Valley Medical Center,” she told Kevin, “but not with patients. I’m a medical technologist.”
“What’s that?” the boy asked.
By this time, Kaylee seemed to realize that she was under the care of a professional, and even if she didn’t know what a technologist actually did, her scream had softened to a whine.
“I’m a scientist,” the brunette said. “I work in the lab.”
Whoa, Dan thought, realizing she was the brainy type. He’d never really known any of those. He tended to date women who were more street-smart than book-smart.
Dated? Now where had that wild-ass idea come from? If she was hanging out at the park with the Parents of Multiples, she was probably a mother—and married, which meant she was off-limits, even if he’d been looking. And he wasn’t.
Still, his gaze slid to her left hand, which was ring-free. Not that it mattered, he supposed. His dating days were over now that the ranch house was filled with the pitter-patter of little feet.
Kaylee clung to the woman who dabbed at the wound with her scarf, permanently staining the fabric, no doubt. He’d have to buy her a new one when this was all said and done.
“Are you someone’s mommy?” Kaylee asked.
“No,” the woman said.
Then what was she doing at the park? Dan wondered. He almost asked but figured it might be best to bide his time and wait for one of the kids to quiz her. The two of them, especially Kevin, were certainly doing a pretty good job of interrogating her.
“Thanks for stepping in to help,” Dan said. “Kaylee needed a woman’s touch.”
“You’re welcome.” Her smile reached her eyes, turning them to the shade of Tennessee bourbon. “Are you babysitting today?” Was it that obvious he wasn’t an experienced guardian? Probably, since a real father wouldn’t have let one of his kids get hurt.
“I’m afraid I’m the man in charge,” he said, faking a smile and doffing his hat. “My name’s Dan Walker. And you’re…?”
“Eva Galindo.” She nodded toward the small building that housed the restrooms. “The bleeding has stopped, so maybe we should get some water and wash her face.”
“Good idea.” He stood, placed his hand on Kevin’s head and stroked the straw-colored strands of his hair. “Come on, sport. We’ve got to get your sister cleaned up.”
As they walked toward the restrooms, Dan said, “I really appreciate this, Eva.”
“I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary. I saw her trip in the sand and take a fall. I guess it was just instinct kicking in.”
“Lucky me,” he said, meaning it. Hopefully, Fate had decided to give him a break, at least for the rest of the day.
Eva took Kaylee into the ladies’ room and came out several minutes later. The little girl’s hair and face were wet but clean. And Dan was able to get a good look at the half-inch gash that marred the upper left side of her forehead and the bruise that surrounded it.
“What do you think?” Eva asked, gripping his gaze and setting his heart off kilter.
He didn’t dare tell her that he was thinking of her as some kind of superhero right now. So instead, he glanced at her water-splattered, bloodstained white blouse and smiled. “I think I’m going to owe you a new outfit.”
“That’s not what I meant. Look at that gash, Dan. It’s pretty deep.”
The bleeding might have stopped, but the wound definitely gaped open.
“You know…” Eva cocked her head and studied the little girl’s forehead. “She’s probably going to need a few stitches.”
“No!” Kaylee, who’d been a little standoffish with Dan the past couple of weeks, clung to the woman. “I don’t want stitches.”
If Dan had been looking in the mirror at his own face and had seen the cut, he would have let it pass without any treatment at all. But on a little girl?
“Why don’t you want stitches?” he asked.
Kevin jumped in with the answer. “’Cause when we lived at our old house, Jimmy Milburn got stitches on his face and got to be a pirate for Halloween.”
“Being a pirate is cool,” Dan said, hoping to convince the kid that it was some kind of adventure, rather than something to be afraid of.
“Yeah,” Kevin said, “but Kaylee doesn’t like swords and stuff. She wants to be a princess. Besides, when I told Jimmy that I wanted to have stitches like his, he said it really hurt.”
“It won’t hurt Kaylee,” Eva said. “She has a princess cut. And doctors are very careful when dealing with a princess.”
The girl turned to Eva, her tears coming to a rolling stop. “Really?”
“Oh, yes. I’m sure of it.” Eva ran her hand along the dampened strands of Kaylee’s long, blond hair. “The doctors at the medical center can spot a princess a mile away. And they know just what to do with royal injuries.”
Kaylee cocked her head to the side. “They do?”
“Absolutely.”
“Then, okay. I’ll get princess stitches.” Kaylee looked at Eva as though she were a fairy godmother.
But hell, Dan didn’t blame the kid for that. He was thinking of Eva as though she’d fluttered into his life with a pair of wings and a magic wand, too. She’d been a real godsend, and he wished he could take her home with them until the kids turned eighteen.
“Will you ride with us to the medical center?” he asked her, hoping like heck that she would agree. Having her along would make the ordeal so much easier for Kaylee. And for him, too.
“Me? Well, I…” As her gaze caught his, he spotted more than indecision in her eyes. He noted apprehension, too.
Finally, at about the time he’d expected her to blow him off, she said, “All right, I’ll go with you.”
Dan didn’t know when he’d heard sweeter words, when he’d felt more relief. “Thanks, Eva. I’ll make it up to you.”
Of course, he didn’t have a clue how he was going to do that, but he’d figure out a way.
When Eva had set out this morning, she had thought the scope of her adventure would be simply checking out the Parents of Multiples picnic at the park and getting a feel for what would soon be in store for her.
Now, as she sat in the dual-wheeled Chevy pickup across from cowboy Dan Walker, she felt as if she was living someone else’s life. For a woman who was basically shy and introspective, it was both exciting and unnerving at the same time.
She wasn’t one who basked in new experiences, and this was certainly a first for her. One minute she was on the edge of the playground, watching the kids chase after each other, and
