“Why? You are my nurse, and now my son’s nanny.” It sounded so cold. He wished he could take it back.
Daniel watched an embarrassing crimson glow cover her face, and she turned away.
“As you wish, Mr. McAlister.”
“Now, don’t go getting yourself in a mood,” he said. “I am still not Mr. McAlister. The name is Daniel to you.”
“As you wish,” was all she said, avoiding eye contact as she hurried toward the kitchen.
Chapter 7
The next day, the sun shone brightly, and Daniel was at Gwen’s door when the first drift of bacon frying hit his nostrils. “I was sitting on my porch when I detected signs of breakfast in the making,” he said. “No sense you bringing meals next door. Might be a nuisance dragging the baby out three times a day. I can come over here…if that’s all right?”
“Thank you. That would be most helpful. We’re almost ready to sit.” She led Daniel to the kitchen, and he grinned at the scene that met him.
“Very creative,” he said. The child was tied to a chair, and she’d dragged in a low table from another room and set it across his lap to hold his plate. Still, most of the meal was either on the floor or smeared over his face.
“Jake is very independent. He does not want me to feed him and insists on shovelling it in with his hands.”
“My parents would be appalled.” Daniel chuckled.
“I was thinking of asking the kitchen if they had a higher chair with its own table attached. I’ve seen some homemade contraptions in Baltimore and suspect it would be a lot safer for the infant, not to mention that Jake could actually sit at our level and feel like part of the family.”
“And are we family, Nurse Gwen?” He saw her anger come to the surface and regretted spoiling her good mood. “Forget I said that,” he apologized before sitting next to Jake. For his attempt at bonding, as Gwen had suggested, the man received a handful of oatmeal square in the middle of his shirt. He jumped to his feet and backed off, staring at the blob.
“It’s not that bad.” Gwen giggled. “Perhaps you should move to the other side until I teach the child some manners.”
“It appeared to be a malicious act on his part. Is that possible?”
“The child is not yet two years old. He doesn’t plan malicious attacks.”
Daniel begged to differ after witnessing the teasing fun swimming in Jake’s eyes. “I believe I shall take your suggestion and sit over there, for now.” He wiped the gooey mess from his shirt and sat again. Gwen placed a dish of food in front of him and poured him a steaming hot cup of coffee.
“Thank you.” He allowed himself to be trapped in her observance of him, and for a minute, the world stood still. He wondered what on earth she could be thinking as his mind and heart competed for clarity.
“Shall I go to the house and see what baby things my mother has stored in the attic?” he asked to break the spell that had fallen over them.
“That would be helpful,” Gwen said. “Also, Mrs. McAlister suggested I go shopping and buy clothing to make the young lad’s appearance more presentable.”
“I’ll speak to Arthur. Would this morning be the best time to go—before the child tires?”
“Yes—or you could have offered to stay home with him,” she teased.
Daniel’s face brightened. “I have a better idea: I shall ask Mother to send one of the nursemaids to sit with the child while we enjoy a shopping spree on our own.”
“That is probably the best idea yet. I have no cash or credit in your town, and am certain the store clerks would not accept my word and charge the McAlister account.”
“Glad I could be of service. I love to spend my father’s money,” he said, slightly disappointed that she’d turned his presence on the outing into a practical convenience. His idea had held elements of a fun, co-operative venture, but hers was apparently, a mere job that needed to be done in which the two of them played their separate roles, hers to choose baby’s attire and his to dole out the cash.
Daniel focused on finishing his breakfast. “I’ll head up to the house to make the arrangements now. Maybe you can use the time to clean Jake up so he’ll be respectable for a nursemaid—we may need her services often in the future. We can’t wear my good nurse out, jumping from patient to baby all day long.”
No more words were spoken between them. Somehow, they’d managed to create a distance between them, and Jake began to wail as if he’d sensed it. Daniel stood. “My cue to exit.”
Gwen enjoyed her morning in Guntersville. A general store, banks, hotels, a couple of saloons, the original diner, and a blacksmith’s and livery stable lined the town’s main street. It took on the appearance of old-town, but growth had expanded along numerous side roads. The covered walkways continued lengthways at the fronts of the buildings, which included an outdoor café space, a second diner, a grand hotel, a theater, beauty boutiques for women, and a man’s haircutting place that seemed to be a gentleman’s hangout. A town center and the new bank occupied a large portion of land at the foot of Middle Street, with a groomed common area stretching across the backs of the side streets, creating the perfect place to sit, visit, fish, or walk the path around the small lake. Last but not least were the church and school, separated from the hustle of the town and
