Her face flushed a delicate pink. Charmed by that telltale reaction, he nodded and went to the downstairs closet where his dad used to kept some of his first aid supplies: bandages, old sheets cut and folded ready to be used as a sling—or in a pinch a tourniquet—alcohol, peroxide, and among other things, the insulated ice bag his mom had used to help ease his childhood injuries. His folks must have decided to leave that for him too, knowing he’d need them more than they would.
He returned with the bag, unscrewed the lid, and filled it with ice cubes. “Keep this on for ten minutes, off for ten. Got it?”
He raised one eyebrow when she didn’t answer and waited for her to capitulate.
She frowned up at him and said, “Yeah.”
“Want some aspirin?”
“No, I think I’ll be fine. It was getting the wind knocked out of me that was the scariest.”
He paused halfway to the coffeemaker and turned back toward her. “I should have checked for fractured ribs—”
“I think I’d know if I was hurt anywhere else,” she reassured him. “I’m fine, just had the rug pulled out from under me…seriously…when Jamie tugged on it and ran.” Before he could chastise the dog, she continued, “But he’s just a puppy and doesn’t know what he’s doing—right?”
He sighed, defeated for the moment. “That’s true. If you’re going to be helping me watch him and checking up on him, you have to remember that he’s a baby—just the fuzzy kind. They get into mischief all of the time and you have to be on your toes, ready for just about anything.”
“So you have experience with babies too?”
He nodded. “My Illinois cousins on my mom’s side.”
“Ah,” she said. “That would explain why I don’t know them.”
He grinned. “The Daly clan is almost as large as the Gannon clan—except for my mom and dad, my cousins all come from large families.”
Caitlin’s eyes danced with amusement. “Want a sister?”
He couldn’t help but join in her laughter. “I think I’ll pass on that right now and should remind you that you might miss her once she’s gone.”
Her expression changed in a heartbeat and he was left wondering if he had been the cause. “You aren’t worried about Meg, are you?” The tiny shake of her head was his answer. “Good, then is it Grace?”
He wondered if she’d tell him and then wondered why he cared. He had done more soul searching and thinking in one afternoon then he had in a month of Sundays. Something about this reawakening got to him on a whole different level. He wasn’t used to having his world turned upside down. Time to take back control. “Did you call your dad?”
“Yes. You were right. It was a good idea.”
“Is he expecting you?”
“Are you kicking me out?”
He fought the urge to smile. “Not yet. You still need to keep the ice on your head for the next little while and I have to rig something to use as a leash for Jamie. I don’t want him to run away.”
“That’s why I spread newspaper by the back door. I was afraid to take him outside without a leash, and I didn’t want him to mess up your floor.”
They both looked down at the puppy in question. He was contentedly chewing on the bottom chair rung. Jack shook his head. “Another chewer. I should have known.”
“I thought all puppies chewed.”
He looked at Cait and then his watch before motioning for Cait to take the ice off her head. “Some more than others. Our beagles were champion chewers.”
Cait fell silent. He wondered if she was worried about her sister, the dog, Honey B., or her grandfather’s truck. All of the above? “You’re awfully quiet. Does your head hurt?”
“I have a bit on my mind.”
Stingy, but apparently all she was willing to share with him. He liked seeing her in his kitchen, and the way she played with the puppy chipped away at the walls around his heart. He wasn’t sure he wanted her to get any closer to the turmoil he kept a tight lid on, but he definitely wanted to find out what it would be like to press his lips to the pulse beat on her neck.
Should he give in to temptation? Would she think he was taking advantage of the situation and her? Way too much thinking going on here…he was normally a man of action. Time to act. “Have you ever seen someone and wondered what it would be like if you got to know them better?”
Her eyes widened for a heartbeat and then her gaze locked on his. “Are you wondering about me, Jack?”
Her softly whispered question set off a conflagration inside of him. Imagining iron bands wrapping around his inner beast to contain it helped him regain control. He drew her to her feet and slid his arms around her waist, pulling her flush against him. He could feel the rapid beat of her heart as he traced her spine with the tips of his fingers, eliciting a shiver. “Cold?”