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Laughter resonated from down the hall. He made his way to Joelle’s room, only to find they had outdone the small tent he had made for his daughter. Sheets hung from each corner of the room, draped and decorated with hanging paper ornaments. Comforters and pillows on the ground had been arranged artfully for a tea party with Joelle’s dolls. The two of them didn’t notice him standing in the doorway. Caleb grinned, unable to hide the surge of feeling in his heart as he watched his daughter. Joyful laughter he hadn’t seen much of in the past eighteen months. At least not until Madison showed up in their lives.
“Sounds like too much fun going on.”
They looked up at him in surprise.
“Daddy, you’re home,” Joelle said, running toward him. He kneeled, bracing himself for one giant-sized hug from a pint-sized kid.
“Yes. And I brought us pizza from the shop in town. I figured we should celebrate our good fortune, and that Madison deserved a night of relaxation, not work.”
“Yummy, I love pizza,” his daughter said, rubbing her belly.
“Hopefully no anchovies or onions,” Madison quipped as she stood, straightening her shirt, and running a hand through her hair as if to comb it.
Caleb reached out to help; the action as natural as the air he breathed. She managed to smooth her hair without his assistance and his hand dropped to his side. While he was in town, he’d come to the realization they did need to talk about the kiss last night, and his even odder reaction this morning. The truth was it wasn’t a kiss of gratitude he wanted to give her. The idea of spending time with Madison made him happy, and clearly, his daughter felt the same way.How could it be wrong? A familiar guilt assuaged him, but he tamped it down this time. It wasn’t easy letting go, but perhaps it was time to make way for happiness in their lives.
“No anchovies, but there are onions. Sorry. Guess I should have asked. Can you pick them off?” Caleb asked.
Madison nodded. “Of course. I love cooked onions, but they don’t love my breath,” she teased.
“Planning on getting close enough to kiss someone?” he asked, unable to resist baiting her. Laughter and teasing were fast becoming addictive…at least with Madison.
“Hardly,” she said, her face and throat turning bright pink.
“Then onions it is. Your secret is safe with me.”
They headed down the hall and Madison set the table as he opened the pizza box and started to serve slices onto each plate. One for Joelle, two for the adults. “And yes, sweetheart, if you want another piece, you can have one,” he said, ruffling his daughter’s hair as he handed her the plate.
“Does that mean I can have more as well?” Madison asked, her eyes smiling with laughter.
Caleb raised an eyebrow. “Of course. I didn’t take you as a three-slice person. You seem to keep surprising me every step of the way.”
“Maybe I’ve worked up an appetite today.” She grinned. “Either that, or I’m a glutton for pizza.”
Apparently, Madison wasn’t one of those girls who counted every calorie going in and out. “Time will tell.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“Just that next time I see you eating pizza, I’ll be counting to see if you’re a three-slice regular.” Caleb chuckled, taking a bite of his pizza.
“Assuming therewill bea next time,” Madison said, sitting down at the table to join them.
“Oh, I’m positive there will be. This is too much fun, not to repeat. Don’t you agree?” It was a huge step forward for Caleb, and it left him slightly off-kilter.
Madison’s gaze widened. “I concur, but I wasn’t prepared for you to admit it.”
“Well, Star and I had a chat today and she sort of made me see what I was missing.” Off-kilter and way too eager to spill his guts. It was as though he couldn’t shut off his brain or his mouth.Sort of.
“The horse talked to you, Daddy?” Joelle asked, tugging at his shirt.
Caleb nodded, not that he wanted to have this conversation with his daughter. Or, at least not in front of Madison. “She did.”
“What did she say?” his daughter asked.
“Star said you were a good girl today and that I should reward you both with a special treat. I bought marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate to make smores.” It wasn’t easy to come up with things to do around a campfire with a child involved, but this would hopefully be a winning move.
“I love smores,” Madison chimed.
“Goes right along with three slices of pizza,” he teased, shooting her a wink. “I thought we could have a campfire under a beautiful starlit night. We can watch for fireflies too.” Romance by firelight. It would be an excellent way to test the waters and see if he could even go in this direction. But of all the women he knew, Madison was the only one he felt inclined to test the theory with.
