Chapter 7

Cade had just enough time to head home and shower after work before needing to be at Avery's. Figuring he'd bring along his black lab, Freeman, so he could play with Seraph, he snagged the extra leash from the kitchen on his way in.

Stripping off his scrub top, he turned to head upstairs to the bathroom and paused at the living room threshold. Cutin was hanging by all fours from the front bay window drapes.

Stoically sitting on the floor was Freeman, one eyebrow quirked as if to say, it was your idea to bring home a cat.

Cade cleared his throat.

Cutin squeaked out a meow and turned her head upside down to address him. There was a wrinkle. I was just straightening it for you.

Sighing, he picked up the kitten and set her on his shoulder-since that seemed to be her favorite spot when not clutching the drapes, shower curtain, or kitchen towel rack-and walked upstairs to the bathroom.

"You're getting declawed on Monday. Just so you know."

Meow.

"I'm only kidding. Don't take that tone with me."

Setting her on the vanity, he stripped the rest of the way and showered off the clinic aroma. After toweling dry, he put Cutin back on his shoulder and headed into his bedroom.

"I'm going to be gone for a bit tonight. You will not destroy anything in my absence. Got it?"

Meow.

"Don't be sassy." He set her on the bed, dressed, and went to fetch Freeman. "Who wants to go for a ride?"

Freeman, not one to bark, lifted his paw.

Twenty minutes later, Cade found himself leaning against Avery's kitchen counter with his arms crossed as the dogs got to know each other and Avery fluttered around like the end of days was looming. She'd been talking nonstop for fifteen minutes while making PB&J for dinner, and if Hailey weren't sitting at the kitchen table, he'd be tempted to shut Avery up. With his mouth.

She was adorable all worked up. Flushed cheeks, hands flailing. Admittedly, he'd only caught about half the things she'd said because he found looking at her much more interesting. Those jeans molding her perfect ass weren't helping matters any. She had a great body. Curves and soft edges, not a rail with nothing to hold.

She huffed a breath. "Are you listening?"

Not really. "I should only let Hailey play with matches after dark, feed her candy bars and soda for snack, and scary movies are acceptable if she won't go to sleep. Got it." He sat next to Hailey at the table and held up a fist for her to bump. "Oh, come on. You can't leave a guy hanging."

He was never really sure if Hailey was hearing him, as she never made eye contact and she always seemed to be deep in her head. Ducking his face close to hers, he grinned. "Make a fist, squirt." When she did after a brief delay, he gently bumped his fist with hers. "There you go. Don't leave me hanging again or no sugar high for you later."

Hailey whooped out a laugh, rough and short, but Cade's chest swelled at the small connection. The girl's round cheeks split in a smile as she glanced somewhere over his head. Sometimes she looked so much like Avery.

"Would you please be serious?"

Cade reined in his grin. Avery was worried about leaving her daughter and he got that. All attempts to pacify that anxiety hadn't worked, so he met her gaze from across the room. "She gets sick from dairy, she's prone to wandering, she's already in PJs, bedtime is eight, brush teeth first, cue her to potty, watch thirty minutes of her sleep video, and try not to touch her, especially on her head."

Avery's head whipped back, gorgeous brown eyes blinking rapidly. "Um...yes." She glanced around, clearly uneasy. "You have my cell number?"

"The first twenty times you asked. I got this. Go."

She sighed and looked down, where Seraph was doing his best to chase Freeman's tail. Finally, without anything else to nag about, she tapped Hailey's arm. "Pretty please be good for Cade. I'll be back after you go to sleep, but I'll check in on you. Okay?"

Hailey dug into her sandwich as an answer.

After Avery left, Cade eyed his own sandwich and glass of milk Avery had set out. Wiping a hand down his face, he ate in silence, watching the dogs. Seraph was still wearing the cone around his neck to keep him from chewing off the bandages from his amputation. He was due in Monday for suture removal and a follow-up. Figuring he'd save Avery a trip, he looked at Hailey.

"Hey, squirt. Wanna be my assistant? Seraph's all better now, so we can get all that junk off him. What do you do say?"

She squealed and flapped her hands, which he took as a yes.

"Awesome. Finish your...rice milk"-he shuddered-"and we'll hop to it."

Since she was prone to wandering, he brought Hailey outside with him to the car to get supplies and headed back in. After tossing their paper plates away, he rinsed out Hailey's empty cup and set his on the counter so he could put Seraph on the table.

"Okay, squirt. Just stand next to me and pet your puppy while I check his ouchie." He turned when she didn't move and found her drinking his milk. "Shoot, no. That's regular milk."

Taking the glass from her, he eyed the contents and tried to determine how much she drank, but it couldn't have been much. He dumped the rest, filled a cup of water, and gave it to her. "Just thirsty, eh? I hope that little bit didn't make you sick."

She seemed no worse for wear after a minute, so he pointed to the table and repeated his instructions. After a small delay, she did as he asked and petted Seraph's back while he removed the bandages.

The wound was closed and there were no signs of infection, so he opened a sterile disposable suture removal kit. "Doing a great job, squirt." He bent and quickly snipped the sutures before feeling around the area. The puppy wiggled at all the attention, but Cade got it done without too much headache. "I think we can take the cone off now."

Hailey squealed. Seraph barked.

He laughed and removed the cone, then tossed the stuff into the garbage. "How about we give this guy a bath?" Because of the injury, Cade had instructed Avery not to bathe Seraph, even though he needed one.

Freeman took off for parts unknown at the word "bath." For a lab, he hated water immensely. Hopefully Seraph was more cooperative than his own dog.

He rummaged around the bathroom until finding kid shampoo, then made his way back to the kitchen. He pulled a chair up to the counter, filled the sink with warm soapy water, and encouraged Hailey to climb on the chair before setting Seraph in the sink.

"I'm going to stand behind you, squirt. If I'm too close, just use your elbow on me." Straddling the chair, he caged Hailey in front of him and brought his arms around her. She didn't seem bothered, so he passed her a cup. "Go ahead and pour water over the doggy."

She didn't seem to understand, so he gently wrapped his fingers around where hers held the cup and dipped it into the water, then poured it over Seraph.

The puppy yipped and shook his head, flinging suds and water everywhere. Hailey whooped out another laugh, which pulled one of his own from deep in his chest.

By the time they were done there was more water on them and the floor than in the sink. He towel-dried Seraph and set him on the floor, then cleaned up the mess. His pocket buzzed with two incoming texts as he dropped the towels into the washing machine in the room off the kitchen. But Hailey needed to change, so he fished around her dresser drawers and came up with a new set of pajamas.

"Can you dress by yourself?" He made a show of covering his eyes and hoped the girl got the hint. When the rustle of clothing quieted, he peeked. "Good job, squirt."

Hailey settled on the couch with her sleepy-time show. He tossed her wet PJs into the washer and checked his cell.

Avery: Everything okay?

Avery: Why aren't u answering?

Grinning, he shook his head while thinking of how to answer. Deciding to goad her, he thumbed out his response.

Yep. Two corpses. Everything's fine.

Just as he wondered if she'd get the reference, her response came back.

Avery: Did you just quote the movie Clue to me?

Yes, ma'am. Impressed you knew that.

Avery: Love that movie. How's Hailey?

She's fine. Stop texting and pay attention to ur meeting.

Hailey grabbed the hem of his damp shirt and tugged. He pocketed his phone and realized she looked a little pale. "You all right, squirt? You-"

Without any preamble, she bent over and yakked down the front of him. Not just threw up-no-no-but projectile. White, milky vomit with chunks of PB&J. Oh, the stench. He'd never eat it again. Never.

He stilled, palms up, waiting to see if she was finished, unsure of how to handle this. He'd been yakked on a hundred times by animals, but never a tiny human. "Wow. So that just happened."

She wailed, flapping her hands and jumping in place. Completely unlike her happy-flapping, the distress from her had panic rising in his chest.

He squatted. "Hey, hey," he cooed. "No biggie. We'll just...uh." Hissing a breath, he stood. "Okay, wait right here."

He went to turn for the bathroom when he realized his clothes had to go or he'd drip the contents of Hailey's stomach all over the house. A quick survey showed she didn't get any on herself. At least there was that.

Setting his phone on the counter, he quickly stripped down to his boxers and tossed the soiled clothes into the washer, added extra detergent, then started a load. He used some disinfectant wipes he found under the sink to wipe down the floor. Hailey never moved, but at least she had her color back.

"This would look so bad if someone were to walk in right now." Grown man in his skivvies with an eight-year-old girl.

He washed his hands and walked Hailey to the living room to finish her show. "Be right back, squirt."

Hopping from foot to foot-because the temp had dropped to twenty degrees-he ran like a lunatic to his car, grabbed his extra set of scrubs, and thanked God that Avery didn't have neighbors. Once inside, he dressed and eased down next to Hailey on the couch.

Should he call his mom? She'd know what to do. Except it would be all over Twitter in under an hour. Or call Avery? But she'd freak.

The kid seemed okay now. Her complexion looked normal, at least.

"Hey, squirt. I know you don't like it, but I'm just gonna feel your forehead." Slowly, he lifted his hand and pressed his palm to her cheek, then her forehead. Didn't feel hot or anything.

Hailey shoved his hand away, never taking her gaze from the TV.

"Okay, okay. All done." He blew out a breath and closed his eyes for a moment. "You really do get sick on dairy, yeah?"

The dogs circled the floor and laid down next to each other. Seraph was getting around really well with just the three legs. He'd grown a bit in the week since his surgery and the tan cotton puppy fuzz was beginning to look more like fur. Another few weeks and he'd resemble more dog than puppy.

The credits rolled on Hailey's show. He cut the power and followed her into the bathroom, watching as she brushed her teeth.

"So, um... Your mom says to go potty, too, yeah? I'm just going to...you know...step out." He waited outside the door, back turned, while Hailey hopefully had peeing by herself mastered.

He breathed when the distinct tinkle hit water. Waiting a few moments until a flush sounded, he helped her wash her hands and nudged her toward her bedroom.

She climbed onto the bed and pulled the covers up. Cade realized he should've paid more attention to Avery because now he wasn't sure what to do. Turn on a nightlight? Kiss her on the forehead good night?

He switched off the overhead light. Not finding a nightlight, he flicked on a lamp on the dresser in case she got scared and eyed Hailey's adorable little body, her heavy lids. She was an effing cutie. Dark hair just like Avery's and round cheeks. Hailey's eyes were blue, though, unlike Avery's brown.

Deciding to leave the door open, just in case, he lifted his hand. "Night, squirt. I'm right out here if you feel sick again or need anything."

Hailey sat up, the covers falling to her waist.

Cade stilled, wracking his brain for instructions he might've forgotten. "Want me to stay in here?"

She didn't move, so he turned off the lamp and sat next to her hip until she lay down again. The dogs came in, Freeman flopping on the floor by the foot of the bed and Seraph doing his damnedest to climb up by Hailey. Perhaps that was why she'd sat up. Used to sleeping with the dog?

Figuring it wouldn't hurt, he picked up Seraph and set him on the bed. Both puppy and child sighed, closing their eyes. Double damn. That was adorable.

Exhausted, he stretched out crossways on the foot of her bed, head and feet hanging off, but at least he was right next to her if she needed anything.

"This babysitting thing is a lot of work, yeah?"

No one answered, of course.

Along with complete muscle annihilation from tension, a fullness rose in his chest, a peace of sorts, at the night's events. A lot of work, yeah, but kind of rewarding in a way. The kid was pretty great when she wasn't puking on him, and getting her to laugh had felt damn good.

They didn't even burn the place down. Go them.

---

Hating to admit it, Avery was glad she'd gone to the meeting. Once she got past the questions of how her date with Cade went-and repeatedly relaying it wasn't a date, just drinks with friends-the night wasn't so bad.

Besides Cade's mom and two aunts, there were five other women on the event committee. All of them were very nice and appreciative she'd taken the position. Not that she'd had a choice in the matter. Or a say.

Redwood Ridge apparently celebrated most holidays as a community. It was sweet in a small town way. Tonight's meeting had been to discuss the Valentine's dance next month. In year's past, they'd done it in the high school gym, but the other ladies claimed it had been just blah, not romantic, and wanted more pizzazz. Their words, not hers.

Avery had suggested a change of venue, easy enough, and they'd gone bonkers in glee. The dance would now be held at the botanical gardens, since they had a hall attached to the nursery dome. To boost interest and numbers, Avery had offered up the idea for a note exchange in the week before the dance.

Marie, having loved the idea, would use her mayoral power to have the rec center kids make heart-shaped notes and pass them to the post office for delivery. People would place an order, with phrasing, and the whole thing would go down like a secret admirer swap. Best of all, the money went to charity. Each event the town held would. The Valentine's dance funds were going to the art program at the high school.

Pulling up to the cabin, she grabbed her purse and went inside, anxious to see how Cade had done watching Hailey. After his teasing text, she hadn't heard anything from him. It had taken a lot of willpower not to call fifty times.

Pausing by the couch, she set her purse down on a table and glanced around. The kitchen light was on, the washing machine in spin cycle, and the house was quiet. Too quiet. Cade was nowhere in sight, nor were the dogs. Beginning to panic, she rushed down the hall to Hailey's room and stopped dead in her tracks.

Cade's dog, Freeman, lifted his head from where he was sleeping on the floor and set it back down, uninterested in her arrival. Hailey was tucked in, sound asleep, her dark lashes shadowing her round cheeks.

But Cade-God, her heart squeezed-was draped over the foot of the bed, face down, legs and head dangling off the mattress, lightly snoring with Seraph curled in a fuzzy ball on his butt.

She clutched her chest at the...adorableness. Her throat suddenly got tight.

Carefully stepping deeper into the room, she gingerly picked up Seraph off Cade's very tight, sexy backside and nuzzled the warm, sleepy puppy before setting him next to Hailey. Cade must've removed Seraph's cone, and the bandages were gone, too. He'd saved her an extra trip to his office by doing that.

Cade's head jerked up, his worried gaze falling on Hailey before relief filled his eyes. He rubbed his neck and spotted Avery. "Hey, you're home." The sleepy, hoarse baritone pulled a tiny shiver from her.

He rolled over and rose slowly, all sinew and grace, his gaze on Hailey to make sure he didn't wake her. Her chest pinched again. At full height, he stretched and scrubbed his hands through his hair, making it stand on end.

It seemed too intimate, standing and staring, but damn he was something to look at. And here she thought her libido had been permanently broken. He wasn't wearing the same clothes from earlier. Instead he had on dark blue scrubs, his feet bare. Noticing her questioning glance, he tilted his head toward the doorway.

She nodded and bent down to kiss Hailey's cheek, taking a moment to run her fingers through the silkiness of her hair before following Cade into the kitchen.

He looked around as if confused, then glanced at the clock. "It's still early. Guess she wiped me out." He offered a nervous laugh.

Ignoring the urge to-she didn't know, but it would be stupid-she rubbed her arms. Scratch that. She knew exactly what she had in mind. She wanted to climb his body, kiss him to the point of breathlessness, and snuggle in his warmth.

She cleared her throat. "How did it go?"

"Uh...yeah." He scratched his jaw. "Don't get mad, but when my back was turned, Hailey took a sip of my milk. For future reference, I prefer beer. Anyway, it wasn't much, but she kinda got sick. All over me."

She pressed her lips together to try not to smile, but it was pointless. He was so flustered the grin escaped. Obviously Hailey was no worse for wear, so everything was fine. He'd handled it. "So those are your clothes in the washer?"

"Yeah. And some towels. We gave Seraph a bath after I took his stitches out." He looked behind him at the laundry room and then at her grin. "You can just give me back the clothes on Monday at work-" He crossed his arms suddenly. "Stop smiling like that. You're really not mad?"

She pressed a hand to her lips, shoulders shaking. "No, I'm not mad. I tried to tell you not to leave a cup around. She picks up anything-"

"I wasn't listening that closely. Lesson learned."

She sobered a little. "I'm sorry she got sick on you, though. Not fun. And thanks for doing all that for Seraph. It was really nice."

"Not a problem." He looked at her through blue eyes, humor gone and replaced with a soft affection. One corner of his mouth quirked as if undecided if his thoughts were funny or stupid.

Static charged the few feet between them. Pulling. His gaze never left hers as his throat worked a swallow. She'd kill to know what he was thinking, but something told her his thoughts weren't far from her own, that he was feeling the slow heat.

"Do you want something to drink?" she asked, and her voice came out more sultry than normal.

He cleared his throat twice before answering. "Yeah, sure. Whatever you have."

Starting a pot of coffee-decaf or she'd never sleep-she focused on her task so she wasn't tempted to look at him. Eye. Gasm. "Everything else went okay?"

"Kosher. How was the meeting?"

She turned. "You know, it was actually kind of fun. I don't know if it was the adult interaction or just getting away from the house on my own, but I liked it. The ladies were nice. Gossips, but nice. They acted as if everything I said was an epiphany. I think they just needed a fresh set of eyes and ears. Anyway, the committee isn't too demanding, so I think I can handle it. Don't tell them I said that."

He'd taken a seat at the table while she was gabbing, his chin now on his palm and a lazy grin tipping his lips. "Our secret."

Crap on a cracker, he was yummy. Her pulse sped. She turned away. "I'll have to get a sitter for Friday nights. Do you know anyone? One of the high school students, perhaps?"

"I can do it."

She gripped the counter. Hard. "An attractive single guy like you, occupied every Friday night? Can't ask you to do that." At the bar the other night, that woman had draped herself all over him. It wasn't the first instance, either. Since then, three new pictures with clingy females had all popped up on new boards.

"You think I'm attractive?"

Ordering her knees to lock and hold her upright, she faced him. "Coy is unbecoming." Not really, because her cheeks were flaming, but it seemed like a decent thing to say.

"I'm not fishing for compliments. I'm merely interested that you find me attractive." He leaned back in his chair, stretching his legs out. "And you didn't ask me to do anything. I offered. I'll watch Hailey during your meetings."

Unsure, she poured them each a cup of coffee and brought them to the table. Grabbing cream and sugar, she set those down, too. She took a chair next to him, her leg brushing his until she shifted. The intimacy wasn't lost on her. The two of them sitting in the dim kitchen, drinking coffee together. Richard, when they'd still been together, hadn't been home much, and when he had been, he certainly hadn't sat at the table and chatted. Back then, it was usually just her and Hailey eating meals together. It was odd having a man beside her, in her home.

"She's a great kid, Avery."

Her gaze shot to Cade's. And there he went again, being sincere and sweet. Most people had a hard time seeing past Hailey's disability to the girl inside. Cade didn't seem to see a handicap at all. He treated her like he did just about everyone else.

She took a sip of coffee before answering. "Thank you."

Leaning forward, he crossed his arms on the table. "Is it hard for you with her not being able to talk?"

Chewing her lip, she thought that over. No one had ever asked her before. "Sometimes. She uses sign language when really frustrated, and she has a speaking app on the iPad, which has pictures and such to show what she needs if she has to. I..."

She shook her head, her internal filter kicking in, not wanting to get too personal. He made it easy to talk to him, but he was still her boss and she didn't know what boundaries there were between them.

"You what?"

Staring at his large hands wrapped around his mug, she decided it didn't matter. Cade genuinely seemed interested. "I guess the only time her being nonverbal bothers me is...in the little things I miss out on. The inane chatter from normal little girls, hearing a giggle." She paused. "I'll never get to hear her say, 'I love you, Mommy,' like other parents take for granted."

He didn't say a word, but she could feel his gaze on her, quiet, intent, as she looked into her coffee. She closed her eyes briefly and shook her head, willing the flush to leave her cheeks.

"Anyway, I got used to the quiet a long time ago. At least I don't have to yell over noise, right?" She forced a breathless laugh. God, she'd give anything to have the normal sounds of kids playing, fighting. Most parents wanted quiet. She desired the opposite.

In the silence that hung, she couldn't take it anymore and lifted her gaze to his. What she found in his eyes she hadn't seen in too many years, if ever. Not pity, but sympathy. Respect. Understanding.

Awareness hummed. It had been years since someone had looked at her instead of through her. Her fingers tightened around her mug, and when he opened his mouth to speak, air trapped in her throat as she wondered if he'd shrug off the moment or embrace it.

She had no idea what she'd do if it was the latter.