Her Baby Dreams (10 page)

Dan grinned. “I knew there was something about you that I really identified with. I could eat my weight in this stuff.”

“Then bless it and let's eat.” She closed her eyes for the prayer.

“Dear Lord, bless this food and the good company. Amen.”

She didn't look at him as she took a bite. It was as good as she'd thought it would be. She could almost forgive him for this, she thought, as she savored the flavor and waited for him to apologize for his behavior. Of course, he'd said this was a peace offering, but that wasn't exactly an apology, at least not where she came from.

“You ran off too soon last night. You're going to have to step across the hall and see what we came up with on the decorating. Lacy enlisted the help of all the ladies from the shelter. It looks good. I think you'll like it.”

Some friend Lacy was. She hadn't even come by to check on Ashby…. Then again, she would probably have been just as tickled as Esther Mae and the others.

Dan was watching her. Nothing in his expression bespoke remorse. She didn't say anything, just took a sip of coffee.

“C'mon, Ash. I know you're upset that I kissed you,” he said, finally.

She set her cup down and snatched up her fork. “You're not even acting the least bit remorseful.”

“That's because I'm not. I'm sorry you're upset, but it was a great kiss. Of course, if we keep practicing I could give you a few tips—”

Ashby's fork clattered to the plate. “Are you serious?”

He howled with laughter. “Ashby, come on, girl. Have a little fun. It was a kiss. And a good one at that. I was just joking about the tips—”

“You know what?” Ashby pushed her cheesecake back onto the serving plate, snatched his plate up and did the same, then handed it back to him. “Take this, go home and stay.”

He looked startled, and Ashby felt a bit of satisfaction that she'd caused it. When he grinned in disbelief, she almost threw caution to the wind and tossed her coffee at him. Instead she yanked open her front door and pointed. “You are rude, obnoxious and full of yourself. Go.”

He blinked, but did as she asked. Once he was in the hall, he turned back and started to say something. She slammed the door before he got a word out.

It was a very unladylike thing to do. Then again, she hadn't been feeling much like a lady as of late.

 

Dan was a fool. Straight up, no doubt about it. First he'd kissed Ashby yesterday and made her mad, so he'd decided after she'd stormed off that maybe the best thing was to let her calm down and give himself time to regain some semblance of control over his own emotions. Lacy and the happy matchmakers had assured him that she was probably just embarrassed by their rude behavior, not him.

He doubted that very much. She was furious with him. But she had kissed him back, and he couldn't help but feel some hope in that. He'd spent the remainder of the evening smiling on the inside. She wasn't as immune to him as she acted.

And then he'd messed up again today. He'd been so excited about that revelation that he'd let his big mouth get in his way. Talk about putting his foot in his mouth every way possible.

Staring at the door she'd slammed in his face, he berated himself for teasing her. This was one woman who didn't appreciate his sense of humor, and he couldn't seem to curb it when he was around her.

But she'd kissed him! He smiled as he went to his apartment to put the cheesecake in the refrigerator for later…because he was determined there would be a later. And when it came, he wasn't going to mess up again.

A
shby had just parked her car in the church lot and immediately spotted Dan standing at the back of his truck talking with Emmett James, a nice cowboy, if shy. She was still seething about their earlier encounter and the fact that she'd considered throwing something. As she glanced at Dan, the feeling surged up again.

Esther Mae and Hank pulled in beside them. In her usual hurry, Esther Mae hopped out of the car, slammed the door and started toward the church at a gallop. But unknown to her, she'd caught the tail of her dress in the door, and the skirt basically yanked her feet right out from under her. Ashby was in a position to see what was happening, but it occurred so fast she didn't have time to call out a warning. Which made what happened next all the more amazing. Within the split second that it took for Esther to slam the door and start toward the ground, Dan reacted. Almost before the door snagged her dress! One minute Esther was falling, hands and knees in serious danger of getting banged up on the white-rock parking lot, and the next instant Dan had caught her in his arms. Esther Mae barely had time to register that she was in trouble!

Riveted to the spot, Ashby watched him turn on the charm. Why, poor Esther Mae was so flustered to find herself looking up at that smile, she forgot to be shaken up about almost falling flat on her face. Ashby had to admit that Dan's aggravatingly dazzling smile had its good points.

But as she left the scene and headed toward the nursery, which she was grateful to be in charge of this morning, she wasn't exactly sure what to think of him. He made her do things she wouldn't normally even consider. Like kissing him with abandon and throwing things—that wasn't her.

That made her crazy.

Crazy wasn't good. Crazy didn't make a good foundation for any relationship. Did it?

Ashby touched her temple, where tension was building as she found herself reliving the moment. That kiss had reached inside her, and she couldn't get it off her mind. “Peter Pan syndrome,” she muttered as she tugged open the doors into the church annex. She couldn't let the kiss and Dan's heroics obscure her perceptions of him. Steven had once stopped the car during a thunderstorm and rescued a puppy. That hadn't made him any less of a jerk in the end.

 

Dan had almost had a heart attack when he realized the door had caught the back of Esther Mae's dress. He'd always had great reflexes and they came in handy as he shot out to save her from hurting herself. Now he was doing all he could to keep her from being embarrassed.

He hadn't missed the fact that Ashby was standing to the side, watching. And he'd glanced up to find her looking at them with the most disgusted expression on her face. With no time to think about that, he righted Esther Mae and smiled, making a fuss over her.

“Thank you, Dan,” she gasped, just as Hank rounded the end of the car to take her from his arms. Dan reached and grasped the door handle, and the door opened, releasing her red skirt. It had a grease spot on it now, but that was irrelevant. She could have had bleeding hands and knees, or even broken wrists if she'd reached out to break her fall.

“Honey,” Hank crooned, “are you all right? That was a close one.”

“I'm fine, I'm fine. Thanks to Dan. How in the world did you know I was in trouble? I felt myself start to fall when my dress yanked me back like a calf in a ropin' contest, and the next thing I know I'm in your arms!”

Dan grinned and tipped his hat to her. “I was in the right place at the right time. Any of the other cowboys would have done the same. Especially to save a lovely lady like you.”

Esther blushed prettily. “They might have tried, but that's not saying anyone would have been as quick as you. You must have moved like lightning!”

“It was beautiful,” Norma Sue said, barreling up to them. She was red, too, but from hustling all the way across the parking lot. “Woo-wee! That was some fancy footwork, Dan Dawson. Esther Mae, all you needed was a pair of horns and y'all would have looked like the steer-wrestling event.”

Uncomfortable with all the praise, Dan extracted himself as quickly as was polite and headed to class.

Sunday school was crowded, and he was disappointed when he realized Ashby wasn't in the room. He took a seat in the front row, where there were three vacant chairs together, and laid his Bible on the second one to hold it for her. Emmett James came in and sat down beside Dan. He and Emmett had been talking outside when Esther Mae had almost fallen. They'd been having a few conversations lately. Emmett was a quiet cowboy who wore his heart on his sleeve. Everyone knew he was in love with Stacy. Not that he'd ever told anyone that, but it was obvious. From the first moment she'd stepped off the van that had transferred her and the other residents of the women's shelter to Mule Hollow, he'd been drawn to her.

He was a shy fella, Dan's total opposite, but he had a gentle heart and a calm way about him that Dan knew Stacy had taken notice of. Emmett had worked for Clint for several years, and he was a good, godly man. Dan was rooting for him, not that Emmett had talked to Stacy much. But he hovered when she was near, and if she looked as if she needed anything, he was quick to anticipate it and get it for her. If she dropped a diaper, he'd swoop in and pick it up for her at receptions or church gatherings. If she looked thirsty, Emmett was Johnny-on-the-spot with a cup of punch or a soda. And Dan knew Stacy was not unaffected by his quiet, respectful approach.

After the mild-mannered man had confronted Dan about his intentions toward Stacy, Dan's regard for Emmett had skyrocketed. He'd eased Emmett's mind by explaining his past, something he hadn't told anyone, but felt Emmett should know. Once he learned that he and Dan had Stacy's well-being in mind, but in different ways, they'd quietly joined forces. Dan's objective was to help her learn not to be wary of men in general, which was going to benefit Emmett in the end. Emmett's objective was to win her heart, and he seemed to be a patient man. Dan knew from experience with his mom and the other women who had lived in the shelter with them when he was young that patience was exactly what Emmett was going to need.

And even that might not be enough.

Some scars ran too deep. But nothing was too large for the Lord to handle, and Dan prayed that God's healing power would touch Stacy's heart.

As he waited for Ashby to show, he and Emmett talked about the weather. When class finally got started, still without Ashby, he realized she must have nursery duty.

At least he hoped that was where she was. As angry as she was with him, she could have chosen to skip class rather than encounter him. He couldn't concentrate on what Brady was teaching for worrying over it.

She was quickly becoming an obsession with him. He couldn't get her off his mind. And that was a new experience for him.

 

Ashby was leaving the nursery, heading toward her car, when Dottie Cannon called to her. Lance Yates waved as she hurried across the parking lot toward where Dottie was waiting. Ashby was aware of his gaze as she reached Dottie and wondered if he'd wanted to speak with her.

“I just wanted to make sure we're still on for Friday night.”

“Yes. I'm looking forward to it.” The ladies from the shelter were going to a seminar in another county, and Ashby had been more than happy to agree to babysit. Max would be spending the night with a friend, so it was going to be Ashby and three darling little boys for the evening.

“I can't thank you enough. This is going to be such a good seminar.”

“Are you sure five-thirty is okay?” she asked. In her peripheral vision she saw Lance climb in his truck to leave. Relief filled her as she focused on Dottie's answer.

“Yes, if we leave then, we'll have plenty of time to get there.”

Ashby studied Dottie. She'd always been beautiful, with her black hair, translucent skin and navy eyes, but Ashby thought that she'd blossomed since announcing she was three months pregnant. “Are you feeling okay?” she asked. “You look amazing.”

Dottie's eyes sparkled as she smiled. “I
feel
amazing. I'm eating everything within reach, though.”

Brady pulled up beside them and came around to open the door for Dottie. “I thought I'd save you a few steps.” He was beaming as he placed an arm around her waist and hugged her to him. “Missed you in Sunday school, Ashby. You must have had ragamuffin duty this morning.”

She laughed. “I did. Did I miss anything?”

He looked offended. “One of my excellent lessons.”

Dottie leaned her head against his shoulder. “That's what I love about my man. Not a vain bone in his body.”

“He's right, though, Dottie. He is a great teacher.”

“I'm sure he is.”

“You know,” Ashby said, suddenly realizing that because Dottie taught the children's Sunday school class, she had never sat in on her husband's class, “I would love to teach in your place one morning, so that you could find out exactly what he's up to.”

Dottie looked thoughtful. “I may take you up on that. When I'm further along, I might need a break.”

“I'll remind you of that later on, then. Take care.” She got into her car, then watched Brady help Dottie up into the seat. When he gave her a gentle kiss before closing her door and jogging around to his side, a sharp longing cut through Ashby. As she drove back toward town, she prayed that she would be so blessed, even as she hoped the best for them.

Dan had beaten her back, she saw when she pulled into the parking lot. Everyone thought she was crazy for not going out with the maddening man. And maybe she was, she admitted as she ducked into her apartment, relieved that she hadn't run into him. Yet it was the only thing she knew to do. He was dangerous to her.

Yet despite everything that had happened, she was drawn to Dan, despite his occasional bad manners.

She knew what it was. Like Steven had, Dan represented something she lacked—a carefree spirit, a missed childhood…. She halted that train of thought, refusing to let herself spiral into that shadow. Her parents couldn't help being who they were. They loved her in their own fashion. She'd been telling herself that for years, and coming to terms with it was the only way she could leave it behind. Not that she always did that. Some days were better than others. There were far worse things in this world than her silly problems. Really, sometimes she felt so petty and spoiled. Surely God thought very little of her on days like today.

Disgruntled, she changed into a white shirt and her favorite jeans. Soft and worn, they were as comfortable as a baby's jumper. Her mother would hate them, stating that they weren't fit for a lady to wear…and that was exactly why Ashby wore them.

There she went again. What was wrong with her?

She was ashamed of the idea that she wore them for spite, but the fact was she really did love them. They didn't have any holes in them yet, but the knees were going and a couple of other places were getting threadbare, so she hand-washed them, knowing that while holes were fashionable, they also meant the end was near for her dear jeans. For a girl who'd worn frilly, fancy dresses from the moment she was born, she couldn't help that she loved dressing down. Behind closed doors only, though. Some things were too ingrained in her to completely alter. Her mother could take pride in that, at least.

She found comfort in odd places, and these jeans, worn in the comfort of her own home, were part of that.

She studied her neat, precise home. Dan had studied it, too. She'd seen the look in his eyes, but he hadn't said anything. His former home had probably been well lived-in. She'd been surprised when he hadn't said anything when she'd opened her cupboard and pulled out the canister of coffee. He probably never even thought to line his dry goods up in alphabetical order. She had no doubt that obsessing over whether each can and package faced straight ahead never entered his mind.

But then, he'd probably not lived under the microscope held up by an insecure mother…. And there Ashby went again, sliding back into places she wanted not to go.

All because of him.

She was pulling a bag of mixed vegetables from the freezer when a knock sounded on her door. She paused, her fingers tightening on the cold plastic. Despite every smart brain cell she possessed, she knew that the reckless part of her that had opted to pull her favorite jeans out of the drawer had also been hoping Dan would come knocking on her door.

Not that she knew it was him. But that was the disturbing part; she
hoped
it was him. The sane person she always tried to be, the one who focused on her dream of having children, that part of her knew this was a bad idea. But as she set the bag down and headed toward the door, she wasn't listening to that person. Not right now.

Her nerves were doing cartwheels as she ran a hand over her hair and stared at the doorknob. The knock came again. She took a deep breath and pulled the door open.