by Delia Latham
Then she hurried off toward her own place, not waiting for a response.
2
“Home, sweet home, Daisy girl.” Gavin slid off the saddle and gave his horse a firm pat. “You did good out there, just like always.” She had, too. Daisy made every other herding horse he’d ever ridden look bad. “Come on, girl, let’s get you settled in for the night.”
He took the reins in a light hold, and the animal followed him toward the stereotypical “big red barn,” home to all the pampered horseflesh at Beckett Ranch for Angel Kids.
Working with the Becketts and the special needs children in their care had changed Gavin’s life. He owed the family more than simple gratitude. Dex Beckett and his family—heck, even the little rugrats who lived on the ranch—had set a headstrong, too-cocky-for-his-own-good young cowboy on the right path a few years back. They’d saved the life he was all too ready to throw away on parties and daredevil antics. As if that weren’t enough, they’d then introduced him to a heavenly Father who loved him in spite of himself…and thereby saved his soul, as well.
Daisy neighed softly and nuzzled his shoulder when he offered a carrot. “You’re welcome, girl.” Gavin set to work brushing her beautiful black coat. This creature was the only female in his life—he’d best take good care of her.
Well, now he’d gone and done it. One thought of women and his mind brought up a heart-stopping picture of his beautiful new neighbor. He’d been trying all week to forget Dawni Manors’s big, gray eyes and the half-frightened expression that shadowed their depths. If he were a bettin’ man, he’d not be afraid to take a wager that a scared little girl hid somewhere behind her lovely façade. That vulnerability, which he somehow understood she hadn’t meant to reveal, made him want to gather her close and guard her against the world.
He groaned. How pathetic could he get? The girl had made it more than clear that she had no interest in him. Man, she’d jetted out of his place like somethin’ big, bad and ugly was after her, and all he’d done was pour her a cup of cocoa—darned good cocoa, at that. And he, poor fool that he was, hadn’t been able to get her out of his head since. He’d stood in his doorway, downright dazed and plumb bumfuzzled, like he’d been hit by a locomotive on a downhill run. Not chasing after her had required every ounce of self-control he possessed.
Dawni’s soulful eyes and that cloud of silky-looking auburn hair had sneaked into his dreams every night after that, even though Gavin hadn’t caught so much as a glimpse of her since she disappeared into the rain. He’d charged the depleted battery in her vehicle the next morning and found a sweet-but-impersonal note on his door when he got home, thanking him for the shelter and for the help with her battery.
After that, nothing.
He pulled in a lungful of air and huffed it out, peeved at himself for letting that pretty face get under his skin.
“OK, that’s it. Enough’s enough. What’s eatin’ you, pal?”
Gavin jumped. “Good grief, Dex, why’d you go and sneak up on me like that? A man deserves a little privacy with his horse at the end of a day, don’tcha think?”
Dex grinned. “Yeah, well, I figured if I stood here in the shadows long enough you’d tell ol’ Daisy what’s bothering you, and I wouldn’t have to ask. But you didn’t, so I’m asking. You’ve been mopin’ around here like you lost your last friend, and I know for a fact you haven’t, ’cause I’m still here.”
The tall rancher picked up a stable rubber and set to work on Daisy’s other flank. He met Gavin’s gaze over the animal’s back, that annoying half-smile still on his lips. “The way I see it, that leaves only one other possibility.”
Dex was a good guy, but he thought he was pretty smart. “Yeah, and what’s that?”
“A woman.”
Gavin snorted. “Well, you’ve been wrong before, boss.”
“Yep, sure have, and most likely will be again.” Dex stroked Daisy’s neck. “But I’m thinkin’ I hit the nail on the head this time, my friend. Who is she?”
“Hey, I don’t know what to tell ya. I was just thinking about the fact that ol’ Daisy here’s the only gal in my life. Sure am glad I’ve got her.” He gave the horse another affectionate stroke.
“Well, maybe that’s the problem. You know I love horses, but even a cowboy needs a real woman in his life.” Dex laughed—a pleasant, low rumble that always made Gavin want to laugh along. After a moment, he spoke again. “Don’t suppose you’d be moonin’ over the new tenant at Heart’s Haven, would’ja? Layne told me she’s real pretty.”
“There’s a new tenant at the Haven? Huh!” Gavin tried hard, but Dex’s laughter rose in volume and intensity, and before he knew it, a little chuckle burst from his own traitorous lips.
“Tell you what, Gav, you’re a better cowboy than you are an actor. So out with it. You’re bound to have seen her, and I’m assumin’ you’ve met, since you’re all dopey-eyed.”
The two men stepped out of Daisy’s stall and plopped down onto a couple of hay bales.
Gavin grabbed a stick of the dry stuff and stuck it in the corner of his mouth. He wasn’t going to be able to put anything over on his boss. The man had an uncanny ability to look right into his soul. Always had.
“Fine then. Not that it’s any of your business, Mr. Hotshot Know-it-all Boss Man…” He grinned when Dex stuck out his chest like he’d made him proud. “Her name’s Dawni Manors, and ‘real pretty’ doesn’t even begin to describe her. Man, she’s got killer gray eyes, hair the color of a summer sunset…lips that look like they’d be soft as—” He broke off and cleared his throat. “Anyway. Real nice gal, but kinda skittish.”
Dex chuckled and shook his head. “Skittish? You talkin’ about Daisy or Dawni?”
“Stop it, boss.” Gavin managed a weak grin. “I mean she seems like she’s afraid to get close enough to anyone to even be rightly called a neighbor, much less anything more personal.”
“Hmm.” Dex nodded. “Layne was that way when I first met her.”
“Yeah?” Gavin studied his boss’s face. “I can’t even imagine that. Layne’s always so open and friendly. Dawni, now—she’s got a flashing red ‘keep out’ sign hung around her neck.”
Dex lifted one eyebrow and one corner of his mouth. “Noticed, did’ja?”
Gavin laughed. Once again, his boss—and best friend in the world—refused to be fooled.
Dex’s other eyebrow shot upward, while that little knowing smile grew ever more knowing.
“OK, I admit it. I met her last week. She actually kinda tried to take over my cottage, and of course I gave her a hard time.” He grinned, but sobered in the next instant. “I don’t know, Dex. She’s on guard, more’n any woman I’ve ever met. One thing for sure, she won’t be throwing herself into my arms anytime soon.”
“Good for her.” Dex grinned, his eyes on the rafters overhead.
“Yeah, I get it, and I’m glad she’s not like that. Trouble is, I’ve never had to go chasin’ a woman before. I’m not even sure I know how.”
“Well, maybe that’s why you’re drawn to her, kid.” Dex slapped him on the shoulder so hard he winced. “She’s the first person of the opposite sex who hasn’t thrown herself at your feet after one look at that movie-actor face of yours. I can tell you from experience, son…” He shot Gavin a mischievous glance. Both of them knew Dex was nowhere near old enough to be his father. “There’s something to be said for the chase. By the time I got Layne to give me a chance, you couldn’ta hog-tied and dragged me away.”
Gavin groaned. “Great. So if I actually make an effort, she’s going to rope me in like a shaky-legged calf, whether I like it or not.”
Grinning, Dex got up and started out of the barn.
Gavin walked with him to the door, where his boss squeezed his shoulder before hefting himself onto the back of a big stallion no one else dared try to ride.
“You’ll like it.”
Gavin’s jaw dropped.
Dex chuckled and clucked his tongue. “Le
t’s take it on home, Dickens. Layne’s waitin’.”
The horse set off at an easy canter.
The man never even looked back.
3
Dawni shot upright in bed. “Please, God, where is he?” With the words, she became aware of her surroundings and heaved in a deep, painful breath. Tears streaked her face, and her body quaked like a young aspen in a storm. “Dear Lord…what was that?” she whispered.
She’d been following a bright, gliding glow—something like a huge, iridescent butterfly—just distant enough to remain unclear and beyond reach. From somewhere nearby, an infant wailed.
Somehow, Dawni knew that only she could hear the distressed cries, and that the shining entity in the distance could help her find the child. Her heart had pounded with painful, crushing force, harder and faster with each pitiful, hiccupping cry.
A baby, alone and in need of comfort—comfort Dawni could give, if only she could find the child. With every step, each of which seemed harder to take and gained less progress, she grew more distressed. Nearly hysterical, she’d called out to the wavering glow. “Where is he? Please! Where is the baby?”
Awake now, she threw the light blanket off and made a dash for the restroom. She splashed cold water onto her face, determined to break the grip of the disturbing dream. Bending over the sink, she allowed the bracing moisture to drip off her chin and onto the white porcelain while she attempted to slow the frantic beating of her heart and calm the chaos in her mind.
Praying. She’d been praying when she awakened. Dawni couldn’t remember ever having prayed, aside from the mandatory bowing of the head before meals, required in some of the foster homes she’d passed through.
Weird.
She wouldn’t normally be up for another hour or more, but Dawni wasn’t about to go back to sleep now, and risk hearing that lost wailing again. She took a quick shower, sending the remnants of the night’s dream devils down the drain.
After a sustaining mug of strong coffee, she traded her robe for a jogging outfit and caught her thick hair into a ponytail at the nape of her neck. A brisk run along the Angelina Trail would be the perfect way to clear her mind. A pair of sport socks and sturdy walking shoes, and she was ready to hit the road.
She managed a wry grin at the pale face in her mirror. “Yeah, fresh air is just what you need to put a little color in your cheeks before you force this face on the world.”
After locking her door, she tucked the key into her pocket and set off at a brisk pace. The greenway edged the forest into which Heart’s Haven nestled like a baby bird in a cozy nest.
A quarter mile into her trek, she paused, her heart knocking hard against the walls of her chest.
Was that a baby’s cry?
“Oh, come on, girl, wake up.” She chuckled, and cast a sheepish glance around in the dim glow of a departing dawn. Thank God no one was close by to hear her talking to herself. She shook her head, took another step, and then froze.
Up ahead, off to the side of the road and at the forest’s edge, another glow caught her eye. Not the glow of dawn. More like a large, translucent white butterfly.
Or maybe an angel.
The thought heated her cheeks, as if the whole world could read her addled mind. She huffed out a breath and stomped ahead. Enough, already.
But the wavering glow didn’t go away, and Dawni drew near enough to recognize the angelic wings, and the golden glow in the creature’s eyes.
Before her heart could fail from the shock, a series of weak, exhausted cries erupted from just inside the tree line, where a bench nestled into the forest’s edge. Her mouth dry, Dawni stared at the creature from her dream…the angel. Might as well call it like she saw it.
The glowing entity beckoned.
She tried to move forward, but her feet refused to obey until the angel waved a graceful arm toward her. Warmth flooded Dawni’s body, and a peace unlike anything she’d ever felt filled her heart and mind, as if someone had poured a physical dose of it down her throat. She stepped off the greenway and moved toward the bench—and the cry that had risen from her dreams was now reality.
Tucked into one corner of the bench, an infant carrier held a pile of squirming, wiggling blue blankets.
Sucking in a shocked breath, Dawni hurried to the bench and pulled back an edge of the soft fabric.
“Wh-?” Under a headful of curls, a pair of huge blue eyes stared back at her. Pitiful little whimpers shook the small body. “Where did you come from?” The words were barely audible, but she couldn’t have forced another decibel of volume past her throat.
The child couldn’t be more than a month to maybe six weeks old. Reddish gold locks haloed a sweet, tear-streaked face dominated by those blue eyes. Upon hearing Dawni’s whispered words, the little bow mouth puckered into an upside-down pout. In the next instant, that pout became a lusty wail.
“Oh! Oh, dear…hush, baby!” Dawni fumbled with the strap across the tiny chest, finally unhooking the bulky seat with trembling fingers. Lifting the little one into her arms, she took in the small pile of tiny, neatly folded garments stacked on the other end of the bench. A grocery bag, tied at the top, did little to disguise its contents—several bottles, and a couple of large cans. Formula? And a few disposable diapers. Based on the pungent odor coming from the sniffling babe, those would need to be put to immediate use.
The infant snuggled against her chest, and one little thumb disappeared into his mouth. He sucked greedily at the miniscule digit.
Dawni sighed. She eased the little one back into his carrier and buckled him safely in, and then tucked his little stack of clothing in around him. The grocery bag she hooked over one wrist. “Come on, little guy.” To her surprise, her voice remained steady, although her insides quivered. “Maybe I can figure out how to feed you, and get something clean and dry on your soggy little behind. Then we’ll figure out what I’m supposed to do with you.”
She peered toward the forest as she picked up the carrier and turned back the way she’d come. But the white shimmer had disappeared…if, indeed, it had been there at all.
****
Gavin stood over the sink, rinsing his coffee mug. He’d overslept, and no wonder. Sleep had evaded him for almost a week’s worth of nights. His body succumbed to exhaustion sometime well after midnight, and he hadn’t even awakened when his alarm went off at five thirty. “Thanks for the sleep, Lord. I needed it.”
A loud pounding at the door startled him, and he nearly dropped the coffee cup. But a lifetime of honing highly tuned instincts and rapid responses—necessities around horses and the rodeo life he’d once loved—kept him from letting the mug crash to the floor. He set it on the countertop before hurrying through the living room to the door, which seemed to be taking a beating from the outside. “Hold your horses. I’m comin’.”
If only he’d been up and at it at his usual time, he could’ve missed playing nice with whichever neighbor wanted to say hello. Now he’d be another few minutes late, and Dex would have his hide.
Fixing on a smile he hoped was somewhat welcoming, he swung the door open. He forgot to hold the happy face when his jaw dropped at sight of his lovely new neighbor cuddling a baby who looked almost brand new.
Tiny red lines traced through the whites of Dawni’s drooping eyes. Her full lips trembled, and for a couple of terrifying seconds, he thought she would cry. Lord, give me strength!
“Gavin, I—may I come in?”
Without a word, he gestured her inside, and she stepped past him into the house. He closed the door and turned to find her nestling the infant close as she bounce-walked back and forth across the room. “Shhh….it’s OK, little one. I’ve got you now. You’ll be OK.”
“Umm…” Gavin scratched his head. He crossed the room and pulled back the blanket to reveal a little face, red and splotchy. “You had a baby since I saw you?”
Dawni’s eyes widened, and then she giggled—a sweet, trilling, bell-like sound that grabbed Gavin by the heartstri
ngs.
“Yeah, right, cowboy. I had a baby.” The laughter faded from her face, and she raised a pair of plaintive gray eyes to his. “I found him on the greenway.”
He frowned. “He’s a little young to be out alone, isn’t he?”
She rolled her eyes. “Would you be serious for half a minute? Someone left this little guy on a bench on the Angelina Trail.” Heaving a deep breath, she shoved the child at Gavin’s chest. “I don’t know what to do with him.”
“Whoa, whoa. Whoa!” He took a step backward and threw both hands into the air—as if Dawni had pointed a gun at him instead of a baby.
“Take him. Please!”
He shook his head and backed up another half step. “No way, kiddo. I don’t have an ounce of mommy in me. You’re a woman. Aren’t you all born knowin’ how to…you know, do whatever needs done for a kid?”
Dawni sighed and cuddled the little one close to her own body again. “I’m afraid not. And he didn’t come with an instruction book.” She plopped down onto the sofa and locked a desperate gaze on his. Tears welled in her eyes and streaked her cheeks. “Look at him. He’s so beautiful. So innocent. Babies are supposed be loved and nurtured and taken care of…you know?”
Gavin knelt in front of her and took her hand, hoping to calm her. “Did you find a note or anything?”
Her eyes widened. “No…well, I didn’t think to look.” She wrinkled her nose. “I was a little busy trying to figure out how to change a diaper.”
Gavin chuckled. “Well, you obviously had your hands full. Is he hungry?”
“No, I fed him. Whoever left him also left clean clothing, diapers, bottles and a can of formula.”
“So someone cared a little bit, anyway. What are you going to do with him?”
She shook her head. “I suppose there are legal steps to follow if you find a baby, but I can’t stand the thought of him being caught up in the system, without anyone to really love him.”