A Daddy for Her Daughter by Tina Beckett

does that sound?”
    â€œNot too much glue,” Kaleb warned. But when he acted as if he was going to follow them, Maddy touched his arm.
    â€œHey. Can I talk to you for a minute?”
    He tucked his fingers into the pockets of his jeans, hooking his thumbs over the tops of them. “Sure. What’s up?”
    Now that she had made her mind up to say something, she wondered if she was doing the right thing. She glanced over to where her daughter and Roxy were busy working. “Chloe is young...and...” Taking a deep breath, she tossed the rest of the sentence out before she could back out. “She seems to be developing a tiny bit of a crush on you. If you could keep that in mind when you’re around her, I would appreciate it.”
    His eyes narrowed slightly. “As in you want me to watch my p’s and q’s.”
    â€œOr maybe maintain a little distance between you and her.”
    â€œBetween me and her.” His head tilted. “And what about you? Should I keep my distance there as well?”
    Maddy’s mouth watered. That hadn’t been exactly what she’d been trying to say. “I’m a big girl. I think I can handle myself.”
    â€œCan you?”
    Okay, the man was playing word games, and she had no idea what he meant by that. But if he wanted to lob a few serves her way, she could match him stroke for stroke. “You can bet on it.”
    â€œI might like to take you up on that wager.” Rubbing his chin with his thumb, he paused, something dark flashing in his eyes. But before she could look closer, it winked back out.
    â€œDon’t worry, Maddy. I’ll keep my distance from your daughter.” He took a step closer, reaching out to take a strand of her hair and sliding it over her temple. “But I have no intention of keeping my distance from you.”

CHAPTER SIX
    F OUNTAIN P ARK WAS awash with people on the big day. There were kites of every shape and size imaginable.
    Kites weren’t the only things being celebrated today, it would seem.
    â€œWhy didn’t you tell me it’s your birthday?”
    Kaleb had overheard Roxy offer to take Chloe off her hands, so she could go home and celebrate by soaking in a hot tub.
    â€œI’m trying to forget I’m another year older.”
    Older? The woman was stunning. And right now, he was trying to keep his eyes on Maddy’s sister, as she tugged the string to her kite, and off the birthday girl and the image of her naked in a sea of frothy white bubbles.
    Roxy’s kite made it off the ground and hung suspended for a minute or two. Suddenly, it began to spiral out of control, plummeting to the ground in the strong wind.
    â€œI warned her about that glue and using too much fur,” he muttered as it crashed and burned—the first casualty of the day. Luckily for Roxy, though, all the kites’ prototypes were on display in the gathering tent, including her furry unicorn. It made sense, because once the kites were sent into the air, anything could happen. Including smashing into dozens of pieces. And since Roxy’s looked as if it had exploded on contact, it was a good thing.
    â€œI can’t believe it crashed so soon. Is ours going to do that?”
    â€œIt shouldn’t.” He said it with as much conviction as he could muster, but kite-flying was more an art than a science. There could be a defect that avoided detection, even in the most flawlessly executed design. Even in the most beautiful creation.
    Like the human body. His daughter had been a prime example of that.
    â€œOh, well.” Maddy settled into a lawn chair on the grassy area surrounding them. “Roxy said she handed out most of her business cards to people who came by to look at the kites. She said even if hers didn’t make it into the air, the effort had been well worth it. And at least she got it up.”
    He brought his mind back to the present. “Are you doing