Relentless Pursuit

“Yes, sir,” Rosalyn said, looking at Caroline in the mirror. “How pretty you look, Caroline. Here’s Uncle Will.”

As Rosalyn left the room, Caroline turned to look at him. He wondered if anyone would ever be able to reach her, and if he would ever stop hurting over the tragedy in her life. “You do look so pretty, Caroline.” He picked her up. “I’ll read to you. You find the book you want, okay?”

She looked at the bookcase as he approached it and set her on her feet. She smelled sweet, fresh and clean, a faint lilac scent left from soap. Her pink pajamas covered in kittens were soft. She touched a book and he pulled it out.

“Ah, good choice,” he said, picking her up again and holding the book. He carried her to the rocker to sit with her on his lap.

“Caroline, my friend Miss Ava would like to spend the day with you tomorrow. I’ll be home, but I’ll be in my office some of the time. Will this be all right with you?”

She gazed at him solemnly and nodded.

“Good. She wants to help you with your reading and she’s trying to find a reading tutor for you.”

As Caroline focused her big brown eyes on him, he marveled at the length and thickness of her lashes.

“Caroline, Miss Ava has sad moments sometimes because she has lost someone she loved just as you have. She was married, but her husband is no longer alive and there are times this makes her sad.”

Caroline gazed at him wide-eyed and solemn. How much did she understand? Did she feel any sympathy or a bond with Ava?

“Now let’s look at this book you picked about the brave puppy and the rescued kitten.”

He held Caroline, rocking her as he read to her, his mind wandering to Ava and back to Caroline. Halfway through the book Caroline’s breathing deepened. He continued reading a few more pages until he saw her dark lashes on her cheeks. He carried the sleeping child to bed and covered her lightly, brushing a kiss on her cheek and standing over her.

“Adam, I’m sorry,” he whispered, hurting and feeling helpless, something he was unaccustomed to in his life.

Ava looked around to see Will walk up and pull a chair close to hers.

“Sorry to leave you so long. Caroline is asleep now and Rosalyn is with her.”

“How many nannies has she had?

“Actually, Rosalyn is the only nanny we’ve had. She was her nanny when Adam was alive. Rosalyn had fifteen years’ experience, plus her own kids and grandkids. She had great references.”

“I’m surprised she didn’t become a substitute mother to Caroline, someone your niece would relate to emotionally.”

“Rosalyn has tried—sometimes I think too hard. She comes on too strong and it makes Caroline withdraw. Rosalyn means well and loves Caroline. She’s very good to her. I told her your plan to stay with Caroline tomorrow, and I’ll be home, so I gave her the day off. Still want to do that?”

“Yes, I do. I’d like to get to know her. I don’t expect to need you,” she said, smiling at him.

“I know, but just in case.”

“We’ll be fine, and I appreciate your concern. It’s only a day, perhaps two at the most.” She gazed into his dark eyes and could tell he was assessing her, trying to decide whether she could take care of Caroline or not. “By the way, you were right about her ability to read. The two books I read to her today are both beginner reading level and I know she can read them. I realized after a few pages she knew when to turn the page without being told, so she had to be reading along with me. Then I began to do things to make certain, like pausing on the last line and looking at the picture. Little things, but she had to be reading with me to know, because otherwise she would turn before I indicated I was through.”

“That’s a plus, but not too great if she won’t participate at school.”

“Let’s see what happens this summer. Time helps some on loss.”

He focused on her again. “Sorry about yours. I told Caroline. As always, I got no reaction from her except a stare, but she knows about your husband.”

“I don’t know if she’ll bond, but I feel a tie of sorts with her. As for my coping, I keep busy and am involved with children and coworkers, so I don’t think about it as much.”

“Maybe you need to get out and socialize more,” he said.

She smiled. “I socialize plenty. And I know you do. If there’s someone in your life and you want to see her tomorrow evening, go right ahead.”

His eyes twinkled. “Don’t try to get rid of me. There’s no one in my life and the only woman I’m interested in seeing tomorrow night is you. Aside from Caroline, I have a life. Go to dinner with me Friday night and I’ll show you.”

Her heart skipped a beat. For the first time since Ethan’s loss, she was tempted to go out with someone else. She wanted to accept, yet it would be folly to get involved with Will. He was a heartbreaker, with a reputation for going from woman to woman. Right now she needed no such distraction in her life. He was a sizzling attraction that she’d fought steadily through the afternoon and evening.

She was not complicating her life by seeing him beyond these two days. The physical reaction she had to him had shaken her. She didn’t want to risk succumbing to an affair with Will because it would be brief and meaningless to him. A casual affair was the last thing she ever wanted in her life. With Will, she suspected a date would ultimately lead to an affair. The best course was to go home and never see Will Delaney again.

“Thank you, but I think I should stay right here Friday night.”

“Scared to go out with me?”

“Definitely,” she said, smiling at him. “I don’t need a complication in my life. I’m here only to help Caroline. As quiet as she is, she’s adorable, Will. In her own unobtrusive way, she wraps herself around your heart. I can see why you’re concerned.”

“Looks like I have two females to win over now,” he said quietly, and her pulse jumped a notch.

“Stop flirting, Will,” she said, smiling at him.

“I can’t. I want to take you out.”

“It isn’t going to happen. Your brother must have been a great parent,” she said, determined to get the subject changed.

“He was, and he loved her beyond measure.”

“Were you and your brother close?”

“Yes, the closest brother. I’m close with my other brothers and some friends I’ve known all my life.”

“I noticed the rodeo memorabilia in your room. Do you still ride?”

“I haven’t for the past two years. Mostly because of lack of time.”

They talked about their friends and their lives until she realized the hour was late. Standing, she smiled at him as he came to his feet.

“It’s past my bedtime. Plus, I haven’t taken time to unpack. I should go.”

“I’ll go up with you in case you’ve forgotten the way.”

“Have you ever thought about getting Caroline a puppy?” Ava asked as they headed upstairs

“No, it never occurred to me,” he admitted, glancing at her. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of that, or why it wasn’t suggested earlier by someone.”

“It may not be something she wants.”

“It would be a little puppy to take care of. How could she resist loving one if it has a good disposition? When we were kids, my brothers and I had dogs. That’s a good idea,” he said. “I should have thought of a dog myself.”