COWBOY AND THE BABY, THE

by Ferrarella, Marie

  That made her feel worse. “You’re just being nice.”

  “I’m only being practical,” Cody insisted. He needed to make her understand. “Having you and Layla here brightens up the place.” And then he smiled at her. “I can’t even explain exactly why, but there’s a lot less bickering going on in this house with you here.” He looked at the bouquet in her hands. It had all started with the bouquet. “If the flowers upset you, I’ll get rid of them,” he offered, about to take them out of her hand.

  “No!” Reflexes had her pulling the bouquet out of his reach. “The flowers are beautiful.” Devon could count the number of times she’d received flowers from someone on one finger of one hand. This was a first for her. “It just reminds me that I should get busy finding a niche for myself and Layla.”

  No matter what he said, she couldn’t expect Cody and his family to put her up forever.

  “And by ‘niche’ you mean a job,” Cody guessed, reading between the lines.

  “Exactly.”

  He could understand how she felt. The inevitable became a little more so to him as he asked, “What did you do before you came here?”

  “You mean what did I do for a living back in New Mexico?” she asked.

  “Yes. What sort of job did you have?” Maybe if he knew what she’d done for a living he could help her find something in Forever.

  “I was a substitute teacher.” She’d wanted to teach full-time, but Jack had been selfish with her time, wanting her to be around whenever he felt he needed her. A part-time position allowed her to be available.

  Cody noticed a rather wistful expression slip over her face when she said the word teacher.

  “What?” he coaxed. “You were thinking of something. What was it?”

  She debated just waving his question away. Jack had ridiculed her for giving voice to her dreams. But Cody looked genuinely interested, so she took a chance and told him. “I was going to enroll in an online college, get some credits toward my degree. I want to eventually teach at a junior college.” And then she shrugged away the notion. “Or I did before something more important lay claim to my time,” she added, glancing toward the baby, who was in the bassinet, having a wonderful time entertaining herself by playing with her toes.

  Cody nodded. “Sounds like a noble idea,” he told Devon. His reaction totally surprised her. “You can still do that here. Connor has a computer he doesn’t use unless he absolutely has to. It’s set up in the den. I’m sure he’ll let you use it. And, on the plus side, you have a lot of babysitters to watch Layla for you while you take your classes.”

  Excitement warred with common sense. “I can’t ask you or your brothers and sister to do that,” she told him.

  “You’re not,” Cody pointed out to her. “We’re volunteering.”

  She really wanted to take him up on that, but it wouldn’t be right. “You mean you’re volunteering for them.”

  “Only because they don’t know about this plan of yours,” he replied simply. “Once they know, they’ll be only too happy to get on board.”

  He was painting a very rosy picture, but she couldn’t allow herself to get swept away. She’d survived only by having both feet planted in the real world. “I still need to get a place of my own.”

  “Nobody’s arguing with that. It just doesn’t have to be today—or tomorrow,” he pointed out.

  She felt herself waffling. “But I’ve already imposed more than enough.”

  “Nobody’s complaining,” he told her, “and no, you haven’t. Look, I know that you’ve pretty much been on your own a lot and maybe the concept is hard for you to grasp, but this is what family and friends do—they’re there for each other, they make life easier for each other.” Trying his best to get through to her, he underscored, “Let us help.”

  Didn’t he understand? “You already have.”

  The corners of his mouth curved in an appealing smile. “Let us help more.”

  Devon sighed. It would be so easy just to let him take care of things for her. But she knew better than that. She couldn’t allow herself to depend on anyone too much—that was how she’d wind up getting hurt.

  “There is no arguing with you, is there?” she asked Cody.

  “Oh, there’s arguing,” he contradicted. “But if you mean winning, then no, there’s not. You can argue all you want, but in the end the house wins. In this case,” he told her with a smile, “the ‘house’ means me—and the others.”

  She shook her head, knowing it was futile to keep trying to persuade him, at least for now. But she was still also afraid to allow herself to believe things could be this simple, this easy. For now, she turned her attention to dinner. “How do you feel about chicken parmesan?”

  “Passionate,” Cody answered, tongue in cheek.

  Her eyes smiled as she said, “Then lucky for you, that’s what I’m making.”

  In his opinion, that wasn’t why he was lucky.

  * * *

  “BUT WHERE ARE we going?” Devon asked as Cody ushered her toward his truck.

  It was Saturday and while he wasn’t working today, he still seemed determined to go on an unannounced outing with her.

  “I thought you might want a break from everything,” Cody said matter-of-factly. “You’ve been cooped up in the house much too long so I’m taking you into town. Think of this as a field trip,” he advised.

  She’d come outside with Cody because she’d thought he wanted to show her something, She wasn’t prepared to just take off like this.

  “But what about the baby?”

  “Cassidy and Cole have watched you enough to know what to do with Layla for a few hours.” Opening the passenger door, he helped her up into the seat as he spoke. “She’ll be fine.”

  Devon twisted around in her seat as Cody slipped the metal tongue into the seat belt slot. “I’m not worried about her. I’m worried about them.”

  “Don’t be.” Quickly, he rounded the hood and got in on the driver’s side. “Don’t even think about the house or the things you need to do.” He buckled up quickly. “Just think recreation.”

  She looked at him suspiciously. Something was off. “What are you up to?” she asked.

  He thought of a number of excuses to give her, things to mislead her for the time being. But he’d never been one for lies, even little white ones. So he told her the truth—or at least the partial truth—as he drove into town. “I thought I’d take you to see Miss Joan, seeing as how you two didn’t get to visit much when she came to the clinic after the docs fixed you up.”

  Devon took in a deep breath, trying to steady the onslaught of nerves that had suddenly materialized out of nowhere. Miss Joan had already done a great deal for her. How could she ever thank the woman for everything she’d done for a stranger?

  * * *

  “SHE’S HELPED ME so much. What do I say to her?” she asked Cody when they arrived at the diner half an hour later.

  “‘Hi’ comes to mind. Don’t worry, she’ll take it from there,” he assured her. After getting out, he opened the door for Devon and helped her out.

  Devon took a tighter hold of Cody’s arm than he’d expected. It was probably the closest thing to a tourniquet he’d ever experienced, he thought.

  “If you say so,” Devon murmured, her eyes all but fixed on the entrance to the diner.

  Cody leaned his head in so she was able to hear him. “You’ve met her. You know she doesn’t bite.”

  Devon tossed her head, her hair brushing along her shoulders. “I know that,” she murmured, still holding on to his arm as hard as she could.

  The moment she walked into the diner, Devon realized that he wasn’t bringing her there to say hello to Miss Joan or even to undergo the woman’s scrutiny. He’d brought her there because Miss Joan had instructed him
to. One look at the crammed diner and it became apparent that the woman had finally gotten the word out to the people she wanted to reach. They had all turned out and came bearing gifts. This wasn’t a command performance, Devon realized belatedly. As improbable as it seemed, this was a baby shower.

  As soon as he’d opened the door for Devon, she saw the balloons and the various other decorations. A look of delight passed over her face even as the next moment she seemed to freeze in place.

  “You didn’t,” she breathed.

  Taking hold of her arm, he steered her across the threshold and into the diner. “Nope, I didn’t. Miss Joan did,” he said, setting her straight.

  Why would the woman do this? Devon couldn’t help wondering. Why would Miss Joan put herself out for someone she didn’t even know?

  That question, along with half a dozen others, throbbed in Devon’s head as she allowed herself to be led into the heart of the diner.

  “Cody?” she said uncertainly.

  “Just keep walking,” he coaxed. “One foot in front of the other. It gets easier.”

  She felt as if her head was spinning. There were boisterous voices all swimming into one continuous noise. “What is all this?” Devon cried, not knowing where to look first.

  “It’s your baby shower,” Olivia Santiago said as she came around to Devon’s other side, ushering her in and acting as her unofficial guide.

  “But—but I’m a stranger,” Devon protested, not knowing what to make of these people who were so different from anyone she was accustomed to. Baby showers were thrown by friends, by family, none of which these people were to her.

  It still felt enchanted, she couldn’t help thinking.

  “A stranger’s just a friend you haven’t met yet,” Ramona, the sheriff’s sister, told her, joining the growing circle around the new mother.

  Devon was still having trouble wrapping her head around what was going on.

  She looked toward the woman standing at the counter. Miss Joan. Their eyes met and then Miss Joan came forward, smiling a greeting at her.

  “Welcome to your baby shower,” Miss Joan told her, a regal smile of welcome on her lips.

  Unable to contain herself, Devon just started talking. “But you already sent me all those baby clothes and things.” Her point was that there was no need for a shower, but something kept her from saying the words.

  “Those were hand-me-downs,” Miss Joan informed her, beckoning her over to a table that was piled high with gifts. “Every baby deserves to have some brand-new things of her own,” she maintained. “Sit,” she instructed, pointing to the chair before she waved over one of her waitresses to bring Devon something to drink.

  “And don’t worry about a thing,” Miss Joan told her, continuing. “This is about that sweet little baby—and her mama,” she added pointedly, looking at Devon. She had picked out a few items that every new mother needed in order to preserve her own identity, but there was time enough for Devon to unwrap those things later, Miss Joan thought. Right now, the young woman needed to just sit back, relax and enjoy herself.

  Miss Joan’s eyes narrowed into thin hazel beams as she focused on Cody. “You can make yourself scarce now, Deputy. Someone will come to get you when it’s time to load all the gifts onto the truck and take them back to the ranch for the new mama.”

  Devon turned to look at him, a sliver of panic slicing through her. “You’re not staying?”

  Cody glanced at Miss Joan. The latter’s expression remained firm. “Apparently not.”

  “Sorry, dear. I’m old-fashioned,” Miss Joan informed her, even as she shooed Cody out. “Baby showers are strictly for the softer sex.”

  On his way out, Cody laughed. Softer sex. As if that described Miss Joan in any manner. But he knew better than to say that out loud, even as she gave him a piercing look.

  “Something funny, Deputy?” Miss Joan asked.

  “Not a thing, Miss Joan,” he told her.

  Cassidy was part of the gathering, having managed to get here just a hair’s breadth ahead of them. He waved her over to sit beside Devon. When she took her seat, he looked at Devon.

  “See you later,” he promised just before he left.

  Devon watched him exit the diner and desperately wanted to go with him.

  Chapter Fourteen

  In an effort to kill time until the baby shower was over and he could take Devon and her gifts back to the ranch, Cody decided to swing by the general store. He figured it was his turn to stock up on basic groceries and supplies anyway.

  Since that hardly took any time at all, once he had deposited the groceries into his truck, Cody stopped by the sheriff’s office next, but it was even slower there than it normally was during the week. After talking to Gabe, the lone deputy who was on duty this weekend—and being unable to return to the diner, which was technically closed because of the shower—Cody went to the only other place left in Forever where he felt he could kill a little time. Murphy’s Saloon.

  There was a tacit agreement of long standing between Miss Joan and the three Murphy brothers who owned and ran the saloon that the diner wouldn’t serve any alcohol and Murphy’s wouldn’t serve any food beyond the accepted staples of all bars: pretzels and peanuts.

  But that was all right with Cody. He wasn’t hungry. He was just at a loose end.

  The oldest Murphy brother, Brett, was tending bar and he looked up in surprise when he saw Cody walk in.

  “Been a long time,” Brett commented as he made his way over to the far end where Cody had parked himself. “What’ll it be, Cody?” he asked.

  “Got any coffee?” Cody asked. He half expected to have Brett tell him “no.”

  Brett looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, as if debating his answer. And then he said, “Well, that all depends.”

  “On what?” Cody asked. Had there been a change in policy?

  Brett continued massaging the counter with his cloth, buffing it to a high gloss. “On whether you’re asking for yourself or acting as a spy on behalf of Miss Joan.”

  “For myself,” Cody answered. “But I know for a fact that she wouldn’t begrudge you serving coffee to your customers if they were trying to sober up.” The woman always put safety first.

  Brett looked amused. “You do realize that in order to sober up, you’d have to have been drinking first, right?” he pointed out.

  Cody shrugged. Had he been interested in drinking, he would have ordered a drink. But it was far too early to cut the edge off the day that way. “Yeah, well, let’s just skip that part.”

  Brett nodded agreeably. Going behind the counter, he picked up the pot of coffee he kept for himself, poured some into a mug and then brought over the pitch-black brew. He placed it in front of Cody.

  “You waiting on the baby shower to be over?” he asked as he set a small container of milk and a sugar bowl beside the mug.

  “Yeah.” Cody just availed himself of a light dusting of sugar. “How’d you know?” The baby shower at Miss Joan’s was possibly the last thing he would have thought Brett knew about.

  “Because that’s where Alicia is,” Brett answered, referring to his wife. “As a matter of fact, that’s where all of Forever’s women are as far as I can tell.” He frowned ever so slightly as he looked off in the general direction of the diner. “Seems almost too eerily quiet without them, doesn’t it?”

  Cody merely shrugged in response, not really wanting to agree with Brett, not because it wasn’t true, but because saying so would have been admitting something to the bartender that he hadn’t admitted to himself yet. That he missed the sound of a particular woman’s voice.

  Brett smiled knowingly. He didn’t need any verbal confirmation. “Kind of funny how quick we get used to having them around, isn’t it?”

  Cody raised his eyes
to Brett’s. “Are you trying to tell me something?”

  Brett’s smile just widened a little more. “Nothing you don’t already know,” he replied.

  This was a small town and people talked. Sometimes way too much in Cody’s opinion. He didn’t want rumors going around about Devon. He had a feeling that it could be way too easy for some of the good people of Forever—well-meaning though they might be—to read between the lines and create scenarios that weren’t true.

  “Devon’s talking about getting her own place as soon as the baby’s a little older.” That really had nothing to do with it, but he thought it sounded good.

  Brett focused on what he felt was the important part. “So she’s staying on in Forever.”

  Lord, he hoped so. But out loud Cody merely said, “For now.”

  A look he couldn’t quite read passed over Brett’s face. “If I were you, I’d make it worth her while.”

  Cody raised an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Just about anything you want it to,” Brett replied guilelessly.

  Cody decided it was best not to take the conversation any further. Finishing off his coffee, he put the mug back on the counter and asked Brett, “What do I owe you for the coffee?”

  The expression on Brett’s face was the soul of innocence. “Nothing.” He shrugged, taking back the mug and passing his cloth along the counter again. “I don’t sell coffee here.”

  Cody laughed shortly. The man’s secret was safe with him. “Thanks.”

  Leaving, he got back into his truck and drove it back to the diner. Cody parked the vehicle across the street and decided to set up camp and wait it out. He felt the shower couldn’t go on much longer.

  He was right.

  Forty-five minutes later, the doors of the diner opened and several of the women who had attended the baby shower came down the steps.

  That was his cue, Cody thought, getting out of the truck. Politely nodding at the women and exchanging a few words with Ramona, the town vet and the sheriff’s sister, as she came out of the diner next, he made his way inside the restaurant.