by Cindy Kirk
“You’re awake,” Ivy called out. “Hooray!”
Seth shifted his focus to his daughter. Was there anything sweeter than a child’s welcoming smile?
“Happy New Year, Seth.” Lauren set aside the sauce and moved to the coffeepot. “One cup of your favorite Colombian blend coming right up.”
“You don’t have to wait on me,” Seth protested.
“You’re still recovering,” Lauren’s tone was matter-of-fact. “You were up late. You deserve a little pampering.”
“The coffee smells wonderful.” Seth inhaled the rich aroma. “Before I do anything, I need to check on the collie.”
“He’s right there, Daddy.” Ivy pointed to the large kennel in a far corner of the kitchen. “Miss Lauren and Mr. Swenson brought him inside.”
“I hope you don’t mind.” Lauren poured the steaming brew into a cup and brought it to him. “It was snowing hard this morning. I thought having him in the house would make it easier for you to monitor him.”
“Thank you, Lauren.” Seth wrapped his hands around the mug and took a sip. He glanced down at the cup. “I bet I’m not the only one who’s thirsty. I need to get him water.”
“We gave him some already.” Ivy grinned. “He drank and drank and drank. He was a thirsty boy. Then we, well, Miss Lauren took him outside so he could do his business.”
Seth smiled at her enthusiasm. The love of animals was something he and Ivy shared.
“Sounds like you took good care of him.” He shifted his gaze to include Lauren. “Thank you.”
Her cheeks pinked in a charming blush, just as they had when he’d kissed her.
“I read to him,” Ivy advised. “He likes Junie B. Jones as much as I do.”
“Ivy is a good little reader,” Lauren told Seth, shooting Ivy a wink. “She’s also a great help. She read to our injured pup while I got the ingredients together for the pizza.”
“We make a good team.” From the way Ivy made the pronouncement, Seth had the feeling she was repeating what Lauren had said to her.
Ivy looked so proud and content that his heart swelled with emotion. It was amazing how much happier his daughter had been since Lauren had come to live with them.
“I told Bailey you’d make sure he healed up real good,” Ivy added.
Seth took a seat at the table and lifted a brow. “Bailey?”
“That’s what I named him,” Ivy told him. “Miss Lauren said it suits him, whatever that means.”
He smiled. “It means she thinks he looks like a Bailey.”
“You will make sure he gets better, won’t you, Daddy?” Ivy’s earnest blue eyes focused on him. “You made all the other animals better.” Ivy lifted a hand and counted them off. “The raccoon, the robin, the baby calf, your horse—”
“I’m impressed,” Lauren said.
Seth shrugged off the compliment.
“My daddy is the bestest vet ever.”
“I’m not a vet, Ivy,” Seth reminded her. “Just someone who likes animals.”
“You could be, you know.” Lauren spoke in a low voice when Ivy shifted her attention to Bailey.
“How could I take time away from her and the ranch to go back to school?” Seth shook his head. “At this point in my life it’s not feasible.”
Lauren just looked at him.
“It’s important not to bite off more than you can chew.” Seth wondered why it felt so much like a copout when he was merely stating facts. The clock in the living room began to chime and he groaned.
“What’s the matter?” Lauren asked.
“Mitch and Anna’s football party.”
“I’d forgotten all about it.” Lauren’s brow rose. “When does it start?”
“An hour ago.”
Chapter Fourteen
Every day for the past five days Seth had tried to convince himself the kiss was no big deal. Just a way to welcome in the new year. But no matter how many times he told himself the kiss didn’t mean anything, his gut told him it did.
The more he was around Lauren, the more he liked her. He enjoyed talking to her, not only about everyday events at home but also about what was going on in the world. Her keen intellect challenged him and had actually caused him to reconsider some of his beliefs. She was fun, too. Looking back, he realized he’d laughed more during these past few weeks than he had in years. Watching Ivy blossom under her attention made his heart melt.
But the more he thought about it; the more he wondered if bringing Lauren into his household had been a mistake. If he wasn’t careful, he could easily fall in love with her. “That would be a disaster.”
“What would be a disaster?”
Mitch’s question jerked Seth from his reverie. He’d almost forgotten his friend had insisted on accompanying him out to the stable.
Seth thought quickly. “If Star got an infection in her wound.”
He picked up the bucket of supplies and headed to the stall of his favorite cutting horse.
Mitch hooked a boot on the gate. “How’d she get injured?”
The nine-hundred-pound bay tossed her head at the unfamiliar voice.
“Bumped up against a fence.” Seth kept his voice calm and low. Star had been a model patient so far, but she obviously wasn’t pleased he’d brought a visitor with him. “What does she think of the new dog?”
Seth glanced down, not surprised to see the black and-white border collie at his feet. Though it had been less than a week since he and Lauren had rescued him from the side of the highway, the animal had made a remarkable recovery. The laceration was healing without any signs of infection, and you’d never know the leg had been injured. “Bailey is good around the horses. And great around Ivy.”
“You’re keeping him?”
“Ivy would throw a fit if I sent him away.” Seth smiled remembering how her little face had lit up when he’d told her they could keep the collie. It had been like Christmas morning all over again.
With supplies in hand, Seth slipped inside the stall. “She insisted we bring him inside New Year’s Day.”
“Is that why you didn’t come over?” Mitch asked. “Because Ivy wanted to play nursemaid to a dog?”
The football party and brunch at Mitch and Anna’s house had been on Seth’s calendar for over a month. But when New Year’s Eve had turned into an all-nighter, Seth had decided he needed a restful day at home more than he needed to socialize.
“Like I told you, I’d been up all night with Bailey.” Seth set the supplies down so he could stroke Star’s nose. “I wouldn’t have been very good company.”
“Anna was disappointed you kept Lauren home with you.”
“I told her she didn’t have to stick around,” Seth assured his friend. “She insisted on staying.”
“Tell me you at least watched the game,” Mitch said.
“I woke up just as it was starting.”
It hadn’t taken Seth long to discover Lauren loved football almost as much as he did. By the third quarter any awkwardness between them had disappeared. “Lauren and Ivy made pizza that morning and we ate in front of the television. After the game we had homemade ice cream to celebrate the V.”
Seth carefully removed the bandage from Star’s thigh and inspected the wound, but his mind kept going back to that afternoon. Lauren had never tasted homemade ice cream and it had been love at first bite. The ecstasy on her face and the sound she’d made when the creamy sweetness hit her tongue had brought all sorts of thoughts to mind, none of them G-rated.
He ignored the sensations the memory aroused and forced his attention back to the mare. Seth felt his friend studying him as he cleansed the wound with saline and applied a fresh bandage.
“Sounds like you and Lauren are getting along pretty well.” Mitch’s gaze turned speculative.
“She’s easy to be around,” Seth admitted.
“You like her?”
“As a friend.”
“Loretta Barbee saw her and Nordstrom having dinner at a res
taurant in Bozeman Saturday.”
Seth had tried to put that night out of his mind. He hadn’t wanted Lauren to go but he’d put on a good front. He had no right to tell her who she could and couldn’t associate with, even if the guy was a selfish jerk who’d only seen his father once every five years. While that wasn’t the only reason that twisted the knife in Seth’s gut when she’d walked out the door, it was good enough.
“I didn’t realize they were dating,” Mitch added when Seth didn’t immediately respond.
“It wasn’t a date," Seth clarified. “They went to a lecture and decided to catch some dinner first.”
Lauren had looked exceptionally pretty that evening. She smelled even better.
Seth clenched his teeth together and gathered the supplies. After giving Star one last pat he joined Mitch outside the stall.
“You didn’t want her to go.”
“Didn’t matter to me.”
“Liar.” Mitch cocked his head to the side. “I’ve seen the way you two look at each other. Are you sleeping with her?”
“Absolutely not.” Seth yanked his coat from the hook. That night in the clinic had been a close call. Too close.
“You have kissed her.”
Seth scowled. “How is that any of your business?”
“Okay, we’ve established that you’ve kissed her.” A look of satisfaction crossed Mitch’s face. “How was it?”
“Awkward.” Seth shoved one arm and then the other into his coat sleeves.
“The ice queen cometh?”
“Not at all.” Just remembering the sweet taste of Lauren’s lips had the power to turn his blood into a river of molten lava. “Hot would be more the word.”
Mitch’s expression was clearly skeptical. “If the kiss was hot, you’d have slept with her.”
“Lauren is Ivy’s nanny.”
“Give me a better excuse.”
Seth couldn’t believe Mitch was being so persistent. He held on to his temper with both hands and reminded himself Mitch had no idea this was a sore subject. If Seth didn’t get all uptight, he never would. “I made a promise to Jan.”
“Anna said you promised not to marry until Ivy was grown. She didn’t say anything about not sleeping with anyone.” Mitch paused. “Why did you make that marriage promise again?”
Mitch had been living out of state during Jan’s illness and death. Seth realized they’d never talked about that time.
“Jan’s parents divorced when she five,” he explained. “Her mother remarried when she was about Ivy’s age. To say Jan and her stepdad weren’t close would be a huge understatement.”
“She made you promise because she was worried about Ivy having a wicked stepmother,” Mitch said matter-of-factly.
Worry over her daughter’s future had consumed his wife’s last days. “Jan loved Ivy so much. She just wanted her to have the very best life possible.”
“More parents should be that concerned.” Mitch’s jaw set in a hard tilt and his face became an expressionless mask. Seth had no doubt his friend was remembering his own broken and dysfunctional childhood.
Mitch pulled on his gloves and stepped outside without even zipping his coat. They were almost to the house when he stopped and faced Seth. “What I can’t understand is why Jan didn’t trust you.”
“She trusted me.”
“No, she didn’t,” Mitch insisted. “If she had, she wouldn’t have been concerned about Ivy’s future. She’d have known you’d never marry anyone who didn’t love your daughter.”
Seth changed the subject, but for the rest of the day he couldn’t stop thinking about Mitch’s comment. Had Jan really not trusted him to do what was best for Ivy? He’d always tried to be a good husband, a good father. Granted, he hadn’t spent as much time with Ivy before Jan died as he had after she’d passed. Part of that had been because of his wife. She’d been a traditionalist, believing a mother should be the primary caregiver.
Had she feared he’d marry the first woman who crossed his path just so he’d have someone to take care of Ivy?
He remembered those dark days after the funeral.
The house had seemed so empty. It had been difficult to take care of the ranch, mourn the loss of his wife and try to meet the physical and emotional needs of a grieving child. Perhaps he would have taken the easy way out and married quickly....
Seth immediately rejected the notion. As stressful as his life had been at the time, to him marriage was sacred. Besides, it hadn’t taken him long to discover that he loved being an active participant in Ivy’s care. In fact, even if he did marry again, he’d never go back to being on the sidelines of her life.
Because of the promise he’d made, it didn’t matter if he fell in love. It didn’t matter if the woman loved Ivy as much as he did. It didn’t matter if they could build a warm and rich life for themselves and Ivy.
All that mattered was that he’d looked into Jan’s eyes and made a vow. He couldn’t see how he could live with himself if he broke that promise.
Chapter Fifteen
It had been quite a week.
Lauren beat the egg mixture with a whisk and poured the liquid into a skillet. She’d made great strides in analyzing her dissertation research, Ivy had started walking short distances on her rocker cast, and they’d added the adorable border collie to their household.
Every time Lauren thought about it as “their” household, she reined herself in and gave herself a stern lecture. This was Seth’s household. She was merely a friend lending a hand.
The only trouble was it had started to feel like her home. She’d spent almost every waking moment of the past couple weeks with Seth and Ivy. While Seth relaxed and continued to recover from smoke inhalation, they’d eaten breakfast, lunch and dinner together.
Every evening before Ivy went to bed, Lauren and Seth took turns reading to her in front of a crackling fire with Bailey at their feet.
After Ivy and Bailey went to bed, they stayed up and talked about everything from changes in the global economy to the upcoming basketball tournament at Sweet River High School.
Lauren remembered her father once remarking that if he had to spend more than five consecutive days in her mother’s company, he’d go crazy. She’d accepted the statement and not given it much thought. Now it made her sad. She couldn’t imagine ever feeling that way about Seth.
“Stop it,” she told herself.
“Stop what?”
She whirled around.
Seth leaned against the door jamb, looking incredibly sexy in a blue plaid shirt and jeans. Today would be his first full day working the ranch. He coughed only rarely now and she hadn’t heard him wheeze in days.
In honor of his recovery, Lauren had decided to fix him a big breakfast.
“Stop thinking that my scrambled eggs are ever going to be as fluffy as yours,” Lauren said, improvising.
She picked up a spatula and turned her attention back to the skillet, not wanting him to see the longing in her eyes. Lauren had stayed true to her silent vow to let him make the next move, but every time he touched her hand or came close to her for any reason it took everything she had not to wrap her arms around him.
“It’s all in the wrist action.”
She froze in place as he stood behind her and reached around so they both held the spatula. His face was next to hers, and if she turned ever so slightly, her lips would meet his. If she turned around completely, she’d be in his arms.
“Just like this.” He flipped over the eggs, then stepped back.
Was it only her imagination or was his breathing suddenly as ragged as hers? She’d like to think so, but since the night they’d almost lost control, he’d been a perfect gentleman.
“Have a seat at the table.” Lauren shoved aside her frustration and forced a pleasant smile. “Food is ready.”
“I’ll get the orange juice and coffee.” Seth headed for the refrigerator, and Lauren could breathe again.
She shifted her attention t
o Ivy, who sat at the table engrossed in the latest Junie B. Jones book. Ivy had gotten up extra early and had practically inhaled her cereal so she could return to reading.
“More juice, Ivy?” Lauren asked.
“No, thank you,” Ivy said, not looking up from the page.
Over bacon and eggs, they talked easily, as they did most mornings. She knew Seth well enough now to tell that something was bothering him. She sipped her second cup of coffee and waited for him to tell her what was on his mind.
“I heard you’re back analyzing compatibility surveys.” He brought the cup to his lips and took a sip. His tone was casual, making his death grip on the cup even more puzzling. “I thought you had all the data you needed.”
Lauren sat back in her chair. “Kim Sizemore hadn’t been matched the first time around. She called the other day and asked if she could try again.”
“What about Adam? I heard he was throwing his hat into the dating pool.”
“News travels fast.” The Internet had nothing on the town’s gossip mill. “Who told you?”
“I ran into Loretta Barbee yesterday when Gwen and I were in town getting supplies,” Seth said, surprisingly serious. “Apparently Adam is convinced you and he will be a perfect match.”
Lauren resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “If I was a betting woman, I’d say he’ll match with Kim.”
“Why would he think it could be you and him?” Seth’s brows pulled together. “You never completed a survey.”
“Actually, I did,” Lauren admitted. “Adam suggested experiencing the survey process firsthand would round out my dissertation experience. Although obviously that wasn’t the reason he urged me to participate.”
“Why now?” Seth’s voice reflected the confusion on his face.
“Doing it earlier wouldn’t have been proper protocol.” Lauren took a sip of orange juice. “Since my research is complete, I can do it just for fun.”
“I like fun.” Ivy looked up from her book. She’d been so quiet Lauren had forgotten she was there. “What are you doing that’s for fun?”
