The Soldier's Sweetheart

She pulled out her cell phone and used her thumbs as she texted: Gorgeous ex-Army guy just walked in.

That should pique their curiosity. If she knew Alexis and Mary, they’d show up at the grocery faster in the hopes of meeting an eligible bachelor than if she’d told them it was a 911 emergency.

She gazed toward the glass door, focusing on the sunshine. The sun always reminded her of her faith and it generally gave her peace.

And it did, for a moment, until she caught the hint of movement from behind the candy aisle—and an adorable little girl appeared.

* * *

Will followed Samantha’s gaze to where his four-year-old daughter, Genevieve, was peeking out from behind the candy aisle. All he could see of Genevieve from where he was standing was the thick mop of black curls that she had inherited from her mother and the large, inquisitive brown eyes that were very much a reflection of his own.

The scene would have been cute, he supposed, from virtually any other person’s vantage point—a curious yet clearly shy little girl hanging back to see how the adults responded before announcing her presence.

She was a little darling, and she stole Will’s heart every time he looked at her, but the little girl’s gaze also caused him a moment of sheer panic.

He was this child’s father. She depended entirely upon him, and he hadn’t given her any reassurance in this new and unfamiliar situation.

His throat closed and burned from the effort of withholding the onslaught of emotion. It was difficult to breathe, and his pulse roared in his head. Shame burned his cheeks. In all the confusion, he’d forgotten to introduce Genevieve.

She’d held back when they’d first entered, and he’d allowed her to stay near the door, thinking it would be easier for her if he served as point man. He supposed he’d expected her to come forward once he’d introduced himself to the management, so to speak.

Instead, she’d hidden in an aisle and stayed there—probably waiting for him to reassure her that everything was all right.

Which, to his chagrin, he had not done.

She was a furtive little thing—Seth’s parents hadn’t even seen her when they’d entered the store. But that was no excuse on his part.

This was not at all the impression he was trying to create with the Howells right off the bat, and most certainly not the way he wanted to treat his daughter. The fact that he felt entirely incompetent as a father was one thing. But he didn’t need to display his inadequacies for the whole world to see.

Meeting Seth’s older sister had really thrown him for a loop. Seth was a good-looking kid, so it should have been no surprise to him that his sister was an attractive woman. Samantha had straight, thick black hair cut in an appealing pixie style that showed off the endearing curl of her ears. She shared her brother’s enormous cobalt-blue eyes, but they were breathtaking on Samantha.

Will cleared his throat and stepped over to his daughter, awkwardly placing a hand on her shoulder as he gently urged her from her hiding place.

“Folks, this is my daughter, Genevieve.”

Genevieve immediately slid behind him, clutching at his legs and peering out at the unfamiliar people from behind his right knee. He crouched and picked her up in his arms. “Say hi to the nice folks.”

“Hi.” Genevieve said the word because her daddy had asked her to, but she didn’t sound convinced that she should be speaking to strangers.

“May your daughter have a lollipop?” Samantha asked, coming out from behind the counter. He turned and met her gaze. Was this a trick question? Was he supposed to decline and ask for an apple instead? What would a good father do in this situation?

“I—uh,” he floundered.

“She’s not allergic, is she?”

“No. I mean, I don’t think so.” How was he supposed to keep his daughter safe if he didn’t know vital things about her? He could accidentally put her in jeopardy without ever realizing he was doing so.

“Then perhaps just this once, since it’s such a special occasion.”

Will nodded, relief flooding through him. It was as if Samantha had somehow guessed that he hadn’t known how to answer her and was filling in the blanks for him. He was grateful for her assistance.

Then again, she had put just the slightest emphasis on the words special occasion. He had the distinct feeling Samantha was a little miffed at him. It wasn’t his fault she hadn’t known he was coming. She could point that finger at her brother.

“Hey, Genevieve,” Samantha said in a considerably sweeter, gentler tone of voice than she had used with Will. “Do you want to pick out a lollipop from the jar over there?”

She held out her hands, and to Will’s surprise, Genevieve slid into her arms without the slightest bit of fuss. The little girl’s eyes were still wide with a mixture of curiosity and hesitation, but she allowed Samantha to carry her to the candy jar. Samantha set Genevieve on the counter and lifted the lid so she could select the flavor of her choice.

Genevieve immediately picked purple. Grape. Will filed the information in his mind. Knowing Genevieve’s preferences might come in handy, especially if he was ever asked to choose something in his daughter’s stead—which he was beginning to realize was going come up more often than he could even imagine.

Clothes for school. Dresses. Shoes. Hair bows. What did he know about raising a little girl?

Nothing. Not a single thing.

Haley would have been able to pick out a lollipop for Genevieve. For all he knew, grape had also been Haley’s favorite.

He realized to his chagrin that he didn’t know what flavor his wife had preferred when she was alive. There were a lot of things he hadn’t taken the time to find out about Haley, and now it was too late to rectify his oversights, to make right all the many ways he’d erred as a husband.

He cringed and squared his shoulders. Maybe it was too late to change the way things had gone down with Haley, but he could still be a good father to Genevieve, and that was exactly what he was going to do—make it up to her for the years he’d been away, and never let her feel alone or unprotected again.

It was his one resolution in life—to make things right with his daughter.

“You want one?” Samantha asked, holding the candy bowl out to him. “It’s on me. Free of charge.”

Belatedly he realized he’d been staring at her and his composure nearly dropped. Only his many years of military training kept him from showing the apprehension that he felt in his gut.

For a moment, he’d actually considered taking the candy. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d tasted a lollipop. Maybe not since early childhood. But he wasn’t a kid anymore.

“No, but thank you for offering,” he answered after an extended pause.

“She’s a lovely little girl,” Amanda Howell said. “Seth mentioned you’re a single father?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Will’s throat felt scratchy and raw as he answered. “Genevieve’s mother passed away about four months back. My daughter stayed with my in-laws until my tour of duty was up, but now I’m looking to be a full-time daddy to her.”

“We’ll help you as much as we can,” Amanda assured him. “Isn’t that right, Samantha?”

“Hmm?” Samantha was entertaining Genevieve and clearly hadn’t heard her mother’s declaration.

“I was just telling Will how we’d help him out with his sweet little girl,” her mother repeated. “You’re especially good with children. Genevieve has already taken to you.”

Samantha’s blue eyes widened as she looked from her mother to Genevieve and back again. Then her gaze turned to Will. “I think my mom is referring to me teaching the preschool and kindergarten Sunday school classes at church,” she explained, shrugging one shoulder.

Teaching preschool and kindergarten. Those were pretty good credentials, as far as Will was concerned. As long as she didn’t press Genevieve too hard on spiritual matters, she might really be the help he needed.

If she wanted to help him. Considering the way her mother appeared to be pushing him on her, Will wasn’t so certain about that fact.

The bell rang over the door and everyone turned at once. Two women—one with windswept brown hair and green eyes, the other with long, straight blond hair pulled back in a ponytail—whirled into the place like a couple of dervishes on a mission.

“We came as soon as we heard,” the blond said, flicking her ponytail as she made her way straight for Will. “This must be the handsome guy you texted us about. And an ex-soldier, no less. Whew!”