She regarded him with obvious regret. “You’re not going to be noble forever, are you?”
Dylan laughed, despite the ache that was already building with no immediate relief in sight. “No, darlin’. I think you can count on me getting past this in no time at all.”
To Kelsey’s amazement, after checking on Bobby only twice and reading just a few pages of the child-psychology textbook she’d found in the attic, she actually fell soundly asleep and slept through the rest of the night. She knew she owed that to Dylan’s presence downstairs. While the rational part of her brain knew that Paul couldn’t come after their son again, on another level she had feared he would somehow find a way out of jail and do just that. Having Dylan there to stop him had relieved her illogical worries.
The man was definitely one of the good guys. She had recognized his strength from the beginning, but she was just now beginning to understand how deep his integrity ran. Last night she had found his sense of honor inconvenient, but today she was grateful for it. She had been caught up in an adrenaline rush, no doubt about it.
One thing she knew, though, the attraction she had developed toward Dylan Delacourt wasn’t going away. If anything, it was growing deeper day by day. Sometimes, with some people, a lifetime of getting acquainted could be crammed into a few short days. It had been with them.
Down the hall she could hear Bobby thumping around in his room, probably tossing half his toys on the floor in search of the one buried deepest in the pile. The sound brought a smile to her lips.
Then she heard Dylan stirring downstairs and her smile spread.
She took a quick shower, tugged on a clean outfit, then poked her head into Bobby’s room. He was sitting on his bed, totally absorbed in his favorite picture book, one with lots of fire engines and police cars in it. He gave her a distracted wave and went right back to it.
Back to normal, she told herself with a relieved sigh. At least that was the way it seemed right now. Hard to tell what the day would bring.
Downstairs, she could smell the coffee brewing as she walked toward the kitchen. She found Dylan with one jeans-clad hip propped against the counter, his shirt hanging open and a cup of coffee in his hand. He looked sleepy and rumpled and indescribably sexy. His expression brightened when he saw her.
“Good morning.”
Staring at his partially bared chest, she murmured something that was probably incomprehensible. Finally she tugged her gaze away and looked into eyes dancing with amusement.
“Never seen a male body up close before?” he teased.
“Most of the ones I see are under twelve. Trust me, it’s not the same.”
“Speaking of that, you aren’t planning to go back to work today, are you?”
“I was thinking about going in later. Why?”
“What about Bobby?”
“Hank’s invited him out to the ranch after day camp today to play with Jamey. I figured he’d rather do that than stay here with me.”
“Are you okay with that?”
“I’ll have to be sometime.”
“Sometime is not necessarily today,” he pointed out.
“Dylan, I have to do this my own way.”
He appeared to bristle a bit at that. “Well, of course you do, but I was just worried….”
“No need for you to worry,” she insisted. “Not anymore.”
He leveled a look straight at her. “That’s like asking me not to breathe. I’m the oldest of five. Worrying is what I do best.” He grinned ruefully. “It always drove Trish, Jeb and the others crazy, too. I can’t get over it, though, so you might as well get used to it.”
“Then add me to the list of those who find it annoying, but endearing,” Kelsey told him, then stood on tiptoe to press a kiss to his cheek to take the sting out of her words. “Thanks for caring.”
Having someone concerned about her well-being, challenging her independence at every turn, was going to take a whole lot of getting used to. But seeing the flare of heat in Dylan’s eyes, feeling the responding warmth steal through her, she knew it was also going to be worth it.
That peck on the cheek was the best Dylan got from Kelsey before he took off, but in some ways it was better than the most passionate kisses they had shared. There was a lighthearted teasing about it, an underlying affection that he couldn’t mistake. It was exactly what he intended to build on…as soon as he had his own life settled.
First he drove by the sheriff’s office to check in with Justin and assure himself that Paul wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
“Listen, there’s something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about,” Justin said, gesturing toward the chair opposite his desk.
Dylan studied him worriedly as he sat. “You’re not still agitating about me coming after Paul yesterday and almost busting into that meeting you had staked out, are you?”
“No more than you’re still ticked that I stopped you,” Justin retorted.
“Okay, let’s call it a draw. What’s on your mind?”
“I could use another man around here, someone with real experience and good instincts. Interested?”
“I’m a private investigator. What makes you think I’d want to become a sheriff’s deputy?”
“Call me crazy, but I got the distinct impression you were interested in a certain baby doc who’s new in town. Am I wrong?”
Dylan hesitated, then shook his head. “You’re not wrong.”
“What do you intend to do about it?”
“I’m not real sure that’s any of your business.”
Justin scowled. “Kelsey’s like family. That makes it my business. You can either answer to me or answer to Grandpa Harlan. Believe me, I’m the better bet. He tends to get real pushy.”
Dylan actually appreciated the strength of that particular bond. He knew from his own experience with his brothers and his sister that that kind of protectiveness ran deep. Hadn’t he explained that very concept to Kelsey the night before?
“I have some things to work out,” he finally admitted. “Then I intend to come back here and see how things go from there.”
“Wouldn’t that be a whole lot easier if you had a steady paycheck?”
“My business does real well,” Dylan said.
“In Houston. How well will it do if you’re here?”
To Dylan’s regret, Justin had a point. “I guess I hadn’t gotten quite that far along with my thinking,” he conceded. “Give me a little time. I’ll consider the offer.”
“Take as much time as you need.”
Dylan stood up and offered Justin his hand. “Thank you for letting me work with you on this case. I would much rather work with the authorities than butt heads with them.”
“Which is exactly why I think you’d fit in here.”
Dylan thought about the proposal all the way over to Trish’s. While it had some merit, he still wasn’t sure he was suited to following a bunch of rules and regulations, even with a decent guy like Justin as his boss.
When he got to his sister’s, he found her in the kitchen and discovered that Jeb was packing to go back to Houston.
“Where’s my best girl?” Dylan demanded as he poured himself a cup of coffee.
“Upstairs with Jeb. Be careful. I think she’s defecting. You haven’t been around much the past couple of days and I suspect her heart’s fickle.”
“Not my sweet Laura,” he said loudly enough to be heard upstairs.
“Unca Dyl.” The delighted cry echoed through the house and was quickly followed by the thunder of tiny feet heading for the stairs.
“Whoa, there, sweetheart,” Jeb shouted, pounding after her.
A moment later, he came into the kitchen with Laura sitting on his shoulders. Their niece’s arms were already outstretched for Dylan.
Trish chuckled. “Told you she was fickle.”
Jeb handed Laura over, then surveyed Dylan. “You look like hell. No sleep?”
“I got plenty of sleep,” Dylan told hi
m. “Unfortunately the sofa was too blasted short. I’ve got aches and pains everywhere.”
“And here I envisioned you over there—”
“Careful, pal.”
Jeb grinned. “Celebrating, big brother. That’s all I was going to say. Where did you think I was going?”
“Never can tell with you.”
“Can I hitch a ride back to Houston with you or should I call Dad and ask to have the corporate jet sent over?” Jeb asked, wisely changing the subject.
“I’ll take you,” Dylan said.
Trish stared at him in shock. “You’re going back to Houston today?”
He nodded.
“But I thought…”
“Well, you thought wrong. I have things to do.”
Her gaze narrowed. “Such as?”
“I’ll let you know next time I see you.”
“When will that be?”
He frowned at her. “Why all the questions?”
“It’s just that I saw how you and Kelsey were together. I was sure something was going to happen.”
Dylan sighed. “Saints protect me from the busybodies in this town. You’re the second person today who wanted to poke around in my private life.”
“Because I care,” Trish said huffily. “You certainly don’t hesitate to poke and prod when the mood suits you. Never mind, though. I don’t have to follow your example. I’ll keep my mouth shut from now on.”
Dylan exchanged a look with Jeb and they both burst out laughing.
“That will be the day, baby sister,” Dylan said, then kissed her. “We forgive you, though. Just rein it in for a few days, okay?”
She seized on that. “A few days? That’s it?”
He nodded.
“I can last a few days,” she said briskly, then grinned at him. “Can Kelsey?”
Dylan frowned at her. “Watch it, kid.”
“Just checking,” she said innocently.
Damn, Dylan thought. How was he going to figure out the rest of his life with half the world watching his every move? He realized Justin and Trish were only the tip of the iceberg. He still had to drive all the way to Houston with Jeb in that car, then be subjected to the curiosity of his other brothers, his father and, worst of all, his mother.
There were occasions—and this was clearly destined to be one of them—when he deeply regretted being part of a large family that insisted on knowing everything about his life practically before he did.
Then again, turnabout was only fair play. He’d been doing the same thing to all of them for years.
Chapter Fifteen
Kelsey couldn’t concentrate. She’d done nearly a dozen preschool physicals since noon, returned nearly as many calls, and organized her schedule so she could catch up on all the appointments she’d missed while Bobby had been missing. Even at that, she kept thinking about Dylan and the promise that had been in his eyes and in his voice when he’d left her.
Could something so important be this easy? Could she possibly fall in love in the blink of an eye in the midst of the worst crisis of her life? Or was she just confusing love with relief and gratitude? Dylan was obviously worried that she might be doing just that and she supposed he was right to be so concerned. It wasn’t something to make a mistake about. They both had past mistakes to serve as warnings against making hasty judgments.
She leaned back in her chair and thought about the kisses they’d shared. She was still daydreaming, a smile on her lips, when Lizzy poked her head in.
“You ready to grab some lunch?” she asked, then did a double take. “Or would you rather tell me what put that smile on your face?” She came in and sat down, clearly making her own choice about which took precedence. “Dylan, I suppose.”
“Why ask when you think you already know the answer?”
“Because, contrary to all the rumors, I’m not infallible. Sometimes my diagnoses are off.”
“Not a smart thing for a doctor to admit to,” Kelsey teased. “Malpractice suits being what they are these days.”
“Don’t remind me.” Her expression sobered. “How’s Bobby doing? I didn’t get to see him before I left the ranch today.”
“Overall, he’s doing a whole lot better than I would have predicted. Even so, first thing this morning I called that child psychologist we liked so much back in med school. You remember the one?”
“Handsome Harry?” Lizzy recalled.
“We liked him because he was brilliant.”
“Yeah, right,” Lizzy teased. “Who actually noticed that?”
“I did,” Kelsey insisted. “And so did you, so stop it. He agreed with Dylan that Bobby’s probably more worried about me leaving again than about his dad coming back. Bobby had one bad spell last night right before bed, but Dylan talked to him and that seemed to do the trick. He slept straight through the night.”
“Dylan, huh? He’s still spending a lot of time around the house, even though his job is done?”
“Don’t look at me like that,” Kelsey protested. “It’s not like he spent the night. Well, he did, but—”
“Oh, really?”
“Lizzy, cut it out.”
“He’s a great guy.”
“Yes, he is,” Kelsey agreed. “And he was a rock during all of this, but he has his own issues to deal with and so do I. The timing’s all off.”
“Today, maybe,” Lizzy noted. “How about tomorrow?”
“We’ll see.” It was as much of a commitment as Kelsey was prepared to make until she and Dylan could have some time together to sort things out.
Dylan sat outside Kit’s house and mentally rehearsed what he intended to say to persuade her to have the custody agreement amended. He needed to have every argument in place, needed to remain absolutely calm. Anything else and he would blow his best chance at getting back into Shane’s life. He could always go to court, but this way was preferable. Funny how a little maturity could make things a whole lot clearer.
He’d arrived without any advance warning, figuring that the element of surprise was on his side. Kit’s defenses would be down and she would be alone without her new husband there to shore up any protests she might have initially.
“It’s now or never, pal,” he muttered under his breath. He got out of the car and walked across the street. Kit had the front door open before he could knock.
“I was wondering when you were going to decide to come in,” she said, meeting his gaze evenly. She didn’t seem especially surprised to see him. Nor did she seem as dismayed or angry as he’d anticipated.
“I see your radar’s as good as ever,” he said, managing a grin to take any sting out of the words. “You look good, Kit. Great, in fact.”
“Are you trying to butter me up for something, or do you mean it?” she asked, studying him thoughtfully. “You actually mean it, don’t you?”
He nodded. “Is that such a big surprise?”
“You rarely noticed how I looked while we were married, not after the first year, anyway.”
The truth hurt. “I’m sorry,” he said, meaning it.
She shrugged. “It’s in the past. I’m happy now. How about you?”
“I’m getting there. There’s just one thing missing.”
She regarded him evenly, then sighed. “I’ve been expecting this. Come into the kitchen. Can I get you some iced tea or some lemonade? You used to like that.”
Relieved that she hadn’t gone ballistic right off the bat, he nodded. “Lemonade would be great.”
She poured the drink into a tall glass filled with ice just the way he liked it, then handed it to him. Rather than sitting, though, she stood by the counter, watching him warily.
“Okay, out with it,” she said.
He was surprised by her demand. “Were you always this direct? I don’t remember that.”
“No,” she said. “I learned from my mistakes. Maybe if I’d told you what I needed a whole lot sooner, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”
The comment stu
nned him. It was the first time he could recall her being willing to share any of the blame for what went wrong in their marriage.
“I don’t know,” he said honestly. “I probably still wouldn’t have known the meaning of compromise.”
She laughed. “You really were used to being king of the roost in that family of yours, weren’t you? Big brother could do no wrong.”
“Is that how you saw it?”
“That’s how it was,” she said without rancor. “And they might fight you tooth and nail over anything and everything, but heaven forbid anyone else should question your decisions. It was daunting.”
He tried hard to remember that part of the past, but all he recalled was the mounting tension between him and Kit and his inability to do anything to lessen it.
“I’m sorry for that, too,” he told her.
She shook her head. “Amazing. Two apologies in one day, when I didn’t think you were capable of any.”
“I’m—”
She held up her hand. “Enough. Why are you here, Dylan? It’s not to take a walk down memory lane.”
He took a deep breath and dived in. “I’ve been thinking a lot about Shane lately.” He looked into her eyes. “Wondering if I made a mistake.”
“He’s happy, Dylan.”
“I know that,” he said, fighting against an unreasonable tide of misery. Was he wrong to be asking this of Kit? Of Shane? Was it too late to stake a claim he never should have given up in the first place?
“But you miss him, anyway,” she guessed.
“Yes. Does that make me totally selfish?”
“No. Sorry. It just makes you human. You’re his dad, Dylan. He’s the best thing you ever gave me. I’m not surprised you want to know him. I would, if our roles were reversed.”
He began to feel hopeful. “Can we work this out? Or is it too late?”
She regarded him with surprising sympathy. “As long as we’re still alive, it’s never too late to change things. Another lesson learned through our mistakes.”
“I don’t want to turn his life upside down, or yours and Steve’s.”
Dylan and the Baby Doctor Page 17