Mason gurgled happily in his crib, keeping true to his 'trick baby' status, and smiled a huge toothy grin when she popped her head over the crib rails and reached down to draw him up into her arms.
They settled into the rocker in his room to nurse before breakfast. Mason was well started on solids but Layla still relished these quiet moments. It was just the two of them, and nothing else. She pumped bottles for Kerri to feed him but still nursed him when she was home; it was one of the ways she reconnected with the baby when it felt like she'd been away too long.
Mason was in his high chair while she mixed cereal for him when Nate finally wandered out into the kitchen and leaned against the doorframe. Thank God he put on pants.
She'd been too tired the night before to act on the fact that Nate Montgomery had been stretched out, naked and aroused, in her bed, but she could have eked out an extra ten minutes this morning, somehow, if he hadn't already dressed. Even with jeans on, that broad, muscled chest was a lot of temptation. And that slow, sexy smile he gave her as he watched her move about her standard morning routine was begging to be kissed.
"Morning." His voice rumbled with leftover sleep. "Anything I can do to help?"
She shook her head. "Not really…get your own coffee, I guess?"
He shuffled into the kitchen, entirely too close for comfort, and she found herself bumping him with her hip when she turned around. He dropped the spoon he was stirring his coffee with and grabbed her around the waist with his free arm, tugging her to him.
"And maybe put on a shirt," she squeaked, all the air gone out of her.
"What about breakfast?" he asked, ignoring her request as he released her and crossed the floor to peer into the fridge, perfectly at home. It hadn't bothered her before but now it unnerved her, and it might have had something to do with his state of undress. "You hungry?"
"Oh I usually just have a bagel or grab a muffin at Hinkley's."
"Because you don't have time, right?"
"You're not wrong." She picked up Mason's cereal bowl and crossed the floor, pulling a chair up in front of the baby to feed him. He was as good an eater as he was a sleeper, so things moved quickly, but not quickly enough for her to make a real breakfast for herself and feed him, especially when she was already moving slowly.
"Well, you're having breakfast this morning," he said as he turned from the fridge with a carton of eggs and the milk in hand. He caught her glancing at the clock on the wall and shook his head. "You have time, trust me."
"Careful now," she said with a laugh, spooning more cereal into Mason's waiting mouth. "I might get used to having you around in the mornings."
"That's the plan." Nate didn't look up as he started moving around the kitchen, finding a bowl and a frying pan, and assembling everything for what looked like scrambled eggs. She didn't have anything in the way of breakfast meat but a plateful of eggs would go a lot farther than a blueberry muffin from Hinkley's, and probably cost a lot less, too.
Not five minutes later, he brought two plates of eggs and toast to the table, and slid in across from her. "You wanna trade places so you have time to eat?"
She paused a moment, glancing across the table at him, then back to Mason, who had been eating well enough. Her stomach growled as she got a whiff of the eggs and her mind was made up. She pushed her chair back and got up, and they did a rotation without changing the untouched plates. Nate pulled up in front of Mason, who flashed him a big, soggy-cereal-mouthed smile, and if there was ever a time Layla wished she could tell him the truth, this was it. The two had struck up the cutest friendship she'd ever seen. Mason was always happy to see Nate and Nate seemed to reciprocate. He was so gentle and quiet and patient with their son it made her ache to share her secret.
One eye on the pair of them, she started into her plate of food; deliciously creamy and perfectly cooked. He was a natural, and the child seemed to kick into a second level of happiness as Nate fed him. It was heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once. It was easy to fall into this kind of family unit, but it couldn't last. Try as he might, Nate wasn't the settling down sort. Not with her, anyway.
A car rumbled in the driveway and she was almost out of her seat before she realized what she was doing. Kerri, early, as always.
"You have to go get dressed."
He raised a skeptical brow at her bath robe, and leisurely offered the baby another spoonful of cereal.
"I'm in a bath robe when Kerri gets here every day. You are not supposed to be here, never mind half-naked."
It was too late to hide his truck behind the house; he should at least try to pretend like he hadn't spent the night. For decency's sake, if nothing else. Kerri knew Nate was hanging around a lot, and she wasn't about to go spreading the word, but she'd be asking questions later. Questions Layla didn't have any answers to, anyway. What had happened last night?
She breathed a sigh of relief when he finally got up, handing her the bowl before he made his way back to the bedroom, not hurrying quite enough for her taste. He emerged, pulling his t-shirt down over his abs as she heard Kerri's feet on the porch.
"Morning…" The girl stopped up short when she saw Nate. "Good morning, everybody."
"Morning," Nate replied way more casually than Layla felt.
Awkward. Kerri always showed up early so Layla could grab a quick shower and get dressed, but since she'd showered the night before, she was farther ahead of the game than she would have been any other time. Besides, when she moved the right way, she could still smell the delicious scent of Nate on her skin and she wasn't about to go washing that off just yet, even if it was only from being held all night.
"I'm almost ready. We'll be out of your hair in no time." She shot to the bedroom to get dressed, leaving Nate to fend for himself with Kerri. She heard their voices, the words indistinct, but it sounded like small talk. Quickly, she braided her hair over her shoulder, smoothed on a pair of dark wash jeans and a sleeveless button-down blouse for 'casual Friday', and emerged from the bedroom just in time to see Nate scooping Mason up out of his chair. She had to wonder how he was so at ease. He was the younger of the Montgomery brothers, and there were no sisters. No close family to have babysat cousins. He was just a natural, evidently.
"All set." It must have been a joint effort to wash his face and hands because the baby was tidy and stretching his arms out for her.
Nate shuffled over and handed Mason off to her. "Here's your mama."
*
Layla folded Mason into her arms and Nate made himself take a step away, lest he make it a group hug. He didn't think there was much that could make him happier than the last eight hours had. He headed to the door and put on his boots while Layla said her goodbyes, giving the baby a kiss on the top of his head before she joined him at the door.
"See ya, Ker." He tipped his head and held the door open for Layla. She stepped out onto the porch. "Why don't you let me drive you?"
"Kind of defeats the purpose of fixing my car, doesn't it?" She glanced up at him, skepticism written all over her features.
"Humor me. I don't have anything else on my schedule for this morning. You're starting my day with purpose."
She smiled and shook her head, but when she stepped off the porch, she headed toward his truck.
"Besides, that means I'm guaranteed to see you again tonight."
"I swear, Nate Montgomery, you're going to get sick of my face eventually," she said as they climbed in.
"Not possible," he said with a grin as the engine of his truck roared to life.
They barely got out onto the road when he reached across the space between them and closed his fingers over her knee. She glanced over but made no move to deter him. Instead, she covered his hand with hers, brushing her thumb over the back of his knuckles. A simple, innocent gesture that heated his blood more than he cared to admit. He reminded himself of her proclamation on that first date—she wasn't looking for the same hot, casual thing they'd had before. His brain had a good hold on th
at one—his body…not so much. But he hadn't made it this far in life by not having any self-control.
"What's on the bill for today?" she asked absently as they navigated the streets of Three Rivers. Casual, comforting, like they were a couple.
"I thought I'd probably head over to the Baylors for a visit. The boys want to talk more about this plan for a rodeo school they've brewed up now that I think Lily's finally given up on a career in roping for me."
She glanced over and smiled. He waited for the other shoe to drop—eventually she'd ask about why he was staying, why he was planning a way to make a living in Three Rivers instead of going back to Denver, but the questions never came. They'd struck a balance, enjoying one another's company, but not prying too deep. He liked it that way—eventually, he'd have to tell her what was going on, but not yet.
He pulled up to the curb in front of Hinkley's and her look turned questioning. He shrugged, then tapped the digital clock on the truck's dash radio. "You're early. We'll grab coffee."
The diner was half a block from her work, and small town blocks didn't count the same as city blocks—there was time. They climbed out of the truck and he held the door to Hinkley's open for Layla. Tina was working and she blustered happily when he walked in. She'd always had a soft spot for him, and this was his first visit since he'd come home to Three Rivers.
"Oh Nate Montgomery, look at you!"
"Tina, my best girl!" Nate hugged the waitress—she acted like he was a celebrity come to town, which was laughable, now. There had been a time when he felt ten feet tall and bullet proof, but that had been before Night Train. Now, the friendliness meant more to him than the acclaim. He needed friends in his corner because he didn't have a whole hell of a lot besides that. And maybe that was why being with Layla quieted him so much. She had no expectations, no image in her mind of the man he ought to be. She let him see a slice of her authentic life, and he got to relax and be exactly who he was with her. "You gonna hook us up with some coffee?"
Layla had hung back; not quite the same girl who had been fearlessly manning the bar at Danny's when he'd first reconnected with her. Now she was a reflection of the girl she'd been in school. Quiet, reserved, and uncomfortable. Like she didn't belong, not a hundred percent. It had been her default when they were younger, but it surprised him now because she had said she stopped in for a muffin almost every morning. Her family had been an easy target—both of her parents unable to work, her brothers constantly getting into fights—the quintessential girl from the wrong side of the tracks. He was certain she heard the same whispers he had, and at some point, that had chipped away at her. Another change he resolved to make for her. She was as hardworking and fundamentally good as any other person sitting in this damn diner, she deserved to be treated that way, and act like it, too.
He reached for her hand, drawing her up to the counter with him, and Tina smiled broadly, never missing a beat. Layla pulled her hand out of his almost like he'd burnt her. He got that she was a private kind of girl but he thought they'd made a ton of progress in the last little bit, and people would have had to have been blind to miss how often his truck was parked outside of her work in the last week. So was he misreading everything by thinking they might be ready to take the relationship out in public?
"Morning, Layla."
"Morning, Tina." There—her voice didn't falter a bit. She was good at a brave face at least. He tucked the niggling away when the coffee arrived, dropped a five dollar bill on the counter, and bid the waitress farewell, ushering Layla out of the diner.
The walk to Dr. Fields' office door wasn't long enough. Pausing in front of the glass door to the office, she turned to him, looking as uncertain as a girl at the front door at the end of a first date.
He wanted to kiss her. Lean in and lay one on her like it was a normal part of their day—he'd spent the night last night, for crying out loud. But this was her place of work and the hesitance written on her face made him take pause too. He reached out and snagged her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"I'll see you tonight."
Her smile was braver, and better.
—TWENTY-SEVEN—
Layla's stomach growled so loudly she was sure Dr. Fields' could hear it behind his closed exam room door. Frowning, she glanced at her watch and let out a sigh. She'd left the house without a lunch this morning and with plans to grab something at Hinkley's, but then she'd been in the diner already today, with Nate, with his hand on hers. Tongues would be wagging. Her heart wasn't ready to face up to that. Her stomach protested.
Finally, she pushed back from her desk and grabbed her purse, letting out a sigh as she did. Stepping out into the sunshine, she did a brief survey of the parking lot of Hinkley's—not too many repeats, but the most important one…the waitress…well, her little economy car was sitting in one of the employee spots, just like it did every week day from 7 to 3:30.
Layla paused with her hand on the door handle, lifted her chin, drew in a deep breath and let it out. It was just soup and a sandwich. She was under no obligation to be harassed by anyone about what she did with her person time and she had as much right as anyone else to grab lunch at the local diner, so long as she paid.
Tina greeted her with the same big smile she had this morning. "Hey hun. Just one?"
Layla nodded—she was always just one—and Tina pointed to the booth she typically took. Crossing the floor, Layla took a peek at today's patrons. Mostly regulars; just about anybody who worked in 'downtown' Three Rivers came here for lunch since it was the only option. Nobody she remembered seeing this morning. She slid into the booth and Tina brought her a coffee and a water.
She ordered her usual and pulled out her phone to touch base with Kerri at home, thinking she was nearly in the clear…until Tina paused after sliding her order onto the table in front of her.
"Say…you were in here this morning with Nate Montgomery, weren't you?"
The smile Layla pasted on was almost as forced as when she was visiting with her mother.
"Yes."
The waitress looked like she was waiting for more. Layla wouldn't be rude, but she wasn't going to volunteer anything, either. It just wasn't good sense. There were times when it paid to get out ahead of the rumor mill and set things straight before they started spreading, but she couldn't justify it in this case. Not when she felt like the next day could bring everything crashing down around her ears anyway.
"You know, the two of you make a sweet couple."
There it was, the other shoe. Layla drew in a slow breath and smiled up at Tina.
"Oh, it's not anything like that. He's been helping me out with the house."
"Well I wouldn't mind a little bit of Nate Montgomery on the side, Layla. He's a good guy. Maybe you should ask him to stay for dinner some night after he's done with the house stuff."
Doing her best not to laugh, Layla shook her head and took a mouthful of soup. If Tina only knew.
"He is a good guy. But you know as well as I do how hard it is to find time for a man when you've got to bust your hump feeding and clothing your kids."
Volleying the conversation back on the waitress helped, because she stepped back, her keen eyes losing their intensity. Layla had spoken right to the crux of the single mother's plight, and it seemed like it might work to curb the gossip. There were some things that couldn't be controlled, but this Layla felt confident about…as long as she could put her own spin on it.
"You're right, but if a girl had the time..." Tina grinned, shaking her head. "Did anybody think Nate Montgomery would ever come back to be Three Rivers' most eligible bachelor? Not a snowball's chance in hell."
Layla hid a little smile as her stomach fluttered. Someone was calling Nate a 'most eligible bachelor' and little did they know he'd spent the night in her bed. Layla Sullivan, of all people, had, for now, for all intents and purposes, snagged Three Rivers' most eligible bachelor. It was a small treasure she didn't want to let go of.
"It's like a s
troke of pure luck that he had that accident and ended up back here. I mean, not that he had the accident—he was busted up bad, I wouldn't wish that on anybody. Or the part where he lost everything."
That fluttering was soon replaced by a couple of other things—a little bit of jealousy she couldn't explain, and then pain. He'd lost everything? He'd never mentioned it. She'd never asked. She knew he'd been laid up bad—she'd seen the medical file. But she hadn't ever thought about what that accident had truly cost Nate. What it meant for him to be back here for the 'foreseeable future'. She'd been so caught up in what their being together looked like for her, what it would cost her for the truth to come out, she'd never considered him as the second part to the equation.
"Anyway, I'll leave you to it."
With that, Tina turned and went back to her duties as if she hadn't just ripped a gash in Layla's world.
—TWENTY-EIGHT—
That night, after Nate dropped her off to run errands for Nan, and Kerri left for the evening, Layla flipped open her laptop on the kitchen island. A small luxury, she'd bought it secondhand. Mostly to look up parenting advice online, but she used it once in a while to look up videos for the home repairs she didn't know anything about. Without it, she'd never have figured out how to clean the grease out of the pipes under the sink. And when she was feeling a little anxious, she watched cooking videos that she never actually tried to do—half out of fear of burning her house down and half because she couldn't afford the luxury ingredients.
One thing she hadn't done, not until now, was give in to the temptation to watch the video of Nate's wreck. Her brother, Jimmy, had mentioned it—mostly in a weirdly celebratory hateful kind of way, because he'd never been a fan of the Montgomerys…or the Baylors…or just about any ranch family in town—but it hadn't seemed right at a time when everyone was waiting for news that Nate had come out of the woods. And then she hadn't thought about it again. Until Tina had talked about it today.
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