boy.
Studying her across the desk, he leaned back in his chair. “So what do we do now?”
The smart thing to do would be to keep them so focused on Bella and so busy she could forget this ridiculous attraction. Especially since he didn’t seem to be having the same trepidation about it that she was. “You said you wanted to learn a few more things before a nanny completely takes over. Why don’t we spend today doing some of that?”
He sat up. “Okay.”
Trying to be nonchalant, she said, “Too bad she doesn’t need a diaper change, since you danced instead of changed her diaper the last time she cried.”
He sniffed a laugh.
The room got quiet.
The urge to run bubbled up in her, but she gathered her courage. After all, she was doing this for Bella.
“So since she doesn’t need a diaper, has already been fed and doesn’t want to sleep…maybe we should play.”
He glanced over. “Play?”
“Sure.” She rose, walked the baby to the thick Oriental rug in front of the sofa and lowered herself and Bella to the floor. “Babies are naturally curious. So sometimes playing can be as simple as setting her on the floor and letting her explore.”
He ambled over. “And how do I fit into this equation?”
“You keep her from getting hurt, as you point out things that might be fun for her.”
He sat on the floor beside her. “Like what?”
She peered around. There wasn’t a damned thing in his house that might interest a baby. Worse, sitting on the floor with him only inches away, sprawled out comfortably, caused weird feelings to ripple through her. This was how he’d be with Bella. A sort of clueless but affable dad. He’d be sweet. Loving.
Great. Adding emotion to her attraction had been real smart.
She popped up off the floor. Seeing him as a good dad upped his likability by about a thousand percent. If she wasn’t careful, she wouldn’t just be fighting a sexual attraction; she’d be falling for another guy who was all wrong for her.
“Maybe I should go upstairs and get her one of the rattles and her bear.”
She walked up the spiral staircase and back the hall to his bedroom, then took a deep breath as she leaned against the closed door.
She was fine. There was nothing to worry about. She’d learned her lesson about falling for self-absorbed men. She wasn’t in any danger of losing her heart. Even thinking that was stupid. She’d agreed to stay for Bella. Bella needed a real daddy, not just a guy who paid for a nanny. She needed a daddy who would play with her when he came home from work, tuck her in at night, kiss her forehead. And she could teach him to do all that, if she kept her wits about her. It might be a little uncomfortable for her and she might have to miss work—
Miss work! She hadn’t told her boss she would be taking time off!
She raced to her purse and retrieved her cell phone. With one click she speed dialed Joni’s number.
“Dysart Adoptions.”
“Oh, my gosh! Joni! I’m so sorry! I forgot all about you.”
Joni, the owner of the adoption agency, chuckled. “That’s okay. I figured you were busy with Bella.”
“I was.” She winced. “I am. Matt Patterson’s staff are all on vacation so I volunteered to help him.”
“Oh?”
“We were just walking back to the den to contact a nanny service when Bella woke up from her morning nap and she was inconsolable.”
“Poor thing!”
“I know. The sweet baby is having so much trouble adjusting. Matt grabbed her out of the crib and it didn’t even slow her down. But when she saw me, she reached for me and cuddled in and pretty soon she was calm.”
“She’s gotten accustomed to you.”
“Yes.”
“And you’re not ready to leave her.”
“I can’t leave her like this. Plus, once she was calm, Matt took her and danced with her.”
“Danced with her?”
“It calms her. I didn’t tell him. He figured it out for himself. I can see he has the potential to be a really great dad. In a few days, I could teach him so much and then he would be comfortable around the baby and wouldn’t desert her to a nanny when he gets one.”
“You think he has the potential to get so accustomed to Bella that he’d spend time with her?”
“Yes. There’s just something about the way he deals with her that makes me see he wants this. He wants to be a good dad. And if I can help him, I think I should.” She paused, bit her bottom lip. “You’re okay with me staying the rest of the week? I’ll take it as vacation time.”
“It’s Tuesday. That’s four whole days.”
“I know…but Bella needs me.”
“I think it’s kind of cute.”
Her breath stuttered out on a long sigh. “I don’t know about cute. I just feel awful for her. She’s so small and she can’t even talk to tell us how she feels. And Matt genuinely wants to be a good dad. Right now, he’s waiting for the right moment to learn how to change a diaper.”
Joni laughed.
“Okay. I’ve got to run. I left her on the floor of a den that looks like it could be part of a museum.”
Joni’s voice perked up. “Oh, interesting. You’re getting a sneak peek at his house!”
“Yes. I am. But I wouldn’t want to live here. Everything’s perfect. And I think that’s going to be hard on Bella, too. While I’m here I might just suggest he create a few baby-friendly rooms.”
“Well, have fun. And good luck with Bella.”
“Thanks.”
After disconnecting the call, she removed Bella’s bear from the crib and dug through the diaper bag for one of the two rattles. She returned to the den feeling a lot better about her decision to help Matt. Joni didn’t see anything wrong with her staying. In fact, she thought it was cute. Because that’s the kind of people she and Joni were. They loved kids. Babies especially. They’d dedicated their lives to caring for them. Staying at this house for Bella and teaching Matt to be a good dad wasn’t out of line. It was what she did.
As she entered the den, Matt said, “What took you so long?”
“I had to call my boss and arrange for some time off.”
He groaned. “Sorry.
