“It’s...” He struggled to find a word that wouldn’t offend, but also wouldn’t encourage her to offer him more—ever. “It’s different.”
She gave a tiny sigh of resignation. “Too sweet, huh?”
“A little bit,” he confirmed.
“That’s what Mommy says, too. She says it makes her gag. I only get to have it on weekends, so it won’t destroy my brain cells.”
Jordan grinned. “I don’t think your brain cells are in any immediate danger. You seem pretty bright to me.”
“Thank you,” she said politely.
They ate their cereal in companionable silence after that. The instant Dani had finished hers, she picked up the bowl and carried it back to the sink and climbed deftly back onto the same chair so she could reach the faucets. She rinsed the bowl and stacked it in the drainer. Jordan carried his own bowl to the sink.
“I’ll wash it for you,” the child offered.
“No way,” he said. “Fair’s fair. You fixed breakfast. I can at least wash my own bowl.”
Dani climbed down without argument. “I’ll go brush my teeth and then we can go.” She eyed him worriedly again. “Do you have a toothbrush with you? Mommy says it’s important to brush your teeth at least twice a day, especially after breakfast, so your teeth won’t rot.”
“After all that sugar, I can see why it would be a concern,” Jordan agreed. “Don’t worry about me, though, I’ll take care of my teeth.”
“You won’t leave without me, will you?”
“Nope. I’ll be waiting right here.”
“Maybe you’d like to see the kittens before we go,” she said hopefully. “They’re getting really, really big. You might want one, after all. Mr. Adams is taking the tiger-striped one, so you can’t have him. And Jessie said she’d take the black-and-white one.”
Jordan hid a grin. Obviously his whole family had been taken in by this little con artist. “Did you manage to pawn one off on Cody?”
“Oh, yeah. I forgot. He said he’d take the two that look like twins. They’re black with little white noses.”
“Two, huh? You must have been very persuasive.”
“Not me,” she said modestly. “It was the kittens. I told you they’re really, really cute. I think you’re going to change your mind.”
“I don’t think so, but we can take a look after we help your mom.”
“Okay,” she agreed, and ran off, her tiny feet thundering up the stairs.
Jordan shook his head. Maybe kids weren’t so mysterious, after all. Maybe, like grown-ups, they just wanted someone to listen and take them seriously. More or less the way he wanted Kelly to take him seriously. Though she hadn’t exactly laughed in his face, she didn’t seem to think anything he had to say on the subject of marriage was worth listening to. He had to come up with some way to change that before this unexpected desire he’d begun feeling for her drove him out of his mind.
Before he could come up with a new twist on what already seemed like an old theme, Dani raced back down the stairs.
“Let’s go.”
“Do you know exactly where your mom’s working?” he asked, wondering a bit at Kelly’s willingness to leave Dani all alone.
“Sure. She’s right behind the barn.”
About a hundred yards away, more or less, easily within shouting distance. Which meant, Jordan thought dryly, she had definitely seen or at least heard him arrive. Which also meant she was deliberately avoiding him, he concluded with an odd sense of triumph. Kelly only hid out when she was uncertain. Her resolve must be wavering.
With Dani leading the way, they circled around the barn. He spotted Kelly less than a hundred yards along the fence line, the sunlight glistening off her hair. Despite the heat, she was wearing a long-sleeved blouse, jeans and heavy gloves to protect herself from the barbed wire. Even so, as they approached, he could see a rip in one sleeve and a tiny nick on her flushed cheek.
An irrational surge of anger boiled up inside him, followed rapidly by a tide of protectiveness. She shouldn’t be doing this. Even if she insisted on ranching, she should have a foreman and half a dozen hands to deal with the heavy labor. He knew in his gut, though, that she wouldn’t thank him for suggesting that. With that damned pride of hers, she wanted to do it all herself. It was as much a matter of principle with her as it was a financial necessity.
“Hi, Mommy,” Dani shouted, running ahead. “Jordan’s here to help.”
Kelly’s head snapped up at the sound of her daughter’s voice, then her gaze sought his. He could see the dark circles under her eyes and knew at once that he was responsible. Oddly, though, he didn’t feel the same sense of triumph he’d felt earlier when he’d suspected she might have spent the same sort of restless night he had. This was the reality. She looked exhausted. And on a ranch, people who were exhausted could make dangerous mistakes, as he knew only too well. A careless mistake was what had cost them his brother Erik, when his tractor had overturned at Luke’s.
“Damn,” he muttered under his breath. He should never have let this happen.
He approached her slowly, then hunkered down next to her. He touched a finger to the torn sleeve, but his gaze went at once to her cheek. The nick there was as tiny as he’d first suspected, but it had bled. “You should clean that out.”
“It’s nothing,” she said, avoiding his gaze. “I’m up-to-date on my tetanus shots. I’ll wash it out and put some peroxide on it when I go inside. What are you doing here?”
“I told you I’d be back to help with the fences.”
“It’s not necessary.”
“A promise is a promise.” He stood and slid his hands into the pockets of an old pair of jeans he hadn’t worn in years and rocked back on his heels.
She fell silent and, for the life of him, Jordan couldn’t think of
