by Sara Orwig
“Wuv you,” Hattie replied softly in her childish voice, but the words thrilled Talia even when it was wuv instead of love.
“I’m taking you home now,” Talia said, getting Hattie’s bag, gathering up her other things. She talked to two of the women who ran the day care and then signed out and left with Hattie.
“Once he sees you, I don’t see how your daddy can resist you,” Talia said as she buckled the child into the car seat.
“Da,” Hattie repeated.
“That’s right,” Talia said, brightening. “Daddy. We’ll work on that one. Da-dee,” she said, drawing out the word. Hattie giggled.
“I hope he makes you laugh. Da-dee,” Talia repeated, hoping Hattie would pick up the sounds and learn the word.
“We’ll keep trying. I want your daddy to be unable to resist you. I don’t want him to take you from me, but if he doesn’t, the state will, so better your daddy, who might let me see you occasionally.”
* * *
The first week of May, Nick was in his office on the ranch, staring at the document in his hand. The results of the DNA test. Absolute proof that he was Hattie’s father. He mulled over the news when Stan knocked and entered the open door.
“I needed to drive into town and thought I’d stop to see you. Are you doing okay with this?”
“That I’m a dad? Hell, no, I’m not.” He’d told his brother the DNA test results as soon as they’d arrived. Over the last few hours he’d read them a dozen times. He dropped the report back on his desk. “Talia Barton is bringing Hattie to my Dallas house tomorrow so I can meet her. We’re both trying to ease into this. Talia is hurting over losing her charge and I can’t imagine becoming a parent to a fourteen-month-old little girl. I don’t know how to cope with a baby girl.”
Stan stared at him with his brow furrowed as he pushed his hat back on his head. “You want to let the state take her?”
Startled, Nick looked up at his brother, his brows rising.
“Sorry,” Stan said. “I know you don’t want to do that and I wouldn’t want to, either. I’m sorry I even asked you a question like that.”
“Forget it. She’s mine and I’ll take the responsibility that I should, though this deal just tears at me. I didn’t even know the mother. I feel like every time I look at that little girl, I’ll want her to be Artie.”
“Sorry, Nick. You’ll get used to her. I’ll help any way I can.”
Nick heard the earnest note in his brother’s voice and he smiled. “Thanks, Stan. That offer means a lot,” he said, suddenly feeling proud of his younger brother for volunteering to help.
“I’ve got to run. I just stopped for a minute. When tomorrow is Ms. Barton coming to see you and bringing the baby?”
“In the afternoon. In the morning I’ll go to Dallas and she’ll bring Hattie by after her last class.”
“You’re a dad and I’m an uncle to a baby girl. Wow. That does take some getting used to.” His wistful look was replaced by a serious one. “I’m surprised the state hasn’t already stepped in and taken the baby from Ms. Barton. She doesn’t have legal rights.”
“She’s a teacher in a community college and she has a quiet, take-charge manner that probably makes people do what she wants.”
“A battle-ax?”
Smiling, Nick shook his head. “Trust me, you’ll never use those words again after you see her.”
“A hottie?”
“She’s stunning. You’ll see. In addition, she has that authoritative manner, in a quieter way, that our grandmother does.”
“No kidding. I can’t wait to meet her.”
Nick didn’t reply, but he looked forward to seeing her again himself and that shocked him. He didn’t want to have that reaction to her because she had upended his life.
He walked out with Stan. “I don’t want to tell Grandmother until I have everything lined up. I don’t want her trying to move into my house.”
“What a thought. Of course, if you let Grandmother move in, you won’t ever have to make another decision. You can just drift.”
“You know better than that. She’d make all the decisions but she’d keep me hopping every second. No, she doesn’t know until I’m ready. You go ahead and tell Blake and Adam and I’ll call them or text.” He knew he’d have better luck with his other two brothers than his grandmother.
“Good deal.”
“Talia said Hattie looks like me. We’ll see.”
Stan shot him a horrified look. “I’m afraid I can’t imagine a little baby girl looking like you.” Then he smiled.
“Frankly, I can’t, either,” Nick said, running his hand over the brown stubble on his jaw.
“Even if you try to keep her out of your hair, Grandmother will want to approve of the nanny you hire. And I’m sure you’re hiring a nanny.”
“I don’t know what I’ll do.” Nick couldn’t stop his fears from surfacing again. He’d been fighting them for the last few hours. “I don’t even know this little girl, much less love her. I keep thinking how she won’t have anyone who loves her here. Talia Barton adores her. She’ll go from having love poured out to her to a bunch of strangers. That’s not good and it’s worrying me.”
“We’re not a bunch of ogres, Nick, but I see what you mean. She’ll need someone to love her. It may not help her disposition, either,” Stan said.
Nick had already thought of that, but he was more worried about having a little baby who wasn’t loved.
“If she’s that good-looking, marry this Talia person,” Stan said, breaking into his thoughts.
“Stan!” Nick said, annoyed and amused at the same time.
“I’m kidding. I wouldn’t worry, Nick. Babies adapt and we’ll all be here to help. You know Grandmother is going to love this baby. She adored Artie. And pretty soon, we’ll all love her, too.”
“You’re right, I suppose. Grandmother is going to have to cooperate on this one. I can’t deal with a hassle from her.”
“Send me a picture of the teacher,” Stan said, going down the porch steps. He glanced over his shoulder. “I might want to propose. Then I’d be daddy and uncle to your little girl.” He laughed at his own joke and Nick shook his head.
“You’re hopeless, Stan. Take your suggestions and go,” Nick said, laughing with his brother.
“Seriously, I’ll help if you need me, although I don’t know as much about babies as you do. My expertise ends with colts and calves.”
“Thanks, Stan,” Nick said, feeling a bond with his brother.
As Stan drove away, Nick returned to his office, but he couldn’t get his mind to focus on the ranch work in front of him. He remembered Madeline. Since meeting Talia, he recalled everything about that night. He was sure he had used protection, yet here was this little baby and the DNA definitely made her his baby. He couldn’t get accustomed to the idea, and guilt swamped him at the thought he would have to take her away from someone who poured out love to her and place her in a family of strangers.
Enough, he told himself. It’d work out. It had to.
He picked up the leather-bound ledger but the figures swam before his eyes. All he could think about was his new status as a daddy...and his electrifying attraction to Talia Barton.
* * *
Late the following sunny May afternoon Nick paced back and forth. He was in his mansion in a gated community of Dallas, waiting for Talia to arrive, and then he would meet his daughter. That still didn’t seem possible. A night at a party—when he’d had too much to drink, been too long alone, hurting over his loss and trying to overcome the grief and desperation he felt—he’d had sex with a woman he’d barely known. Now he had a daughter for the rest of his life. A little girl who was going to move in with a father who was a total stranger. He knew that was better than the state and they would probably all grow to love her, but it was going to be roug
h for the little girl for a time and he hated that. And it was breaking Talia’s heart, something he could understand all too well because of the loss of his son.
When he heard a car, he glanced at his watch. Talia was on time. He thought about seeing her again and that was one bit of this whole thing that he looked forward to, even though he shouldn’t because she had already complicated his life beyond measure.
He hurried to the front door. When he reached for the door, he glanced out and saw Talia coming up the walk carrying a little girl in her arms. His pulse jumped as his glance swept over Talia’s high heels and her deep blue sleeveless dress. Her hair was high, pinned on the sides of her head, and fell in spiral curls over her shoulders. The curls bounced slightly with each step she took. His gaze shifted to the baby in her arms. The little girl had one thin arm on Talia’s shoulder with her fingers wound in Talia’s long curls. Her other arm hung at her side. She had wispy, tangled brown hair, and from a distance she looked like a pretty child. He couldn’t imagine that this was his baby, but she was. It was a shock each time he thought about it, and seeing her didn’t make it any more real to him.
A little girl he didn’t know in the arms of a woman he would like to know if circumstances were different. His life was going to change forever and he couldn’t even imagine how.
He opened the door. “Come in. You and Hattie.”
“Thank you,” Talia said in a tight voice. From the sound of it, he was sure she was hurting. If she felt this bad just introducing him to his daughter, how much worse was it going to get for her?
He looked down at the baby in her arms, gazing into wide green eyes with gold flecks that were like his own and ran in his family. Hattie had the same color hair he did, the same facial features, but slightly darker skin. As if sensing something was wrong with the adults around her, she gazed solemnly up at him.
He stepped back so Talia could enter and closed the door behind her, catching up with them, his gaze lingering briefly on the sexy sway of Talia’s hips as she walked. Hattie twisted around to stare at him, studying him intently.
“Let’s go to the family room. It’s probably the most childproof room in the house. Arthur wasn’t toddling around or even crawling, so we didn’t get anything ready for a baby to explore.”
“I’ll watch her and she’ll go home with me until you’re ready to take her,” Talia said. “Unless you have other plans.”
“Plans? I’m just trying to get a grip on my new status.”
She glanced up with worry in her big eyes.
“You’re worrying about me taking her from you,” he said.
She shook her head. “I’m worrying you won’t take her and the state will get her.”
He caught Talia’s arm lightly, instantly having that startling awareness from the physical contact. He heard her breath catch and realized she felt something, too. Why did sparks fly between them when they didn’t even know each other? Looking intently at her, he released her just as quickly. Standing so close, he was acutely aware of her while he tried to focus on the problem.
“Let’s settle that one right now. I have the DNA and Hattie is my baby. I’m not giving my baby to the state to try to place in foster homes or wherever they can find. I’ll take Hattie and you’ll get to see her. You have my promise,” he said, emotions tearing at him because he was making a huge commitment that he didn’t even know if he could live up to. He had been tossed into fatherhood abruptly and it brought back memories of his baby boy and of his wife, of being in love and happy and filled with plans for a future that vanished in a crushing blow when their private plane went down in a storm. He hadn’t ever expected to raise a little girl he didn’t even know, a child born to a mother he was with for only a few hours. As he looked down into Talia’s wide, frightened eyes, his insides churned and he wondered if he could possibly keep the promise he was making to her. This promise was monumental and a life-changer. Along with tremendous responsibility, it brought heartache. Every time he looked at this child he’d be reminded of what he had lost in the past.
As she searched his gaze, tears filled Talia’s eyes. She brushed away her tears hastily. “You really mean that, don’t you?” she asked softly.
“Yes, I do,” he said. “Don’t cry. I’ll take Hattie because she’s my child and you’ll get to see her. We’ll figure something out.”
“I wanted so badly to adopt her and be her mother. My attorney said I’d have to go through the state to apply.” Shaking her head, Talia turned away, carrying the baby to the window and talking softly to her. He let her go so she could get herself pulled together while he tried to calm his own nerves.
A few minutes later he glanced around and saw Talia was standing a few feet behind him, holding out Hattie to place her in his arms. As their hands brushed, he felt a frisson of electricity shoot up his arm. He inhaled her perfume, an enticing scent. As he took Hattie, his gaze met Talia’s, and if he let himself, he could drown in the blue depths of her eyes.
His heart pounding, he forced himself to step back slightly, and his gaze was captured by the baby, who stared at him with huge eyes.
She was soft, warm and smelled of soap and lotion. She wore a white blouse and a pink jumper.
“Hi, Hattie,” he said quietly.
She touched a button on his shirt and then touched his chin.
He felt little fingers moving over the stubble on his chin while he gazed at her as solemnly as she looked at him. She ran her tiny fingers over his face. “I’ll contact the state human services and let them know that I have my baby. I think that will take her name off any list they have.”
“It will as soon as you’ve notified them that you’re taking her permanently. My attorney checked and I can’t just come calling and then take her home with me. I have a friend who is an attorney and he’s been keeping up with this. When you step in and actually take care of her and she lives with you, they have to back off and leave you alone unless they get a complaint about the way she’s being raised, which they won’t. Since Madeline’s death, Hattie hasn’t had any family except me. There’s no one else who cares about her except the women at the day care. They think she’s sweet and adorable.”
“So except for those ladies, you’re her whole world. We’ll definitely have to work something out so you can come see her.”
Her blue eyes widened and he saw hope blossom in them. Then she turned them to the child he held.
“Hattie, this is your daddy. Daddy,” she repeated distinctly and looked at Nick. He looked down at her, and for a few seconds all he could think about was Talia and how close she stood, how tempting she smelled. She looked back at Hattie. “Daddy,” Talia repeated.
“Da,” Hattie said, running her fingers on Nick’s jaw again.
“God love the little children,” Nick said softly and turned away. Emotions tore at him when she ran her tiny fingers over his chin because Hattie made him think about Artie. He would never hear Artie say “Daddy,” and it hurt. He missed his son and felt conflicted over the little girl in his arms. He pulled out his handkerchief and wiped away tears, trying to get a better grip on his emotions.
“Do you want me to take her?” Talia asked.
“No. I’ll pull myself together. Sometimes it just hits me out of the blue and I miss Artie.”
“That’s the way I’m going to feel about Hattie,” Talia said so softly, he didn’t think she was even talking to him.
He heard her and knew she was right, and that disturbed him. “At least you can come visit and I’ll let her visit you,” he said, making another commitment that might be difficult.
Hattie’s little fingers ran over his cheek, her mouth turned down, and she looked worried by his tears. He smiled at her and she stared for a few seconds and then smiled.
“Da,” she repeated. He looked into her big green eyes and they stared at each other. Could he be a real dad
to her? Would he grow to love her the way he had loved Artie? Right now, he felt at a loss and he hurt. Guilt rocked him for missing Artie each time he looked at Hattie. It wasn’t right, but he couldn’t help himself because he longed for his little son. Hattie was a little girl he didn’t know.
“One thing’s for sure,” he said. “She’s related to me. She has the Duncan hair and eyes. I’m glad I have the DNA results, but this child is a Duncan.”
Holding Hattie, Nick walked across the room with her. He wasn’t sure what to do next. At a store specializing in babies, he had bought a small stuffed pink bunny for Hattie. The bunny was in a gift sack with pink tissue paper covering it and he had placed it on a game table.
He picked up the small sack and held it in front of her. “Hattie, this is for you from me. It’s your present,” he said quietly.
She looked up at him and then down at the sack. He held it closer in front of her. “This is for you.”
She looked at the sack and at him in uncertainty, but then she pulled one of the pieces of tissue paper. As it came out of the sack, Nick smiled encouragement. “A bunny.”
“Bun,” she repeated and retrieved the small pink stuffed rabbit. He took the sack from her to set it on a table. “Mine,” she said, hugging the bunny, making him smile.
“That was sweet, Nick,” Talia said softly. “She likes you. She hasn’t protested going to you or wanted me to take her. That’s good.”
He walked to Talia and held out Hattie. “I’ll give her to you.”
“Of course,” she said, taking Hattie from him, their hands and arms brushing and bringing that same electric awareness of touching Talia that he felt each time they had contact. He glanced at her as he stood so close and she looked up, their gazes meeting. For another moment he was more aware of Talia than of Hattie. He couldn’t understand the physical attraction, especially at a time when they both were torn up emotionally.
Moving away, he didn’t want to pursue the feelings she stirred. His life was tangled enough already and he didn’t need one more emotional pull. He suspected she wasn’t any more enthused about the sparks flying between them than he was, but he couldn’t figure how there could be one little glimmer of appeal under their current circumstances. She had brought him a monumental problem, changing his life, demolishing the little calm and peace he was beginning to get back after losing Regina and Artie. Talia was awakening feelings he hadn’t experienced in a long time and he wasn’t ready to deal with them. He didn’t want to complicate his life with Talia as well as Hattie. Hattie was all he could deal with at present. A baby girl who needed two loving parents and siblings, but that wasn’t possible.