“So your mom is all set with babysitting tonight, right?” Callie asked him. She turned to Cassidy. “An old friend of mine is in a community theater production of Romeo and Juliet. I’m so excited about a night on the town.”
Ping!
Tyler pulled out his phone. “Uh-oh,” he said. “Guess who just texted me she can’t babysit tonight because Dad just came down with a cold.”
Cassidy looked at Maeve. She could watch the baby. And learn something in the process. “I’d be happy to babysit this little pumpkin.”
“I really appreciate that,” Tyler said, “but we need an overnight sitter. The play starts late and ends late and then there’s a dinner and party after.”
Oooh, Cassidy thought, an overnight with a baby. Now that would provide some serious on-the-job training. “No worries. I’ll babysit at my place. Just drop off her bassinet, and whatever she might need for the night. Then just pick her up in the morning from here.”
Callie slid her a happy glance that told Cassidy her friend understood why she was so eager to babysit—and overnight, at that.
Tyler looked so relieved. “You sure you don’t mind? She’s an easy baby, but she might wake up once during the night. She’s pretty good at soothing herself back to sleep, though.”
Cassidy grinned. “I’d love to watch Maeve. Really, it’s my pleasure.”
Callie smiled and squeezed her hand. “We’ll drop her off on the way. Seven?”
“Sounds good,” Cassidy said, so excited about her evening’s adventure.
As the trio left, Cassidy wondered if she should invite Brandon over to help. So that he could get a sneak peek at what taking care of a baby was all about. He seemed truly committed to his role as a father, and she doubted he was all talk; his actions truly said otherwise. But a preview of what caring for a baby entailed, particularly in the wee hours of the morning, might have him changing his tune. And if it did, she needed to know that now. That would easily call a screeching halt to her blossoming feelings for Brandon.
As if he knew she was thinking about him, her phone pinged with a text from him.
How are you feeling today? Need anything?
The warm fuzzies enveloped her. He probably had no idea how such a simple question, maybe just a nicety for him, meant to her. If her mother were still alive, she’d be calling Cassidy every hour on the hour to check in. She’d bring tons of comfort food, all safe for pregnancy. She’d bring her wool socks and a new cozy throw. She’d care the way mothers cared.
And here was Brandon, a man who professed that he wasn’t interested in love, being very loving.
I feel great—thanks for asking. I told Callie the big news. And I’m babysitting little Maeve Abernathy tonight at my place if you want a sneak preview of what to expect. Any time after 7:00.
She waited, wondering if this would be it, when he would show his true colors, make an excuse about why he couldn’t. As if he’d want to babysit with her. As if he’d want to take care of a baby any earlier than he absolutely had to. Come on, Cassidy.
I’ll be there, he texted back.
She let out a wistful sigh. Of course, he would. Because that seemed to be who Brandon was. A man she could count on. Though a man she could count on to be exactly what he’d said he’d be: a committed father to their baby, a committed platonic partner to Cassidy. Nothing more.
Just remember where you stand and you’ll be fine, she told herself.
Chapter Six
“You’re doing what?” Cornelius asked, confusion-tinged anger exploding on his face.
“I’m babysitting,” Brandon repeated, never so grateful to have an excuse for getting out of the fundraiser his dad was trying to get him to go to in his stead tonight. Brandon had lost count of the number of high-ticket fundraisers he’d gone to this year. Between the monkey suit and the small talk, he couldn’t take another.
The two stood in the grand foyer of the ranch house, Brandon slipping on his jacket.
“Not that part!” his father bellowed. “Though why you would be babysitting is beyond me, but I’ll tell you, Brandon, you’re not always easy to understand.”
Brandon stared at his dad. “Then what part?”
“You’re helping an Abernathy? Consorting with the enemy!”
Oh brother. “I don’t think fifteen-pound Maeve Abernathy is any threat to us, Dad.”
“Those Abernathys are living for the day they catch up to Taylor Beef in revenue,” Cornelius said, waving his index finger around. “This has to be a setup. Tyler is probably going to pick your brain for how you’re planning to secure Geoff Burris in our new ad campaign, then steal all the ideas and Burris himself!”
Good Lord. “There’s not going to be any discussion of business. In fact, I doubt Tyler even knows I’ll be helping out tonight.”
Cornelius perked up at that. “Oh. Helping out who?”
“Cassidy Ware. She’s the actual babysitter.”
“Cassidy? That nice gal who owns Java and Juice?”
He knew the place? That was a surprise. “Yes. You’ve been there?” Despite his fortune, his dad wasn’t one to “throw good money away” on what he could “have for free at home.” Like coffee. And lunch. And would Cornelius Taylor ever drink a concoction made from silken tofu and kale? No. Vegan nonsense, he called smoothies, even the ones made with milk.
“Jessica likes that place, so we stop in there on occasion,” Cornelius said. “Last time, she had many questions about the juice blends and wasn’t sure which she wanted to order, and Cassidy offered to make her as many samples as she wanted to try. Now that’s good business sense. Jessica liked so many of the samples, she ordered a bunch of quart containers to bring home. Cassidy said we were the first to order by the quart. We must have dropped a hundred bucks in there that day.”
Brandon almost pumped a fist in the air. Go, Cassidy.
“And I thought you two hated each other,” his dad added. “Something about a bad romance in high school?”
“We’ve become...friends,” Brandon said. He made a show of pulling out his phone and checking the time. “I’d better get going.”
“Fine,” Cornelius grumbled. “But if you see that Abernathy, you tell him nothing! Not a word to him about Taylor Beef or Burris. Nothing! Tyler will probably come out with the baby in his arms to seem all harmless and fatherly, then go in for the kill about your pitch to Burris’s team.”
Brandon shook his head with a smile. “Don’t worry, Dad.”
“Oh, I will. That’s my job.”
Brandon clapped his dad on the shoulder. “See you later.”
Once in his truck, Brandon let out a deep breath. Talking about Cassidy with his father had felt so strange, given the big news Brandon was withholding. Yes, Cassidy from Java and Juice—generous with samples and the mother of your soon-to-be grandchild.
He was far from ready to share that last part.
Brandon made a brief stop in town to pick up a few things, and when he finally pulled into a spot near Cassidy’s place, he saw Tyler and Callie getting into their car and driving off. See, Dad, I told you. No worries. No point of contact made.
He pressed the intercom for Cassidy’s apartment and she buzzed him in. He took the steps two at a time, his anticipation at seeing her making him a little uncomfortable. She was waiting in her doorway when he reached the top floor. Her blond hair was in a bun, exposing the neck he’d kissed every inch of not too long ago. She wore a long-sleeved, green-and-white Bronco Java and Juice T-shirt and soft, faded jeans. He thought she was sexy in a slinky cocktail dress? Whoa.
She held the baby in her arms. The little girl had a small purple rattle in her hand. “Look who it is, Maeve! It’s Brandon!”
He grinned. “Hi there, Maeve. I’m going to help babysit tonight.”
Maeve stared at him and shook the rattle. “Abda!�
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“Nice to meet you, too,” he said. “I’m just learning how to speak Baby, so go slow, okay?”
Cassidy smiled. “I love her babbles. She’s just the cutest,” she added, giving the baby a snuggle.
He followed Cassidy inside and lifted his gift bags. “So, I brought over a couple of things.”
Her hazel eyes sparkled. “Do you ever just show up?”
“No. How could I not get a little something for the baby?”
She laughed, shaking her head. “I wish you’d stop being thoughtful, Brandon. You make it hard for me to put you in a certain box.”
“Right. Because labels are ever accurate. People are never just one thing.”
“Touché,” she said with a nod. “He’s got me there,” she added to Maeve, then sat in the living room, the baby on her lap, Brandon beside her.
“So, for you, Miss Big Cheeks, I have this.” He pulled out the soft, floppy, stuffed bunny with bright orange ears and a yellow body. Maeve dropped the rattle on the floor, grabbed the bunny and started shaking it. Its hands rattled and were chewable, which the teething baby apparently discovered because a hand went right in her mouth.
Cassidy grinned. “It’s a hit.”
“I did get help picking it out from the salesclerk at the gift shop. I had no idea what to get a baby, but she asked me the age and came back with a few suggestions.” He picked up the other bag and handed it to her. “Just a little something for you.”
“Brandon! You didn’t have to get me anything.” She peered inside and pulled out the small hardcover book. Comforting Quotes, Wisdom, and Lullabies for the New Mother. She touched her hand to her heart. “Darn you, there you go again. I love books like this. Thank you.” She flipped through it, stopping on a page near the beginning. “‘Nap when the baby naps,’” she read. “‘Ignore the laundry, the dust bunnies, your to-do list, turn off your phone, and rest.’ Sounds like excellent advice to me.”
He nodded. “I saw it by the counter and thought you might like it.”
“I do. Very much. Thank you.”
“So what’s on the agenda?” he asked, eyes on the baby. “Does she have a schedule? According to my fatherhood book, schedules are everything.” He was only on chapter four, but he’d learned quite a bit and was looking forward to putting what he knew in practice tonight.
“You have a book on fatherhood?” she asked.
“Yup. Bought it the day I found out I was going to be a dad. I have to read every sentence very slowly since all the lingo is new. Did you know there are different kinds of cries? Pick me up now cry. Hungry cry. Tired cry. Bored cry. My belly hurts cry.”
Cassidy laughed. “I’ve also been doing research and reading. Baby world is definitely its own universe. And yes, Maeve has a schedule. Tyler gave me a cheat sheet of everything to know about Maeve. When to feed her, when to put her down for the night, what to do if she cries in the middle of the night, when to expect her to wake up in the morning, how much to feed her. Everything.”
Whoa. He hadn’t gotten that far in the book. The subject of “sleep” alone had three chapters. “That sounds like a lot to keep track of. What is she up to now?”
“Just chillin’,” Cassidy said. “She’ll be ready for her bottle soon and then we’ll have more playtime and then we’ll put her in her crib for the night. Tyler said she tends to sleep through. Well, till five, five thirty.”
“Hey, I work at a ranch. We get up with the roosters. Five is nothing to me.”
“I hadn’t considered that. You’ll be fine with the early mornings, then. Me, too, since the shop opens at seven, and I bake fresh beforehand.”
He immediately pictured himself beside her in bed, Cassidy naked and sleeping, her blond hair splayed on the pillow. He’d hear their baby cry in the middle of the night and go take care of him or her, letting Cassidy sleep. He’d follow the schedule and, when the baby was ready for a nap, he’d get back under the covers with Cassidy. No problem. He’d heard that taking care of a baby was tough stuff, but between his fatherhood book and some practice like tonight, he’d pick it up in no time. He’d have a schedule. Just like he had for his workdays. And didn’t babies nap all day in their cribs or strollers? Most times he noticed a baby in a stroller in town, the little one was snoozing away peacefully, not making a peep.
He liked everything about his middle-of-the-night scenario and baby-rearing with Cassidy, except getting out of their bed. Of course, there wasn’t going to be a “their bed.” She’d turned down the no-strings romance. She’d turned down the platonic marriage proposal. Maybe he’d broach the subject of marriage again tonight. Taking care of a baby while talking about providing a united Team Parents might sway Cassidy.
“Would you like to hold her?” she asked.
He almost jumped. Did he want to hold her? No, he thought. Maeve seemed pretty fragile. Droppable. Breakable. Had he ever held a baby? He couldn’t remember ever doing so. Damn. A minute ago he was all “there’s nothing to taking care of a baby.” Now he was afraid to hold one. No one ever said he didn’t talk a good game; he was kind of famous for it. But usually he came through. Now he just wanted to inch away. “Do you need a break?”
She tilted her head. “Not necessarily. I just thought you’d want to. You don’t have to. But unless you’ve had lots of interactions with babies, you might like to see what’s it all about.”
“I’ve had zero interaction with babies,” he admitted. He wasn’t sure why that was so hard to say. He didn’t like coming up short. But this was one area where Brandon Taylor, Executive VP, had absolutely no experience.
“See how I’m holding her?” Cassidy asked. “Supporting her against my chest with an arm around her back and one under her bottom? That’s what you do. It’ll be instinctive once you take her,” she added. “How tightly to hold her, all that.”
“Okay,” he said, holding out his hands.
He didn’t have his arms in the correct position, so Cassidy adjusted them and suddenly Maeve Abernathy was against his chest, holding on to her bunny and chewing away on its toe. He stared down at the top of her head in complete wonder. He had a baby in his arms!
“She barely weighs anything and yet feels so substantial.” He sniffed the top of her head. “Baby shampoo. I remember when my twin brothers were babies and smelled like that.” He looked down at Maeve, then over at Cassidy.
“I love that smell,” she said. “I think everyone does. And you’re doing great, by the way,” she added with a nod. “You look like a natural.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You’re lying through your teeth.”
“Nope,” she said, shaking her head. “You really do.”
Huh. That gave him a bit more confidence. Could he move and hold Maeve at the same time? He stood and walked over to the windows. That shouldn’t have felt like such an accomplishment, but it absolutely did. “Look, Maeve, that’s a tree. And there’s a man walking a little dog. I think it’s a Boston terrier.” She turned her huge eyes to him and shook her bunny. “Yeah, the doggie is very cute. I agree.”
“Bah!” Maeve said, waving her bunny before dropping it.
He eyed the stuffed animal on the wood floor. “Hmm, do I have the super powers of kneeling down while holding a baby and picking that up?” he asked Cassidy.
She grinned. “Slowly.”
He knelt as slowly as he could, keeping a tight hold on Maeve, and reached out an arm and grabbed the stuffed animal, which Maeve batted right out his hand and back onto the floor. She then exploded into baby laughter. He picked it up again, and again she knocked it to the floor, giggling away.
“Oh, it’s like that, is it?” he asked, giving her a little tickle on her belly. More baby laughter. He had no idea babies could laugh that loud.
He looked over at Cassidy, who wasn’t laughing. Or smiling. “Everything okay?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she said. “Everything’s fine. She turned away and sat on the sofa, straightening the little pile of white burp cloths that were already perfectly stacked on the coffee table.
Hmm. Something was not fine. He walked to the couch and stood beside it, Maeve now batting his chin with the stuffed animal. He gave her another tickle and she dropped the bunny with a giggle.
“So this is how babies play games,” he said. “I thought they just sat around or napped. I’m getting a first-rate education here, thanks to you,” he added, giving Maeve’s impossibly soft cheek a gentle caress. He sat beside Cassidy, the baby now nibbling on her fingers. “You have a lot of experience with babies? Kids of your friends? Relatives?”
“Neither,” she said. “But I have done a lot of babysitting. It’s how I put myself through school and got my associate’s degree. Well, that and waitressing.”
“Are all babies like Maeve? I like her. She has spunk.”
Cassidy laughed and he was so glad to hear that sound. She’d seemed a bit down a minute ago. “There’s a huge range. You’ve got your colicky screamers.” She shivered. “Then you’ve got never-nappers. Then there are the easy-peasies, like Maeve seems to be.”
As if on cue to take issue with that, the baby let out a cry, not a cry-cry, more like a fussy whine.
“Ah, let me check the schedule,” Cassidy said. “I think it’s time for her dinner and bottle.” She scanned the typed, stapled pages and stopped midpage with her fingertip. “Seven thirty, dinner. One container of mac and cheese, two peach slices and four ounces of formula in her bottle.”
“Wow, she eats mac and cheese?” he asked. “I figured she’d eat jarred baby food. Sweet potato purée. Apple sauce.”
“She’s a few months past solids, so she can eat tiny bites of just about anything,” Cassidy said. “Tyler dropped off a small container for her. He told me he makes a batch of her meals for the week and freezes them and sometimes she eats whatever he and Callie are having, just little pieces.”
Brandon smiled. “Tyler sounds like a great dad. I should talk to him. Not that I’m allowed to talk to him.” He groaned and rolled his eyes.
The Most Eligible Cowboy Page 8