Whoa, Dan thought, realizing she was the brainy type. He’d never really known any of those. He tended to date women who were more street-smart than book-smart.

Dated? Now where had that wild-ass idea come from? If she was hanging out at the park with the Parents of Multiples, she was probably a mother—and married, which meant she was off-limits, even if he’d been looking. And he wasn’t.

Still, his gaze slid to her left hand, which was ring-free. Not that it mattered, he supposed. His dating days were over now that the ranch house was filled with the pitter-patter of little feet.

Kaylee clung to the woman who dabbed at the wound with her scarf, permanently staining the fabric, no doubt. He’d have to buy her a new one when this was all said and done.

“Are you someone’s mommy?” Kaylee asked.

“No,” the woman said.

Then what was she doing at the park? Dan wondered. He almost asked but figured it might be best to bide his time and wait for one of the kids to quiz her. The two of them, especially Kevin, were certainly doing a pretty good job of interrogating her.

“Thanks for stepping in to help,” Dan said. “Kaylee needed a woman’s touch.”

“You’re welcome.” Her smile reached her eyes, turning them to the shade of Tennessee bourbon. “Are you babysitting today?” Was it that obvious he wasn’t an experienced guardian? Probably, since a real father wouldn’t have let one of his kids get hurt.

“I’m afraid I’m the man in charge,” he said, faking a smile and doffing his hat. “My name’s Dan Walker. And you’re…?”

“Eva Galindo.” She nodded toward the small building that housed the restrooms. “The bleeding has stopped, so maybe we should get some water and wash her face.”

“Good idea.” He stood, placed his hand on Kevin’s head and stroked the straw-colored strands of his hair. “Come on, sport. We’ve got to get your sister cleaned up.”

As they walked toward the restrooms, Dan said, “I really appreciate this, Eva.”

“I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary. I saw her trip in the sand and take a fall. I guess it was just instinct kicking in.”

“Lucky me,” he said, meaning it. Hopefully, Fate had decided to give him a break, at least for the rest of the day.

Eva took Kaylee into the ladies’ room and came out several minutes later. The little girl’s hair and face were wet but clean. And Dan was able to get a good look at the half-inch gash that marred the upper left side of her forehead and the bruise that surrounded it.

“What do you think?” Eva asked, gripping his gaze and setting his heart off kilter.

He didn’t dare tell her that he was thinking of her as some kind of superhero right now. So instead, he glanced at her water-splattered, bloodstained white blouse and smiled. “I think I’m going to owe you a new outfit.”

“That’s not what I meant. Look at that gash, Dan. It’s pretty deep.”

The bleeding might have stopped, but the wound definitely gaped open.

“You know…” Eva cocked her head and studied the little girl’s forehead. “She’s probably going to need a few stitches.”

“No!” Kaylee, who’d been a little standoffish with Dan the past couple of weeks, clung to the woman. “I don’t want stitches.”

If Dan had been looking in the mirror at his own face and had seen the cut, he would have let it pass without any treatment at all. But on a little girl?

“Why don’t you want stitches?” he asked.

Kevin jumped in with the answer. “’Cause when we lived at our old house, Jimmy Milburn got stitches on his face and got to be a pirate for Halloween.”

“Being a pirate is cool,” Dan said, hoping to convince the kid that it was some kind of adventure, rather than something to be afraid of.

“Yeah,” Kevin said, “but Kaylee doesn’t like swords and stuff. She wants to be a princess. Besides, when I told Jimmy that I wanted to have stitches like his, he said it really hurt.”

“It won’t hurt Kaylee,” Eva said. “She has a princess cut. And doctors are very careful when dealing with a princess.”

The girl turned to Eva, her tears coming to a rolling stop. “Really?”

“Oh, yes. I’m sure of it.” Eva ran her hand along the dampened strands of Kaylee’s long, blond hair. “The doctors at the medical center can spot a princess a mile away. And they know just what to do with royal injuries.”

Kaylee cocked her head to the side. “They do?”

“Absolutely.”