by Judy Duarte
When Anna announced that Gil’s prize was a 100 Grand candy bar, one of the oldsters requested a loan, which led to a lot of chuckles.
Then they gave everything in the bags—which included things like a pacifier, a bottle, a jar of baby food and a tiny nail clipper—to Nate. Since he never would have thought to purchase those things, it only served to further convince him that he wasn’t the least bit ready to parent Jessie on his own.
After the cake was cut—vanilla with chocolate filling and buttercream frosting—Anna offered to help Joy clean up.
“That’s not necessary,” the cook said. “There’s not much to do in the kitchen. I was able to put the leftovers away while the games were going on.”
“In that case, I’d better hit the road.” Anna reached for her purse. “I’d really like to get home before it gets much later.”
Home. To Nate’s house.
He shook off the warmth those words had triggered. “I’ll walk you to the car.” Then he followed her out the door and onto the porch.
“I can’t imagine needing anything else for her,” he said.
Anna laughed. “You certainly have enough to tide you over for the time being.”
“Then I’ll load up this stuff after I finish work tomorrow and bring the baby home with me.” The whole idea of being solely responsible still bothered him, but he’d become adept at feeding and changing her.
He’d yet to give her a bath, though.
Anna reached out and placed her hand on his upper arm, sending a jolt of heat to the bone and causing his biceps to flex and tighten. “You look scared.”
He hadn’t meant to be so transparent, but he recovered and shook it off. His expression, that is, but not Anna’s gentle, reassuring touch. “I’m just a little apprehensive about something going wrong, but I’ll be fine. Besides, like I told you, I live close to the medical center. And on top of that, you’ll be at the house until the new nanny starts.”
“Yes, I will. So I’d better get started on finding someone qualified to look after Jessie while you work. I’ll also have the art studio cleared out before you get home.”
As if realizing she was still touching him, she withdrew her hand, her fingers trailing along his sleeve, taking the warmth along with them.
“I’d better go,” she said. “I have a lot to do before you get there tomorrow. And don’t worry about dinner. I’ll figure out something, although I can’t promise it’ll be able to compete with anything Joy can make.”
“I hadn’t meant to work you to the bone.”
She laughed again, the lilt of her voice perking up his sense of hearing, just as her touch had jolted his arm.
It almost made him eager to pack his canvas bag with his belongings, load Jessie’s gifts into the bed of his pickup and head home.
As Anna turned to go, to head back to 331 Peachtree Lane, Nate had a feeling his house would never be the same again. He just hoped the change would be a good one.
Chapter Eight
Late the next afternoon, after loading the baby gifts in the bed of his pickup and placing Jessie in her car seat, where it was secured in the back of his king cab, Nate headed to his house on Peachtree Lane.
Since Jessie’s tummy was full and her diaper was dry, she dozed off before he’d even turned onto the county road. If his luck held out, she’d sleep all the way home.
Home. He liked the sound of that, the image it provoked. Peace, refuge. Smiles and laughter.
Family.
Could he make it work? Could he create the kind of loving environment Jessie deserved when, as a child, Nate had never really had anything like that?
Sure, he could. He had Anna to help him get started, and before long, he’d have a competent nanny to run the household while he was at the Rocking C.
And speaking of the ranch, Nate hadn’t planned to work there forever. When he first accepted the job offer, he’d told Sam it was temporary, that he’d stick around until he figured out what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. But now he was committed to running things while Sam was on his honeymoon—and it didn’t sound like Sam was in any hurry to get back. If he thought he was going to retire and that Nate would take over, he had another think coming. Because the minute Sam returned, Nate was going to move on. He needed to find a job closer to home.
He had a daughter to think about now, and he didn’t like the idea of being so far away from her for such a long period of time. Considering the commute, he’d be gone for ten to twelve hours a day if he stayed at the Rocking C. So that was no longer an option.
What if Jessie needed him? Not that Nate had any idea what to do if there was any kind of pediatric emergency. That’s what the nanny was for. But Nate was the one with legal custody, the one who’d be making the decisions, the one who’d...
The one who’d be worried sick if something ever happened to her.
God, what if it did?
Whenever he thought about the many things that could go wrong, like an illness or accident or anything else, his gut twisted and his heart damn near jumped out of his chest. Who knew when a calamity—minor or otherwise—might strike?
Nate had certainly experienced plenty of unexpected blows when he’d been younger. Hell, life-changing events still came his way.
Thankfully, Nate had learned to roll with the punches, but Jessie was too small, too vulnerable. She needed him to protect her, and he couldn’t very well do that from a distance.
Warring thoughts and concerns bombarded him all the way to town. As he turned into his neighborhood and neared his house, he saw that Anna had parked her car along the curb in front, leaving the driveway for him. He appreciated her thoughtfulness, as well as her willingness to help.
After shutting off the ignition, he unsnapped the baby carrier from the base and took a sleeping Jessie inside, planning to unload the gifts later.
The moment he opened the front door, the rich and hearty aroma of tomatoes, basil and Italian spices assaulted him. Talk about surprises. If that hunger-stirring, mouthwatering smell meant anything at all, Anna’s culinary skill might match Joy’s.
Anna, who must have heard the door squeak open, entered the living room wearing a smile. She’d pulled her long, blond hair into a messy topknot and was dressed casually in a white T-shirt and black yoga pants. Her feet, with that cotton-candy pink toenail polish, were bare.
A man could get used to coming home like this, to being met by a woman like her. But Nate tossed aside that notion as quickly as it came to mind. Anna was only here because she needed temporary lodging and Nate needed her to help him create a safe place to raise a baby.
“Aw,” she said, crossing the living room and making her way toward him. “Jessie’s home.”
Actually, so was Nate. But he ignored the wounded little kid inside him, the one that sometimes rose up and clamored to be included. Instead, he smiled and said, “Whatever’s on the stove sure smells good. You weren’t kidding when you said you’d ‘do something’ about dinner.”
“I’ve been busy all day. And not just in the kitchen.” She tossed him a hundred-watt grin. “Wait until I show you what I’ve done to the nursery. Come on. Follow me upstairs.”
Nate set the carrier with the sleeping baby on the floor near the sofa then proceeded up to the second floor behind Anna. As he watched the gentle sway of her hips, the thoughts he’d been having about coming home took on a different slant, a romantic one. But a relationship with Anna, no matter how short-lived their time together might be, was sure to plummet before it got too far off the ground.
When they reached the doorway to what had once been Audrey’s art studio, Nate looked inside. The room was now empty, other than the small dresser that used to be near the closet and had been moved next to the window. Anna had been busy, all right. She’d also gotten a lot mo
re accomplished than he’d realized.
“At first,” she said, “I was going to suggest that you paint the walls to give it a fresh new look. But after I packed everything and moved it out to the shed, I realized you wouldn’t need to do anything to this room at all.”
She was right. Grandpa Clint and Audrey had only been living in the house for about six months before the accident, and they’d painted before they’d moved in. They’d also put in new flooring.
“Now that the art supplies and easels are gone,” Anna said, “the soft green color is a lot more noticeable. It’s going to blend nicely with the baby bedding Sam and Joy gave you.”
She was right. “I guess I’d better put that crib together so we can set things up in here.”
“I can’t believe how nicely this is coming together.”
“Yes, but I didn’t want you to have to work so hard or to lug all that stuff out of the house on your own. I was going to do it tonight, after I got home.”
“I know, but it really wasn’t much of a chore. I started by purchasing cardboard boxes, then I packed each one lightly, labeled them and carried them out to the shed. I was finished by noon.”
“Well, thanks. I really appreciate what you did. Now the only big job will be putting up the crib, which I can do before we eat.”
“Why don’t you wait until after dinner?” she suggested. “I have a feeling you’re probably hungry. I made spaghetti, and it’s almost done. All I have to do is boil the pasta.”
“Then I’ll take a shower and meet you in the kitchen. It won’t take me long.”
“Perfect!”
What was? The timing? Or Anna?
A loose strand had slipped from her messy topknot. She also had a small black smudge of mascara under her right eye. But he couldn’t spot a single flaw in her. Not with that smile lighting up the amber flecks in her honey-colored eyes. She was not only beautiful, but downright perfect, too, if you asked him.
In fact, he was tempted to ignore any reservations he had about pursuing a romantic relationship with her. But what would he do if things didn’t work out?
Or worse, what if they did?
As Anna turned down the hall on her way to the kitchen, and Nate headed to the bathroom, he scratched the idea completely.
Everyone he’d ever cared about had abandoned him in one way or another. What made Nate Gallagher think a woman like Anna Reynolds would consider him to be a keeper?
* * *
Anna had never considered herself a cook by any stretch of the imagination. Yet by the way Nate had wolfed down his spaghetti and raved about the taste of her homemade sauce, you’d think she’d been whipping up family meals for years.
She hadn’t, of course. She’d actually grown up on convenience foods. But once she’d gone to college, she’d begun eating healthier meals.
One of the girls who’d shared an apartment with her when she’d been in grad school had been a foodie and was always trying new recipes, so Anna had learned a lot from her.
This particular marinara sauce, which was made from olive oil, fresh tomatoes, basil and garlic, had been a favorite of all the girls, especially Anna. And now, as she watched Nate finish a second helping, she suspected he liked the taste as much as she and her roommates had.
She’d just begun to think about clearing the table when little Jessie, who’d been sleeping in the carrier next to them, woke up. By the sound of her wailing, she was clearly hungry and ready to eat.
“I’ll change her diaper and give her a bottle,” Nate said. “That is, unless you want to do it. If so, I’ll clean up the kitchen.”
Since Anna had yet to see him interact much with the baby, she said, “No, you go ahead and feed her. I’d rather do the dishes.”
He nodded in agreement then carried the baby into the other room, where he’d left her diaper bag.
Since Anna had always been organized and cleaned up after herself as she cooked, the kitchen was in good shape. So it only took her a few minutes to wash the dishes. Once things were tidy, she returned to the living room, where Nate was sitting in a brown leather recliner, holding Jessie as she nursed hungrily on a bottle he’d prepared with water and powdered formula.
She stood in the doorway a moment, watching the rugged cowboy study his daughter while she ate. His brow was furrowed as he held the precious pink bundle close to his chest. It was a sweet sight, one that stirred something deep in Anna’s heart. She wasn’t quite sure what to call that dormant feeling. A longing, she supposed, for something she’d always needed but never had.
When Nate glanced up and caught her staring at him, a sheepish grin dimpled his cheek. “Do you want to take over for me? That way, I can set up her crib in the nursery.”
“Sure.” Anna would actually love to hold the baby, to watch her doze off in her arms. “But we’ll need to launder the sheet and blanket before we put her to bed.”
“Joy washed all the clothes and linens before she packed everything up for me to take home, so we’re good to go.”
Nate got to his feet while continuing to hold the baby close, the bottle propped up. After he passed Jessie to Anna, they traded places so she could take over the feeding and he could move the crib and everything else from the back of his truck to the nursery.
As he stepped outside, Anna focused her attention on the baby. Yet each time Nate came back into the room, first with the disassembled crib and next with a toolbox, she found her interest split between the handsome man and the precious infant.
Jessie had just about finished eating when Nate carried the mattress into the house. Next he brought in the comforter and a matching butterfly mobile.
“Do you need any help?” Anna asked him, as she got to her feet, holding Jessie close, and followed him upstairs.
“No, the crib was easy to assemble. But you might want to make sure I put the bedding on right.”
Anna watched Nate stretch the white cotton sheet over the mattress. Then he placed the colorful comforter with the butterfly and daisy print on top. She’d been right. The colors really pulled the decor together.
“If you’ll draw back the covers, I’ll put her in bed.”
Nate nodded, then complied.
As Anna lay the sleeping baby in the crib, a spring of warmth bubbled up in her heart and a rush of maternal thoughts churned in her head, feelings that were unusual for a career woman who’d never been especially close to her own mother.
Maybe those feelings were actually just sympathy for Jessie, who didn’t have a mother at all. But then again, the little girl did have a daddy.
Anna stole a glance at Nate, who was standing beside the crib, looking at his sleeping daughter. Whatever emotion she’d been feeling moments ago, whether it was sympathy or something else, grew stronger, but she fought it off the best she could. There was no way she could get personally involved with this little family. Her stay at Nate’s house would be over soon. Besides, she wasn’t the domestic or maternal type.
“That’s amazing,” Nate said.
For a moment she wondered if he’d been reading her mind, but he couldn’t possibly know the thoughts and feelings she’d been having.
“What’s amazing?” Anna asked.
“The way Jessie’s presence in this room has completely chased away Audrey’s.”
“What do you mean?”
He gave a slight shrug. “I didn’t dislike Audrey. It’s just that...” He paused as if carefully choosing his words. “When I first moved to the Double M, my grandfather was single. Then, about six months later, he got married. At the time I was actually looking forward to...” Again his words came to a halt for a moment. “Some kids might have resented having someone new move in the house and into their lives, but my mother died when I was pretty young, so I’d thought it might be...cool.”
&nbs
p; “And it wasn’t?”
“It was all right, I guess. But Audrey kept her distance from me. And she had places that were off-limits, like what she called the ‘formal’ living room, the kitchen and especially the den, which she turned into an art studio. In fact, I couldn’t even peek inside that room because the door was always closed.”
“Was she mean to you?”
“No. Sometimes I thought she might resent me, but she was just quiet. She also always seemed to be working on one project or another. Either way, she was too busy to be bothered with a kid like me.”
“Were you a troublemaker?” Anna asked, wondering what reason the woman could have for avoiding a boy who was practically an orphan.
“I never tried to be. All I’d wanted to do was...” Again Nate’s voice drifted to silence. But this time he didn’t continue the subject he’d broached. Instead, he said, “I’d better unload the rest of that stuff from my truck.” Then, as if he’d never shared his pain, as if he’d never opened up at all, he turned and left the room.
Anna’s heart ached for the boy he used to be, as well as the man he’d become, and the memories that still dogged him. As a professional and a social worker, she wanted to know more about his past so she could help him have a better, happier future. And as a woman, she wanted the same thing for another reason, one she didn’t dare ponder.
So she scanned the baby’s room instead. Just as she’d thought, the pastel colors and the butterfly print of the comforter transformed an unused art studio into a cheerful nursery.
That’s amazing, Nate had said. The way Jessie’s presence in this room has suddenly chased away Audrey’s.
Chased away? Nate’s choice of words had been interesting, although Anna didn’t want to read too much into it.
Audrey was nice enough to me, but we really weren’t that close. I doubt there’s anything in there that I’d want to keep.
The woman might not have been cruel to him, but withholding love and affection could be just as damaging to a kid as harsh words and a beating.