“Loud and clear.” He gazed at his daughter. “Princess, Auntie Haley has no faith in me.”
Haley snorted. “Auntie Haley doesn’t want to see the princess placed in a dungeon.”
Avery looked away. “No, neither do I.”
“So have you given any more thought to who the mother might be?”
He took a deep breath. “No. I’ve gone over people and time in my head…”
“Coming up empty?”
“As a dry watering hole.” He turned on his side and laid his daughter back down. Picking up one of her toys, he held it above her and let her reach for it. “Not a care in the world,” he murmured. “How can you be so happy, little girl?”
He watched her blue eyes widen and felt his heart soften. “You deserve a name, but for now ‘Princess’ is perfect.”
A knock on the door, followed by a voice, halted all conversation. “Hello, Haley? Avery?”
He glanced away from his daughter. “Come on in, Mrs. Thorpe. Door’s open.”
Josephine peeked in. “I brought the groceries over.”
“I hope you got some diapers.” Haley leaned her head back on the sofa as her mother marched in.
“Of course.” Josephine piled the plastic bags on the other end of the sofa next to her daughter, who immediately rose and took them into the kitchen as her mother continued, “Where’s that sweet lamb?” She hurried to Avery and gazed down at the infant. “Don’t you look happy now?” She laughed.
Avery smiled. “As long as she’s not hungry, she’s almost civilized.”
“Oh, hush, you,” Josephine scolded playfully. “May I?”
Although he hated giving up his child, he knew Josephine had experience. “Sure. I’ll get the rest of the groceries in and take this tack out to the barn.”
“Come here, my angel,” Haley’s mom cooed as she scooped up the infant.
Haley came back into the living room. “You don’t mind, do you?” he asked her.
“Mind?”
“If I get the groceries for you and take the tack out?”
“No, that will be great. I’ll get Princess changed and her bottle ready. Thanks, Avery.”
“For what?” he asked, rising to his feet.
“For stepping up.” Haley grinned.
“You’re welcome,” he murmured and walked out the door feeling as if something had changed, but he couldn’t put a finger on exactly what.
Chapter Four
Outside, in the warmth of the afternoon sun, Avery took a deep breath, and the tightness in his chest subsided a little. Was it the baby, or was it Haley? Years ago he’d talked her up, but back then she’d only had eyes for Joey.
Joey. He gave a snort. Now, that’s one he’d thought would end up with a baby on his doorstep. Rich, entitled, god among the football players, he had the pick of all the girls, but it was Haley, innocent Haley, he’d managed to talk into ruin.
Avery glanced over his shoulder. “Yeah,” he mumbled. “Life never goes as you expect.”
He stepped down from the porch and strode across the yard to the barn. As he shoved back the door, the comforting smell of horses, leather, and warm hay greeted him. He shuffled to the wall where the rake stood, propped and ready for use. His hands wrapped around the handle, and with deliberate strokes, he began to smooth out the shavings. The more he worked, the more the tension eased from his muscles, and he lost any measure of time. How long he remained engaged in his activity was a mystery. It was only the slow plod of a horse’s hooves that interrupted his thoughts and caused him to look up.
“Well, howdy, pappy.”
Avery steadied himself and tried to ignore the laughter in the voice of the rider. Bringing his gaze up, he focused on the grin of Seth Davis.
“You here for a reason?” Avery asked.
He shifted his weight toward the rake and waited for his friend to answer. Seth swung his right leg over the horn of the saddle, but didn’t dismount. “I came by because I heard congratulations were in order.”
Avery stood in silence. The only outward change in appearance he made was to raise one questioning brow. Seth continued.
“I’m surprised to see you here. Isn’t it customary for a new pappy to be down at the Lucky Quarter handing out cigars or something?”
Avery glanced down at the barn floor. A sarcastic grin stretched his lips into a wry smile. He leaned back and, with a turn of his wrist, flipped a piece of dried horse droppings toward the rider. The animal flinched, then sidestepped out of harm’s way, causing Seth to hurriedly swing his leg back and gather the reins to regain his balance.
“Hey, now.”
Avery stared back. “You done?”
Seth leaned down and patted the neck of his mount to steady him. “I meant no harm.” He pushed his hat toward the back of his head. “To tell the truth, Avery, I never expected you to get yoked like this. You have any idea who?”
Avery frowned. “None.” He shook his head. “I can tell you the name of the first man who landed on the moon. Or the title of the last song I listened to on the radio. But danged if I know who I slept with a year ago.” The sentence drifted off into the emptiness of the air around them.
For a few minutes, neither man spoke. Instead, they listened to the chirp of birds and the occasional stomp of a horse’s impatient foot against the straw.
“Maybe,” Seth began, “that’s exactly what you should do.”
With a jerk, Avery turned to stare open-mouthed at his boss’s son.
Seth seemed to stare out across the barnyard. If he followed his line of sight, Avery could see the house.
“You know as well as I do you’ve had a thing for Haley.”
Avery’s throat tightened, and he struggled to swallow past the knot just below his Adam’s apple.
“Stuck here,” Seth continued, “maybe you two can figure it out.”
“Figure what out?” Avery groused.
“What went wrong between you two.”
Avery felt his face fill with heat. “You’re nuts. She had a thing for Joey, if you remember. She even married the dude.”
Seth snorted. “And stayed with him until he left her for another chick.”
He felt Seth’s stare burning a hole through his forehead. Yet he refused to engage Seth’s challenge.
“But tell me, have you ever wondered what came between them?”
An unusual tightness filled his chest. Avery refused to give in to the urge to rub the pain away as he listened to Seth talk.
“Maybe it was the same something that sends you to the Lucky Quarter every Saturday night to drink until you can’t feel anymore.”
Listening to Seth talk, Avery felt his heart beat a little bit faster. The cool of the morning evaporated, leaving his shirt plastered to his skin with a layer of nervous perspiration. “You…you’re crazy,” he hissed. But conviction was not in the tone of his voice.
Seth took a deep breath. He glanced down at his horse’s neck and picked up the reins. Smoothing the leather between his forefinger and middle digit, he pulled in the slack. Then, reaching up, he settled his hat back in place before he spoke. “Am I?”
Avery’s glance wavered between his house and the cowboy at the barn door.
“You only live this life once, Avery,” Seth pointed out. “You’ve got a second chance with Haley to do this right. Why not make the most of it?”
He couldn’t respond as Seth swung his mount around.
“Be seeing you, Avery. Don’t wait too long.”
Avery stared at the house as the sound of the hoof beats of Seth’s horse faded away.
****
He stayed in the barn piddling with tack, but mostly thinking. Thinking about everything Seth had said. Unscrewing the cap on the oil, Avery turned the can over, doused the rag in his other hand, and furiously rubbed it against the leather seat of the western saddle.
“I must be plum loco,” he muttered, then added, “Yeah, we had the makings of a fling in high school, but
she was just a young, starry-eyed kid.”
The voice inside his head gave a sarcastic guffaw. “She isn’t now.”
His brow furrowed, and the corners of his mouth turned down. He pressed his hand against the leather a little harder. Where was that angel that should be sitting on his shoulder? “Nowhere close,” he fumed, staring at the tooled leather. His hand stilled.
The sound of a door opening and closing, followed by women’s laughter, shook him from his doldrums. Curiosity forced him to move. Avery stuffed the oil-soaked rag into the faded coffee can and twisted the cap back on the oil can. Tucking his tools into a wooden box, he swung away from the saddle and eased over to the open barn door.
Being sure to stay hidden in the shadows, he watched Haley and her mother move toward the car. Mrs. Thorpe reached out and put a motherly hand on her daughter’s arm. The smile on Haley’s face dropped into a serious line. For a moment, her glance shifted from her mother’s face to the barn, and he was sure she knew exactly where he was standing. A lump formed in his throat and made it difficult for him to swallow. She lifted the edges of her mouth into a soft smile, and his knees nearly gave way.
However, before he could return her greeting, her gaze focused back on her mom. Mrs. Thorpe must have known what her daughter had been looking at. Her head turned, and she glanced over her shoulder to the exact spot where he stood. Avery took another step back.
“You might as well come over here too,” she called out.
With a soft sigh and a muttered curse, he slunk toward the house. “Afternoon, Miss Josephine.”
He paused at a safe distance, next to the tail lights of the car.
“Avery.”
Her tone was firm, accompanied by that no-nonsense motherly expression that sent a warning—her daughter was hands-off territory.
“I’m leaving,” she announced. “But I’ll be checking on you to make sure nothing out of the ordinary is going on.”
He watched her brows arch and her eyes narrow.
“You’ve got a young one here, and you can’t afford any trouble.”
He gazed at the ground and drew the toe of his boot across the dust. “No, ma’am. I’m well aware of the consequences.”
He heard her breathe deep and glanced up from under the brim of his hat. Her eyes were focused on his, and he understood how a deer in the headlights would feel.
“I’ll bet you are.”
Her tone softened just a touch. She shifted her gaze to her daughter and back to him. “Work together. I have no idea how long it will take Social Services to come do a check, but if you keep the house neat and your nose clean, you might make a believer out of them.”
Avery nodded.
“Humph.” She gave a nod. “Well, I’d best be going.”
Opening the car door, she tossed her pocketbook inside.
Avery shoved his hands deep in the pockets of his jeans. A turn of his head caught Haley’s look of sympathy. He lifted his shoulders in a shrug.
“Now, you call me if you need anything, Haley.”
He watched as Mrs. Thorpe stepped over and kissed her daughter’s cheek.
“Yes, ma’am, I will,” Haley whispered.
Then, to his amazement, Josephine turned to him.
“Don’t just stand there, son, come on over here.”
She held her arms wide, and Avery shuffled into her bear hug.
“Don’t you worry about a thing,” she whispered against his cheek. “Everything’s going to be just fine.”
“I wish I had your optimism.”
“Have faith. God watches out for fools and innocents,” she replied.
Avery stumbled back a step as she released him from her grip. He recovered in time to lift his hand in a wave as she climbed into the truck. The motor turned over, and with one last smile from Josephine, the truck ambled slowly toward the road that led back up to the big house.
An awkward silence followed. Haley stuck her hands into the back pockets of her jeans and squinted at the receding tail lights.
“Supper will be ready in about an hour.”
He tried to smile and ease her nervousness. “I just gotta put my stuff away in the barn.” He gave a jerk of his thumb toward the other building.
Her head bobbed in agreement. “Oh, yeah, sure, no problem.”
Again the silence seemed deafening. She shifted her feet against the top boards of the porch. He watched as she reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her left ear.
“Do you need me to be ready sooner?”
Her eyes widened. “No, no, an hour will be fine.”
“Okay, one hour.” He took a few steps away. “I’ll go feed up now.”
“Sure. The animals will like that.”
“Yeah.” He took his hat off and ran his fingers through his hair. Why can’t I think of something witty to say? “An hour then.”
****
Haley sat back and enjoyed the last sweet taste of her mother’s famous chocolate cake. Not one to indulge in sweets usually, she couldn’t help herself tonight. Besides, it was easier to concentrate on the savory decadent dessert than the cowboy seated across from her at the table. Eating with Avery Johnson had turned her insides to jelly.
“That was probably the best meal I’ve had in weeks,” Avery remarked.
Her smile came naturally. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
He lifted the edges of his lips. “Your mama makes a mighty mean chocolate cake.”
“That she does.”
Haley pushed her chair back and rose. “I want to get these dishes cleared away before the baby wakes.”
Avery placed his napkin on the plate. “I can help.”
He made the motion to come to his feet, but Haley stopped him.
“No, don’t. I can do this. Besides, I’m sure you have something to do.”
His expression became hopeful. “Are you sure? I mean if you are, I’ll use the time to take more of this tack back to the barn.”
“Yes, please. I can handle this.”
She looked down at the table and stacked his plate on top of hers. While she gathered the utensils, his chair scraped against the linoleum.
“I’ll be back to help you with Princess as soon as I’m done.”
“Sure, that would be great.”
She hated the hopeful sound that found its way into her voice. Despite what her mouth said, she knew she was fully capable of handling the baby. Taking a quick glance beneath her lashes, she could see Avery nervously wiping the palms of his hands across his trousers.
“I’ll just be going,” he murmured and gave a curt nod in her direction.
“Sure.”
“I-I won’t be long,” he added.
“I’ll be fine,” she assured him.
“Yes.” He looked at the doorway and, with one last salute, grabbed up several bridles and stalked out.
He left the door open. Haley walked over and placed a hand on the edge of the door to close it, but she paused and watched as he sauntered into the sunset, his shoulders square, his steps long and languid. The cut of the jean fabric stretched tight across his backside was totally hypnotic. She heard herself sigh. Then, with a gentle push of the door, it closed, and she leaned wearily against it.
Snap out of it, Haley.
She pushed away from the door and headed back toward the table. Stacking the dishes, she made fast work of what they had used and headed for the kitchen sink, arms laden. Fumbling with the dish soap, she squirted it into the water and watched the bubbles build.
“You’re only here for the baby,” she reminded herself, as she rolled up her sleeves, then plunged a plate beneath the white foam. “Pay attention to what you are here for, and leave your raging hormones out of it.”
Concentrating on the job at hand, she was soon done with the dishes and utensils. In ten minutes, they were stacked on the drying mat and she wiped her hands on the dish towel and slipped it over the handle of the stove. Then, right on cue, a small person began
to voice her objections to being left in the crib.
“I’m coming,” Haley called.
Across the hall, she pushed the bedroom door open, and the protests grew louder. “Easy there, Princess.”
Haley pulled back the blanket and watched the infant stretch and squirm.
“Did you have a good nap?”
As she turned the child over, a little arm shot above the baby’s head and her little knees moved toward her chest.
“Oh, high five, is it?”
She slipped her arm beneath the baby’s head and pulled her up into her arms. The baby’s bottom lip puckered out.
“Here now, don’t cry.”
She patted her bottom and paused. Her brow arched.
“I think I just found out what the problem is. Good thing Grandma Josephine brought over more diapers.”
Moving to the bed, Haley laid the baby down and pulled the metal snaps free at the crotch of her sleeper. “Now, you just lie still, and I will have you as fresh as a daisy in just a few minutes.”
Seconds later, freshly diapered, Princess Johnson was staring at Haley and gnawing on her curled fist.
“Hungry? Well, you know if you put it in, it’s got to come out again.”
The baby paused and stared at her as if assessing what she was saying. Haley leaned down and brushed her lips across the child’s forehead. “Come on, let’s get you a bottle.”
She moved into the hallway and made an abrupt stop. Her eyes widened. There stood Avery, his chest heaving as he stared down at his child.
“Avery?”
“I-I heard her fussing when I came in,” he explained.
“She was just waking up,” Haley replied.
She watched as his gaze went to the child in her arms.
“She’s okay?”
“Just a wet diaper,” she assured him. Her head cocked to one side. “Would you like to hold her so I can make her bottle?”
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.
“Really,” Haley whispered, “she won’t bite.”
Avery shifted a pensive glance toward her. “She’s so tiny, so delicate.”
Haley couldn’t help it. She chuckled. “She won’t break. All she wants is your love.”
For a moment, Haley wondered if Avery might turn and flee. Instead, he took a deep breath and stepped forward. Gently, she laid the child into his waiting arms.
Baby on His Doorstep Page 4
