“But what about the camels that lost their humps?” Maggie asked that night, her eyes wide. “Aren’t they sad?”
“Some camels only have one hump. They haven’t lost anything. They’re just different.”
Ashley bit back a smile. After ten minutes of grilling by her daughter, Jeff was still the picture of patience. He put down his fork and leaned toward her daughter.
“Remember the elephants you liked so much? There are two kinds of those, African and Asian elephants. It’s the same with camels. Some have one hump and some have two.”
They were sitting around the kitchen table at dinner. Ashley tried to ignore how good Jeff looked and the way the meal made her able to think of them as a family. They weren’t a family. They barely knew each other. The fact that Jeff had insisted they all eat together was just him being nice.
She frowned. “Nice” didn’t exactly describe his actions. Now that she thought about it, whydidhe want to eat with them? Not that she was complaining. Mealtimes were always interesting when he was around.
“Why are camels different?” her daughter asked.
Jeff hesitated, as if forming an answer. Ashley decided he might need a little help. Four-year-olds were nothing if not persistent.
“It’s like dogs,” she told Maggie. “There are many different kinds of dogs. Some are big, some are small. But they’re all still dogs. There are two different kinds of camels.”
“Do the camels with one hump feel sad because they’re different?”
Jeff leaned toward her. “Maybe the two-humped camels are the different ones.”
Maggie’s eyes unexpectedly filled with tears. “I don’t want the camels to be sad.”
Ashley hadn’t seen that one coming. But before she could reach for her daughter and offer comfort, Jeff shocked her down to her toes by gently pulling the little girl onto his lap. He held her securely, as if he’d done it a thousand times before.
“Are you sad because you have brown hair?”
Maggie tilted her head so she could stare into his face. “No,” she said slowly. “Mommy says I have pretty hair.”
“Mommy’s right. So you’re not sad about how you look because you look perfect for you. Camels are the same. They know they’re exactly what they should be.”
The tears disappeared as quickly as they’d arrived. “So camels are happy?”
“Nearly all the time.”
Maggie beamed, then scrambled back to her seat where she picked up her spoon and went to work on her carrots. But Jeff didn’t resume his own meal. Instead he continued to stare at the little girl.
“Maggie, you must promise me something. You must promise me to always be special and never change.”
Maggie paused, her spoon half raised to her mouth. She grinned. “I’m gonna be a big girl soon.”
“I know.”
Something tightened in Ashley’s chest. For the first time since she’d met Jeff Ritter, she knew what he was thinking. He was staring in wonder at her child and wishing life could always be exceptional for her. He wanted to protect her from all the bruises and scrapes she would encounter, both physical and emotional. Somehow little Maggie had found her way past Jeff’s protective wall.
How was she supposed to resist a man who adored her daughter? To use her daughter’s language, she would be very sad to leave this man. He’d only been a part of their lives for a short time, but he’d made an impact. When she returned to her already-in-progress life, nothing was going to be the same.
“What are you thinking?” Jeff asked, switching his attention to her.
“That Brenda was right. You’re an honorable man.”
He stiffened. “I’m no one’s idea of a hero. Don’t make me one.”
She knew that there were ghosts in his past, but they didn’t matter to her. He was honorable in the ways that counted. He would never leave a woman or a child in a bind. He was dependable. He wouldn’t run off with the rent money, or borrow from a loan shark and disappear, leaving his wife to face the consequences. He was nothing like Damian.
Before she could explain what she meant, Jeff rose from the table. She glanced at his still half-full plate.
“Aren’t you hungry?” she asked. “It’s been a long time since lunch.”
