She didn’t appear to be a typical mom, although he couldn’t put his finger on why he’d come to that conclusion. Maybe because her purse was way too small to fit in all the things some of the other mothers packed, like little baggies filled with snacks, wet wipes and Band-Aids. Or maybe because earlier this morning she’d somehow found the time to weave her long dark hair into a fancy braid that hung down her back.

She was dressed differently than the others, too, with a pink scarf that was stylishly wrapped around her neck, a crisply pressed white cotton blouse and a pair of slim-fit black jeans.

Whether she was a mom or not, he decided she was nice to look at—and that she was an intriguing diversion from the hubbub and the energetic chatter that swarmed around him.

Dan had been so caught up in his perusal of the brunette that he hadn’t paid much attention to the activity on the playground—until a child let out a scream.

He watched the attractive woman dash across the sand toward the slide. As his gaze followed her, he realized that the screaming child was one of his.

Oh, God. His heart dropped to his gut, and his pulse kicked into overdrive as he hurried toward little Kaylee, who’d gotten hurt while Dan was supposed to be looking out for her.

The sight of blood running along the side of her face and her heart-wrenching screams shook him to the core.

Did he need any more proof of his shortcomings than that? He’d been gawking at an attractive woman, rather than watching the kids play, and he’d failed the kids, just as he’d known he would.

Hell, he wasn’t cut out to be a father, no matter what Fate seemed to think.

He dropped to his knees on the sand beside them and started to reach out to Kaylee with stiff arms, but as the brunette continued to tend to the child, he pulled back his hands and let someone more capable do the comforting.

“Oh, sweetie,” she said, lifting her sunglasses from her eyes and resting them atop her head. “What happened?”

“I…fell…down,” Kaylee sobbed. “And I got hurt. Really bad.” She lifted her little hand to her forehead to probe the gash, and as she lowered it, she spotted the blood on her fingers and let out another wail.

“It’s okay,” the brunette said. “It’s just a little blood. The owie isn’t very big.”

“Yes, it is,” her brother said. “And it’s bleeding a whole bunch. We better call the ambulance.”

At her twin’s suggestion, Kaylee cried even louder. Still, Dan thought a 911 call was probably their best bet. He knew that even the simplest head cuts could bleed profusely, but he’d much rather let a professional take charge.

The brunette made a quick scan of the playground and beyond. “Where’s your mommy, honey?”

“She’s in heaven,” Kevin said. “She’s watching over us, but I guess she was busy just now.”

“I’m their uncle,” Dan admitted. “This is Kaylee and Kevin.”

The brunette turned to him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interfere.”

Her hazel eyes were almost amber in color, and her lashes were thick and dark, but he shook off the compulsion to study her. “Don’t be sorry for stepping in. I’m way out of my league when it comes to this stuff.”

“Do you have a handkerchief?” she asked.

“No, I never use them. Sorry.” He realized one would have come in handy about now.

She smiled, then pulled the scarf from around her neck, revealing a nasty scar that ran from the underside of her chin down to her throat and beyond. A burn of some kind, he suspected.

She held the pink cloth against Kaylee’s forehead, applying pressure to her wound.

“Are you a doctor?” Kevin asked the woman.

“No.”

“A nurse?” the boy continued.

She slowly shook her head. “No, I’m not.”

Then probably just a mother, Dan guessed. She’d certainly taken charge like a woman who’d done this a hundred times before.

“I do work at the Brighton Valley Medical Center,” she told Kevin, “but not with patients. I’m a medical technologist.”

“What’s that?” the boy asked.

By this time, Kaylee seemed to realize that she was under the care of a professional, and even if she didn’t know what a technologist actually did, her scream had softened to a whine.

“I’m a scientist,” the brunette said. “I work in the lab.”