The Cowboy's Unexpected Baby Read online

  Garrett seemed to have things under control now, so Abby picked up her purse. She used a hand motion to call Elvis, who was by her side in an instant. “I guess I need to get going.”

  He looked up in alarm. “You’re leaving? But I haven’t learned how to make a bottle yet.”

  “I think I’ve got you covered there.” Jules unzipped the large diaper bag. “There are some benefits to having a pediatrician for a brother and one of them is free samples. I stopped by his office across the street and filled this bag with little bottles of ready-made formula. They should last a few days, at least.”

  “Oh, wow, Jules, thank you. I hadn’t even thought about the pediatrician. I guess I need to make an appointment for Charlotte.”

  “You have a lot to learn, but you’ll figure it out. We all do, eventually.” Jules glanced at the smartwatch on her wrist. “I’ve got to run, too—I’m due to meet with the restaurant staff—but if you need anything, let me know. Abby, I hope we can get to know each other better while you’re here, especially since we’re neighbors now.”

  “Thanks so much, Jules.”

  With a grin shot back over her shoulder and a quick wave, her new neighbor hustled out the door and down the sidewalk. And as the door swung shut, Abby heard the first whimper from baby Charlotte.

  “I think that’s my cue.”

  “Wait.” Panic laced Garrett’s voice. “Can you get her while I fix the bottle?”

  The bottle was easy to prepare thanks to Jules’s thoughtful delivery. A quick shake and he was ready to go. He was holding his hands out to take Charlotte to feed her when the phone rang.

  “Do you mind giving her the bottle? I’ll grab the phone.”

  Abby hesitated, but took the bottle from his hand and sat down in a chair she toed out from the table. A few seconds later, Charlotte was eating like a champ, her dark blue eyes focused on Abby’s face.

  After all that Abby had been through, all that she had seen, she would’ve sworn that her heart was a piece of granite in her chest. She had to be able to stay calm to help the children she counseled, no matter the circumstances.

  She’d closed herself off, willed the feelings to go away. And she’d been successful at it until she’d been hit by a bullet. All those walls she’d spent years shoring up had come crashing down, leaving her grieving and exposed. Hyperaware.

  Hypersensitive.

  Looking into baby Charlotte’s tiny, trusting eyes made her want to make promises. But that was one thing she just couldn’t do. She’d made a promise to a child once and she would never get over the guilt of not being able to keep it.

  Elvis laid his big head on her knee, his deep brown eyes looking into hers as if he knew what she was feeling. He probably did. She was the counselor, but Elvis? He was the magic maker. Even traumatized children relaxed when stroking his silky golden retriever fur. She smiled at him, despite the pain she still grappled with. “I’m okay, don’t worry.”

  Her dog grumbled, turned a few circles and settled, laying his head on her feet. Elvis worked as hard as she did. In fact, it was his willingness to push through his exhaustion and keep working that had convinced Abby she needed to take a break. They both needed a rest.

  So Abby had written a resignation letter—which her boss had refused to accept, instead sliding it into a desk drawer. She’d then promised she would accept it at the end of six months if Abby was still absolutely certain she wanted to quit. Abby had gone from one natural disaster to another for years, never knowing where she would be from one month to the next. So why did six months seem like such a long time to wait for closure?

  Looking back at the baby, Abby realized that Charlotte’s eyes had closed again, the bottle slipping out of her mouth. Setting it on the table beside her, she lifted Charlotte to her shoulder. This baby was so new that her legs didn’t even unfold when Abby picked her up. But as Abby patted her back, she let out a soft burp and melted into Abby’s shoulder.

  Abby sighed, too. It felt good to be able to solve Charlotte’s immediate problem with a bottle and a burp. So she took advantage of the sweet baby-holding feeling and let it sink in—the muted hum of the HVAC overhead, Elvis’s soft snores and the comforting weight of the baby on her chest.

  Her eyes popped open as the sound of the phone hanging up interrupted her almost nap. Garrett grinned as he caught sight of her in the chair with the baby. His long legs ate up the distance across the room.

  Leaning forward, he peeked over her shoulder at the sleeping baby. Elvis lifted his head, suspicious of this man getting so close to her, his eyes unerringly following Garrett’s movements.

  “Do you want to hold her?”

  Garrett’s smile vanished, replaced by a wary look that she instantly knew wasn’t a feeling that Garrett Cole was very comfortable with.

  “Come on, no turning back now.”

  She switched Charlotte to a cradling position and stood, placing the tiny bundle in Garrett’s arms. His expression gentled as he watched Charlotte sleep, and Abby’s heart gave a painful thump. She stepped back, away from him. “No.”

  “Pardon?” He looked up, his eyes crinkling as his smile returned.

  “Nothing.” She let out a shaky laugh and picked up her bag. “I’ve got to go.”

  These couple of hours with Garrett had been fun. He was smart and compassionate and... She was here to heal. To get a family preservation program off the ground.

  Not to try to date her best friend’s partner—no matter how adorably befuddled he was.

  Chapter Three

  Three days later, thanks to Abby’s expert tutelage, Garrett had the diaper changing down. He could change a diaper like a champ, he thought. It was the rest of his life that was going down the tubes.

  This week had been the longest of his life and it was only Thursday afternoon. Rather than go home to his tiny empty cabin, he’d gone to the home where he’d grown up, where his brothers still lived, hoping a visit would take his mind off of all the unknowns.

  He stuffed Charlotte’s legs back into the leg holes of her sleeper and zipped it. Sliding one hand under her head and the other under her bum, he lifted her up. “Time!”

  Devin’s head jerked up from where he was snapping the twins into their pajamas. “What? Not possible. You’re still an amateur.”

  Garrett’s sister-in-law Lacey looked up from the book she was reading. “I think he has an advantage since he only has one baby, honey.”

  With a laugh, Garrett plopped Charlotte into one of the bouncy seats Lacey and Devin had for the twins and turned on the vibrating gizmo. “The zippered outfits that Jules gave me were a game changer.”

  “Zippers?” Devin narrowed his eyes. “Mine are wearing pants!”

  Garrett raised his eyebrows and made a zipping sound as he reached for his mug.

  “Don’t encourage him, Garrett, because the next thing that happens is he’ll be headed into town to get new clothes for Phoebe and Eli so he can beat your time.” Lacey closed her book as Phoebe started to fuss, but she paused to drop a kiss on Devin’s head. “I’ll get the bottles.”

  “She does know me well.” Devin buckled Eli into the other seat, lifted Phoebe to his shoulder and stood, bouncing. “Well, you seem to be taking all this in stride.”

  Garrett nearly spit his cold coffee out. “Really? Because I feel like I’m slowly sinking in quicksand while the rest of my world is falling apart and struggling is only dragging me in deeper.”

  “That seems kind of dramatic.” Devin took the bottle Lacey handed him and settled on the sofa with Phoebe as Lacey picked Eli up to feed him. “Like what?”

  “Like, I need to talk to Charlotte’s mom and I can’t get her to respond to my texts or calls. Like, just about the time I open a file and really start working, it’s time for feeding or diapering or bouncing or she needs her pacifier.”

  His voice was climbing. “She only sleeps in thirty-minute snatches. I have her seventy-two-hour hearing tomorrow in family court—when the judge will decide if she needs to be in foster care—and the most efficient assistant in history is one more poop explosion away from quitting. And if she quits, Wynn will kill me and I can’t let that happen because I have a baby now.” He ran out of breath about the time he ran out of words and at the exact time that he realized his brother and Lacey were both staring at him, eyes wide.

  He sighed and stabbed his fingers into his hair as he muttered, “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry, Garrett. We’re your family. Who else are you going to tell?” Lacey, beside Devin on the sofa, elbowed her husband, who cleared his throat.

  “Yeah, babies are hard. What can we do to help?”

  Garrett let his head fall back against the leather seat of the recliner. “You guys have your hands full with your own kids. I’ve seen Lacey making cookies in the middle of the night to sell at the farm stand and I know how slim your margin is. I’ll figure it out.”

  “There’s always day care, right? Where does Wynn take A.J.?” Devin asked.

  “To Community Church, but they have to be six weeks old to go there. And who knows if I’ll have her then, or if they’ll even have a space for Charlotte when the time comes.”

  Lacey lifted a sleeping Eli to her shoulder and stood. “Give yourself some grace, Garrett. Even people who have time to plan are overwhelmed with the reality of what it’s like to have a baby.”

  He nodded, his gaze going to Charlotte asleep in the bouncy seat. She was so little, the size of one of his hands, and just so dependent on him for everything.

  Yeah. Overwhelming was a good word for it.

  His brother Devin sai
d, “I bet one of the church ladies would be willing to babysit.”

  “Normally, yes, but they’re all in Branson, Missouri for ten days. Some kind of quilting conference and then they’re hitting a bunch of shows. Their timing is terrible.” Garrett heard the words he’d just said and wanted to gobble them back. “That was a joke.”

  Eli’s pacifier popped out and Lacey bent her knees and snagged it before it could hit the floor. “Ooh, I know—what about the new social worker, the one who kept Charlotte a couple of days ago while you were in court? Has she started her job yet?”

  “You mean Abby?” A smile started at the corner of his mouth. She’d saved his skin that first day and he’d thought of her often since then. She didn’t even know him, but her quick humor and totally unfounded confidence in his ability had made Garrett feel more in control.

  “See? Right there. There’s the look I was telling you about.” Devin pointed at Garrett. “He makes that face every time she comes up in conversation.”

  Lacey studied Garrett’s expression with a squinty eye. “Hmm. I see what you mean. Very curious.”

  “You guys are hilarious.” Garrett started tossing stuff back into Charlotte’s diaper bag. “I’m leaving.”

  Lacey smiled, clearly amused, but her voice was kind. “Garrett, you’re always the first one to step in and help when we need it—when anyone needs it. It’s all right to ask for help yourself.”

  He much preferred being the one doing the helping, but maybe Lacey was right. In any case, he didn’t have much choice. He was desperate to find a sitter for tomorrow afternoon. “Okay, I’ll text her.”

  Abby’s shiny dark hair and pretty hazel eyes came to mind. She was the silver lining to this absurd situation if there was one. And if he had to ask for help, at least he’d get to see her again.

  * * *

  Abby stirred sugar into her coffee, the very act seeming like a luxury. She’d had instant coffee in the refugee camp, and she could almost always find a way to boil some water, but it wasn’t the same as freshly brewed. Not even close.

  A knock at the door startled her and she glanced at the clock on the oven. Ten thirty! She’d expected it to be seven o’clock. Maybe it was a good thing she was starting work on Monday.

  The knock came again. She glanced down at her yoga pants. Old, but the holes were all in discreet locations. Her feet were bare, toenails in the screaming pink neon polish that had been an impulse when Wynn had dragged her to the salon for a much-needed pedicure the day before.

  With a quick fluff of her bedhead, she wrapped her fuzzy gray sweater around herself and took a quick peek through the peephole in the door. Garrett stood on her doorstep, his collar turned up against the wind, the handle of the baby carrier gripped in one hand.

  She tugged the belt on her sweater a little tighter and pulled the door open just as he was turning away. “Hi.”

  Garrett turned around, his beaming smile fading just a bit as his eyes traveled from her disheveled hair to her bare toes. “I think maybe... I came at a bad time. I texted you.”

  “Not a bad time. This is just me, not working, and I turned my phone off because my former boss keeps asking me to come back to work.” Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, she shivered. “I thought winter was supposed to be mild in Alabama. It’s freezing out there. Come in, please.”

  He followed her into the living room and she saw him take note of the dishes in the sink, the pillow and blanket on the couch. Inwardly, she might have cringed a little, but what was the point? “Sorry for the mess. I’m making up for lost sleep. Like four years’ worth. So what can I do for you? Or is this a social call?”

  Garrett placed the baby carrier on the kitchen table and took a deep breath as he folded back the cover. “Not exactly.”

  She leaned forward to sneak a peek at Charlotte before she leaned back against the counter and crossed one ankle over the other. “Okay?”

  He rubbed one thumb across his lips. “Wow, this is more awkward than I thought it would be. I need help. I’ve asked all the church ladies and pretty much everyone else I know and I can’t find a babysitter for Charlotte. I know it’s not fair to ask, but is there any way you could help me out this afternoon?”

  “You talk so fast.” Abby crossed to the table and unbuckled the car seat straps. She lifted Charlotte into her arms, smiling down at her. “Hi, baby girl.”

  “Yeah, sorry. Hazard of the job. Judges never give you enough time to say what you need to say.” Garrett sat down in one of the chairs at the kitchen table. His cheeks were ruddy with cold, or maybe a little chagrin at having to ask for help.

  Abby swayed back and forth as Charlotte’s eyelids drooped closed. Garrett was clearly overloaded and Charlotte was just sweetness. “I can watch her. I don’t mind.”

  Garrett closed his eyes for a second and she wondered if he was praying. When he opened them, he said, “You’re sure? It’s just for the afternoon.”

  “Truthfully, I’ve been in a lot of situations where I wished there was something I could do. If this actually helps you, I’m glad to do it.”

  “The seventy-two-hour dependency hearing for her is at two o’clock.”

  “That’s fine. I don’t have anything else to do. And I’m well rested.” Abby’s lips twitched, but she kept patting Charlotte, not sure the baby was firmly asleep yet. “What happens at the hearing?”

  “A social worker from the Department of Human Resources will tell the judge what happened and make a recommendation to the court. I think they’ll recommend that she be officially placed with me.” He nudged his glasses farther up his nose and stabbed his fingers into his hair in a motion that she realized telegraphed his stress. “Then the judge will make a decision. He could leave Charlotte with me since we have the papers from her mom. Or he could decide that Charlotte would be better off with foster parents. I really have no idea. This situation isn’t one I’ve come across before.”

  “Do you want to keep her?”

  The question echoed the one she’d asked him the first day and again Garrett paused. His eyes lingered on Charlotte’s little face and his eyes softened before he nodded. “Yeah. I want to keep her. I may be the strangest choice for a guardian anyone’s ever made, but she’s safe with me.”

  “Good. I can see why her mom chose you.”

  Garrett blinked and then he grinned. When he smiled, it wasn’t just his lips. His smile broke through the winter gloom, brightening the whole room. “Thanks, Abby. I appreciate that. I’ve got to run. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  “Just text me when you’re done and I’ll bring her to your office. I need to get out of the house anyway.”

  “Perfect. I’ll leave the car seat base on the front porch.” He took a moment to brush his fingers across Charlotte’s forehead and then was gone, leaving her staring at the closed door.

  Okay, so he was really attractive. It had been a long time since she’d been around anyone other than fellow disaster relief workers and they had been as exhausted and careworn as she was.

  That didn’t mean a flirtation was a good idea. In fact, it was a very bad idea. His smile might warm a room, but everyone knew that getting too close to the sun would burn you.

  * * *

  Garrett leaned on the counter where Bess worked, talking into the phone she handed him while he texted on his cell phone. He heard the door open and turned to see Abby coming in the office door. He quickly ended the conversation, hung up the phone and crossed to her, lifting the heavy infant seat from her hand. “Everything go okay?”

  Abby grimaced. “I think maybe she’s hungry. She cried all the way here.”

  Little hiccups could still be heard coming from underneath the stretch cover over the car seat. Garrett pulled the cover back to peek inside. “Aw, Charlotte. What’s the matter?”

  As soon as she heard Garrett’s voice, a thin wail rose from the infant car seat.

  “She really isn’t happy, is she?” Garrett shifted the seat to his elbow and carried her to the conference table. “Are you ready for a bottle?”

  When Charlotte responded with increased volume, Garrett laughed and began the process of unbuckling her. “I think that’s a yes.”