The Daddy Plan. Karen Smith Rose

      Since the cat was out of the bag, so to speak, the doctor relented and explained to Sam, “She should take it easy for a few days. By the end of the week, she should be ready for normal activity. But if you really want my recommendation, I’d say wait until next week to lift any animals, and then not fifty-pounders.”

      “I can’t take off all week,” Corrie protested.

      “Yes, you can. You have sick leave,” Sam replied.

      “But who’s going to get the charts ready and weigh the animals and make sure you don’t scare them to death?”

      Seeing Sam’s glare at Corrie, the doctor said, “The prescription will be waiting for you at the desk. As soon as you’re dressed, you can leave. Stop there to check out.” Then he left the exam room.

      “Eric and I can manage for a few days. Stop worrying,” Sam assured her.

      He saw the rebellion leave Corrie’s eyes and when it did, they became shiny with emotion. Going to her, he sat beside her on the examination table and wrapped his arm around her. “You’re not superwoman, Corrie. You just need to rest for a few days.”

      She was looking down at her hands and he suspected why. Lifting her chin with his finger, he saw the tear running down her cheek. He didn’t think twice about pulling her close to him.

      As soon as he did, he knew it was a mistake. She smelled like peaches and vanilla. Her curls were silky against his cheek. She was a soft bundle of woman and he was getting turned on.

      What had happened to him since Corrie had appeared at his cabin? He’d been a monk since August and had liked it that way. But now the heat rising from his body, the heat from Corrie’s, the beating of their hearts that now seemed to be in sync totally unsettled him.

      He stiffened.

      She felt the reaction and pulled away.

      Both of them were embarrassed.

      Finally, she murmured, “If you leave, I can get dressed.”

      He left, relieved and yet let down at the same time.

      On the way to Corrie’s apartment, Sam stopped at the pharmacy to have her prescription filled. She didn’t say a word from when they left the hospital to when they arrived at her town house. He couldn’t tell if she was hurting that badly or just upset with the whole situation.

      Jasper greeted her when she unlocked the door. Sam imagined she usually stooped down to pet and play with the cocker spaniel when she came home. To offer her an alternative, he suggested, “Go sit on the couch and he’ll jump up beside you.”

      Corrie gave him a look that told him clearly she didn’t want his suggestions. But after she took off her coat, she sat on the sofa and he had to hide a smile. Corrie might be independent, but she was reasonable, too. That was good to know.

      Why was that good to know?

      He tucked that question away.

      She looked surprised when he removed his jacket. “Aren’t you going back to the clinic?”

      “I’m going to make sure you have everything you need first.”

      “I have everything I need.” Her voice was strained and he’d gotten the message she just wanted to be left alone. But he wasn’t leaving the same way he had last night. Today he’d make sure she was taken care of before he went back to work.

      He strode into her sunny yellow kitchen, noticing the philodendron on the windowsill, the gingham place mats on the table and the matching gingham curtains at the window. After he opened the refrigerator, he shook his head. Yogurt and lettuce. Not a great combination in his estimation. The rest of the shelves were bare. Checking her cupboards, he discovered Corrie only bought what she needed. There was a can of this, a box of that and nothing substantial. Her freezer held two frozen dinners. That wasn’t food as far as he was concerned.

      In the living room, he picked up his jacket. “I’m going to buy you some groceries.”

      “No, you’re not.”

      Crossing to the sofa, he crouched down in front of her. Jasper had jumped down onto the floor and was now pattering around him as if he wanted to go out.

      “First, I’m going to take Jasper out. That way you don’t have to. Then I’m going to the deli and buy you real food.”

      “Like the corned beef you like?” She wrinkled her nose. “Spare me.”

      “You’ve made it clear several times you don’t think much of Reuben sandwiches. I get that. But they have great soups, their own baked turkey and an assortment of salads. I’ll bring a little of each.”

      “It will just go to waste.”

      “Not if I eat lunch with you.”

      She turned questioning eyes to his, and her voice wobbled when she asked, “Why are you doing this, Sam?”

      He could see she wanted a straight answer. The best he could come up with was, “I regret not taking you to the emergency room yesterday. I should have called emergency services after your accident. I let you convince me nothing was wrong—”

      “Nothing was wrong,” she reminded him. “At least nothing I knew about.”

      “You should have called me when you woke up and had trouble breathing.”

      Rising to his feet, he zipped up his jacket. “You’re too independent, Corrie. If you’re even going to consider having a child, you need a network of people around you who can help out. I’ve seen it with Nathan. Sure Kyle needs his dad, but he needed a mother, too, and now he has Sara. My dad is always on the sidelines helping out and so is Val, Nathan’s housekeeper. I’m around when Kyle just wants to have fun, and Ben fills another spot he needs to have filled. We’re all necessary. Kids thrive when a variety of people care about them, especially if they don’t have brothers and sisters.”

      She looked down at her lap, then raised serious eyes to his. “You and I grew up very differently, Sam. I was a loner. Other kids made fun of my hair and my freckles so I concentrated on schoolwork. I found friends in books and my mom was my best friend. After my parents divorced, she worked overtime to supplement what Dad gave us. I took care of myself. Would I want my child to grow up as I did? Maybe not. But I learned self-sufficiency and that’s a good thing.”

      He studied those freckles that other kids had made fun of. Reaching out, he dragged his thumb over them. She went still, and he saw that same awareness in her eyes that he was feeling.

      Straightening, he commanded, “Come on, Jasper. Let’s take a walk.” Picking up the dog’s leash on a table near the door, he attached it to Jasper’s collar. “I’ll be back in a little while and then we’ll talk about what you really want for lunch.”

      Opening the door, he felt as if he were escaping from a powder-keg situation. One too many sparks and…what? He’d kiss her again?

      When his imagination started running rampant, he gratefully let the January cold seep into him. Maybe he could freeze his libido into submission.

      Sam walked into his brother’s house two hours later as he always did…without knocking. This time, however, he didn’t find Val in the kitchen cooking or Kyle in the living room playing with his fire trucks. What he caught sight of was Nathan and Sara on the sofa kissing. They were so absorbed in each other they didn’t even know he was there.

      He cleared his throat…very loudly.

      They broke apart like guilty teenagers and both laughed as they spotted him.

      “We should have locked the door,” Nathan growled.

      Sara rose to her feet first, her pretty face flushed. “Patches is over at the lodge with Kyle and your dad.”

      “It’s early for you to be heading home for the