“Good strategy.”
He watched as dappled sunlight played over Josh’s blond hair. And Emma’s. All his previous memories of her were nighttime ones. This was nice. “Sitting here reminds me of camping. Do you think Josh would like that?” Would you?
“I have no idea, but probably. You’re talking about a tent, right?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Well, he loves it when l make a tent for him in the house with a sheet and a card table.”
“I used to love that as a kid, too. Then I bought myself a tent and sleeping bag when I was around twelve. I don’t know what happened to it. Dad gave me the box of my stuff that he packed up when the ranch sold, but nothing was said about my camping gear. I’ll have to ask.”
“I camped as a Girl Scout. Haven’t done it since. I remember it being fun, though.”
“It is fun.” He gazed at her, on the verge of asking if they could go sometime and take Josh. He could always buy new camping equipment. Probably should, anyway. “Maybe we—”
“Da-da!” Josh dropped his cup, got onto his hands and knees and started toward Gage.
“Whoa, buddy.” He blocked the baby’s progress. “Stay on the blanket, okay?”
“Here’s his birdie. Catch.” Emma threw it to him.
He snagged it and held it out to Josh. “Look what I found, sport.”
“Ba-ba!” Pushing himself back to a sitting position, he reached for the soft little bird. Its plush fur was matted in places, as if he’d been sucking or chewing on it.
“Here you go. Here’s your birdie.” Gage handed it to him.
The baby’s voice dropped to a whisper as he took the bird in both hands. “Ba-ba.” Then he held it out to Gage. “Ba-ba!”
“I see it, buddy. That’s a really great birdie you have there.” He glanced at Emma. “What now?”
“Let’s lie down on either side of him. He loves mimicking people’s behavior. He might just lie down, too, since he has his birdie.” She stretched out on her side in the grass. “Ah, Josh, I’m sooo sleepy. Time to go sleepy-bye, Josh.”
“Me, too, sport.” Gage settled down and rested his head on his outstretched arm. “Sooo tired. Time to go to sleep.”
Josh studied him for several seconds. Then, his birdie clutched against his chest, he rolled to his side. “Ba-ba.”
“Sweet dreams, little guy.”
Slowly Josh’s eyelids drifted down.
Gage waited until he was sure the baby was asleep. Then, as stealthily as he could manage, he propped himself up on his elbow and looked over at Emma.
It took great self-control not to suck in a breath. She was so beautiful lying there in dappled sunlight, her gaze soft and a tender smile on her lips. But he clamped down on his natural response. Nothing he wanted to do right now was appropriate to the circumstances.
Instead he mouthed the words he’s asleep.
She gave a slight nod.
Be right back.
She nodded again.
He did his best to move quietly as he got to his feet, although the chainsaw story gave him hope they could pull off this nap now that they’d achieved the critical step. He gave Emma a smile before turning and walking toward the sidelines.
His dad and Kendra sat in folding chairs talking with Faith and Roxanne.
Kendra glanced at him. “Did you get him down?”
“Sure did. Emma says once he’s out, he can sleep through anything, so monitoring him shouldn’t be a big deal.”
“I’m not worried about it.” She got up. “Come on, Grandpapa Quinn. It’s our first babysitting gig.”
“Can’t wait, Granny Ken.”
Gage laughed. “Granny Ken? Where did that come from?”
“It’s my grandma name. When Faith and Cody made their big announcement, I decided to choose my own so I wouldn’t get saddled with one I didn’t like. Now I just need to make it stick.”
“And I intend to help her with that project,” his dad said.
“Alrighty, then. Do you want to take your chairs?”
His dad smiled at Kendra. “Hey, Granny Ken, do you think these old bones of ours can handle sitting on the grass?”
Kendra stooped a bit and added a quiver to her voice. “Lord-a-mercy, I don’t know, Grandpapa Quinn. My lumbago’s been acting up something fierce. How about you?”
His dad pitched his voice an octave higher. “I don’t rightly know what lumbago is, but if you’ve got it, I’m sure I’ve got it, too, my little muffin top.”
“Get out of here, you two.”
“We’ll endeavor to totter over there without falling down, son.” His dad winked at him before taking Kendra’s hand and ambling over toward the tree.
Once they’d relieved Emma, she came hurrying over. “What’s the score?”
“Tied,” Roxanne said.
“Gage and Emma!” Wes called out. “You’re up!”
Emma flashed him a big ol’ grin. “Let’s go win this thing.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Maybe he was impressing her a little, but she was impressing the hell out of him.
She was resourceful, resilient, loyal and gutsy. Nineteen months ago, he’d been fascinated by her beautiful eyes, silky hair, and lithe, responsive body. But he’d barely skimmed the surface. There was so much more to Emma Green.
Chapter Twelve
Football was in Emma’s blood and she hadn’t had this much hands-on fun with it since she’d left Wisconsin. The first half she’d concentrated on getting grooved in. But she was there, now, baby.
She threw herself into the action—snatching flags, catching lateral passes, whirling away from defenders. She suggested a play and managed to score another goal, breaking the tie. She was on fire.
But so were the Rowdy Reds. Ryker was a damn good player. He led his team to another goal, tying it up again. Not much time left.
In the huddle, Emma turned to Gage, who was quarterbacking. “Look for me. I’ll get open.”
“Gotcha.”
They lined up and she leaned over, hands on her knees as Gage called the play. Gage took the snap and turned. Defenders swarmed, but he whirled away from them, searching for her.
Ducking into a hole in the defense, she waved her arms.
He spun, looked, and threw her a perfect spiral. Great arm.
She leaped, caught the ball and ran like hell for the end zone. She looked back once and Ryker was charging after her with his teammates racing behind. Too late! Touchdown!
Lifting the ball in the air, she did a little victory dance until her team descended, whooping and smacking her hand with high fives.
Gage raced toward her, lifted her off her feet and twirled her around. “Awesome catch!” Then he gave her a quick hug and backed away, his grin lopsided. “Really awesome.”
“Thanks.”
When she returned to the line of scrimmage, adrenaline coursed through her body, both from the excitement of the play and the sensation of being twirled around by Gage. She’d missed being held in his strong arms.
The game didn’t last much longer and she never got her hands on the ball again because the Reds put their best defenders on her. But she managed to pull one flag, allowing the Whites another possession. The Reds didn’t score in the time left.
“You totally won the game for us.” Gage was in high spirits as they walked to meet Quinn and Kendra. Quinn carried a sleepy Josh and Kendra had slung the backpack over her shoulder.
Gage relieved her of it. “Did you guys see Emma catch the winning pass?”
“I did,” Kendra said. “Grandpapa Quinn was busy with Josh.”
“He woke up that quick?” Emma calculated how long he must have slept. Not enough. His head lay on Quinn’s shoulder and he clutched his birdie in one little fist.
“He did,” Quinn said, “but we had quiet time. He still got some rest, I think.”
Kendra smiled. “Grandpapa Quinn entertained Josh with stories about Gage’s antics when he was a little boy.”
“Telling him all my secrets, huh, Dad?”
Quinn chuckled. “He was a rapt audience.”
“Me, too,” Kendra said. “I learned so much about you, Gage.”
“Don’t believe a word of it. My dad has a vivid imagination.”
“And total recall,” Quinn said.
Emma gazed at this little miracle, a second set of grandparents she’d never expected Josh to have. “I can’t thank you enough for watching him while Gage and I played. That was special.”
“Special for us, too.” Quinn adjusted his hold on Josh. “I’ll be happy to carry him to the car.”
She didn’t doubt it. He was beaming, as if he’d be happy to carry that baby anywhere he needed to go. “Let’s do that. He looks very contented right where he is.”
As they all started toward the parking area, she and Kendra walked ahead of the guys, who’d launched into a recap of the game.
Kendra glanced over at her. “How soon can you make it to the ranch tonight?”
“Gage mentioned taking me shopping so I can pick up a few things, and I’d like to shower and change. I’d say a couple of hours, if that’s okay.”
“It’s fine. You should get there before dark in case you want to have a look around.”
“I’d love that. I haven’t spent any time on an actual ranch.”
“Do you ride?”
“Not at all, but I’d like to learn.”
“Well, you’ve come to the right place. We’re all about horses and riding. Cody and I led a trail ride this morning. Got back just in time for the game.” She scanned the parking area. “Where’s your vehicle?”
“I’m in the gray SUV next to Gage’s truck. On the far side of the lot.”
Kendra turned around and walked backwards as she called out to Quinn. “Hey, boys, get a move on, please. Emma needs to go shopping before the market closes.”
Emma looked at her in surprise. “Will it close soon?”
“At five on Saturdays.” She pivoted and continued toward Emma’s SUV. “You can make it, though.”
“Five, really?”
“Yep. And closed on Sunday. We’re a little retro in Eagles Nest.”
“I’m getting that. When I drove down Main last night all the shops were closed except that cute little drugstore.”
“Pills and Pop. The owner likes to stay open a little later at night and for a few hours on Sunday, mostly because of the soda fountain.”
“There’s a soda fountain in there? The old-fashioned kind with a counter and stools?”
“Yep. Plus a couple of booths and a jukebox.”
“No way.”
“I learned to dance at Pills and Pop. So did all five of my sons. High school kids still hang out there after school.”
“That is so cool. I wonder how many of those soda fountains are even left?”
“Not many.” Quinn came up behind them. “Better watch out, Emma. Kendra will have you moving to Eagles Nest before you can bat an eye.”
“It has a lot of charm, for sure. I can see why she loves it here. I can’t remember the last time I ate a hot fudge sundae while sitting on a stool at a soda fountain.”
Quinn winked at Gage. “I think that’s what they call an opening, son.”
“We should go tomorrow,” Gage said. “Josh would love it, too.”
And Quinn was doing some matchmaking. She smiled. “Yeah, he would.”
“Good. That’s settled,” Kendra said. “We need to get these folks on their way, Grandpapa Quinn.”
“Roger that.” He started toward the SUV.
“Wait, my keys are in the backpack and I need to unlock it.”
“Oh…right.” Quinn paused. “Man, I really have acclimated to this place. I’ve completely ditched that habit.”
“Here you go.” Gage handed Emma the backpack.
She took it, dug out the keys and pressed the button that unlocked the doors. “Are you saying people don’t lock their vehicles in Eagles Nest?” She walked over to her car and opened the back door so Quinn could tuck Josh into his seat.
“Or their doors, in many cases,” Kendra said. “Businesses do, and maybe some folks who live in town, but out where I am it’s common to leave doors unlocked. We just don’t have crime around here.”
“That’s appealing.”
“I’m telling you, she’s a walking chamber of commerce.” Quinn glanced over his shoulder. “I might need help with this operation. Things have changed since I last used one twenty-five years ago.”
Emma opened her mouth to explain the process.
Gage beat her to it. “I’ll show you, Dad.” He proceeded to give detailed instructions on how to strap Josh into the car seat.
Kendra sidled over to Emma. “Where did he learn that?”
“The man’s a quick study.”
“Takes after his dad. Quinn’s kids are a talented bunch. I’ve had fun getting to know them.”
“I’ll bet.” Emma was still processing her encounter with the Sawyer family.
Their warm acceptance of both her and Josh was sweet and uncomplicated. Making the effort to maintain that connection through the years was a no-brainer.
Looked like she’d be maintaining a connection with Gage, too, judging by how devoted he’d been to Josh so far. That connection was sweet in many ways, too. And more complicated than any she’d ever faced.
Chapter Thirteen
The Eagles Nest Market was about half the size of the grocery stores Gage had been used to before moving here. Because he was fascinated by the design and layout, he’d made a point to meet the owner.
Otto Schlitz was a throwback to the days before superstores and automated checkout lanes. By keeping his operation small, he could oversee every department. He was there every day, all day.
Gage held the door for Emma and Josh. “You’re gonna love this place.” Then he shut up because he didn’t want to oversell it.
She glanced around before turning back to him with a smile. “You’re right, I am.”
“Thought so. Let’s get a cart. Josh will get a kick out of that part.”
“He already adores shopping carts, so…oh, my goodness.” She stared at the bright red cart Gage wheeled in her direction. “He gets a steering wheel?”
“And even better, he faces forward so he can actually see what’s going on instead of being blocked by whoever’s pushing the cart.”
“Da-da!” Josh bounced in Emma’s arms when he got a glimpse of the cart. “Da-da-da-da!”
“Such a treat, Josh!” Emma set him into the molded seat and fastened his seat belt.
Gage laughed as the baby grabbed the steering wheel immediately and started turning it. “I’m so glad you needed to go shopping. I wouldn’t have missed this for anything.”
“If we lived here, he’d want to go every single day.” She grasped the cart’s handle and surveyed the store. “Then again, I would, too. It’s unique.”
If we lived here. She’d said it so casually, as if it might be on the table. Might be best not to twist his brain around that subject right now.
But he was glad she liked the market. “I figured you’d be intrigued. Otto’s part grocer, part interior decorator.”
“Otto?”
“The owner. In fact, here he comes. Hey, Otto!”
“Gage, you brought your baby to see me! Wunderbar!” The portly, silver-haired man hurried over, all smiles. “I heard you’re a papa, now. What a handsome boy, too. And dis must be—”
“Emma Green, Josh’s mother. Emma, this is Otto Schlitz.”
“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Schlitz.”
He grasped her hand in both of his. “Call me Otto, beautiful lady. Or call me handsome. Dat’s fine, too. Gage, what a lovely woman to be the mama of your baby. And just look at him, little Josh. He has Emma’s hair and your eyes, a perfect blend of you two.”
“Thank you.” Emma’s hand remained enclosed in both of his. “I love the design of your market, Otto.”
<
br /> “Me, too! I combined Old Country wid New World. Old-fashioned wooden shelves, but I painted dem bright colors, like a child’s playroom. And I wanted dem lower dan what you see in some stores. Who wants to go into a maze where you can’t see out? Look out from my aisles and you can see the whole store!”
“I like that, too, and the produce displayed in woven baskets, and your farm tables with buckets of apples and pears and plums. I love it all.”
“Of course you do, pretty lady. You have good taste. You chose dis man to be your baby’s daddy.”
“Oh!” Her cheeks turned pink. “I—”
“Don’t tell me you didn’t choose him because I know dat’s what ladies do. The men tink dey choose and you let us tink dat. But you, you’re looking for a perfect man. And see? You found him!”
Emma was flustered and Gage was no help. Not a single snappy comeback occurred to him. Otto had romance in his soul and contradicting his rosy view of the relationship would only upset him.
“I’ve kept you here talking long enough.” Otto squeezed Emma’s hand and released it. “You came in to shop. But let me give dis little boy something before you go. What would he like?”
Emma glanced at Gage in alarm. “He doesn’t need any—”
“How about a pretty apple? Josh, do you want one of dese apples? Here, I’ll choose two. You tell me which one, okay?” Picking up a rosy Pink Lady and a deeper red Gala, he held them out to Josh. “Which one?”
“Ga!” Josh reached for the Gala.
“Den dis one it is.” He handed over the apple. “Wid my compliments. Tell dem at checkout I gave the baby an apple so dey don’t charge you for it.”
“Thank you, Otto.” Gage extended his hand. “I appreciate your generosity to my family.” My family. He’d never said the words in this context before, but Otto was so convinced they were a family that confirming it seemed like the thing to do.
“Yes, thank you, Otto,” Emma said. “It’s been a pleasure meeting you.”
“My pleasure, entirely, sweet lady. Please come back again soon.”
“I’d like that.”
“And now we really do have to get our shopping done.” Gage rested his hand on Emma’s shoulder.
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