“There’s my adorable niece,” came a very familiar masculine voice.
“Did I mention my sitter is Xander and that I asked him to meet me here?” Sarah asked with yet another devilish grin as she stood up. “How nice that both of you are in the same place at the same time and will have to communicate in person. You might even ask him to the dance Saturday night,” she whispered.
Ooh, Sarah was good—Lily had to hand it to her. Even if she wanted to bop her friend over the head with the rest of her cruller.
Sarah then leaned over the stroller to give Sophia a kiss on the forehead. “Be good for Uncle Xander and Auntie Lily,” she whispered.
Lily’s eyes widened. Auntie Lily. Uncle Xander.
Technically, Lily had always been Auntie Lily, before Sarah had even married into the Crawford family.
“Xander, thank you so much for babysitting!” Sarah said. “Lucky for me I ran into you at the Ambling A this morning just when I was fretting over needing care at the last minute. Turns out I could have asked Lily since she has the afternoon off.”
Yup, Sarah was good.
He smiled, giving Lily a nod but keeping his attention on Sarah. “My pleasure, really. Least I can do since you’ll be stuck in a dentist’s chair.” He turned to Lily. “Nice to see you,” he said awkwardly.
“You, too,” she said.
Sarah gave her a quick hug, gave Xander a quick rundown on what to expect—which was Sophia sleeping for the next hour—thanked him again and then dashed out.
“So you’re free right now?” Xander said. “Want to help me babysit? I’d do anything for my sister-in-law, but if Sophia wakes up, I have no idea what to do. Logan gave me a few lessons over the past few months in how to hold her, but I’m not even good at that.”
Lily laughed. “Consider me at your service.”
He blushed slightly, and maybe she shouldn’t have said that. Of course, she hadn’t meant anything flirty by it, but hell, she was the new her and maybe she had.
* * *
Xander tried not to stare at Lily, but he could barely drag his eyes off her. The past few days he’d thought of little else besides that incredible kiss in the rec center kitchen. And he needed to concentrate when he was working at the Ambling A. Yesterday he’d almost knocked himself out by stepping on a rake he hadn’t noticed lying across the barn floor. This morning, his brother Finn had apparently said “Earth to Xander” three times before he realized someone was asking him something out by a pasture fence.
So when he’d run into Sarah, who’d looked frantic about a dentist appointment and needing someone to watch Sophia, he’d volunteered. Babies slept a lot, right? He figured he’d park his keister in Daisy’s for the hour and a half, drink three or four caffeinated beverages, give the stroller a gentle rock if Sophia got fussy, and have a little time to himself to get his head clear.
He was having to do that a lot lately.
And here, right in front of him, was the woman keeping his head in the clouds.
A little wail came from the stroller, a tiny fist jutting out in complaint.
“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the stroller this afternoon,” Xander said with a smile. He unbuckled the harness and carefully scooped out Sophia, holding her the way Logan had taught him and rubbing her back. Hey, this was as easy as he thought it would be.
Until Sophia started screeching.
“Thought I was getting the knack of this,” Xander said, frowning. “Guess not.”
Sophia’s cheeks were red and she started waving her tiny fists.
“It’s me. Uncle Xan,” he said, rocking her side to side and bouncing her in his arms. “Peekaboo!”
“Waaah!” Sophia screamed.
“What am I doing wrong?” Xander asked.
“Sometimes a baby just gets fussy and needs a new face,” Lily said. “Want me to try?”
“Waah!”
“Please,” he said, handing Sophia over.
Lily took the baby, rubbing her back and cooing to her. Sophia seemed to like that. She was still flailing her arms but her cheeks were less red. “There, there,” she whispered, rubbing her back some more.
Sophia stopped crying.
“Lucky you were here. Or Eva would have kicked me and Sophia out,” he said, sending a rueful smile over to the donut shop manager behind the counter.
“How’d you get so good with babies?” Xander asked. “You’re the baby of your family.”
“I’ve always babysat. Since I was twelve. And before I started offering cooking classes to supplement my income, I worked part-time at a day care in the infant room.”
“I’ve done group-brother babysitting so that Logan and Sarah could get some time to themselves, and among the five of us, we did pretty well, thanks to Hunter, who knows what he’s doing. I thought I had this.”
Lily laughed. “I can just picture you Crawford brothers hovering around a tiny baby, trying to figure her out.”
“We’re pretty clueless, but hey, we do love our niece.”
“She’s one lucky little girl to have such doting uncles.” She gazed at Sophia, giving her another bounce and letting her stretch her legs. The baby seemed much happier. “Well, I’ve got the next couple hours free, so I’m happy to help. Why don’t we head to my house and change her and give her a bottle if she’s hungry, then take her for a walk?”
He liked the idea on two counts. He’d have a pro with him just in case and he’d get to spend time with Lily. “Sounds good. And thanks.”
Sophia did not want to go back in the stroller, so Lily held her while Xander wheeled the stroller out of Daisy’s Donuts.
“Hi, Xander!” trilled a feminine voice.
Lily glanced up to see a pretty woman with long dark hair and an amazing body smiling at Xander as she approached the shop. The brunette gave Lily a quick assessing glance, seemingly decided she was no competition and turned her megawatt smile back to the hot rancher.
Xander nodded politely and kept walking, the woman’s sexy smile turning into a sulky frown.
“Get that a lot, huh?” she asked as they headed up North Broomtail Road.
Who’d think it would be such a drag to have attractive women throwing themselves at you? But it was.
“Thanks to my dad, yes,” he said. “First there are the women who are looking to meet Mr. Right, and my dad created his own dating service with six men. Now five. Then there are the women who heard a rumor that my dad promised Viv Dalton a million bucks to get us all married, and they figure there’s big money in the family. So, double whammy.”
Lily smiled. “Don’t forget the women who simply like the idea of going on a date with an interesting cowboy newcomer. That was me, you know. When Viv asked if I wanted to be set up with Knox, I wasn’t thinking about marriage or a million dollars. I was just thinking it sounded like fun. A rancher from Texas? With five brothers? I’d bet we’d have a lot to talk about.”
“Touché,” he said. “But women like you are few and far between.”
“I don’t know about that, Xander. I think women and men—everyone—just want what their heart desires.”
“That’s a nice way of putting it,” he said.
“People are just people, Xander. Not everyone is for everyone—that’s the thing to know. Everything else is none of our business.”
“Meaning?”
“Let’s use your family as an example. Knox clearly wasn’t the guy for me. If he was, he’d have gone on the date. But he didn’t so we didn’t get the opportunity to see if there was something there. You stepped in, and we hit it off. Knox and his reasons for canceling are not my concern or my business. What matters is who I do connect with. Not who I don’t and the reasons why.”
“You learned this in Economics 101?” he asked.
Lily laughed. “I’ve been doing a lot of t
hinking lately about what draws people together and pulls them apart. Why some people work and some don’t. Half is chemistry and half is timing.”
“I’ll buy that. And if the timing is wrong?”
“Then that chemistry goes to waste. All that connection, interest, fun, desire, sharing, talking, laughing—buh-bye.”
He glanced at her. “That seems like a shame.”
“Yup, sure does.”
For a twenty-three-year-old newbie at life, she sure was smart about human interaction, he thought. Maybe too smart.
They arrived at Lily’s house, Sophia still content and surveying the world—or Rust Creek Falls—from Lily’s arms. As they headed in, Xander hoped he’d run into Andrew so he could find out how things were going with Heidi. The two had gone out a bunch of times already. And they were a good example of what Lily was talking about. Xander hadn’t been the guy for Heidi, but one suggestion of Andrew Hunt and voilà—they were practically engaged.
Chemistry and timing. If you had both, you had everything.
He and Lily had chemistry, but the timing? Not so good.
The Hunt house turned out be empty. Everyone was still at work, so Lily suggested they hang out in the living room and let Sophia crawl around the big soft rug. But first, Lily took her in the bathroom to change her, and strange as it was, he missed the two of them when they were gone, even for the two minutes it took Lily to return with a smiling Sophia in her arms.
They both lay down on opposite sides of the rug to create a pen of sorts for Sophia, making peekaboo faces to get her to crawl to them. Sophia shrieked with delight every time Xander revealed his face. He laughed, having too good a time playing house with Lily and Sophia.
Way too good a time.
As Sophia crawled all over Lily, the beautiful redhead making exaggerated faces at the baby and blowing raspberries on her belly, he was completely transfixed.
He could see himself coming home to Lily and their baby.
Whoa, he thought, bolting upright. Where had that come from?
“So how many kids do you want?” Lily asked. “Someday, I mean.”
“Honestly, I’ve never really thought about that. I like the idea of a big family like I had, older siblings, younger siblings. Always someone around.”
“I don’t know about the younger siblings, but I liked growing up in a big family, too. I always envisioned four kids at least.”
“Four little redheads,” he said with a grin. “And freckles across their noses.”
She touched a hand to her nose. “These were the bane of my existence when I was a teenager. I’ve gotten used to them.”
“I like freckles.” I like your freckles. I like everything about you.
The smile that lit up her face almost did him in. He watched her lift Sophia into her arms and hoist her high in the air. Focus on the baby, not the woman. You’re babysitting. That’s all that’s going on here.
His father had set some crazy roller coaster on high speed and so, Xander had met Lily Hunt in the first place. Otherwise, he wouldn’t know her. He’d be working the Ambling A, focusing on renovating the ranch, his new family home—his new life. Falling for a woman who could destroy him with a snap of her fingers? No, thank you. Not again. He might have feelings for Lily, but hell if he’d let them go deeper than he already had.
To reinforce that, he let himself think about something he’d forced from his mind six weeks ago.
Britney in bed with Chase. The woman he’d been about to propose to. And his lifelong best friend.
We’re so sorry. We didn’t mean for it to happen. We’re in love, Xander. This isn’t just some affair.
Yeah, that made it better.
He felt himself tightening up, the walls closing in. Good. Because he felt like himself again. Like the man he’d been the past six weeks. Keeping to himself. Working hard.
Ping.
The sound shook him out of his bad memories, and he leaned his head back, sucking in a breath.
Lily had received a text, and as Sophia crawled over to him, Lily grabbed her phone. “Sarah’s all done.” Lily texted something back. “She’ll be by to pick up Sophia in a few minutes.”
Good. He needed to get out of here. Breathe some open air.
Relief flooded him when Sarah arrived. Lily settled the baby back in her stroller, and there it was again, that tug of his heart as he watched her. He was barely aware of the small talk he made about what a good baby Sophia was, how Lily had saved the day with her mad baby skills. The door closed behind Sarah, and then it was just the two of them.
Leave. Head to the door. Go.
But he was rooted to the floor. He wanted out. He wanted to stay. He didn’t know what the hell he wanted.
“Thanks for helping out,” he said. Awkwardly, with his hands in his pockets. “I guess I’ll go now.”
“Any time,” she said.
And still he didn’t move.
They stared at each other for a moment, both just...standing there.
“You know, you never did get your cooking lesson, Xander. If you have time now, I could show you how to make a delicious bacon and cheese omelet, which is exactly what I’m craving this second.”
You should leave. This woman has mystical, magical powers over you.
Which was clearly why he couldn’t leave. And besides, he was hungry.
“That does sound really good.” He followed her into the kitchen, dying to pull her into his arms and kiss her again.
But she now had a carton of eggs in her hands, and had instructed him to crack five in a bowl. He was so focused on her face, her freckles, her lips that he hadn’t heard half of what she’d said in the past few minutes.
He took the carton and got busy cracking, getting only two little bits of shell in, which Lily scooped out with a spoon.
“Anyone home?” a male voice shouted from the front door.
Good thing, too. Because he’d been about to lean in again. Close. Despite everything he’d been feeling just ten minutes ago.
“Sounds like Andrew,” Lily said. “In the kitchen,” she called back.
“What else is new?” Andrew said as he came sauntering in with Heidi right behind him. He smiled. “Ah, this is new,” he said at the sight of Xander. “Or is it?” he asked with a grin.
“Xander and I are friends,” Lily said, cutting her flashing green eyes at her brother.
“Got it,” Andrew repeated with a little too much mirth in his voice. “You’re just friends.”
“Xander,” Heidi said with a warm smile, “did I ever thank you for fixing me up with Andrew? I’ve meant to.”
“I’m glad it worked out,” Xander said.
“It’s worked out and then some,” Andrew said, dipping Heidi and giving her a dramatic kiss.
Heidi laughed and swatted him. “I’ll tell ya,” she said to Xander and Lily, “over the past few months I must have gone on thirty dates. I thought maybe I was just too picky or that I’d never find my guy. And then out of nowhere, a date very strangely fixes me up with another date—and he’s the one. You just never know. Life is crazy.”
“I love that,” Lily said. “And I agree. You just never know. Being open, saying yes—that’s how you find what you really need.”
“Exactly,” Heidi said.
Again, he thought about what Lily had said about chemistry and timing. Heidi could have so easily told him no way, that she didn’t need a blah date setting her up with her next blah date. But she’d been open to possibilities, and now it looked like she and Andrew were headed somewhere serious.
Possibilities. Exactly what he didn’t want to explore. For damned good reasons.
“So I’m giving Xander a cooking lesson on the art of omelets,” Lily told her brother and Heidi. “Bacon and cheese. If you guys are hungry, stick around and you coul
d join us.”
“I love bacon,” Andrew said. “So I guess this is our first double date, Lily.”
“Just friends, remember?” Lily said.
Did “just friends” want to kiss her the way he’d imagined doing so a second ago? No.
“I’m going to try not to burn the bacon,” Xander said to change the subject. He grabbed the package from the counter and used a knife to slit open the side.
“Well, we’ll be in the living room,” Andrew said. “Sorry in advance about all the PDA you might be forced to witness.”
He got another swat from Heidi for that, and then Xander was once again alone with Lily in the kitchen.
“They’re very sweet,” Lily said. “I’m so happy for my brother. His life is really coming together. Now if you could just get Bobby and Ryan hooked up, they’ll be out of my hair, too.”
He laughed. “Sorry, but I told Viv I’m done with the fix-ups. So I won’t have any referrals to make.”
She stared at him. “Oh?”
He nodded, using the tongs to lay the bacon in the big square fry pan. I thought I could stop thinking about you by dating women I’d never really be interested in. But nothing makes me stop thinking about you.
Silencing that inner voice, he barked at himself, Get your mind back on the cooking lesson. Get control of your own head, man.
“So you were saying I can pan-fry bacon or bake it in the oven?” he asked. “I think my dad bakes it. Half the time it’s burned.”
“That might be a temperature issue. And keeping it in too long. With bacon, you have to keep a steady eye. I like frying because the smell fills the air faster and I like how the oil jumps in the pan. I know, I’m crazy.”
He smiled. “It’s fun getting your wrist singed by splatters of burning oil?”
She laughed. “I’ve been through it all, cooking wise. I can take a little heat.”
Can you? You’re twenty-three. So young. So innocent. So...idealistic.
Her idealism was one of the reasons he admired her so much.
God, he wanted to kiss her.
She started talking about cooking temperatures, but he missed everything she said. Her long red hair, despite being pulled back into a ponytail, made him want to run his hands through it. He wanted to kiss every freckle dotting her nose and cheeks.
Rust Creek Falls Cinderella (Montana Mavericks: Six Brides For Six Brothers Book 2) Page 9