A Convenient Proposal - By Lynnette Kent Page 0,18

he managed to say. “Very nice.” He doubted she would appreciate being told those jeans were “hot.”

In the next store, Arden browsed through the coats and jackets while Griff went to the men’s department for clothes and shoes he could wear to dinner at his mother’s table. As he changed in the dressing room, an announcement came over the sound system. “Shoppers, be aware that we have a lost child in the store. If you see a little girl wandering alone, please inform a salesperson immediately. Thank you.”

As he left the changing area, Griff checked behind each door, but all the booths were empty. With his old clothes in a shopping bag, he went back to the women’s department.

He couldn’t see Arden anywhere. Lingerie, dresses, sportswear, makeup…no slim, dark-haired beauty was to be found. Returning to the coat section, he walked slowly among the displays, wondering if he should stay put and allow her to find him. Had she decided to ditch the plan, after all?

In the end, he almost tripped over her where she sat on the floor, head bent to look beneath coats hanging from a rack.

“Can you come out now?” Her low, sweet tone made the words sound like a lullaby. “Your mommy is wondering where you are.”

The child didn’t answer.

Arden extended her hand a short way. “I can take you to your mommy, if you want.” Still no response. “Or your mommy can come to you.”

Griff took the hint and notified the nearest saleswoman. Then he went back to serve as a marker for the child’s location.

Moments later, a blonde woman with a tear-streaked face dropped to her knees beside Arden. A crowd of security officers, store managers and salespeople hovered behind them.

The mother stretched out her hands. “Kristy? Kristy, honey? Come to Mommy.”

The little girl spoke this time. “Unh-uh.”

“Sweetie, you can’t stay here. We have to go home.”

“No.”

The mother’s cheeks flushed, and annoyance replaced some of her panic. “Come on out, sweetheart. We’ll go get that ice cream you wanted.”

Arden looked up at Griff. “We need a toy,” she said softly. “Can you find one?”

A glance around showed him the children’s department across the store. “Be right back.”

He sprinted as if he’d hit a double, grabbed a stuffed duck off a shelf and raced back like he was stealing home. Panting only slightly, he dropped the toy in Arden’s lap.

“Quack, quack,” she said immediately, sounding like an authentic bird. “Quack, quack, quack.”

She made the duck waddle forward, as if taking a peek at the little girl, and then retreat, still quacking. The second time, a small hand followed. Finally, a child’s head emerged from among the hanging garments. Kristy reached for the duck as her mother reached for her.

“There you are.” The woman got to her feet with her daughter in her arms. “Naughty girl, hiding from Mommy.”

Arden had released the stuffed duck into the little girl’s hold. Kristy put the toy under her chin and hid her face against her mom’s neck.

“Thank you so much.” The mother gave Arden a grateful look. “We’d been searching for an hour when they made the announcement. I was so afraid someone had taken her.” Tears spilled onto her cheeks again. She kissed Kristy’s forehead. “So afraid.”

Arden set a hand briefly on the child’s back. “I’m glad I could help. I just happened to hear her singing to herself.” She gathered her shopping bags and backed up as she spoke. “Let her keep the duck as my present.”

“Oh, no–”

But Arden turned at that moment and began to walk away. Catching a glimpse of her face, Griff pulled a couple of twenty dollar bills from his pocket and dropped them beside a register, then hurried after her.

He caught up in time to open the outside door before Arden could. Once they’d cleared the exit, he stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Are you okay?”

Tears sparkled in her long lashes as she looked up at him. “Yes. Yes, I’m fine.”

“Forgive me for saying so, but you don’t look fine. You look…devastated.”

“Not at all.” Setting down her bags, she wiped her fingers over her eyes and cheeks. No mascara smeared, proving that her long lashes were natural. “Really, I’m okay.”

Griff took the opportunity to pick up the shopping bags himself. “She was a cute little girl.”

“All those blond curls.” Arden sighed and nodded. “But evidently a handful for her mother.”

“Most kids are, at one time or another. I’m sure my mother will tell you stories about my escapades. One