A Daddy for Her Daughter

by Tina Beckett

“Anyone know who he is?” This time it was Kaleb’s voice.

  Neither of them had even stopped to wonder if he might have relatives nearby. But it was strange that no one had stepped forward.

  “I was told he works for the park service.” The police officer was back. He checked the man’s pockets and found his wallet. “I’ve got some contact information here.” The officer eyed Kaleb and Maddy a little closer. “Don’t I know you from somewhere?”

  Maddy had no idea what he was talking about. How could he know...?

  Oh, Lord. He was the same police officer who’d caught her and Kaleb making out in the park. Heat rushed into her face. Maybe he wouldn’t remember them.

  Just then the officer’s brows went up. “Okay. I’ve got it.” A ghost of a smile played around his lips. “I need to make a few phone calls and see if I can have someone meet him at the hospital. But I’ll need to get a statement from you about what happened.”

  “We didn’t see it happen,” Kaleb said. “We just came over to help. We’re both doctors. In fact, several of us are.”

  That seemed to take the officer by surprise. He nodded. “Good thing you were here.”

  Kaleb checked on their patient again as Jamie and the EMTs got the man ready to transport, passing some last-minute instructions back and forth. They used a backboard to get him onto a stretcher. Once he was on board, the surgeon jumped in with the man and the back doors slammed shut. The driver hopped into the truck, taking off with lights flashing and siren blaring.

  “Do you think he’s going to be okay?” One of the nurses pushed a strand of dark hair from her face. No one had expected to be called into service today, but no one Maddy could see had walked away without lending a hand.

  Kaleb nodded. “He should be, as long as his heart is in good shape.”

  In the distance, she could see the officer asking people questions and jotting stuff down in a little book. “It’s the same officer, you know.”

  “The same officer?” He gave her a puzzled look.

  “The last time we were out here.” She swallowed. “He recognized us.”

  “I still don’t follow—” He stopped. “Oh.”

  “Yeah. Oh. I really hope he’s not going to put that in his report anywhere. I would hate for the hospital to get wind of it.”

  He bumped his shoulder to hers. “It’ll be okay.”

  The same words Kaleb had said about their victim, that he would be okay as long as his heart was in good shape.

  It wasn’t the man’s heart she was worried about. It was hers.

  And at this point it was a toss-up as to whether or not it was going to be in good shape by the time this was all over with. Or whether it would crash and burn. Just like Roxy’s kite.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  THEY WERE ABOUT to announce the winners.

  Despite Maddy’s warnings about Kaleb not getting too close to her daughter, the little girl had somehow wound up perched on his shoulders. To be able to see the podium, he’d said.

  In reality, seeing her up there melted a bigger hole in what was already a sizable chink in her armor. Kaleb held both of Chloe’s hands, and her small tennis shoes hit him midchest. Even when her daughter kicked her heels against him in excitement, the muscle mass didn’t move. There wasn’t an inch of flab beneath that black polo shirt. But there were dusty scuff marks from where her shoes were draped. Maddy’s heart clenched. Never once had Matthew held their child like this. And he’d never offered to be involved other than to make threats about taking Chloe away from her. That had come from a need to hurt her, though. Not from a need to forge a relationship with his daughter.

  Yet a man who barely knew them had taken it on himself to help make her happy. First with the kite. And now with this whole day, which Maddy had to admit had been pretty darned magical. A better birthday, she couldn’t imagine. Maybe being alone wasn’t such a huge treat after all. But she’d already arranged that her sister would take Chloe for the night. So she was stuck with the consequences of her decisions.

  Unless that dinner invitation Kaleb had mentioned earlier had been real. So far, he hadn’t mentioned it again.

  The loudspeaker gave a loud squeal as everyone gathered back in the main assembly area; the kites that had survived the event were back on display alongside their prototypes. Several prizes were due to be awarded, some based on the creativity of design and other aspects. The grand prize, which included the tickets to the Space Needle and restaurant, was to be awarded to the judges’ overall favorite.

  “The points from our judges have been tallied, and we’ll start with the honorable mention in design and move up from there.”

  The names and prizes soon became a blur, punctuated by small bursts of applause. Fifteen minutes later neither Roxy’s nor Chloe’s kite had been named, and Maddy wondered if her daughter was going to be disappointed after all. Well, that was okay. She would have to learn that life didn’t always reward hard work. There was often an element of luck involved.

  “And now for our grand prize.” From Maddy’s line of sight, the announcer shuffled pages back and forth, his brow furrowed before evidently finding what he was looking for. A smattering of nervous-sounding laughter swept through the room. “You thought I lost it, didn’t you? Yeah, me too. I could just see my spot going to someone else for next year’s festival.”

  He cleared his throat. “Before I announce the winner, though, I want to call Dr. Druthers up to the podium and ask that you all look at the screen to your right.”

  The crowd’s attention shifted to the white area where the monetary goal for the event was listed.

  The hospital CEO trotted up the steps to the podium and moved to the microphones, straightening his tie. His eyes went to the blank screen.

  “We’d hoped to raise fifty thousand dollars for our pediatric oncology department.” He smiled. “Well, folks, thanks to you, we surpassed it. You had those donations pouring in. Our total came to...one hundred and ten thousand, fifty-five dollars and twenty-one cents.”

  Maddy’s eyes widened, especially when the screen flashed the amount along with several pieces of medical equipment that could be purchased with that figure. It was mind-boggling. Maybe it was nothing for Seattle, but for someplace like her hometown that would have been a fortune.

  More applause came, this time the sound deafening. Dr. Druthers turned to the screen, adding his applause to the audience’s. The announcer waited for it to die down before moving back to the microphone and shaking the CEO’s hand. “That is great news for some very special patients.”

  She glanced toward Kaleb to see if he was smiling as much as she was, but he wasn’t. In fact, there was a pale line of pain around his lips that made her wonder if Chloe was getting too heavy for him. Her own smile faded. She touched his arm. He turned toward her, the pain reflected in his eyes as well.

  “Do you want me to take her?”

  If anything, his expression turned even more haunted, but he shook his head, just as Chloe dug her fingers into his hair as if getting ready to hold on for dear life.

  “No.” He swallowed. “She’s fine, as long as you’re okay with it.”

  “Yes, but...”

  Before she could say anything else, the loudspeaker came back to life. “Is everyone ready to hear who our overall winner is?”

  “Yes!” The shout went up as one.

  “All right, then.” The announcer held up his clipboard and peered at it for a minute. “The judges had a hard time picking just one winner, and if it had been based purely on looks and functionality, we might have had a three-or four-way tie. As it was, one entrant added an unusual element to the mix.”

  Maddy’s heart rate picked up, beginning to pump hard in her temples. Surely that had to mean...

  “Our winning entry tugged at the judges’ he
artstrings and so the decision was unanimous.” The white-haired gentleman took a dramatic breath. “The prize of four tickets to the Seattle Space Needle goes to Maddy and Chloe Grimes and their high-flying, loud-purring cat, Jetta.”

  Chloe screamed, leaning down and wrapping her arms around Kaleb’s forehead. He seemed to share her happiness, holding her as he turned around in two quick spins. His eyes then met Maddy’s. The somber look he’d had moments earlier faded, and he gave her a smile that turned her insides to liquid fire.

  “Happy birthday, Maddy.” He leaned closer. “If you’ll give me your keys, I’ll load the stuff in your car in a few minutes. Meet me there after you say goodbye to Chloe and Roxy.”

  “Okay.” She swallowed hard, doing her best not to hear any other motive in his words, and dug in her pocket for her keys, handing them over to him. He’d said nothing else about dinner.

  “Come up and get your prize,” the announcer said.

  Happy birthday, Maddy.

  Had those low words held a hint of promise? She really hoped so, because that bubble bath was looking less and less like an attractive option, and more like a lonely sentence.

  Her sister gave her a quick thumbs-up sign. But when Kaleb acted as if he was going to hand Chloe down to her, she made a quick decision, poking him with her elbow. “Oh, no. You’re going up there too. You designed that kite.”

  Lifting his head, he peered up at her daughter. “What do you think? Do you want me to come with you?”

  “Yes!”

  Kaleb reached up and wrapped his forearm around Chloe’s waist and swept her off his shoulders with a flourish and propped her on his hip. Then they climbed the steps to the podium together. Maddy’s only hint of unease about making him accept the prize with them was when they were asked to pose together for a picture for the local paper. But she smiled, hoping no one got any strange ideas about why they were all together. Too late to worry about that now, though.

  They were presented with the tickets for the Space Needle and a voucher for dinner reservations at a day and hour of their choosing. Maddy tried to hand them to him, but he shook his head. “You keep them. We’ll work out the details later.”

  More flashes went off indicating pictures being taken. Then they descended the platform. Roxy met her at the bottom and hugged her. “Let me put my stuff in the car. I’ve got a little something out there for you.”

  Maddy frowned. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”

  “Are you kidding? Of course I did. You’re my baby sister.”

  Roxy glanced at her watch and then at Kaleb. “Would you mind carrying Chloe out to my car for me? It’s later than I expected and I promised Little Miss Kite Winner that I would get us a movie and a pizza to celebrate.”

  “Sure.”

  Maddy helped gather the majority of their things, handing Chloe the winning kite—the prototypes for all the kites would go on display in the pediatric oncology ward of the hospital to help cheer its young patients. “Can you carry this for me, honey?”

  “Yes.” Her daughter cradled the kite carefully against her chest, and Kaleb wound the tail around its body.

  Once they had everything loaded in the car and got Chloe strapped into the car seat that Roxy kept in her vehicle, her sister handed her a gift bag out of the back with another hug. “Happy birthday, honey. Enjoy your night. And for what it’s worth, I’m really glad you’re here in Seattle.”

  Moisture stung the backs of Maddy’s eyelids. She tried to laugh it off before anyone noticed. “You noodle head, there’s no place I would rather be.”

  “Not even home? I know Mom asked you to move back. She told me.”

  Maddy leaned back and shook her head. “I’m happy at my job, and I love everything about this city. I’m here to stay.”

  * * *

  Kaleb did his damnedest not to listen in on their conversation, but he couldn’t help but hear the last part of Maddy’s statement. She loved everything about this city. He didn’t know why, but he was glad that what had happened with her ex wasn’t going to drive her back to Nebraska. He realized he had no idea where in Nebraska that was, actually. It was one of a growing list of things he wanted to ask her, however.

  Once the sisters had said their goodbyes, Maddy turned to him, her gift bag in hand, the lawn chairs propped against the box that contained her other items. “I know you said you’d put these in the car, but I think I can get it, if you need to get going.”

  “I’m not in any hurry.” He picked up the box and then slung the straps to the chairs’ carry bags over his right shoulder. He nodded at Roxy’s present. “Don’t you want to open that?”

  “Oh.” She glanced down. “It can wait. Roxy already told me what’s inside it. I can get the kite back from Chloe and give it back to you on Monday, if you want to keep it as a memento.”

  “No. It’s hers. I want her to be able to fly it again.” He started walking in the direction of her car.

  Once everything was tucked into Maddy’s vehicle, he leaned against the back bumper. “Let me take you out to dinner. It’s your birthday, and I don’t feel right sending you back to your apartment by yourself.”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  He couldn’t tell if she didn’t want to go with him or if she was just trying to feel him out. He decided to make it as plain as possible. “You’ll find I rarely do anything that I don’t want to do.” He touched her cheek. “Go out with me. I want to buy you dinner.”

  There was a few seconds’ pause before she nodded. “Thank you, then. I’d like that. It’s been a busy day, but I was actually kind of regretting promising Chloe she could go home with Roxy. I’d need to run home and check on Jetta and feed him first, though, if you don’t mind.”

  “It’s on our way. We can drop off your car in the process, if that’s okay?”

  “More than okay.”

  When he followed her up to the elevator of her apartment building, his arms full, they found a box sitting in front of her door. And from the imprinted logo on the side along with the scent of ginger that lingered in the hallway, someone had already made dinner plans for Maddy. So much for taking her out. Maybe it was just as well. Because standing in her hallway reminded him of Maddy’s original plan of soaking in the tub.

  She opened the door, pushing the box inside with her foot. Jetta met them almost immediately, meowing and winding around her in a way that made him smile. That was a lot of effort to garner sympathy. The cat had been working on that act for a while, from the looks of it.

  “I take it he’s hungry.”

  She laughed. “He’s always hungry.” Motioning to the stuff he was holding, she said, “You can just set that anywhere, and if you don’t mind putting the take-out box on the counter, I’d appreciate it. I’ll rustle up some food for Jetta. He’s earned it for inspiring the kite design. I guess this means we don’t have to go out for dinner after all.”

  Hearing her say the words punched his gut in a way he didn’t like. Hadn’t he just been thinking that himself?

  “I guess not. I’ll leave you to your meal, then.”

  She turned around in a flash. “What? You’re going?”

  “I assumed...” He nodded at the box. “I’m sure that’s a meal for one.”

  “If I know Roxy, it’s enough for five or ten people.” She glanced down for a moment at the cat, who was still meowing up a storm, before looking back at him. “Please stay, Kaleb. I thought I wanted to be alone, but...”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I really am. And if there isn’t enough in that box—although I know there will be—we can call out for more to supplement it.”

  Kaleb set the items he’d brought in next to a floral padded bench she had just inside her door. Then he picked up the box of food and set it on the counter as she’d
asked him to do. “Where are your plates?” He peered into the box and saw several cardboard containers inside. There was indeed quite an assortment of food, from the looks of it.

  “In the cabinet to the left of the sink.”

  While she popped the top on a can of cat food and scooped the contents into a small silver bowl inside a walk-in pantry, he found plates, silverware and glasses and set the dining-room table.

  By the time she came back in the room, he had the cartons unloaded from the box and the plates set on bamboo place mats. There were a couple of candles poking from a centerpiece, but he didn’t want to light them and risk her thinking he was pushing for things that he wasn’t.

  Was he sure about that?

  “Wow, thanks. I didn’t expect you to do all of that.”

  She put the gift bag on the far end of the table.

  “I didn’t know it was your birthday before today, or I would have gotten you something.”

  “Why?”

  Kaleb hadn’t expected the bald question, so he shifted for a second, trying to figure out a good answer for what had been an impulsive statement. “Because you work hard, and you deserve it. Just like Roxy thinks you do. You have a good sister, you know.”

  “Oh, I know. She rescued me.” As if realizing that sounded a little weird, she continued. “Matthew was getting harder and harder to avoid in my little hometown. Gamble Point, Nebraska, actually. Roxy suggested I move to the city and make a clean break of it. I never expected him to follow me. If he’d hurt anyone, I never would have—”

  “He didn’t, Maddy.”

  “I know, but...” She shook her head as if trying to blot out that horrific image. “Anyway, sit down. And thanks for staying.”

  “Thanks for asking me.”

  Just then her cell phone rang. He nodded toward her purse. “Feel free.”

  “I’ll just be a minute.” She got out her phone and glanced at the readout. “It’s my mom. I’ll try to make it quick.”

  “Take your time.”

  While Maddy talked to her mother, who had obviously called to wish her a happy birthday, Kaleb wandered around the living room, glancing at pictures of her and various family members on the mantelpiece. One of the shots was of a woman with the same curly hair as Maddy, threaded with a few strands of gray. That had to be her mother.