Ready for Marriage?

Three

It was a beautiful day for Summerfest. The sun shone brightly but there was a hint of breeze and the temperature hovered in the upper seventies just before noon. As Derek lifted Mollie from her car seat, he noticed that there was a sizable crowd milling around the sanctuary parking lot, where many different kinds of booths and activities were set up beneath nearby shade trees.

In the center of the lot, a local dog club had set up an agility course and members were demonstrating their dogs’ skills on various pieces of equipment. A schedule prominently posted near the refreshment tables displayed times for demonstrations of such varied animal events as guide dog puppy raisers, a bird breeder with her talking parrots, a detection dog team who searched for drugs and a woman who rescued orphaned bear cubs. Pony rides were offered in a nearby meadow as well as guided tours of the sanctuary.

Derek had just set Mollie on her feet when she gave a piercing squeal. ‘‘Mom-meeeee!’’ He grabbed her just as she nearly made a mad dash across the parking lot.

‘‘Whoa, there, chickadee.’’

‘‘Down, Daddy!’’ His daughter was a wriggling bundle of feminine outrage. ‘‘I wanna go see Mommy.’’

He tried to keep the frustration he felt from his voice as he said, ‘‘Kristin’s not your mommy, Mollie. She’s our friend.’’

He glanced at the crowd, his pulse quickening, but he didn’t see her, and he decided Mollie must have been mistaken. But as he reached the edge of the asphalt where the frenzy of the celebration was in full swing, his gaze caught a flash of white blond curls. He lifted his head in time to see Kristin standing in front of the animal sanctuary office with two of the board members.

Only…was it Kristin? She wore a skirt—Kris never wore skirts. And not just any skirt. A short denim skirt that hugged her slender hips and showed an indecent amount of long, bare leg. With it she wore an equally skimpy little tank top of some clingy fabric that displayed feminine curves he’d had no real idea she possessed. Well, he supposed he had, but he’d just never thought about her that way…until last week. Now it seemed to be all he could think about.

He surveyed her again, his pulse kicking up a notch. Good lord. It was a wonder every man in the place hadn’t had a heart attack if she’d been walking around like that all morning. Her hair was down—what was with that?—spilling down her back and curling around her shoulders like a caressing hand. Loose tendrils floated in the breeze. As he watched, a strand wafted across the face of the man to her left and he caught it with a smile, tugging playfully as Kristin tried to restrain the rest.

The half-breathless feeling inside him vanished and he felt like snarling.

Mollie tugged at his hand again. ‘‘Wanna go see Kristin.’’

‘‘Okay.’’ He released her hand and followed more slowly, watching as his daughter made a beeline through the crowd. The buzz of voices around him made it impossible to hear, but he knew the moment Kristin saw Mollie. Her pretty face lit up in a spontaneous expression of delight and she knelt, stretching out her arms.

In the instant before Mollie ran into her embrace, he couldn’t help noticing how the position pulled Kristin’s skirt high up her thighs, exposing a tantalizing triangle of shadow between her legs. He couldn’t see panties, but he might as well have been able to.

A surge of arousal so strong he actually stopped in his tracks slammed into him. God, she was lovely. Why hadn’t he noticed before? You did, he reminded himself. You’ve always thought Paul’s daughter would grow into a beautiful woman someday.

The trouble was, ‘‘someday’’ had apparently arrived while he wasn’t looking.

He forced himself to start forward again, trying to get his raging hormones under control. The last thing he needed was for Kristin to think he had the hots for her. It would totally destroy the friendly family relationship they’d always had.

Yeah. Like you didn’t do that when you accused her of teasing you. What an idiot.

‘‘Dr. Mahoney. Glad you could come by.’’ The older of the two men still flanking Kristin thrust out a hand. Walker Glave was a local attorney who served as the sanctuary board’s president and donated his time when they had legal issues with wills and trusts to work out.

‘‘I wouldn’t miss it.’’ Derek shook the hand, then squatted down in front of his daughter and Kristin. ‘‘Sorry. She saw you the moment we arrived.’’

‘‘Don’t be sorry. I’m delighted to see my Miss Mollie.’’ She spoke to the child rather than to him, tweaking her nose playfully as Mollie giggled.

Derek leaned forward a little, speaking in an undertone. ‘‘You might consider changing that position before every man here gets a look beneath your skirt.’’

Her gaze flew to his as her eyes widened, and a red patch of color appeared in each cheek. Hastily, she stood, lifting Mollie into her arms. ‘‘Come on, Mols. Let’s go get some lemonade and let Daddy visit for a while.’’

‘‘Not too long,’’ he said to her back as she started away. ‘‘I’m serious about not monopolizing your day.’’ She didn’t answer, but he was sure she’d heard him, and he made himself a mental note to try to keep track of the time. That wasn’t his strong suit.

‘‘Hey, Doc.’’ The younger, taller man extended a hand. An insurance salesman with a busy office in Quartz Forge, Rusty Sheffield currently was the treasurer of the board. ‘‘Good to see you. We miss having you on the board.’’ He turned to eye Kris’s back view as she walked away. ‘‘Although having Kristin there isn’t exactly a hardship.’’

‘‘Kristin may not be on the board if she accepts the offer,’’ Walker said.

‘‘What offer?’’ Derek told himself he only was annoyed by Rusty’s leering expression because of the promise he’d made her father always to look out for her.

‘‘We’ve asked her to consider temporarily filling the executive director’s position,’’ Rusty said.

Derek was too surprised to speak.

‘‘What do you think about it?’’ Rusty pressed.

‘‘I—ah, I don’t know.’’ He made an effort to gather his thoughts.

‘‘We’d be taking away his baby-sitter,’’ the older board member said. ‘‘What do you expect him to say?’’

‘‘No, it’s not that,’’ he said hastily. ‘‘It’s just that I never thought of Kristin as…’’

‘‘Neither did we,’’ Walker said. ‘‘But the minute someone mentioned her, we couldn’t think of a single reason why we wouldn’t want her. She’ll be terrific.’’

Derek couldn’t think of a single reason he wouldn’t want her, either, but he doubted they were speaking of the same thing. God, why couldn’t he seem to get his mind off sex today? Slowly, he nodded as he forced his attention back to the men and considered the idea. Why hadn’t she talked to him about it? He winced inwardly, recalling again his behavior the day of the funeral. He knew exactly why, and he forced himself to consider her in terms of the position. ‘‘She’ll do an excellent job for you.’’

‘‘Temporarily,’’ said Walker. ‘‘Just for a few months until we can interview and hire the right person. You know that handling a nonprofit of this size is no easy task.’’

‘‘If Kristin does take the job,’’ Rusty said, ‘‘we’d like you to come back and fill her spot on the board. Other than Kristin, you’re the closest thing to Paul Gordon’s family, and you knew his wishes.’’

‘‘I’ll have to think about it,’’ he said, ‘‘but thank you for the offer.’’

‘‘Dr. Mahoney!’’ A chubby woman in a pink, flowered dress sailed toward them. ‘‘How nice to see you. I wanted to thank you again for all you did for Apricot. Her allergies seem to be under control now and her coat is growing in as beautifully as it was before.’’

Derek pasted on a smile and turned to his client. The only trouble with being a vet in a small town was that his clients were everywhere. And they all assumed he was waiting breathlessly to hear about their pet’s latest health crises. He loved animals, and he loved his job, but it surely would be nice to go out in public sometime and have someone ask his opinion on who should be baseball’s MVP or how his newest woodcarving effort was coming.

Two hours later, he was still being held captive by clients talking about their pets when he heard Kristin’s voice. ‘‘Derek? It’s time to eat.’’ She smiled at the couple currently regaling him with tales of their Jack Russell. ‘‘Sorry. I’m the spoilsport who makes sure Dr. Mahoney takes a break every now and then.’’

‘‘Thank you,’’ he said beneath his breath as he followed her to a table where apparently she’d already gotten two plates of food. ‘‘In my nightmares sometimes, I’m surrounded by people telling pet stories and I can’t get away.’’

She smiled, swiping back a curling lock of hair that the breeze had caught. ‘‘I thought you were starting to look a little desperate.’’

He sat gratefully, checking his heaping plate. ‘‘Yum. Deviled eggs and brownies. You must have been near the front of the line. The eggs are always gone by the time I get there.’’ He glanced around, parental unease rearing its head. ‘‘Where’s Mollie?’’

She pointed to the wide grassy yard where a group of teenagers were organizing children’s games and he spotted his daughter. ‘‘One of the girls is keeping an eye on Mollie for a little while.’’

‘‘Thanks.’’ He waited until she took a seat beside him, then began to eat, realizing only as he surveyed the rest of the items on his plate that Kristin had chosen just about every one of his favorites from the buffet tables. A different sort of uneasiness snaked through him. Did she really know him that well? He had a sneaking suspicion she did.

‘‘Did Walker and Rusty tell you about the offer they made me?’’ Her voice broke into his thoughts.

He nodded. ‘‘They did. What do you think?’’

She hesitated. ‘‘I don’t know. It’s temporary, and this is a good time of year for me, since my accounting work won’t really pick up until winter sets in. I think it would be challenging and interesting, but…’’

‘‘But what?’’

She shrugged. ‘‘I’m just not sure.’’ She set down her spoon and looked at him. ‘‘Do you think I should take it?’’

‘‘Do I want you to take it or do I think you should take it?’’ He forced himself to grin. ‘‘I don’t want you to take it because you’ve been a terrific baby-sitter and Mollie depends on you. But since you’ve already said you’re leaving anyway, yes, I think you should take it. You’re organized, creative, good with people and budget-conscious. I think you’d be great at it.’’

She looked a little stunned. ‘‘Thank you,’’ she finally said.

When she didn’t speak again, he glanced at her around a mouthful of brownie. ‘‘Did I say something wrong?’’ he asked. Heaven only knew what was going through that convoluted brain of hers.

‘‘No.’’ She smiled, delicately licking brownie icing from the tip of one finger with a pink tongue. ‘‘It’s just…well, you’re not big on compliments. It’s nice to know you think I’m so capable.’’

He didn’t answer her. Hell, he barely heard her. Every cell in his body was focused on that sweet little tongue as she finished her brownie and licked the rest of the icing from her fingers. God, what would he give to have that tongue licking him.

He was still watching her when she picked up her napkin and wiped her fingers. She glanced at him. ‘‘Are you…finished?’’ Her voice stuttered and faded as their eyes met. And held.

They stared across the table at each other and he knew from the rising awareness in her eyes that she recognized the hunger he couldn’t hide. Finally, she tore her gaze from his and hastily began to gather plates and utensils together. ‘‘We’d better clean up and make space for someone else.’’

He put out a hand and caught her wrist in a loose, yet unbreakable grip. ‘‘Kris.’’

She stilled.

‘‘You look pretty today.’’ He hadn’t intended to say the words, but he found he wasn’t sorry he’d spoken.

‘‘Th-thank you.’’

She’d never made much effort with her clothes and looks before. Despite the fact that she was a truly lovely girl, she’d camouflaged herself so well that she’d gone virtually unnoticed by men. But since she’d begun her campaign to get his attention, he figured she’d decided to use her assets—and as far as he was concerned, she’d done a hell of a job. ‘‘Any special reason you dressed up?’’ he asked with a smile.

But the moment he spoke, her eyes went flat. The warmth and attraction in her gaze vanished so completely it was as if it had never existed. She tugged at her wrist until he let go. ‘‘I don’t want to be an old maid,’’ she said quietly. ‘‘From now on, I’m not going to hide when a man shows interest in me, and I’m not going to hide myself, either.’’

He didn’t like the sound of that and he frowned. ‘‘A man like Rusty Sheffield? Did he ask you out?’’

She shrugged. ‘‘It’s really not your business.’’

The hell it wasn’t. ‘‘He’s too immature for you.’’

Her eyebrows rose. ‘‘He’s four years older than I am! That’s hardly immature.’’

‘‘He’s been through practically every single woman in town. Do you want to be the subject of the weekly barbershop gossip?’’

‘‘It would be better than never being noticed at all,’’ she shot back. She looked angry now. ‘‘Rusty’s too immature and you’re too old. You’re not leaving me much of a window of opportunity here, Derek.’’

He wanted to shake her. He wanted to grab her and kiss her until she quit talking, and the only thing that saved her—and him—was the table between them. ‘‘I just don’t want to see you get hurt.’’ It was part of the truth, at least.

‘‘Oh, get over yourself,’’ she snapped. ‘‘You haven’t been my guardian for eight years now.’’ And before he could speak again, she snatched up a handful of dirty dishes and stalked off toward the trash can, her long legs eating up the ground as she moved away from him.

Wearily, he ran a hand through his hair. What was the matter with him? Every time he was around her these days, he seemed to provoke an argument. He really hadn’t intended to make her mad. He just didn’t want her going out with some jerk that might use her and hurt her.

Right. You want her for yourself and you just can’t admit it.

There’s nothing to admit, he defended himself staunchly to the inner voice that shouted for his attention. She’s like my family. I have to look out for her.

Since when does looking out for her include drooling over her legs and her lips?

He didn’t have an answer for that one.

The last few weeks of June were hectic.

Kristin informed him on the Monday after Summerfest that the day care right down the street from his practice had an opening in Mollie’s age group, and that she could start as soon as he visited and filled out the paperwork.

Hell, she even filled it out and brought it to him, then stood over him while he signed his name and date in the appropriate places. She couldn’t have made it clearer that she was eager to ditch Mollie and him.

It wasn’t that he objected to day care. In fact, he’d been reluctant to leave Mollie alone with a stranger in the house all day anyway. At day care, she’d be with experienced professionals and she’d have other kids to play with.

But still…he hadn’t said any of that to Kristin before she shoved those papers down his throat.

She started working at the animal sanctuary on Wednesday, the same day he dropped Mollie off at day care for the first time. Mollie seemed happy enough, and he went to work feeling less guilty than he’d expected.

The feeling lasted until he picked her up in the evening, and found her in one of the helper’s arms, sobbing her little heart out.

‘‘Daddy.’’ She scrambled for him the moment he entered the room and he bent to lift her into his arms, feeling his own heart crack as he surveyed her tear-stained cheeks and the thumb in her mouth, something she rarely did anymore unless she was really tired or stressed.

‘‘Hi, chickadee.’’ He tried to inject a positive note into his voice. ‘‘Did you have a good time today?’’

She shook her head slowly from side to side.

‘‘Aw, Mollie, we had a lot of fun this morning!’’ The aide, a relentlessly cheerful older woman, beamed as she came over to address them. ‘‘You’ll have to tell Daddy about finger painting and our Richie Raccoon story time. And don’t forget tomorrow is Share It Day. Bring something blue from home to tell your friends about during Share It.’’

Blue?

The woman smiled at him. ‘‘We’re working on the color blue this week, so everyone is bringing in a blue Share It.’’

He nodded. ‘‘What happened…?’’ He indicated his daughter, who had wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder, and just that fast, was sound asleep.

The woman’s smile wilted a little. ‘‘She didn’t nap today. She kept saying she needed her hair. Is there a special doll or blanket she sleeps with?’’

Derek shook his head, puzzled. ‘‘No, not really.’’

‘‘Well, don’t worry too much,’’ the aide advised. ‘‘The first few days are always an adjustment for the little ones. I’m sure she’ll be fine in no time.’’

Mollie didn’t wake up even when he put her in her car seat, and he had to work to get her awake enough to eat dinner. She livened up around bath time and began to chatter about her day, and when bedtime rolled around, she was still wide-awake and totally wired.

When Kristin called, he was at his wit’s end.

‘‘Hi,’’ she said, and he could hear a cool note in her voice. ‘‘I just called to see how Mollie’s first day went. I promised to stop in at lunch a few days a week but I figured I’d better wait a day or two until she gets into a routine and doesn’t think I’ve come to pick her up.’’

He sighed. ‘‘It didn’t go so well.’’

‘‘Oh, no. What happened?’’ As Mollie squealed happily in the background, Kristin said, ‘‘What is she doing still up? She needs to be in bed by eight or she’ll be awful tomorrow.’’

‘‘I know,’’ he said defensively, ‘‘but she wouldn’t nap for them today and she fell asleep on the way home and now she’s got her second wind.’’

Kristin was silent and he could feel the censure right through the receiver. But when she spoke, she didn’t sound like she was condemning him. ‘‘Did they say why she wouldn’t sleep?’’

‘‘Something about needing her hair,’’ he reported. ‘‘I don’t get it. She doesn’t sleep with a blanket or a doll—’’

‘‘It’s my hair,’’ Kristin said flatly. ‘‘Shoot. I’m sorry. I never thought to tell you. I used to sit with her in my lap after lunch. I’d read a story and then put her down for her nap. She takes a handful of my hair and brushes it back and forth over her cheek and it puts her right to sleep.’’

Oh, man. Now that she’d said it, he knew exactly what she meant. He’d seen Mollie doing it on more than one occasion but since he’d never had trouble getting her to sleep for him, he’d never connected the dots. ‘‘Well, hell,’’ he said in disgust. ‘‘What am I going to tell the day care? I don’t guess you’d be able to—’’

‘‘I can’t go over there every day and put her down for her nap,’’ Kristin said briskly. ‘‘Even if they’d allow it, I’m not going to have time. The sanctuary is in an uproar right now and I’m going to have work coming out my ears.’’

‘‘Sorry,’’ he said immediately, meaning it. ‘‘I didn’t really expect you to. Any suggestions?’’

There was a short silence. ‘‘I’ll tell you what,’’ she said. ‘‘How about if I meet you there in the morning. I’ll let Mollie cut a lock of my hair and we’ll tie it up and keep it in a bag so that at nap time she can get it out and keep it with her.’’

‘‘You can’t cut your hair!’’ He was truly shocked.

She laughed. ‘‘Just a little piece from underneath. Derek, you know how much hair I have. I’ll never even know it’s gone.’’

Oh, he knew exactly. Hadn’t he been having dreams of that moon-silvered mass of curls sliding over his body? Belatedly, he realized she was awaiting a response. ‘‘Uh, that would be terrific,’’ he said. ‘‘If you’re sure you don’t mind.’’

‘‘Not at all.’’ Her voice was brisk again. ‘‘See you in the morning.’’

She was as good as her word the following day, although he was disappointed that she didn’t linger a little longer. She was wearing jeans today with a T-shirt, but they weren’t the baggy pants she’d once worn. These hugged her curves and emphasized the length of her legs. The shirt, too, was different. He was used to seeing her in large, floppy shirts—this one fit her snugly.

‘‘Don’t you have to dress up a little for work?’’ he asked her.

‘‘Not today.’’ She jingled her car keys, clearly anxious to go. ‘‘I don’t have any appointments today and one of the kennel staff broke an arm yesterday, so until we find a temporary replacement, I may have to help out in the kennels.’’ She grinned. ‘‘One thing’s for sure—I’ll never get bored doing the same old thing at this job.’’

Her words bothered him. ‘‘I’m sorry if baby-sitting was—’’

‘‘No, no,’’ she said in exasperation. ‘‘I wasn’t comparing the two. I only meant this is nothing like having a dry old accounting practice all day every day.’’

He felt better instantly, and as she walked back to her car, he couldn’t stop himself from checking out her back view. Damn. He shook his head, his good mood evaporating. She was going to have men all over her.

Aside from thoughts of the way Kristin’s hair swayed just above her heart-shaped behind in the tight jeans, he had a good day at the clinic. When he went to pick up Mollie, the aide reported that she’d had a wonderful nap.

They fell into a passable routine. Kristin called every few days to see how Mollie was and he knew from Mollie’s chatter that she was stopping by the day care, but he hadn’t seen her in almost two weeks, since she’d stopped to drop off a lock of her hair.

God, he missed her. He missed the indulgent glances they used to share at Mollie’s antics. He missed coming home to a lighted house and a hot meal, but even more, he missed coming home to her warm smile and the lazy discussions they’d had over dinner. He missed drying dishes and ducking when she flicked a towel at him, he missed seeing the tender way she kissed Mollie’s temple, the way she always took the time to kneel and rub Sarge’s furry belly.

It was ridiculous. He’d allowed himself to slide along after Deb’s death, had allowed Kristin to do far too much to hold his family together, had gotten far too accustomed to having her in his life. Now he hated being alone without adult companionship. Without female companionship, and one particular female at that.

When the phone rang on the last Friday in June, he leaped for it, his spirits lifting as he glanced at the clock. Nine in the evening. Kristin usually called about this time to see how they were doing.

‘‘Hello?’’

‘‘Hi. Can I stop over?’’

‘‘Sure. Right now?’’ Sure! He’d love to see her.

‘‘Yes. I have something I need to talk to you about.’’ Her voice sobered him. She didn’t sound happy, and he racked his brain, wondering what was wrong. Had he done something to upset her?

He had his answer in five minutes. He was watching for her car and he opened the door before she even got to the porch.

‘‘Hi.’’

‘‘Hi.’’ She stepped into the kitchen and she set down a large, handled file box. ‘‘I need your opinion on something.’’

‘‘Sure.’’ He turned a chair backward and straddled it, facing her. ‘‘Sit down and talk to me.’’ He couldn’t prevent the smile that crept across his face. ‘‘It’s good to see you.’’

She smiled back. ‘‘It’s good to see you, too.’’ The moment lingered, but before it could turn into anything else, she shook herself and reached for the box of files she’d brought along. ‘‘I think we may have a problem at the sanctuary.’’

‘‘What kind of problem?’’ He could probably deal with anything that came up. He was familiar with personnel issues, scheduling, all the things that went on in his office—

‘‘Derek,’’ she said, ‘‘I think something’s wrong with the budget numbers. There’s a discrepancy in the books.’’

‘‘A discrepancy?’’ He knew all about balancing budgets, but so did she, so why would she come to him about something so mundane?

‘‘Missing money.’’ She swallowed, and as he realized she was upset, her words began to assume meaning.

‘‘As in, a deliberate discrepancy?’’

She shrugged. ‘‘I don’t know. But it’s hard to imagine that half a million dollars going missing is an accident.’’

‘‘Half a million.’’ He was too shocked to conceal it. ‘‘Five hundred thousand dollars? Where’d it go?’’

‘‘If I knew that, it wouldn’t be a discrepancy, would it?’’ Her voice was just the slightest bit sarcastic. Immediately, she said, ‘‘I’m sorry. I know how you feel. It’s difficult to believe. When I first found it, I went over every column of the books.’’ She tapped the stack of files in the box. ‘‘It went out, largely in small untraceable sums, but it never came back in again.’’

He still couldn’t grasp it. ‘‘Are you telling me you think Cathie took it?’’

‘‘I don’t know what to think.’’ Her voice was anguished. ‘‘But that’s what it’s looking like.’’

‘‘Good God.’’ He sat back, and a heavy silence fell. Finally, he stirred. ‘‘Well, what do we do? We can’t ask her,’’ he muttered.

‘‘No.’’ Kristin sounded close to tears. ‘‘But I absolutely don’t want any hint of this to get out and accusations to fly unless we’re completely certain that it’s really missing and that Cathie had something to do with it.’’ She sniffed. ‘‘She loved the sanctuary. I can’t believe she would embezzle from us.’’

‘‘Kris, honey, don’t cry.’’ Without thinking, he rose from his chair and went to her, drawing her up and into his arms. ‘‘Let’s double-check everything. Maybe there’s some explanation you just missed. You know how it is when you’re too close to the numbers.’’

She nodded into his chest. ‘‘Maybe that’s it.’’ Her arms tightened around his waist. ‘‘Thanks. I knew you’d help.’’

‘‘We’ll figure it out together,’’ he soothed. ‘‘You know you can come to me with anything.’’ She felt soft and feminine in his arms, her body warm and giving against his, and without letting himself think about whether or not it was wise or smart, he put a finger beneath her chin and tilted her face up to his. ‘‘God, Kris, I’ve missed you so much.’’

And then her hands were sliding up into his hair and he set his lips on hers, his whole body coming alive to the feel of hers as he tightened his arms and pulled her more fully to him.