Page 21 of Eighteen Bowties and Counting

“Okay,” Beau said. “What if I’m not in earshot and you’re struggling?”

“I’ll do a hand signal,” she said. “I used to do that with Mason and Felicity, if I needed help with the kids.”

“All right,” he said. “What kind of hand signal?”

Charlotte looked like she might lunge at him and claw his eyes out, but she didn’t move. “I don’t know, Beau.”

His irritation kicked at him too. “My sister—not the horse-riding one—did a little ASL in school. I used to practice the letters with her. I know H is like this.” He held up his hand with his first two fingers stuck together like the pillars on the capital H. “Maybe just that and lift it up? I’ll know you need something.”

“Fine.”

He demonstrated the movement, and she nodded. He noted she didn’t make the gesture, and part of him wanted to see her do it before he let her go. Another part of him yelled that he wasn’t her daddy, and to let this go for now. Charlotte had some big barriers up between herself and the world. Real shields he’d have to figure out a way through.

She protected herself through anger and glaring, and Beau grinned at her. “All right,” he said. “Do you want to go out to the stables?”

Everything inside her relaxed. “I thought you’d never ask.”

He had several other things he wanted to ask her, but he filed the questions away—especially the personal ones—and looked at the dogs. “Come on, guys,” he said to them. “Let’s go show Charlotte our favorite equines.”

“Oh, you can’t have favorites with horses,” Charlotte said, and Beau had to look at her to see if her expression matched her very serious tone. It did. In fact, she shook her head like he’d just committed the worst crime possible.

“They know it, and they will punish you for it.” She nodded, her words fact, and headed for the door first. “Now, watch and learn how to get them all on your side the very first time they meet you.” She gave him a grin he could only classify as flirty and headed for the front door.

Beau took a moment to watch her walk away from him, and then he moved far too fast for a man his age in his eagerness to follow her, be at her side, maybe hold her hand again.

Everything between them felt new and shiny, and he reminded himself that they lived together as he joined her on the porch. He couldn’t move too fast or come on too strong, not if he wanted his little bird to stay close, maybe crawl into the palm of his hand, and stay awhile.

Beau had never been a super patient man, but perhaps age had helped him in that regard. Because he didn’t feel a great desperate urge to ask her out, hold her hand, and see if she felt the same spark between them.

He could bide his time; she lived right across the hall, after all. And he’d rushed into things before, and he didn’t need to do that here. He wouldn’t.

Maybe I’ve learned something, Lord, he thought as Charlotte waited for him at the bottom of the steps.

“Wait,” she said. “I didn’t get my clipboard.” She started up the steps again.

“We can just meet them,” he said. “You can do a formal assessment on Monday.”

She paused and looked back at him. He could tell she didn’t want to do that, but she did slowly return to his side. “Okay,” she said slowly.

“What are you doing tomorrow?” he asked.

“Tomorrow? I don’t know.”

“Do you want to go to Ben’s wedding with me?” Beau used everything he had to stop himself from clearing his throat. He couldn’t believe he’d asked her out, when he’d literally just told himself not to.

But he didn’t need to clarify. Or hem and haw and make excuses. Or ask anything again.

He just needed to wait.

Chapter Eight

Charlotte held up the phone so Felicity could see her reflection in the mirror. “Well?”

“That’s a great color on you, Char,” her sister-in-law said. “Purple suits you.”

“It’s the only thing I have, and it’s from your wedding.” The dress she’d pulled from an unpacked garment bag at the back of her closet had weathered the years really well. Probably because she hadn’t worn it again since the day her brother got married.

“No wonder I love it,” Felicity said, and Charlotte caught the tail end of her smile. “Seriously, Char, you look amazing. I can’t believe you can still fit into that.”

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