White Dove's Promise. Stella Bagwell

face with embarrassed heat. Jared Colton could have most any woman he set his steel-gray eyes on. She was putting herself on a pedestal to think he was interested in her.

      “I wasn’t thinking that,” she quickly denied. “It’s just that I wanted to choose the pet I thought would fit my daughter.”

      Pleased that she was softening, he said, “Well, just look at this little guy. He’s perfect.”

      Kerry pretended to study the cat’s autocratic face, but in actuality her eyes were begging to slip up to Jared’s strong, sensual features. Like yesterday, she’d spent most of her time today trying not to think about this man. So far she’d failed and his showing up on the doorstep once again had literally been like a cherry topping off a sinful ice cream sundae.

      “I think Peggy—”

      Her words were suddenly interrupted by the slam of the screen door. Both Kerry and Jared turned to see Peggy standing on the porch, studying the two of them with quiet interest. She was dressed in sturdy striped overalls and a red T-shirt. Her shiny black hair was fastened in ponytails behind each ear and Jared couldn’t help thinking that next to her mother, she was the most adorable little thing he’d ever seen.

      Just looking at the child made Jared wonder, as he had many times these past few days, how any man could have given up his own child. Or maybe he was jumping to conclusions about things he didn’t know about, Jared thought. It could be that Peggy’s father was still somewhere in the background. Perhaps seeing her on an odd weekend or taking her for a couple of weeks in the summer, sending her birthday cards and telephone calls. Yet Jared seriously doubted that was the case. If a man cared enough about his child to do that much, then he surely would have shown up when she was trapped beneath the ground.

      Peggy doesn’t have a daddy. Kerry’s words had pretty much said it all.

      “Hi Peggy,” he said, then, not waiting for her to come to him, he went over and knelt down to her height. “Did you finish eating your supper?”

      She nodded as her fascinated gaze vacillated between his face and the kitten he was holding. “You have a kitty,” she finally spoke.

      Jared smiled at her. “That’s right. I have a kitty for you.”

      He placed the animal at Peggy’s feet and her eyes slowly lit up like a candle on Christmas Eve.

      “Do you like him?”

      The answer was a squeal of excitement as she made a dive for the animal. Before she could put a choke hold on the cat’s neck, Jared quickly took control and showed her how to hold him gently and carefully. The child listened intently to his instructions and after a few minutes, she was carrying the kitten with the same care as her baby dolls.

      “That’s my girl,” Jared praised her, “now go show your mother.”

      Peggy raced across the porch to where Kerry had been watching the scene taking place between her daughter and Jared. For years now, she’d longed to give Peggy some sort of male contact to make up for the absence of a father. Yet she’d never found a man she trusted enough to allow him into Peggy’s sheltered life. And though she might not trust Jared Colton, it appeared her daughter had already decided to make him her trusty friend.

      “Look Mama, Jared brought me a cat,” she said proudly. “I’m gonna name him Claws. See, he has claws on his toes. But they don’t scratch.”

      Kerry bent over her daughter and made a show of inspecting the kitten. “He can scratch, Peggy. Just like the neighbor’s cat,” she warned her. “That’s why you must handle him like Jared taught you.”

      At that moment Fred came bounding around the side of the house. Sensing that something interesting was going on, the dog leaped onto the porch and for the next few minutes, the scene was comical as the dog and cat greeted each other, then decided to be buddies.

      When Peggy and the animals finally quieted down and left the porch to play out on the clipped grass, Jared sidled up to Kerry.

      “I think she likes him,” he said, unable to keep a bit of smugness from his voice. He’d never realized that pleasing a child could make him feel so good.

      “Oh, she likes him all right,” Kerry said with a sigh of resignation.

      Jared darted her a look. “Why do you say it like that? Are you still mad at me?”

      The wounded, incredulous tone in his voice made it impossible for Kerry to prevent a grin from spreading across her lips. “Yes, I am. I should make you take that kitten back home with you.”

      The smile on his face practically oozed confidence. “You couldn’t do that to Peggy or to Claws. They’ve already become fast friends.”

      He was right and he knew it. Kerry had no choice but to let her daughter keep the kitten.

      “It is nice to hear her laugh again,” Kerry admitted. “I think that’s the first I’ve heard her laugh since she was lost in the pipe.”

      “I’m glad,” he said, then taking her by the shoulder he urged her to take a seat on the edge of the porch. “Sit down here beside me. I have something to ask you.”

      Kerry was instantly on guard as she kept her bare thigh a respectable distance from his. “Couldn’t this question have been asked standing up?” she replied.

      He grinned. “Sure. But this is much nicer like this.”

      For him maybe. For her it was more than a little disconcerting. Her heart was a quick drum beat in her chest. Her breathing seemed to be going in and out too quickly to satisfy her lungs.

      “Okay,” she said, hoping she sounded normal. “What is this question?”

      Her hands were folded together atop her lap. As Jared angled his body around to hers, his first instinct was to reach for one of them. But he quickly decided not to push his luck. Two nights ago while Peggy had been trapped in the drainpipe, he’d had a good excuse to touch her in a comforting way. But this evening they were simply a man and a woman.

      “Well, I—when I got home this evening from work, the local newspaper was on the phone with my sister. Seems like they want to do a story about Peggy’s rescue.”

      Kerry shrugged. “That’s all right with me. There’s been so many townspeople who’ve expressed their interest and concern in my daughter. It would give me a chance to let them know how grateful I am.” She settled her gaze on his face. “To them and to you.”

      Being grateful to him wasn’t exactly what Jared wanted from Kerry, but if it would help to give him a chance to get to know her better, he’d have to play upon it. At least, for the time being.