The room seemed to gasp.
“You can’t do that,” Alicia cried out.
“No, please, she doesn’t deserve that!” Belinda hopped from the couch.
“Can’t we find another way?” Haley stopped rocking to speak up.
Steve scratched his head. “Well, we’re not even sure it’s Avery’s child.”
“Isn’t there a way we can find out?” Alicia demanded. “They use DNA tests all the time.”
“Well, yeah, but those things can run the county seven hundred to a thousand dollars.”
“I’ll pay for it.” Jim Davis squelched riot with his simple words. “That child was put in our trust. We have a duty to make sure she’s taken care of. Let’s get the test done. If the child is not Avery’s, we’ll talk about what to do at that point.”
“All right.” Steve nodded. “I’ll still need to let Social know, so they can check up on her.” His gaze went to everyone in the room. Each gave a nod of understanding, which he took as agreement. “I’ll go get some bags to take hair samples from Avery and the baby.”
“I’ll see you out,” Belinda said and followed him from the room.
Avery rose from his chair and walked over to where Haley sat. “How am I going to work and take care of a child?”
“You’ll need to find a nanny,” Alicia murmured.
“A nanny,” Avery echoed and then took a deep breath. “Where am I going to find one, way out here?” His gaze settled on Haley.
Feeling his eyes upon her, she slowly tilted her head to meet his stare.
It took a moment for it all to sink in. Only then did Haley’s eyes widen. Avery gave a small shrug, and then crouched at her feet. “It’s a thought,” he whispered, then placed a hand on the infant’s back. The gentle rise and fall of each breath she took calmed his nerves. Within two beats of his heart, his breath joined in the same sequence. She could be my daughter.
He swallowed past the lump in his throat and looked past the shimmering of tears in Haley’s eyes. “I need help, Haley. Do you think you could work with me?”
Haley’s mouth opened, but no sound came forth.
“Oh, how perfect.” Alicia clapped her hands together. “It wouldn’t be hard. Your mother and Belinda could handle things here. Besides, she likes you.”
Haley looked past Avery. “It’s only because her belly’s full.”
Jim Davis grinned. “No, I think Alicia’s right on this one. You have her quieted down. She trusts you.”
“Please, Haley?” Avery gave her a pleading glance.
Chapter Three
Two hours later, Avery’s truck was loaded with supplies, and Haley found herself wishing she could hold on to the infant’s hand as they made their way back to the foreman’s house on the Diamond D’s private road. They had located an old car seat for the baby. Thank heavens they didn’t have to go onto the main roads, because she doubted the seat would pass an inspection. But from the main house to Avery’s it was okay.
“I must be crazy,” she groused. “I don’t even remember saying yes.”
“You did,” Avery assured her. He took his eyes away from the road long enough to give her a smile. “I’m grateful, Haley, really I am.”
She shook her head and wondered if his words were true. In her wild and misspent youth, she’d been a witness to some of Avery’s shenanigans with Belinda’s brother, Seth. A smart retort simmered on her lips. Knowing it wouldn’t change the future; she let it go and chose to focus instead on the infant in the car seat fastened on the seat behind Avery.
“What are we going to call her?” he asked.
“We? There’s no ‘we’ in this equation. Your daughter. You name her.”
They rode farther down the drive. “You really think she’s my daughter? I mean, we won’t get the results back for a few weeks, Steve said.”
Haley tilted her head and narrowed her gaze. “Think about it, cowboy. Your Monday morning braggings in the barn about your Saturday night conquests finally caught up with you. You must have failed to use protection at least one night.”
Avery’s mouth thinned. “I suppose I deserve that.” His glance caught her eye. “But I thought you, of all people, would understand about making a mistake.”
Haley blanched. She turned away and stared at the road, feeling like she had taken a bite of a persimmon that fell short of being ripe. Yes, he was right; she knew about making mistakes. Joey had been a big one. His indiscretion had been rubbed in her face. Humiliated, she’d sold all her possessions and returned home with her tail between her legs. Her mother, bless her, hadn’t asked a single question. She’d welcomed her with open arms, as did the Davis family. She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Yes, I do understand.”
The truck cab grew silent. She sighed and felt the tension leave her body. “Let’s forget about both our shortcomings and concentrate on making Baby feel at home.”
“Agreed,” Avery whispered. “So why did you really decide to help me?”
Haley couldn’t hide the twist of her lips.
“What?” Avery asked. “Did I say something funny?”
She gave a shake of her head. “I agreed…” She took a deep breath. “Because they tricked me.” She cut her eyes over to Avery. It didn’t surprise her to see a smile on his face.
“They did, didn’t they.”
“I think my mother’s statement was the worst.” She gave a shake of her head.
“Which? The statement about if you don’t, he might place the child in a drawer and forget about her, or the not knowing which end to diaper?”
Haley snickered. “God, that was funny.”
“It was.” He grinned. “But there is some truth to it. I’m not sure I could diaper her.”
“You’ll learn.”
The truck pulled over the top of the small hill and slowed. From their vantage point, Haley caught sight of the foreman’s compound. The clapboard craftsman cottage, painted a soft yellow, sat apart from a red barn. On its north side stood a corral where two horses stood nose to tail, dozing in the warmth of the sunshine.
“How peaceful,” she whispered.
“Yes, it is.”
The truck eased down the incline, and Avery pulled into the yard, guiding the truck as close to the front steps as possible.
“Wait here.”
Haley released her seatbelt so she could reach back and unbuckle the baby from the car seat. Then she sat quietly as he scrambled from the cab, hurried around to the passenger side, and opened the door.
“Welcome.”
She scooted toward the edge. “Here.”
His eyes widened as she held the infant out for him to take.
“She won’t bite.”
He tugged at his right ear. “I was subjected to her lung power.”
Her smile broadened. “It will be only a moment.”
“If you’re sure.” He arched a brow and took a tentative step forward.
“Just watch her head,” Haley whispered as she slid the child into his arms. “Be sure to support it along with the rest of her.”
He stepped back, pulled the baby toward his chest, and let Haley alight from the cab. Wiping her hands down the front of her jeans, she moved beside Avery. “I’ll take her now.”
He didn’t move. She followed the line of his gaze to the five tiny fingers wrapped around the end of one of his. “Look, how tiny.”
Haley placed one arm around his back, then pressed her cheek against the soft cotton of his T-shirt. “She’s beautiful.”
He looked into her eyes. Haley drew in a breath. Caught in the deep blue of his eyes, she was surprised to see the shimmer of tears beneath the coal of his lashes. Something passed between them. Something so soft it left a whisper upon her cheek and caused her stomach to flip.
“She is, isn’t she? Beautiful, I mean.”
Haley’s mouth grew dry. All she could do was give a small nod.
His eyes moved back to behold the child. “I may have done someth
ing wrong all those nights ago, it seems…”
“Right?”
She heard him grin. “Yes, right.”
As they stood there, she cut a glance to the side and watched as his Adam’s apple bobbled as he fought to control the rawness of his emotions. A weak smile followed as he handed the infant back.
“You take her. I’ll grab a bag of her stuff.”
Haley waited for him to pass, then climbed the two steps to the porch and waited by the doorway. In the shade, she stared at the horizon. How? How could someone drive up to the doorstep and leave this sweet child without drawing anyone’s attention? Surely the lights coming in the window…”
“Haley?”
She blinked and looked up to his concerned face. “Sorry, I was…” What? You’re not going to tell him you were thinking about the girl he got pregnant and left so alone that she abandoned this sweet baby? She watched the laugh lines around his eyes deepen. “I don’t know how she did it.”
He took a deep breath and stared into the distance. “Desperation, I suppose. Maybe loneliness drove her to it. I guess—I guess it was my fault. But honest, Haley, I didn’t know. If she’d had half the support I do…” He shrugged and brought his gaze back to hers.
Suddenly, Haley couldn’t move. The only thing she could do was concentrate on the depths of those deep blue eyes. She felt lost, floating, as if her feet could no longer reach the ground. How long they stared at each other she didn’t know; only the shift of the child in her arms reminded her where she stood and the fact that Cactus Gulch’s ultimate bad boy stood right in front of her.
“We…ah…better go in,” she whispered with a nod toward the door. “Before she wakes.”
“Huh?” He blinked and then caught her words. “Oh, yeah.”
His hand reached for the doorknob. He paused again. “Haley?”
“Yes?”
“It’s a bachelor’s pad. I-I didn’t have time to clean up this morning after I found her.”
She looked down at the child and tried to hide the smile forming on her lips. “It’s okay, Avery. I’ve seen a man’s apartment before.”
“Oh, well, yeah, I forgot you were married.”
His words were like a bucket of cold water dumped over her head. “Yeah, married and divorced.” She shrugged. In other words, I’m an old, used woman no one would want. She glanced away but caught the pucker of his brow. “Let’s go in.”
He pushed the door open, and she squared her shoulders, then walked through, only to come to a halt in the entryway. Her mouth grew slack. A saddle had been slung over the back of the sofa. Socks and other articles of clothing were draped over chair backs, the coffee table, and in one case, over a lampshade on the end table. The odor of wet dog filled her nostrils. She couldn’t help but wrinkle her nose.
“I can get this picked up,” Avery mumbled, shoving past her and dropping the bags he held onto the cushions of the sofa. Reaching to the right, he pulled the T-shirt from the lampshade and made an effort to gather the other articles of clothing. “I wasn’t expecting company today,” he remarked as he inched toward the hallway.
“I’m sure you weren’t.”
Avery’s head turned toward her. “Sunday afternoon is my laundry day. You know, while I’m watching football.” He stopped at the open doorway across the room. His glance searched for somewhere to dump the clothing.
Haley ignored his actions. “I see,” she murmured. Balancing on her right foot, she used the heel of her boot to push the outside door closed and moved in from the entryway. “It’s nothing that can’t be fixed,” she said brightly. “So where would you like us to stay?”
“Stay?” His voice cracked. The need to free his hands overcame his nervousness. He tossed the bundle of clothes into the unseen room beyond him and tried to smile. “I think the bedroom over here would work.” He gestured toward the closed door. “It’s the biggest one. I don’t need much space. Just a bed to sleep on.”
Haley arched a brow, and Avery’s face turned pink. “Right.” She moved forward. He stepped to the door and pulled it open. Peering inside, she blinked.
“We can air out the room.”
She glanced at the white iron bed and the crazy quilt on top. “It’s beautiful.”
Behind her she heard his deep voice lifted in a sigh of relief. Narrowing her eyes, Haley glanced over her shoulder. “Considering the rest of the house, this is in fairly good shape.”
Avery shoved his hands deep into his pockets and gave her that lopsided grin. “I only use it when I have a guest sleep over.”
Her brow arched. Yeah, I can just picture your sleepover guests, all tall, blonde, skinny, and very single. She didn’t realize she had been frowning until he spoke up.
“Haley? Are you all right?”
She blinked. “Yes. You’d better get that port-a-crib set up.” She patted the baby’s bottom. “Little girl needs a proper place to nap.”
He reached up and scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, right, I’ll get right on that.”
****
Avery pulled the end of the box open and peered inside. “Looks like a spider ready to pounce.” He grimaced. A short tug and the collapsible playpen and bed combo slid from the box. “Good thing Big Jim and Alicia keep a few extra things for guests.” He picked up the box and flipped it over, looking for instructions. “All I should have to do is unfold.” His jaw tightened as he stared at the contraption. “Okay, it should be easy.”
After running his palms down the sides of his jeans, he reached for the plastic legs of the crib. One hand on the cloth edge, the other on the legs, he pulled. Instead of the contraption opening, it remained tantalizingly closed. “What the devil?” Brow furrowing, he changed his tactics. This time he grasped opposite edges and, bracing his legs, pulled until the muscles on his arms trembled. Frustration growing, he switched to another end and repeated the process until his face was lathered with perspiration. “Confound it,” he groused as it slipped from his hands and clattered onto the floor.
“Having trouble?” Haley called out from the other room.
Avery’s face clouded. “No, no trouble.” He stared at the bundle and muttered, “Just need one of those jaws things they use on crashed cars, to get this thing to unfold.”
“What’s that?”
He jumped, not expecting her to be so near.
“Jaws?” She laughed and walked past him, picking up the thorn in his side. She turned it over and grasped the folded bedding. “I finished putting away your dishes. Oh, here it is. You press this button.”
He watched as her thumb rested on the big red button placed in the center of the folded legs.
“Just press.”
His mouth opened as the bed unfolded.
“Now, just pull it apart.” She shoved the bed open. “See.”
He stared at her. “Yeah, easy.” Looking up he was met by her broad grin.
“Don’t worry, cowboy, you’ll catch on.”
“I think the jury is out on that one.” He crossed his arms over his chest and took a steadying breath. Haley pulled the kitchen towel from her shoulder and wiped her hands. How good she looked standing there. He needed to do more to thank her for taking her time to help him. “Thanks, Haley.” Even as he said the words, they sounded hollow.
“No problem, honest. Come on to the kitchen, I’ve got a cup of coffee waiting that might soothe your nerves.”
She turned on her heel, and Avery fell into step behind her. The soft scent of flowers drifted behind her. His gaze focused on the way her jeans cupped her legs and the delicate sway of her long honey-brown hair. Snap out of it, cowboy. He gave a shake of his head. “So where’s Princess?”
“Playing.”
He paused. “Playing?”
She turned the corner and moved into the narrow galley kitchen. “Yep. I put a folded quilt down on the floor, and she’s happily rolling around on the floor trying to grab her toes.”
He watched as she pulled the glass
pot from its heated surface and poured the dark liquid into a mug.
“Here you go.” She handed him the mug and turned to the task of filling her own.
Avery took the time to look around the kitchen for the first time. While he had struggled with the crib of doom, she’d washed the dishes, put them away, and managed to put away every stray can, plate, or other dish he’d left lying around. “Looks nice.”
“Nice? Oh!” Her eyes widened; then she gave a short nod. “Kitchen. Yes, it wasn’t that messy.”
His brow arched. “You do know I remember just what this was like a few minutes ago?”
She laughed.
A child’s squeal echoed from the living room. “Princess demands an audience,” Avery murmured as he leaned around the corner and glimpsed his daughter rolling from side to side, her fingers clasped on her bare feet. His face eased into a smile as he stepped around and took his place on the floor beside her. “Hello, Princess.” He held his finger down and watched her grasp it only to pull it toward her mouth. “Don’t eat Daddy’s finger.” He rolled onto his back and scooped his daughter onto his middle. Holding onto her hands, he made clapping motions while grinning widely as she squealed. Haley came into the room and took a seat on the sofa to watch.
“So why?”
“Why what?” Haley asked, sitting back to watch them.
“Why do all the cleaning right now?”
Haley took a deep breath. “You heard what Steve said today. Child Welfare will be coming out soon to make sure everything is in order and that both the place and the people are acceptable for housing a child.”
“What d’ya mean? Big Jim and Alicia have both vouched for me, and they approve of you helping.”
He studied Haley’s questioning look as she replied, “How long do you think it will be before somebody comes down from the state office? Big Jim’s word may get past the local yokels at the police department, but no judge is going to let a single father with a nanny go unnoticed.”
Avery couldn’t help but smile. “Don’t let Steve hear you call him a local yokel.”
Haley brushed back a strand of hair and took a sip of her coffee. “Whatever, but you get the message.”
Baby on His Doorstep Page 3
