When Hearts Collide by Kendra James Page A

was. She wanted to check the cut on his hip, but she would leave that for now. The blood had congealed, and the cut appeared to have stopped bleeding. He needed to rest now that his belly was full. In a few days, the dog would be better and, like her, would be on his way somewhere. He probably had a better idea of where he wanted to go than she did.
    Thinking back over the last few days, Molly was surprised at how well she’d adapted to looking after a child. Gracie was busy, yet well behaved, and Molly loved caring for her. It made her heart ache to think that she might never have a child to call her own.
    Gracie had clung to her for the first days after the accident, whining and having temper tantrums, now she seemed to be basking in having the security of having her and Pearce. She was still mischievous at times, but her bad behaviors had disappeared. Now she would play contentedly on her own, her cheerful chatter filling the house.
    Watching her, Molly’s heart would ache with a despair so deep she thought it might never go away. Sometimes she had to hold her chest so the pain didn’t send her to her knees. After years of telling herself that having children and a family didn’t matter, Molly now realized that she’d been lying to herself.
    The dog whimpered in his sleep. What was she going to do? Pearce was reluctant to keep a strange dog around Gracie, but the poor thing looked like he hadn’t had a decent meal in several days, and his coat was matted and coated with burs. Where had he come from? Was he lost, or had someone abandoned him? She watched the even rise and fall of his ribcage and knew she needed to keep him for a few days until he was well enough to be on his way.
    “I’m sure he has a home,” Pearce said.
    Gracie turned to her father. “Yes, with us.”
    “No. He doesn’t belong to us.”
    As if he knew decisions were being made about his future, the dog opened his soft brown eyes and looked at Pearce. Molly knelt beside the dog and stroked his fur. Gracie joined her, wrapping her arms around the dog’s neck. His tail thumped loudly as he tried to wash the child’s face. “I’m going to call him Trooper.”
    “The way he’s wagging his tail, I think he likes that name,” Molly said to Gracie.
    She decided to confront Pearce. Her nurturing needs were being challenged, but she had to protect the animal. “He’s friendly. He just needs a few good meals,” she said, her own eyes pleading the dog’s case. “Can we keep him until he’s better? We can try to find his owner in the meantime.”
    “Molly, ever the rescuing angel.”
    “We’ll keep him until then?” Gracie was jumping up and down. “Daddy, Daddy. We can keep him?”
    Pearce grinned. “I guess that would make me the big bad wolf if I said no. Molly, are you sure the dog is safe around Gracie?”
    She caressed the dog’s ruff, causing his tail to thump loudly on the floor. “I think he is. I’ll make sure I watch him with her.”
    “Okay, Gracie, the dog can stay until he’s better. Then he needs to go home. Do you understand?”
    The blond head nodded several times.
    Pearce shook his head. The tension had vanished, and his smile widened. He held Molly’s gaze, and she saw the way his eyes changed; saw their brightness deepen to dark sapphire as a smoldering flame grew. A silent spark of communication surged between them, and Molly felt a shiver of awareness, not of Pearce as a father, but as a man.
    The tiny hairs on the back of her neck rose, and her heart pounded like a jackhammer on cement. She noticed Pearce’s gaze. It was fixed on the telltale leaping pulse at the base of her neck, and she saw the slow sensual way his lips turned up at the corners. Her heart missed a few beats before racing on.
    “Thank you, Daddy.” Gracie jumped up and tapped her shoes on the tile floor, setting off the lighting mechanism in her running shoes.
    Thank you, Gracie . Molly sighed. Saved by the flashing red lights. At least no