special needs of an autistic daughter and Summer would never dare criticise his parenting skills but it wouldn’t hurt him to ask for or accept help once in a while.
Her own mother had been equally as pig-headed when they’d been left as half of a family when her father had taken off, refusing financial or emotional assistance from any quarter. As an adult she recognised how her mother must’ve been hurting badly to be so determined to do everything on her own and prove she didn’t need a man around. Except Summer had been the one to suffer, forced to grow up too quickly and dragged into the conflict between her parents by having to choose which one to live with. She hoped Gracie would never be subjected to that kind of stress when it could have such a devastating impact on her development.
It hadn’t been fair to Summer as an eight-year-old to put her under that much pressure to pick sides, but emotions had been running high and she’d been compelled to stay with her mother since her father had been the one having an affair. Once she’d made her position known, her father had demanded custody of her stepbrother and moved abroad to start a new life with the woman he’d left them for.
They’d all been devastated by the split but her parents had wanted a complete separation, things having been said and done that neither could apparently overlook in order to let the siblings maintain contact. Perhaps they’d imagined they had been young enough to forget and would get over it, but she hadn’t and now she didn’t even know where to start looking for Robbie.
With hindsight she could understand why her mother had chosen never to rely on anyone else after that epic betrayal, but when her health had suffered, Summer had been the only one there to pick up the pieces.
Unable to work full time, there had been no money to fund things every other child took for granted and it hadn’t been long before she’d been taking on after-school jobs to supplement their income at a time when her teenage peers had been going to parties or shopping for clothes. She’d never resented her mother for those sacrifices but when she had eventually married again Summer had gone a little wild, exploring her sudden freedom and leaving her responsibilities far behind. They hadn’t really been close since. She’d even been replaced at home.
Summer had no wish to interfere in anyone else’s life but Dr Valdez didn’t have to be Gracie’s whole world. There were no parent-of-the-year prizes for running yourself into the ground, only more problems for the child when there was no one else around to lend a helping hand.
She’d studied hard to enable her to work with vulnerable children and she knew how much time and patience it took to communicate effectively to make any progress in their development. If he would simply give her the chance, she was willing to share everything she’d learned to make their lives a little easier.
‘Hold this for me,’ she said, handing the plush toy to Kaylee, and left her vantage point to meet them in the corridor, persuading herself her actions were based purely on Graciela’s needs.
When she reached Rafael, he’d changed tactics and was murmuring in soothing placatory Spanish to his daughter. Summer’s school-level Spanish was rusty but she recognised ‘Te amo, mija’, because he told Gracie he loved her each time he had to leave her in child-care to go to work. It melted her heart that he could be so curt with people at times yet wasn’t afraid to express his feelings for his daughter. She wouldn’t have been human if she didn’t wonder what it would be like to have him whisper sweet Spanish nothings into her ear too, or experience the delicious shivers up her neck when she imagined him there.
‘I can take her from here if you’d like?’ Graciela immediately stopped fidgeting once she took her hand.
It had taken weeks to get her to this stage when she’d screamed the place down every time her father was out of sight at first. There were still problems with those who worked with her on late shifts when Rafael was on nights at the clinic, but she was lucky Gracie responded to her so positively.
‘We’re fine, thank you,’ he insisted, yet as she dropped Graciela’s hand, the little one began stamping her feet. The low whimpering in her throat began to build until it would soon become that ear-piercing shriek to let everyone know she wasn’t happy. It was difficult for children like Gracie to communicate their needs effectively and the tantrums were often born of frustration.
Summer stood her ground before Rafael’s stubborn pride, or lack of faith in her ability to do her job effectively, distressed the child any further.
‘If she’s happy to come with me now, it means you can get to work quicker.’ It was logical to anyone who wasn’t a helicopter parent, who didn’t trust another soul with the care of their precious offspring, that she was offering him the perfect solution.
‘Graciela, would you like to come and have a teddy bears’ picnic with us this morning? You can pick any toy you want and we’ll spread out the tea set for the party.’ Addressing her directly didn’t always elicit a response but on this occasion Gracie made her preference known by clinging onto Summer’s forearm with both hands. Her triumphant smile was a victory for common sense and a sharp contrast to Rafael’s frown, but he didn’t try to sway his daughter any further in his direction.
‘Here are her things.’ Her papa shrugged the sparkly pink backpack down his arms to give it to her. As well as proving how comfortable he was in his own masculinity, the girly, child-sized bag he carried for his daughter emphasised the broadness of his shoulders and gave Summer a temporary moment of fancy. She’d seen his muscles ripple at the swimming pool as they powered him through the water at breakneck speed and could easily imagine the upper-body strength he possessed. One flex and he could probably burst the straps as if they were made of tissue paper.
Simply thinking about that display of machismo awakened her girlish appreciation...and was it hot in here because she was in desperate need of a fan right now? Here was a man so strong in body yet he had no problem setting aside the discomfort many men would’ve shown with such a small act to make his child feel comfortable in her surroundings. He had a gentle way with his daughter she hadn’t fully grasped because he did it in such a quiet way without making a fuss or expecting ebullient praise, like Marc often had.
Perhaps she’d merely convinced herself Rafael had an inflated opinion of himself because she’d pigeonholed him right along with the last single dad she’d known. There was also the possibility she was finding excuses not to like him because she knew she was developing quite a crush.
Summer graciously accepted the handover and did her best to ignore the zing that came from the simple brush of their fingers during the exchange. The increased heart rate and tingling sensation where he’d touched her was nothing more than a sign that she knew she was playing with fire here. She shouldn’t be thinking of him as anything other than a parent at the day-care centre but forbidden fruit always seemed that much more tantalising.
‘She’ll be fine, Dr Valdez.’ It was her turn to dismiss him so she could get on with her job without having him distracting her with his muscles and sexy accent. She might also have to start wearing mittens if she was to prevent herself from going into raptures every time they came into brief physical contact.
He bent down to kiss the top of his daughter’s head before walking away.
‘Thank you, Miss Ryan.’ He tossed a measure of gratitude back over his shoulder. It should have riled her when she was blatantly an afterthought but she drank it in like an eager-to-please lapdog, thirsty for praise. The only consolation she took from being such a slave to her hormones was that this exchange would probably stay with him for the remainder of the day too. If only because he’d been forced to accept her help in some small way.
* * *
Just breathe. Rafael did his best to keep walking and ignore the urge to look back. He didn’t think he’d be able to handle the sight of his daughter happier to co-operate with a member of staff than with him. The whole attraction of coming to Maple Island Clinic had been the idea of having Graciela close, and though he was relieved she’d stopped her theatrics this morning he hated the idea that someone could do a better job than him of looking after her.
His