Debbie Macomber - The Road To Love - Love by Degree / The Rain Sparrow

“No! She’s like that other lady who said bad words.”

Meanwhile, Jenny wailed all the louder. Digging around in the bag, Reed found a stuffed teddy bear and pressed it into her arms. But Jenny angrily tossed the toy aside, the tears flowing unabated down her face.

“Come on, Jimmy,” Reed said desperately. “We need a little help here. Your sister’s crying.”

Holding his hands over his eyes, Jimmy straightened and peeked through two fingers. The distraught Jenny continued to cry at full volume in spite of Ellen’s best efforts.

“Mommy bounces her.”

Ellen had been gently doing that from the beginning.

“What else?” she asked.

“She likes her boo-loo.”

“What’s that?”

“Her teddy bear.”

“I’ve already tried that,” Reed said. “What else does your mommy do when she cries like this?”

Jimmy was thoughtful for a moment. “Oh.” The four-year-old’s eyes sparkled. “Mommy nurses her.”

Reed and Ellen glanced at each other and dissolved into giggles. The laughter faded from his eyes and was replaced with a roguish grin. “That could be interesting.”

Hiding a smile, Ellen decided to ignore Reed’s comment. “Sorry, Jenny,” she said softly to the baby girl.

“But maybe he’s got an idea,” Reed suggested. “Could she be hungry?”

“It’s worth a try. At this point, anything is.”

Jenny’s bellowing had finally dwindled into a few hiccuping sobs. And for some reason, Jimmy suddenly straightened and stared at Reed’s craggy face, at his deep auburn hair and brilliant green eyes. Then he pointed to the plaid wool shirt, its long sleeves rolled up to the elbow. “Are you a lumberjack?”

“A lumberjack?” Reed repeated, looking puzzled. He broke into a full laugh. “No, but I imagine I must look like one to you.”

Rummaging through the diaper bag, Ellen found a plastic bottle filled with what was presumably formula. Jenny eyed it skeptically, but no sooner had Ellen removed the cap than Jenny grabbed it from her hands and began sucking eagerly at the nipple.

Sighing, Ellen sank into the rocking chair and swayed back and forth with the baby tucked in her arms. “I guess that settles that.”

The silence was so blissful that she wanted to wrap it around herself. She felt the tension drain from her muscles as she relaxed in the rocking chair. From what Jimmy had dropped, she surmised that Danielle hadn’t been much help. Everything she’d learned about the other woman told Ellen that Danielle would probably find young children frustrating—and apparently she had.

Jimmy had crawled into Reed’s lap with a book and demanded the lumberjack read to him. Together the two leafed through the storybook. Several times during the peaceful interlude, Ellen’s eyes met Reed’s across the room and they exchanged a contented smile.

Jenny sucked tranquilly at the bottle, and her eyes slowly drooped shut. At peace with her world, the baby was satisfied to be held and rocked to sleep. Ellen gazed down at the angelic face and brushed fine wisps of hair from the untroubled forehead. Releasing her breath in a slow, drawn-out sigh, she glanced up to discover Reed watching her, the little boy still sitting quietly on his lap.

“Ellen?” Reed spoke in a low voice. “Did you finish your math paper?”

“Finish it?” She groaned. “Are you kidding? I haven’t even started it.”

“What’s a math paper?” Jimmy asked.

Rocking the baby, Ellen looked solemnly over at the boy. “Well, it’s something I have to write for a math class. And if I don’t write a paper, I haven’t got a hope of passing the course.” She didn’t think he’d understand any algebraic terms. For that matter, neither did she.

“What’s math?”

“Numbers,” Reed told the boy.

“And, in this case, sometimes letters—like x and y.”

“I like numbers,” Jimmy declared. “I like three and nine and seven.”

“Well, Jimmy, my boy, how would you like to write my paper for me?”

“Can I?”

Ellen grinned at him. “You bet.”

Reed got out pencil and paper and set the four-year-old to work.

Glancing up, she gave Reed a smile. “See how easy this is? You’re good with kids.” Reed smiled in answer as he carefully drew numbers for Jimmy to copy.

After several minutes of this activity, Jimmy decided it was time to put on his pajamas. Seeing him yawn, Reed brought down a pillow and blanket and tucked him into a hastily made bed on the sofa. Then he read a bedtime story until the four-year-old again yawned loudly and fell almost instantly asleep.

Ellen still hadn’t moved, fearing that the slightest jolt would rouse the baby.

“Why don’t we set her down in the baby seat?” Reed said.

“I’m afraid she’ll wake up.”

“If she does, you can rock her again.”

His suggestion made sense and besides, her arms were beginning to ache. “Okay.” He moved to her side and took the sleeping child. Ellen held her breath momentarily when Jenny stirred. But the little girl simply rolled her head against the cushion and returned to sleep.

Ellen rose to her feet and turned the lamp down to its dimmest setting, surrounding them with a warm circle of light.

“I couldn’t have done it without you,” Reed whispered, coming to stand beside her. He rested his hand at the back of her neck.

An unfamiliar warmth seeped through Ellen, and she began to talk quickly, hoping to conceal her sudden nervousness. “Sure you could have. It looked to me as if you had everything under control.”

Reed snorted. “I was ten minutes away from calling the crisis clinic. Thanks for coming to the rescue.” He casually withdrew his hand, and Ellen felt both relieved and disappointed.

“You’re welcome.” She was dying to know what had happened with Danielle, but she didn’t want to ask. Apparently, the other woman hadn’t stayed around for long.

“Have you eaten?”

Ellen had been so busy that she’d forgotten about dinner, but once Reed mentioned it, she realized how hungry she was. “No, and I’m starved.”

“Do you like Chinese food?”

“Love it.”

“Good. There’s enough for an army out in the kitchen. I ordered it earlier.”

Ellen didn’t need to be told that he’d made dinner plans with Danielle in mind. He’d expected to share an intimate evening with her. “Listen,” she began awkwardly, clasping her hands. “I really have to get going on this term paper. Why don’t you call Danielle and invite her back? Now that the kids are asleep, I’m sure everything will be better. I—”

“Children make Danielle nervous. She warned me about it, but I refused to listen. She’s home now and has probably taken some aspirin and gone to sleep. I can’t see letting good food go to waste. Besides, this gives me an opportunity to thank you.”

“Oh.” It was the longest speech that Reed had made. “All right,” she agreed with a slight nod.

While Reed warmed the food in the microwave, Ellen set out plates and forks and prepared a large pot of green tea, placing it in the middle of the table. The swinging door that connected the kitchen with the living room was left open in case either child woke.

“What do we need plates for?” Reed asked with a questioning arch of his brow.

“Plates are the customary eating device.”

“Not tonight.”

“Not tonight?” Something amusing glinted in Reed’s eyes as he set out several white boxes and brandished two pairs of chopsticks. “Since it’s only the two of us, we can eat right out of the boxes.”

“I’m not very adept with chopsticks.” The smell drifting from the open boxes was tangy and enticing.

“You’ll learn if you’re hungry.”