He wasn’t so sure it was okay, not with the way he felt whenever she was within a few feet of him. However, he didn’t want to push it.
They easily heard the girls laughing and talking as they went into the downstairs bathroom. Daniel lifted his shirt over his head and tossed it on the vanity.
He’d shown Emma where all the first-aid supplies were kept when she’d come on board. He didn’t say a word as she pulled out bandages, peroxide and antibiotic ointment from the cupboard.
“Are you going to wrap me up like a mummy?”
She laughed. “No. But I even have skin-sensitive bandages here. Penny tells me they’re the best ones you’ve ever used.”
He groaned. “Now nine-year-olds are making product decisions.”
Emma pulled out the stool under the vanity. “Sit,” she ordered.
The bathroom wasn’t small, but it wasn’t large, either. He was so aware of every move Emma made—from reaching into the cupboard for the bandages, to turning the sink on and wetting a clean washcloth.
To keep himself distracted, he asked, “What’s the procedure going to be?”
“The same as for your daughters. We wash the scratches with a mild soap and water and dab them with peroxide, we dry them, then I put antibiotic ointment on the bandage and attach it.”
“Why on the bandage and not on the cut?”
“When you put it on the cut, sometimes the bandage won’t stick. Believe me, this works best.”
“Oh, I believe you,” he murmured.
Emma began with Daniel’s back, which was probably a good thing because he couldn’t see her. However, when she leaned over him to wash the scratches, he could feel her hair on his neck. He began to sweat. “It’s hot in here,” he mumbled.
“That’s just because you’re nervous about this hurting.”
“I can handle pain,” he answered gruffly. “I was eight when I broke my arm. Didn’t shed a tear. I was ten when a baseball hit me in the eye. No tears that time, either. I was sixteen when I got tackled until I saw stars. No tears then, either. So don’t expect any now.”
“Keep talking,” she encouraged him. “That will help.”
“Only the worst ones need a bandage,” he advised her.
“You’re the patient. You don’t get to say.”
Her voice was a little teasing and he almost turned around right then and there to kiss her. He took a deep breath instead.
In the next moment, every scratch on his back stung as she applied the peroxide. He didn’t even wince. That stinging was just another distraction, thank goodness. He’d concentrate on that.
However, when she attached the bandages, her fingers smoothing them over his skin, he almost jumped up and said, “Stop.” But he didn’t. He tried to just take it all in and enjoy the touch of her hand. How long had it been since he’d been touched with caring by a woman? Until this moment, he hadn’t realized how much he’d missed it. Nevertheless, he had to put a stop to this, didn’t he?
Emma came around his side to tend to his arm. There was a long scratch there that was worse than most of the others. He really should let her take care of that one.
But as Emma washed it, her dark brown eyes met his. He felt as if the pull between them was absolutely right. How could something that felt like this be wrong?
Noticing the pulse at her throat seemed to be beating as fast as his, he asked, “What are you feeling right now?”
She hesitated and then tried to smile. “I’m your nurse. I’m not supposed to be feeling anything.”
“From the look in your eyes, I can tell that you are. We have to be honest about this, Emma.”
She finished washing the large cut, rinsed the washcloth under the spigot and then did it again. “Let me bandage this one before we try to talk.”
As soon as the bandage was attached, he took her into his arms and pulled her down onto his lap. She didn’t try to get away. She looked up at him and he saw there exactly what he was feeling—desire, hunger and possibly more. All of it was happening so fast.
When he kissed her, there was no more pain. There was only exquisite pleasure. The shoulder of her tank top slipped off and he ran his hand across her breast. She moaned and pushed into his hand. That was when he knew he wanted to go further.
But further was impossible. First he heard footsteps, more than one pair, then he heard laughter. Finally he heard Pippa call, “Dad, let’s take a look at the porch.”
Quickly, Emma scrambled off his lap. They were both breathing hard. “To be continued,” Daniel promised.
Emma didn’t have time to respond as the door to the bathroom flew open and Pippa ran in. His youngest stopped short and noted, “Emma put bandages all over you.”
“Not all over,” Daniel corrected.
Emma turned away from him quickly, but in the mirror he saw her blush. She was even prettier after having just been kissed, with that pink blush on her cheeks.
He imagined they could both use a cold shower but instead he beckoned to his daughter. “Come on. Let’s go see if the pooch visited us.”
To Emma he said, “The rest of the scratches will be fine. I’ll take care of them before I go to bed.”
She just nodded. As he and Pippa left the bathroom, he heard the spigot go on again. He suspected Emma was washing her face with cold water. He wished he could do the same. But when his daughters called, he put them first...always.
* * *
It had been an eventful day in so many ways. Emma was beyond tired. She’d just gone to her room to get ready for bed when there were three knocks on her door. Three?
When she went to answer the door, she found what she’d expected—Pippa, Penny and Paris. “Aren’t you supposed to be in bed?” she asked with a smile.
“We are, usually,” Penny said.
“But we took a vote,” Paris added.
Pippa looked as if she was bubbling with excitement.
“A vote about what?”
“We want to name the kittens. Dad’s upstairs with them now. Will you come? You have to help, too. We found you when we found Fiesta.”
Emma wasn’t sure she liked the comparison, but she understood the logic. “Your dad’s sure he wants to do this tonight?” He had to be as tired as she was.
Penny leaned into Emma’s room. “We didn’t give him a choice. We said we weren’t going to bed until we named them.”
Emma couldn’t keep a wide smile in check. She supposed if Daniel ordered them to bed, they would go. But for something this exciting, and to help them with the disappointment after the gray dog hadn’t come back for the food, Daniel was allowing them to stay up a little longer.
“All right. Let’s go.”
The three P’s ran ahead of her down the hall. Emma had to jog a little to keep up. On the way up the stairs, she called to them, “Have you thought of any names?”
“Nothing we like,” Paris called back.
Daniel was sitting on the floor, his legs crossed, staring at the little bundles of fur. A few days ago, he’d plugged in a night-light and that was on now. It was in the shape of a hot-air balloon with a basket that lit up. It must have belonged to one of his daughters.
Emma lowered herself onto the floor beside him. Her leg brushed his knee, but she didn’t move away. They’d gone beyond that.
“When will their eyes open?” Pippa whispered.
“At about ten days,” Emma responded. “They’ll have blue eyes for a while but then they’ll change.”
“Into gold and green?” Penny asked.
“Maybe a combination of the two.”
“So what are you thinking of naming them?” Daniel asked.
They all sat in quiet for a few moments. Emma could hear the beating of her heart and was aware of Daniel beside her. Was his heart beating as hard as hers?
Finally Daniel offered, “The yellow one could be easy. What if we call him Nacho? You know, corn chips with cheese on them? He’s those colors.”
“That’s really fitting,” Emma murmured. “What do you think, girls?”
“I like nachos,” Pippa declared.
“It doesn’t matter if you like nachos,” Penny said. “It’s whether or not the kitten reminds you of one.”
“He sort of looks like a nacho, only he’s furry,” Pippa agreed. Daniel tried to suppress a chuckle but couldn’t completely. Emma knew how he was feeling. His daughters made the world bright and shiny all over again every day.
Emma asked Paris, “What do you think?”
Paris nodded. “Yeah, I like it. You know the other ones are going to be harder. We don’t want something boring like Ebony for the black one.”
“Since the yellow one is Nacho,” Penny said, “how about Burrito for the black one? He or she is all wrapped in black. When will we know if it’s a girl or a boy?”
“The vet will tell us for sure when we take them in for their first shots.”
“First shots?” Daniel asked.
“They’ll need two distemper and one rabies shot, spaced out, of course.”
“Of course,” Daniel grumbled.
Paris patted his shoulder. “It’s just like taking us for a wellness exam and our vaccines.”
When Daniel glanced at his daughter, he seemed to be happy she’d contributed. “That’s a good way to look at it.”
“The other two look alike,” Pippa commented.
The other two kittens had beautiful white chests, white around their mouths and their eyes with tan on their cheeks, and burnt brown on the top of their heads.
Emma pointed to the one who had finished nursing and was curled up under her mom’s face. “That one has a brown patch on her head.” She pointed to the other one, who was lying tummy-up right against her momma. “But this one has that nacho coloring on her cheeks.”
“She does,” Paris said. “Why don’t we call one Guacamole and the other Tamale? They’re both mixtures, and those two foods have all kinds of colors in them.”
“We all have to agree,” Daniel warned them. “I don’t want to hear arguments about this tomorrow.”
All three girls held their hands out in front of them then laid them one on top of the other. Then they lifted them high.
“We won’t high-five so we won’t disturb them,” Penny said.
Daniel smiled at his daughter. “Fiesta now has her four kittens named—Tamale, Nacho, Guacamole and Burrito.”
“Pur-r-r-fect,” Emma said, drawing out the word so the girls would know exactly what she meant.
They laughed and Daniel shushed them. The momma cat moved restlessly. “Okay, time for bed. Get settled in and I’ll be in to kiss you all good-night.”
After Penny, Pippa and Paris left the room, Emma just sat quietly next to Daniel, studying the adorable kittens, each no bigger than her palm. “We should weigh them each day to make sure they’re gaining weight,” Emma said. “There’s a food weight scale in the cupboard. That should do for now.”
“We shouldn’t use it for food anymore, then, so after we’re done with it, I’ll donate it to Furever Paws.”
Emma turned to look at him. Mostly she just saw his profile in shadow. The ambient light backlit his shoulders...very broad shoulders.
She asked, “Do you really mind having Fiesta and her kittens here?”
He gazed down at them and then shook his head. “No, I don’t mind. The girls are learning so much—about caring, about responsibility, and about nurturing. Fiesta and her kittens are teaching them that.”
“You are, too.”
Daniel put his arm around Emma and drew her close. She leaned against him for a few minutes, both of them just enjoying the mood in the room and their growing feelings for each other.
“There’s an adoption event at the shelter on Sunday,” Emma commented. “Do you want to go?”
“Only if you promise me we won’t come home with a dog this time.”
She chuckled. “I promise. Once these little ones are scrambling out of the bin, they’ll need all our energy to play with them and care for them.”
Daniel leaned his head against hers, and then he cupped her chin and turned her face toward him. When he kissed her, she thought a kiss had never been so sweet.
He didn’t take it deeper, and instead moved away. “I have to say good-night to my daughters,” he murmured.
After a last look at the momma and kittens, Emma rose to her feet. “Sunday after church we can decide what time we want to go to Furever Paws. The adoption event runs into the evening. From what I understand, there will be craft stands and food stands, too.”
“It should be fun.” Daniel rose to his feet and walked with her to the door. At the top of the stairs they parted.
Suddenly, Emma realized she hadn’t felt this happy in a very long time.
Chapter Ten
The adoption event at Furever Paws seemed to bring out half of the residents of Spring Forest. At least, that’s what Daniel thought as they arrived and parked amidst the long line of cars that were lined up along the road. The usual parking lot at Furever Paws was part of the production for adoption day. Instead of having dogs in cages, they were arranged according to size in pens—adequate pens that let them roam around and play. Volunteers would alternate walking each dog in the pen. The cats were in cages closer to the shelter walls under the overhang.
Because today wasn’t just about pets, crafters had set up their stands on the outer perimeter of the parking lot. Canopies covered most of them for shade. As Daniel and the three P’s and Emma entered the area, Daniel asked, “Craft and eatery stands first or animals first?”
“I’m hungry,” Pippa announced.
Penny agreed. “Me, too.”
“Corn dogs, burgers or chili?”
Penny and Pippa said in unison, “Corn dogs.”
Paris said, “Salad,” in a low grumbly voice.
Daniel was about to say she should eat something else when he saw the look Emma gave him. He should find another solution rather than scolding. He pointed to a food truck farther away. “There’s a taco stand. You liked the tacos we had the other night. I bet if you ask, they’d give you lettuce and tomatoes in a bowl. What do you think?”
Paris gave him a reluctant smile. “It will work. While we eat, you and Emma can roam around the craft stands, then we can all go look at the animals.”
Daniel quirked an eyebrow. “Aren’t we supposed to eat, too?”
Paris blushed. “I guess you can eat while you’re looking at the other craft stands. There are signs on all the food vendors not to feed the animals.”
“I’m sure volunteers will be watching for that,” Emma said. She looked at Daniel. “What are you hungry for?”
He almost said, “You,” but instead replied, “Lady’s choice.”
“I’d like a chili burger.”
“A woman after my own heart. I’ll order two of those while you look around.”
After Daniel scored two burgers, he found Emma at a vintage glassware stand.
“Aren’t these beautiful?” Emma asked, pointing to a flower made of vintage glass. He saw it rested on a pole you could stick into the ground. “This would look amazing near your front door.”
The flower was made up of a deviled-egg dish in white with gold trim, a blue flat plate in front of that and a smaller yellow dessert dish as the center of the flower. It was cleverly arranged.
He pointed to a birdbath fashioned of vintage vases and crystal dishes. A small bluebird sat on the top. There were solar lanterns and turtles and mushrooms all made from vintage glassware. “Let’s come back to this stand before we leave. You can help me pick out something for the front yard.”
; With a scanning glance of the parking lot, he saw that the three P’s had joined together and were sitting on a bench closest to one of the dog pens. Daniel drew Emma to a bench under the overhang of the building. He could see his girls from here, yet they could have their own sense of independence.
When he opened the bag and produced two burgers, he handed one to Emma. Then he also pulled two soda cans from the bag. “Not that I’m an advocate of sodas, but I thought these would be good on a hot day.”
After a long look at his daughters, Emma smiled. “They’re drinking soda, too. Did you tell them they could go on a sugar high today?”
He laughed. “Just wait until they pull you to the homemade doughnut stand.”
Knowing the day could be hot, Emma had pulled her hair into a low ponytail. She appeared younger—so vulnerable, so pretty, so touchable. He pushed away those thoughts.
As she unwrapped her burger, she said wryly, “If I make a big mess of this, don’t laugh.”
He produced napkins from the bag. Taking one in hand, he opened it and tucked it into the neckline of her tank top. His fingers brushed her skin. She was eminently touchable.
She gazed at him with that sparkle in her eyes that told him they were on the verge of something good. When he pulled back his hand, she took a bite of her burger. Some of the chili fell onto the foil wrapping.
“Good first bite,” he joked.
“Your turn,” she teased with a wink. After he took a successful bite, she commented, “I should applaud.”
“Or maybe—” he began.
All of a sudden Rebekah came around the corner of the building. When she spotted them, she headed their way.
“Uh-oh,” Emma said. “That’s her I-want-to-tell-you-something face.”
“I certainly hope she’s not going to ask you to take another pregnant cat.”
Emma playfully bumped his knee with hers. He liked that. He liked the camaraderie between them as well as the chemistry.
“Just the two people I want to see,” Rebekah said.
“Any particular reason?” Daniel asked, wondering what the shelter director had on her mind.
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