by Cindy Kirk
Two bright spots of pink dotted Chloe’s cheeks. “I wasn’t invited.”
Open mouth. Insert foot.
“Well, if they were trying to keep the party small—” Kate scrambled for a logical answer “—she probably couldn’t invite everyone.”
“She had pretty invitations that looked like a flower,” Chloe advised in a matter-of-fact tone, but Kate saw the hurt in her eyes. “She put them in everyone’s cubby at school. All the girls got one except me.”
Anger rose inside Kate. What kind of teacher would allow something like that to go on in her classroom?
“How could your teach—” she sputtered, then stopped when Joel shook his head ever so slightly.
“I’m sorry that happened to you.” Kate took a deep, steadying breath. “Something similar happened to me when I was your age. It hurts.”
Chloe’s eyes widened with surprise. “You? They didn’t like you?”
“Really?” The skepticism in Joel’s voice came through loud and clear.
“I was shy,” Kate admitted. “We moved when I was eight. My sister, Andrea, had a whole group of new friends the first day. I—I didn’t have any. Not for a long time.”
Chloe sat quietly for a second, a strange look on her face.
“I have to go to the bathroom.” She pinned Kate with her gaze. “You have to move.”
“Chloe.” A warning sounded in Joel’s voice. “Ask, not tell. And say please.”
“Please, Dr. Kate.” A pleading note sounded in Chloe’s voice. “Can you move? I have to go real bad.”
“I’m moving.” Kate slid out of the wooden bench. “I need to be leaving anyway. My pizza should be almost done.”
“Don’t go. You talk to Daddy.” Chloe grabbed her hand. “I’ll be right back. I promise.”
Kate glanced at Joel.
“If you have time…” His eyes seemed to glitter, suddenly looking more green than brown.
“I’ll stay,” Kate promised the little girl. “And, really, there’s no need for you to rush.”
“Yes, there is.” Chloe hurried off, her legs pressed tightly together.
Only when the child was out of sight did Kate chuckle. “I guess when you gotta go, you gotta go.”
“Thanks for agreeing to stay.” Unmistakable gratitude flickered in his eyes. “Chloe really likes you.”
“I like her, too.”
His mouth relaxed in a slight smile. “But please, don’t feel you have to make up stories to make her feel better.”
“Unfortunately they’re true.” Kate sighed. “For me, growing up was a painful process. I was gawky, all arms and legs. And very shy.”
“Well, you certainly turned out nice.” Joel’s admiring gaze settled on her. Suddenly her stomach and her heart were involved in a competition for the most flip-flops per minute.
She laughed, a short, nervous burst of air.
“Don’t feel like you have to make up compliments so I’ll feel better,” Kate said teasingly, throwing his earlier words back at him. “I’m well aware of how I look in this outfit.”
“You look beautiful.” He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. The gleam in his eyes sent blood flowing through her veins like warm honey. “Casual. Relaxed. Approachable.”
Kate didn’t know whether to be insulted or amused. “Are you saying I usually look uptight and unapproachable?”
“Not all the time,” he said, with a lopsided smile.
Kate firmly ignored the unsettling flutter in her midsection.
“Your daughter seems like a remarkably well-adjusted little girl,” she said, with a studied nonchalance.
Joel didn’t smile as she expected.
“Her mother’s death hit her hard. And the move here, well, I’m not sure it was the best thing for Chloe.” His expression grew somber. “She had a lot of good friends back home. Kids she’d known since kindergarten.”
“But surely Chloe has made some new friends by now?”
Joel shook his head. “If she has, I’ve never seen them. I’ve noticed girls her age here seem to be much more into adult kinds of stuff than the ones in Montana. Perhaps that’s part of the problem.”
“You think so?” Kate thought of her patients. Coming from Los Angeles, the children here seemed like such innocents.
“I’ll give you an example. A couple of days ago, Chloe asked me for money to buy makeup.” The look of bewilderment on Joel’s face would have been funny at any other time. “She’s nine years old. Who wears makeup at that age?”
“That is really young,” Kate agreed. “How did she take it when you said no?”
“She just looked at me. There was this expression on her face that I can’t even describe.”
“Anger? Resentment?”
“Neither. Crushed would be more accurate. It would have been easier if she’d been angry.”
“Did you ask her why she thought she needed makeup?”
It suddenly hit Kate that they were talking about Chloe the way parents would discuss their child. It seemed so right and, at the same time, so very wrong.
“I didn’t think to ask,” Joel admitted. “I see now where that would have been a good thing to do.”
He looked at her and she felt the impact of his regard all the way down to her feet.
Time to change the subject. “By the way, did Chloe ever get a chance to talk to her friend Savannah?”
“Why don’t you ask her?”
“Ask me what?” Chloe asked, sliding into the booth when Kate rose to let her in.
“Did you speak with your friend in Montana yet?” Kate asked.
Chloe smiled broadly, showing her prominent canine teeth. “She was so excited to hear my voice she almost peed her pants.”
“Chloe,” Joel chided.
“That’s what she told me, Daddy.”
A half smile tugged at his lips.
Kate leaned forward, resting her arms on the table. “What else did she have to say?”
Chloe had just finished going through the entire conversation sentence by sentence when a red-haired girl with a Perfect Pizza T-shirt and an anxious expression stopped at the table.
“Did you order a large ham and pineapple with cream cheese?” the restaurant employee asked.
Kate smiled at the girl. “I did.”
“There was a problem.” The teen’s cheeks turned as red as her hair. “But the new pizza is in the oven now. It will be ready in about ten minutes. I’m sorry for the delay.”
“No worries,” Kate said, feeling guilty she wasn’t more distressed. “Just bring it out when it’s ready. And if you could put it in a to-go box that would be wonderful.”
“Guess you’re stuck with us a little while longer,” Joel said, not looking sorry at all.
Kate wasn’t sorry either. Even though she was still convinced keeping her distance would be best for all concerned, she was enjoying her time with Joel and Chloe. The conversation moved to braces and all things orthodontic. When her stomach growled—even more loudly—Kate finally gave in and accepted a piece of their hamburger pizza.
She’d finished her first piece and had been laughing about something Chloe said when she heard her name being called from across the room.
Sarabeth Brown, one of Kate’s patients, waved wildly.
Kate swallowed a groan and waved back. That was one thing she’d quickly discovered after moving to Jackson Hole. Her pediatric patients—and their parents—were everywhere. Restaurants. Grocery stores. Gas stations. It was one reason she always liked to look her best when she went out.
Not today, she thought with a rueful smile. Today she looked…approachable.
As Sarabeth and her mother crossed the dining room, Kate hurriedly wiped her lips with a paper napkin.
“We don’t want to interrupt your meal.” Mrs. Brown offered an apologetic smile. “Sarabeth saw you and insisted on coming over to say hello.”
“Well, I’m happy she did.” Kate smiled at the blond-haire
d child who looked adorable in tan shorts and a hot-pink top. “Hi, Sarabeth. How are you this evening?”
If Kate remembered correctly, the child was about Chloe’s age. She wondered if they knew each other.
“Mommy ordered the vegetarian pizza.” Sarabeth wrinkled her nose. “I like pepperoni.”
“Sarabeth,” her mother said sharply. “Dr. Kate doesn’t want to listen to you complain when she’s out with—”
The brunette paused, her curious gaze settling on Joel.
“Oh, forgive my poor manners,” Kate said. “I thought you knew Joel and Chloe.”
Before Kate could proceed with introductions, Sarabeth piped up. “I know Chloe, but I didn’t know you were her mom.”
There was a respect in the little girl’s eyes that hadn’t been there a second before.
“My mommy died.” Chloe tensed beside Kate. “Dr. Kate is—”
“A very good friend,” Kate said, looping an arm around Chloe’s shoulders.
Sarabeth pulled her sandy-colored brows together. “Oh.”
“Honey, your dad is sitting all by himself. We need to go.” Mrs. Brown placed a hand on her daughter’s shoulder.
“I’ll see you tomorrow at day camp,” Sarabeth said to Chloe. “Maybe you can be on my kickball team.”
“Maybe.” Chloe’s tone was offhand, but the look in her eyes said she was pleased.
After a few moments more of polite conversation, the mother and daughter headed back to their table.
“Sarabeth is the one who didn’t invite me to her party.” A thoughtful look stole across Chloe’s face. “You know what, Dr. Kate?”
“What, honey?”
“You’re a pretty good friend to have.”
* * *
Joel tucked the sheet up close to his daughter’s neck and brushed a kiss across her cheek. Instead of rushing off, like he’d done for much of her young life, he took a seat on the edge of her bed.
When they’d lived in Montana, Amy had done most of the “tucking in.” He’d been busy with his business, reviewing blueprints and lining up subcontractors for the next day. On the few occasions when he had gotten Chloe ready for bed, he’d made quick work of it.
It wasn’t until Amy was gone and he and Chloe had moved to Jackson Hole that Joel realized how much he’d missed. His wife had tried to tell him how special these end-of-the-day times were, but he hadn’t listened. Now he understood. With the lights down low, and quiet filling Chloe’s bedroom, conversation and confidences came more easily. It was during these moments that he and Chloe had their best talks.
Like so many nights since moving to Jackson, his daughter gazed up at him. Her lids were heavy, and there was a dreamy smile on her lips. She looked so young in her pink-and-purple-striped pajamas, surrounded by her favorite stuffed animals. “We had fun tonight, didn’t we, Daddy?”
“We sure did, princess.” Joel thought back over the evening. It certainly hadn’t gone as he’d expected. He thought they’d eat quickly and head straight home. Then Kate had arrived and rushing through the meal was suddenly the furthest thing from his mind.
Before the past couple of days, he hadn’t really known Kate. Nothing beyond the fact that she was a good and caring doctor. Even though they’d attended many of the same parties, she’d always seemed cool and unapproachable outside of her office. In fact, whenever they had spoken, Kate had appeared to have little to say. Of course, she’d usually had a man at her side.
After spending some time alone with her, he realized she wasn’t aloof; she was shy. And she was good with Chloe.
Joel couldn’t remember the last time his daughter had smiled so much. He knew her joy this evening had been due in large part to Kate McNeal. The doctor had kept the conversation focused on his child. Chloe had blossomed under all the attention.
“I’m glad Dr. Kate ate with us.” Chloe relaxed against her pillow, a smile of contentment on her face.
“That was nice,” he said, still disturbed by his attraction to the pretty doctor.
Chloe’s lips turned upward. “I liked Dr. Kate’s ponytail.”
“Uh-huh,” Joel murmured.
Normally he’d have been thrilled to have his daughter so talkative, but not when all conversational roads seemed to lead to Kate McNeal. “So how’s day camp been going?”
It was the wrong thing to say. The happiness spurted from Chloe’s face quicker than water flowing from a just-opened dam. “It’s…okay.”
Joel remembered Kate asking him if his daughter had any friends. He recalled how embarrassed he’d felt when he had to admit he couldn’t say for sure one way or the other. What kind of father didn’t know something like that?
“You and Sarabeth seemed to hit it off tonight.” He hesitated, feeling as uncertain as a soldier navigating a minefield. “Perhaps you could invite her over to the house to play sometime?”
Chloe turned her face toward the wall. Even without speaking, the defeated slump to her shoulders gave him an answer he didn’t want to hear.
“She—they—all think I’m ugly.”
Her answer was so soft that Joel didn’t understand what she’d said. He thought at first she’d said they all thought she was ugly. But that couldn’t be. His precious little girl was beautiful.
“I’m sorry, princess,” he said. “I didn’t hear what you said.”
With great reluctance, Chloe shifted to face him and propped herself up on her elbows. “Can I have money to buy some lip gloss?”
The “no” had already started to form on Joel’s lips but he stopped himself.
Did you ask her why she thought she needed makeup? Kate’s voice, whisper soft in his memory, helped him refrain.
“Why is it so important to you to have this lipstick?”
“Lip gloss, Daddy, not lipstick.” Her irritated huff made him want to simply say no immediately, but he silently counted to ten and waited.
“Because all the girls wear lip gloss,” she said finally. “It makes them look pretty.”
While Joel certainly didn’t consider himself wise to the ways of nine-year-old girls, he felt very certain that not all of the other girls her age were wearing makeup. He had to believe there were still a few sensible parents out there. And it disturbed him that his bright daughter seemed to be such a follower.
“If everyone was jumping off a bridge, would you do it?” The second the words left his mouth, Joel realized it was the same phrase his father had used on him. And he’d always hated it.
“You don’t understand.” Chloe’s eyes flashed. “You don’t care about me. All you care about is that stupid job. If Mommy was here, she’d understand.”
Joel felt as if he’d been shoved to the ground and kicked in the side with a steel-toed boot. Anger rumbled through him. Didn’t she realize how hard this had been for him? Didn’t she realize she wasn’t the only one hurting?
He opened his mouth to tell her that but came to his senses just in time.
She was the child.
He was the adult.
Chloe’s hands clenched into tiny fists. Every part of her body spewed defiance, from her stiffened shoulders to her eyes flashing amber fire.
In that moment, he couldn’t see a trace—not even a glimpse—of the sweet little girl who’d insisted he come to her tea parties. The one who’d told him over and over how much she loved him.
But Joel knew, behind all that bravado, that little girl had to be in there someplace. He had to find a way to reach her.
“How ’bout we talk more about this tomorrow, when we’re not so tired?” he said with a conciliatory smile.
Chloe thought for a long moment, then nodded, her body relaxing again. In a few minutes her eyes fluttered shut. “I like Dr. Kate,” she murmured before falling asleep.
“I do, too,” Joel muttered under his breath, the admission only adding to his frustration.
While he’d enjoyed the evening immensely, the unfairness still rankled. It should have been Amy sitting next
to Chloe and making her laugh. It should have been Amy casting teasing glances his way.
And it should have been Amy he was trying to impress, not Kate.
Joel let his gaze linger on his sleeping daughter for a couple more heartbeats before jerking to his feet, his odd mood tinged with an even more disturbing realization. Tonight, for the first time since Amy had passed away, his wife hadn’t been front and center in his thoughts.
Instead of thinking about her, instead of remembering all the good times they’d had, he’d been fully in the moment with Kate. Her intellect and wry sense of humor had intrigued, her body had tantalized.
Although slender as a willow branch, she had curves in all the right places. The biker shorts had shown off her slender legs to full advantage and her curves had sent his mind careening down a road he had no intention of traveling. He couldn’t be interested in Kate. Not in that way. She was Chloe’s doctor, for Christ’s sake.
Casting one last look at his daughter, Joel stepped into the hall and quietly closed her door. The yearnings he’d experienced hadn’t been about Kate, he told himself; he’d simply been without a woman for too long. If he wasn’t careful, Widow Dombrowski at the Food Mart was going to start looking good.
He smiled, wishing his attraction to the pretty, young doctor could be so easily dismissed. The truth of the matter was, he liked Kate. He enjoyed her company. And God help him, he found her extremely sexy.
But it had been only two years since Amy’s passing, and he and Chloe were still mourning her loss. It was much too soon to get involved with another woman. No matter how attracted he was to her.
Chapter Six
Kate let her hair fall loose from the clip it had been in all day and fluffed it with her fingers before pulling the keys from her purse. Since Mitzi was having dinner tonight with the doctors at her new practice, Kate planned to stop at the store on her way home and do her weekly grocery shopping.
Grocery shopping on a Friday night? Even though it sounded pathetic, it would free up the weekend, which promised to be a busy one. Tomorrow she and Mitzi were shopping during the day and attending Travis and Mary Karen Fisher’s summer solstice party that evening. Then Sunday would be church and ice skating in the afternoon. At least if Mitzi got her way.