Chapter 14
“Ialready bathed her, so you don’t have to worry about that, but she might need a dry diaper before bed. I usually read her a couple stories before I put her down. She’ll fall asleep on her own.” Amy rattled off more information than Ben would ever need to care for Kallie.
The meatloaf she’d fixed for dinner sat in her stomach like a brick now that it was time to leave her daughter. She’d worried all day about how Kallie would react to having Ben and James tend her. Add to that, the stress over talking to Robert and Jake about the auction, and Amy was a bundle of nerves.
Rumors were circulating that most of the bachelors had already agreed, and Amy had yet to ask Robert and Jake. She’d stood outside Robert’s closed office door for a full minute this afternoon, but then she’d chickened out and retreated to her desk. Focusing instead on calling businesses to solicit donations for the gift baskets to be raffled off at the Festival.
It didn’t help that Amy couldn’t seem to get the image of a blue-eye baby in a pink snow suit out of her head. The familiarity of a blue Suburban with a grill guard perplexed her too. Her frustration grew with each day that passed, making her anxious.
Ben put both hands on Amy’s shoulders, making her aware of his proximity. His spicy, earthy scent made her want to lean into him and inhale deeply.
“Relax, Amy. I remember how to change a diaper. I’ll put her to bed on time. We’ll be fine, don’t worry.”
He pulled his phone from his pocket and handed it to her. “Give me your number, and I’ll give you mine.” He held out his hand for her phone. “I will give you hourly updates, so you know everything is okay.”
His fingers brushed hers when they swapped phones, and a tingling sensation worked its way up her arm.
“Okay.” Amy took a deep breath. “Thank you for tending Kallie.”
* * *
“Baa-baa.”Ben held out a toy sheep to Kallie.
When Amy walked out the door, and Kallie got a concerned look on her face, Ben grabbed the bag he’d stashed in the front room when he arrived. He distracted her with the barn and animal set he’d purchased on impulse yesterday in Pasco.
Kallie picked up the pig and held it out to Ben for the tenth time. She laughed every time he ‘oinked’. Then he and his dad laughed every time she scrunched up her nose as she attempted to mimic the sound. Ben took a picture of one such facial expression and sent it to Amy.
Haha. I can see she’s having fun, so I’ll stop worrying about her. Thanks.
It relieved Ben to know Amy wasn’t just concerned about him caring for Kallie; she was concerned whether Kallie would take to him. He’d seen Amy’s reticence on Sunday when he offered to tend. If he could prove he was capable of taking good care of her daughter, maybe she wouldn’t be so hesitant next time.
And he really wanted there to be a next time.
About an hour after Amy left, his dad’s cell phone rang, and he excused himself to take the call. He returned less than a minute later. “Sorry, son, but I need to assist Dr. Spencer with an emergency appendectomy. Will you be okay by yourself, or should I ask your mom to come home?”
“We’ll be fine, Dad.”
His dad had carefully watched him for the past hour. What he expected to see, Ben didn’t know, but he’d thoroughly enjoyed playing with Kallie.
Realizing it was Kallie’s bedtime, he took her to Amy’s room, trying in vain not to remember what happened the last time he was here and how much he enjoyed it. After a quick diaper change, Kallie rolled onto her tummy and slid off the bed before he could get her feet back into her pajamas. She grabbed a bottle of baby lotion from the nightstand and held it out to him.
“Some.”
Amy probably put lotion on Kallie after her bath, but he couldn’t deny those beautiful puppy-dog eyes.
“Okay, just a little.” He sat Kallie on the bed beside him, squirted a small amount into her palm, and watched as she rubbed it on her tummy, then held out her hand again.
She barely smeared the next squirt on the other leg before raising her hand again. “More.”
After multiple squirts, Kallie had enough lotion on her body for two children, not to mention the amount she’d rubbed on his arms.
Putting the lotion out of sight on the dresser, he helped her rub it all in. As he did so, the familiar baby scent tugged at his memories, and an intense longing swept over him. The routine, though foreign, was the most wonderful thing in the world.
He stumbled his way throughFive Little Piggieswith lots ofoinkingas he rubbed the lotion into her chubby feet. She squealed and jerked away.
“Ah, you’re ticklish, huh?” Ben growled and tickled her feet again, then her tummy. She squealed in delight each time he touched her.
Kallie patted her tummy. “More.”
