Free Yours for Christmas (Fool's Gold series) by Susan Mallery

tears burned in her eyes and she knew if she spoke, she would lose control. The last thing she wanted was her daughter to see her cry.
    It was Kenny, she thought, smiling and hoping neither of them noticed the sheen of moisture. Actually it was his actions. He was taking care of her and it had been so very long since she’d had a shoulder—however temporary—to lean on.
    * * *
    W HILE THE SOFA looked comfortable enough, Kenny knew it was going to be a long night. Although he had a nice pillow and plenty of blankets, there was no way he came close to fitting. Even if he didn’t have his feet hanging off the end, he was still not going to get any rest. Mostly because where he wanted to be was in Bailey’s bed, not her living room.
    No way, he reminded himself. There were dozens of reasons—the most important of which was in the smaller, second bedroom. Chloe. A bright, sweet kid whom he adored. But at the end of the day, he wasn’t going to start to care about her only to lose her. Only a fool would expect a different outcome.
    He punched the pillow a couple of times and closed his eyes. He’d nearly fallen asleep when he heard footsteps in the hallway. They were light and hesitant.
    He saw up and turned on the light. Chloe stepped into view.
    She had on a long flannel nightgown with pink flowers on it. Her bright red hair was pulled back in a braid and her eyes were huge. As he watched, a single tear slipped down her cheek.
    He’d gone home to pick up sweats and a T-shirt to sleep in. He pushed aside the blankets and patted the sofa next to him. She crossed to him, but instead of settling beside him she threw herself at him and began to cry.
    Bailey had been emotional earlier, he thought as he instinctively wrapped his arms round Chloe’s skinny body and held her close. A reaction to the accident, but still. Females and tears were a tough combination.
    Not knowing what else to do, he let her cry for a few minutes. He rubbed her back and murmured reassuringly. Finally she raised her head and looked at him.
    “I had a bad dream about my dad.”
    “What was the dream?”
    “He was lost and I couldn’t find him.”
    He brushed he tears from her cheeks. “Yeah, that’s a bad one. It woke you up, huh?”
    She nodded and sniffed.
    “Can you keep real quiet for a minute?” he asked.
    She nodded.
    He picked her up and carried her into her mother’s bedroom. Bailey lay asleep on her bed. Kenny returned to the living room and sat on the sofa with her on his lap.
    “You see she’s okay, right?”
    Chloe nodded.
    He smiled at her. “You’ve had a lot to deal with, munchkin. Moving to a strange town, then losing your dad. You’re about to move into a new house. And while the new house is going to be wonderful, it’s still a change. And sometimes change is upsetting. Even a good one. We like our routines.”
    She watched him, her big green eyes focused on his face.
    “When your mom fell, you were scared.”
    Chloe nodded.
    “You know she’s okay, right? That it’s just a sprain and she’s not in danger.” What he wanted to say was Bailey wasn’t going to die, but he didn’t know if that was too much. “Normally you’d be okay with it, but right now it’s harder.”
    Another nod, this one a little slower. Some of the worry faded from her eyes. “It’s like when I’m tired and I get cranky when I wouldn’t usually?”
    “Yeah. Just like that. There’s a lot going on and then you saw your mom hurt. It scared you. It would scare anyone. I think that’s probably why you had the dream about your dad.”
    He touched her nose. “You know your dad loves you. He’s always going to love you. Just because he’s not here, doesn’t mean the love goes away. It’s like the blue sky. Just because you’re not looking doesn’t mean it’s suddenly purple or green.”
    She smiled. “Because he’s my forever dad?”
    Soft, sweet words that hit him in the gut. Longing so fierce and intense that it stole his