The Single Dad's Marriage Wish (Bachelor Dads) by Carol Marinelli Page A

she’d been there, recognised now the feeling he’d had at the bottom of the stairs, a feeling that had been missing in his life for too long now.
    Happiness.
    ‘Tonight…’ Hamish cleared his throat ‘…once Bailey’s in bed, there’s a nice curry house nearby. They deliver—’
    ‘Sounds fab,’ Charlotte interrupted, ‘but I’m actually going out dancing tonight.’
    ‘Dancing?’
    ‘Come!’ she offered easily. ‘We’ll have fun. Maybe Belinda could look after Bailey.’
    ‘Better not!’ Hamish answered. ‘I think she needs a bit of a break.’ He tried to sound as casual as she was,tried to tell himself that it didn’t matter that she’d rather go out dancing on Saturday night with friends than stay in and share a take-away with a single father.
    Only it did.

CHAPTER SIX
    ‘I’ M JUST going to check on the boys in the stable!’ Charlotte grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl. Semi conscious, lying on the couch with a throw rug over him and all the chaos that a teething toddler created in the small hours surrounding him, Hamish was tempted to tell her to put more clothes on. She was in that bloody nighty and gumboots again, but, Hamish realised with a sigh, given it was seven in the morning, she had topped it with a massive old anorak. Truth be known, apart from her face, there was barely an inch of flesh showing—it was his imagination that was the problem! ‘I saw you lying here when I got in last night. I hope I didn’t wake you.’
    ‘Only Bailey,’ Hamish said, then regretted it. It wasn’t her fault he was crazy about her, it wasn’t her fault he’d missed her all night, jealous as hell and hating the lucky guy she was no doubt dancing with, it wasn’t her fault that he was as grumpy as hell this morning.
    ‘Did you get any real sleep at all?’ Charlotte asked as she breezed over.
    ‘What’s that?’ Hamish quipped.
    ‘Oh, just something we lucky singles do!’
    Leaning forward, she smothered a nearly-finally-a-bloody-sleep-again Bailey, who was lying on his chest, in a flurry of butterfly kisses, wafting her glorious fragrance and—Hamish wasn’t sure if it was better or worse—unwittingly giving him a very good view of her left breast, causing Hamish to raise the throw rug a few generous inches higher. ‘Are those lovely new teeth making Bailey’s mouth sore?’ Charlotte crooned as Bailey started to giggle.
    ‘Do you mind?’ Hamish snapped, wishing she’d get her luscious-looking breasts out of his face, wishing Bailey could somehow be magically transported to his cot and that it was just him she was leaning over and teasing with kisses…and wishing his erection would subside. ‘He was nearly asleep!’
    ‘Misery!’ Charlotte grinned, unfortunately standing up and sticking out a pink tongue at him she waltzed out the door.
    ‘Dar-dot!’ Bailey sighed dreamily, finally deciding to sleep now that it was time to get up. Placing him in his cot, Hamish wondered whether to crawl into bed himself and grab a few hours or just plough on…
    ‘Hamish!’ He didn’t know what he heard first, the crash of the kitchen door as it was pushed open loudly or Charlotte’s urgent summons for help, but he took the staircase in two, maybe three strides. Colliding with her in the kitchen, his first instinct was to take her trembling hands.
    ‘It’s Sc-Scottie…’ She stumbled the words out. ‘I need you to get me a vet.’
    ‘What’s wrong?’
    ‘Just call the vet!’
    The home number of the vet was on speed dial—had been for years—one of those pieces of his old life that he hadn’t yet found the heart to erase, and Hamish apologized to Nick’s sleepy wife as she handed her husband the phone while Hamish ran to the stables.
    ‘Can you come over soon, Nick?’
    He had no idea what was wrong, but he knew from Charlotte’s expression it was urgent. ‘I’ve got an old pony here…’
    Hamish stepped into the stable, entered a space he hadn’t been in since Emma’s