Nurse to Forever Mom

“Thank you,” they chorused.

Stacey smiled. “You’re very welcome.”

“Jean and Lizzy, get your overnight bag and go get in the car. Buckle up.” The girls followed his orders. Soon the stomping of their feet filled the air as they went down the stairs.

Cody stopped her from following them with a hand on her arm. “Stacey—”

“You don’t have to thank me again. I was glad to do it.”

“That wasn’t what I was going to say.”

She made herself meet his unwavering gaze. “What?”

Cody studied her for a second as if unsure. “You know, you really are special.” With that he left her alone in his bedroom.

Heat rushed through her. What would it be like to hear those words from his lips all the time? That wasn’t a dream she should be having. Cody’s life wasn’t the one for her. This was just a temporary interlude.

CHAPTER FIVE

CODY ARRIVED HOME a few hours later to a house that was too quiet. The girls didn’t often spend the night away and when they did he was usually gone himself. He’d never thought much about being lonely until now. Lizzy and Jean had been his whole world for years but somehow Stacey had stepped into it and he was starting to ask himself if he needed more in his life.

She brought warmth and laughter to his world. Being around her had him feeling things he’d not felt in a long time. He was excited to wake in the mornings. Not until Stacey had he realized he had been living on autopilot. He would miss her teasing and quick smiles when she left for Ethiopia. That left him feeling oddly dejected.

A knock on the front door brought him out of his musing. He opened it to find Stacey standing there.

“Hey, I hope I’m not interrupting but I finished these and I thought Jean and Lizzy would want them as soon as they got home in the morning.” She held up two strips of white.

He gave them a peculiar look, trying to figure out what they were. Had she stopped by to see him knowing the girls wouldn’t be there?

“They’re bonnets. Don’t you remember?” She sounded as if she wanted to shake him to get him to answer.

He was still wrapped up in the surprise and pleasure of seeing her again. “Yeah, but isn’t there more to them than that?”

She harrumphed. “Sorry. Not. Pilgrims didn’t wear much headgear.”

He nodded. “If you say so.”

She extended her hand, offering the fabric to him. “Well, I’d better go.”

He took them from her, his fingers brushing hers. Awareness rippled through him. The impulse to grab her and pull her into his arms ran through his mind but he didn’t want to scare her away. The girls weren’t there so he didn’t have to worry about them becoming any more attached to Stacey. This was just a chance for some time alone with her when it didn’t involve work or his children. As a grown man he could deal with the fallout when she was gone. “I was just going to have a bowl of ice cream. Would you like to join me?”

She gave the question more thought than it required. He began to worry she wouldn’t accept. “That sounds good to me. Sure.”

“Good. Then why don’t you come in.” He stood back, giving her space.

Stacey grinned at him. “And I was starting to think you might make me eat it on your front stoop.”

“Are you questioning my manners?” He narrowed his eyes at her as he grinned before he closed the door.

“It’s not my place to question the doctor,” she cooed.

He laughed. “Yeah, right. You do that regularly.”

She led the way to the kitchen. “I don’t think we remember things the same way.”

“I think my memory is just fine.” He’d like to give her something to remember him by. Mercy, he needed to get his mind out of the bedroom and back in the kitchen. He hung the bonnets over a doorknob. Maybe he should stick his head in the freezer instead of taking the ice cream out of it.

Stacey took a seat on one of the bar stools. Cody was aware of her watching him. He was sure she wasn’t missing a single move he made. It had been a long time since he’d been this unsettled by a woman. He found it both exciting and disconcerting. “Chocolate or vanilla?”

“Both, please.”

“Both it is.” He took the cartons out of the freezer then retrieved bowls from a cabinet and spoons from a drawer. “Scoop of each?”

“Two scoops chocolate and one vanilla.” He looked at her and her gaze didn’t waver.

Cody smiled. He was having fun. “You do like ice cream.”

“Yes, I do. You offered just the right dessert.”

His gaze caught hers. “I have others as well.” She blinked. He let her off the hook and filled a bowl and pushed it over to her. Stacey eyed it. “Don’t wait on me to get started.”