally out of character for the person she had assumed Jared Stevens was, especially after the tension that filled the air the morning after they had made love. Her assumptions were melting quicker than a block of ice in the desert sun.
There was nothing about Jared that fit in with her preconceived notions before they made love, and not after they had made love, either. She had been off balance where he was concerned from the moment he first walked through the door of her father’s house. And during the ensuing month he had kept her off balance by constantly doing and saying unexpected things. She glanced at the bedspread he had pulled over her body as she slept, then at the way he had moved his chair next to the crib in a protective manner. Those were not the actions of a selfish, arrogant man whose only purpose was to belittle and humiliate others in a desire to make himself feel superior—not the type of attitude or treatment she had always received from Terry.
Those were the actions of the man she had fallen in love with, a man who had a lot to offer to the world, a man who wasn’t afraid of responsibility. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she had no other choice than to allow her thoughts and emotions free rein. She had initially fought the notion that she was falling in love with him, but she could no longer deny the existence of that very real love. If only she could understand the odd change in his attitude Saturday morning after they woke. There must have been something she missed, some indication of what had happened. Was it possible she had said or done something to cause his strange behavior?
She slid off the bed and quietly approached the crib. A little eighteen-month-old toddler dumped on him in the middle of the night, and his immediate course of action was to accept full responsibility for taking care of her and trying to find her mother. The admiration she felt for him welled inside her. Perhaps her love had not been misplaced, after all.
Jared stirred, then sat bolt upright. He stretched his arms above his head as he stood. He glanced at Chloe before turning his attention to Kim. The sheepish expression on his face told of his embarrassment. “I guess we all needed a little nap. Hopefully things can now get on some sort of schedule so we can get some work done around here.”
“Yes, it has been a lost day.” She adjusted Chloe’s blanket. “She seems to have adapted to her new surroundings very quickly.” A moment of sadness claimed her before she was able to shake it off. “Did she ask for her mother while I was shopping this morning?”
“No.” He frowned as he considered her question. “I expected her to, but she didn’t. She seemed content to look around, explore the house and bask in Lurch’s attentions.”
“I’m surprised at the way Lurch and Chloe seem to be bonding. I would have thought a dog that size would have been frightening for such a little tyke.”
Jared laughed. “Lurch is just a big, overgrown puppy. He loves everyone. Not exactly prime qualities for a watch-dog.” He glanced at the sleeping child again, a slight frown telling of his apprehension. “Do you need to wake her up? If she sleeps too long, will she be awake all night again?”
“I don’t think so. She should wake up on her own pretty soon.”
He shook his head as he expelled a sigh of resignation. “I had no idea there was so much to consider when having a toddler in the house.” He reached out, lightly stroked his fingertips across Kim’s cheek, then took her hand in his.
Jared plumbed the depths of her eyes looking for…looking for what? Did she dare hope it w
as something personal? An intimate question of sharing and togetherness? A sign that he cared deeply for her as more than just a lover?
His voice softened to a mere whisper yet carried a strength of character she had come to realize was an integral part of him. “Did I remember to thank you for coming to my rescue?”
The tender moment tugged at her heartstrings. She did not want to pursue any antagonism. Did she dare hope for a relationship built on more than a temporary contracted work arrangement and one night of passionate lovemaking? Was she again treading into dangerous territory with this forbidden man?
Chloe woke from her nap, interrupting the tender moment that seemed to be drawing Jared and Kim emotionally together while erasing the bad feelings from their morning-after confrontation. Kim allowed an inward sigh of relief that something had put a halt to her errant and inappropriate musings. She lifted the little girl out of the crib and gave her a hug.
“Did you have a good nap, Chloe?”
Chloe squirmed in Kim’s arms, trying to get down as she looked around the room. “Doggy?”
As Kim set her on the floor, Lurch appeared from the hallway as if on cue. Kim held the teddy bear toward Chloe, but she ignored it. Instead of reaching for the toy, she laughed, got to her feet and rushed toward the large Saint Bernard.
Jared watched the interaction between Chloe and Lurch. It was a heartwarming sight. And equally touching had been Kim’s response to the little girl and her willingness to help make the child feel welcome, safe and secure in spite of her stated objections to his decision not to call the police. It was a family feeling…at least what he assumed a family feeling would be like.
For most of his life the words family and dysfunctional had been pretty much synonymous. His mother and father had divorced when he was only five years old. His father had remarried a year later, and two years after that, Terry was born. His mother had died when he was twelve, which was when he had gone to live with his father and what was to be the first in a long line of stepmothers.
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