A Daddy for Her Daughter (6 page)

“How did you wind up with this crew?” She nodded at the doll in Kaleb's hands.

“They were coming into the hospital at the same time I was. Your sister wasn't sure she could find your office.”

“Oh, she wasn't, was she?” One brow went up. “Exactly how many times have you been here, Roxy?”

Roxy peppered Chloe's cheek with kisses. “It's a huge building. I always get lost.”

Somehow he got the idea that Maddy's sister had arrived at her destination just fine in the past. So he'd been hoodwinked. And Maddy evidently wasn't thrilled about it. Well, if Roxy had ideas about doing some matchmaking, she was out of luck. Neither he nor the pulmonologist needed her help. For one thing, he didn't want a steady relationship. For another, Maddy hadn't fared too well either in the love department. And Kaleb wasn't exactly the greatest catch on the planet. There was that baggage—lots of it. His eyes went back to Chloe. Especially when it came to little girls who reminded him of Grace.

“Is it time for lunch, Mommy?”

“Yes, it is, sweetheart. Let's find Patsy something to wear before she embarrasses Dr. McBride.”

Roxy sent him a sideways glance. “I bet he's held a naked doll in his arms a time or two, haven't you, Doctor?”

Heat seeped into his face, a sensation he didn't like. Nor was he going to touch that comment. Instead, he handed the doll to Maddy.

Chloe pointed at him. “I think he should help us find clothes for her.”

“Honey, I'm sure Dr. McBride has more important things to do than help us dress Patsy.”

“This
is
important.”

Her sister shifted the girl on her hip. “Yes, it's very important to get a man's opinion on this one. ‘Does this tutu make my...er...trunk look too spacious?'”

“Roxy.” Maddy's tone held a distinct warning.

“Oh, and I saw the sign-up sheet for the kite-making contest out front and added our names to it.”

“Whose names?”

“Yours and mine. It's for a good cause. The funds will go to fight childhood cancer.”

Kaleb's eyes suddenly felt as if they were on fire in his head.

“Let's discuss this in my office.” Maddy motioned toward the open door, mouth tight, ushering her sister and daughter through it.

Kaleb hesitated in the doorway, until he heard Chloe's plea. “Can the doctor please come too?”

Maddy stared at him. “I don't know. That's up to him.”

Was it his imagination or was there a hint of pleading exasperation in her voice. Or maybe she just wanted to be rescued from her sister. Whatever it was, he found himself inching past Maddy, unable to resist tweaking that strand of hair as he went by. “You look like you could use a helping hand.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“From where I stand? Yes.”

Then they were all inside, and Roxy unceremoniously dumped the bag of doll clothes onto Maddy's pristine desk. He noticed the frame and laptop had been replaced with new ones.

Maddy simply shook her head. “We need to hurry, honey, or we'll be late for lunch.”

It took a few minutes, but Chloe finally decided on a bikini for her doll with slide-on sandals and sunglasses. Everything was soon folded and tucked back into the bag for safekeeping. Roxy glanced at her watch. “Darn. I forgot I have a waxing appointment. I need to get going.”

Maddy remained silent. The more outrageous Roxy's comments, the harder her sister seemed to try to ignore them. Maybe Roxy was trying to keep Maddy's mind off what had happened with Matthew. Or maybe she did it to goad a response from her sister. Whatever it was, there were some things one simply couldn't unhear.

Chloe hugged her aunt goodbye and Roxy offered her hand to Kaleb, which he shook. “Nice meeting you.”

“I'm sure we'll be seeing more of each other. 'Bye!”

The second the door closed behind her, Maddy sank into her chair with a sigh. “Sorry about that. Roxy has had a... Never mind. She's had a hard life.”

Harder than Maddy's? Than his? That he couldn't imagine. Maybe she saw the doubt on his face, because she motioned him to a chair. “She was attacked in her home five years ago. The result was an unplanned pregnancy, which ended in a stillbirth. She uses the shock factor to keep people at a distance. It works.”

Yes, it did. Kaleb did the same thing. Not through his words, but his actions. Like not sleeping at a woman's house. Like making sure he didn't sleep with the same woman more than once. In fact, it had been a while since he'd been with anyone. It was just too hard and complicated. So he didn't even try anymore.

“I'm sorry.”

“Don't you dare tell her I said anything to you. She would kill me.” Maddy smiled, although it looked slightly wan. “And maybe even you.”

“Did they find the man who did it?”

“Yes. He's in jail.” She glanced at her daughter, who was in the far corner, playing with her doll. “I think that's what's behind her fascination with costume design. She can become invisible. No one ever sees the true Roxy.”

Kaleb had a couple of masks like that, but they weren't the kind that could be stitched together.

He had to ask. “Is that why you decided to wear one of her creations?”

“No. That was all my sister. I think she thought it would help me with my...with the problems I'd had with my ex in the past. But after what he did at the hospital...” Her jaw tightened. “Let's just say I've had enough secrets and hiding to last a lifetime.”

Kaleb could understand that. Unfortunately, he had no desire to splay his life out for all to see. Some things were better off remaining out of sight, even if they were never really out of mind.

Glancing at her watch, Maddy sighed. “Well, I don't have that much time left for lunch. How do you feel about hospital food?”

“You mean as a patient or as a doctor?”

“I don't think there's much difference, do you?”

“No. And that sounds good to me. Do you have to take Chloe back to school?”

“She only goes half a day. Roxy will come back and get her. She normally watches her in the afternoons for me.”

A few minutes later, they managed to find a table for two and squeeze another chair in for Chloe. He waited with the little girl while Maddy went up and got them something to eat. Luckily she kept up a stream of nonstop chatter, which meant Kaleb didn't have to think of anything to say. She was very excited about the whole kite-festival thing, from what he gathered. He'd never actually been back to the hospital's childhood-cancer wing since Grace's death. He'd spent enough time there to last him a lifetime.

He wasn't even sure how he'd found himself in the cafeteria with Maddy and her daughter. He'd had the perfect opportunity to leave when Roxy had. But he'd stuck around anyway. And learned something about Maddy in the process. As exasperated as she might get with her sister, she loved her fiercely. And Roxy loved her back. To the point of trying to help Maddy cope with her own heartaches. Only no two people had the same way of dealing with those kinds of situations.

“I'm hungry.”

Chloe's voice pulled him from his thoughts. He shifted to look at the serving line. “Your mom is almost done, it looks like. What do you think she's going to bring you to eat?”

“Fruit cup. I always get a fruit cup, because Patsy and I love them.”

So they'd eaten here before, from the sound of it. Chloe tilted her head. “Is Mommy bringing some food for you too?”

“No. But I do think the fruit cup sounds good.” And just about the only edible thing on the menu. You couldn't really hurt chopped fruit.

A tray plunked down in front of them, not a piece of fruit in sight. Instead, there were chunks of cheese perched on a few lettuce leaves.

“Oh! Cheese. I love cheese!” Chloe plucked a white square and popped it in her mouth.

Kaleb smiled. So much for fan loyalty. “No fruit?”

“Shh. They were working on more, but I didn't want to hold up the line.”

He glanced at the tray again. Other than the cheese and what looked like a green smoothie in a clear container, the plate was empty. “Aren't you having anything?”

“I'll just have a liquid lunch.” She held up the container.

Kaleb had had a few liquid lunches after his daughter died, but they'd been amber colored and had burned like hell as they'd slid down his throat. They'd also put him down for the count. He wouldn't resurface until the following day, when his pounding head and queasy stomach reminded him that he was still very much alive. And Grace wasn't.

“I'll be right back.” He levered himself from his chair and headed for the thinning line. When he got there, he asked for a pot of coffee, some sugar and three fruit cups.

The lady behind the counter glanced at him and then at the offerings on the ice in the silver buffet case. There were several plates of cheese on lettuce. A few sandwiches and the same bottles of juice that Maddy had chosen in various colors. “Wait right here.” She left the register and went into the back.

He picked up a couple of the bottles before choosing one that looked orange—a color he recognized as belonging to something in the fruit family. Within seconds the woman was back with three bowls of cut-up fruit. He paid and took everything back to the table.

“They had some?” Maddy stared at his tray.

“They were just finishing them up, evidently.” He passed the bowls and silverware to each of them and handed Maddy a coffee cup. “It looks like you could use something a little stronger than what's in that bottle.”

“Yes, I could.” She grinned at him. “But coffee will have to do.”

It was good to see her smile, especially after all that had happened.

Maddy poured some of her green juice into a cup for her daughter.

“She actually likes that stuff?”

“It's really good. Have you ever tried it?”

“I normally like my salad on a plate, not in a cup.”

She nudged him in the ribs with an elbow. “It's very good. And good for you.”

He would take that as a warning to watch what he said. He popped the top on his own juice and took a slug of it. Mango...and strawberries. Flavors he recognized. But, hey, if she said hers was good too, he would take her at her word.

“So you're getting roped into making a kite. Do you know anything about them?”

Grace would have loved participating in the festival. But she'd never got the chance.

“I know how to make a paper airplane. Does that count?”

He hesitated. “The entries are pretty competitive, from what I've heard. There are prizes for the best-designed kite and the highest flier.”

“Really?” She took a sip of her juice. “Maybe I should have Roxy erase my name from the list, then. I don't want to disappoint anyone.”

Maybe it was the thought of how much his own daughter would have enjoyed it, maybe it was the mango in his drink messing with his head, but, before he could stop them, words came tumbling out of his mouth. “I actually studied structural engineering before going into medicine. Maybe I could help.”

“How?”

“Participants in the festival normally come up with a prototype—a smaller version of the actual kite—to hang over their section of the table. That way people can browse and vote on a design. That part is separate from the actual kite-flying competition.”

Chloe glanced up. “I want to make a kite! A cat kite.”

Maddy laughed. “A cat kite? Well, that should be a walk in the park for this design-challenged girl. Not.”

“Actually, it wouldn't be that hard.”

Kaleb still wasn't sure why he was offering to help. He didn't want to be at that festival or see the kids flocking to the tables, especially since those with health problems would be given passes to the front of the line. But Grace really would have loved being there. He could do it for her. And if it made Chloe happy in the process, then it benefited both him and Maddy. If he concentrated on that, maybe it would give him a modicum of peace.

“So how does your engineering experience make this ‘not that hard'?”

“We still have a few weeks until the festival. We could work up a couple of prototypes, and Chloe can be our judge as far as how it appeals to kids before we make the actual kite.”

The little girl's smile grew larger. “I want to be a judge too. Can I, Mommy?”

Maddy pulled in a deep breath and blew it out, ruffling the curls over her forehead. “I guess we can give it a try and see what happens.”

Even as she said the words, Kaleb was having second thoughts. Was he really going to do this?

It looked that way. And seeing Chloe's excited face beaming at him and Maddy, he knew he wouldn't be able to retract the offer now. Even if he wanted to. Even if it meant facing cancer-stricken kids at that festival.

Could he do it? He wasn't sure, but he'd better figure out a way.

And he'd better do it before March first. When the kite festival officially got under way.

CHAPTER FOUR

“
I'
M
FINE
, M
OM
.
H
ONEST
.
”

Maddy knew her mother would be desperately worried about her daughter's state of mind following Matthew's shocking death. Guilt sluiced up her throat every time that terrible image came back to mind. No matter how many times she heard the words
it's not your fault
, it didn't stop the ball of regret that was lodged in her belly over what had happened.

Chloe had never asked about her father, but someday she would.

And now their tiny town newspaper had blown the story up to Romeo and Juliet proportions. Only there was nothing remotely romantic about what had transpired. She hoped Chloe never read the article.

According to the press, the “beloved son” Gamble Point had buried a week ago had been distraught, his heart so broken that he'd had no option but to end the pain. All because of the woman who'd run off to the big city, leaving him behind and taking his young daughter with her.

The facts were true enough, but they'd been so distorted that they no longer resembled reality. And they chose to pointedly ignore the fact that Matthew had endangered the lives of more people besides himself. He hadn't gone off to a lonely stretch of road and quietly killed himself. He'd terrorized an entire floor of the hospital, causing untold distress to dozens of staff and patients. One nurse had even quit her job because she was too afraid to return to work.

But small towns sometimes chose to blind themselves in an effort to protect one of their own. Maddy was allowed to say that, because she'd been born and raised in Gamble Point. She knew the town's faults. And yet she still loved the folks there. In some ways, they loved her too. But they also wanted to believe in the romantic dream.

A dream that had become one of her worst nightmares.

“You know what they printed isn't true, don't you?”

“Of course I know it's not, honey. Do you want me to come?” The worry in her mother's voice was unmistakable. But if she asked her mom to rush to Seattle, that worry would somehow transmit itself to Chloe, and Maddy had been very careful to shield her daughter from what had happened at the hospital a week and a half ago.

Besides, she was supposed to meet Kaleb at the park today to test one of the kite prototypes. Roxy was going to pick Chloe up from school and spend the afternoon with her.

Which meant she'd be alone with Kaleb for the trial run. They both agreed they didn't want Chloe disappointed if the thing didn't fly as he hoped it would. But her daughter was going to have to learn to live with disappointment. Just as Maddy had.

But not yet.

“No, Mom. I really am okay.”

“You didn't come home for the funeral.”

She blinked a couple of times. “Please tell me you didn't expect me to.”

“No. But I kind of hoped now that Matthew is—you know—you might consider moving back to Nebraska.”

Shock stopped her for several long seconds. It hadn't even occurred to her to move back home. Why? Her mom was right. There was certainly nothing stopping her now.

But she'd come to love Seattle over the last year. The busy pace of life melded with a laid-back population. And yet, the only reason she'd moved here was to get away from Matthew's threats. And the deep fear that he might try to do something to Chloe.

The guilt over her mother having to rely on other people to help her work the farm came back in a rush. Should she go?

“Maybe you should consider coming to live here, near Roxy and me. Get an apartment.”

“And leave your daddy and Patricia? They're both buried here on the property, Maddy.”

The plot for her sister had been placed right next to her dad's. There was no way her mom was going to leave the farm.

“Can you at least come to visit, sometime? Roxy and Chloe would both love to see you. Chloe misses her nana.”

Matthew's parents had died in a car accident the year Maddy had married their son. It was just as well. It would have killed his mother—a sweet woman who wouldn't hurt a fly—to know what her son was capable of. The way things had turned out, she'd never had to witness what her son had become. Maddy's gut churned at the thought.

“I miss Chloe too. Which is why I was hoping you would come home. But I guess I understand. Our little town can't hold a candle to big-city life.”

“It's not that, Mama. It's just...” She tried to think out exactly what was stopping her from going back. She found it. “There are some memories there that I'd rather not have to face on a daily basis.”

“I'm so sorry, honey. If your father had been alive, he'd have never allowed things to escalate the way they did.”

“It's no one's fault but mine for not leaving the second Matthew raised a hand to me.”

There was a pause. “Let's not talk about that now. So what do you think? Can an old woman like me learn to fly?”

“Fly?”

“On an airplane.” Her mom laughed. “Scared to death of those tin cans, actually. Maybe I'll get a bus ticket instead.”

“Let me check and see how long they take to get here, Mom. Maybe I can come get you instead.”

“I can manage. I've been on my own for a while now. I kind of like my independence.”

“I've learned a lot from you, Mom. Okay, let me know when you're thinking of coming, and I'll carve out a spot for you to sleep.”

“The couch will be fine.”

“Of course it won't. You can have Chloe's bed and she can sleep with me. She'll love it.”

“I'm looking forward to it. Love you, honey.”

“Love you too.”

Maddy smiled, happy the conversation had ended on such a good note. She'd been worried for a second or two that her mom really would try to guilt her into coming back home. But she hadn't. Maybe because Roxy had left almost as soon as she'd got out of high school. Maddy had stayed in her hometown until a year ago. But at thirty-two, it had been time, even if Matthew hadn't started getting more vocal with his threats.

And she was going to meet Kaleb to fly a kite. That shouldn't set a tiny spark of excitement jumping inside her, but it did. She wasn't sure why. As horrified as she'd been at Matthew's death, a part of her was glad she would never have to worry about him again. That could be part of the reason she was so giddy about this excursion. But she needed to curb her enthusiasm. She didn't want Kaleb thinking that she was interested in anything other than a trip to the park to check out his design.

That was all she was going to check out.

No quick glances at sundry body parts, bulges and curves either. She was going to keep all of her attention on things that were G-rated. No eyes venturing anywhere past shoulder height.

Could she do it? Oh, yes. She definitely could.

* * *

For the hundredth time, Maddy had to tear her gaze from the sight of Kaleb's haunches as he moved to adjust the altitude of his homemade kite. G-rated, huh?

Well, she'd definitely grazed something a little past PG, if not further. Worse, he'd caught her staring once, that quirky grin tossing a ball of heat right to her midsection, where it exploded and flowed to areas best left out of this whole trip.

She should have brought Chloe with her. At least her daughter would force her to keep her mind on something besides the hunky doctor. Transferring her attention to the kite, she had to admit she was impressed. That short stint in the engineering department in college had given him a head start in the kite-making department, unless that thing in the air was flying on pure dumb luck. But she didn't think so. There was no design on it at all, it was a simple cat shape, but it seemed to be flying without any trouble. So far. He'd had to tweak it a bit to the right and left a couple of times. Still, it was pretty amazing.

Kaleb glanced back. “Would you mind holding it for a few minutes? I need to make some notes on the design for the next one.”

She stood, brushing a few blades of grass from her black trousers as she did. “It looks like it's doing fine.”

“But it could be better.”

Taking the stick wound with string, she glanced at his face. His eyes were alight with something. Excitement? Whatever it was, it was doing a number on her. “It's just an informal festival. We're not going for an international medal or anything.”

“Hey, I'm just trying to make sure the thing stays in the air. I do the designing. You, Chloe and Roxy are in charge of decorating it.”

Sitting on the grass, just behind her, he had a notebook propped on one knee and was busy jotting something down. Probably those design changes he mentioned. “Funny how both mother and daughter have such a thing for cats.”

“Are you talking about Jetta?”

“You were dressed like a cat when we met at the hotel, remember?”

Maddy's face flamed, and she turned around to face forward again. That was something she wasn't likely to forget anytime soon. She glanced up at the fluttering object. “Well, at least the kite didn't crash to the ground in a heap like I did.”

“It didn't at that. Although you made a pretty cute heap.”

He thought she was cute? Or he thought her costume was cute? There was no way she was going to ask.

“Listen.” The low voice came from just over her right shoulder, causing her to start.

She cleared her throat. “Listen to what?”

“Just listen.”

Maddy stared at the kite, trying to figure out exactly what she was supposed to hear. The cat above them was flittering and flapping in the stiff breeze. She could hear it as it...

“Oh, my gosh.” She listened closer. Yes. The fluttering was rhythmic and low, almost like a... “Is it purring?”

“I was hoping to get something like that, which is why I put some slits in the plastic that covers the frame.”

She glanced back to find he was indeed right behind her. Her eyes moistened. “Chloe is going to love this, Kaleb. Thank you so much.”

“It's no problem at all.”

There was a strange gleam in his eye, and when she caught sight of the notebook open on the ground, the page wasn't filled with a bunch of random scribblings about design formulas, but contained a sketch instead.

Of her. Flying his kite.

A warm tingling curled through her body. Maybe she hadn't been the only one looking. And he wasn't flipping pages to try to hide the sketch, which meant he didn't care if she saw it.

“Kaleb?”

One side of his mouth tilted up, and his fingers traced one of her cheekbones, the soft touch causing her to lose her grip on the spool of string. She fumbled for it and it hit the ground, then skittered across it with a
bump, bump, bump
as it became airborne for seconds at a time. “Oh, no!”

They both dived for the escaping spindle and ended up colliding with each other instead. Maddy chuckled, still trying to right herself so she could take off after the cord, which was rapidly unwinding, sending the kite higher and higher. She leaped for it one more time before tripping all over again. Down she went onto her hip with a thump, laughing as she rolled onto her back in the lush grass, hand to her chest. She expected Kaleb to keep sprinting after the runaway kite, but he didn't. Instead, he levered himself onto the ground beside her, leaning over her, his smile as carefree as she felt.

“It's getting away!” Her voice sounded breathless to her own ears.

“Let it.”

Unlike Maddy's bright laughter, there was a dark undertone to those two words. Her eyes met his, and she understood why, instantly. She'd felt the same thing as she'd watched him earlier: a mixture of lust and longing.

Those two emotions were mirrored in his steady gaze.

And suddenly she realized one thing: he was going to kiss her. Right here in the middle of the park.

And she wanted him to. Desperately.

Half-afraid she might be daydreaming the whole thing and that she would snap back to attention and find he was still flying the kite while she watched him from her perch on the blanket, she curled her hand around his nape and murmured his name again.

And then he was bending closer, his warm breath stirring the fine hairs on her temple.

The first touch of his lips against hers set off a chain reaction she was powerless to ignore. His elbows landed on either side of her shoulders, and he lifted his head to look at her as if trying to gauge her reaction. When he moved in again, the pressure was firmer, more insistent. Nothing like the light exploratory touch a second ago. No, his head shifted a quarter turn to the left, his mouth fitting perfectly over hers.

Settling in.

And she was okay with that. The fingers at his nape wandered to one of his shoulders, the muscles bunching deliciously under her skin. All thoughts of kites and laughter were long gone. This was deadly serious—the stuff pillow talk was made of. Only Maddy didn't feel like talking. And she hoped Kaleb didn't either.

They shouldn't be doing this. She knew it. He probably did too. The last thing she needed was to kiss a colleague. But right now, nothing would be able to pry her away. She made a sound low in her throat.

She'd wanted Chloe to be here earlier. As a buffer. Right now, though, she was glad her daughter was miles and miles away with her aunt, so she couldn't see how crazy with need this man was making her.

Maddy squirmed beneath him, her whole body flaming to life—the heat threatening to consume her. His lips left hers, traveling sideways across her jaw until he reached her ear.

“Maddy...” He nipped her earlobe, prying another raspy sound from her. “Did you know that you purr too?”

Did she?

She had no idea, but she just might, because he was making all kinds of wonderful sensations spiral through her head. Her body. Her...