Mad For The Dad. Terry Essig

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СКАЧАТЬ I bet. He got a hold of them and put up such a fuss every time I tried to take one away, the lady at the checkout told me not to bother. Said she’d seen it before. In fact, she acted like she thought it was kind of funny.”

      “I’m sure she did,” Rachel responded drolly as she unwrapped the cheese and began to cut it into itsy bitsy cubes a toddler couldn’t choke on. “After all, it wasn’t her kid sucking on a wrapper that’s been handled or sneezed on by eight thousand unknown food handlers and shoppers with colds. Got a bib?”

      Daniel blanched at that while he reached into a drawer. “Here. Maybe that’s what’s wrong with him. He’s sick. Maybe I should call the pediatrician.” Rachel snapped the bib around Todd’s neck, took the hot dog out of Daniel’s hand and began to dice it up. “I doubt it. Not that fast. Here, put this in the microwave and heat it up, but not too hot. Are there any vegetables we can give him?”

      “Uh, yeah, sure. I think I saw a can of beans here someplace…here we go.”

      Todd was stuffing bits of cheese into his mouth as fast as he could. He banged his fist on the tray and laughed when more went flying into the air. Rachel took the plate with the dismembered hot dog on it out of the microwave when it beeped and shoveled that onto the tray. Then she found a small handled cup and filled it with half an inch of milk. This, too, she gave the boy. Thirstily Todd drained it with only a small portion dribbling down his chin. Rachel gave him another half inch in the bottom of the cup before going to work on the beans.

      Daniel was impressed. “Wow, you’re like an old hand at this.”

      “It’s probably like riding a bicycle,” Rachel replied, knowing Todd was done when he began to throw the food on the floor. She began the washup procedure. “It’s been a while, but it does seem to be coming back to me.” Rachel held Todd’s cup up in front of the boy. “Look, Todd. This is your cup. See? Your cup is yellow.”

      “Lellow.”

      Rachel smiled, pleased. “That’s right. Yellow. Where’s his bedroom?” she asked Daniel.

      Daniel pointed. “Right through there.”

      She nodded. “Okay. How about if you finish cleaning up in here? I’ll change his diapers and see if I can get him settled down.” Feeling only slightly guilty—after all, it wasn’t her child who’d made the mess, was it?—Rachel left the kitchen area and headed for the nursery. There, she found a box of disposable diapers and replaced Todd’s soggy one and played with his toes briefly while he lay on the changing table.

      “This little piggy went to market—” The room had been lovingly prepared by someone who hadn’t wanted to know the sex of their child beforehand. Someone who liked surprises had chosen a lovely but nonsexist pale lime tint for the walls. The woodwork was a crisp contrasting white.

      “This little piggy stayed home—” A border of rainbows hung up high where the walls met the ceiling. Did Daniel ever stop and point them out to Todd?

      “This little piggy had roast beef—” A big, fat, stuffed fabric rainbow splayed itself across the wall next to the crib. She’d used a similar theme in Mark’s nursery, Rachel remembered. Impossible as it seemed, it had been nineteen years ago when she’d decorated that nursery. Nineteen years. Rachel had been eighteen, practically a baby herself, she now realized.

      Rachel sighed. “This little piggy had none—” She reminded herself that she was done being melancholy as of that morning.

      “And this little piggy cried—”

      Daniel popped his head in the doorway. “All cleaned up. How’s it going in here?”

      “Wee, wee, wee all the way home.” Rachel brushed the bottom of Todd’s foot with a light ticklish motion and smiled when Todd grinned up at her and jerked his foot back. She picked up his other foot and blew a raspberry on the bottom of it. That got a laugh. Finally Rachel looked up. “Fine. I’m going to rock him for a minute to settle him down before I put him in the crib.”

      “Fine, great, whatever. You get me a couple of hours of peace and quiet and I’ll be your slave forever.”

      Rachel snorted at that. “Yeah, right.” But it was an interesting idea. A body like that, her slave? My, oh my. That certainly got the old heart valves pumping. She picked Todd up and noticed a framed birth announcement hung on the wall. Todd Michael Malone? Sarah and Michael Malone proudly announce the birth of their son, Todd Michael? “Daniel, who does Todd really belong to? Are you baby-sitting for a relative or something?” She’d just die if Eileen turned out right once again. But this Sarah and Michael must have been really hard up to leave their pride and joy with a man who knew next to nothing about children.

      But Daniel’s indulgent smile immediately disappeared. His face tightened. “Todd’s mother, Sarah, was my sister. Her husband won a cruise as a prize in a sales contest where he worked. It was the first time they’d ever left the baby.” Daniel sighed. “There was a fire on board the ship. Barely big enough to make the papers up here, but Sarah, Michael and a couple of other passengers died of smoke inhalation. Todd stayed with Mike’s parents while I got my own life straightened out, but they’re well into their seventies and in a retirement complex with no children allowed. My mother has Alzheimer’s. Caring for her takes up all my dad’s time. That leaves Todd and me as a team.”

      Rachel, gaped at him as she seated herself in the rocker. And she’d thought she’d had troubles. “Oh. I’m so sorry. How awful.”

      Daniel ran a hand back through his hair. “Yeah, well, it’s been a little rocky the past couple of days, I have to admit.” He eyed the picture Rachel made there in the rocker with Todd happily sucking his thumb while, resting his head on her shoulder. “But I think maybe God just opened a window.”

       Chapter Two

      Rachel continued to stare at him. “Excuse me?” she finally said while absently rubbing Todd’s little back. His body already felt half limp. Another minute or two and he’d be conked out cold.

      “I said—”

      “Shh, not so loud. He’s almost asleep.”

      It was comical how quickly Daniel lowered his voice. Now she could barely hear him. “You know the old saying about God always opening a window when he closes a door?” he whispered.

      Warily Rachel nodded.

      “Well, when Sarah and Michael died, that was a heavy-duty door to get slammed in poor Todd’s face.” Daniel leaned against the nursery door frame and raked his hand through his hair. “I’m sure not the open window. I’m trying as hard as I can, but all I remember of parenting is that my dad used to play ball with me. Todd’s too little to throw a baseball let alone catch one. It was a disaster when I tried the other day. The ball kept going right through his legs.”

      Rachel arched a brow at him in disbelief. He hadn’t really pitched a baseball ata toddler, had he?

      Daniel continued, “The thing is, right before this all happened I’d just quit the accounting firm I’d been with since graduating from college. I was all set to go out on a limb and out on my own. Do you know how much work that entails? The time commitment? I’ve got СКАЧАТЬ