Little Cowgirl on His Doorstep (Mills & Boon Cherish) (Cadence Creek Cowboys - Book 3)

by Alward, Donna

  “Nell’s my first…I really didn’t know. Will it last long?”

  Clara laughed. “Until it breaks through. If you go to the drugstore in town, the pharmacist can give you some baby acetaminophen for the fever and some gel for her gums. I discovered a teething ring that was great—and bought three. I’d put them in the freezer. When the first one got warm, I’d take out another. The cool soothes the gums.”

  Avery was awash with gratitude. “Thanks for the advice. I appreciate it. I definitely don’t want to keep Callum up again tonight.”

  “Or yourself, either,” Clara said with a smile. “So what brings you to Cadence Creek?”

  Avery paused, scrambling to come up with something that sounded plausible. Clara’s eyes softened. “If I’m being rude for someone you just met, tell me. But she’s his, isn’t she?”

  Avery knew she should tell Clara to mind her own business, but there was no judgment in her tone, nothing but kindness. “Yeah,” she said softly, watching as Nell rammed her fist in her mouth and gnawed on it. Teething indeed. How had she missed that?

  “And yours?”

  Avery’s gaze snapped up. “Oh! No, she’s not. She really is my sister’s baby. But my sister died after giving birth, so now…” Her throat clogged up. “Now I get to be her mama.”

  Clara’s huge eyes softened. “Oh, I’m so sorry. How horrible for you. And Callum didn’t know?”

  Avery shook her head. “He’s just getting used to the idea,” she admitted.

  Clara put her glass down on the coffee table. “She’s the spitting image of him! Well, except for the perma-scowl.”

  Avery laughed despite herself. She could really like this Clara—but it wasn’t like they’d ever have time to become friends.

  “Give him time,” Clara said. “Gotta be a shock to open the door and find out you’re a father. When I got pregnant it freaked Ty out big-time.”

  “Well, I don’t want anything from Callum. I just wanted him to know. I didn’t feel right keeping it all a secret.” She kissed Nell’s downy head.

  “Well,” Clara said, “as much as I’d love to stay and chat, I should probably see how the boys are getting along. I wanted to ask Ty to run me into town for a few minutes before we head home.”

  “I’m going that way,” Avery offered. “I can take you in if you want, and Ty can pick you up when he’s done.”

  Clara smiled. “That’d be great! I’ll let him know while you grab your stuff.”

  They chatted about Cadence Creek on the drive into town, and Avery dropped Clara off at the bank while she went on to the pharmacy and grocery store. She’d only been in town a few days, but already she remembered where most of the shops were, and she took a moment to linger at the general store, where she bought a dish of ice cream. She even gave Nell a taste off the tip of her plastic spoon, laughing as the baby smacked her lips.

  But the whole time she could hear Clara’s voice saying how Nell was the very image of Callum, and she couldn’t erase the image of Callum holding Nell in his arms from her mind.

  Avery figured there wasn’t any point in sitting idly by while Callum worked. She needed to keep busy, so she brushed the fresh chicken she’d bought with some oil and seasoning and put it to bake, then washed some potatoes for baking, peeled carrots and chopped some fresh dill to sprinkle on them. There was nothing more to do for supper until much closer to the time, and she was left twiddling her thumbs again.

  And still Nell slept, finally soothed by the medicine the pharmacist had given her.

  Avery was going to go crazy if this was the way her days were going to go for the next few weeks. There was nothing that made her feel better than baking, so she got out the basic ingredients she’d bought to make a fancy bread. She hummed as she worked, mashing up a few overripe bananas, mixing them with oil and sugar, flour and eggs. The recipe was one she knew by heart and in no time flat a banana bread was in the oven beside the chicken.

  By the time the mess was tidied, Nell was up. After a quick diaper change Avery put her on the play mat. The bread came out of the oven, the chicken was basted, the potatoes went in and after she’d set the table, she put the carrots on.

  If she were home right now, she wouldn’t be making a simple chicken dinner. She’d be decorating cupcakes for two hundred or constructing delicate sugar flowers. She’d be listening to the other bakers chatter and hear the muffled noise of the storefront through the swinging doors.

  The Icing on Top was the best job she’d ever had. This was all well and good for a week or two, but she missed the regular commotion of her life. The vitality. The purpose.

  Callum came in from milking. Dinner was a quiet affair, and afterward Avery took Nell for a bath. Holding her steady in the tub while trying to wash all the nooks and crannies was a challenge, and Avery missed the convenience of the baby tub at home. But Nell didn’t seem to mind one bit. She babbled and splashed happily in the water, getting Avery soaked and having a marvelous time.

  There was water all over the floor by the time they were done. Avery ran a towel over it after she’d dressed Nell in a pair of pink cotton sleepers. She was just running a tiny comb through the soft, dark hair when Callum appeared in the doorway.

  He leaned against the frame, watching them in the mirror for a moment, making Avery’s pulse quicken even though she knew he must be watching Nell and not her.

  “There,” Avery said brightly. “Spic and span for at least ten minutes!”

  Callum smiled. Avery was starting to recognize that he wasn’t ever the big, wide smile kind of guy, but that a small upturn of his lips meant the same thing. Right now the corners of his mouth were turned up and his eyes were lit with good humor.

  “You got just as wet as she did, I think.”

  Avery looked down. Her blouse was covered in damp splotches and her trousers clung to her legs in wet spots. “I think you’re right.”

  “So what happens now? This is all bedtime routine, right?”

  “Bath, then some playtime until she’s getting tired, and then a bottle before bed. The time change has screwed things up a bit, but I try to get her down around ten or so. That way she only gets up once in the night.” Avery smiled back at him, happy he was taking an interest. “It used to be down at nine, up at midnight, up at three, up at six. If I can get it to ten-two-six then I still get a good night’s sleep. Maybe one of these days she’ll shock me and sleep through the night.”

  Avery scooted by him and went out to the living room. The play mat was still on the floor and she placed Nell on it. “At home,” she explained, “I have this activity center that she can look up at while she’s on her mat. It’ll be better once she’s sitting up on her own. Usually I end up handing her toys over and over while reading or watching something on TV.”

  True to her word, Nell’s chubby fingers grabbed on to a rattle and she shook it, her eyes widening with excitement at the sound.

  “I can watch her for a bit. Why don’t you go have your own bath? You must not get many minutes to yourself.”

  Avery didn’t know what to say. It was incredibly thoughtful. “I don’t,” she admitted. “I mean, I can after she goes to bed, but…”

  “But you’re always listening for her.”

  She was surprised he realized that. “Yeah. Besides, what about the kitchen? There are dishes…”

  “I did them while you were bathing Nell. Least I could do after you cooked.”

  She blinked. He’d worked outside all day and he still came in and did dishes? Callum was turning out to be full of surprises. Or maybe there was just a nicer guy underneath the giant chip he carried on his shoulder.

  “Go,” he said. “Enjoy it.”

  “What if…” She didn’t know how to finish the question. He had offered to give her precious time alone. But he’d never been alone with a baby before. With Nell. She frowned.

  “If there’s something I can’t handle, I’ll knock on the door,” he said. “Seriously. Run a bath.” />
  She did. Callum’s bathroom wasn’t stocked with flowery toiletries, so she added a dollop of her shampoo to the water in lieu of bubble bath and filled it up with steaming hot water. She even grabbed a magazine she’d bought at the airport and hadn’t read.

  The water felt wonderful and she let out a long sigh. And before she even got past the table of contents, her eyelids began to droop.

  CHAPTER SIX

  CALLUM SPENT SEVERAL minutes sitting on the floor, handing Nell her rattle and a stuffed dog and a set of plastic keys over and over. It was amazing how her eyes focused on his face so intently, as if she were trying to read his mind. “Hi,” he said softly, feeling stupid. How did someone talk to a baby? Her little arms and legs flailed about, but she seemed happy. Her cheeks were the same soft pink as her pajamas. And she looked so tiny.

  “Hi, Nell,” he tried again. “I’m your daddy.”

  The words sounded impossible to his ears, but then she gave a big kick and her tiny lips curved up in what could only be classified as a smile.

  Something stirred inside him.

  No sounds came from the bathroom where Avery was soaking in a bath. As Nell played, Callum’s thoughts drifted to think of his daughter’s aunt. He’d meant what he said today. He fully recognized that she’d turned her life upside down for her niece. For him. She could have gone on with her life and not let on any differently, but instead she’d come to him with the truth even though it had to have been a difficult thing to do.

  He respected her for that. Even if he hadn’t liked her at first, he’d respected that honesty. Especially when he’d finally admitted to himself that she was being honest and not trying to put something over on him.

  Nell started to fuss and Callum turned his head, looking at the bathroom door. He didn’t want to disturb Avery—especially in the tub. He swallowed. She was on the other side of that door right now, naked, her slender limbs slick with hot water and bubbles. It made him wonder. Made images pop into his head that had no right to be there. She had mentioned a job but no one special in her life. Was there? Had there ever been? As far as he could tell, there hadn’t been any mysterious calls to her cell during the days she’d been here.

  The discontented squawks turned to cries and Callum knew he was going to have to do it sometime—he was going to have to try feeding her. Carefully he put one hand beneath Nell’s bottom and the other beneath her head as he’d seen Avery do. He lifted her up and placed her against his shoulder, his nostrils filled with the sweet baby-lotion scent of her.

  She was impossibly light.

  And she immediately grabbed a chunk of his hair and pulled hard enough to make his eyes water. Now he understood why Avery put her hair up so often. He disentangled her fingers and went to the kitchen in search of a bottle. He’d watched Avery earlier so figured he had to heat it a bit. He ran some hot water and stuck the bottle in a container while wandering around the kitchen. When it was finally warm, he went back into the living room and settled into the recliner, adjusting Nell’s weight on his arm.

  Nell took the nipple in her mouth, her wide, blue eyes looking up at him with absolute trust as she placed one hand possessively on the bottle.

  His heart turned over. He was feeding his child. All the hopes that he’d tamped down, the feelings he’d battled through when he’d found out Jane was pregnant came rushing back. Back then it had felt like everything was possible. A woman he loved. Starting a family. Everything just the way he’d planned.

  But it had all been a mistake, a charade. And if he appreciated one thing about Avery it was that she was, at least, honest to a fault.

  Unlike Jane, who’d been nothing but a liar.

  Wrong, a voice inside his head contradicted. She did tell the truth eventually.

  But not soon enough. The truth had taken his life and blown it to smithereens. And now Jane was living in some fancy house in Vancouver with her fancy architect husband and they probably had fancy two-point-five kids and a fancy dog.

  Tiny hands were waving again and he realized he’d pulled the bottle away from her lips. He made a silly face and shook his head and she laughed, a bubble of a giggle that seemed to come right from the middle of her belly. He grinned and did it again. And then squinted as he stared at her gums. Could it be?

  He ran his index finger over her bottom gum and felt the sharp edge of a tooth. No wonder she’d been happier today. A tiny tooth had broken through! Her first one.

  She started to suck on his finger so he quickly gave her the bottle back. Just then he heard the sound of the tub draining and tried to block out the mental image of Avery getting out of the bath and drying herself with a thick cotton towel.

  A few minutes later Avery came out, her skin flushed and glowing from the heat and moisture of the bathroom. She wore a simple T-shirt and a pair of light cotton pajama bottoms. Her feet were bare and there was a sheepish look on her face.

  “How is she? I fell asleep in the tub.”

  “Almost done her bottle.”

  Avery’s mouth dropped open as she stepped forward. “You fed her?”

  He nodded. “Yep. Heated the bottle a little first, I hope it was enough. She didn’t seem to mind.”

  Avery’s gaze seemed glued to the sight of Nell in his arms. “She’s really fine, Avery.”

  “I can see that.” Her voice sounded tight.

  “Oh, and guess what?” He looked up at her. “She’s got her first tooth! That must be why she didn’t cry as much today, right? And you said she slept great this afternoon.”

  Avery came forward and he took the bottle out of Nell’s mouth. She felt along the gum line with a finger and smiled. “You’re right! Well, how about that.”

  There was something else in her voice, a wistfulness he didn’t quite understand. “Do you want me to put her to bed?”

  Not just wistfulness. For some reason his simple question looked as if it pained her.

  “You should probably burp her first, so she doesn’t have gas.”

  “Oh. Right.”

  ^^:%

  He handed Avery the nearly empty bottle and lifted Nell to his shoulder. He began patting her lightly, alarmed at the size of his hand on her tiny back, but Avery chuckled. “Don’t be afraid to give it a good pat,” she said. “You won’t hurt her.”

  He patted a little harder, encouraged by Avery’s nod.

  Nell gave a tiny burp and he smiled, pleased at his parental prowess. She smiled back at him—and then to his surprise there was a different sort of gurgling sound and he found his shoulder covered in spit-up.

  Avery’s mouth dropped open at his surprised expression as a much-relieved Nell relaxed in his arms—arms that had tensed now that his shoulder was covered in formula.

  Talk about baptism by fire into fatherhood!

  “Oh, my word,” she breathed with utter dismay, stepping forward to collect Nell. “Oh, Callum.”

  She took the baby who, other than a small dribble of sour milk, remained unscathed.

  His lips twitched. And before she had time to prepare for it, he was laughing. A full-out laugh that rumbled up and out of his chest.

  He had a shirt coated in baby vomit and he was laughing. The sight of it hit her square in the gut. He was a different man when he let go of whatever it was that bogged him down. When he smiled…when he laughed, a rich, full chuckle with a hint of a gravelly rasp, everything seemed to warm in the room. She couldn’t help it, she started to laugh, too. And the more she laughed, the harder he did until they were both wiping their eyes.

  “I’m so sorry,” she gasped.

  He grinned, pinching the fabric in two fingers and holding it away from himself. “Oh, don’t be. I’m a farmer, remember? I’ve been covered in much worse.”

  “Give her time. You haven’t tried diapers yet…”

  And they both burst out laughing again.

  Nell was rubbing her eyes now, burrowing into Avery’s shoulder. “She feels better, if it’s any consolation.”
r />   “It is,” he answered. “Why don’t you put her down while I go change?”

  “Okay.”

  He disappeared into his room while Avery rocked back and forth, swinging her hips lightly from side to side. It was getting late; she’d stayed in the tub far too long and it was dark outside. Definitely time that Nell was in bed, and it seemed to only take a moment or two and her lashes were drifting lazily toward her cheeks. Avery went into the bedroom and laid her carefully in the playpen and covered her up with a blanket. She should probably go to bed, too, but the nap in the tub had revitalized her. Instead she made her way back down the hall.

  The bathroom door was ajar when she went by and she was going to turn the light off when she saw Callum through the opening. He was unbuttoning his shirt, slipping the buttons from the holes one by one until it gaped open at the waist.

  She swallowed.

  Then he shrugged it off, first the sticky shoulder and then the other, revealing a lean, strong chest. His jeans sat low on his hips and she could just make out the tiniest glimpse of the band of his underwear.

  He was her niece’s father, but it didn’t matter to her body, which responded on a completely physical level to the sight of him standing shirtless in the bathroom.

  She scooted away before she could make a fool of herself, and went outside on the porch where the air was blessedly cool.

  She should have gone home. It would have been easier than agreeing to spend two weeks sharing a house with Callum Shepard. It was even worse now, because there wasn’t the same anger between them. Not only had he called Nell by her name, but he’d played with her, held her, fed her. He’d been thrown up on and instead of being angry or grossed out he’d laughed.

  He’d offered her a break. And if that wasn’t enough, she’d seen him stripped to the waist in all his muscled glory.

  How was she supposed to remain immune to that?

  The evening was calm, with a quiet breeze that whispered through the leaves of the trees. Avery sat on the porch step, her arms around her knees as she breathed in the summer air. Across the lawn fireflies flickered, and she watched them for a few minutes, trying to figure out how she felt about what had just happened. Not just Callum and this attraction she couldn’t seem to shake. But his new, active role with Nell. She would never admit it to him but she’d felt jealousy seeing her baby girl in his arms. Annoyance that she’d spent months with Nell and he’d spent barely an hour, but he’d been the one to discover her first tooth. Avery felt those firsts were hers by right.