meddling for the sake of a man she cared about.
“We’re just taking things day by day,” she said blithely, refusing to add to any speculation that might be going on around town or, more precisely, in her father’s head. “Slade and I have a relatively informal arrangement regarding my caring for the boys.”
Mrs. Fawcett grinned at the diplomatic answer. “And what sort of arrangement have you made for caring for him?” she inquired.
Dani gaped, then tried to recover. “Mrs. Fawcett–”
She never got to finish the sentence. Mrs. Fawcett cut her off. “Oh, stop with that Mrs. Fawcett and that stuffy tone,” she chided. “It’s a natural enough question, given the way you two look at each other. Even if your father hadn’t been going on and on about the two of you, I would have noticed it myself the other day. Neither one of you paid a bit of attention to your ice cream or to the rest of us, for that matter. You were too caught up in each other. Your father mentioned it, too.”
Dani nearly groaned aloud. “Please, tell me you’re kidding. I really don’t need him getting any more ideas than he already has on the subject of Slade and me.”
“Then you’d better put some distance between you and that young man, because when you’re in the same room, only a blind man would miss the fireworks.”
“Maybe you and Daddy should go on a vacation,” Dani suggested as an alternative. “A very long cruise to Alaska would be lovely this time of year.”
Mrs. Fawcett chuckled. “If you think even I could convince your daddy to leave town with you on the brink of a big romance, then you don’t know him half as well as you think you do.”
“Couldn’t you at least try?” Dani asked wistfully.
“I don’t think so,” she said apologetically. “If the truth be told, I’m getting a kick out of watching the two of you myself.”
“I’m so pleased I can provide the family with some entertainment,” Dani retorted sourly. If they were this enthralled with the slow mating dance she and Slade were performing, she could just imagine how tickled they’d be if they discovered she had every intention of asking the man to marry her.
* * *
It took Dani several more weeks to convince herself that her plan to claim the Watkins family as her own wasn’t half as outrageous as she’d first thought. With every day that passed, her courage and determination were building. She intended to have her family by the end of summer, come hell or high water.
As she spent more and more time with Timmy and Kevin it was clear that they were desperate for a mother’s touch and gentle guidance. Now, though, their bids for her attention were more in keeping with typical boyish antics, rather than destructive misadventures. Her neighbor hadn’t uttered a complaint about the noise or trampled flowers in nearly a week now. In fact, Dani had noticed her outside on several occasions chatting with the boys while her favorite soaps blared unnoticed in the background.
As for Slade himself, even after all their afternoon chats and occasional outings with the boys, she didn’t exactly know what to make of him. In some ways he was the quietest, most self-contained man she’d ever met. Compared to her father’s rowdy ways, Slade’s sometimes brooding demeanor made him seem downright aloof and mysterious.
It was the undercurrent of vulnerability, which surfaced from time to time, that actually tugged at her heart. He was as much at sea with his sons as she would have been in the high-tech computer world that he inhabited.
But that, too, was changing. Slade and the boys were bonding more each day. Slade was taking more and more time from his work schedule for impromptu visits to Dani’s. He’d even agreed to help coach a summer league baseball team that Timmy had pleaded to join. Slade had been so stunned and pleased by Timmy’s desire to participate in a team sport that he’d even offered to buy the team’s uniforms.
All
“We’re just taking things day by day,” she said blithely, refusing to add to any speculation that might be going on around town or, more precisely, in her father’s head. “Slade and I have a relatively informal arrangement regarding my caring for the boys.”
Mrs. Fawcett grinned at the diplomatic answer. “And what sort of arrangement have you made for caring for him?” she inquired.
Dani gaped, then tried to recover. “Mrs. Fawcett–”
She never got to finish the sentence. Mrs. Fawcett cut her off. “Oh, stop with that Mrs. Fawcett and that stuffy tone,” she chided. “It’s a natural enough question, given the way you two look at each other. Even if your father hadn’t been going on and on about the two of you, I would have noticed it myself the other day. Neither one of you paid a bit of attention to your ice cream or to the rest of us, for that matter. You were too caught up in each other. Your father mentioned it, too.”
Dani nearly groaned aloud. “Please, tell me you’re kidding. I really don’t need him getting any more ideas than he already has on the subject of Slade and me.”
“Then you’d better put some distance between you and that young man, because when you’re in the same room, only a blind man would miss the fireworks.”
“Maybe you and Daddy should go on a vacation,” Dani suggested as an alternative. “A very long cruise to Alaska would be lovely this time of year.”
Mrs. Fawcett chuckled. “If you think even I could convince your daddy to leave town with you on the brink of a big romance, then you don’t know him half as well as you think you do.”
“Couldn’t you at least try?” Dani asked wistfully.
“I don’t think so,” she said apologetically. “If the truth be told, I’m getting a kick out of watching the two of you myself.”
“I’m so pleased I can provide the family with some entertainment,” Dani retorted sourly. If they were this enthralled with the slow mating dance she and Slade were performing, she could just imagine how tickled they’d be if they discovered she had every intention of asking the man to marry her.
* * *
It took Dani several more weeks to convince herself that her plan to claim the Watkins family as her own wasn’t half as outrageous as she’d first thought. With every day that passed, her courage and determination were building. She intended to have her family by the end of summer, come hell or high water.
As she spent more and more time with Timmy and Kevin it was clear that they were desperate for a mother’s touch and gentle guidance. Now, though, their bids for her attention were more in keeping with typical boyish antics, rather than destructive misadventures. Her neighbor hadn’t uttered a complaint about the noise or trampled flowers in nearly a week now. In fact, Dani had noticed her outside on several occasions chatting with the boys while her favorite soaps blared unnoticed in the background.
As for Slade himself, even after all their afternoon chats and occasional outings with the boys, she didn’t exactly know what to make of him. In some ways he was the quietest, most self-contained man she’d ever met. Compared to her father’s rowdy ways, Slade’s sometimes brooding demeanor made him seem downright aloof and mysterious.
It was the undercurrent of vulnerability, which surfaced from time to time, that actually tugged at her heart. He was as much at sea with his sons as she would have been in the high-tech computer world that he inhabited.
But that, too, was changing. Slade and the boys were bonding more each day. Slade was taking more and more time from his work schedule for impromptu visits to Dani’s. He’d even agreed to help coach a summer league baseball team that Timmy had pleaded to join. Slade had been so stunned and pleased by Timmy’s desire to participate in a team sport that he’d even offered to buy the team’s uniforms.
All
Similar Books
