had been totally lacking in his own childhood. But at twenty-eight years old he’d not been ready for marriage. And even if he had been, he wouldn’t have married a woman he wasn’t in love with.
He glanced over at Jane, who was watching him.
“She’s really wiped out,” she whispered, nodding to Kaylee.
“Big day.”
“She didn’t even have a nap today, she was so excited. She’ll sleep like a stone tonight.”
“That’s good, because tomorrow’s another big day.”
The limousine stopped in front of the Hotel Alexander, and Kaylee stirred and rubbed her eyes. “We home?”
“Sort of.”
The driver opened the limo door, and Kaylee clambered off of Max’s lap to follow her mother as she exited the vehicle. “Mommy, look!” Kaylee tugged on Jane’s clothes, pointing to a giant stuffed elephant that someone was trying to fit through the revolving door, with little success.
Jane laughed. “Uh-oh. Guess that elephant had too much dinner.”
Max got out and tipped the driver, then the three of them-Max, Jane and Kaylee, the pseudo-family-headed for the hotel door.
The man with the elephant had set his stuffed toy on the ground while he shuffled his other bags and packages. The temptation was too much for Kaylee and she took off toward the giant plush animal. Unfortunately, before she could get to it an uneven paving stone tripped her up. She went flying and landed with an audible thud.
Max’s heart jumped into his throat as he and Jane rushed forward, reaching Kaylee just as she started wailing in pain and outright fury.
Before Max could caution the child not to move she pushed herself up. He saw the blood on her elbow and almost passed out. She also had a small scrape on her chin.
The hotel’s doorman rushed over. “Do you need medical help?”
“Yes!” Max shouted. “Call for an ambulance.” Dear God, Kaylee was bleeding.
But Jane was the voice of reason. “No,” she said firmly, “there’s no need for an ambulance.” She gathered up the distraught child, taking a quick inventory. “I think we’ll be all right.” She produced a tissue and blotted at the blood. “Kaylee, honey, tell me where it hurts.”
She pointed to the scrape on her arm.
“Ouchy. Let’s go to our room and put some medicine on that.”
Kaylee continued to cry, and Jane picked her up and held her close, rocking her. “Poor sweetie. I know it hurts. It’ll feel better soon.”
“Are you sure nothing’s broken?” Max asked. “We can take her to a doctor, or the emergency room-”
“Nothing’s broken. She just tripped and scraped her arm, that’s all.”
Max admired the calm, soothing way Jane handled the situation. By the time they’d reached the elevator, Kaylee was more whimpering than crying, and by the time they’d reached their two-bedroom suite on the ninth floor, she’d quieted down completely. However, her big, tear-filled eyes nearly did Max in.
He didn’t know how parents did it, watching their children in pain. Kaylee was nowhere near his daughter, but seeing her injured and bleeding was still traumatic.
Max was ashamed of himself, at the way he had readily pretended to be a father when he hadn’t earned that right. Being a father wasn’t some frivolous thing. Just because he’d held Kaylee in his lap a few times…he never should have misled Ellen. And he was determined to tell her the truth first thing tomorrow.
They had checked into their hotel earlier, but they’d been running late and so they hadn’t even seen the two- bedroom suite, just had their bags sent up. Max had been looking forward to Jane’s reaction to the luxurious accommodations. Women always went crazy over this hotel, with its tall ceilings and plaster moldings, the lush carpeting and silk draped everywhere.
But Jane’s attention was squarely on her daughter. She took her straight into the bathroom and set her down on the counter.
“Oh, shoot, my first-aid stuff is in the other bag.”
“I’ll get it.”
“It’s the small red one.”
Moments later he returned with the bag. Kaylee watched solemnly as her mother produced an antiseptic towelette to clean the scrapes. She apparently carried towelettes for every occasion.
“Ow.”
Jane blew on the scrape. “Sorry. But we have to clean you up so you don’t get any germs.” She tried to clean the cut on Kaylee’s chin, but Kaylee pushed her away.
“No, Mommy. That stuff hurts. I want Max to fix me.”
“Me?”
The child looked at him with adoring eyes. “You have Band-Aids?”
“Your mommy has bandages,” Max countered.
“You put them on.”
“She just wants attention from you because it’s novel,” Jane mumbled as she dug through her bag looking for something. “I always fuss over her. Now, Kaylee-”
“I want Max.”
Chapter Six
Jane looked at Max, her eyes imploring. “It’s late, and I’m in no mood for a tantrum. Do you mind?”
Max smiled. “Not at all.” He didn’t understand Kaylee wanting him, of all people, instead of her incredibly gentle and patient mother, but the little girl was entitled to a bit of spoiling after her accident. That road rash on her arm probably burned like fire.
He dabbed some antibiotic ointment on the oozing scrape. Kaylee watched him with interest, but she didn’t cry or try to pull away. He did the same for the tiny cut on her chin. Finally, he put bandages on her injuries. The arm took two.
“You look like you’ve done this a time or two,” Jane said.
He had. Hannah was a typical rough-and-tumble kid, so he knew how to apply a bandage. Now that he thought about it, Hannah had enjoyed having him fuss over her, too. Maybe it was something common to girls with absent fathers. But what did he know? He was no shrink.
What he did know was that he enjoyed taking care of Kaylee. She aroused protective feelings in him that he’d pushed aside and buried years ago. And he didn’t want those feelings-not at all.
He had specifically stayed away from single moms for this very reason.
But this situation was different than the one with Hannah, he reasoned. He and Jane weren’t involved. If Kaylee felt a temporary attachment for him, it would end as soon as he stopped spending time with her. And, really, he would have no reason to spend time with her after they returned to Port Clara.
“I think we’re done here,” Max said brightly. He needed to get out of this bathroom, away from the false intimacy.
He was not going to fall into that trap again, getting cozy with a woman because he enjoyed pretending to be a family. Not that “cozy” was even a possibility with Jane.
Jane helped Kaylee down from the counter. “Let’s go find your pajamas.”
Kaylee squealed with delight when she saw the big canopy bed in the bedroom she and Jane would share. “It’s a princess bed!”
Max smiled as he fixed himself a drink from the minibar in the sitting room that separated the two bedrooms. He felt tremendous relief that Kaylee seemed back to her old self, that the injury hadn’t been more serious. As he sipped his weak gin-and-tonic, he listened to the murmur of female voices coming from the bedroom.
Peaceful. That’s how he felt. Relieved and peaceful.
That wasn’t a feeling he was used to. His was a world of highs and lows, tremendous drive and energy. Always a goal in mind. He wasn’t used to just sitting, enjoying a quiet moment.
