He picked up the phone. “I’ll call you back,” he said and hung up before hearing a reply, then turned to Sasha. “We’ll talk about your problem in a minute. I have to get the door.”
The little girl sniffed. “Mommy,” she whispered.
Ryan swallowed another oath. How was he supposed to tell a toddler that neither her mother nor her father was going to come home? For the thousandth time in less than a week, he cursed his brother for making him the sole guardian of his only child.
He crossed the wood floor of the foyer and jerked open the front door. “What?” he demanded.
A young woman stood on the porch and smiled at him. “Hi, Mr. Lawford, I’m Cassie Wright. We met after the funeral, but I don’t expect you to remember me.”
She carried two bags of groceries in her arms, one of which she thrust at him. He had a brief impression of average if pleasant features, chin-length thick, dark hair and big eyes.
“It’s been nearly a week,” she said as she stepped past him into the house. “I figured you would probably be pretty frustrated about now. Sasha’s a sweet kid, but the terrible twos are called that for a reason. I knew you didn’t have any kids of your own. Your brother’s wife talked about you some when she was at the school. So here I am.”
She’d kept moving during her speech, and by the end she was standing in the center of the kitchen, surveying the disaster that had once been a pleasantly decorated room. Dishes and microwave-safe containers filled the sink, along with every inch of counter space. There were spills on the floor from his attempts to feed Sasha at the table, before he’d figured out that she was too small and, despite her claims to the contrary, really did need her high chair.
Cassie Wright turned in a slow circle, then faced him. “I brought food, but a cleaning crew would have been a better idea.”
Ryan didn’t like feeling inadequate, but he was not equipped to take care of a child. “It’s been a difficult few days.”
“I’m sure.” Cassie’s friendly expression softened into sympathy. She set her bag of groceries on a chair, which, except for the floor, was about the only free space.
He looked at her, then at the bag in his arms, then back at her. “Who are you and why are you here?”
Before she could answer, he heard a soft shriek from the hallway, followed by the sound of small feet racing toward the kitchen. “Cassie!” Sasha called in obvious pleasure. The toddler barreled into the room as fast as her short legs would allow. She threw herself at the strange woman.
“Hey, Munchkin,” Cassie said, crouching down to collect the child in her arms. She straightened and hugged Sasha close to her chest. “I’ve missed you. How are you doing?”
Sasha gave her a fierce hug, then rested her arm around Cassie’s neck and gave her a wide grin. “Me help Unk Ryan.”
Cassie looked at him. “Uh-oh. Sasha’s heart is in the right place, but her helping tends to create disasters. You have my sympathy.”
“The fax machine needs it more. She tried to feed it peanut butter.”
Cassie winced. “Did you do that?” she asked Sasha as she wiped drying tears from her face. “Did you give the fax machine dinner?”
Sasha nodded vigorously. Her dark curls danced with her every movement. “He hungry. Me help.”
Ryan stared at the young woman in front of him. She was comfortable with Sasha, and the kid obviously knew her. So he was the only one out of the loop. “Who are you?” he asked.
Cassie set Sasha on the floor, then smoothed her palms against her skirt. She took two steps closer to him and held out her right hand. “Sorry. I should have been more clear. I’m Cassie Wright. I’m a teacher at Sasha’s preschool. I’ve known her for about a year, and she’s been in my class for the past six months.” She met his eyes and her voice softened. “I’m so sorry about your recent loss. I thought you might be having some trouble adjusting to life with a two-year-old, so I came by to see what I could do to help.”
The feeling of relief was instant. He gripped her hand as if it were the winning lottery ticket, and he smiled at her. “This is great,” he told her. “You’re right. I don’t have any kids, and I don’t have any experience with them. I’ve been trying to do work, but Sasha follows me everywhere. It’s nearly impossible to get anything done.”
He released her hand and glanced at his watch. “I need to fax something to Japan. It’s already late and I have to scan it into the computer before I can send it. Would you watch her? Just for a couple of minutes. I’ll be right back.”