Her chest tightened slightly as she remembered what had happened the previous week when Maggie had been upset about camels and Jeff had comforted her. He’d reacted impulsively. She’d seen the shock in his expression when he’d realized what he’d done, but by then it was too late to stop. Maggie was settled on his lap, leaning against him. Trusting and small, she was impossible to resist. Ashley knew—she’d been unable to keep from loving her from the moment she’d first held her.
But she wassupposedto love her child. She’d wanted to have a baby and had been excited when her daughter had been born. But what about Jeff? Did he want children? He’d told her he couldn’t have them. He’d also said that Maggie wasn’t a substitute for his own child, but she was growing less confident of that. Did the little girl fill a hole in his heart Jeff didn’t even know was there?
Ashley wasn’t sure how she felt about her boss connecting with her child. She liked knowing he had a soft spot, but was she creating a problem for all of them?
He stepped forward and set the book on the table. “You could tell her it was from you if that makes you more comfortable,” he offered.
She shook her head. “You give it to her,” she said, even as she wondered why Maggie’s father couldn’t have been half as open to her presence in his life. Damian had never had any interest in his child. He’d seen her as one more drain on his resources.
Jeff picked up the bag and headed for the family room. Faint sounds of an afternoon cartoon drifted through the house. Ashley followed him, wanting to see what happened yet knowing she was putting herself in danger by doing so.
“Uncle Jeff!” Maggie bounced to her feet when she saw him enter the room. She pushed the mute button on the television and grinned. “Whatcha got?”
“A present.”
Big blue eyes widened. “For me?”
“Maybe.”
Maggie grinned. “It’s for me. What is it?”
“Why don’t you find out for yourself?”
He held out the gift bag. The little girl practically vibrated with excitement. She took the offering and reverently placed it on the coffee table. Carefully she pulled out the tissue paper, then reached inside for the book.
Only, it wasn’t just a book. An oddly shaped box held a storybook and a stuffed pink kitten. Maggie’s mouth worked, but she couldn’t make any sound. Obviously Jeff had figured out that anything feline was her favorite.
“Please read to me,” she said, thrusting the box at him.
He freed both the book and the cat, handing the latter to her, then settled on the sofa. Maggie plopped down next to him, her body leaning against his, her expression joyful and trusting. She cradled her new stuffed cat in her arms.
Jeff opened the book. “‘Once there was a pink kitten named Pooky Girl, which was a rather silly name.’”
Maggie tugged on his suit sleeve. “This is the bestest present ever,” she said.
“I’m glad you like it.”
Ashley turned away. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to hear about the adventures of Pooky Girl, it was that she didn’t want either Jeff or Maggie to notice the tears in her eyes.
Why did he have to be so darnnice?He was making her like him more than she should. He was making her think of him as warm and caring. That, combined with how hot he looked in jeans or in a suit, not to mention the tango her hormones performed every time he was within spitting distance, was enough to make her crazy. And dangerously vulnerable.
Jeff couldn’t be a part of her life. He was too different. He was scary, although even as she said the words, she didn’t believe them. Not anymore. But while she might have changed her opinion about him, one thing had stayed exactly the same. He was dangerous to her plans for the future. She wanted love and she had a bad feeling that Jeff’s heart had died a long time ago.
* * *
It was well after midnight when Ashley awakened. She couldn’t say what had startled her from sleep. The house was silent, and when she got up to check on her daughter, Maggie was sleeping peacefully in her bed and holding her new stuffed cat in her arms.
Ashley told herself it had been nothing and that she should just go back to bed, but something compelled her to pick up her robe and head for the stairs.
“Oh, right. Like I’m going to check all the windows and doors,” she muttered softly to herself as she walked onto the main floor.
Jeff’s house was a fortress. She didn’t understand his complex security system, and she knew that everything was safe. Even so she had to see for herself.
She checked the kitchen and Jeff’s study, then headed to the front of the house. As she crossed by the living room, she saw a shadow by the window. Her mind froze, but her heart recognized. The nanosecond of fear faded.
Jeff.
He was looking out into the darkness, studying the night, or perhaps staring into a past that she couldn’t begin to imagine.
