âYouâre a hero, Daddy.â
Brittany held out a newspaper clipping. âThis is what I brought for Show and Tell.â
Tyler frowned. In his daughterâs hands was a story of the airplane crash. The headline read: Local Man Is Hero.
âMy teacher says you were very braveâthe way you saved that ladyâ The child gazed up at him.
He shifted uneasily on the sofa âIâm not a hero, and the newspapers shouldnât have said I was.â
Brittanyâs face fell. âBut my teacher saidââ
âAnd your teacherâs right,â Tylerâs mother interjected.
âYou fatherâs just being modest. He most certainly is a hero. Anybody who saves another personâs life is a hero.â
Brittany moved over to stand in front of Tyler. âAre you mad at me for bringing the newspaper to school?â
He gave her a squeeze. âNo, sweetheart, Iâm not mad. It was very nice of you to bring me for Show and Tell.â He gave her an extra hug. âI love you, Brittany.â
âI love you too, Daddy. And you are too a hero.â
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
You need two things if youâre going to survive winter in the Midwestâwarm clothes and a sense of humor. Pamela Bauer possesses both. Thaiâs why she often uses Minnesota as the setting for her romance novels. She believes thereâs something special about this land of 10,000 lakes that makes it the perfect setting for stories about love and family. it also happens to be the place where she fell in love with her own real-life hero, her husband, Gerr.
Daddyâs Home is this award-winning authorâs twenty-first romance for Harlequin. Not surprisingly, it too is set in Minnesota, and has a hero who knows how to warm a womanâs heart Itâs a story full of Midwestern charm, which will leave you feeling good about love, about life and about family.
CHAPTER ONE
âDADDYâS HOME!â
Tyler Brant barely had the door open when his six-year-old daughter flung herself at him. If there was one thing he would never grow tired of, it was the feel of her small, warm body clinging to his.
âIâve missed you,â he said, lifting her so that he could twirl her around in a circle. He gave her a hug before setting her down.
âI missed you, too, Daddy.â
âWhy are you dressed like a squash, sweetheart?â Tyler asked, smiling at the face painted the same orange as the costume she wore. Covering her legs were bright green tights that matched the stemlike satin cap hiding her blond curls.
âIâm not a squash. Iâm a pumpkin!â she said, shoving her hands onto a waist that was stuffed with padding.
âAnd a very pretty pumpkin at that. Did Gram make that for you?â
âUh-huh. She sewed it on the sewing machine and sprinkled all the sparkly things on,â Brittany answered, wiggling in delight. âI get to be in the parade.â
âAnd what parade is that?â
It was Tylerâs mother who answered. âItâs the Anoka Pumpkin Festival on Saturday. Theyâve invited Brittanyâs class to ride on one of the floats,â Millie Brant explained, walking toward Tyler with a tape measure draped around her neck. She greeted him with her usual kiss on the cheek. âWelcome home.â
âIsnât it a little chilly for a parade this time of year?â Automatically, his brow creased as he shrugged out of his topcoat.
âSheâll be dressed in warm clothes,â his mother replied.
âWe get to throw candy to the little kids watching the parade,â Brittany added.
Tyler hid his smile.
âAre you going to come and see me, Daddy?â She looked at Tyler with big, round blue eyes so like the ones her mother used to flash at him. He saw Susan every time she batted those innocent eyes at him, and a pain caught somewhere between his heart and throat.
âIâd like to, but Iâm afraid I have to work,â he answered.
The little face fell. âYou always have to work.â
Guilt settled in Tylerâs stomach like a big old rock. It was true he put in long hoursâlonger than the average father, but he had responsibilities. Something a six-year-old didnât understand. He looked to his mother for support.
She didnât give it. Instead, she gave him a familiar look of reprobation. âYouâve just spent four days working away from home. Surely you can take a Saturday off.â
âNot this Saturday,â he responded soberly.
âBut, Daddy, donât you want to see me be in the parade?â Brittany asked.
âOf course I do. Letâs sit down. I brought you something.â He grabbed her by the hand, reached for his overnight bag and moved into the living room. He pulled his daughter down beside him on the leather sofa. She watched with wide eyes as he unzipped his suitcase and pulled out a small pink bunny.