Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
L evi dashed up the front steps of the Sweet Mountain Elementary School as parents and children streamed out the main entrance. He had news to share with Madeline about her visit to the specialists to have her eyes examined and her writing ability analyzed. Those appointments had been scheduled for tomorrow morning, so he’d tell Mrs. Campbell that he’d bring Madeline to class that afternoon.
He greeted some of the parents and their children as he made his way into the building. Inside, he kept his eyes on the entrance to Madeline’s classroom and wove through the crowd of parents, and some big brothers and sisters, helping children with their jackets and loading books and papers into their backpacks.
His conference call with his San Francisco office had lasted longer than expected and not all the topics had been resolved. He didn’t want to fly out to San Francisco. He had to make sure Madeline’s needs were met. He couldn’t sacrifice her well-being, but with the upcoming product launch and other matters concerning his company, a coastal trip would give him the insight he needed to make decisions quickly.
That would mean leaving Madeline in Sweet Mountain, something he was loath to do. His mother and brothers had enough to do with running the ranch and caring for his father.
Madeline was coping better with the loss of her parents, which led to the next step he wanted to take—making her part of his family.
Something had to give.
The pressure in his chest eased. God’s wisdom would lead him on the path he should take.
He stepped into the classroom.
“Daddy Levi!” Madeline’s excited voice greeted him.
“Hey—” Levi began.
Movement behind the teacher’s desk brought his gaze to the willowy figure with a cloud of dark hair.
Not Mrs. Cambell, Madeline’s first-grade teacher.
Rachel was surrounded by children when she lifted her gaze to his, her full lips parting. She wore a flowing blouse and slim-fitting pants. The rush of emotion he felt at seeing her tightened a muscle in his jaw. He didn’t want to feel anything toward this woman. He still thought of her as Jonathan’s shadow.
Who was he kidding? She had blossomed into an attractive woman. He was surprised she was still single. Maybe the right guy hadn’t come along. He pushed aside any thoughts that he could be the right guy. Because of Madeline, he was spending time with her. She had begged him to invite Rachel to attend the fall festival with them. In a weak moment, he had agreed.
Then his mother insisted that he invite her to Sunday dinner … again.
That wasn’t Madeline’s or his mother’s fault. He would be the adult. He would take full responsibility for extending the invitations to Rachel.
She looked at him with question in her eyes. Did she wonder why Madeline had called him Daddy Levi? He should explain the situation to her.
A parent approached Rachel. The interruption made her eyes widen with surprise. With her gracious smile in place, she turned to the parent. Her face shone when she looked down at the little girl standing next to the woman while she explained something to the parent.
Madeline rushed to him and wrapped her arms around his legs.
“Hey, big girl, how’s it going?” He glanced at Rachel before looking back at Madeline. “Looks like you have a new teacher.”
“I was going to surprise you.” Madeline tipped her head. “Mrs. Campbell couldn’t come in today so Miss Rachel will be our teacher until she returns, except that in school I don’t call her Miss Rachel. Here she’s Miss Bonneville.”
“I see.” Levi smiled at Madeline despite his urge to glance at Rachel again.
Without watching her, he was aware she had moved to another parent who was collecting her child’s papers from one of the cubbies. The woman seemed grateful to talk to Rachel.
He shared that sentiment.
“What do you have for me?” Levi clapped his hand softly in hopes to break the draw he felt to watch Rachel gracefully move from one parent and student to the next.
“My paper.” Madeline proudly pulled a lined paper from a tablet and held it in front of him. “Miss Rachel, I mean Miss Bonneville, said my writing looks better. See? I wrote most of the letters right.”
“You sure did.” He grinned at her, though he did notice a few letters had still been written backward.
Should he talk to Rachel about that? He could explain that he’d made an appointment with a specialist in Denver to have her eyes tested. He’d ask if she knew how long she would teach the class. If it were just for a day or two, discussing Madeline’s vision seemed pointless, though he had no doubt she would show concern.
“And on my drawing of Grandma Naomi and Grandpa Felix with the horses, I got a star.” Madeline held up the skillful drawing of two figures next to two horses.
“That is a very good drawing.” Levi marveled at what she’d done. “Grandma Naomi and Grandpa Felix will be pleased to see that.”
“I would have drawn a picture of you, too, but the bell rang.” Madeline’s lower lip protruded slightly .
“What you’ve done is wonderful.” Levi hoped his smile eased her disappointment. “Let’s get your things so we can get back to the ranch.”
“Okay.” Madeline turned away and almost ran into another boy.
Levi caught her shoulder and steadied her before she rushed to the coat rack. He strode after her and helped her put on her jacket.
“Do you have all your papers?” Levi glanced at the nearly empty cubbies.
“I think so.” Madeline buttoned her jacket. “I want to say goodbye to Miss … Bonneville.”
Levi straightened and looked over Madeline’s head to Rachel. She had finished talking to another parent. She glanced about the room, which was empty except for Levi and Madeline. When her gaze met his, she hesitated before her full lips broke into that smile that still made his stomach float in his chest. What was with him? They weren’t in high school. She moved toward him and Madeline.
“You saw her drawing.” Rachel smiled down at Madeline, who glowed.
“Yes, she never ceases to amaze me,” he said, watching the little girl who had tumbled into his life and had brought him and his family so much joy.
“Are my drawings good?” Madeline looked at him with hope in her eyes.
“Your drawings are excellent,” Levi said and wondered at the waver in her tone.
“But not my letters.” Her eyes welled. “They’re backward.”
“Oh, honey.” Rachel crouched before her. The note of compassion in her voice moved Levi. “You’re doing very well. Everyone makes mistakes.”
“Did someone say something to you?” He knew Rachel wouldn’t have criticized her. She would have confirmed what Madeline had done right.
Madeline hesitated. Tears slipped down her cheeks, then she nodded .
“Who?” Levi didn’t want to get anyone in trouble, but no one was going to bully Madeline.
“Robby.” She was noticeably shaking.
The ache in Levi’s chest overpowered his disgust. He wrapped his arms around the girl and drew her to him.
“I take it you know Robby?” He lifted his gaze to Rachel, whose mouth tipped with sadness.
“Yes, he’s not a bad kid, but he’s one of those who needs attention. I’ll talk to Mrs. Whitaker,” she said, referring to the school principal. She kept her gaze on Madeline, whose tears were drying. “And discuss the best way to approach this. And don’t you worry, Madeline, while I’m here, I’ll work with you on your writing.”
“I had made arrangements to have her eyes tested,” Levi said. “The counselor recommended a specialist we can talk to also. I’ve scheduled appointments for her tomorrow morning. I’ve already called the school’s office and explained everything to them. I’ll bring her to class after the appointments.”
Rachel looked as if she’d say something. Instead, she pressed her lips together and nodded. When Madeline sniffed, Rachel stepped to her desk and drew a tissue from a box decorated with flowers and birds. Her smile tender, she pressed it into the girl’s hand. Madeline smiled, too. She loudly blew her nose.
Levi felt relief. Not just because Rachel was the substitute teacher, but because she was in his daughter’s life … and his.
He looked around the empty classroom before turning back to her. “If you’re ready to leave, we can walk you out.”
“Oh.” Surprise flickered in her eyes before she turned to the closet in the back of the room. “Let me get my things.”
“No problem,” he said softly as he watched her walk to the closet. When she pulled out her coat, he moved next to her and took it. “Allow me,” he said with a dramatic tone.
Her surprise spread into a smile, and she faced away from him. He slipped the coat into place, careful to avoid the lingering touch he longed for.
“Ready?” He took a step back .
“I am.” She smiled at him, then buttoned her coat. From the closet, she lifted her purse and a portfolio.
“Does the teacher have homework?” He lifted a brow.
“Just Mrs. Campbell’s lesson plans and a few of the students’ papers to review.” She slipped the purse’s strap over her shoulder.
“That sounds serious,” he said. “Do you know how long she’ll be gone?”
“Maybe a week, maybe longer.” Rachel moved toward the classroom door.
Levi took Madeline’s hand and followed.
“I don’t know why she left, which is probably a good thing. Teachers should be allowed some privacy.” She led him into the hallway.
When Levi stepped out of the room, he closed the door behind him. He understood her meaning. Whether in a small town or a big city like San Francisco, people liked to talk. Word had reached him about his reasons for leaving his company and working remotely, none of which were true.
Rachel locked the classroom door. With her lifted gaze, she indicated she was ready to leave. Levi moved to her side, and they walked down the empty corridor, her shoes and his boots echoing in the silence.
Outside, Levi helped Madeline into the back seat of his truck and fastened the car seat straps into place. He closed the door.
“There is something else I wanted to talk to you about.” He turned to Rachel and kept his voice low. “As I mentioned, we’ll see a specialist to examine her eyes and another about her writing.”
“Having specialists examine her is a very good idea.” She lifted her gaze to his, her golden eyes so beautiful he wanted to fall into them. He gave his head an imperceptible shake. He had to pay attention to what she said. “First, I want to say her penmanship is remarkable as is her drawing. She is a very gifted child. As for the turned letters, that can be a simple fix. Let me know what the specialists say. They may have some suggestions that I can implement around that diagnosis. It may be something I can do during class time, but we can make that decision when we have more information.”
“All right,” he said. Her easy smile eased the tension in his chest. “She has a gift. I hate to think something that’s meant to help her could work against her talent.”
“Trust me,” Rachel said with a firmness that he hadn’t expected. “I’ll make sure that never happens.”
“Thank you,” he said, feeling ease.
“There’s something else I should tell you.” His gaze was direct. “You heard Madeline call me Daddy Levi.”
“Yes, I wondered about that.” Her golden eyes caught the rays of the setting sun. “It’s your decision if you want to share that with me.”
“I’ll make it brief for now,” he said. Could he ever talk about his dear friends and not feel this raw pain? “Her parents were my friends. They were killed in a car crash two years ago. I knew they had no close relatives. What I didn’t know was that they had stated in their will that I was to be Madeline’s guardian. Of course, I was honored, and I was shocked.”
“Daddy Levi?” Madeline’s muffled voice sounded through the window. “Are we going to go home?”
“I’ll explain the rest another time.” He offered Rachel an apologetic smile.
“Whenever you’re ready.” Her tender smile hadn’t changed since they were kids.
He opened the passenger door for her and swept his arm toward the seat. “Now we’ll take you home.”
“It’s a short walk.” Her face came up.
“And a short drive.” He nodded toward the setting sun. “It’s late. My truck is here.”
“Thank you,” she murmured and slipped inside.
“You’re welcome.” He kept his gaze on hers, despite sensing her delicate frame.
The dichotomy wasn’t lost on him—Rachel was tough, not delicate—though he shoved all feelings for this woman from his mind. He rounded his truck and climbed behind the wheel .
He made small talk as he drove to her apartment, but the draw to her was becoming harder to resist. He needed to make a decision. Either he released his feelings or he closed the door completely.
She’d have a say in this.
Growing up, her crush on him had been obvious. Because of her position as Madeline’s teacher, she was friendly but professional. He understood. If a teaching position at the school occurred, she would want to be considered. The way she conducted herself would be taken into account. He would respect that. Despite his feelings for her, he wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize her standing in the community.