Page 108 of The Holiday Gift

He closed the door and she immediately wondered how such an ordinary act could completely deplete all available oxygen. Being alone with him in this enclosed space left her breathless, off balance and painfully aware of him.

She sank into a chair while he started his exam of the dog. The whole time she tried to ignore that low, calming voice and his easy, comfortable manner with the animal, focusing instead on her mental to-do list before Christmas Eve, which was in less than a week.

“Everything looks good,” Ben finally said. “He’s progressing much more quickly than I expected.”

“Great news. Thank you.”

“If it’s all right with you, I’d like to leave the stitches in for a few more days. I’ll try to stop by over the holidays to remove them.”

“I don’t want you to go to so much trouble. I can probably remove them. I’ve done it before.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Youhavehad experience at this.”

She shrugged. “Most everybody who grows up on a ranch gets basic veterinary experience. It’s part of the life. I took it a little further when I worked with Doc Harris, that’s all.”

“If you ever want another job, I could use an experienced tech.”

Oh, wouldn’t that be a disaster? She couldn’t think straight around the man. She could only imagine what sort of mess she could create trying to help him in a professional capacity.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Actually, I do need a favor. Advice, really. You know just about everybody in town, don’t you?”

“Most of them. We’ve had some new people move in lately but I’m sure I’ll get around to meeting them.”

“Do you know any after-school babysitters?”

“Is something wrong with Mrs. Michaels?” she asked, concerned all over again about the children not making it to the bus stop that morning.

His sigh was heavy. “No. Not with her, but she has a married daughter in California who just had a baby.”

“Oh, that’s great. I remember you mentioned her daughter was expecting.”

“She wasn’t due for another month, but apparently she went into premature labor yesterday and had the baby this morning. The baby is in the newborn ICU. Anne wants to be there, which I completely get. She’s trying to make arrangements to fly out today so she can be there when her daughter comes home from the hospital, and then she plans to stay through the holidays.”

“Understandable.”

“I know. I do understand, believe me. It just makesmylife a little more complicated right now, at least temporarily. The children can always come here after school. I don’t mind having them. But according to Ava, hanging out at the clinic is ‘totally boring.’ Plus Jack can usually find trouble wherever he goes, a skill that sometimes can be a little inconvenient at a clinic filled with ailing animals.”

“I can see where that might pose a problem.”

“I need to find someone for this Saturday at least. We have clinic appointments all day because of our shortened holiday hours next week and I don’t feel right about sticking them here for ten hours.”

Against her will, she felt a pang of sympathy for the man. It couldn’t have been easy, moving to Pine Gulch where he didn’t know anyone. He and his children had left behind any kind of support network, all trace of the familiar. Starting over in a new community would be tough on anyone, especially a single father also trying to keep a demanding business operating.

“This is easily fixed, Ben,” she said impulsively. “Ava and Jack can come to the ranch house after school and hang out with me and Destry. It will be great fun.”

He looked faintly embarrassed. “That wasn’t a hint, I swear. I honestly never even thought about asking you. Because you know everyone in town and all, I thought you might be aware of someone who might be willing to help out this time of year.”

“I do know a few people who do childcare. I can certainly give you some names, if that’s your preference. But I promise, having them come to the ranch after school would be no big deal. Destry would love the company and I might even put them to work with chores. They can ride the bus home with Destry the rest of the week, just like they would if Mrs. Michaels were there. Saturday’s no problem either. Des and I are making Christmas cookies and can always use a couple more hands.”

He shifted. “I don’t want to bother you. I’m sure you’re busy with Christmas.”

“Who isn’t? Don’t worry about it, Ben. If I thought it would be too much of a bother, I wouldn’t have offered.”

“I don’t know.”

He was plainly reluctant to accept the help. Stubborn man. Did he think she was going to attach strings to her offer? One kiss per hour of childcare?

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