Dream Wedding(93)

“Cat!” Sasha said again.

“Two cats. Can you say two?”

“Two!”

“Very good.”

Cassie kissed the top of the little girl’s head and inhaled the baby talc scent of her. After dinner she’d given Sasha a bath, and now they were reading a story before bedtime. As far as first days went, it had been successful. At least in her eyes.

Sasha stretched and yawned, then pointed at the book. “Read,” she ordered. “Read cat story.”

So Cassie read about the two kitties who were scared of the stranger in their house. How they didn’t like the noises or the smells, but when they saw the baby for the first time, they got a warm feeling in their chest that made them purr. And how when the neighbor’s dog got inside by accident, they both stood up to the larger creature and protected the baby. The last picture showed the infant on its mother’s lap with both cats curled up next to her, ever watchful over their new charge.

“The end,” she said, and closed the book. “Time for bed.”

“Gen…read story gen.”

Cassie put the book down and carried Sasha to her crib. “Not again. Not tonight. You have to sleep.” She set her on the mattress, then pulled up the blanket and kissed her cheek. “Night, muffin. Sleep well. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Heavy-lidded blue eyes blinked slowly. “Read peas. Not tired.”

Cassie chuckled. “Liar. You’re exhausted. You’re going to be asleep in less than two minutes.”

The sound of murmured conversation carried to Ryan as he stood in the shadowy darkness of the hall. He told himself he should go in and say good-night to his niece. Maybe pat her shoulder or something. But the thought made him nervous. He wasn’t good at all the parenting stuff. Cassie was obviously a capable woman and Sasha was better off in her care.

So instead of joining them, he walked to his office and closed the door. But for once the silence and solitude didn’t invigorate him, and the thought of working didn’t inspire him. For the first time in a long time, he wanted something more than his computer and some time in which to concentrate.

It was that damn kid, he thought resentfully. She was going to change everything and he didn’t like it. No wonder he felt unsettled.

He sure could relate to those cats in that dumb story. He didn’t like the smells and the noise either. But when he looked at Sasha he didn’t want to purr…he wanted to run.

He wasn’t very proud of himself these days, but he didn’t know how to change. Worse, he wasn’t sure he wanted to change.

He turned and looked at the portrait hanging over the fireplace in the makeshift office. It showed a laughing couple holding their baby daughter close. It had been done about a year before, when Sasha had been about a year old.

Ryan took in the man’s features, which were so similar to his own. His throat tightened. “Dammit, John, what do you want from me?”

Of course there wasn’t any answer. He hadn’t been expecting one.

“I wish…” he started, then his voice trailed off. He coughed to clear his throat. “I wish you hadn’t died. I miss you.”

Then, because he was a busy man who didn’t have time for all the emotional nonsense in his life, he turned his back on the portrait and settled down in front of his computer.



CHAPTER THREE

“ME HELP,” Sasha informed Cassie as she banged the wooden spoon on the inside of the pot.

“I know,” Cassie said and smiled down at the toddler sitting by the kitchen table. “You’re a big girl and you help me a lot.”

The praise earned her a big grin. Sasha was such a sweet child, she thought as she turned back to the stove and checked on the meat loaf. A glance at the timer told her the main course still had about forty minutes to cook. Time for her to get started on the potatoes.

She collected a half dozen and began peeling them. Sasha sang tunelessly in an effort to accompany herself on her pot banging. Cassie wondered how far the noise would travel in the big house and if Ryan was having trouble concentrating.

This was her third day working for him, taking care of his niece. They’d all settled into a routine fairly quickly. She took care of Sasha while Ryan hid out in his office. He made occasional appearances, but most of them occurred after the toddler was in bed. Still, despite his lack of participation in the day-to-day events, Cassie knew he was in the house with her. There was something oddly domestic about the arrangement. While she liked it, the situation also made her a little nervous.

On occasion, she allowed herself to imagine everything was real. That this was her home, Sasha her child. By default, of course, Ryan was the adoring husband and father. It was like being a kid again and playing house, she thought. Only this time she couldn’t walk away if she got tired or wanted to play something else. There was also the added twist of hormones. Hers were still deeply infatuated with Ryan.