The Cowboy's Unexpected Baby Read online

  “I was.” Abby hesitated. She wanted to go back to work. She found it fulfilling in a way that nothing else in her life ever had been. But being wounded in Syria had changed things, left her feeling helpless in a way she never wanted to feel again. She needed time.

  She took a deep breath, about to say just that, as the front door slammed open.

  A man struggled through the opening with an infant car seat over one arm. On the other, he’d strung a diaper bag and a half-dozen plastic bags from a discount store.

  He was dressed in a suit, but he’d missed a couple buttons on his shirt, which was only tucked in on one side. She narrowed her eyes, glancing over at Wynn. “Client?”

  Wynn’s eyebrows shot up. “Ah...no. My partner, Garrett. Who doesn’t have any kids and is usually fully dressed when he comes to work.”

  Abby watched as Garrett strong-armed his load onto a conference table. His dark hair was in haphazard disarray. Behind dark-rimmed glasses, his deep brown eyes were expressive and desperate.

  “Garrett, what in the world?” Wynn reached him in time to help him untangle himself from the line of plastic bags. A pink plastic baby bottle tumbled out of the bag and bounced off the concrete floor.

  Abby crossed to the table and picked up the bottle, holding it out to Wynn’s partner.

  He took it from her hand and then looked up, shoulders squaring as he realized he didn’t know her. His gaze shot to Wynn, who grinned.

  “Garrett, my best friend Abby, our new town social worker. Abby, this is Garrett. And I have no idea who this baby belongs to.”

  “That would be me. For now. Apparently.” Garrett shoved his fingers through longish dark hair, making it stand on end. “I’m her guardian.”

  “I’m sure there’s a story there and I definitely want to hear it,” Wynn said. “But right now, I have a date with Judge Morrison.”

  “You’re in court this morning? I was hoping you could watch Charlotte. I have court, too. I’d ask for a continuance, but it’s a permanency hearing.”

  Wynn shrugged into her suit jacket and picked up her briefcase. “I’m sorry, Garrett. I’m cutting it close as it is.”

  She wrapped her free arm around Abby and cinched her in for a sideways hug. “I’m so glad you’re here for a while. It’s been too long. I wish I didn’t have to go.”

  “Go do your job. We have time to catch up before I start work next week.”

  As Wynn blew out the door, an uncomfortable silence stretched. Abby shot Garrett an awkward smile.

  “I’m usually a little more together than this.” Garrett smiled sheepishly, rubbing the stubble on his chin. “I usually shave.”

  He was obviously in over his head and since she could understand that, Abby gave him an empathetic smile. “It sounds like you’ve had quite a morning. Most of the time Elvis and I work in places where there’s no running water, so there’s a decent chance I wouldn’t have noticed anyway.”

  He looked around the office. “Bess?”

  “At the dentist.”

  His head dropped. He muttered, “Family emergency justifies a continuance and this is most definitely a family emergency.”

  Was he talking to her?

  A second later, he dug his cell phone out of his pocket and snapped off a text. He didn’t look up again until he’d shoved the phone back into place in his pocket. His eyes widened when he saw her, like he’d forgotten she was there.

  He rubbed his forehead. “Sorry. This morning really threw me. I have no idea what I’m doing.”

  Abby told herself this wasn’t her problem. She told herself not to get involved. She even told herself to think about that long nap she’d promised herself this afternoon. “I could stay. I guess?”

  His eyes snapped to hers. “Are you sure?”

  The hope in his brown eyes made her glad she’d made the impulsive offer. “Sure. I like babies.”

  “Do you know how to change a diaper?” His grin was lightning fast as he turned to unbuckle the baby from the car seat. “Oh, no, I left the diapers in the car.”

  Abby let out a stunned laugh as he handed her the baby and sprinted out the door. She touched the baby’s dimpled chin with one tentative finger. “Hey, little girl.”

  The baby blinked up at her, a fleeting smile crossing the small face. Just like that, Abby was charmed.

  She glanced down at her golden retriever, who waited patiently beside her. His blond eyebrows seemed a little skeptical, even as his tail thumped on the floor. “Oh, come on, she’s cute, but we’re just helping out for a little while.” His expression didn’t change. “I mean it. We’re not getting sucked into anything, I promise.”

  Chapter Two

  A few minutes later, Garrett kicked open the front door of the office and dragged in the box with the porta-crib. Under his other arm was a box of diapers. “Got ’em.”

  “Wow. You bought a crib.”

  “Yeah, I didn’t have time to do research this morning. I just bought everything. Too much?”

  “I’ve been out of the country for a while. I think I’ve forgotten what it’s like to have choices and everything available right when you need it.” Her voice was soft, her eyes on the baby.

  Garrett snuck a glance at her. Short dark brown hair prone to wave, long black eyelashes, pretty hazel eyes that looked just a bit wary. He flipped through the information in his mind that Wynn had shared with him about Abby. Licensed clinical social worker. Disaster relief overseas. Old friends. Wait—she got shot. That’s right. She was working in a Syrian refugee camp and somehow got shot.

  He gave her a rueful smile. “I’m not usually so impulsive. Or maybe I am, I don’t know. Either way, I just remembered you got shot. I’m sorry. That must’ve been horrible.”

  Abby made an attempt at a smile. “Yeah, it was pretty bad. I know all the things to do for people who experience traumatic events, but education only goes so far when you’re the one with the trauma.”

  “I was pretty young when my parents were killed in a car accident, but I still remember what it was like to have that safety net pulled out from under me. If you ever want to talk, I’m a good listener.”

  She nodded but didn’t say anything, just looked away.

  Okay, then. Way to go, champ. Batting a thousand. “So what’s next? Maybe I should set up the porta-crib?”

  Abby wrinkled her nose. “Actually, I think now might be a good time for Diaper Changing 101.”

  Gingerly, he leaned forward and sniffed. “Oh, yeah. So what do I do first?”

  “I laid out the changing pad and the wipes on the conference table.” Abby walked over to the table and, with her hand supporting Charlotte’s neck, laid the baby gently onto the mat. “Make sure you hold her head up if you’re not cradling her against you.”

  “Support the neck. Got it.” Oh, surely he hadn’t been letting Charlotte’s head flop around all morning?

  Abby stepped to the side and said, “The first thing you do is take off enough clothes so you can change her.”

  “I think this is a see-one-do-one learning experience. I’ll just watch you this time.” Garrett mentally crossed his fingers.

  “Sure, but you have to take her home with you tonight whether you know how to change a diaper or not.”

  “You’re not nice.”

  A laugh sputtered out. “Tactfully put. But I get it, it’s cool. You’ll probably be fine on your own.”

  “Wait...that came out wrong. You’re obviously very nice.” He shot a grin at Abby and stepped up to the edge of the table. Beads of sweat formed across his forehead as he looked down at the baby, who stared at him with her fist in her mouth. Charlotte’s legs were no bigger than his thumb.

  “You just have to go for it. She won’t break, I promise you.”

  He could do this, no problem. He’d raised newborn goats and they’
d survived. How different could it be? He tucked his fingers under the elastic band at Charlotte’s waist, and after a few minutes of wrangling, he managed to get the baby partially undressed. “Now what?”

  “Slide the fresh diaper underneath but keep the dirty one under her until...” Abby’s voice trailed off as he pulled the soiled diaper out and got the clean one dirty.

  “Oh. Oh, no.”

  She didn’t say anything, just handed him another clean diaper. This time, he slid the clean one under and took the wipe she held out.

  “Take two. No worries, Charlotte. We got this.” He held her feet up, took a swipe and gagged.

  Beside him, Abby tried—and failed—to hide the fact that she was laughing at him.

  “Hey, feel free to get in here and—” He made another pass at the mess. “Oh, this is awful. She’s so wiggly. Stop laughing, Abby.”

  She held out another wipe. “Here, but be quick about it, or...”

  He sighed, and without a word held out his hand for another diaper.

  The giggle from Abby started him chuckling and before he knew it, he was laughing, but he got the diaper around the baby and fastened the tabs. When he looked up, he caught a glimpse of Abby’s smile and it stopped him in his tracks, made him want to dig deeper and find out what really made her tick.

  As if his life wasn’t complicated enough.

  So that was a big fat no. He was full up on lost causes. He’d tried to help Brooklyn—all that time spent as her law guardian and for what? He was caring for an abandoned baby—her baby—and she was nowhere to be found.

  He was on lost cause number umpteen thousand forty-two. He didn’t have time for any more. Even one with pretty hazel eyes and a sharp sense of humor.

  Brushing his fingers across the peach fuzz on Charlotte’s head, he picked her up. And the diaper he’d struggled to put on her slid halfway down her legs. “Umm...help?”

  “Easy fix.” Abby laid the baby back down on the mat and deftly released and refastened the tabs before slipping the leggings back on bird-thin baby legs. “You did great. You just have to make the diaper tighter than you think.”

  Garrett shook his head. “Not as easy as it looks. How’d you learn to do that?”

  “I put myself through college being a nanny.” She lifted Charlotte and handed her back to Garrett. “Good to go. You’ll be a pro in no time.”

  He cradled Charlotte in his arms and looked down at her little face. She was precious, with that dusting of strawberry-blond hair on her head and long blond eyelashes. And that whole ugly diaper business faded from his mind.

  His heart squeezed.

  Was he really going to be able to do this?

  * * *

  Abby picked up the diaper-changing paraphernalia and tucked it into the diaper bag, trying to ignore the warm feeling in her chest as she watched Garrett’s face soften. “So how does one end up being surprise guardian to an infant?”

  He glanced up. “She was left on my doorstep this morning.”

  “What?” Abby gaped at him. It sounded like something from the plot of a TV movie. “Do you know who left her there?”

  He swayed back and forth as Charlotte’s eyelids fluttered closed. “Her mom is a former client. I was her law guardian when she was in foster care.”

  “Maybe this is an obvious question, but how’d she know where you live? I’d guess that’s not something you share with your clients on a regular basis.”

  “No. My brothers and I own a ranch and we have some horses and goats and cows. Last spring, we invited a bunch of foster families out for a picnic. Brooklyn was one of those.” He shrugged. “It seemed like such a small thing at the time.”

  “It’s a nice thing. I wouldn’t second-guess it now.” She put her hand on his arm and his dark brown eyes darted up to meet hers. She swallowed hard. “So, um...she just left the baby on your porch?”

  “She also left signed papers giving me custody—technically a delegation of parental authority—but I have no idea if that will stand up to scrutiny. To make matters more complicated, I’m a mandatory reporter. I can’t just pretend that a baby didn’t appear on my front porch. I have to report this to family services.”

  His eyes were steady behind the lenses of his dark-rimmed glasses and Abby realized that momentary flash of attraction hadn’t gone away. Instead, she found herself drawn to find out more about him. His laugh lines told her he was a man who smiled often, his gentleness with the baby revealing a kind heart.

  Oh, girl, get a grip on that wild imagination. She had no space in her life right now for any kind of entanglement, romantic or otherwise, even if she did that kind of thing. Which she didn’t. She had to focus on rebuilding her life. Or building a new life?

  Whatever—she had to focus. “Do you know how to reach the mother?”

  “I tried calling her. Or at least the last number I had for her, but I didn’t get an answer.”

  “Tough situation.” Abby paused a moment, not sure if she should even ask the next question. “Do you...want to be her legal guardian?”

  He looked down into Charlotte’s guileless face, raised one shoulder and let it drop with another sigh. “I don’t know what I want. I want to make this better—for everyone.”

  Abby nodded slowly. “I’m familiar with that feeling. If I can help, let me know.”

  “Thanks.” With Charlotte firmly asleep, he laid her gently into her car seat and eased himself free. “Come on, I’ll give you the grand tour.”

  The office space was open, industrial almost, with three small offices and the receptionist’s desk on one side of the room. The walls of the offices were glass panels which, now that she considered it, was a thoughtful choice. Enough privacy for confidentiality but enough visibility for everyone’s safety. Something she could appreciate these days.

  “Before Wynn joined the practice, the whole space was open. It was just a few chairs and a desk.”

  By the front door, there was a cozy seating area. Behind that a conference table and, in the very back of the room, a small kitchenette. The overall effect was warmth from the exposed brick and reclaimed wood, but with enough polish that it would give clients a sense they were in good hands. “It’s really a remarkable space. I can see that you both had a hand in designing it.”

  “Thanks. I like it.”

  A quick look at the baby reassured Abby that Charlotte was still sleeping, so she followed him across the room for a closer look at the individual offices. Elvis lifted his head to track her movement.

  “This one is Wynn’s, if you couldn’t tell from the desk. Her husband Latham made it.”

  Like Wynn herself, the small office managed to convey chic and approachable at the same time. The desk was a smooth concrete surface over reclaimed wood supports. It was bare except for a closed laptop and a small bird’s nest with four hand-carved eggs. “I love it. It looks just like her.”

  Garrett’s office was next to Wynn’s. In contrast to Wynn’s pristine office, his space was...lived in.

  “I like a creative organization system, as you can see.” Garrett grinned.

  A long wood counter stretched the length of the wall behind his desk. His filing system seemed to be a series of labeled boxes stacked three deep. She snorted a laugh as she noted the huge black cat stretching in the corner, underneath a signed poster of Michael Jordan dunking a basketball.

  “Barney Fife came with the place. No idea how old he is, but I’m guessing at least fifteen.”

  She smiled. “I didn’t know you had an office cat.”

  “Will your dog be okay having a cat around?”

  “Elvis likes cats. Worst-case scenario, he just ignores Barney. Best case, they’ll be BFFs.”

  The cat turned one sleepy yellow eye toward her before going back to his nap.

  From the door, Garrett said, “He’s very d
emanding.”

  She laughed again. “I can see that.”

  “So this one is yours. The desk came out of the historic school. I rescued it before they tore the place down. It’s probably at least a hundred years old.”

  “I like it. It has personality.” The two leather chairs were generic but in good shape. She made a mental note to buy a plant and some art for the walls. Maybe a throw rug. Here she had time to make the place—the job—her own. It was a shift in thinking, but a much-needed one. “Oh, there’s a dog bed.”

  “Wynn wanted to make sure that Elvis would feel comfortable here, too. She’s really excited about this project. I am too, to be honest. If we can identify ways to help people before they need a lawyer, maybe we can really make a difference in people’s lives.”

  “I agree. I can’t wait to get started.” Their tour ended back at the conference table. She started picking up the stuff Garrett had bought for the baby earlier this morning. She found two packages of bottles, a can of formula, three different kinds of pacifiers, some baby socks and, even though he wouldn’t need it for some time, a baby-proofing kit.

  Abby was still staring at the assortment of stuff when a woman carrying a diaper bag and a large translucent plastic tub came in through the front door. Garrett sprang into action and met her at the door, taking the big storage tub out of her hands.

  “Thanks, Garrett.” The woman’s blond hair was piled on top of her head and, despite circles under her eyes, she sent Abby a bright smile. “You must be Abby. I’m Wynn’s sister, Jules. It’s great to finally meet you.”

  “Nice to meet my landlord in person.” Abby smiled. “I dropped my stuff off at the cottage this morning and came straight into town to meet Wynn. I didn’t even have a chance to look around.”

  “And I got an SOS call from Wynn about Garrett’s surprise baby, so I packed up a few things just to get him through.” As she spoke, Jules walked to the table and looked into the baby carrier. “Oh, she’s precious, Garrett.”