“I’m sorry about your husband,” Dalton said, pushing through his discomfort at having stupidly brought up her loss. “And I’m glad she’s happy here. Any kid would be lucky to have grandparents like Michael and Mary.”
“Yes,” Ella said. “I used to think I was just home to get back on my feet. But I can’t imagine leaving them now. Is that pathetic?”
The expression on her face was serious, and he could tell that she wasn’t making light of the question.
“Not at all,” he told her honestly. “If I had parents like that, I’d never leave them if I could help it.”
She smiled up at him in such a pleased way that he almost felt embraced by the warmth in her brown eyes.
“Well,” she said softly, leaning toward him as if she were confiding something. “You basically do now.”
She was so close that he picked up a teasing whiff of peppermint and wondered if it was her shampoo. Suddenly, all he wanted was to pull her closer and inhale that sweet scent. He imagined holding her tight to his chest, feeling Ella’s heart beating as fast as a bird’s when he cupped her cheek in his hand and tilted her sweet face up to his for a kiss.
“You’re saying I should stay?” he heard himself ask, his voice a low growl.
She turned from him to look at Dove, but not before he saw her blush pink all the way to her hairline.
“You’re Andy’s best friend,” she said, her eyes still on her daughter, who was carefully cutting out a tomato from a piece of red construction paper. “My parents would welcome you to stay as long as you want.”
He nodded, pressing his lips together to avoid asking her the questions that were in his heart.
What about you, Ella?
Do you want me to stay?
6
ELLA
Ella floated through the day with a funny sense of anticipation she hadn’t felt in a long time, and couldn’t quite put her finger on.
The fresh fall air felt good in her lungs and the trees that lined the streets were so bright with color, they made the little town look like a painting.
Dove was so happy that she seemed to be floating through her activities, a big smile on her little face that made Ella feel like she must be getting some things right as a mom, in spite of their simple lifestyle.
And Ella could feel Dalton Tyler’s intense gaze on her all day, causing a light current of electricity to dance along the surface of her skin.
She knew she couldn’t actually let herself fall for the man, and she didn’t plan to, but she had to admit that it was actually kind of fun to spend time with him. And the way he listened to her, his brilliant blue eyes so serious, made her feel almost breathless.
He’s a good man,she reminded herself as theywatched Dove get in line for a cupcake at the bakery booth.That’s why he listens. He probably just feels sorry for me.
But that didn’t mean she hadn’t developed just the tiniest crush.
She would never marry again, not after Lee. And she would never want to lead Dalton or herself to believe otherwise.
But if what she was feeling was a small secret crush, that was just fine. Plus, it was making today a little more fun than the average Saturday.
That thought snapped her back to high school, and the silly crush she’d had on Cal Cassidy back then. She had mooned over him the same way every schoolgirl dreamed of her crush. But that little zing of electricity used to make it easier to drag herself out of bed early in the mornings to do her chores before school.
Looking back now, it was pretty funny to think that she’d had a crush on Cal, who couldn’t have been more wrong for her.
She glanced up at Dalton and realized he was already looking at her, his blue eyes piercing.
“You’re smiling,” he observed.
She felt her cheeks heat for the second time in one day, and hoped he hadn’t noticed.
“Oh, it was just a memory,” she told him, laughing a little to cover her embarrassment.
