“Your dad should be here any minute. In fact, we should probably wash your hands before he arrives.” Lucy should at least make an attempt to remove some of the dirt from under Mattie’s fingernails.
They went into the bathroom, and Lucy ran the water until it was lukewarm.
“I hope Daddy wasn’t lonely without me today.” Mattie lathered soap between her hands.
Did normal five-year-olds worry about their parents while they were out having fun? Lucy didn’t think so. Just another reason this little girl was one of a kind.
“Did you think he would be? What does your dad do after work and on the weekends?”
Mattie continued to scrub the soap up to her elbows as though she were a surgeon. “Work.”
“All of the time?”
“No. He also cleans, and packs my lunches, and goes to Grandpa and Grandma’s house—my other grandparents, not the ones you met.”
All exciting things. “What does your dad do for fun?”
Her little forehead crinkled and she finally slipped her hands under the water. “What do you mean?”
“Fun. Like does he golf? Run? Hunt?”
Each thing was met with a shake of Mattie’s head.
“Watch movies?”
“You mean like Frozen?”
“Kind of.” Though not really.
“He usually falls asleep during that movie.”
“What about watching TV?”
Mattie perked up. “He reads.”
Hmm. Lucy flipped the water off, and Mattie used the hand towel.
“And he watches baseball and football sometimes.”
Sounded as if Graham rarely relaxed or did anything for himself.
Lucy’s conscience raised its hands, screaming for attention. She wanted to ignore it the way she did laundry, but her passionate heart wouldn’t let her.
Graham was exactly the type of person who needed someone like her to intervene in his life. Lucy knew without having to peek into Graham’s windows that he was the best kind of father. She imagined he read to Mattie every night and packed healthy lunches and was übercalm all of the time. But did he ever have fun? Let loose? According to Mattie, not really. Of course, there was a chance the girl just didn’t know, but Lucy doubted it.
Usually, she would be all about bringing a little happy into someone else’s life. But diving into Graham’s was a bit complicated.
His in-laws didn’t like the idea of them spending time together, even if they weren’t dating. So how would Lucy ever go about helping him kick back if she couldn’t be seen around him?
Unless...the Wellings didn’t know.
She could totally help Graham if his in-laws didn’t find out.
Mattie flew out of the bathroom, and Lucy followed at a slower pace. She’d have to come up with a plan, though she wasn’t sure where to begin.
She shrugged. She’d pray about it. She’d think about it. The idea would come to her.
It always did.
* * *
“Thanks for dinner.” Graham set a pile of plates by the sink, and Olivia looked up from loading the dishwasher.
“No problem. I’m glad you could come. We’ll have to do it again sometime.”
“That would be great.” Graham had enjoyed dinner. The smaller group setting fit him, and being with Jack and Cash was always easy. They’d reminisced and talked work, sports teams and family. Graham hadn’t realized Olivia was pregnant. It had come up in conversation tonight, though Olivia had mentioned they weren’t sharing the news publicly yet. Cash and Olivia both looked over the moon, and Graham was happy for them.
The memory of finding out Brooke was pregnant slipped into his mind. After he’d got over his initial shock, Graham had pored over parenting books. He’d thought he was ready for Mattie to be born. Until he’d held Matilda Grace Redmond in his arms for the first time.
Nothing prepared a father for that moment.
His heart hadn’t been the same since.
Speaking of his heart, Graham should probably get Mattie and head home. The girl looked as if she’d been dipped in a puddle of mud sometime today and could very much use a bath tonight. But she also looked happy. Sometimes Mattie was so serious, so grown-up, that Graham forgot she was five and should be playing in mud puddles.
That was the kind of stuff he’d done as a kid. He’d ridden bikes with the neighbors and his sisters, and had stayed outside playing until dark. He’d come home dirty. And happy. Brooke had been raised differently, though. She’d been an only child, and the Wellings had been strict. When he’d first met her, Graham had thought Brooke would never go for him. She’d been raised with money, and he’d been raised somewhere in the middle class.
But Brooke hadn’t been like her parents. She didn’t have the same sense of importance they sometimes had. The kind the Wellings had communicated, probably without realizing it, when they’d met Lucy.
Graham wasn’t a fan when they acted that way.
Lucy had said she forgave him and them, and Graham hoped it was true. He didn’t want her offended. He owed Lucy for today. She definitely brought out a side of his daughter he loved to see. Sometimes he didn’t know how to make that same little girl appear himself.
He should thank her, but she was with Olivia and Janie, cooing over the Smiths’ newborn daughter. Graham didn’t want to interrupt. Instead, he headed upstairs to find Mattie. She and Tucker had been tearing through the house all night.
He found the kids in a bedroom, a basket of toys spread across the floor.
“Mattie, time to clean up.” His daughter looked at him and then went back to playing. Graham knelt beside her. “Did you hear me?”
She nodded. “I don’t want to go yet.”
“It’s late, honey, and you’ve been here all day.” It wasn’t like Mattie to argue. She must be exhausted. Graham had heard about all of her activities earlier. She’d been flying high when he’d got here for dinner.
Graham started picking up the toys, and Tucker joined in without being asked. Mattie didn’t.
“Mattie, you need to help.”
She made a little effort, picking up a couple of things. After they’d tidied everything, Graham scooped her up. He offered Tucker a ride, which he refused, instead running ahead of them out the bedroom door.
Mattie’s head rested against his shoulder on the way down the stairs. What would Graham do without his little girl? God had known what He was doing back when Brooke got pregnant. Having a piece of her left behind went a long way toward healing Graham on a daily basis.
He paused between the living room and kitchen. “We’re going to take off. Thanks for everything.”
Everyone called out goodbyes.
“I’ll walk you out.” Lucy came over, meeting them by the front door. She slid on a zip-up sweatshirt, then grabbed their coats, draping Mattie’s over her shoulders. She opened the door for him and they stepped outside. The dark night sky twinkled with countless stars.
Cool air nipped at them, and Graham snuggled Mattie closer. “Can you thank Ms. Lucy for the fun day?”
Instead, his daughter lunged into Lucy’s arms.
Traitor.
He grabbed his jacket from Lucy, slipping it on as they walked. At the car, Graham opened the back door and Lucy put Mattie in her booster seat, helping buckle her in.
She finished saying goodbye and shut the door.
“You’re getting pretty good at that.” He motioned to the car seat. “Guess stealing them from other people’s cars is like a crash course.”
Lucy propped her hands on the hips of her faded jeans. Tonight, her hair was in a loose braid over one shoulder. She had on her green Converse shoes and a T-shirt peeking out from under her sweatshirt that said Save Ferris.
Had she dressed casual so she could bum around the ranch with Mattie?
This woman was growing on him.
He pointed to her shirt. “Aren’t you too young for that movie?”
Her eyes narrowed, lips curving slightly. Every time they did, Graham felt as though he’d won a prize.
“I like old movies.”
“Ah.” He rubbed a hand across his chest. “Did you just call Ferris Bueller’s Day Off an old movie?”
“Well, it is.”
“Now I feel ancient.”
When Lucy laughed, that victorious feeling skyrocketed.
“So, did you have a good day? Get a lot accomplished?”
“I did.” He’d expected to miss Mattie like crazy, but Graham was getting better about her traipsing off with Lucy.
“What did you do?”
“A little work at the office and some at home.”
Lucy tilted her head. “Do you ever have fun, Hollywood?”
“What does that name mean?”
She grinned. “That’s for me to know and you to endure not knowing.”
Seriously. “Yes, I have fun.” Not that he could think of any examples at the moment. “It’s good to see you back to being yourself.”
“How do you know what I’m normally like? We haven’t known each other that long.”
“It’s not hard to tell with you.” And it wasn’t. Lucy was sunshine and rainbows on the gloomiest day.
“It’s good to be back. I’m extremely delightful to be around.”
He groaned.
“I can’t believe you had most of the day to yourself and you didn’t relax and do something enjoyable. What about a movie?”
“By myself?”
“Uh, yeah. Haven’t you ever been to the movies by yourself? In the middle of an afternoon? You buy the biggest popcorn and the largest drink, a box of candy, and you settle in—” Lucy waved her hand. “Never mind. I can see I’ve already lost you. Looks like you definitely need some help in the fun department, Graham Redmond.”
“That’s not true. I’m perfectly content. I don’t need any help having fun.”
“I think I’m going to have to step up my position, from best fill-in-on-maternity-leave office person ever to Director of Fun.”
Panic thrummed in his veins. “Lucy—”
“Did you know there’s a business in Colorado where that’s an actual position? I would be so good at that job.”
Was this what he got for wanting the carefree Lucy back? He’d hoped she would stop being upset about his in-laws, not make him her new pet project. What had he been thinking? Maybe he should go find the Wellings. They’d certainly put a damper on Lucy’s good mood.
But even though the woman drove him a bit crazy when she was going full throttle, he did like seeing her happy.
He just didn’t want her intruding in his life the way she was threatening to.
“Lucy.” He took a step closer. Even with a foot of space between them, the close proximity sent his pulse flying. “I do not—” frustration over his unwanted attraction to Lucy caused his voice to drop “—want or need you messing with my life. Please. Tell me you’re listening. Tell me you’re not going to do something crazy. I do not need you as the director of fun in my life.”
Lucy’s lips curved, only this time, it didn’t feel like a victory. “We’ll have to see about that.”
* * *
On Monday morning, Lucy laughed as Danielle Abbott, the nurse in Graham’s office, squealed and waved her arms with excitement. In the way of nurses, Danielle was calm and put together under the most dire of circumstances. But today something had her in rare form.
“I have never seen you act so giddy. What is going on?”
“I thought we were going to wait a year to get married. A whole year.” Danielle propped her hands on her ample hips. “And I was fine with that. At least, I was trying to be fine.” She fanned herself with her hand, sending the tips of her short, red-orange hair flying. “Phew, I’m hot. Got myself all worked up.”
“So, what changed?” Lucy heard the front door of the office open. She slid from her perch on the reception desk, where she’d been sitting while talking to Danielle.
“Come talk to me when you’re done checking him in.”
“That’s cruel to make me wait.”
Danielle chuckled, taking off for her back office area while Lucy greeted Mr. Birl, who was in for a gash instead of a rash this time. The man could come up with all sorts of interesting diseases and issues. Most of the time, he left without so much as a prescription. Lucy had once attempted to convince him on the phone that nothing was wrong with him. It hadn’t gone over well. The more she’d tried to talk him out of it, the more he’d come up with. She’d ended up having to schedule him for an extra-long appointment.
After Mr. Birl signed in, Lucy grabbed his chart and walked back into Danielle’s space. Large white cabinets and counters lined the sides for processing lab work, with a massive table in the middle that Danielle used for doing paperwork.
Lucy dropped the chart onto the table. “So, what’s the rest of the story? What’s up?”
Danielle finished applying lip gloss and tossed her purse into one of the lower cupboards. “We moved up the date of the wedding.”
“Really? To when?”
“Two weeks from now. Twelve days, more precisely.”
“What?” Lucy imagined she must resemble a fish right now, mouth flopping open and shut. “How?”
Instead of looking freaked, Danielle appeared calm and happy. “We’ve both been through really hard marriages in the past, so we were planning to take extra time with our engagement...after dating for two years already. But we finally decided we don’t want to wait. I’m forty-four years old. I’m done waiting. I’m ready.
“We had so much of the wedding already planned that we just needed a place. My uncle has a beautiful home near San Antonio, and we’re going to have the wedding there.”
“Oh, San Antonio! I’ve never been.” There were all sorts of places in Texas Lucy wanted to visit. She could start there. Not that she was necessarily invited. She’d known Danielle for only a few weeks. “I’m not saying I’m invited,” Lucy backpedaled. “I just meant—”
“Are you kidding?” Danielle came around the table. “Of course you’re invited. You. Graham. Hollie if she wants to make the drive with a newborn. You’re my people.”
“Aww.” Lucy hugged Danielle, and the woman’s arms swallowed her up in a tight grip. Danielle gave the best hugs. “I’m so happy for you. Let me know if you need anything. I’d be happy to help.”
“Exactly what kind of help are you offering?”
“Hmm. Well, I can’t sew, so nothing like that. And I’m pretty horrible about arranging flowers, so that’s out.”
Danielle’s laugh echoed in the room.
Lucy started checking things off on her fingers. “Can’t sing, so no solos. Can’t play any instruments. Oh!” She raised her hands. “But I can dance. If you need any lessons, let me know.”
“You know, I just might take you up on that. Thanks for the offer, hon. I’d better get Mr. Birl into the exam room. If we get behind with him it will ruin the whole morning.”
Danielle grabbed his chart and headed up front.
When she disappeared through the door, Lucy squealed and spun around. While drifting off to sleep last night, she’d been praying over how to implement her new Director of Fun position in Graham’s life. This morning, the answer had fallen into her lap.
The two of them being invited to the same out-of-town wedding was a perfect solution to her dilemma. She could get Graham to relax and have fun, and the Wellings would have no idea she and Graham had done anything together.
Lucy couldn’t wait to inform Graham they’d be going together.
She assumed he’d be just as excited as she was.
* * *
Graham winced at the knock on his office door. His head pounded as though someone had recently used it as a bass drum. The afternoon had already been long, and he was only two appointments past lunch. If Walt Birl tried to come back in this afternoon with another made-up issue, Graham wasn’t sure he could handle it.
“Hey.” Lucy poked her head inside. “Can I come in?”
“Sure.” Graham unbuttoned his sleeves and rolled them up.
She checked her watch. “Right on time.”
“What?”
“Nothing.” Wearing black dress pants, a white shirt and red heels that matched her lipstick, her hair down and curling past her shoulders, she looked like all sorts of trouble. Graham definitely should have told her scrubs were mandatory.
To make things worse, she came over and perched on the edge of his desk.
After Saturday night at the ranch, Graham had come to the conclusion that he needed to be careful around Lucy. Keep a bit of distance between the two of them. Partly because he feared she would follow through on her idea to interfere in his life and partly because he just...needed the space.
He was having more and more trouble not being distracted by Lucy. Her involvement in Mattie’s life and love for his daughter made it hard for him to keep his thoughts from running beyond friendship. But he didn’t want his head going anywhere further than that in regard to Lucy, or anyone else, for that matter.
Graham felt a bit like a child stomping his foot, screaming that he didn’t want things to change. But it was true. He didn’t. He liked his life. He liked taking care of his daughter and living with the memories of Brooke as his first and only love.
He would fight anything that tried to change those feelings.
Every day, when Lucy turned the phones off and left the office, Graham gave a giant sigh of relief. So the fact that she was inches away from him, looking beautiful and smelling like a sweet mixture of coconut and lime, wasn’t helping his already testy mood.
Graham pushed his rolling chair farther from his desk. And Lucy. “What’s up?”
“Did you hear Danielle moved the wedding up to two weeks from now?”
He dug his fingers into his temples. “She might have told me something about it this morning. I’m not sure I caught all of it, though. That seems really fast.”
“It does, but she’s happy.”
“Good.” He nodded. “That’s good, then.” If Danielle was happy, Graham didn’t have to delve into figuring out why everything had changed.
And Lucy was in his office because...
“We’re both invited, so I thought we should ride together since it’s going to be down in San Antonio.”
“Uh, no.”
“Why not?”
“‘Why?’ is the real question. Don’t you have to teach dance that weekend?”
“Dance is in the morning. You know that. We could leave right after class.”
“Is this part of your get-me-to-have-fun plan?”
“No.” Her arms crossed. “Okay, yes.”
She really knew how to hold out. “Why would we need to leave that early on Saturday morning when San Antonio is only an hour away? What time is the wedding?”
“Late afternoon.”
“So, my question bears repeating. Why would we leave that early?”
“We? That means you said yes, right?”
“No.”
“I’ll take that as a yes. We need to leave early so we can have an adventure.”
The pounding in his head ramped up to jackhammer speed. “I don’t want to have an adventure. I don’t have time to have an adventure.” Though he sounded like a pouty child, he didn’t retract the statements.
“Too bad.” Lucy pushed off the desk. “Do you need a prescription, Dr. Redmond? You look like you’re in pain.”
“I’m fine.”
“And crabby.” She broke into a smile and turned to leave his office.
His chance to get out of her crazy plan was slipping away. “Wait. I have Mattie. I can’t even go to the wedding.”
She paused with a hand on the doorknob. “I’m sure Mattie could go. But I also know your parents watch her. This town isn’t big enough for secrets.”
True.
“And are you really telling me that after Danielle’s worked for you since you first opened the clinic, you’re not going to attend her wedding?”
He huffed. It was all he had in his arsenal right now. “Fine, I’m going. But not with you.”
“Oh, Hollywood. It’s sweet when you get all cranky and think you’re going to get your way.” She beamed. “We’ll leave after dance. I’ll pick you up.”