As a week passed, the three of them fell into a routine. Daryl made sure that Carol and Sophia were comfortable and safe, but he made sure he didn't become complacent. One of Sophia's favorite things to do was to go sledding down a slope off the side of the house that didn't lead to the lake. Many hours were spent bundling her up, riding down with her, walking the sled back up and doing it all over again.

Daryl put up the sled as Carol took Sophia in to dry off and make hot chocolate. His phone began to ring as he opened the door and walked into the mud room off the back. He answered as he pulled his boots off, "Hello?"

"Daryl, it's Shane. Dad wanted me to check in and see how things are going."

"Quite well. The fence is holding up in the wind and the corn is growing tall this season."

Shane knew that everything was holding up well and Carol and Sophia were both doing fine.

"Any issues with bugs?"

"Haven't seen any but I will make sure to let you know if I need more pesticide."

"I'm glad to hear it. Take it easy and keep me posted."

"Yep, will do. Thanks, Shane." Daryl hung up his phone and decided to go back outside. Dusk was settling in and he wanted to walk the property just to make sure everything was ok. He looked for mysterious footprints, broken branches or unusual tire tracks. After thirty minutes, he was satisfied and made his way to the back door and unlocked it. Stepping in, he locked up behind himself and set the alarm.

"Dinner's almost ready," said Carol as she came around the corner. "You probably have enough time to change clothes, wash up and get to the table."

"It smells great. I will be right back."

When he walked into the kitchen five minutes later, they were already waiting for him. He sat across from Carol while Sophia sat between them at the head of the table.

"Everything ok outside," asked Carol as she handed him a bowl to get some stew out of the crock pot.

"Yep. Everything looks quiet. I got a call from Shane checking in, so everything must be quiet their way as well."

Nodding her head, Carol relaxed a bit knowing that. He watched as her demeanor change once he passed that information on. He knew she rested, but it never seemed like a deep sleep for her, considering the situation they were in. He tried very carefully to stay detached from her and Sophia knowing this was a job, but that proved to be more difficult the more time they spent together. Carol was a beautiful woman both inside and out. Sophia was a spunky three year old who was slowly weaving her way into his heart. He tried to deny it, but Carol had started to razz him about how Sophia had him wrapped around her little finger.

Looking over at Sophia he saw her trying to stab a potato with her fork. He grinned as her concentration was obvious by the way her little tongue was sticking out between her lips. She tried three more times and blew out a breath. Looking up she said, "Arro! Can't get my tater...can you?"

"Sophia, you say please help me with my potato," said Carol as she reached over to help.

"No momma! Want Arro to help me!"

Daryl reached to help when he stopped and looked at Sophia. She stared back at him for a few seconds before she said, "You gonna get my tater?"

Trying not to laugh at her emphasis on the "er" as she said tater, Daryl said, "What did momma tell you, peanut?"

"Pweese with my tater," she answered as he helped her push the fork into the elusive piece. She popped the piece in her mouth and smiled in victory. He reached out and gave her a high five as she happily munched away.

Carol quietly watched the interaction between the two of them while trying to remind herself that he was only here on a professional level. Her feelings didn't seem to get the message though.

He had proved over and over what a good person he was. It took her a while to adjust to being in such close proximity to a man, but she learned quickly that Daryl was no Ed. He never raised his voice let alone his hand and he paid Sophia as much attention as she did. He never hesitated to help out and often initiated activities. Whether it was popcorn with a movie in the evening or a serious game of Candy Land with Sophia. She loved 'counting and colors with Arro', even though they really weren't playing the actual game.

"Carol...Carol...Are you ok? You zoned out on us for about ten minutes."

"Oh, yeah, sorry...lost in thought."

"No problem," said Daryl as he helped Sophia down from table and began to wipe off her hands. "Sophia was telling me all about Frozen. I tried to tell her I have watched it with her about a thousand times, but she wanted to make sure I knew who Olaf was and that he would melt in the sun."

"MOMMA, Arro said hims gonna help me make an Olaf! Gonna go outside in the sun and make him. We need a carrot and songs for singin!"

"Slow down, love bug," said Carol as she ate another bite of her stew. "We can talk about singing in the morning. It is dark outside and it is almost time for a bath and bed. Olaf will be there tomorrow."

"I don't wanna wait! Pweese Momma, now!"

Carol looked at Sophia and shook her head. "Momma already told you tomorrow. No more fussing or we go to bed now."

"Ok momma," answered Sophia as she turned and made her way to the couch where her dolls were.

"Sorry, Carol. I didn't mean to get her worked up."

"It's fine. She is tired after all the sledding, so the whining factor is turned up a notch. She will be her sparkly self in the morning believe me."

It was nine o'clock and Sophia was safely tucked into bed. Daryl was stretched out on the couch with his feet up on the coffee table. He had a game on, but the volume was on low. Carol walked in with a glass of wine and sat down next to him. He looked at her and said, "Again, I'm sorry about that Olaf thing. I'm afraid that I haven't been around kids much and am not sure how to be around them most of the time."

Grabbing his hand, Carol turned and replied, "You have no clue how good you actually are with her. All children need is someone to pay attention to them, care for them, love them and keep them safe. She already knows she gets those things from you. They are smarter than you think and she already knows how to manipulate you to get what she wants." Smiling, she felt him caress her fingers as she continued, "Please do not worry about this anymore. She adores you."

Daryl quietly said, "What about you?"

Leaning over, Carol kissed his lips softly and said, "I am getting there."

Putting his arm around her he pulled her close as he pressed his lips to hers and felt Carol relax into the kiss. He wanted to explore her lips with his tongue, but Carol surprised him when she opened her mouth and suckled on his tongue as a moan escaped her. He released her hands and pulled her slightly on his lap as he deepened the kiss. His gentleness amazed her, but the urgency behind it made Carol feel a desire she had never felt for any man before. Needing air, they broke apart but kept their foreheads pressed together as they tried to calm themselves a bit.

"Wow," she whispered as she looked into his eyes.

"Yeah, wow," he smirked.

"Where did, how, what does this mean?," she stumbled as she realized what was happening between the two of them.

"What do you want it to mean?," he answered as he watched the emotion and question fill her eyes.