She went over and sat next to Emmy on the couch. “I’m going to take the bands out of your hair.” At Emmy’s nod, she started on the one closest to her. It wasn’t easy, and though she tried to be gentle, Emmy let out a few “ows.”
Jon returned with a knock on the door before he let himself in while she worked on the second band. “I’ve got a change of clothes.”
Emmy glanced up at him and put her hand over Trinity’s at her hair. “Ow, Daddy.”
He frowned. “I know it hurts, but Trinity is doing the best she can not to pull on your hair.”
“I’ve almost got it.” Trinity worked fast to free the band and finger-comb out some of Emmy’s tangles. She stood and headed for the bathroom. “You can use my shampoo and conditioner. When you get out and towel off, we can spray the detangler in your hair and comb it out. You’ll see, it will be really pretty and smell good.” She held the bottle out to Emmy to smell.
“Nice.”
Jon checked out the small bathroom with a quick glance.
“It’s not much, but you should be able to get her cleaned up. Dinner will be ready when you’re done.” She pulled a clean towel out of the cubby beside her, then left them to the shower.
Jon brushed his hand against hers as she walked out and headed for the kitchen, and it left a tingle rippling up her arm.
She salted the boiling water, pulled the spaghetti out of the box, and slid it into the pot just as Jon closed the bathroom door, but not before he gave her a look that smoldered and said thank you all at the same time.
She stood for a moment and tried to identify the emotion inside her. She hadn’t expected this tonight, but she liked having them here. She liked seeing Emmy in Jon’s arms and the way he looked at her. He didn’t like that his little girl hadn’t gotten all the love and care she deserved. And despite how much he wanted to be on their date, he’d done the only thing he could and gone to his daughter.
That said a lot about him as a man and a father.
He was a good guy.
And if the way she felt from just that simple hug was any indication, she was falling for him.
The pasta started to boil over. She grabbed a wooden spoon from the jar of utensils and stirred the noodles.
The sauce wouldn’t take any time at all, but she got to work and lost herself in cooking and thoughts of her life living on the ranch with her brothers, the tragedies, traumas, and hurdles they’d all faced and overcome lately, and how she’d hidden herself away these last months after the kidnapping. She didn’t want to do that anymore. She wanted a future like the ones her brothers had found with the women who had come into their lives and made it fuller and happier and just plain better. She wanted to love and be loved.
She didn’t want to be scared all the time anymore.
She wanted to get to know Jon and Emmy better. Because it was nice to listen to them chatting in the bathroom about how Emmy liked Trinity’s hair and wanted hers to look just like it, though Trinity’s was bright blond and hers was dark. Sweet. Simple. Safe.
Jon loved his little girl. He took care of her.
Trinity could use a little of that.
She could take care of herself, but wouldn’t it be nice to have a partner like her brothers had now?
They were all so happy.
And she was alone.
But not tonight.
The shower went off. She put a pan on the burner next to the cooking noodles and poured in the tomato sauce, some of the tomato paste, added chopped garlic, oregano, diced onions, and fresh basil. She turned the burner down to low and let it simmer, then walked to the bathroom door and knocked.
“Hey, need a little help in there?”
Emmy yelled, “He’s pulling too hard.”
Jon opened the door, though he stared back at Emmy. “I’m trying not to.”
She stepped in and surveyed Emmy in her clean clothes and dripping wet tangled hair.
Jon sighed. “I thought the conditioner would help.”
She pulled out her wide-tooth comb from the drawer. “You need this, plus this.” She held up the bottle of detangler. “Close your eyes while I spray.” She used a generous amount.
“Smells pretty.”
“I’ll send a bottle home with your dad.” So she didn’t forget, she pulled the spare bottle she kept under the sink out of the cabinet.
“Trinity, you don’t have to do that.”
She dropped to her knees to comb out Emmy’s hair. “You’re going to need it. This girl has some thick hair.” She worked from the bottom up, using the comb to untangled the snarl Emmy’s hair had become. Halfway through, she glanced up at Jon and caught him staring at her. “I think there’s a bottle of wine in the fridge. Mind opening it and setting the table?”
He brushed his hand down her hair. “Sure.”
Emmy turned to her. “Are we almost done? I’m hungry.”
“Just one more section.”
The last strands came loose easily. Trinity breathed a sigh of relief. She turned Emmy to face her. “Beautiful.”
Emmy beamed her a smile, then pleaded, “Spaghetti.”
“Let’s eat.”
Jon poured the spaghetti into the colander in the sink just as they walked in, then handed her one of the glasses of wine he’d poured. “This is good.”
The Riesling was one of her favorites. “I’m glad you like it. It doesn’t exactly go with dinner, but I thought you could use something to help you relax.”
“You did that the second you invited us to stay.”
Emmy interrupted the intimate moment they shared with another loud, “I’m hungry.”
Trinity touched her hand to Emmy’s back and nudged her toward the table. “Sit. I’ll make you a plate.” She waved Jon to the table, too.
He sat next to Emmy and ran his hand over her damp head. “You look beautiful, sweetheart. Does your head feel better?”
“Trinity does it soft.” She took a lock of her long dark hair and brought it to her nose. “It smells good.”
Jon looked up at Trinity as she dumped the spaghetti into the sauce pan and stirred the two together. “I’m definitely taking the hair stuff home with me. How much do I owe you?”
She shook her head and narrowed her eyes. “Just take it. She needs it.” Trinity thought of Steph and how Emmy’s hair got so bad in the first place. “Buy extra at the store and leave it at her mom’s place.” She caught Emmy’s gaze. “You can spray it on and brush it through, right? Daddy can show you over the weekend how much to use.”
Emmy nodded up and down. Her eyes went big when Trinity set the plate of food in front of her.
Jon’s eyes filled with concern at the portion size. “She can’t eat all that. I don’t want it to go to waste.”
“She’s hungry.” Trinity mimicked the desperate way Emmy kept saying it.
Jon laughed and touched Emmy’s shoulder. “Do the best you can, sweetheart.”
Trinity finished grating Parmesan over Emmy’s noodles and held up her hand. “Hold it.” She found two clean dish towels and wrapped one around Emmy’s neck and tucked it into her shirt collar. The other she draped across her lap. She took the two hairbands from her wrist and used them to make a ponytail that draped down Emmy’s back. “Okay, go for it.”