The Double Heart Ranch. Leanna Wilson
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her little finger. She wouldn’t blame Cole for wanting to back out now. Not when his daughter was obviously so upset by the idea.
He shook his head and combed his fingers through his short-cropped hair, about the hundredth time to do so in the last hour. “That’s not it. She’s upset at me.”
Tension in her shoulders pinched her nerve endings. “Why?”
“I forgot about today.”
Elise sank back against the sofa cushions and expelled a breath. She remembered crying herself to sleep when no one had remembered her sixteenth birthday. No square birthday cake with frosting flowers and candles. No presents. No nothing. She’d gotten over it eventually. Now it never bothered her that no one cared. It wasn’t such a special day. “It’s her birthday, isn’t it?”
“No. I could never forget that date. But it was fairy tale day in her kindergarten class.” He walked across the room, his motions stiff, as if with each step he punished himself. “I forgot all about it. Haley was the only one who didn’t dress up like her favorite fairy-tale character.”
“Oh, I see.” Elise studied the distraught father and sensed his self-loathing.
“I have no idea how to make it better.” He cursed beneath his breath, the words aimed like a rifle at himself. “If she’d skinned her knee, I’d know how to treat that.”
“You’ve learned how to kiss boo-boos, eh?” Elise asked, trying to lighten the situation and her own somber mood. This wasn’t as big a travesty as Cole thought.
“Dammit, I’ve broken her heart. How do I fix that?” The pain in his voice slapped at Elise.
A crack opened in her heart. No one had ever worried about her feelings. Yet this father acted like he’d committed a grievous sin against his little daughter. His reaction moved Elise in ways she’d never anticipated.
“Believe me,” she said, sympathizing with Cole, “she’ll get over this.” She had a strange urge to go to him and wrap her arms around him. Instead, she crossed her arms over her middle. “All little girls have disappointments. And they survive. It’s part of growing up. She’ll forget all about this in time.”
“I don’t know. She’s pretty upset. She cried all the way home.” His ragged face told Elise how those childish tears had flooded his own heart.
His pain touched her soul, made her yearn for someone to care as much about her child—and her. “Maybe I can help,” she offered, putting her purse on the sofa and rising. “I’ll go talk to her.”
He shifted, as if coming to attention. “I didn’t tell her about you yet. I didn’t have a chance.”
“It’s okay. I’ll introduce myself and tell her I’m your new friend. Okay?”
“But what will you say? How can you fix things?” His brow bunched into a frown of despair.
She gave him a soft smile and put a hand on his warm, sturdy shoulder. A spark of electricity rippled up her arm and she jerked her hand away, unwilling and unable to consider anything other than friendship with him. But she did feel a bond forming, an understanding that only two parents could truly experience. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”
Cole paced back and forth, along an imaginary worry line in the carpet. With each step he cursed himself for his stupidity. How could he have forgotten Haley’s special day at school? How could he ever make it up to her?
As the minutes ticked slowly by he began to doubt the wisdom of sending Elise to clean up his mess. He was responsible. He should fix it. But how?
If Haley didn’t take to Elise, then it could easily make matters worse. But he’d wanted to believe Elise could help. He’d been grateful that she’d offered. But should he have let her take charge? Maybe he should check on his daughter. He started to climb the stairs but stopped at the strange noise coming from Haley’s bedroom. It sounded like…
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