by Arlene James
“Emily?”
She closed her eyes at the sound of his voice. No doubt that was Amanda Sue screaming in the background. “What’s wrong?”
“All I can figure is that she’s sick!” he exclaimed. “She won’t take a bottle, and she keeps kind of gagging.”
“Did you take her temperature?”
“I tried, but—”
“Just put the sensor in her ear. It only takes a moment to—”
“I tell you, I’ve tried!” he shouted. “She won’t let me!”
Emily tamped down her impatience. “Listen, you’re bigger than her. How—”
“Have you ever tried to put that thing into something as small as a baby’s ear when she’s kicking and screaming and twisting like a cyclone?” Emily sighed, and he rushed on. “You said she might be teething, so I read that book you bought, and it says she can have a fever and an ear infection and an upset stomach from that. So I tried to give her an aspirin, but—”
“No!” Emily interrupted anxiously. “Never give a child under twelve aspirin, Logan. You have to use acetaminophen. It says that clearly in the book.”
“Well, how would I know that?” he bawled. “The book’s under the dresser where she kicked it!”
Emily rolled her eyes. Obviously, she was going to have to go over there. “Just sit down in the rocking chair with her,” she advised, flipping back the covers. “I’m on my way.”
“Hurry!” he barked, and hung up the phone.
Emily raced for the closet. Less than a minute later she was grabbing a coat off the rack by the door and heading out to the car. On normal weekdays, one could expect the streets to be empty at this time, but in San Antonio the weekend was already in full swing by the cocktail hour on Friday evening, and this Friday evening/Saturday morning was no exception. Emily navigated the traffic as quickly as possible, ever mindful that encountering a drunken driver was entirely likely. Finally, she reached the gate to Logan’s secure community. The guard waved her by without a pause; obviously Logan had called to inform him of her imminent arrival. She parked the car and hopped out, rushing up the walk in her house slippers and hastily donned jeans, T-shirt and coat. She hadn’t even taken time to put on underclothes! When a shirtless, attractively disheveled Logan yanked open the door, she suddenly wished she’d taken a little more care with her appearance.
“Thank God!” he exclaimed, grabbing her by the arm and hauling her inside.
“Where is she?”
“In her bed, bawling her heart out.”
He hadn’t exaggerated. Amanda Sue lay facedown, sobbing as though her heart was, indeed, broken into bits. Emily tossed aside her coat and drew close. Reaching out a hand, she softly stroked the shiny hair, at the same time crooning, “Amanda Sue?”
The child jerked up to a sitting position, tears streaming down her face and reached out, crying, “Mimy!”
Emily gathered her close. She felt warm but sweaty, not feverish. Just to be sure, Emily put a hand to her forehead. Amanda Sue jerked away. “Gooey?” she asked. “Gooey!”
Logan sighed audibly, and Emily sent him a look. “Not that again,” he groaned.
“What again?”
He shuffled his feet uncomfortably. “She was doing that earlier, asking for the…c-a-t.”
Amanda Sue shifted in Emily’s arms and reached over her shoulder toward the door. “Gooey!” she insisted. “Gooey!”
“When was this?” Emily asked.
“Just after you left.”
“I see.”
“The thing was,” he went on uneasily, “she got upset, you know, when I told her that it was gone, and she started crying, so I distracted her.”
Emily nodded and jiggled Amanda Sue. “Go on,” she said over the child’s urgently escalating calls.
“Well, eventually she fell asleep,” he said, and a red flag instantly rose in Emily’s mind.
“You mean that eventually you put her down, don’t you?”
Logan scratched the back of his neck. “Uh, not exactly.”
“So how did she go to sleep, then?”
“She fell asleep.”
Emily lifted an eyebrow to let him know that this explanation was not nearly complete enough. He grimaced and went on.
“She fell asleep on the floor,” he said, rushing now. “We were playing. In point of fact, I’d been chasing her, and she just eventually, you know, sat down. And then she kind of laid down, and the next thing I knew her eyes fluttered closed and she was asleep.”
Emily tried very hard to keep the censure out of her tone—and failed miserably. “So then what did you do?”
He gulped. “Well, I just, you know, let her sleep. I had some reading to do, and I thought once she was good and asleep, I’d just carry her to bed. Only, the time kind of got away from me. She’d been lying there a couple of hours, I guess, before I realized how late it was getting. Then when I picked her up—well, I’m not very good at this stuff yet, you know.”
“She woke up,” Emily surmised. Amanda Sue had subsided somewhat and was watching them both now, her hand in her mouth, her breath coming in little gasps.
He nodded. “Yeah, and she was kind of cranky.”
“Naturally.”
He gave her a dark look. “You said yourself that she has the memory of an elephant,” he pointed out. “She started asking for the you know. And I just tried to ignore it, but she got more and more upset, and I started to worry, so I got out the book, and—”
“I think I’ve got the picture,” Emily said crisply, turning down the lights and moving toward the rocking chair. “I want a warm, wet washcloth.”
He left the room immediately. Emily sat down in the rocking chair with Amanda Sue, who immediately started to buck. Emily let her squirm, speaking in a low, calming tone. “It’s all right, darling. I know you’re tired and angry, but we can fix that. Be still now. Let Emily hold you. That’s right, darling. I love it when you sit in my lap and let me hold you. You’re a beautiful, charming little girl, and your daddy’s very lucky to have you. Just a minute now, and we’ll wash your face all clean again.”
Logan finally returned with the warm cloth. Amanda Sue fought it at first, but she was very tired, and the warmth was soothing. When her face was clean and her tears dried, Emily began to rock. “Hand me Sugar Bear,” she said softly to Logan.
Amanda Sue made a desperately needy sound when the bear was produced and immediately got it in a headlock.
“Should I heat another bottle?” Logan whispered, but Emily shook her head. She would explain later that with clogged sinuses it would be difficult, if not harmful, for the child to nurse. Amanda Sue put her hand in her mouth and heaved a deep, ragged breath. Emily began to softly sing. Amanda Sue almost dropped off several times, then would jerk herself awake and look around, but finally her eyes closed and didn’t open again. Emily rose and laid the child in her bed. Amanda Sue stirred, but Emily continued to softly sing and patted her back until she settled again. Finally, she picked up her coat, signaled Logan to follow and they quietly left the room. She waited until they were downstairs to tell him what a jerk he was.
“Will you kindly try to remember that Amanda Sue is merely a small person and not the alien life-form you make her out to be.”
“That alien life-form stuff was a joke,” he said, frowning.
“Well, chasing a child around the house until she literally collapses is not! For pity’s sake, you’re supposed to calm a child at bedtime not hype her up.”
“I didn’t know!” he protested. “I was just trying to distract her.”
“Next time try reading her a book!”
“What are you yelling at me for? I didn’t do it on purpose.” he complained. “You know I’m new at this. I’m doing my best.”
Emily stepped back. He was right. She had to give him the benefit of the doubt on this. He would never intentionally upset his own daughter in an attempt to get her, Emily, back over here. In fact, he’d probably forgotten
all about that silly flirtation. “I’m sorry. It’s late, and I’m tired.”
He hung his head, heaving a deep sigh. “I’m the one who should be apologizing, calling you out at night like this. I just didn’t know what else to do.”
Emily nodded. She could be gracious and take part of the blame here. “I never dreamed she’d get so fixated on my cat. Maybe you ought to get her a cat of her own.”
“Now that’s an idea,” he said, brightening. “Hey, why don’t we do that tomorrow? You can help us pick it out. What do you think, a pet shop or the pound? I usually lean toward the pound, frankly, but maybe Amanda Sue’s first kitty ought to be something special, a purebred, maybe. What do you think?”
Emily smiled, imagining Amanda Sue with a fluffy white ball of fur or maybe a sleek Siamese. It would have to be a cat good with children. They couldn’t just take the first pretty thing they found. Emily envisioned a happy shopping trip, Amanda Sue’s exclamations of delight, the sweet little feline faces clamoring for attention, Logan proudly shelling out the cash required to keep his little princess happy. It would be such fun, just the three of them and a world full of kittens. The three of them. Just like a family. Suddenly reality snapped into place, and Emily literally recoiled. Logan cocked his head.
“Well, what do you think?” he pressed.
Emily squared her shoulders. “I think pet shopping falls far, far beyond the duties of an executive assistant,” she stated flatly.
His face fell. “I wasn’t thinking of it like that, actually. I just thought it might be fun.”
“I’m sure it will be, but you don’t need my help.”
“You don’t want to go?” It was half question, half statement, and it begged a reply.
Emily cleared her throat. If she said no, it would be an outright lie, so instead she calmly told him that she already had plans for the weekend.
“Ah. Of course. Well, maybe I’ll just get her a stuffed kitty, and you can bring Goody over when you come next,” he said mutedly.
“On Monday,” Emily clarified. “When I come on Monday.”
Logan gulped as if just then realizing that he’d have the whole weekend to get through. “Right. Monday. Well, you enjoy your weekend,” he said, ushering her toward the entry hall. “Don’t worry that I’ll be calling you again, either,” he went on. “I completely forgot that I can call Mom out at the ranch. She couldn’t just drive over, of course, but she can talk me through whatever I need to know. You just, um…” They were at the door, and he reached around her to open it, saying, “That is, good night, Emily. Again.”
She felt lower than a rat jumping ship. “Good night,” she said, throwing on her coat.
“Oh, wait.” He laid a hand on her shoulder just as she started to turn. “I know I keep saying this, but it’s because you keep bailing me out. Thank you.”
He smiled down at her, and after an moment his gaze dropped to her mouth. Suddenly she was intensely aware of her surroundings, of the dark, cool foyer, the bright, cooler night, the soft pull and slide of her own clothing against her bare skin. The thought occurred that if he kissed her now, really kissed her, as before, he’d know she wasn’t wearing a bra. Might he touch her then? Would his hand rise of its own volition to cup her breast? She could almost feel it, the weight and heat of his hand, the muscled mass of his body. She tilted her face up, breath bated, mouth dry as cotton. His head lowered—and he pressed a kiss in the center of her forehead.
Emily experienced a moment of confusion followed swiftly by sharp disappointment. The next thing she knew she was standing on the doorstep, Logan watching from the partly opened door. He smiled, and she smiled. Forcefully. Then there was nothing left to do but turn and walk to her car, get inside and start the engine. Logan waved one last time and closed the door.
Emily frowned as she put the transmission into gear. What was wrong with her? She was shaking like a leaf, and it wasn’t the cold. More importantly, what was this yawning emptiness inside her, this feeling of deficiency? Hadn’t she been whole and reasonably satisfied with herself and her life just…when? Yesterday? The day before? She tried to think as she drove away from the luxurious town house. Everything had been fine right up until… He had kissed her. He had kissed her, and everything had changed. She had the awful feeling that nothing would ever be the same again.
Logan collapsed onto the sofa and lifted a hand to the back of his neck, rotating his head in an effort to relax the muscles. Exhaustion pulled at him. It was two o’clock in the afternoon, and his energy and strength were absolutely depleted. He used to think that he was in such good physical condition. He’d spend his free afternoons swimming or playing racquetball or volleyball—not to mention climbing mountains or skiing, tennis, golf, the occasional pickup basketball game, rafting or galloping around the ranch on horseback playing cowboy. If anyone had told him that one strong-willed toddler would prove his ultimate challenge, he’d have laughed them out of Texas. Yet, here he was, savoring this moment of quiet inactivity with Amanda Sue tucked up safely in her bed for her afternoon nap, hoping and praying she’d stay down for at least an hour—and looking forward to the moment when she lifted her curly auburn head and demanded he attend her.
Chuckling, he laid his head back and closed his eyes. How did these young mothers do it? Never again would he take the average mom for granted. His house was a wreck. His kid was a miniature whirlwind, tearing through things before he could even open his mouth, let alone get to her. So far she’d scattered his CD collection through three rooms, emptied his closet of all his shoes—some of which he despaired of ever finding again—destroyed a number of magazines, plastered his kitchen with cereal and tuna salad—which was definitely not one of her favorite foods—and turned his house into one giant toy box. He knew that he ought to get up and set everything straight, but he simply did not have the energy. Twisting around, he put up his feet and prepared to catch a snooze himself, so naturally the doorbell rang.
Muttering, he leaped up and hurried to put a stop to it before Amanda Sue woke screaming. He yanked open the door, prepared to scowl—and smiled instead.
“Emily!”
“Hi. How’s it going?”
He couldn’t help giving her the once-over. She looked delectable in a body-hugging, dark wine-red turtleneck sweater and matching leggings. Her long hair, held back by a wide white elasticized headband, swung against her shoulders in a soft, brown-gold fall. Her feet were covered, in deference to the cold weather, no doubt, in tasseled loafers and white socks with the tops folded around her slender ankles to form fat, neat cuffs. The corduroy car coat thrown over her shoulders reminded him that the nip in the air now permeating the entry hall was coming from outside.
“Come in!” he said, hopping back out of her way. She hesitated for maybe one second before stepping over his threshold and closing the door behind her. He led the way into the living room, wincing as he saw it again. “Uh, this isn’t as bad as it looks.”
She stepped up next to him, and he felt rather than heard her indrawn breath. “Oh, my,” she said.
He bowed his head, scratching the back of his neck. “Okay, so it is as bad as it looks, but she’s asleep right now, so I can…” He couldn’t say it any more than he could do it. Walking over to the couch, he dropped down onto it with a heartfelt sigh. “I feel like I’ve been dragged behind a horse through a pasture of cactus and a herd of cows.”
She had the gall to laugh while standing there bursting with healthy energy and looking as though she’d just walked off the page of a magazine. Why had he never before realized how stunningly beautiful she was? For the first time in his life he actually felt uncomfortably ill groomed. He needed a shower and a shave and clothes that didn’t look ready for the ragbag. Self-consciously he raked his fingers through his hair, thinking that he probably needed a haircut, not to mention a comb.
“Put your feet up for a few minutes,” she said. “I’ll make us some coffee.”
He wanted to say
that she didn’t have to do that, but instead he said what he felt. “That sounds great.”
Tossing aside her coat and small handbag, she headed for the kitchen. He fought the urge to run for the shower. Lying back on the couch, his head pillowed on the arm, he closed his eyes and tried to think how to turn this unexpected visit into a romantic encounter. The next thing he knew something delicious and compelling tickled his nostrils, rousing him. “Hmm?”
“Maybe I should let you sleep.”
He came fully awake and sat up, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands. “Man, that smells wonderful.”
“Here, then,” she said, pushing the mug into his hands. He cupped the warmth and let the rising steam bathe his face with the delectable aroma of coffee and the siren call of caffeine. Finally, he sipped.
“Good.”
She sat down in the chair across the room from him. “So, tell me about your morning.”
He shook his head. “Two terms come to mind. Greased lightning and putting out fires.”
She chuckled again. “Well, I don’t see any smoke damage, so I’d say you did pretty well.”
“That’s what you think,” he retorted. “My housekeeper’s going to take one look at this place and quit. I might as well start interviewing maids along with nannies.”
“We’ll take a swipe at it together in a few minutes. Then, afterward we’ll discuss the concept of setting limits.”
He was grateful as all get out, but he couldn’t help saying, “I thought you had plans.”
“Got through early,” she said dismissively.
He knew he shouldn’t probe, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself. “Did you get to spend some time with Ciara Wilde?”
“No, actually I got to spend some time at the laundry and paying bills.”
“Oh. Well, in that case I’m glad you got through early.”
“I thought you might be,” she said wryly. She sipped her coffee, then added, “I can’t stay too long. I have groceries in the car.”