“I overslept,” Ava said, feeling her cheeks grow warm at Will’s knowing smile.
“Imagine that,” he said and she gave him a look.
Caroline squealed when Muffy jerked the toy out of her hands. She laughed, getting up and running to Ava to hug her. Startled, Ava picked up Caroline. She smelled sweet and was soft, her skin as smooth as rose petals. “Thank you, Miss Ava, for wanting me to have Muffy.”
Ava hugged her. “You’re very welcome. I’m so glad you like Muffy.”
Caroline played with a long lock of Ava’s hair. “I love Muffy.” She looked at the pup and Ava set her on her feet. The minute she touched the floor she ran to play with the pup. Muffy chased her and Caroline ran away with Muffy nipping at her heels.
Will stood and crossed to Ava. “Good morning.”
“Thanks for letting me sleep.”
“I wanted to wake you, but I didn’t.” He ran his finger along her cheek. “You look as if you had a full night’s sleep. There are all sorts of things I’d like to do this morning, but I know I can’t,” he whispered, still in a thick, husky tone that kept her thinking of their night together.
“Just as well, Will,” she said, trying to get her breath.
“It’s been a fun morning with Caroline. Ava, she’s coming out of that shell completely. At least when she plays with the dog. You see how she does with her reading. It’s just fantastic what a difference one little mutt can make.”
“That little mutt means so much to her,” Ava said,
“I’ll leave you with her and the pup. I think the baby is getting tired,” he said. She looked around to see Muffy stretched on the floor and Caroline petting her. The little dog blinked and closed her eyes while Caroline tried to entice her to play more.
“See you later, Will,” Ava said.
“It’ll be more than just ‘seeing,’” he said in a husky voice.
She couldn’t wait.
Will left for his office to make two calls, the first to Zach, to tell him the news about Caroline, the second to Ryan.
“Zach, it’s Will. I know you got the attorney’s letter about the will—the reading is scheduled for two weeks from now.”
“It’s on my calendar,” Zach answered. “How’s Caroline?”
“She’s coming out of her silence. I mean really out.”
“Hallelujah,” Zach yelled loudly enough Will had to hold the phone away from his ear as he laughed.
“I wanted to shout, too. It’s fantastic.”
“That’s the best possible news, Will. That’s the greatest. I haven’t been any help, but I care.”
“I know you do.”
“What happened? Was it the new teacher you hired?”
“Yes. Ava suggested I get her a puppy. A pup is hard to resist. It was almost instant.”
“Damn, that’s good news.”
“You’re going to be surprised when you see her, Zach.”
“I’ll go get something for her and this pup.”
Will leaned back to talk to his brother, next calling Ryan, happy to tell each of them about Caroline. When he finished his calls, he sat thinking about Ava. He wanted to whisk her away, somewhere he could be alone with her and make love to her endlessly. Last night had been spectacular. No woman had ever excited him the way she did, and he didn’t want to let her go. Instead, she didn’t even want to go out again. He raked his fingers through his hair. He wanted to be alone with her to make love to her tonight. But it wasn’t going to happen, he was certain. She was driven, determined, bright, accustomed to getting her way—unfortunately some of the same qualities he possessed. It was his stand on commitment and marriage that held her back. Would commitment to Ava be a silken trap the way Adam’s marriage had been for him?
Will thought about life with Ava, and it appealed to him in a way the thought of a long-term—actually lifetime—commitment had never appealed before. Was Ava changing him? Or was he changing to keep her in his life? He didn’t want to think about life without her. He was like Caroline: he didn’t want Ava to leave. Did he want her badly enough to think about marriage?
Or was this the kind of fuzzy, blinded-by-love thinking that had tied Adam into a rotten marriage?
During dinner on the veranda, Will asked, “How were the books and reading today?”
He saw Ava and Caroline exchange a look, and he put down his roll and butter knife. “What’s this?
“Caroline read so very well today,” Ava said. “She answered my questions correctly, read a second-grade book and she told me she’d read to you tonight.”
Will’s heart thudded and he forgot his dinner. “That’s fantastic,” he said, looking at Caroline, who smiled broadly.
“You should have told me before dinner. You should have called me this afternoon. I can’t wait to have you read to me,” he said, meaning it. Joy filled him and it was difficult to keep quiet and act natural. He wanted to scoop up Caroline, hug and kiss her and shout for glee. Emotions shook him and he tried to get his voice and stay casual. He leaned closer to Caroline. “Sweetie, I am so proud of you and so happy to hear what you read.”
She smiled at him.
“Thank you,” he said to Ava, wanting to pull her into his arms. He wanted to hug both of them. He had lost his appetite, but Caroline was eating and Ava had taken a bite, so he knew he shouldn’t disrupt their dinners.
He sipped his water. “Tell me about one of the books you read, Caroline.”
To his astonishment, she began a story. Again he shot Ava a grateful glance. She had worked a miracle in no time. A little dog had worked a miracle, too. He put down his fork, listening closely to Caroline tell him about a story she read earlier in the day. It was not one he recalled reading to her, so it wasn’t an old favorite or one she was already familiar with. More than ever, he wanted to shout for joy, but he was afraid he might intimidate his niece.
“Sweetie, what a fun story. You did an excellent job telling me about it. That’s fantastic. I’m glad you liked it. Is this one of the books Miss Ava gave you?”
“Yes, sir,” Caroline answered, and again his heart squeezed with relief and happiness.
After dinner, Ava sat in a rocker in the upstairs playroom, watching Caroline sitting on Will’s lap, reading to him. Though he listened intently, Will would occasionally glance at Ava with a joyous expression that filled her with happiness.
He misplaced all the credit he gave her for Caroline’s transformation. It was far more about the little ball of fur who was currently stretched out asleep, but Ava was happy for him and for Caroline. He had said he wasn’t good daddy material, but
