Taming His Montana Heart(2)

“No pink for me either,” she admitted. “I was crazy about red.”

“Red’s okay.” Missy allowed. “Not as pretty as purple.” She crossed her little arms and glared at Shaw. “And my name’s Alexa, not Missy.”

Shaw frowned. “Really? I thought it was Gertrude Mergatroid.”

“Uncle Shaw!”

So this delightful child was Shaw’s niece. Until now, the only personal thing she’d known about the six-foot-two-inch, dark-haired, and athletic man in his late thirties was that Robert Chamberlin, Shaw’s uncle, had bought the resort. Shaw’s role was to oversee the extensive remodeling. She had been curious about him from the day he’d interviewed her for her job, an interest she hadn’t expected and still didn’t know what to do with.

“You’re visiting the resort?” she asked Alexa in an attempt to distract herself from the man. “What have you and Uncle Shaw been doing?”

“Not much. He has to work all the time.”

“Not true. I’ve been at your disposal all morning. Tell Haley what I showed you how to make.”

Alexa spread her arms and moved them up and down. “A snow angel.”

“He did?” She couldn’t help but look at Shaw again. He again appeared lighthearted. “It’s fun isn’t it?”

“I got snow all over my back.”

“Which I brushed off,” Shaw said. “You have to give me credit for that.”

Alexa’s smile broadened. “I love you.”

“And I adore you, you little character. You’re my favorite little girl in the whole world.”

Watching Shaw retrieve Alexa, hug her, and then toss her over his shoulder, Haley struggled against the lump in her throat. No matter what he wanted to talk to her about, it wouldn’t lessen the impact of seeing him and his niece together. Judging by what little she’d seen and heard, he’d make a wonderful father, but gossip was he wasn’t married and didn’t have children.

In other words, Shaw was like her, alone.

It doesn’t matter. He’s my boss.

He turned and watched as a large RV neared. It was far enough away that it didn’t present a danger, but he didn’t take his attention off it until it was beyond them.

“Not the best place for us to be,” he muttered. “My fault. I let her talk me into walking to the snowplow so she could see how tall it is.”

“Did he let you climb up into the cab?” she asked Alexa.

“No. It was locked.”

“I bet it was still impressive.”

“It was huge.”

Shaw smiled. “I believe her exact words were it was the biggest piece of machinery she’d ever seen. Look, I need to get this munchkin back to her parents. Then you and I can talk. Oh, how did your trip go?”

“My trip?”

“To the dentist.”

Surprised he remembered, she tapped the lower right side of her mouth. “Fine. I have a new crown.”

He repositioned Alexa so the girl was straddling the back of his neck and holding onto his hair. Looking delighted, she surveyed her world. How pure Alexa’s joy was, how clean and good. In time that would change as life’s ups and downs impacted her, but hopefully she’d always be an optimist.

“You were in pain.” He observed. “I heard it in your voice.”

She hadn’t approached her boss until fellow resort employee Terron Sax had agreed to cover for her. In fact, she wouldn’t have asked Terron if his girlfriend Kolina Childs hadn’t suggested it. Hampered by her throbbing tooth, she’d told Kolina she couldn’t join her and their mutual friend Echo Rose for dinner after all. That was when Kolina had insisted she talk to Terron.

When she’d called and told Shaw about the arrangement she’d made with Terron, she’d thought Shaw might object since she hadn’t first involved him. Instead, and to her relief, Shaw had told her to take off early since a storm was on its way. Now she understood why he’d given his approval—he’d sensed how much discomfort she was in.

“I’m relieved the dentist was able to do everything in one visit,” she said to Shaw.

She still wasn’t entirely comfortable in his presence, but he didn’t need to know how dependent she was on his approval of her job performance.

“There’s Daddy.” Alexa bounced up and down on Shaw’s shoulders. “Uncle Shaw, tell him I can stay here with you. I don’t need to go to school for a long, long time.”

Instead of looking for who or what had caught the girl’s attention, Haley continued to study Shaw. Alexa leaned down and around and planted a kiss on his nose followed by nibbling on it. Laughter rolled out of the man. Then he drew Alexa off his neck, deposited her on the ground, and pulled back her hood, revealing long, light blonde hair no dye could duplicate.

“I can’t do that, pumpkin.” Using both hands, Shaw ruffled the girl’s hair until it was no longer plastered to her head. “Someone would have to look after you while I’m working.”

“No they don’t. I’m five and two months.”

Shaw shook his head. “Which, according to the tooth fairy, is thirty-three months too young for being left alone for more than five seconds.”

“Is not either.”