“Daddy? I want to win a bracelet.”
Tyler laughed at her determination. “Let’s go.” He maneuvered his daughter through the crowd. He saw his mother speaking to two blonde women. He recognized them as Nolan’s other dates, and he steered his daughter in a slightly different direction. His mother ignored Katey, and he preferred to minimize their meetings. “What color bracelet would you like?”
“Purple,” she said.
“What happens if you get the wrong color?” he teased. “What if you get green?”
“If that happens,” a feminine voice said, “we could make a purple one.”
Tyler’s heart skipped a beat and happiness grabbed him by the throat. “Katey, this is Miss Webb.”
“Susan,” Susan said with a smile.
“Hello.” His daughter cocked her head and surveyed Susan without shyness. “Can you make a bracelet?”
“I can,” Susan said.
Tyler led Katey and Susan over to the lucky dip stall. Two large tubs of sawdust sat in front of a desk, one labeled boys and the other girls. He handed over two dollars and turned to his daughter. “I’ve paid the money, now it’s up to you, sweetie.”
“No pressure,” Susan murmured into his ear. She stood so close he could feel the warmth coming off her skin and smell her scent. More than anything, he wanted to reach for her hand and show everyone she belonged with him. Instead, he acted the friendly stranger and when no one else was looking, he spoke to her with his eyes.
“The sawdust is tickling my nose,” Katey said.
He grinned at the intense concentration on his daughter’s face, his heart swelling with pride. “Can you feel a parcel?” He and Susan hadn’t spoken about children, except in general terms.
“Yes.” Katey frowned. “It’s not a bracelet shape.”
“It might be something better than a bracelet,” the girl on the stall said—one of the Gibson clan, judging by the carrot red hair and freckles. “If it’s a big parcel it might be a necklace.”
“Can you make those?” Katey asked.
“No,” Tyler said. “I’m a boy.”
“No,” Katey said. “You’re a daddy.”
“And a very fine daddy you are,” Susan whispered, her words having nothing to do with his parenting skills.
“There you are,” Nolan said from behind them. “We’re going to head back to the farm now. Tyler.”
He gave his normal stiff welcome. Tyler sighed, wondering why his family was so fucked up that they couldn’t even talk to each other. “Susan and I were discussing our upcoming date.”
“We can do that later,” Susan said. “I’ll give you my cell phone number.” She opened her handbag and pulled out a business card. “It was nice to meet you and Katey.”
Nolan gave him a curt nod and escorted Susan over to where his mother stood.
Something twisted inside Tyler on seeing her leave with his brother. He liked Susan a lot. She was fun and made him laugh. She’d been good with Katey and he thought Josie had liked her too.
“I’ve picked a parcel, Daddy.”
“Okay, pull it out of the sawdust, and we’ll see what you’ve got.”
His daughter pulled out a parcel and eagerly ripped it open where they stood. The excitement in her face faded. “It’s not a bracelet.”
He shot a quick glance at the girl in charge of the stall. “Let’s see what you’ve picked out.”
“Ooh, a tiara,” the teenager said. “Lots of girls picked bracelets but there were only a few tiaras. You’ll be a princess. Would you like me to put it on for you?”
“Thanks,” Tyler said. After watching many Disney movies, he was up with crowns but he figured the teenager would sell the sparkly tiara to his disappointed daughter far better than he could.
