Pixie was mesmerized. The cotton stuck to him in some places and fell loose in others.
“Haven’t seen a colorful sunset yet, but it’s still pretty.” He lifted the hem of the shirt to dry his face. “I should get going. I need to shower and then give Sugar her bath so we can both settle in. I read that keeping to a schedule makes it easier on the kid. What do you think?”
Without putting much thought into it, Pixie answered honestly. “I like a schedule because it makes it easier onme. I don’t want to be too rigid, though. Life has a way of changing your plans, you know? Instead, I try to set up a routine. Snack, bath, clean his teeth, read, and then bedtime. That way, even if we’rerunning late, I can get him back on track with all or part of his routine.”
“Sounds like training,” he said with a half smile.
“With flexibility,” she agreed. “Like when you had to change Shayna’s diaper in the car.” She suspected a man of his ability could improvise at any time.
He nodded. “Gotta know how to make do with what you have on hand.”
The conversation had run its course, and now both kids were chattering, but mostly at each other. It was so cute, as if they had their own language. Andy tried to show Shayna a bird, but she just continued to stare at him adoringly.
“You made a big splash in the town,” Pixie thought to say.
Though he didn’t actually move, it felt as if he took two big steps back—away from her. “What do you mean?”
Uh-oh. His frown isn’t exactly encouraging.Pixie measured her words, finding the best possible way to describe the rabid interest he’d stirred. “Several people favorably mentioned seeing you.”
The concerned frown didn’t lift. “I don’t know why. I mostly kept to myself while I ran my errands.” He added, “I wasn’t rude.”
“Of course not.”
“But I didn’t go out of my way to chat with anyone, either. Well, except you, but that’s because I already know you, and for as long as I’m here, you’re my neighbor.”
Unsure why the impression he’d made would bother him so much, Pixie asked, “Is it a problem that you were noticed?”
He ran a hand over his short hair, then realized that the sun was on Shayna. He adjusted the stroller to be sure she was shaded by the canopy, but could still see Andy. “I wasn’t out to make friends,” he finally said. “I’m here to help ease Shayna’s adjustment.”
“And your own?” He’d said Shayna was nearly two monthsold before he’d found her. He hadn’t had a lot of time yet to acclimate to being a caregiver to an infant.
The lifting of one hard shoulder was answer enough. “Honestly, I’d rather be ignored. I want my private life to stay private. How or why I have Shayna isn’t anyone’s business.”
“No one questioned it. Everyone assumes you’re her father.” Mostly, people had been curious about his marital status. “Brogan, you have to realize that …”What? You’re incredibly delicious and everyone is going to notice?No, she couldn’t say that. “You’re a big guy, and not an ogre, right? People, especially women, are going to take note of you.” There, that sounded neutral enough, completely logical and not at all interested.
He shook his head. “I’d rather they ignore me. My focus is on her, you know?” He nodded at Shayna. “On getting this parenting gig figured out, getting her on a routine, like you said.”
“And taking care of yourself, too.” After all, he was out jogging—showing off all that awesomeness. Not on purpose maybe, but Pixie felt certain anyone else would have had the same difficulty keeping their gaze on his face.
“It’s a win-win, if I can get in some exercise and she gets fresh air.”
“Agreed.” After all, that was Pixie’s reason for being out and about, too. “I hope Andy and I aren’t complicating things for you.”
“No,” he replied quickly. “That is, I don’t want a lot of friends, though I plan to be friendly.”
“Okay.”
“Relationships complicate things.”
“They do.”
“But you have a baby, so I feel like I can learn from you.”
That was great. Since she was a mom, he saw her as a teacher, not a woman. Pixie forced a smile. “I’m happy to help, howeverI can, no pressure at all.” To salvage her pride, she added, “Like you, I’m busy enough already and don’t need the hassle of a relationship.”
The second the words left her mouth, she felt ridiculous. Here in Bramble, she didn’t have to worry about hot dates because the aging population made that impossible. There were no young, handsome, sensitive, and caring bachelors around, except on the weekends and she wasn’t into two-day flings.
Even if a suitable guy lived nearby, few men would want to get involved with the mother of an active toddler.
