The Baby In The Back Seat
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Sam edged closer and cautiously surveyed the process. As far as he was concerned, regardless of sex, a diaper change was a diaper change. How difficult could it be? “Yeah?”
“Little boys are like fountains,” she answered. She applied talcum powder, and Annie giggled. “If you don’t want an unexpected shower, you have to take precautions and move fast.”
Sam flushed. The last thing he’d ever expected to do was discuss a baby’s plumbing with a woman he found intriguing.
It wasn’t only Laura Evans’s appearance that interested him—although she certainly wasn’t lacking in the looks department. It was her cool command under fire, coupled with her smile and warmth when it came to Annie that made him take a closer look at her.
He’d met, photographed and romanced a number of desirable women in his time—as a single man, of course. He’d even been fool enough to marry one of them: Paige. He’d been so taken with Paige, he hadn’t stopped to consider she was a woman bent on adventure, not on being matrimonial material.
But nowhere had he met a multifaceted woman like Laura. He was willing to bet she ran her ranch with the same skill she’d demonstrated as a nurse. And from what he’d seen of the house, she was probably just as good at nesting as she was at her profession.
Things might have been different if he hadn’t had his fill of beautiful women.
Mental warning bells sounded as one warm thought followed another. After his sorry marital experience, why was he even mulling over what made Laura Evans tick? Or thinking of her in a romantic way? Hadn’t he already decided there was no way a man could begin to understand women, let alone try to live with one? That it was better to look and admire but not touch? Nesting women could be dangerous to a man like him. He drew a deep breath and gazed around the room. “Interesting place you have here.”
Laura pulled the baby’s romper over the fresh diaper and snapped the crotch. Instead of handing the baby over to its father, she buried her nose in the baby’s neck and made bubbling noises. Not only because she couldn’t resist hearing Annie laugh, but also because playing with the baby was the only way she could think of to keep her mind off Annie’s father.
Sam Harrison, bare feet, wet clothing and all, was the masculine type of man who rang her bell. The fact that he obviously loved his infant daughter and, although he knew zip about babies, was ready to raise her by himself made him more of a man than most in her eyes. That was the trouble. The last thing she needed in her life right now was a baby she couldn’t keep or a wandering man like Sam Harrison. A man who made her think of dreams best forgotten.
A baby had been her dream from the time a sympathetic foster mother had handed her her first doll. A hand-me-down doll with faded clothing and one eye missing, the doll had been her pride and joy. She’d built an imaginary family around Dolly Dimples and dreamed of a day when she would have her own children. A dream that had been shattered when, as a newly adopted thirteen-year-old, she’d been thrown from a horse and suffered internal injuries. Injuries that would prevent her from becoming a mother.
Laura closed her eyes, gave Annie one last hug and reluctantly handed the baby back to her father. “Diapering isn’t the only task you’ll have to master if you intend to care for Annie by yourself.”
Jolted from his musings, Sam forced his thoughts from what made his reluctant hostess tick to his present problem. For sure he’d better get his act together and learn all he could about taking care of Annie while he had the chance. “Right. Maybe you can show me a few other tricks before I leave.”
Her answering frown told him he was skating on thin ice. Maybe “tricks” hadn’t been the best description for baby care he could have used. The way Laura was looking at him told him he was on probation as a father. He hurried to change the topic.
“By the way, the car-rental agency told me it’s going take a few days before they can get me another car. Seems there’s some sort of local holiday going on.”
Laura nodded. “Miners’ Days celebration.”
“Right. From the sound of it, I’m afraid I might have to stick around here until they can bring an SUV from Denver.” Laura’s frown grew deeper, but this would give Sam the time to learn how to take care of Annie. “The rental agency offered to reimburse me for my room and board until they arrive,” he added hopefully. “How about it? Can we stay?”
Laura fought her pride and lost. She knew having Sam Harrison and little Annie around would be treading on dangerous territory for more than one reason. But bottom line, she needed the money.
“I’d planned on taking in campers to make the ranch pay, but not the adult kind,” she replied. And certainly not a man who appealed to her senses as strongly as Sam Harrison did. Not that she didn’t welcome Annie’s presence, she did. But not Annie’s father.
She didn’t want to wind up caring about Sam Harrison. She knew all too well there was no future in it for either of them.
She finally nodded. “I’ll let you know what it will cost to replace the water tower and to mend the fence. As for your staying here, pay whatever you think is fair.”
Sam juggled Annie in one arm and pulled out his wallet. It was a struggle, but he managed to get it and to hand Laura two one-hundred-dollar bills. “That ought to do it for now.” When she hesitated, he hurried to add, “Go ahead, take it. The car-rental agency will reimburse me.” When she hesitated, he added another hundred. “That’s for taking care of Annie.”
“The care of Annie is on the house,” she answered with a dark look. “And so are the lessons in child care.”
He put the bill back into his wallet.
“There’s a lot more to taking care of a baby than you might realize, Mr. Harrison. Maybe you ought to consider taking your daughter back to her mother.”
Sam froze. “No way is my daughter going to be an unwanted child! Her mother put her in my SUV without my knowledge. As far as I’m concerned, that means Annie is mine. I love her, and I’m not giving her back.”