The more that I write of this, the more I get the feeling that the relative isolation of the ranch sort of makes the thing feel like a more old-fashioned sort of romance, but at the speed that this pair seem to set for themselves. It's a little odd to me, that's all. O_o
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They both wondered a little just how this was going to work between them. Kayla was cognizant that the whole domestic experience was not the way that a single, recently ex-soldier might have spent his evenings. At the same time, Joshua wondered about the very same thing from the opposite side.
He didn't want to appear to be interested only in Kayla, since he also felt a lot for the child that came with this relationship - and he really wanted to know how to be the male figure to Jillian that Rosie had spoken of.
In the meantime, Kayla and Rose had an invitation, and Kayla needed some advice.
"I just don't know, Aunt Rose. If we go, it means that Josh would have to baby-sit Jilly. They haven't known each other for very long - heck, neither of us has."
Rose rolled her eyes at her niece, "And I suppose that you're worried that he'll grow fur and fangs three minutes after we leave? Look Kayla, I hear the concern in your voice and I also know that you're not terribly worried, other than whether he's up to it. I get that. But you're forgetting that I've known him for a long time. The choice is yours, but if it were me, I wouldn't think on it much. I wouldn't ask him."
Kayla looked at her aunt, her eyebrows rising. "You wouldn't?"
"Nope," Rosie said with a shrug, "I'd just tell him that he's baby-sitting Jillian and that none of my houseplants had better get knocked over, either."
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Josh had never experienced the drama and the give and take that accompanied putting children to bed sometimes. He'd never thought about it before. He thought that you just told them to go to bed, and they went, something like his own childhood.
Jillian was a very well-mannered and obedient little thing, but she was also bright, fun-loving, and talkative. She referred to Josh as the "new guy" and the term caused both of the adults to crank their heads around toward her the first time.
Jillian looked at them both a little shyly and she said that she and Kayla were the "new girls" at Rosie's farm and in town and it would feel like that for her at school. But between them here, Josh was the new one. "I can't call him the new kid, can I?"
As the "new guy", he was being spared a lot. He would have been willing to help if asked, but he had no idea what had to be done.
There was the whole bath thing, which he was very thankful wasn't within his jurisdiction until for the first time in her life, Daisy suddenly felt an intense desire to reverse her normal motivation, and try to get into a bathtub since her buddy Jillian was obviously enjoying it.
Kayla called to him for help, and when he arrived, Daisy had her forelegs in the tub, with Kayla straining mightily to keep the rest of her out. Jillian thought Daisy had a great idea, and was laughing and squealing, until Josh came around the corner, and then the squeals turned to panicked shrieks.
Josh grabbed Daisy's collar and heaved her back while Kayla tried to talk Jillian down from the ceiling. He quickly asked Kayla if there was a spare towel, and was given with the same one that he'd used to cool her off the other day.
Toweling Daisy's legs off, he muscled her out of the room and closed the door behind them. Jillian was very upset, and Josh felt badly for her. He wondered how he could reassure her, and decided that he probably couldn't.
Kayla remembered that they'd lost Jillian's toothbrush somehow between Rose's house and the bunkhouse and mentioned it through the door as she continued to try to calm Jillian. Josh said that he had a new unopened one, and trotted to get it from the loft.
As he left the bunkhouse, Rose asked him from the porch if anything was wrong.
Josh replied, "Other than some damage at the upper range of my hearing, nothing's wrong that Wonder Woman in there can't handle. Daisy tried to get into the tub with Jilly. Kayla called me in to stop Daisy, and Jilly lost her mind."
Rose laughed and said, "Glad I missed it then."
When Josh returned, the bathroom door was open again and they waited expectantly for him, Jillian was in pajamas now and looking at him in a very wounded way.
He dropped to one knee and presented the new toothbrush as though he was a knight, and it was his sword as he offered it to Jillian. "Here you are, Milady."
Jillian took it after a second. She regarded both of them with suspicion, until he said. "Jilly, it's still in the wrapper from the store. It doesn't have my germs on it yet. I didn't get a chance to put any on it. Sheesh! It's yours now, ok?."
Kayla looked as though she was just this side of laughter.
"Fine." Jillian said, stonily.
He returned to his magazine until Jillian came out twenty minutes later as though nothing had happened and asked him if he would like to read her new book to her. When he said yes, Jillian got up and she sat beside him on the couch. He read it to her as she leaned against him. She interrupted him for clarification on a couple of points, before asking him to put his arm around her. Josh glanced quickly at Kayla, and her nod spoke volumes.
After the story, Jillian pronounced to Kayla that Josh was "a good reader", and asked him to tuck her into bed. Once she was in her bed, she hugged him, and asked for a kiss.
As he was about to leave the room, Jillian asked him if he "saw anything". He paused as he turned and thought for a second.
"Yes, I saw lots of things. I saw Daisy, the tub, the water, and some of it was in the air because you were freaking out. I saw bubbles, lots of bubbles, and more bath toys than I've ever seen in my life."
He paused, looking uncertain.
Jillian asked in a shaky voice, "Did you see... me?"
Josh stated, "Well, no. I would have seen you; I was even looking for you to make sure that you weren't drowning, you know, because that's more important than trying to see your little pink butt."
