Lynne Marshall - Spellbound By The Single Dad

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No one had ever asked her what she’d wanted to be—not as an adult or as a child. She was a princess. A princess with four older siblings would never be queen, but she was still expected to dedicate her life to her people. Her three brothers had served in the military, but that was about as far as the children of the monarch could move away from their royal duties.

Mewling from the cradle let them know Bonnie was waking. Jenna jumped up, eager for the distraction. “You keep her entertained, and I’ll make her bottle.”

She saw his quick doubtful glance at the cradle and suppressed a smile. He’d held Bonnie often but usually when she was fed and happy. And quiet.

When Jenna came back into the room with a warm bottle, Liam was sitting at the table, looking bemused as he held a screaming Bonnie. When he spotted her, the relief on his face was almost comical. “Thank goodness. She’s been telling me that she’s pretty desperate.”

“At full volume.” Jenna chuckled, took Bonnie from him and sat back in her own chair. “It’s all right, little one. I have your bottle right here.”

As she fed the baby, Liam finished his dinner, though she felt his steady gaze on her the whole time.

“Want me to take her so you can finish your meal?” he said when Bonnie was done.

“That would be great, thanks.” She handed him the now happy baby. As Jenna resumed eating, she sneaked glances at man and daughter. The soft, loving expression on his face when he looked down at his baby turned her heart to putty.

In her world, men didn’t have much to do with babies—there were nannies for that. Liam’s murmured words, his stroking of her tiny cheeks, affected Jenna more than she would have guessed and made her grieve the loss of a father for Meg all over again. Her own little girl was missing out on this.

It also made her miss her own father and mother. It had been more than a year since she’d seen them, since she’d heard their voices. This job with Liam would need to be her last in the States—soon, she’d have to work out a plan to return home. It still seemed impossible, but she had to believe that when the time came, she’d find the right way.

When she’d finished her meal, Liam returned Bonnie to the cradle so they could clear the plates, then stood with his hands resting on his hips. “So what’s your plan for me with Bonnie tonight?”

She’d been mulling over that very question in her mind all day. Where to start was important. “I was thinking we could try you and Bonnie with her baby carrier.”

“Baby carrier?” He rubbed a hand across his raspy chin. “I thought you’d have us doing something more...”

“Hands-on?” She reached for the gray and white carrier she’d slipped behind the cradle to have it accessible.

He shrugged a shoulder. “Yes, actually.”

“If we fit the carrier straps to your size and you’re comfortable in it, it will give you a certain amount of independence with her. You’ll be able to duck in and pick her up during the day if you want, and you’ll have your hands free. The easier that becomes, the more time you’ll be able to spend with her.”

“And the more time I spend with her, the stronger our bond. Got it. Hear that, Bonnie?” The baby was lying back in her cradle, her little arms flailing as she watched them. “This is the first step to our new bond.”

Jenna gave the cotton and mesh a shake. “If you’re ready, the first thing we need to adjust the carrier straps to fit you.”

He looked dubiously at the contraption in her hand. “Is it the right size?”

“They come in one size and we adjust it.” She lengthened the strap, then reached up to loop it over his head but hesitated. She’d done this countless times on herself, but pulling it over Liam’s thick mahogany hair seemed an act of intimacy that was beyond the boundaries of their relationship.

“Er, you might be a bit tall for me to reach....” It was an obvious lie. He was taller, yes, but if he ducked his head there was no reason she couldn’t manage the task. She held the carrier out to him, and Liam seemed to take her assessment at face value.

He took the carrier and slipped it over his head and threaded his arms through, then held the pouch section out in front of him. “This will hold her?”

“She’ll be well supported.” The carrier needed to be a little tighter so that Liam could hold Bonnie more firmly against his chest, but the threaded buckle was at the back, so it would be awkward for him to do it himself. Perhaps Jenna should have asked Katherine to help with this part. “If you turn around, I’ll adjust it.”

Suddenly she was presented with the expanse of pale blue shirt fabric pulled firmly across his broad shoulders. A prickle of heat raced across her skin. She wanted to allow her hands to roam, to trace the shape of him under the material, to luxuriate in the warm solidness of him.

He didn’t move—patiently waiting for her to help him with something for his daughter. Which was enough to snap Jenna out of the mood that had descended. Quickly, she tightened the straps to fit firmly around him, ignoring the exquisite torture of her fingers brushing against him.

“Okay, I think that’s about right,” she said brightly. “I’ll pop Bonnie in, and check the fitting again then.”

As he turned back around, Jenna picked Bonnie up, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and slid her into the pouch strapped to her father’s chest. Bonnie’s neck arched against the head support and she locked her gaze on her father’s face.

“I think she likes it already,” Jenna said.

Liam put a hand up behind Bonnie’s head, as he examined as much of the carrier as he could see, as if making an assessment about its construction and the safety of his daughter. “I thought I’d seen babies facing the other way.”

“As she gets a bit older, we can adjust it and have her facing forward. Older babies like to see the world, but right now she’d rather be snug against you.”

Liam whispered something to Bonnie, and Jenna saw his Adam’s apple move slowly up and down. Tears of tender emotion pressed at the back of her eyes, but she blinked them away and busied herself reading the instruction leaflet that came with the carrier, despite having read it several times already, and allowed father and daughter to have their moment.

“Did you wear one of these much with Meg?” he finally asked, glancing up.

Jenna smiled as she circled him, testing the straps and the fit. “She practically lived in one. After work, I was busy trying to get our washing and cooking done. But I hadn’t seen her all day, so I didn’t want to be apart from her either.”

He nodded in understanding. “And with the carrier, you could do both things at once.”

“In theory,” she said wryly. “Often I’d get distracted by Meg and end up with no washing or cooking done and I’d eat a banana for dinner.”

She felt the low rumble of his laugh as it vibrated through his chest and quickly dropped her hands. “I think she’s safe and snug in there,” she said, stepping back. “How does it feel?”

He leaned a fraction to one side, then the other and swiveled at the waist, as if testing the carrier’s scope. “It’s surprisingly comfortable. I mean, I know she’s there and my center of gravity is different, but I’d expected it to feel more cumbersome.”

“That’s great. Why don’t you take a walk through the house? See if it feels secure while you move around.”

He wandered off, ambling from room to room, leaving her watching him. But she felt more like a voyeur than someone supervising the process. His body moved with such masculine grace, and the carrier straps emphasized the set of his shoulders.