A Home for Haley (18 page)

Aunt Jo took the seat Dottie had
vacated and Haley sat in the chair Ethan had pulled out, enjoying being a part
of this family’s comradery. “You’re just like your mother and you know it,
Ethan.” Jo grinned at him.  “Except you might be sweeter.”

“Not true and men aren’t sweet,”
Ethan replied with a scowl.

“Some men are,” Haley couldn’t help
but say, pulling an even bigger scowl from him. She wiped Ryan’s hands and face
and when he held his arms out to her, she took off the tray and picked him up.
“I think you’re outnumbered on this one, Ethan.”

He twirled his wine glass between
his finger and thumb. “I’m always outnumbered. Doesn’t mean I’m wrong.”

“Doesn’t mean you’re right either.”
Haley plopped Ryan onto her lap.

“There are too many women in this
house. Right little man?” Ethan gave Ryan a high-five and the toddler slapped
at his hand and grinned.

“You’ll be glad to know that you
will be minus one woman in a few days,” his aunt announced.

Ethan looked startled. “You
leaving?”

“Sure am,” Jo said. “It’s for the
best. Kayla needs all her grandmother’s support she can get right now.  Plus
it’s time for me to go home, take care of my own matters.”

Ethan leaned over and bumped her
with his shoulder. “Got yourself a secret boyfriend?”

“Not telling.” Jo winked at Haley
and took a sip of wine.

Ethan watched his aunt. “It’d be
good for you, Aunt Jo. You ever even think about it?”

Jo set her wine glass down. “I’m
old, not dead. Now tell me if you have any plans on how you’re going to help
Kayla get through this. If Miss High and Mighty Ellie lived closer, I’d go slap
her for you.”

“I’ll buy you a plane ticket,” Ethan
offered.

Jo snorted.  “I imagine you’re only
half joking. Now tell me how Kayla’s doing. For real.”

Ethan let out a weary sigh. “It’s
been rough and I’m sure this is only the beginning. I made a therapy
appointment for her before we left California.”

“Good.” Jo patted his arm. “You’re
a great dad. I’m proud of you.”

“He’s been wonderful with her,”
Haley added, smiling at Ethan. “Kayla is a lucky little girl to have him as her
father.”

Ethan stood. “I’m the one who’s
lucky, and I’ll do whatever I have to for Kayla to get through this and be
happy again.” He grabbed the second bottle of wine from the counter and brought
it back to the table. “Not that I don’t appreciate you ladies’ support, ’cuz I
do.” He smiled at Haley. “You’ve been a real trooper through all this.” He saluted
her with his wine glass, and their gazes locked.

Haley’s heart skipped a beat. “Kayla
is very special to me. You know I’ll do whatever I can to help,” she added
softly, breaking eye contact. She wanted to offer comfort, be there for Ethan,
but she needed to walk carefully through this. Right now, it was best for
everyone, including her, if she and Ethan remain just friends. His life was filled
with a whole lot of turmoil, and he needed to focus on Kayla. As did she. Plus
she wasn’t ready for more than friendship even though her hormones said
otherwise.

Dottie came back into the kitchen
and joined them at the table. “Kayla’s out like a light.” She nodded at Ryan
and Haley looked down. His head rested on her arm and he was fast asleep. Haley
kissed his soft hair. “Guess it’s a good thing I got most of the sticky off of
him.” She scooted away from the table. “The kids aren’t the only ones tired. I
think I’ll put Ryan down and get myself ready for bed. See everyone tomorrow.”
She hated to leave this conversation, but she was beat and knew she’d better
grab sleep while she could. Tomorrow morning would be here before she knew it.

She headed for the stairs, but
Ethan stopped her before she started up with a touch on her arm. She turned and
almost bumped into him. Neither one of them moved. “Try and sleep in tomorrow
if you can. Mom and Aunt Jo said they wanted time with the kids, so consider
yourself off duty.”

She gave him a pointed look when what she really wanted to
do was wrap her arms around him. “I’ve been off duty for a week. I will see you
in the morning.” Before she gave in to her craving to feel his solid chest
pressed against her and soak in the comfort she knew his touch would give her, she
turned back to the stairs and headed for her room.

****

Ethan brought a very subdued Kayla
home after her second therapy appointment. Seeing her in so much pain made his
heart squeeze with pain. “How about we go get us some ice cream?” he suggested.

She shook her head, and Ethan’s
chest tightened even more. He headed home and the minute the car was stopped,
she jumped out and raced inside. By the time he got inside she was in the den
flipping on the television.

“Want to talk about it?” he asked
from the doorway. She shook her head. He walked over and sat beside her, not
sure what to do. Part of him was relieved that she didn’t want to talk, and
that made him feel like he deserved the award for worst dad ever. “You sure?
I’m in your corner you know.”

She tucked her legs up under her.
“Can I watch TV?”

“Sure, but I thought we might go up
to the dude ranch. Hank rescued a puppy that was hiding in the barn. I figured
you might like to go check it out.”

Kayla’s headed swiveled toward him.
Her mouth flew open, and her eyes practically popped out of her head. “What
color is it? Is it fluffy? Is it big?” she asked all in one breath as she clung
to his arm.

“Black and brown and white. Pretty
fluffy. Not very big. Want to see a picture?”

Kayla squealed and tugged his arm.
“Yes!”

He pulled out his phone just as
Haley walked in with Ryan. “What are you so excited about, Kayla?” Haley asked
with a smile.

“A puppy! Daddy has a picture of a
puppy!” She tugged his arm toward her. “Let me see.”

Ethan held the phone out and Kayla
all but melted. She clapped her hands. “He’s
so
cute. I want him, I want
him.”

Ryan clamored down from Haley’s
arms and pulled at Ethan’s hand. He jabbed at the picture with his index
finger. “Puppy.”

“My
puppy,” Kayla declared.
Ryan scowled and tried to hit Kayla.

“No hitting, little buddy.” Ethan
reached for Ryan and settled him onto his lap. “Kayla will share. She might
even need your help. There’s a lot that needs done with a puppy. You have to
feed it and take it outside to go to the bathroom, and brush it, and give it
lots of love.”

“I can do all of that,” Kayla
declared. “Can he sleep in bed with me? Please. Please,” she begged, her hands
in front of her as if she were praying.

Ethan shook his head even though he
couldn’t keep the grin off his face. “Not sure about the bed thing. He might
fall off. Or poop in your bed.”

“Yuck.”

Ethan nodded, pleased with himself
for squelching the idea of a dog sleeping in her bed. “Let’s just take it one
day at a time. See how you two get along and how he does here.”

“I thought Hank said the puppy was
a female,” Haley said.

Kayla clutched her dad’s arm. “I
don’t care what it is. It’s soooo cute. Let’s go now. Can we?”

“Sure. Go grab a quick snack and
we’ll head out.”

Kayla scrambled off the couch and in
her haste all but knocked Ryan off her dad’s lap.

“Kayla, be careful,” Ethan
admonished.

“Sorry, Ryan.” She gave him a quick
hug and raced to the kitchen.

“I’d say that was a big hit.” Haley
sat down and Ryan crawled into her lap, then pulled at Ethan’s arm, staring at
the picture and planting a finger on the dog’s face.

“Puppy. Woof, woof.”

With a smile, Ethan ruffled Ryan’s
hair. “This certainly perked Kayla up. I know it didn’t really solve anything,
but I think it’s at least a start.” He stuck his phone back in his front
pocket. Ryan reached for it, and Ethan grabbed the toddler’s hand and pretended
to eat it. Ryan jerked his hand back and tucked it into his lap. Ethan laughed.
“I promise to do my share of cleaning up after the puppy, Haley. I don’t want
this new addition to make your job harder.”

She shrugged. “It’s definitely
going to add to my job, but seeing Kayla excited makes it worthwhile.”

“You might not feel that way in a
week or so.”

Haley gave him the eye roll. “If I
feel that way, then you will too.”

He scowled and Haley laughed. It
was good to hear her laughing. Seemed lately she was doing that a lot more
often. He scooted down and leaned his head back on the couch. “Kids and dogs go
together. I should have done this before now.”

“I have a feeling you waited on a
sucker like me to show up and help you clean up messes.” She patted his arm.
“Always so thoughtful, aren’t you?”

“And don’t you forget it.” He
shoved to his feet and offered his hand. She took it and he helped both her and
Ryan to their feet.

“Just remember, Ethan. You’ll be up
in the middle of the night if I am.” She batted her eyelashes at him.

Laughing, he took her hand and
kissed it. She sucked in a quick breath, and his heart skipped a beat. He couldn’t
think when she was this close. Hell, he could barely breathe.  Haley pulled her
hand free, breaking the spell, and started for the stairs. He followed,
enjoying the view and not able to keep his mind off of all the things he’d like
to do to this woman.

Hank held the squirming bundle of
fur to his chest. “Sit down, Kayla. You too, Ryan. Can’t have anyone stepping
on her.”

“She’s sooooo adorable.”

Smiling at Kayla’s enthusiasm, Haley
sat with the kids and crossed her legs. Hank set the puppy down and she bounced
up to Haley and jumped into her lap, wiggling and licking Haley’s hands. Haley
grinned as she petted the soft fur. “What kind is she?”

“What kind?” Hank grinned and shook
his head. “You mean what breed?”

Haley nodded and felt her cheeks
heat up. “My folks wouldn’t let me have a pet, so I haven’t had much experience
with dogs.”

“You’ll pick it up.” Hank leaned
down and ran a hand over the puppy’s back. “She an Australian Shepherd, and
she’s about three months old. I can’t figure out why she was out here, but I’d
guess her to come from a pretty good bloodline.”

Ethan winced. “Someone must have
lost her.” He glanced at Haley and could tell she knew what he was thinking.
Kayla couldn’t take another loss.

“Could be someone dumped her,” Hank
said, “but why anyone would do that? I ran an ad in the paper for several weeks.
No response. Don’t worry Ethan. I pulled the ad, and if anyone ever calls, I’ll
take care of it.” Hank grabbed an empty bucket, turned it over and sat on it.

Ethan couldn’t help but worry. No
way could he set Kayla up for a huge disappointment.

“Seriously,” Hank said. “I’ll tell
them I found her a good home, but no one is going to step in to claim her at
this late date. She’s been here well over a week, and I’ve had signs posted all
over the place in addition to the ad.”

Ethan nodded and watched the kids and
dog.

“Ohhhhh, look, Daddy,” Kayla gushed
as the puppy bounced over to her, wiggled for all she was worth and then gnawed
on her finger. “Ouch.”

“Flip her on the nose,” Hank
instructed. “Not hard, but enough to get her attention, and say, ‘No bite.’”

Ethan leaned against a stall and
crossed his legs. “I doubt the kids will remember that, especially Ryan.”

Hank tipped Kayla’s chin up so she
was looking him straight in the eye “You’re a smart girl. You won’t forget,
will you?” She shook her head, her face solemn. “I’m counting on that.” Hank
nodded and leaned over and scratched the pup’s back. “Ryan will have to be
watched like a hawk until she’s bigger. Once she grows some, she’ll probably
want to herd him around.”

Haley laughed. “She’s hired.”

Ethan leaned down and petted the
wiggling fur ball, scratching her belly when she rolled over. “She sure is a
pretty thing. You wanna come live with us, girl?”

“She’s
my
puppy,” Kayla
declared, picking her up and laughing when the puppy licked her face.

“Yes, she is, but you’re going to
share her, right?” Ethan waited for Kayla’s response.

She kissed the puppy on the nose.
“Yes,” she finally said, and then giggled when the puppy licked her some more.

“Don’t let her bite you.” Hank
turned to Ethan. “She’s had her booster shots. I’ll give them again in a month
and then her rabies a few weeks after that.”

Kayla hugged the puppy closer. Ryan
petted her wet nose, and she licked his fingers. He giggled and stuck more
fingers out.

“You have a crate?” Hank asked.

“Nope, but I’ll get one on the way
home.”

“Good. I’ve already started crating
her.” He scratched the back of his head. “Well, kinda.”

“What exactly does that mean?”
Ethan eyed his friend and Hank looked sheepish. Ethan groaned. “Please don’t
tell me she sleeps with you. I’m not sharing my bed with a dog, and neither is
Kayla.”

“You’ve always been such a stickler
about things, Boss. You need to forget what your mama taught you. Cleanliness
is not next to godliness. I keep telling you dirt is good for you. Keeps you
strong and healthy.”

“I guess that explains a few things
about you,” Ethan said with an eye roll. “You won’t even sleep in the house.”

Hank grinned. “Why don’t you guys
stay over tonight so I can teach you a few things about puppies before you head
out?”

“Sorry. We need to head back. I
know how to take care of a pup,” Ethan insisted, “but she’s still not sleeping
with me.” Hank scowled, and Ethan crossed his arms in front of his chest and
eyed him. “I’ve let you rile me up again, haven’t I?”

Chuckling, Hank bent down and
snapped his fingers. The puppy bounded over to him.

“Someday I’m going to fool you. Not
let you get to me,” Ethan declared.

“Sure you are.” Hank grinned at
Kayla. “Let me show you what I’ve already taught her.” He held up a finger and
the puppy stared at him, not moving a muscle. “Maggie, sit.” The puppy plopped
her bottom down. Her entire rear end wiggled, but she stayed sitting. Hank
petted her. “Good girl.” He pointed to the barn floor. “Down.” The puppy lay
down, her eyes, once again, never leaving Hank’s face. He smiled and glanced at
Kayla, who stared open-mouthed at the puppy. “She’s real smart, Kayla. You
think you’re smart enough to be her boss?”

Kayla nodded eagerly. “How did you
teach her that?”

“Hank’s always had a way with females,”
Ethan teased. “But he refuses to give away any of his trade secrets.”

“Not true. I keep volunteering to
give you lessons,” Hank drawled straight-faced, “but you never take me up on
it. Haley laughed, thinking Ethan didn’t need lessons.

Hank squatted down and petted and
praised the puppy. “Okay,” he said with a clap of his hands. The puppy shot up.
“Be slow and easy with her, Kayla, and give her lots of attention. I’ll help
you teach her more stuff.”

Kayla’s face lit up. “That would be
great.” Hank nodded, and Kayla buried her face in the pup’s soft fur.

Ethan clapped Hank on the back.
“Slow and easy and lots of attention, huh?”

Hank chuckled as he ambled toward
the outside door. “I got work to do. Be sure and bring her back in four weeks
for shots, and if she gets on the furniture, the command is off, not down.”
With that, he grabbed a lead rope and stepped outside

“He’s a character, isn’t he?” Haley
pulled her gaze away from Hank’s retreating back. “I’m never quite sure how to
take him.”

“Try not to think about it. It’ll keep
you awake all night trying to figure that man out. He’s been through a lot, but
he’s as good as they get.”

Haley stood and moved close to
Ethan. “Sounds like you two have some things in common,” she said softly.

Ethan twirled a piece of her hair
around a finger, then let the strand fall back to her shoulders, his dark eyes
soft and beckoning. He cleared his throat. “You’re right. We do.”

She smiled and sucked in a long
breath to clear her head. Something about this man drew her in no matter how
much she tried to keep some distance. She pulled her gaze off of him and
watched the kids and puppy. “You’ve made Kayla one happy little girl. She’ll
never want to let that dog out of her sight.”

Ethan leaned down to her ear. “She’d
better. That dog’s not sleeping in a human bed. Not Kayla’s or mine or yours.
But you can sleep in my bed,” he added in a whisper, his warm breath fanning
across her ear and giving her goose bumps.

She turned her head and their noses
almost touched. Her breath hitched. “Now there’s a thought that will
definitely
keep me awake at night,” she murmured.

He arched his brows. She took a
step back and willed her runaway heart to slow down before she and Ethan were
in a situation that neither one of them were ready for.

****

Ethan woke to a very quiet house,
stumbled out of bed and headed for the bathroom. After splashing cold water on
his face and brushing his teeth, he pulled on his running shorts and a t-shirt,
grabbed his shoes and socks and headed down the hall. When he passed Kayla’s
room, he couldn’t resist peeking in. If he woke the puppy, he’d let her outside
to do her business.

The crate was empty and Kayla sat
on the floor holding Maggie, her face buried in her fur. “Do you miss your
mommy?” she asked the puppy. “My mommy’s gone, too, but she’s going to come see
me sometime soon.”

The pup licked her face and whined.
“Don’t worry, Maggie. I will never leave you, not even if you do something
really bad, like poop on my bed.” She buried her face in the puppy’s fur. I
must have made my mommy really mad because she left, but don’t you worry. I’ll
never do that to you.” Kayla’s voice broke and she buried her face deeper in
Maggie’s soft fur and cried.

Ethan’s throat clogged with emotion
and his heart felt as if it might break. He rubbed his chest, took a few deep
breaths and blinked hard to clear his blurry vision before stepping into the
room. “I see you two have bonded. I imagine she’s got to go potty pretty bad.”

Kayla sniffed and glanced up at him,
her eyes red and puffy. “Haley already took her out and then went back to bed.”

Ethan bent down and rubbed Kayla’s
back, wishing he could snap his fingers and make her hurt go away, but at least
she now had Maggie. Thank God he had gotten this puppy for her, because she
obviously needed this little pup’s companionship. “Did the puppy cry very much
last night?”

Kayla looked at him like he’d grown
horns. “Are you deaf, Daddy? She kept us up for hours.”

Oops,
Ethan thought. “Ah,
Maybe I am deaf. I never heard a thing,” he added. “Did she keep Ryan up too?”

Kayla nodded. “He went back to bed
with his mom.”

Ethan knelt down and tugged Kayla
close. “Would you like to come back to bed with me and have some snuggle time?”

She nodded. “And Maggie too?”

Oh hell. Now what was he going to
do? “Maybe just this once,” he added with a wince, knowing this was not a smart
move, but he was willing to do just about anything to help Kayla feel better.

“Yippee.” She jumped up and kissed
him on the cheek. He held her close for a long time, and she finally wiggled
free, her tears replaced with a smile.

“Wait here a minute. I’m going to
go check on Haley.” With one last look at Kayla and the puppy, Ethan stood and
walked down the hall to peek into Haley’s room. She was sound asleep with
Ryan’s head on her shoulder and an arm lying over her stomach. He smiled just
as Haley stirred and opened her eyes.

He back away, hoping she didn’t see
him.

“Oh, no you don’t.” Haley eased
Ryan off of her and shoved to a sitting position. “So much for helping us out
last night,” she said, crossing her arms in front of her.

“I swear I never heard a thing. I
just came from Kayla’s room.”

Kayla raced past him and into the
room. “Daddy and I want snuggle time. Want to join us?” She jumped up on the
bed and scooted under the covers. “Come on, Daddy. We can all snuggle together.”

“Your father is staying up,” Haley
announced. “And fixing us a big breakfast, because we’re going to need all the
protein we can shove in our mouths in order to make it through the day.”

“I swear, Haley, I never hear a
peep.”

Maggie barked and Ryan woke with a
start. Maggie put her front feet on the mattress and cried like she was the
most neglected dog in the world. “Come on, Daddy,” Kayla begged.

Haley flung her covers off and
started to get out of bed, her long legs drawing his attention because even
though she wore an over-sized t-shirt, it left a whole lotta leg exposed.

“Daddy?” Kayla begged. Ethan
snapped out of his fog and against his better judgement joined Kayla in the bed.
“Come on, Haley,” he said, patting the mattress. “Be a sport. Crawl back in
here for a few minutes of snuggle time.” He leaned over the kids and whispered
conspiratorially. “Kayla wants us all to snuggle, and I think it’s a fine idea.”

Haley glared at him and then
crawled back into bed, pulling the covers over every bit of leg. Ethan cursed
under his breath as Haley scooted down beside the kids.

Maggie’s whines filled the room.
“Lift her up here, Daddy.”

“Not gonna happen.”

“But she feels left out, and she
misses me,” Kayla said with a pout.

Ethan glanced at Haley who lay on
her side, rubbing Kayla’s back. Love warmed his heart. Hiring Haley was the
best move he’d made in a long time. “Okay, Kayla, but just this once, and she’s
staying outside the covers.”

“Good idea seeing as how this is my
bed,” Haley said, her voice laced with fake sweetness. Ethan lifted Maggie and
set her on Kayla’s lap. The puppy licked his daughter’s face, and she grinned
from ear to ear. Maggie scampered over to Ryan and licked his face. When she headed
toward Ethan he protected his face with his arm. “No face kissing for me.” He
set her away from him and she headed for Haley.

Haley covered her face with her
hands. “Not on the face, little girl.”

“She just wants love.” Kayla pulled
Maggie back onto her lap and she settled right in, her soft dark eyes watching
Kayla.

“This is a bad idea,” Ethan said.
“She shouldn’t be on the bed. How about we all rally and go out for breakfast?”

“No,” Kayla all but yelled. “I’m
not leaving Maggie. She’d be lonely and scared that I might not come back.”

A knot lodged in Ethan’s throat.

“She has a point. After all, she’s
only been here one night.” Haley smiled at Kayla and continued to rub the girl’s
back. Kayla edged closer, and Ethan couldn’t help but soften. With a sigh, he
turned to his side, watching his daughter and the new love of her life, but
often shifting his gaze to Haley and wishing things could be different between
them.

Both kids crawled under the covers
and giggled when Maggie licked their ears. Haley glanced at Ethan and he
smiled. “You look good in the morning,” he said before he could censor himself.

She rolled her eyes. “Sure I do.
You have a cowlick by the way.”