Before she could reply, Brooke held up the stuffed animal. “Give Bunny a kiss goodbye, Daddy.”

Jake’s mouth dropped open an inch. “How about a high five?”

Her mouth set in a stubborn way that made Millie think of Jake. Already like father, like daughter. “A kiss.”

He bent forward and touched his lips to the animal’s grungy fur.

“Me, too,” Brooke said, angling her cheek toward him.

He glanced up at Millie, emotion clouding his eyes. She nodded, the tingling in her body rapidly progressing to a full-on tremble.

Jake kissed his daughter’s cheek then the top of her head. Millie wasn’t sure if the sigh she heard came from her or the therapist waiting for him. Jake straightened and she noticed a faint color across his cheeks. The doctor was actually blushing. Why was vulnerability so darned appealing when it came wrapped up in an alpha male package?

* * *

Crimson, Colorado: Finding home—and forever—in the West

Suddenly a Father

Michelle Major

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MICHELLE MAJOR grew up in Ohio but dreamed of living in the mountains. Soon after graduating with a degree in journalism, she pointed her car west and settled in Colorado. Her life and house are filled with one great husband, two beautiful kids, a few furry pets and several well-behaved reptiles. She’s grateful to have found her passion writing stories with happy endings. Michelle loves to hear from her readers at michellemajor.com.

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For Lauren. You are amazing in so many ways—mother, teacher and friend.

I’m lucky and grateful to have you as my sister.

Contents

Cover

Introduction

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

Millie Spencer took a deep breath, wiped a few stray potato chip crumbs from her sundress and knocked on the door a second time.

As she waited, her eyes scanned the front porch of the large shake-shingle house, empty save for an intricate spiderweb inhabiting one corner. The wraparound porch practically begged for a wooden swing, where a person could sit on a late-summer afternoon sipping a glass of lemonade and watching the world go by. As a girl, Millie had longed for a place like that, but in the tiny condo she’d shared with her mother there’d been no room for any space of her own.

Still no one answered, so she rapped her knuckles against the door once more. This house sat at the edge of town in Crimson, Colorado, but only a few minutes from her sister’s renovated Victorian near Crimson’s center.

She was here as a favor to her sister—half sister—Olivia. Or was Olivia doing the favor for Millie? Millie’d shown up on Olivia’s doorstop a few days ago, beaten down both emotionally and financially. To her relief, Olivia and her husband, Logan Travers, hadn’t asked many questions, just welcomed Millie into their home. Up until today, Millie had spent most of her time curled on the couch watching bad reality TV and overdosing on junk food.

Now she was here, sent to help Logan’s recently injured brother and his daughter. Except it appeared they weren’t home. Which was weird, since Logan had said his brother, Jake, couldn’t drive yet. It was a beautiful late-August day, so maybe the two had walked to the park Millie’d seen a few blocks over.

She was ready to leave when the door opened a crack. She could see a sliver of a man’s face through the opening. “We don’t want any,” he said, peering down at her.

“Any what?” She leaned forward, trying to get a glimpse beyond him into the house. Curiosity almost always got the best of her.

“Cookies or popcorn or whatever you’re selling,” he answered quickly, glancing behind him before the eye she could see, a startlingly blue eye, tracked back to her again. It was the same blue as Logan’s, so this must be the brother. “Do you have a parent with you?”

Her mouth dropped open and she pulled herself up to her full height, all five foot two. And a half. When she wore heels. “I’m not...” she began, but the man muttered a curse and disappeared into the house.

He hadn’t shut the door when he’d turned away. She could still only see through the couple-inch slat, and without a second thought, she extended her foot and nudged the door open wider. She stretched forward but didn’t step into the house. “Hello?” she called and her voice echoed.

The entry was devoid of furniture. Olivia had told her Logan’s brother had recently returned to Crimson, so maybe he had furnishings for his home on order. She hoped his purchases included a porch swing.

A sound reached her from the back of the house. Another curse and a child crying. She bit down on her lip and grabbed her cell phone from her purse, intending to call Olivia and Logan for backup. But the crying got louder, followed by a strangled shout of “no,” and Millie charged forward, unable to stop herself.

She came up short as she entered the back half of the house. Rays of sunshine streamed through the windows, lighting the open family room as well as the kitchen beyond. Her gaze caught on the family room. Unlike the front of the house, the room looked furnished, although it was hard to tell because dolls, stuffed animals and an excess of pink plastic covered every square inch. It looked as if a toy store had thrown up all over the place. Did Jake Travers really have only one child? There was enough stuff here to keep a whole army of kids busy. She forced her eyes away from the girlie mess to the kitchen.

Two tall bar stools were tucked under the island, which was littered with cereal boxes and various milk and juice cartons. A mix of what looked like chocolate milk and grape juice spilled over the counter onto one of the stools and the tile floor, soaking a pile of soggy Cheerios from an overturned bowl.

Jake stood in the middle of the kitchen with his back to her. She noticed immediately that he was tall and broad, wearing a gray athletic T-shirt, basketball shorts that came almost to his knees and an orthopedic boot on his right leg that covered him from midcalf to foot.

He also sported a purple tutu around his waist. Despite the chaos of the situation, she almost smiled at that. No wonder he hadn’t wanted to open the door for her.

In front of him, a little girl was crying and jumping up, grasping for a stuffed animal he held out to the side. It might have been a rabbit and was dripping more juice on the floor. The child had no hope of reaching it. Millie guessed he was well over six foot. When Olivia had sent her here to help Logan’s poor, injured brother, Millie had pictured a debilitated invalid, not the hulking man before her.

She almost backed out of the room and fled, but at that moment the young girl’s eyes met hers. They were the same shade of blue as her father’s, so big they almost looked out of place on her heart-shaped face. Her hair was several shades darker than her father’s, hung past her shoulders, and although she had the enviable natural highlights that children got, it looked as if it could benefit from a good brushing. She wore a pale pink leotard and matching tutu, the very essence of a tiny ballerina. Other than the juice stains down the front of it. Millie felt an immediate connection to her.

The child fell silent except for a tiny hiccup. Her eyes widened as she pointed at Millie. “It’s a real life fairy.”

* * *

Jake Travers breathed a sigh of relief before turning to see what his daughter, Brooke, was pointing at. He hardly cared if a real life fairy was standing in his house. It had stopped Brooke’s crying and already the pounding in his head was starting to subside.

But it wasn’t a fairy staring at him from the far side of the family room. The girl he’d tried to chase away minutes earlier held up a tentative hand and waved at him. Not a girl, he realized now. She was a woman, a tiny sprite of a woman, but the morning light silhouetting her body revealed the soft curves underneath her flowery flowing dress.

“I’m Millie,” she said, nodding, as if willing him to understand her. “Millie Spencer. Olivia’s sister? She and Logan sent me over.” She tucked a strand of chin-length, caramel-colored hair behind one ear, the bracelets at her wrist tinkling as she moved.

Brooke let out an enraptured gasp. “Look, Daddy, she sparkles.”

He narrowed his eyes as he set the dripping stuffed bunny onto the counter. Millie Spencer indeed appeared to be shimmering in the light.

She looked down at her bare arms and laughed, a sound just as bubbly and bright as the noise from her bracelets. “It’s my lotion, sweetie,” she said, taking a step forward. “I must have grabbed the one that glitters.”

He watched his daughter’s face light up. “I want glitters,” she answered, her tone dreamy.

“You said Logan sent you?” Jake crossed his arms over his chest, careful of the splint that cradled his right hand. Glitter was the last thing he needed in this already chaotic house.

Millie scrunched up her pert nose. “I was under the impression Logan talked to you about me. That you need help because of...” She waved her hand up and down in front of him. More tinkling from the bracelets.

His back stiffened. Jake hated his injuries, how they’d changed his life and how out of control he felt these days. He vaguely remembered Logan calling last night to suggest babysitting help for Brooke and someone who could drive Jake to his physical-therapy and doctors’ appointments. But Jake had been in the middle of burning a frozen pizza and had only half listened to his brother’s well-meaning offer.

Jake didn’t need help. At least he didn’t want to need help. Especially not from someone who looked as if her best friend was Tinker Bell.

“We’re all good here.”

She glanced around the room before her gaze zeroed in on his waist. “Are you sure about that?”

“We were having dance lessons,” he mumbled as he pulled the crinkly tutu Brooke had insisted he wear down off his hips. He flicked it to the side and gave Millie a curt nod. He could handle this on his own. That was how he’d gotten by most of his life. He wasn’t about to change now.

“I want glitters.” Brooke tugged at the hem of his T-shirt.

He placed his uninjured hand on his daughter’s head, smoothing back her long hair. His fingers caught on something that felt suspiciously like a wad of gum. Damn. He smiled and made his voice soft. “No glitter today, Brooke. Do you want to watch a show?”

Her mouth pinched into a stubborn line. “Glitters,” she repeated then ducked away from his touch. “And Bunny.” She grabbed the stuffed animal off the counter before he could stop her.

She squeezed the bunny to her chest. Jake couldn’t stifle his groan as a trickle of purple liquid soaked her pink blouse. The last bit of command he had over his life seemed to seep away at the same time.

He turned back to Millie, but she’d disappeared.

Oh, no, he thought to himself. Not now when he was willing to admit defeat.

Lifting Brooke and Bunny against his chest with his good arm, he tried to ignore that his shirt was already soaking through. “Let’s go find our fairy,” he told his daughter and was rewarded with a wide grin.

* * *

Millie didn’t stop when Jake Travers called her name. She concentrated on the warm sun and cool mountain breeze instead of her tumbling emotions. Even as a favor to Olivia, Millie had no intention of sticking around where she wasn’t wanted. She made the mistake of turning around halfway through the yard when the little girl cried out.

Jake was struggling down the porch steps, his daughter clutched to his side as he balanced most of his weight on the nonbooted foot. “Are you really going to make me chase after you like this?” he asked as she met his gaze.

“I thought things were all good,” she said as she retraced her steps toward the house.

He stood at the edge of the grass. “I’m used to taking care of myself. Needing help is a bit of a foreign concept.”

“Everyone needs help from time to time.”

He pursed his mouth into a thin line. “Not me.”

Jake was clearly disconcerted by his current circumstances, and Millie felt a twinge of sympathy for him. She could spout platitudes about everyone needing help, but she’d been fending for herself long enough to understand his reluctance to rely on another person.

Before she could answer, Brooke squirmed in her father’s arms and he reached out to steady her. Millie saw him wince as the girl’s elbow jabbed into his splinted wrist. He lowered Brooke slowly to the ground and she clung to his leg. Millie noticed that liquid from the sopping wet stuffed animal had not only drenched his shirt, which now clung to a set of enviably hard abs, but a trail of wetness also leaked into the black orthopedic boot that covered his leg.

He didn’t seem to notice, just stared at his daughter as if he wasn’t sure how he’d ended up with a small child wrapped around him.

Millie cleared her throat and he looked up. “Sorry. I haven’t been a dad for very long. It’s still sometimes amazing that she’s really mine.”

“How old are you, Brooke?” Millie asked, squatting down to the girl’s level.

Brooke, suddenly shy, kept her gaze on her bunny but held up four fingers.

Millie glanced at Jake, her eyebrows raised.

“What did Logan and Olivia tell you about me?” he asked.

“Not much,” she admitted. “That you’re a surgeon who travels around the world. You were injured during an earthquake on an island near Haiti and need help with your daughter while you recover.”

One side of his mouth curved. “That’s an abbreviated version.”

“So I gathered,” Millie answered. She held out a hand to Brooke. “Sweetie, can I help you give Bunny a bath? She’s dripping all over your daddy’s leg.”

“Bunny’s a boy,” Brooke and her father said at the same time.

Millie smiled. “He’s not going to smell very good if that juice dries on him. How about we wash him off, then you can watch while he goes in the dryer?”

Brooke released the death hold she had on Jake’s leg the tiniest bit. “He wants a bubble bath.”

“Of course he does.” Millie straightened and took a step forward, wiggling her fingers. “Can you show me the bathroom? We’ll take good care of him.”

With a tentative nod, Brooke took Millie’s hand. This brought her only a few inches from Jake, who smelled like a strangely intriguing mix of grape juice and laundry detergent. “I’d like to understand the whole story,” she said quietly.

He nodded, his deep blue eyes intent on hers. “I’ll get changed then explain it.” He lowered his voice and added, “I’d rather not discuss the details in front of Brooke.”

The little girl tugged her toward the house. “Bunny wants to smell good.”

Millie started to follow but paused as Jake pressed his uninjured hand to her bare arm. She almost flinched but caught herself, focusing on the warmth of his fingers.

His hand lifted immediately. “I just wanted to say thank you.”

“I haven’t done anything yet.”

He leaned in to whisper in her ear, “My daughter hasn’t cried for the past fifteen minutes. You have no idea what an accomplishment that is.”

Although she knew it meant nothing, Millie was surprised to feel a tiny kernel of happiness unfurl in her chest along with a shimmer of awareness for Jake Travers. Best to ignore the awareness and focus on the happiness. It had been so long since she’d accomplished anything of value in her life. She’d learned to appreciate even the smallest victory.

“It’s going to be okay, Jake,” she said, hoping beyond all reason that she could make it true for both of them.

Chapter Two

It took Jake longer than he wanted to get cleaned up, which was one more thing to add to his current list of frustrations. As a surgeon with Miles of Medicine, an international medical humanitarian organization, he was used to moving quickly. He’d made efficiency a priority in his life—in movement, time and, most important, relationships. He lived simply, able to pack up with an hour’s notice based on where he was most needed.

The place he was most needed right now was in Brooke’s life, but it galled him how inept and incapable he felt. He hadn’t even bothered with a proper shower because the hassle of maneuvering himself in and out with his ankle and arm wasn’t worth the trouble. Without the boot or splint, he couldn’t put weight on his right leg or use his right arm. Instead he’d done his best to wash off the sticky juice residue in the master bath before dressing in his current uniform of a T-shirt and baggy shorts, the only clothes he could change into quickly despite his injuries.

The door to the guest bathroom was closed as he came down the hall. He was grateful his sister-in-law had found him a rental property with two bathrooms in the main part of the house so that Brooke could have her own space. He couldn’t make out the words over the sound of running water but could hear her sweet voice rising and falling as she spoke to Millie Spencer.

Unwilling to deal with the reality of how much he needed help quite yet, he started the monumental task of cleaning the kitchen. He’d wiped down most of the counters and covered the floor with almost half a roll of paper towels before Millie followed Brooke into the room.

His daughter cradled Bunny in her arms in a fluffy towel. “Daddy, sniff.” She held out the stuffed animal to him. “He smells so good.”

He breathed deeply but all he got was a big whiff of wet fake fur. “That’s nice,” he told Brooke.

Millie grinned at him over Brooke’s head. “Laundry room?”

“To your left just past the table.”

She carried a small plastic stool in her hands. “Let’s get Bunny dry, Brooke. You can watch him spin while your daddy and I talk.”

To Jake’s surprise, Brooke nodded. Since he’d brought his daughter to Crimson, the only time she would let him out of her sight was when she slept. Maybe Millie Spencer was some sort of kid whisperer. Jake sure as hell needed one.

“So you’re Olivia’s sister?” he asked as Millie walked back into the room a few minutes later.

When she nodded, he added, “You two don’t look alike.”

“She’s actually my half sister. We have the same dad.”

“Did you grow up together?”

Her shoulders stiffened even as she gave him a gentle smile. “I’m guessing we only have a few minutes before your daughter gets bored watching the dryer. Is this really how you want to use that time?” She crouched down and began cleaning the paper towels from the floor.

“You don’t have to do that. It’s my mess.”

She didn’t stop to look at him. “Tell me about you and Brooke.”

When her chin-length hair fell into her face, she didn’t bother to push it away. He wanted to reach out himself, to see if the caramel-colored strands were as soft as they looked. The skin on her arms looked just as smooth, although he noticed how toned they were as she wiped up the spill.

“I first learned that I had a daughter two months ago.” He continued straightening the kitchen as her attention remained on the floor. Somehow the fact that both of them kept busy made it easier to tell the story. “Brooke’s mother was a doctor I knew from my travels, another aid worker. We were only together a few times when our paths crossed in the field. Then Stacy disappeared.” His fingers gripped the cup he’d just picked up so hard the plastic began to bend. He released his hold and loaded the cup into the dishwasher. “She found me where I was working near Haiti a couple of months ago to tell me I had a four-year-old daughter back in Atlanta who was asking about her father. Stacy wanted to give me a chance to be a part of Brooke’s life.”

“That must have been a real shock.” Millie stood and threw the wad of paper towels into the garbage.

Jake thought about her observation as he watched her wet a dish towel and begin wiping down the tile floor around the spill. “You really don’t have to do that.”

“It will be sticky otherwise,” she answered. “Keep talking, Jake.”

He hated this part of the story and the guilt and helplessness that went with it. Jake had spent most of his childhood feeling helpless to stop the damage his father caused in their family, and when he’d finally broken free, guilt over the siblings he’d left behind had become his replacement companion.

He’d never expected to return to Colorado, but it was the only real home he’d ever known. The fact that both of his brothers had settled in Crimson and seemed happy with their lives was part of why he’d brought Brooke to his hometown. For a few brief moments when he’d first arrived, he’d hoped this place would have some special effect on him. But he’d only felt overcome by memories and more trapped than when he’d been injured.

His family understood enough of what had happened that they didn’t ask questions he couldn’t answer. “I was shocked, to say the least. I’d never planned on having kids. My work is my life. Being a dad wasn’t part of the master plan. But I didn’t have time to think about what I wanted. Stacy and I argued and she left the hospital late at night. We’d been down there just a few days because of an earthquake and I’d been running on too much coffee and too little sleep. I didn’t even get a chance to process what she’d told me, but I followed her to the hotel. Once we got inside, there was an aftershock almost as big as the original. The roof of the hotel caved in, and she was killed.”

Millie straightened once more, shock evident on her face. “Brooke’s mother died?”

He gave a curt nod. “She should have never come down there like that. Things were too unstable.”

“It was a big risk.”

He looked past her, his guilt weighing so heavily that he finally had to explain in detail how he’d destroyed so many lives. “Stacy had called and emailed me over the course of several months. I thought she wanted to get together again and was avoiding her. I left her no choice but to track me down. In the end, I couldn’t help her because I was pinned under the rubble of the building. I held her hand in those last moments, but that’s all.” He gingerly crossed his arms over his chest. “Her parents were taking care of Brooke, but Stacy made me promise to look after her. She left custody to me, a man who didn’t even know his own daughter.” He shook his head, still unable to believe the events that had brought him here. “I had surgery on my wrist and ankle and then went to find Brooke.”

“The grandparents were willing to let her go?”

“For now.” He clenched his uninjured fist. “Brooke didn’t hesitate, which was the craziest part. Stacy had talked about me, had told Brooke she was going to find her father. My picture was in a frame on Brooke’s nightstand. I walked into their house in Atlanta, and she reached for me as if I’d been her dad forever. Like she’d been waiting for me.”

“Kids can be pretty amazing,” Millie whispered.

“I don’t know the first thing about being a dad, but I owe it to that little girl and her mother to try. Stacy’s parents still want to raise Brooke. I’m not sure what’s going to happen—there’s some nerve damage to my hand and it’s questionable whether I’ll be able to go back to my old job.”

“But you won’t leave Brooke?”

He heard the unspoken accusation in her tone and almost welcomed it. Everyone he knew had been tiptoeing around his future since he’d come back to the States. “I want what’s best for her. You saw me today. It’s highly unlikely that I’m it.”

“You’re her father.” Color flushed bright in Millie’s cheeks. “You can’t desert her now that she depends on you.”

He shrugged. “I’m in way over my head here.”

“I can help,” she answered immediately.

Jake could feel that tension radiated through her, an edginess at odds with her pixie haircut, hippie-girl sundress and shimmering skin. “Why do you want to help?” he asked, taking a step toward her. “What’s your story, Millie Spencer?”

A sliver of panic flashed in her eyes before she regulated her gaze. “I’ve worked at both elementary and preschools, but I’m between jobs. I’m almost finished with a degree in early childhood education and am taking a break from classes, which is why I came to visit Olivia. We didn’t grow up together, so we’re just getting to know each other. She invited me to Crimson while I have some free time. Getting to know someone and mooching off them for several months are two different things. I need a job while I’m here, and I’m great with kids.”

“Do you have references?”

“Of course. Although I just saved the beloved Bunny and cleaned your kitchen floor. I’d say that’s a pretty good reference for myself.”

He held up his hands, his right arm difficult to hold out straight. “Like I said, being a dad is new to me. I want to make sure I do the right thing for Brooke.”

She nodded, as if she approved of his answer. “I have a list of references in my car. I’ll get it before I leave. Is Brooke in preschool?”

He rubbed his hand across his face then pointed to a pile of papers stacked on a nearby desk. “Registration is on the to-do list. I can’t believe how wiped out I am by the time she goes to bed.”

“I can help,” Millie repeated.

“I can’t drive yet and have regular physical-therapy and doctor appointments.”

“That’s fine, too.” Her posture relaxed. “Olivia offered me the apartment above her garage. She and Logan live pretty close, so I can be here whenever you need.”

He shook his head. “There’s a guest suite off the family room toward the back of the house. You can stay there.”

Her eyes widened. “That’s not...”

“Look at me.” He shifted on his bad leg. “I can’t drive. Hell, I can barely bend down to pick something off the floor. If anything happens to Brooke, I want to make sure you’re close.”

He didn’t mention the blistering relief he already felt at not being solely in charge of keeping his daughter alive. Jake had managed through a lot of high-stakes situations, but nothing had scared him like the responsibility of fatherhood. He hadn’t realized how much it weighed on him until the possibility of Millie presented itself.

She continued to frown.

“I’m harmless,” he said, flashing his most convincing smile.

Millie’s eyes rolled in response. “Hardly.”

“I’m desperate,” he said softly.

Her smile was gentle and genuine. “That I believe. Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“Nothing about my life is good at the moment but...” His voice trailed off as Brooke walked back into the kitchen.

“The dryer dinged,” she said, bouncing up and down on her toes. “Is Bunny ready?”

“Nothing?” Millie asked.

“One good thing,” he amended. “She’s the only bright spot I have. I’m going to make things right for her.” He looked at his daughter. “What would you think about Millie becoming your nanny and helping with things around the house?”

“She’s Mary Poppins,” Brooke yelled happily. Her eyes widened as she turned to Millie. “Will you bring the glitters?”

“Of course.” Millie smiled then glanced at Jake, her expression wry. “I’m not quite Mary Poppins, but we’ve got a deal.”

* * *

“Are you kidding me?” Millie yelled as she burst through the back door of her sister’s house thirty minutes later. “Next time you should mention that you’re sending me into pure chaos before I get there.”

Olivia Travers stood on the far side of the island in the oversize kitchen. She shrugged her shoulders and tried, but failed, to hide the small smile that curved the corner of her mouth. “Would you have gone if I’d explained the whole story to you?”

“Gone where?” the woman sitting on one of the bar stools asked.

Millie recognized Olivia’s friend Natalie Holt from the last time she’d been in Crimson. A tiny pang of jealousy stabbed at her heart for the life Olivia had made in this quaint Colorado mountain town. Millie had never been great at cultivating friendships.

“To Jake’s.” Olivia drummed her nails in a nervous rhythm on the granite counter. “What happened?”

Natalie swiveled in her chair. “Yes, what happened? Jake was always my favorite of the Travers brothers. Tall, blond and wicked smart.”

“Well, now he’s tall, blond and a hot mess,” Millie answered, omitting the part about how terrified he seemed of failing his daughter.

“Emphasis on hot, I imagine.” Natalie nabbed a chocolate chip cookie from the plate on the counter. “Want one?” she asked Millie.

“Did Logan make them?” Millie asked, inching forward, temporarily distracted by her unwavering devotion to all things chocolate.

Olivia nodded and pushed the plate toward Millie. “I’m sorry, Mill. But he needs help. I knew you’d be able to get through to him. Logan and Josh are worried.”

“Then why is he alone with his daughter?” Millie couldn’t help the recrimination in her voice. “What kind of family leaves someone in his condition to fend for himself?”

“What condition?” Natalie made a face. “I didn’t even know Jake was in town. Why am I always the last to know everything?”

“Sorry,” Olivia answered. “Jake wanted some privacy until he got settled.”

“Whatever.” Natalie reached out to pat Millie’s arm. “You’re new around here, Millie, so let me explain how hard it is to stay mad at Saint Olivia. She’s just too damn sweet.”

“Tell me about it,” Millie muttered, scooting forward to take a cookie. Logan was a phenomenal baker, even if she questioned his skills as a brother.

“Have a seat,” Natalie said, patting the chair next to her. “I don’t have to pick up my son for another hour and I’m guessing whatever’s happening with Jake is way more interesting than any bad reality TV that’s on at the moment.” She looked between Olivia and Millie. “Who wants to spill it? You know I’m not going to tell anyone.”

Olivia sighed. “Jake was injured while on a medical mission near Haiti, an aftershock from a big earthquake. At the same time, he discovered he had a four-year-old daughter.” Natalie’s mouth dropped open, but Olivia continued, “The girl’s mother died when a hotel roof collapsed but had granted him custody. So he’s brought Brooke to Crimson while he recovers. She’s adorable and totally dependent on him. He’s working with an orthopedic surgeon he knows at the hospital between here and Aspen. It’s a renowned sports medicine center and I guess he has some friends there. At this point, they’re not sure if he has permanent nerve damage in his right hand or what exactly the injuries mean for his surgical career.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me any of that,” Millie said.

“I thought it would be better if Jake explained the situation,” Olivia said quietly. “And I wanted you to meet Brooke before you said no to working for him.”

“Because I’m a sucker for kids.” Millie broke the cookie in half and popped the whole thing in her mouth, chewing furiously. “I’m a total sucker.”

“I don’t think that at all,” Olivia answered. “But you love working with children. You have a gift.”

“You can’t say that,” Millie said stubbornly. “You barely know me. I could mess up that girl.”

Olivia blew out a frustrated sigh. “I don’t understand what happened at your internship last spring, but I know it’s a shame you’re giving up on your dreams.”

“I’m not giving up,” Millie argued. “I took a semester off school. Big deal.”

“Hold on, ladies.” Natalie held one hand out toward each of them. “Not that this demonstration of sibling dysfunction isn’t fascinating, but let’s get back to Jake.” She pointed at Olivia. “From what little I know about him, I’m guessing he won’t let anyone in the family help out. He always was a loner.”

“He’s only letting us assist with the bare essentials,” Olivia agreed. “Sara’s away at a movie premiere for a few days.”

“Is it weird hanging out with a Hollywood star?” Millie couldn’t help the question. She was oddly fascinated by the life her half sister had created for herself in Crimson. Olivia’s friend Sara Wellens had been a popular child actor years ago and had recently had a resurgence in her career. She was also married to Jake’s younger brother Josh, and together they ran a guest ranch outside of town.

Olivia smiled. “She’s just Sara when she’s in Crimson. You’ll like her, Millie. She’s got some of your spunk.”

Millie couldn’t imagine having anything in common with an A-list actress, but she didn’t argue.

“Before she left,” Olivia continued, “the two of us went over with groceries and meals for the freezer. We wanted to take Brooke out for the day, but she wouldn’t leave Jake’s side. Logan and Josh have been taking turns stopping by, but it’s the same for them.”

“Poor baby,” Natalie murmured. “This has to be hard for her.” She turned to Millie. “But Brooke liked you?”

Millie nodded. “Kids trust me. I think it’s because I’m small. My mom is the same way—we put people at ease.” She pushed her hair away from her face with one shoulder and took another cookie. “We’re nonthreatening.”

“Right,” Olivia said with a harsh laugh. “Your mother was a threat to my family for decades. Joyce may be small, but she packs quite the emotional punch.”

Millie didn’t know how to respond to that. She and Olivia shared a father, a US Senator who’d remained married to Olivia’s mother up until his death a few years ago. Married, but not faithful. Millie’s mother, Joyce, had been Robert Palmer’s mistress for almost thirty years. She’d built her life around being available to him whenever he needed her, never asking anything in return—no financial support, no pleas to leave his wife. Joyce was the perfect other woman, making the time Robert spent with them fun and easy—a break from the pressures of real life.

But it hadn’t been a break for Millie. She’d needed more. She’d wanted a father who would come to school functions and swim-team meets. Hell, she would have been happy being able to tell her friends she had a father. But her mother had insisted they keep silent about Robert for the sake of his reputation and career. It had always been about him.

So, yes, she and her mom both had a gift for making people feel comfortable. Comfortable walking all over them. Millie didn’t know how to do relationships any other way. That was why she gravitated toward children. Kids didn’t keep secrets or have ulterior motives. And that was what had drawn her to Crimson, Colorado, and the half sister she hardly knew. Olivia had been kind to her, even though she had every reason to hate Millie. They were joined by a family history that had damaged them both.

“I’m not my mother.” She hated that her chin trembled as she said the words.

“Thank heavens for that. But Jake is part of my family now.” Olivia’s voice was solemn. “Logan hardly sleeps at night for how bothered he is that Jake insists on doing everything himself. I asked you to do this because I trust you, Millie. Maybe I see something in you that you can’t see in yourself right now, but it’s there. I hope spending time in Crimson will enable you to discover it again.” She smiled. “This place is special that way.”

Emotion welled in Millie’s chest. If Olivia believed she could help Jake Travers and his daughter, she wanted to prove her sister right. No one had ever put much stock in Millie. She’d been taught from a young age that the way to get ahead was to not make demands—to be amiable and fun and nothing more.

But Jake and Brooke needed more if they were going to make it as a family unit.

“You might be pushing it talking about Crimson being special,” Natalie added, her expression doubtful. “My experience begs to differ.”

Millie was certain Olivia’s friend was trying to lighten the mood, for which Millie was grateful. “You’re a Crimson native, right?”

“Born and raised.” Natalie gave an exaggerated flip of her dark hair. “And only a little ashamed to admit it.”

“You’re still here,” Olivia pointed out. “It’s a wonderful place.”

Natalie shrugged. “It has its good points. The Travers brothers are three of them.” She turned to Millie. “So are you going to stay and help Jake, whether he wants it or not?”

This was it. Her chance to make a run for it. Millie knew Olivia would smooth things over with Jake as best she could. This entire situation had train wreck written all over it. She’d promised herself that she was going to start looking out for number one, but the instinct for self-preservation just wasn’t in Millie’s DNA.

She bit down on her lip until it hurt then nodded. “Although it’s probably another on my long list of bad decisions, I’m going to stay.”

Chapter Three

As soon as he heard Brooke’s happy squeal, Jake knew Millie was back.

It had been almost two hours since she’d left to get her things from Olivia and Logan’s, and the possibility that she wouldn’t return had occurred to him only a couple thousand times.

He wouldn’t have blamed her.

She might need a job, but his messed-up life was too complicated for most people to handle. Yes, his brothers and their wives had offered support more times than Jake could count since he’d returned to Crimson. But he was the oldest and the brother who’d never needed anything.

How could he admit to them that he was so weak?

All of their offers only brought back the flood of guilt about how he’d deserted their family years ago. He’d gotten a college scholarship that had enabled him to leave Crimson and their alcoholic father and never look back. Which he hadn’t, even when his younger siblings needed him. Even when Logan’s twin, Beth, had died in a tragic car accident. Even years later for their mother’s funeral. Jake had used school, then his residency and his work to avoid the past.

He’d only returned because he had nowhere else to go. But he’d do all he could not to let himself depend on his brothers. He didn’t deserve their kindness.

Still, they’d given it to him. Millie was proof of that. Jake would have gotten around to finding a nanny for Brooke, although even that had been difficult because he was too afraid of seeing pity in a stranger’s eyes when they heard his story. Jake didn’t want anyone’s pity.

He lifted himself off the sofa, where he and Brooke had been watching some show about an oversize red dog in between her frequent trips to the window to watch for “Fairy Poppins,” as she’d named Millie.

Millie had made it to the front door, a large roller suitcase at her feet and a duffel bag slung over her shoulder.

She met his gaze and blew out a breath. “You thought I was going to ditch you guys.”

“I’m glad you’re here,” he answered, not bothering to deny his doubts. Years of being a surgeon had taught him to keep his emotions off his face, and it was disconcerting that she could read him so easily. “Let me take your bag.”

“I can manage.” Her eyes tracked to his right side for a moment.

“I’m not a total invalid, Millie.” He reached out, plucked the bag from her shoulder and turned into the house.

He was pretty sure he heard her mutter, “Invalid, no. Idiot, maybe,” but chose to ignore it.

“Want to see your room?” Brooke scooted past him, tugging Millie behind her.

He caught the faint scent of chocolate chip cookie, and his mind went immediately to his youngest brother. Logan had been baking since he was a kid. In fact, Jake and Brooke had made their way quickly through a batch of Logan’s oatmeal scotchies just last week.

“Me and Daddy cleaned it,” Brooke continued.

“Impressive,” Millie called over her shoulder.

“You haven’t seen it yet,” he answered and took the handle of her wheeled suitcase in his uninjured hand. He was glad Millie and Brooke had already disappeared toward the back of the house, since his progress was slow and not so steady as he balanced her luggage on his good side.

Eventually he made it to the back half of the house, where there was a bedroom, a bathroom and small sitting area. Sara had found this house for him to rent. He was grateful for her forethought in making sure it contained enough space for live-in help. Clearly she hadn’t underestimated his postsurgical needs the way he had.

A bead of sweat trickled between his shoulder blades, another reminder of his weakness. Brooke popped out of the bedroom, beckoning him with a large swipe of her arm. “In here, Daddy.”

Daddy.

She used the word so freely, although he’d done nothing to earn it. Of course, he knew how little that meant in the grand scheme of things. If the name father was given based on merit, Jake’s dad would have had the title stripped from him decades before he’d died.

He poked his head in the room but didn’t enter. Something about stepping into Millie Spencer’s temporary bedroom felt as if it might mean more than he wanted it to.

“Does everything seem okay?” he asked, looking all around except where Millie was perched at the edge of the bed.

She stood quickly, her attention focused on brushing the quilt smooth. Apparently he wasn’t the only one affected by the unexpected intimacy of the moment.

“Perfect.” Her voice squeaked just a little, making him smile. She glanced at her watch. “Do you have plans for dinner?”

“Pizza,” Brooke yelled. “Can Fairy Poppins eat with us, Daddy?”

He saw Millie stifle a laugh. “You can call me Millie, Brooke.”

“Millie Poppins?”

“Just Millie.”

“What do you like on your pizza, Ms. Poppins?” he asked when Brooke’s face fell.

“Don’t you start now.” Millie made a face. “And I’m fine with anything.”

“Bacon and pepperoni,” Brooke shouted.

“Inside voice,” Millie told her.

Brooke crossed her arms over her chest. He hadn’t known his daughter long, but already he could see a temper tantrum brewing. “She gets excited about pizza,” he explained to Millie.

“Inside voice,” she repeated, and suddenly he realized that Fairy Poppins had more backbone than he’d expected.

“We have pizza a lot,” Brooke told Millie. Jake noticed that her decibel level had lowered a few notches. One point, Millie Spencer.

“Tomorrow we’ll go to the grocery store.” Millie ruffled Brooke’s hair then turned to Jake. “Do you have peanut butter?”

“Um...yes.”

Brooke shook her head. “Pizza and peanut butter don’t go.”

“It’s for the gum in your hair,” Millie told her. “We’ll work on that after dinner.”

“Mommy didn’t let me have gum.” Brooke stuck her fingers in her mouth, sucking hard.

“I bet you miss her very much,” Millie said softly, bending to Brooke’s level.

Brooke went totally still, but swiped the hand that wasn’t occupied across her eyes.

Jake cleared his throat. “Millie’s going to unpack now, Brooke. Would you help me order the pizza?”

She didn’t move. Although it had happened only a couple of times since he’d picked her up from Stacy’s parents, it scared the pants off Jake when she got like this. He knew what it was like to be paralyzed with emotion. “If you come with me, we’ll get cinnamon sticks for dessert.”

The promise of sugar broke the spell. She nodded and wiped her fingers on the front of her purple cotton dress. Without a word, she lifted her still-glistening hand to him. He swallowed and took it, once again dumbfounded that she trusted him so completely.

Millie stared at him, her hands clutched to her chest.

“We have a lot to talk about,” he told her.

“Yes,” she whispered, her lips barely moving.

“Pizza first,” Brooke yelled, then repeated in a lower tone, “Pizza first.”

“Pizza first,” he agreed and led his daughter out of the room.

* * *

While Jake tucked Brooke in for bed later that night, Millie found a bottle of wine pushed to the back of the refrigerator and poured a tall glass. She wasn’t a big drinker by nature but definitely needed some liquid fortification before talking to Jake Travers alone.

She took out a second glass as he came into the kitchen.

“I hope you don’t mind that I helped myself,” she said, turning to him.

“Knock yourself out,” he answered.

If only it were that easy.

“Would you like a glass?”

He shook his head. “I take one pain pill a day when Brooke goes to bed. It doesn’t mix well with alcohol.”

“How much pain are you in?”

“It’s not that bad,” he said, not meeting her eyes. “It gets worse when I’m on my feet a lot or don’t take time to rest.”

“Which you don’t, being a full-time father.”

Stretching the splinted arm out in front of him, Jake curled his fingers a few times. “I have an appointment with the doctor tomorrow morning then physical therapy. I’ve had to cancel my last two appointments because Brooke wouldn’t stay with anyone and I didn’t want to take her with me.”

“She’s really bonded to you.”

He looked at her now. The intensity in his gaze almost knocked her over. “It blows me away. I have no idea what I’m doing, and she doesn’t care one bit.”

“You’re trying,” Millie answered. “That counts for a lot.”

His eyes narrowed, studying her. Millie realized she was doing exactly what her mother had always done. Smoothing things over, trying to make the man in front of her feel better even though she barely understood his situation. One of Millie’s biggest weaknesses, inherited directly from her mother, was her habit of caring too quickly. She led with her emotions, and her first inclination was always to view people through rose-colored glasses.

For all she knew, Brooke would be better off with her grandparents. But Millie understood what it was like to have a father who only dropped in occasionally, always bearing toys or some other bribe for affection. Gifts couldn’t make up for the long absences, to a little girl feeling alone and deserted by someone she wanted so desperately to love her.

Brooke had already lost one parent. Millie had to help Jake see that he could be a father, that an imperfect parent who was a solid part of his daughter’s life was better than a fly-by-night dad.

She picked up the pad of paper and pen she’d found in one of the drawers and stepped forward to the kitchen table. “Let’s make a list of what needs to be done, the schedule for you and Brooke, and where I fit into everything.”

His blue eyes darkened and Millie suddenly had a clear picture of where she’d like to fit—pressed up against Jake’s lean frame. He was more than a foot taller than she, so she could imagine how safe she’d feel tucked along his side. She didn’t want to have this awareness of him—it felt new and unsettling, especially in the quiet of the evening. When Brooke was around, she was the focus of both their attention. Now Millie couldn’t help but notice every detail about Jake, from the fullness of his mouth to the broad stretch of his shoulders underneath his faded T-shirt.

She also saw the tiny lines of exhaustion bracketing the edges of his eyes. That evidence of his fatigue brought her back to the present. She wasn’t here because of her undeniable attraction to him as a man. Of course she had a reaction to him. Like Natalie said, all three of the Travers brothers were drop-dead gorgeous. Millie knew Olivia’s husband, Logan, and had met the middle brother, Josh, on her first visit to Crimson. But there was something about Jake that drew her to him in a way she’d never experienced before.

More than anything that reaffirmed her commitment to keeping their relationship strictly professional.

“Money,” she blurted.

He paused before lowering himself into the chair across from her. “Cutting right to the chase? I like it. We haven’t discussed your salary.”

“We should... I know you’ll pay me...and I want to help you... I probably should have asked yesterday but...”

“One thousand.”

“One thousand what?”

“Dollars. The majority of my rehabilitation will take place in the first month and a half, according to the doctors. By then, I’ll know if the nerve damage has healed enough for me to do surgery again. Brooke’s grandparents are coming out in two weeks, but I still want you full-time through the duration of my stay in Crimson.”

“One thousand dollars for six weeks of work?” Millie hadn’t made much working in preschools over the past couple of years, but her ability to live on a tight budget only went so far.

One side of his mouth quirked. “I’ll pay you one thousand dollars a week for six weeks. You’re staying at the house, so it’s like you’re on twenty-four-hour call. You’ll have no rent, and I’ll buy all the groceries.”

She felt her eyes widen. “I can’t accept so much money.”

“I don’t think that’s the right response,” he said with a laugh. “And I can’t cook. I buy the groceries, but you’re in charge of meals.” He patted his flat stomach. “I can’t handle another night of take-out pizza.”

“You’re a terrible negotiator,” Millie said. “No one starts with their best offer.”

His smile widened. “How do you know that’s my best offer?”

“Are you some sort of secret billionaire who can throw money around like it’s nothing?”

“I have plenty of savings and a great disability policy.” He leaned forward, the tips of his fingers brushing the back of her hand. “I believe you get what you pay for, and you’re worth what I’m offering.”

He was touching one tiny patch of her skin, but she felt the reverberation of it through her entire body. Before tonight, no one had ever thought she was worth much. She’d taken jobs in preschools and day-care centers because she liked being around kids. It had taken her years to believe she might actually have some talent for teaching. But when she’d tried to make a career of that, she’d made a mess of her college internship.

Millie knew she needed this job as much as Jake needed her. Not for the money, but because her self-confidence had been torn to shreds. She wanted to prove that she could make a difference.

For someone.

For this man.

“You won’t regret it,” she said softly, tapping her pen against the pad of paper. “Now let’s start that list.”

Chapter Four

Jake jerked awake, pushing the covers aside as he scrambled from the bed. His heart raced as memories of the earth shaking while the hotel collapsed around him assaulted his mind. The intense pain that shot through his leg when he tried to put weight on his right foot brought him back to reality. He sank to the edge of the bed, bending forward with his hands on his knees, and took several breaths to clear his head.

Reliving those last moments of the aftershock had become a recurring nightmare. He and Stacy Smith, Millie’s mother, had never been in love—theirs was a relationship born from close proximity and convenience. But he’d cared about her and still couldn’t accept that he hadn’t been able to save her. Now a little girl—his daughter—was motherless.

For the hundredth time, he wished it would have been him instead. Sure, his brothers would have mourned him, but there was no one who needed him the way Brooke needed her mother. His daughter had been sad but accepting of her loss, a fact that only made Jake want to change the past even more, as impossible as that was. He was trying his best to honor Stacy’s request that he form a relationship with Brooke even though he continued to feel out of his element at every turn.

He glanced at the clock, then toward the window at the light peeking through the edge of the curtain. Normally his dreams woke him in the predawn hours and he’d lie awake with his guilt and panic until Brooke came in to start the morning. But if it was really close to eight, he’d slept over an hour longer than normal. Hoisting himself onto his feet, he grabbed a T-shirt from the dresser and made his way to the kitchen.

“Daddy!” Brooke called when she spotted him in the doorway that separated the back hall from the family room and kitchen. His heart twisted as she ran across the room, a plastic tiara askew on her head despite the fact that she still wore her polka-dot pajamas.

She grabbed his hand and tugged him through the family room, which was now shockingly clean compared to how it had looked the previous night.

“Me and Fairy Poppins cleaned,” Brooke said as if she could read his mind.

“Millie,” a voice called from behind the pantry door. “You know my name is Millie, Brookie-Cookie.”

His daughter dissolved into a fit of giggles as Millie shut the pantry. This morning his new nanny looked less like a woodland sprite and more like a woodcutter’s fantasy come to life. She wore faded cargo shorts and a soft flannel shirt over a cream-colored tank top. Her chin-length hair was pulled back from her face with a wide headband, showing her delicate features to full advantage. Although she was tiny, the cut of the shorts made her legs look long and trim, and Jake had to shut his eyes to stop his gaze from roaming her body.

“We made pancakes,” Brooke told him. “The real kind from homemade.”

“Homemade pancakes?” He crouched down to her eye level. “They smell delicious, sweetie. Thank you for making breakfast.”

“Thank Fairy—I mean Millie—too.”

He straightened again and turned to Millie, who was pouring juice into three glasses. “I didn’t even know we had the ingredients to make pancakes.”

She nodded but didn’t look at him. “The cupboards and refrigerator are well stocked. I was a little surprised, to tell you the truth.”

“Olivia and Sara keep the groceries coming. I haven’t even used half the stuff they’ve brought.”

“That makes sense.”

He watched her set the juice on the kitchen table. Up until this point, all he’d managed was bagels and cereal for breakfast. “Thank you, Millie.”

“It’s my job,” she answered, and for some reason those three words annoyed the hell out of him. “Do you want coffee?”

“I’ll get it.” He moved toward the counter at the same time she turned from the table. She ran straight into him then stumbled. Despite the pain that shot through his leg, he reached out to steady her, keeping his fingers on her arms until she looked up at him. “Thank you for breakfast.”

“You’re welcome,” she said, her voice breathless in a way that made him think she wasn’t totally immune to him.

Strange how gratifying that felt.

“I’ll pour the coffee.” Reluctantly, he released his hold on her. “You ladies sit down and start.”

He joined them a minute later as Millie was spooning fresh fruit onto each of the plates.

“Daddy, will you cut my pancakes?” Brooke asked, sliding her plate toward him.

“I can do it,” Millie said, reaching over the table.

“I want Daddy to cut them.”

“You bet.” He didn’t look at Millie as he picked up a knife in his right hand. It was awkward with the wrist brace. The truth was he hadn’t cut a damn thing, even food, since before the accident. He forced his stiff fingers to grip the knife and slowly sliced the two pancakes, embarrassed that a trickle of sweat had curled down his back by the time he was finished. “How about syrup?” he asked when he’d finished, making his voice casual.

“Lots!” Brooke bounced up and down in her seat.

He poured the syrup, then set the plate down in front of his daughter.

“Yum,” she said around the first mouthful.

“How often do you have physical therapy?”

He quickly put down the knife as he met Millie’s gaze. Was it that obvious how much difficulty he was having?

“I’m scheduled for three days a week.” He used his fork to carve off a bite of pancakes from his own stack. “I’ve missed a couple of sessions, though, so I’ve been doing the exercises at home.”

“I don’t like Daddy to leave me,” Brooke announced matter-of-factly.

“Your daddy has to go to his appointments so he can get better. We’ll have lots of fun together until he’s done.”

“Can I have my screen time then?”

He glanced at Millie. “What’s screen time?”

“You know, the amount of time Brooke has each day to watch television or play games on the computer.”

“Like PBS Kids,” Brooke clarified for him. “You know, when I play ‘Curious George.’”

“I thought that was educational.” He stabbed a few more pancake pieces onto his fork. “Isn’t educational a good thing?”

Millie gave him a gentle smile—a teacher smile, he thought with a spark of irritation. The kind that reminded him that he didn’t know what he was doing as a parent.

“Educational television is good, but...”

“Not like the zombies,” Brooke interrupted. She scrunched her face up at the memory.

Millie’s eyes widened a fraction. “Zombies?”

Jake blew out a breath. “A commercial for some TV show came on while I was watching SportsCenter. It was graphic... I turned it off as soon as I realized.”

“It gave me nightmares.” Brooke licked a bit of syrup off the tip of one finger. “Like Daddy has when he thinks of Mommy.”

He heard Millie suck in a breath but kept his eyes focused on the table, unable to form a coherent response to his daughter’s observation.

“My dreams about Mommy are nice,” she continued. “I have a good one about when she took me to the zoo and we saw a baby orangutan. I’m going to give Daddy some of my dreams at night. Then we can both sleep better.”

Now he did look at his daughter, unable to keep his eyes off her. “Thank you, sweetheart. I want you to keep those good dreams for yourself.” It was difficult to speak past the ball of emotion knotting at the base of his throat.

“I have plenty.” Brooke smiled at him then turned her attention to her plate, using her fork to make designs in the leftover syrup.

He heard a tiny whimper and glanced over at Millie, who quickly wiped at the corners of her eyes with a napkin. “How about if we save your screen time for tonight, Brooke? Let’s rent a movie to watch after dinner. We need to drop your daddy off at his appointment and then we’ll go to the park. Maybe pack a picnic lunch?”

Brooke nodded. “I like mac ’n cheese for lunch.”

“Got it.” She stood and cleared most of the dishes from the table.

Jake followed her to the sink. “Is it any wonder,” he whispered, “that I let her have as much ‘screen time’ as she wants? Without the TV or computer as a distraction, she’d be slaying me with her innocent comments all day long.” He put down his plate and gripped the edge of the counter. “I’m in over my head here, Millie. It’s not a sensation I’m used to, and I don’t know how to handle it.”

“You’ll be fine. This is new for both of you. Brooke went through a huge loss. The most important thing is that you’re here for her. She needs you, Jake.”

He wasn’t sure if he could handle being needed, if he had the strength to make it work. But that wasn’t a conversation for right now. Brooke’s unconditional love coupled with Millie’s expectations of him doing the right thing crippled him almost as much as his injuries. His motto during emergency missions had always been Stay in the Moment. He could only deal with one thing at a time and right now that was getting caught up on his physical therapy. He was in no position to make any decisions about the future until he knew what his body would be able to handle.

“Thanks for breakfast,” he told Millie before turning away.

Her hand on his bare arm stopped him. Her touch was cool and soft against his skin. “You’ll be fine, Jake,” she repeated. “We’re going to make sure of it.”

He gave a tense nod then walked to the kitchen table, reaching down to straighten Brooke’s tiara. “Best pancakes ever.”

Her smile was bright. “Millie’s going to teach me how to make Frenchy toast tomorrow.”

“I can’t wait.” He unstuck a strand of hair from her cheek. “I’m going to get cleaned up for my appointment. Wash your face and hands and we’ll pick out an outfit for today.”

She shook her head. “Millie will help me get dressed.” She grinned. “She’s a girl, Daddy, so she’s better at clothes than you.”

He’d wager Millie was better with everything relating to kids than he, but he didn’t point out that fact.

“Sounds like a plan, Stan.”

“Daddy.” She giggled. “You know my name’s not Stan.”

He thumped the heel of his palm against his forehead. “I keep forgetting. It’s a plan, Brooke.”

“Silly Daddy. That’s better.”

One tiny thing was better. He only wished he could fix the rest of their problems so easily.

* * *

By the time she got the dishwasher loaded, the table wiped down and Brooke cleaned and dressed for the day, Millie had almost gotten her emotions under control.

Almost.

There was no doubt that Millie had gone through hell as a child, never able to claim her father publicly or even tell anyone she knew the man who’d helped create her. Her visits with Robert Palmer had been behind closed doors or incognito. She’d hated all the pretending she’d had to do. Hated that when her father was around, her mother insisted that Millie not trouble him. There had been no help with homework, no demands for more of his time or requests to attend a school performance. But she’d known him. He’d been a presence—albeit an occasional one—in her life.

Brooke had lost her mother, and at four, Millie knew the girl couldn’t truly understand the permanence of the situation or what it meant for someone to be dead. It was trauma at a level Millie could hardly comprehend. Yet Brooke seemed to be handling it with a mix of cheerfulness and poignant honesty that touched Millie to her core.

She smiled as Brooke played with her hair while Millie strapped the girl into her car seat. It was a tight fit in the back of her VW Beetle, not a car she’d planned on using to haul around a child and her very tall father. She focused on the task at hand and tried to ignore the fact that her back end was on full display as she adjusted the child safety straps to make Brooke more comfortable.

Readjusting her headband, she turned then narrowed her eyes at the smug smile playing at the corner of Jake’s mouth.

“I’m not thinking what you think I am,” he said softly, his blue eyes appearing several shades darker than she remembered. “Promise.”

“Toss me Bunny.” She held out her hands, willing her body to stop responding to the wicked gleam in his eye.

Instead he took the few steps toward her until they stood toe to toe. He placed the stuffed animal in her arms then traced his finger from the corner of her jaw down her neck, straightening the collar of her flannel shirt in the process. “You’re blushing.”

“I’m just hot.”

“You’re just hot,” he repeated.

“Not like that. You know what I mean. It was a lot of work maneuvering that car seat into the back of the Beetle.”

He gave a small laugh. “Right now I’m wondering how I’m going to maneuver myself into your car.”

“It’s not that small. You’ll fit fine.” When he flashed a wide grin, she groaned but couldn’t stop herself from smiling in response. Something about Jake put her at ease enough to enjoy the playful banter. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Dr. Travers.” She turned and handed Brooke the stuffed animal then went around the car to slip in behind the wheel.

She tried not to watch as Jake attempted to fold himself into the passenger seat. “How tall are you, Millie?”

“Five feet, two and a half inches.”

He gave her a look out of the corner of his eye.

“In half-inch heels,” she amended. “You’re what, six-three?”

“And a quarter.” He adjusted the seat back then lifted his booted leg into the car and shut the door. “If an extra quarter inch matters to you.”

“Daddy, you’re smushing me,” Brooke said, and Millie saw the girl kick her foot into the back of Jake’s seat.

He moved the seat up again, his knees grazing the dash. “Is that better?”

“Uh-huh. Bunny needs room to spread out.”

“Lucky Bunny,” Jake mumbled.

Millie looked over, ready to continue their verbal sparring until she noticed the tight set of his mouth. Jake’s head was resting back against the seat, his eyes closed.

She placed her hand on his arm. “Are you okay?”

He gave a small nod but didn’t open his eyes. “Just not used to this much moving around so early in the day. Sad but true.”

“It will get better.” She realized she’d said a version of that phrase almost a dozen times in the past twenty-four hours. Speaking the words out loud, unfortunately, didn’t make them reality.

She backed the car out of the driveway and followed Jake’s directions to the hospital. When she’d visited Olivia before in Crimson, there had still been snow on the ground. Now the whole valley had come to life and the mountains rising up from the outskirts of town were a mix of the dark green of pine trees and the lighter shades of aspens. Even Brooke seemed awed by their surroundings, as she was quiet for most of the drive.

She pulled into the hospital’s parking lot fifteen minutes later.

“You can drop me off at the main entrance,” Jake said before she could ask the question.

“No!” Brooke suddenly shouted from the backseat. “Daddy, don’t go. Don’t go to the hospital.”

Jake turned as best he could toward the back of the car. “We talked about this, Brooke. I have an appointment and then I’ll be with you again. Millie’s going to take care of you until then.”

“No,” Brooke said again. This time Millie could hear the tears in the young girl’s voice. “You can’t leave me.”

Millie’s heart ached at those words. Jake met her gaze. “What do I do?”

“Brookie-Cookie,” Millie said over the girl’s sniffling, “we’ll walk your daddy into the hospital.” She parked the car in a space as close to the front of the hospital as she could find. “You can see where they’re going to do the physical therapy and the office where his doctor works. If you want, we can stay and wait for him.”

“Okay.” Brooke’s voice was a tiny whimper.

Millie could see a muscle tick in Jake’s jaw but ignored him as she unstrapped Brooke from her car seat and helped her out of the car. Brooke took her father’s hand as they walked toward the sliding doors at the front of the building. She sang a song to Bunny as she skipped along, once again content since she wasn’t being separated from her father.

Millie came to Jake’s other side. “She’s afraid of losing you if you’re out of her sight for too long,” she whispered.

“I could be here for a couple of hours.” He glanced at her. “Do you really want to hang out here all morning?”

“I’m hoping that if she sees the office and maybe meets some people, that will make her feel better and we can leave.” She shrugged. “If not, we’ll stay.” She made her smile bright. “You’re paying me a lot of money to take care of your daughter. I’ll make it work, Jake.”

He led them to the elevators and, once they reached the third floor, down the hall to the rehabilitation and physical-therapy offices. He walked forward, Brooke still glued to his side, to check in at the reception desk.

“I have a nine-thirty appointment,” he told the woman behind the counter.

Millie watched as the woman glanced up then did a double take. She could imagine Jake got that reaction quite a bit, although he didn’t seem to notice. “Oh, my goodness,” the woman gushed, “it’s really you.”

Jake’s expression remained blank.

“Don’t you remember me?” The woman smiled. “I’m Lauren Bell. We went to high school together. You missed the five-, ten-and fifteen-year reunions, Jake. And you were our valedictorian.” She tsked softly. “Of course, I see your brothers around town but never hear anything about you. I know you became a doctor and you travel all around the world. It must be so exciting.”

Jake glanced at Millie with a look that screamed for help. She shook her head.

“It’s...um... Yes, I’m a surgeon.” He held up his arm. “I was a surgeon.”

“Well, we’ll take good care of you.” Her smile faltered as Brooke stood on her tiptoes to see over the counter. “I didn’t know you had a child.”

“Me neith—”

Millie coughed.

“This is my daughter, Brooke.”

Brooke waved and lifted her stuffed animal in the air. “This is Bunny.”

“And your wife?” Lauren asked with a curious glance toward Millie.

“I’m not married,” Jake explained. “Millie is Brooke’s nanny while we’re in town.”

The predatory gleam that flamed in Lauren Bell’s eyes had Millie clenching her hands. “A bunch of us from the old group get together for happy hour at the Two Moon Saloon on Fridays after work. You should join us sometime. If the nanny does evenings.”

“The old group,” Jake repeated slowly. “Yeah, sure, I’ll see what I can do.”

Brooke tugged on his hand. “You won’t leave me, right?”

Millie saw him close his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he gave a sweet and sexy—damn him—smile to Lauren Bell. “Since we’re friends, Lauren,” he said, leaning forward as if he were sharing a secret, “do you think it would be okay if Brooke had a little tour of the offices before I got started? Maybe you could introduce us to some of the therapists and she could see what I’m going to be doing while I’m here.” He winked. Millie suppressed a gag. “She’s kind of nervous and I’m sure you know all the ins and outs of how things work around here.”

Lauren stood and called over her shoulder, “Rhonda, watch the front desk for a few minutes.” She turned back to Jake. “Does the nanny need to come with us?”

He shook his head without looking at Millie. “Just you, me and Brooke.”

Millie was surprised Lauren didn’t do a fist pump in the air.

“I’ll take you back. Come through that door to the left of the waiting room and I’ll meet you there.”

Jake led Brooke past Millie. “Good start, right?”

She rolled her eyes. “For someone who has no charm, you really laid it on thick just now.”

“Who said I had no charm?”

“Personal observation.”

“I’ve got loads of charm, Fairy Poppins.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “But only a lucky few are on the receiving end of it.”

Millie coughed out a laugh. Without taking her eyes off Jake she said, “Your ‘old friend’ is dousing herself with body mist at the moment. Be careful how you wield that charm, Dr. Travers. It’s quite a weapon.”

He gave a mock shudder. “Let’s go, Brooke, and whatever you do, don’t let go of my hand.”

She saw Brooke squeeze his fingers tighter. “Be back soon, Millie,” the girl said, clutching Bunny to her chest.

Ten minutes later, the door to the waiting room opened again. Millie tossed aside the magazine she’d been pretending to read as Brooke skipped through the door, followed by her father.

“Look, look,” Brooke squealed, running forward to Millie. “I got a stressy ball, and a pen and notepad with the phone number here on it.” She thrust the notepad forward. “So if we need to call Daddy when he’s here, we can.”

“We don’t need to stay?”

Brooke shook her head. “Daddy’s going to text me pictures to your phone so I can keep track of him. And we’ll get lunch ready because he’s going to be really hungry after his therapy stuff.”

Millie stood as Jake walked up. She could see a woman in a polo shirt and khaki pants waiting just inside the reception door for him. “Everything’s good?”

He nodded. “Your idea worked.” He ruffled Brooke’s hair. “Now that Bunny has seen everything that happens at the office, he feels much better about me being here.” His gaze was warm on Millie, making parts of her body tingle that had no business coming to life for Jake Travers. “Thank you,” he said softly.

Before she could reply, Brooke held up the stuffed animal. “Give Bunny a kiss goodbye, Daddy.”

Jake’s mouth dropped open an inch. “How about a high five?”

Her mouth set in a stubborn way that made Millie think of Jake. Already like father, like daughter. “A kiss.”

He bent forward and touched his lips to the animal’s grungy fur.

“Me, too,” Brooke said, angling her cheek toward him.

He glanced up at Millie, emotion clouding his eyes. She nodded, the tingling in her body rapidly progressing to a full-on tremble.

Jake kissed his daughter’s cheek then the top of her head. Millie wasn’t sure if the sigh she heard came from her or the therapist waiting for him. Jake straightened and she noticed a faint color across his cheeks. The doctor was actually blushing. Why was vulnerability so darned appealing when it came wrapped up in an alpha-male package?

He glanced at the clock on the wall then met her gaze, looking embarrassed and flustered. “I’m going to meet with one of the orthopedic surgeons on staff after this. Give me a few hours and I’ll be ready to go.”

“Remember the pictures, Daddy.”

“I will, Brooke. You ladies have fun.”

He walked away but looked over his shoulder before the waiting-room door closed behind him. “Thanks again, Millie. For everything this morning.”

She lifted her hand, trying for a casual wave but feeling pretty sure she looked more like she was having an uncontrollable body spasm. “Just doing my job,” she called out brightly.

His eyes clouded a bit at her words and she immediately regretted them. But before she could say anything else, he was gone.

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