Fool's Gold Collection Part 2. Susan Mallery

mother. “You put her to bed.”

      Denise smiled at her. “Thanks,” she whispered, and picked up the baby.

      Hannah snuggled close. Denise crossed the room and settled the little girl on her back in the crib. After starting the mobile, they dimmed the lights and stepped out of the room.

      “I’m so lucky with her,” Dakota said, as she adjusted the volume on the baby monitor. “Hannah enjoys being with people. I’ve heard that some of the children from orphanages are cautious around anyone new. In this town, that would be a problem.”

      They settled on the sofa. Her mother looked at her.

      “You’re doing well,” her mother told her. “I know you’re terrified half the time, but it doesn’t show. Soon you’ll be terrified only a quarter of the time, which is something to look forward to.”

      “Thanks,” Dakota said. “You’re right. I am scared. It’s getting a little better. Knowing that she’s healing helps a lot. As does all the company. Ethan and Liz stopped by a couple of days ago and I’m getting lots of visits at work.” She smiled at her mother. “You’re helping a lot, too.”

      “I love having her here. Finally a grandchild who lives close to me. You’ll have to tell me if I become one of those annoying, interfering grandparents. I’m not saying I’ll change my behavior, but I will at least feel guilty about it.”

      Dakota laughed. “As long as you feel guilty, then I guess it’s okay.”

      “So you’re handling the stress? You’re sleeping?” her mother asked.

      “Better than I was.” Finn had stayed with her the first couple of nights. Just having him around had made everything better. But she’d realized that at some point she had to face motherhood on her own. She hadn’t slept at all the first night he’d been gone, but since then she’d been sleeping more and more.

      “Sometimes I freak out for no reason,” she admitted. “Does that get better?”

      “Yes and no,” her mother said. “You freak out less and then they become teenagers. That’s when the real nightmare begins.” Denise smiled brightly. “But that’s some time away. Enjoy Hannah while she’s still young and rational.”

      “We weren’t that bad,” Dakota told her.

      “You didn’t have to be that bad. There were six of you.”

      “I guess you have a point there.”

      Her mother studied her. “At the risk of interfering, how are things going with Finn? I haven’t seen him around. Or is he here when I’m not?”

      “Finn has been a great help with Hannah,” Dakota admitted. “Which has been wonderful. But romantically…”

      It was difficult to explain the relationship, mostly because she didn’t understand it herself.

      “He’s a great guy, but we want different things. We were having fun together, only it started to get complicated. He’s here about his brothers and…” She shrugged. “I don’t actually have an answer to that question.”

      “I got that,” her mother said. “I’d wondered if it was getting serious with him.”

      “It wasn’t,” Dakota assured her, then wondered if she was lying.

      She thought about Finn a lot and missed him. She knew he was working at the airport and told herself that was why he hadn’t been around. There were plenty of tourists to keep him busy. And Raoul had mentioned he’d had another meeting with Finn about starting a nonprofit program.

      “I see.” Her mother studied her. “None of my girls are married. Sometimes I think it’s my fault.”

      “As much as I would love to put all this on you,” Dakota told her, “I don’t think I can. I’ve never been in love. I’ve always wanted to be, I always thought I would be. There were guys in college who were great but I couldn’t see myself spending the rest of my life with them. Maybe it’s me.”

      “It’s not you. You have a warm and giving heart. You’re completely adorable. I think the men in this town are stupid.”

      Dakota laughed, then leaned close and hugged her mother. “Thank you for your unwavering support. As for the men in this town, I don’t have an answer for that, either.”

      “And you’re sure about Finn?”

      “He’s looking for less responsibility, not more. Once he gets his brothers settled, however that works out, he’s going back to his regular life. Even if I’d been tempted before, having Hannah changes everything.”

      Dakota was very aware of the fact that having a baby, being a single mother, was only going to make the man thing more difficult. But they were two different animals—she didn’t want to give up one kind of love for another.

      “I want what you had,” she told her mother. “I want a great love. A love that will sustain me for the rest of my life.”

      “Is that what you think?” her mother asked. “That we only get one great love?”

      “Do you think differently?”

      “Your father was a wonderful man and I loved him very much. But I don’t believe there is only one man for each of us. Love is all around us. Maybe I’m foolish and too old to be thinking that, but I would like to be in love again.”

      Dakota did her best to keep from showing her shock. Dating was one thing, but falling in love? She’d always assumed there wouldn’t be anyone for her mother but her father.

      Now, looking at Denise, she saw her for what she was. An attractive, vital woman. There were probably a lot of men who would be interested in her.

      “Do you have anyone in mind?” she asked.

      “No, but I’m open to the possibility. Does that bother you?”

      “It makes me envy you,” Dakota admitted. “You’re willing to take a chance again.”

      “You’ve taken a chance on that little girl. The right man will come along. You’ll see.”

      “I hope so.”

      She wanted to fall in love, too. The problem was, thinking about being in love made her think about Finn. Was she truly interested in him? Or was it just easier to distract herself by wanting the one man she couldn’t have?

      CHAPTER FOURTEEN

      DAKOTA SAT ON THE FLOOR with her daughter. They were on a blanket, in the middle of her living room. There were several age-appropriate toys scattered around. Dakota had a large picture book in her hand and was slowly reading the story to Hannah.

      “Lonely bunny was happy to have found a friend.” She pointed to the drawing on the page. “See the bunny? He’s not lonely anymore. He has a friend now.” She pointed to the fluffy white kitten, nose to nose with the formerly lonely bunny.

      “See the kitten?” She pointed to the kitten. “He’s white.”

      From all that she had read, Hannah needed plenty of verbal and visual stimulation. Hannah seemed interested in the story. She would look where Dakota pointed, and the bright colors of the picture book kept her attention. Dakota was about to turn the page when someone knocked on her front door.

      She stood and collected Hannah. She felt her breath catch in her chest as she saw Finn standing on her small front porch.

      He looked as sexy as ever, especially when he gave her a slow grin that made her thighs heat. “Hey. I should have called first, shouldn’t I? Sorry. I’ve been doing a lot of flying and this was my first break. How are you?”

      “Good. Come on in.”

      He stepped into the house, then reached for Hannah. “How’s my best girl?” he asked.