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They talked a few minutes while Caroline petted Muffy, and then they headed back inside to start their day—already off to a very good start.
Will arrived home early from work. He entered the room with the same commanding presence as always, plus this time he carried the puppy. He scooped up Caroline with one arm.
“Hello, hello,” he said. “Want to play with your dog?”
“Yes, please,” Caroline answered, smiling at him.
“Ah, that’s a wonderful smile, sweetie. You have fun with Muffy.” He set Caroline down and carefully handed her the puppy. “Hold her gently and be very careful to not drop her because that would hurt her.”
“I won’t,” Caroline said, holding the dog and sitting on the floor to put Muffy in her lap.
Will looked at Ava. “This is good.”
“It’s been an unusually fine day. Caroline read to me,” Ava said, wondering whether her pulse raced over Will’s appearance or over being able to tell him the exciting news.
“Wonderful! Caroline, that’s fantastic,” he said. “Look at Muffy, she likes to have you scratch her ears.” Caroline smiled again.
Will tossed off his navy suit jacket and kicked off his shoes, sitting on the floor with Caroline while Ava began to gather books and games to be put away. She listened to Will talk to Caroline a little, and then he sat in silence while they played with Muffy. Caroline laughed when Muffy caught her shoe and tugged on it.
Will picked up the puppy to get Caroline’s shoe away from the dog. He grabbed a dog toy, squeaked it and gave it a toss. Caroline laughed when Muffy dashed after it.
Thrilled by the change in Caroline, Ava sat in a rocker and watched, remaining quiet.
“Muffy, here Muffy,” Caroline called. The pup ignored her, and Will stretched out his arm to catch the dog and hand it to Caroline.
They played with the puppy for a long time, and Ava was not alone with Will until that night after he came back from tucking Caroline into bed.
He found her sitting out on the veranda. “Tell me about the day. I’ve been wanting to hear since I arrived home and you indicated it had been very good.”
“I think so. The walls seem to be crumbling for her. When I read today, she started reading when I paused and then I gave her a chance. I’ll ask her tomorrow if she’ll read for you, and we’ll see what she says. She’s a good little reader. By the end of summer, Will, she will be more than ready for kindergarten. She should be confident enough to do well.”
“Ava, this is just amazing when I think of all I’ve gone through. You have come in here and quickly healed the terrible hurt that’s kept her wrapped up in herself.”
“I don’t think I can take that kind of credit,” she said, aware he sat only a few feet away. He rested a hand on hers, their fingers linked together. He acted unaware of the touch. For her, it was a smoldering flame she could not ignore. It was tangible, a steady contact that made her want more.
“I think Caroline may have been ready,” she continued. “I think the puppy has been a trigger for release. She is so happy and excited over Muffy.”
“She laughed. She talked to me. She read for you. We’ll go out to dinner Saturday night, but I don’t think we should leave until near her bedtime. I don’t want to skip out on her when all this is happening.”
“Very good idea, Will. We don’t need to go at all.”
“Yes, we do. I want to celebrate and do this as a thank-you.”
Her heart skipped a beat. Saturday night. Dangerous for her heart, yet exciting and too big a temptation to turn him down.
Excitement coursed through Will’s veins on Saturday. He wanted to be alone with Ava, to take her out where he could hold her, dance with her. Gradually, their kisses were heating and she was letting down her barriers. He wanted to be with her all the time now. He had never wanted a woman the way he did Ava. She was in his thoughts constantly. She wanted commitment—could he make some kind of commitment? Since when had he ever given a thought to commitment? With Ava, the idea seemed different than it had before. He wanted her in his life.
He wanted to treat her to an evening out as a special thank-you for how she’d helped Caroline. Will’s throat tightened and emotions gripped him when he thought about the change in his niece.
Ava had been all he had hoped for and more. The breakthrough had come sooner than he had expected. She was fabulous with the little girl. Ava was just the person Caroline had needed: not too gushy, not too remote. Lost in thoughts about Ava, he dressed in his navy suit, finished combing his hair and left to wait in the downstairs study.
He heard a faint rustle and the click of high heels on the polished wood floor. He turned and his breath was gone as if he had received a punch in his middle. He couldn’t keep from staring as he walked toward her.
“Ah, you look stunning,” he said, crossing the room to her while his gaze went over her sleeveless red dress with a low V-neck and short skirt. Its plain lines hugged her tiny waist. Her hair was looped and pinned on her head with a few loose strands. Desire burned, hot, intense. He wanted to carry her to bed instead of taking her out for the evening, but that was impossible.
“Thank you,” she replied with a smile.
“I won’t be able to see anything or anyone tonight except you. You’re a very special woman.” How could he hold her past summer? He wasn’t going to want to let her go. The idea surprised him, but he was as certain as he could be. He wanted her in his life and the thought of her walking out and saying goodbye was unacceptable. When had he developed such strong feelings for her? When had he ever known a woman as special?
“Shall we go tell Caroline good-night?” she asked, breaking into his thoughts.
“Yes. I thought about doing it before I came down, but I wanted to wait until you were ready.” He wanted to do everything with Ava by his side.
Together they walked upstairs to the playroom. Before they reached the open door, Will stopped her when they heard Caroline’s laughter. His insides squeezed and his throat knotted. Joy and relief rocked him and he tried to control his reaction.
“Listen,” he said. “I thought I’d never hear that again.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “She’s laughing,” he repeated, thinking her childish laughter was the most wonderful sound in the world.
He looked at Ava with a burst of gratitude. “I was right about you,” he whispered. “You’ve transformed our lives by finding the way to reach her.” He stared at Ava, certain he had never known a woman he cared as much about. Beautiful, breathtaking and she was so much more. For the first time in his life, he was thinking about a serious, long-term relationship.
He took Ava’s arm to enter the playroom. Rosalyn sat in a chair while Caroline ran around the room chasing Muffy, who had a toy in her mouth.
“Uncle Will, look at Muffy,” she cried and laughed again.
“Catch her.”
He didn’t trust his voice for a moment as emotions tore at him. His eyes burned and he was overwhelmed again.
“She loves for you to chase her,” Ava said, filling in for him when he didn’t speak.
He pulled himself together. “Want me to catch her?”
“Yes, please,” Caroline answered.
“She’s been having a very good time with the dog,” Rosalyn said, smiling broadly at him.
Will reached out to grab Muffy’s toy, catching a leg of the sock monkey. Muffy gave a playful growl and pulled, shaking her head and yanking the toy away from Will. When she dropped the monkey, Will snatched it up to hand it to Caroline. “Throw it for her, Caroline. She’ll run and get it.”
Caroline threw the sock monkey, squealing with delight when Muffy ran after it.
They stayed longer than he had intended, but he couldn’t bear to leave when he saw Caroline laughing and having fun.
Finally, Muffy stretched out on the floor, and Caroline sat down beside her to pet her.
“She’s worn out now,” Will said, picking up Caroline. “We will tell you goodbye, but we’ll be home later. I’m taking Miss Ava to dinner.”
He kissed Caroline’s cheek and she hugged him tightly.
“I love you,” she whispered.
He felt as if he had received another blow. His knees felt weak and he held her close, again having to get a grip on his feelings. “I love you, sweetie, more than anything,” he whispered. He leaned away to smile at her, hoping she didn’t notice his eyes were teary.
He turned to Ava, who stepped close. “Good night, Caroline. We’ll be back after a while.”
She brushed a kiss on Caroline’s cheek and Caroline reached out to hug her. Ava took her from Will and hugged her lightly. Will drew a deep breath, realizing he might not ever want to let Ava go out of his life. She was rare, special. He watched her set Caroline down. “Good night. Rosalyn, have a nice evening.”
Finally Will took Ava’s arm and they left. Instead of leaving the house, he led her to the library and closed the door. He turned to face her and she looked at him questioningly.
What was going on?
Eight
“Why are we in the library?” she asked.
As he crossed the room to stand closer, Ava’s curiosity grew.
“I have to tell you,” he said. “When I picked Caroline up tonight, for the first time since Adam’s accident, she told me she loved me.”
“Oh, Will!” Ava exclaimed. “I’m so glad. I didn’t hear her. How wonderful.”
“It is. So is her laughter and her joy in that goofy little puppy that isn’t even house-trained yet. And now to have her tell me she loves me. It was monumental. I’m taking you out tonight to thank you. And I have something for you. It’s a gesture of thanks for what you’ve done.”
“I think what you’re paying me covers that, Will. You don’t need to buy a present for me,” she said, moved and amused. “Really, Will. You’re paying me a fortune.”
He pulled a small gift box from his suit pocket and handed it to her.
Surprised, she looked at it and then at him as she accepted it. “This is so unnecessary. I’m thrilled, too, over Caroline. It was heartbreaking to see her shut away in a world of silence.” Ava tore away the gold paper and ribbon.
“I intended it as a thank-you for the little responses we’ve had. Now it’s become a gesture for an even bigger thank-you for tonight and how much she has opened up,” he said, his voice growing husky with emotion.
She opened a long black velvet box and gasped at the necklace it contained. Set in gold, every other stone was either a sparkling diamond or a brilliant emerald. Shocked, she looked up at him. “Will, I can’t take this. It’s worth a fortune.”
“That doesn’t even begin to express my gratitude.” He lifted it out of the box. “Turn around.”
He placed it on her, fastening it behind her neck.
She crossed the room to the mirror. “I can’t imagine wearing this anywhere. I need a bodyguard with it.”
He smiled. “I’ll be your bodyguard.” He walked up to place his hands on her shoulders. “It’s a token thank-you. You’ve worked a miracle.”
“Oh, please. I think little Muffy worked the miracle.”
“Which was your idea. No, the necklace is a thank-you which you definitely deserve. I want you to have it, Ava,” he said in a husky voice. “You mean more to me than any woman I’ve ever known.”
His words thrilled her. Was it just part of his seductive ways? Or did he sincerely mean what he said?
Will glanced at his watch. “Now we should go. We’re a little late on our schedule. Since the helicopter belongs to me, it will still be waiting.”
“Thank you. I just can’t believe this. I keep wanting to look at it,” she said, glancing once more in the mirror.
He took her arm and they left. In thirty minutes they were airborne, heading south.
It was after nine by the time they landed in on the helicopter pad on his yacht in the Gulf. Deck lights glittered and she heard a band playing.
“You hired a band?”
“I wanted this to be special for you. Since we’re running late and have to get back tonight, I’ll give you the tour after dinner.”
“Fine.” She was still intensely aware of the elegant necklace she wore. So far they had seen only people who worked for him, which suited her because she couldn’t get accustomed to wearing something so valuable.
They took an elevator to an upper deck where they crossed to a single table set with white linen. Deck lights and torches burned, giving a soft glow in places, dark shadows in others away from the lights. She wondered how long the band had been playing, but knew they had fair warning when Will would arrive because of the chopper.
“Will, this is beautiful. It’s not as hot out here as it is in the city.”
“What’s really beautiful is the woman I’m with. And exciting.”
After they had been seated with wine ordered and poured, Will raised his glass.
“To your success, with all my gratitude,” Will said, holding his glass in a toast.
With a faint clink she touched his glass with hers. “I’ll drink to my success. I want my school to be all that I hope and have dreamed about.”
“You’re the right person for it.” He stood and held out his hand. “Would you like to dance?”
“Of course,” she said, taking his hand. She went into his arms, feeling his warmth, dancing with him. “You lead a charmed life, Will Delaney,” she said.
“Sometimes. There’s the money and the businesses, which I like. But there’s the other side that hasn’t been charmed. My mother walked out when I was fourteen, and my brothers and I were shuffled around at schools for a couple of years. I’ve lost a brother, and then this latest with my father’s death and Caroline, which was a tragedy of giant proportions. So all has not been charmed.”
“No, I guess it hasn’t. That’s true for everyone, I suppose.”
“No sad faces or gloomy thoughts on this night, though. This is a celebration. I feel like dancing on the table and shouting from the rooftop. I’m so happy about Caroline. There’s no way to tell you.”
“I’m happy, too, and glad for both of you. She seemed happy tonight. Take very good care of that little dog.”
“Actually, I’ve thought about getting her another one so she has two. That way if something happened to one, we would have the other. Besides, the dogs would be fun for her and company for each other.”
“Ask her and see what she would like.”
“That I’ll do. Is there any way I can help you with your school plans? I have a lot of available resources.”
“I’m doing quite well so far, and with the salary you’re paying me, I can afford to go ahead with my plans without worrying about grants. Thank you for the offer.”
“Enough about business, too,” he said. “This is great. I’m glad to have you here. I wish we could take the weekend and sail south, but we need to get back. I want to stay near Caroline right now.”
“I agree. I think you need to.”
“You, too. You’re part of this at the moment. I saw how she hugged you tonight. She doesn’t do that with others.”
“I was deeply touched.”
