โOkay, sweetheart. Weโre here.โ Not that Kelley had any
doubt that her daughter Jenny, clad today in a flowered T-
shirt and matching red slacks, knew full well that theyโd
arrived at the Gilpin Hospital KidClub daycare center. As
soon as they went through the door into the main playroom,
the blonde three-year-old had stopped prancing at her
motherโs side and stood still, thumb in her mouth. With
her other hand, she clutched Kelleyโs mid-calf black
skirt. Tears filled her brown eyes.
Before the fire, Jenny hadnโt been able to wait to come
here to play. She had always dashed into the midst of the
kids who started their day in this charming room adorned
with bright rainbows on the walls. Mostly, the little ones
congregated at one of the child-sized tables coloring
until it was time for the caregivers to begin planned
activities.
But since the fire, her daughter had demonstrated every
symptom of separation anxiety: tears, protests, tantrums.
It broke Kelleyโs heart every morning. But sheโd spent
days home with Jenny right after the fire. Took her to a
kind counselor. When Jenny had started to recover
emotionally, Kelley had returned full time to her
demanding medical practice. Her office was in the
adjoining building, and she spent a lot of time seeing
patients in the hospital itself. She dropped in often to
look in on Jenny, staying far in the background so her
daughter, busy playing, wouldnโt notice her.
Once Jenny got used to being there each day, she seemed to
thrive once more, with all the other children to play with
and the excellent staff who watched over the kids while
teaching them things commensurate with their ages and
abilities.
But those first minutes, when she dropped Jenny off...
โGood morning.โ At the gruff, masculine voice, Kelley
raised her gaze from her daughter--until she stared into
eyes the blue of a mountain stream sparkling in the winter
sun. They looked about as icy, too. But the man behind
them was one of the most gorgeous hunks Kelley had ever
seen.
She felt her face grow pink at the direction her thoughts
had veered. But that didnโt deter her mind from noting the
breadth of shoulders beneath an off-white shirt and
leather vest. Or the slim cut of faded brown jeans. Or the
sturdiness of a set jawline, and short hair that was a
cross between dirty gold and golden brown. And he wore
cowboy boots.
โGood morning,โ she returned, knowing her tone was
quizzical. Was he the father of one of the half dozen kids
settled at places along the tables? Kelley forced herself
not to look at his hands to see if he wore a wedding ring.
That wasnโt her business.
Besides, a man who looked like him had to be taken.
Either that or he had a bevy of beautiful women at his
beck and call.
Not that Kelley cared. She wasnโt interested in any man,
great-looking or not. In her experience, not one was worth
a fraction of the aggravation he caused.
โAnd who is this?โ The man looked down at Jenny, who only
clutched at Kelleyโs clothes all the tighter.
The smile on the manโs face looked as if he had sucked on
a lime.
โThis is Jenny Stanton,โ Kelley said, her tone cheerful
for her daughterโs benefit. โAre you the daddy of one of
the kids?โ
โNo, Iโm the new teacher.โ
What? Kelley stared. He certainly didnโt look like the
other childcare providers, mostly college-age men and
women who studied teaching and needed to earn money in
their spare time. A few were career preschool teachers.
But this man...?
He knelt in front of Jenny. โMy name is Shawn,โ he told
her. Then he rose. โShawn Jameson. And youโre Mrs.
Stanton?โ
No. Kelley nearly shuddered. She definitely wasnโt Mrs.
Stanton. That implied she was Randall Stantonโs wife.
She hadnโt been his wife for two years now. And that was
fine with her.
It was her turn to force a smile onto her lips. โIโm Dr.
Kelley Stanton,โ she told the man. โIโm one of the doctors
on staff here.โ
Was it her imagination or did Shawn Jamesonโs straight,
thick brows dip just a little before he resumed his
uncomfortable smile? โVery nice to meet you, Dr. Stanton.โ
He stressed the word โdoctorโ but it did not sound like an
apology, which she wouldnโt have expected anyway. But
neither did she expect it to stop just short of an insult.
Didnโt he like doctors? If so, he shouldnโt be working in
a hospital, even with children. Especially with children,
since many were doctorsโ kids. But maybe sheโd imagined
his reaction.
โGood to meet you, too,โ she clipped out, then knelt,
though she had to extract her skirt gently from Jennyโs
hand. โOkay, sweetheart. Time for me to go, but Iโll be
back for you soon.โ
โNo, Mommy,โ Jenny said in her sweet little girlโs
voice. โI donโt want you to go.โ
Kelley inhaled, knowing the scene that was to come.
Hating it, for she always felt as if she were hurting
Jenny. โI have to, honey, but--โ
โBut weโre going to have a great time here today, Jenny.โ
Kelley looked up in gratitude as Shawn Jameson took
Jennyโs hand and tried to gently lead her away.
Jenny began to cry.
Shawnโs blue eyes widened. Surely that wasnโt fear Kelley
saw in them. He glanced at her as if for help, but she
mouthed, โThanks,โ and backed away. Jenny began to cry
even louder.
The other children watched the exchange, eyes huge. The
lower lips of a couple began to quiver, as if they might
cry in sympathy for Jenny. Or for their own absent parents.
Obviously Shawn noticed, for he looked around nervously.
โHey,โ he said, grabbing a pad of paper and some crayons
off the table. He appeared desperate. What was he going to
do? โDo you have any pets at home, Jenny?โ
No, Kelley wanted to tell him. Donโt remind her. Jenny
wanted a puppy or a kitten. Having a pet was even a
recommended therapy to help her recover from the trauma of
the fire. But the timing wasnโt right.
If Kelley were a stay-at-home mom, the way Randall had
insisted, there would be someone to take care of a pet.
But that wasnโt reality. It wasnโt what Kelley wanted
either for herself or her daughter. She wanted Jenny to
have a strong role model.
Not the kind of role model Kelley herself had had.
โI donโt have no pets,โ Jenny told Shawn, shaking her head
sadly. But at least she was no longer crying.
โWould you like one?โ
It was time for Kelley to intervene. The man couldnโt be
allowed to distract her daughter by making
her feel bad about other things.
As Jenny nodded in response to his question, Shawn
said, โWell, then, you shall have one.โ
That was it. Kelley began crossing the room toward them,
but Shawn Jameson must have noticed, for he held up one
large hand. Kelley paused, but only for a minute. If he
didnโt stop--
And then she got it. The man, kneeling on the floor beside
the pint-sized table, was using the crayons to sketch on
the pad. In moments, an outline of a fuzzy spaniel puppy
took shape, one with big, sad eyes and a lolling tongue.
And that with only a few strokes on the paper.
It was an adorable caricature.
โHere you are, Jenny,โ Shawn said. โThis is your new
puppy. And--โ He made a few more strokes on the page. A
child appeared beside the dog--a child with Jennyโs
straight, blonde hair and soulful chocolate brown eyes.
She wore a crown, like a princess.
โFor me?โ Jenny asked in obvious delight. Her tears had
dried, replaced by a big, amazed grin.
โFor you,โ Shawn replied. โBut youโll have to think of a
name for the dog.โ
โOkay,โ Jenny replied, her small brows knit as she gave
the matter a lot of thought.
Before she came up with a name, the other kids were
crowding around, looking at her drawing. Demanding, โMe,
too, Shawn. Please. Me next,โ all in a chorus that earned
from Shawn Jameson a foolish, pleased grin.
Kelley turned toward the door. No matter what the manโs
qualifications, he had obvious talent in one direction.
And the kids loved it.
Maybe he would work out there after all.
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