The Bridal Path: Danielle by Sherryl Woods

against Trent Wilde. She wanted the same for herself.
    And then, of course, there was the fact that Slade’s kisses absolutely, positively made her toes curl. With every second that she spent around him, this unfamiliar craving was building, demanding that the spin of her senses be carried to the only logical conclusion.
    In time, she reminded herself. First things first. She had to find just a tiny niche in Slade’s heart, so that when she made her outrageous suggestion that they make their relationship permanent, he wouldn’t simply stare at her in shocked silence.
    She wasn’t sure that she could bear it if he laughed in her face, either. She had to be sure, or at least as sure as a woman could ever be, that he would consider her idea thoughtfully and examine it on its merits alone.
    His boys needed a mother, there was little doubt about that. The only question remaining, and one for which she didn’t have a convincing answer yet, was whether Slade Watkins realized just how badly he needed a wife.

Chapter Seven
    D ani was leading a small parade toward the general store when she ran into Matilda Fawcett. The retired teacher beamed at her.
    “I see you found yourself some helpers,” she said, referring to Timmy and Kevin, who were each pulling a wagon filled with baked goods. “Never hurts to have a couple of strong young men around when there’s work to be done.”
    Timmy and Kevin puffed up with pride at being referred to as young men. Dani suggested they take the pies and cookies on to the store, while she chatted with the teacher. They were only too eager to comply, since they’d been promised a dollar each to spend for helping her. It would probably take them an hour at least to decide what they wanted to buy with their money. She’d discovered they were astonishingly frugal.
    When they’d gone, she asked, “How have you been, Mrs. Fawcett?”
    “Plucky as a spring chicken,” she retorted. “That father of yours has an amazing way of keeping life interesting.”
    “I can imagine,” Dani said.
    In fact, she found the whole idea of her father courting a woman to be a rather intriguing concept. He and her mother had sometimes seemed to be a single unit, their thoughts and actions blending so perfectly, so smoothly that it had given all three of their daughters a probably misguided notion of the possibilities of marriage. There seemed to be a good many more fireworks going on in Sara’s marriage to Jake and Ashley’s to Dillon. Matilda Fawcett seemed likely to bring that same sort of spark into her father’s life.
    “It seems to me that you’re every bit as good for him as he is for you,” she added, thinking of the battles she’d already witnessed between her father and her former teacher. “You don’t take any of his nonsense.”
    “Heavens, girl, I’ve been around far too long to let anybody run my life,” the older woman announced. “I live as I see fit. If he can’t accept that, well, he’ll just have to go sniffing around in somebody else’s garden.”
    Dani was sure that that threat alone was more than enough to keep her father in line. He would take it as a challenge to stay in Matilda Fawcett’s good graces.
    “Well, believe me, you have my blessing. I haven’t seen my father so happy in a long time. I’m sure Ashley and Sara feel the same way.”
    Mrs. Fawcett’s expression brightened. “Why, thank you. Hearing you say that means a lot. I must say you’ve been looking awfully content yourself lately. Mothering becomes you.”
    She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, though no one was nearby to hear. “Any chance you’ll be making it permanent? I’m sure the whole town would give you a medal if you’d keep those two mischief-makers in hand.”
    Dani was fairly certain that the question was being asked on her father’s behalf, rather than out of concern for the town’s well-being. Apparently not even the independent-minded Mrs. Fawcett was above a little