Page 28 of Holiday Haven

She swallowed hard and pressed a kiss to the top of Joy's soft head. In the time Joy had been there, the baby girl had taken up residence in her heart.

She forced herself to set Joy back in the crib. After switching patient assignments with another nurse, she found Shirley, the unit social worker.

“Shirley? I haven't heard anything regarding the status of my application.”

“No surprise.” Shirley gave an apologetic shrug. “The wheels of bureaucracy turn slow. You know it takes a good six weeks to get through the entire process. It's good you had a head start. They're always looking for good foster parents. I'm sure you'll hear from them soon. Probably sometime after the holidays.”

“I hope so.” Krista forced a smile, hoping surely wasn't just saying that to make her feel better. “I'd love for Joy to live with me. I even have a potential babysitter lined up; in case everything works out.” Ms. Granger, one of the widows in the apartment building had agreed to babysit for Joy. The only issue stacked against her was the lack of a two-bedroom apartment, something she hoped at the Department of Health and Human Services wouldn't hold against her.

“Sounds like you have everything planned out.” Shirley smiled and patted her arm. “Hang in there. I'm sure they'll be in touch soon.”

“Okay, thanks.” She turned away wishing she felt as confident. She quickly checked on her patients and gave Jason O’Neil the IV antibiotic he was scheduled to receive.

Once the antibiotic had infused, she disconnected the toddler's IV and lifted him into her arms. At eighteen months, he was a big boy. Healthy and sturdy.

She brought him to the nurse’s station to put him in a swing so she could keep an eye on him. After a few minutes though, she wrinkled her nose, realizing he needed to be changed. With the sigh she lifted him back out of the swing.

“Krista?” Adam strode down the hall toward her. He frowned, standing with his hands in his pockets. “According to the patient assignment board, you're not the nurse taking care of Joy any longer.”

“No.” She smiled sadly. “I guess you were right. I've grown too attached to her. When it came time to put that IV in, I couldn't do it.” She shifted Jason on her hip, wishing Adam hadn't observed her failure. “I plan to visit her as often as I can, though.”

“I see.” He fell into step with her as she headed down the hall, back to Jason's room. “I need to get to the clinic, but I wanted to ask you a question first.”

About Joy? She braced herself. “What’s that?”

“Will you attend the Christmas ball with me this Friday night?”

Flabbergasted, she gaped at him. Had he asked her because of Austin's meddling? She hoped not. She was already too emotionally involved with Adam, and honestly, with his entire family. It would be better for her to refuse, to put some needed distance between them. She was fairly certain he didn't return her feelings. If anything, he likely felt sorry for her.

The last thing she wanted or needed from Adam was pity.

She willed herself to be strong, but when she opened her mouth, the words didn't come out as planned. “Yes. I'd love to go to the ball with you.”

“Great.” His warm grin rocked her back on her heels. “I'll pick you up at seven.”

“I'll be ready.” So much for protecting her heart, she thought as she watched him walk away. Absently untangling Jason's grip on her hair, she wondered if she was wrong about Adam seeing her only as a friend.

The warm expression in his gaze when she'd agreed to go reminded her of their heated kiss. Her lips tingled at the memory.

Maybe attending the ball would prove to be a changing point in their relationship. A chance for Adam to see her as a desirable woman rather than a family less waif.

With determined resolve she decided to stop over analyzing everything. She'd grown a lot during this past year—certainly she had the self-confidence to do this. She even had a red strapless gown that she’d only worn once before, so she didn’t need to spend extra money.

One thing was for sure. If Adam still didn't notice her as a woman after attending the ball, he never would.

CHAPTERNINE

Adam knew he’d completely lost what was left of his mind when he spent his limited free time to stand at the bus stop located a few blocks from his clinic. This wasn’t going to help him finish his Christmas shopping, he thought wryly. He had plenty of other things to do, rather than hanging out in the doorway of a discount drug store and stamping his feet to stimulate circulation in his toes.

He felt ridiculous, especially as the sidewalks remained crowded with the Christmas shopping rush. People passed in a whirl of motion; it was hard to watch every individual. He could be freezing his feet off for no good reason.

There she was! He straightened, his gaze zeroing in on the woman who stood directly under the bus stop sign. Where had she come from? Did she work somewhere nearby that she always used this bus stop? Or did she keep coming back just to peer through the doorway of his clinic?

Pulling his hat low on his forehead so she wouldn't recognize him and take off running, he shifted his position until he stood in a spot where he could see her better. Keeping his head down as much as possible, he lifted his phone until he could snap a picture. Being this close, he realized she was younger than he had originally estimated, in her mid to late twenties. He could only see her profile but was willing to take what he could get. He took several photos, hoping for at least one decent shot that Alec could use to help discover her identity. When he was satisfied he'd captured her image, he took several steps back, trying to come up with the best way to approach her.

The bus pulled up. No! He was going to lose his chance! She didn't notice him but stood in line to get on the bus, so instead of calling out, he followed the crowd, mounting the steps until he was on the bus too. He hadn't ridden the bus since his college days, but stuffed dollar bills into the slot and passed her with his gaze averted until he found a seat several rows behind her. As the bus pulled away from the curb he sat back hoping he could find out where the scarf woman lived.

He hated feeling like a stalker. Hurting her was the last thing on his mind. If she recognized him, she'd have no way of knowing his intentions were honorable. Slouching low in his seat, he debated calling Alec. As a cop, Alec might be able to talk to her without causing alarm.

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