Cowboy Baby Daddy

by Claire Adams

  I shook my head to clear it and walked back to my car. I needed to swing by the office before going to see Mrs. Glover, but I figured I should have plenty of time for that.

  Back at the office, I fingered through the stack of test results that had come in that morning. You'd think these things would be all electronic by now, but for some reason, the local lab insisted on having a guy deliver paper copies every morning. I supposed it made sense in case there was ever a power outage or anything like that, but it still seemed like just another backward thing in this small town.

  I found the results of Mrs. Glover's blood tests that she'd had done the previous week. I paused, noticing that they were beneath Jeannie Sable's test results. I had a quick minute to look at those, I decided. Mrs. Glover's results, as expected, had all come back perfectly normal, so our appointment that morning would be rather perfunctory.

  I sat down at my desk and scrolled through the documents, frowning deeper and deeper as I went. Although I'd had some idea of what I'd be looking at when the results came in, I had been hoping I was just being overly worried. But now, I was concerned to find that her cancer had progressed.

  I closed my eyes, pressing my fingertips against the lids for a moment. Jeannie hadn't lived in Tamlin for most of her life, but everyone knew her. It wasn't just that association that upset me, though, or thinking about how Olivia would take the news. Instead, every patient who came in here with cancer reminded me so much of Emily, my former wife.

  I swallowed hard. It had been nearly two years since Emily's death, but every time I thought about it, the pain was just the same: a dull ache in my chest that never really seemed to go away. I already knew exactly what we were going to see with Jeannie unless we acted quickly. I knew what that rapid decline in health looked like, that loss of appetite, the weakness, and the pain. If I had my way, I'd never see it again in anyone else.

  I smiled a little to myself. You've picked the wrong profession, if you don't want to see people suffering, I reminded myself sternly.

  I sighed and stood up, knowing that I needed to see Mrs. Glover. And knowing that if I showed up stern-faced and grim, she would only panic, suspecting that there was something I wasn't telling her so that she would still go on her vacation. Then, she'd spend the entire vacation worrying that this would be her last, and when she got back home, she'd order another hundred tests to ensure that there was nothing wrong with her.

  I had to put on a friendly smile, just for her. Fortunately, I had a lot of practice in smiling when I was upset.

  I'll visit Emily's grave soon, I promised myself as I walked out of my office, flicking off the lights as I went. Maybe next weekend, if the weather was nice, although now that we were getting into April, you never knew what the weather would be like from one hour to the next. But having that plan, no matter how tentative, soothed me, and by the time I reached Mrs. Glover's house, my smile was almost genuine again.

  I spared a thought for the daycare provider who had made me smile that morning. There was something I liked about her already. I knew Emma was in good hands.

  “And that is the biggest relief I could imagine,” I muttered as I parked my car in Mrs. Glover's driveway.

  Chapter Two

  Olivia

  By the end of the day, I was practically pulling my hair out in frustration. The more I got to know Emma, the more convinced I was that there was a sweet little girl in there somewhere. She had shown flashes of an artistic side after lunch. But today, her default setting seemed to be 'brat,' and it had been temper tantrum after temper tantrum, to the point where I'd had to endure a lecture on properly disciplining the kids when Harlan's mom showed up to get him.

  She, of course, had to walk in right when Emma started throwing crayons around the room and stomping her little feet. The thing was, I knew that I was in charge when it came to the daycare, and I knew that I could discipline them just like their parents would. But nothing I did seemed to have any effect on Emma; she just kept wailing all day.

  It was impressive. I was pretty sure I would have lost my voice by now.

  It had all started with the doll, which still didn't have a name. Of course, she no longer had an arm, either, so there were bigger problems for her. Not two minutes after Eric had walked out the door, Emma had gone wild, slamming the doll into the furniture with all her might.

  By now, I was regretting wishing for a more energetic child in the daycare. I was exhausted after spending the whole day running after the little devil, and I was counting the minutes until Dr. Jones came to pick her up.

  That's not the only reason you're excited to see him, my subconscious reminded me. I blushed a little, just thinking about him. Mom had mentioned he was handsome, but I hadn't expected to agree with her. And once I'd seen exactly how handsome he was, I'd expected him to have an ego like no other. But instead, he was surprisingly charming. I could tell he loved Emma, just in the short interaction I'd seen between the two of them. Despite the fact that she'd kicked him in the nether regions.

  I grinned a little, remembering that. I'd expected the doctor to get angry with her. I'd expected him to scold her, maybe threaten her with a later punishment. But instead, he'd acted as though it was his fault for getting in her way.

  Of course, maybe that hesitance, the fact that he didn't want to scold her when she was obviously out of line, was exactly the reason she had been such a menace all day. Mom had also mentioned that the girl's mother had died, and although I knew that things couldn't have been easy for little Miss Emma, letting her get away with murder wouldn't do anyone any good.

  I put those thoughts out of my head as Dr. Jones finally arrived. He was frowning, and I wondered whether I'd had it all wrong about his relationship with Emma. Maybe he just hadn't wanted to scold her this morning because he didn't think it would make a good first impression, but now that he was taking her home, it was time to lecture her.

  But when he spoke, I realized his frown was caused by something entirely different.

  “Good afternoon, Olivia,” the man said.

  Emma ran over to him and flung herself at his leg, clinging tightly. “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!” she cried.

  A small smile cracked the stern expression on the doctor's face. “Hey, Emma,” he said, scooping her up into his arms and kissing her nose. “I want to talk to Miss Olivia for a minute. Why don't you help put away all your toys? Remember, Nana has a surprise for you when you get home, but only if you've been a good girl today.”

  Emma nodded solemnly and ran off to start putting things away. I breathed out a noisy sigh of relief.

  Dr. Jones winced. “Don't tell me: she was horrible all day, wasn't she?”

  “She was fine,” I lied, shaking my head. I cracked a smile. “Like you said, Dr. Jones, it's my fault for wishing for a kid with a little more energy.”

  The man frowned. “Please, call me Eric,” he said. “I'm off the clock.” Then, his look darkened again. “Or at least, I'm almost off the clock. Listen, your mother's test results came in this morning. I've set up an appointment with her tomorrow evening, but I was hoping that you could come along as well. I'd like to talk to both of you about the results.”

  I felt my heart sink. I had moved to Tamlin to be closer to Mom because I knew that things had to be worse than she had let on, but to have that suspicion confirmed by Dr. Jones—Eric—was hard, especially after such a long day. I nodded my head, though, trying not to let my fear show. I knew that Mom had cancer, but she kept insisting that she'd get over it in no time. Now, I had to wonder.

  “Tomorrow evening should be fine,” I said, my voice sounding faint even to my own ears. “For me, anyway, but I assume you already spoke to Mom about it. Should we meet you at your office?” I glanced toward Emma, suddenly reminded of her presence by the sound of blocks crashing into a plastic bucket.

  “Nana can watch Emma for an hour or so,” Eric said, answering my unspoken question. “Jeannie, your mom, invited me over for dinner. She said to be at
her house at 7, if that works for you.”

  “Seven is fine,” I said, nodding stupidly.

  “Don't worry,” Eric said gently. “Your mother is a very strong woman, and we've caught the cancer early enough that her chances of pulling through are still high.”

  I shook my head. “Her chances of pulling through,” I echoed bitterly. “That doesn't sound good at all.”

  Something flickered across the doctor's face, but it was gone before I could identify it. “We'll talk more about it tomorrow evening,” he promised. “For now, I should take Emma off your hands and let you get some rest.”

  “I'll see you tomorrow,” I said, reaching out to shake his hand. I wasn't sure why I did it, why I craved that contact with him, and his answering surprise made me blush. But his hand was warm against mine, and even that brief moment of human contact settled something inside of me. I managed a shaky smile.

  “See you in the morning,” Eric confirmed. Then, he turned and called to Emma, who bounded back over to him and led the way out to their car, chattering noisily about all the fun she'd had that day and proudly showing him the scribbled drawing that she'd done that afternoon.

  I shook my head, already thinking up ways to keep the girl entertained the following day. Slowly, I started to pick up the things that Emma had missed.

  This house was a lot larger than the apartment that I'd had in Chicago. And not nearly as expensive, I thought wryly. I honestly didn't know what to do with all the space. I didn't have nearly enough furniture or wall art to make the place seem lived in or comfortable. And now, without the presence of the two kids, it seemed so quiet. Empty.

  The daycare wasn't exactly what I was used to, either. The one that I'd worked at in Chicago had been busy, with two dozen noisy kids and several other employees. But Tamlin was such a small town that I was lucky even to have the two kids there.

  All the silence gave me too much time to think about Mom. To worry about Mom. From Eric's grim face, I had to assume that things weren't looking good for her. I didn't know what he expected of me following our meeting. He'd called my mother strong, but I knew that what he meant was strong-willed. Mom didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with her. I didn't know how to convince her otherwise. She had tried to convince me not to move out of Chicago, even.

  I wanted to be there in Tamlin, though. Just in case she needed me.

  I paused as I was wiping down the table and pulled out my phone. I couldn't put this conversation off for any longer. “Hey, Mom,” I said when she picked up.

  “Hey, girlie,” she said, sounding just as cheery as she ever had. “How'd the daycare go today? Did Dr. Jones stop by with Emma?”

  “He did,” I confirmed. “Mom, he said he wants to have an appointment with both of us tomorrow.”

  “Yes, I'm having him over for dinner,” Mom said as though this were just some social engagement rather than a visit with her doctor regarding test results from a very serious illness that she had. “You'll be here as well, won't you?”

  “Yeah, he asked me to come,” I agreed. There was so much more I wanted to say. From the way the doctor had spoken, it sounded like Mom was getting worse, not better.

  But I checked myself. That's what the appointment was for the next day. There was no point worrying Mom about my suspicions now, not when I didn't really know anything. For all I knew, Eric had just been frowning about something else.

  “Dr. Jones sure is handsome, isn't he?” Mom asked after a moment.

  I rolled my eyes but grinned. “Yeah, he is,” I admitted.

  “Single, too,” Mom continued.

  I groaned. I hadn't even lived in Tamlin for two weeks, and Mom was already trying to hook me up with a guy. She probably envisioned me settling down and getting married, filling my house with light and laughter and all those clichés.

  “All right, all right, I won't say anything else,” Mom said, laughing. “But he's such a nice man.”

  “He is nice,” I allowed. “Good with Emma, too. It's clear that she adores him.”

  “What aren't you telling me?” Mom asked, always perceptive of my tone.

  “Well, I have to wonder if Eric might be too lenient with her,” I said slowly. “Don't get me wrong, she has her sweet moments, but her behavior was pretty bad today. And given what she had done when I first met them today, I would have expected him to be more upset with her.”

  “What had she just done?” Mom asked.

  I grinned. “She didn't want to come to daycare, and she kicked him in the gonads,” I told her, startling a laugh out of her. “I don't think she meant to do it; she was just flopping around. But he didn't say a word to her.”

  “Emma's had a hard time since her mom died,” Mom said. “And if it wasn't intentional, well, sometimes, you just have to let those things slide, as a parent.”

  “I know,” I said, shaking my head and resolving to quit worrying about Eric's parenting skills. Lots of kids were upset on their first day of daycare. Tomorrow would probably be better.

  “I'm glad that he already has Emma, or I'd have to stop trying to matchmake the two of you,” Mom said slyly. “You know how much I want grandchildren, but I guess that's probably out of the question for him after today.”

  It was my turn to burst out laughing. “Mother!” I said, shocked that she would even hint at that. But she was laughing as well, and I felt a warm glow go through me. Mom might be sick, but at least we were still laughing. I'd just have to listen to what Dr. Jones had to say the next evening and follow whatever recommendations he gave us.

  Chapter Three

  Eric

  I watched from the doorway as Helen tried to teach her granddaughter how to make cookies. It was the perfect scene of domestic bliss, something Norman Rockwell might have dreamed up, except for how Emma was doing a better job making a mess than making cookies. I was pretty sure she had dough in her hair, for crying out loud!

  But they looked happy, and there were so few moments when Emma looked happy these days. Helen too: it was hard on Emma, losing her mother, but I could only begin to imagine how hard it must be for Helen to have lost her only daughter.

  “That's a little too big, sugar,” Helen said, breaking one of Emma's cookie balls into two and helping her reform them.

  “I wanted a monster cookie, though,” Emma pouted.

  Helen hid a smile. “What if I let you have two regular cookies when they're ready?” she asked.

  Emma beamed at her. “Okay!”

  I shook my head; that girl had us all wrapped around her finger.

  But as much as I wanted to be amused by their antics, I couldn't stop thinking about the other family that I was about to visit. About the news that I was about to deliver. What was worse, I knew Jeannie Sable too well already: she wasn't going to listen to my suggestions. I would be fighting an uphill battle, trying to get her to accept the treatments that I knew she needed. I was hoping that having Olivia there would help things and that Jeannie might see reason with her daughter listening in. Or if nothing else, I hoped that Olivia might be able to talk some reason into her mom.

  But I hated having to give the bad news to both of them, especially when Olivia was so new in town.

  “All right, you two, don't burn the house down while I'm gone,” I teased, coming into the kitchen to say goodbye to my two favorite people. “And Emma, keep an eye on this one,” I said sternly, putting an arm around Helen's shoulders. “Don't let Nana eat all the cookies before I get home.”

  Emma dissolved into giggles as I bent down to kiss her cheek. I kissed Helen's cheek as well.

  “See you in a little while,” Helen said warmly, her eyes twinkling. It was moments like these, I thought distractedly, that made me forget that there was anything potentially wrong with Nana.

  I sighed and headed over to Jeannie Sable's house, my heart heavy.

  When I knocked on the door, Olivia was the one to answer it. She and I had only exchanged perfunctory greetings at the daycare th
at day, as though we were both saving our energy for tonight. Now, she looked anxious and drawn. I looked closer at her face. Maybe a little shy, even.

  I wanted instantly to pull her into my arms and comfort her, but before I could do something to embarrass myself, she opened her mouth.

  “My mom is—”

  “Right here!” Jeannie finished cheerfully as she bustled around the corner, wiping her hands on a pineapple print apron. “Now, Dr. Jones, dinner is already on the table, so let's all go have a seat. We wouldn't want the roast to get cold before we tucked into it, after all.” She winked at me, and after a moment's hesitation and one last glance at Olivia, I trailed after the woman into the dining room.

  I knew this tactic. She knew that I had bad news, and she wanted to delay hearing it for as long as she could. Unfortunately, I still would have to give her the news that night.

  “Can I offer you a glass of wine?” she asked. “Or water? Soda? Juice?”

  “Whatever you're having,” I said, my thoughts still turned deeper than that evening's meal.

  “Wine it is,” Jeannie said, already pouring a glass.

  We sat down at the table. I sat across from Olivia and Jeannie sat on the end in between us. After a moment, we started to eat.

  “So how is Emma doing?” Jeannie asked after a pause.

  “She's great,” I said. “You know her. Just...always chattering away.”

  “That's good,” Jeannie said. There was another awkward silence until Olivia cleared her throat.

  “It is good having her at the daycare,” Olivia offered shyly, looking at me through her lashes. “Harlan has been so quiet. All he wants to do is play video games all day. But today he played with Emma for a while.”

  “She told me,” I said, grinning. “I didn't understand what she was going on about, but she seemed happy. Something about dots, though.”