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disarray with the desk shoved back against the bookcase to leave room for the newest purchases.
    “Are you ready for Ginny to go to bed? She’s getting sleepy.”
    “Uh, yeah. I just finished with the high chair. I’ll take it to the kitchen.”
    “Aren’t you going to kiss Ginny good-night?”
    “I’ll make her cry.”
    “I don’t think so. She’s getting used to you.” Maggie moved closer.
    He stepped back. “She’ll cry.”
    “Ginny, don’t you want your daddy to kiss you good-night?”
    He knew Ginny couldn’t understand what Maggie had said, but the baby nestled against Maggie’s shoulder and gave him a sleepy smile.
    “See? She wants her good-night kiss.”
    Cornered, Josh leaned over and touched Ginny’s cheek with his lips. Baby powder and baby sweetness were heady scents. Josh stepped back at once.
    Maggie had washed the new baby sheets and put them on the bed. She laid Ginny down and wound up the mobile they’d bought that hung over the baby. Ginny’s eyes widened, and she kicked her little legs.
    “I think she likes it,” Maggie whispered. Then she touched Josh’s arm, urging him from the room.
    Picking up the high chair, he headed for the kitchen. Anything to get away from the emotions tugging on his heart When he turned around, he discovered Maggie hadn’t followed him.
    Had she decided to turn in? It was almost ten. Maybe she wanted to avoid conversation with him. It had been a while since he’d shared living quarters with a woman. He’d forgotten how to adapt.
    The dishes from dinner were soaking in the sink. With a weary sigh, Josh began loading the dishwasher. Mrs. Lassiter wouldn’t be back for five more days. Too long to leave the dishes.
    “I think I’ll turn in now, Josh, if you don’t mind.”
    He whirled around, almost dropping the glass he’d been rinsing.
    Maggie stood there in a cotton robe, her face scrubbed clean, her hair hanging loose to her shoulders. She looked almost as innocent as Ginny, and he felt a protective tenderness toward her, as well as a disconcerting desire.
    “Sure. I imagine you’re tired:”
    “No more than you. Change is hard to handle.”
    He cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah.” Having Maggie around was almost as unsettling as having Ginny.
    She waited, as if she thought he would say something else, but he didn’t know what to say.
    “Good night,” she finally said and walked out of the kitchen.
    He fought the urge to follow her, to assure her everything would be all right. But he didn’t because he didn’t know if it was true. He didn’t know what he was going to do about Ginny. She was his responsibility. And he would ensure she was well provided for. But how?
    He doggedly rinsed the dishes, staying away from the bedroom. That was dangerous territory. When he’d finished washing up, he wiped his hands and decided he’d best make up the sofa for another uncomfortable night. The damned thing wasn’t long enough for his body.
    He walked past the living room door before he realized what he’d seen. Turning around, he crossed the distance to the sofa quickly.
    “What are you doing?”
    Maggie, wrapped in a sheet, her head on a pillow, opened her eyes and stared up at him. “I thought you were a private investigator. You need me to tell you I’m trying to sleep?”
    “You’re supposed to be in the bedroom.”
    “Why?”
    “Because you’re my guest. You’re doing me a favor. Now, come on.”
    He turned to precede her, then realized she hadn’t moved. In fact, she’d shut her eyes.
    “Maggie!”
    She shifted on the sofa, and his gaze immediately traced her body beneath the covering. Unbidden came the question of what she wore to bed. Her cotton robe hadn’t given any hint.
    “Maggie, come on. I really want you to sleep in the bed.”
    “I’m comfortable, Josh. And the couch isn’t big enough for you.”
    “I’ll manage.”
    She closed her eyes, completely ignoring him.
    He squatted down to look her in the eye—if she