by Delia Latham
Gavin sat back on his heels, suddenly getting a bit of insight into what was going on behind those pretty peepers. “Hey, kid…don’t get too attached. You know you can’t just keep him, right?”
She met his gaze briefly, then looked down at the baby. One finger traced the little fellow’s cheek, and a tear dropped onto his forehead. Dawni quickly dashed it away. “I know.”
“OK.” He wasn’t sure he believed her, but what could he say? “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“This isn’t about me. It’s about this little guy.” She sniffled, and he handed her a tissue. “Maybe…maybe I should keep him for just a couple of days.” She raised a hopeful gaze. “His mommy may come back for him. Surely she’ll have a change of heart. I mean, you said it yourself…she cared enough to leave clothing and food. Even his car seat. She must love him a little.”
“Yeah.” A powerful ache in his chest burned the backs of his eyes. Gavin jumped to his feet. “Look, I have to go to work, but seriously…” He snapped his fingers at a sudden wispy memory. “You can take him to the fire department. Seems like I heard something like that.”
“The fire department? Why would I take him there? He’s not on fire.”
Gavin rolled his eyes. “I think it’s some kind of civic attempt to keep parents from tossing their kids into garbage bins, or worse, when they feel overwhelmed. They can leave them at the local fire department, and if they have a change of heart within a certain number of hours, they can pick them up again, no questions asked.”
“Oh!” Dawni’s face blanched. “I suppose that’s a good thing, but I couldn’t leave him there. I—I just couldn’t. He’d already been abandoned once”
She stood, clutching the infant to her like a lifeline. Gavin saw something in her eyes that made him want to pull her into his arms and shield her, just as she protected the child.
Terror.
Dawni Manors was scared to death of caring.
4
“You have to report this to the police.” Dex’s voice, as always, remained low and calm, yet it conveyed a sense of urgency Gavin rarely heard from the quiet rancher. “She cannot wait ‘a few days’ to see if the mother comes back.”
“I was afraid you were going to say that.” Gavin sighed.
“Look, I know someone.” Dex pulled a business card out of his wallet. “Susanna Peretti runs the Wellsprings of Grace facility. She’ll be able to give Dawni some direction. And her husband, Gabe, is a police officer. Maybe she’ll contact him for you.”
“Thanks, boss.” Gavin tucked the pale green card into his shirt pocket. “I’ll talk to her tonight.”
“No, not tonight—right now.” Dex jerked his head toward the barn door. “Go. I’ve got this. Take all the time you need…just don’t let her keep that baby another day without filing a report with the police. Or Susanna, at the very least.”
Gavin frowned. Work on the ranch never ended, and the skeleton crew Dex hired barely kept a handle on things. He knew that as well as anyone. “You sure about this?”
“There’s a kid at stake. This ranch can wait. Just get back over there, now.” The crease in his forehead told Gavin he was more than a little concerned about Dawni’s situation.
Gavin climbed into his old Ford truck and headed for Heart’s Haven. He would’ve preferred to ride Daisy, but she deserved some time off too. And as bad as he felt about leaving Dex short-handed, he couldn’t deny being glad his boss was sending him back home. He wouldn’t have been able to do a thing right all day, worried as he was about Dawni.
For a woman who seemed determined to remain distanced from everyone around her, his pretty new neighbor had managed to get herself in a real pickle.
****
The baby wouldn’t stop crying. He sported a clean, dry diaper and a full tummy, but still he wailed…on and on. Dawni wept with him, quiet tears streaking her face as she bounced him back and forth across the small living room.
“Shhhh…hush, little guy.” Whatever could be the matter? She’d thought babies ate, slept and looked adorable. This constant crying…was that part of the usual package? “I wish you could tell me what’s wrong.”
Maybe he was still hungry. She eyed the four-ounce bottle he’d emptied twenty minutes earlier. Four ounces wasn’t a lot. Was she supposed to be feeding him real food too?
Well, she had to do something. The poor little creature would cry himself sick.
She carried the baby into her bedroom and eased him into a makeshift crib she’d created from an empty dresser drawer, lined with a quilt and covered with his soft blankets. “I’ll be right back. Hang in there, sweetheart.”
She was pouring another four ounces of warm formula into a bottle when the baby’s wails abruptly stopped. Could he possibly have gone to sleep at long last, just like that? Screwing the cap on the bottle, she tiptoed into the bedroom.
“Shhhh.” Gavin stood in the middle of her room, the child in his arms. “Don’t wake him.”
“What—?” She raised her eyebrows, almost too grateful for the sudden silence to question his presence. But not quite. She whisper-hissed her question. “What are you doing here?”
He touched his lips, then lifted a finger in the air and snuggled the baby into the pile of softness inside the drawer, gently patting him on the back when he wriggled a bit. The exhausted infant instantly stilled.
A smile lifted Dawni’s lips when his little mouth sucked contentedly at an imaginary nipple.
Gavin put a hand to her back and walked with her into the living room, after gently closing the bedroom door.
“I did knock.” He grinned and shrugged. “But I guess you didn’t hear. Sounded like you could use some help, so I let myself in.”
“What did you do…knock him out with a hammer?” She shook her head, mystified. “I tried everything I knew, with absolutely no results.” Lifting the bottle in her hand, she huffed out a breath. “I guess he wasn’t hungry, huh?”
“How long ago did he eat?”
“Maybe half an hour or so.”
Gavin chuckled. “You didn’t burp him.”
“I didn’t what?”
“Burp him. I picked him up, laid him against my shoulder, and tapped his back a couple times. Poor kid belched like a drunken sailor, then started snoring. He was exhausted, but I guess he had a cramp in his tummy.”
“Burp him.” Dawni couldn’t get past the phrase. “I thought you didn’t know anything about taking care of babies?”
“I didn’t say that. I said I don’t have an ounce of mother in me. I don’t…I’m a guy, you hadn’t noticed?”
Yeah, she’d noticed, but she had no plans to go down that road. “So how come you know about—uhm…burping them?”
“I have two nieces. I spend as much time with them as I can when I’m in Austin. When they were babies, I lived with my brother for a while, so I picked up a few little tidbits about takin’ care of tiny people.”
“Oh.” She chewed at her lip, and then grinned. “Well, Uncle Gavin, I’m glad you showed up when you did. Now, would you like a glass of sweet Texas tea?”
“Well…” He cocked his head, studying her face. “I don’t want to be any trouble.”
Dawni opened the refrigerator. “It’s no trouble. I’m having a glass myself. I just hope my tea compares well with your hot chocolate.” She looked over her shoulder and raised her eyebrows. “And while we enjoy the tea, you can tell me what else you know about taking care of ‘tiny people’.”
He laughed, and the sound washed over her nerves like a warm, soothing rain. “I don’t know much, just little bits I picked up here and there, watching Garrett’s wife with their rug rats.”
“Garrett…your brother? Is he a cowboy too?” She handed him a tall glass filled with amber liquid. The ice cubes tinkled against it when he lifted it to his lips.
“Naw. He’s a doctor.” His eyes took on a faraway glaze that could only be defined as wistful. “Sure wish he lived closer.”
He sat up straighter on the sofa and tossed her a cocky grin. “We’re twins. I guess it’s normal to want to see each other now and then.”
He’d clearly realized how close he’d come to showing a softer side. Dawni bit back a grin of her own. Didn’t he know that gentle soul of his only made him more attractive?
“That must’ve been fun, growing up with a twin.”
“I have to admit, we got in a passel o’ trouble playing that card, but yeah—it was fun. Garrett finally grew up though. I’m not sure I ever will.”
Dawni laughed. “I’m not sure you should.” She’d surprised him.
His eyes widened, and his lips twisted upward in a sideways grin. “You’re probably right. I’m a lot more fun than my brother.”
“Well, I think you’re exactly who you’re supposed to be. But—” She gave a wry twist of her lips. “Right now, I need you to bring out the more serious side of yourself. I need help with that little guy in there. I haven’t a clue how to take care of him.”
Gavin hesitated. His brows drew together and he pinched his lower lip between his teeth.
Dawni’s heart banged against her chest. He hadn’t dropped by just because. She’d been too relieved to see him to question why he was there. She waited, refusing to help him say whatever he was struggling with.
Finally his shoulders slumped a bit and he huffed out a breath.
“Dawni, I—I talked to my boss about…all this.” He flapped one hand around, indicating the whole cottage. “He’s very concerned, and said we have to go to the police. Will you go with me and talk to someone about the baby?”
Now her heart launched into a rapid timpani beat. “Who?”
He pulled out his wallet and handed her a business card. “Susanna Peretti. She’s the director over at Wellsprings of Grace—it’s a facility for troubled teens, including unwed mothers. She’ll know what should be done in this kind of situation.” He chewed on the inside of his lip. “I already spoke with her on the phone, and she’s expecting us. Her husband’s a policeman, and she’s asked him to be there as well. Between the two of them, we should be able to iron all this out legally.”
She fingered the card.
“Please…let me take you, Dawni. I don’t want you to get in any kind of trouble.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be working?” She winced at the sharp tone of her own voice.
He glanced away, and then met her gaze. A subtle hike of his chin told her he wouldn’t be backing down. “Yes, but Dex wanted me to help you take care of this today.”
“Dex?” She’d heard that name, and recently. Where? “Why do I think I should know him?”
He shrugged. “Dex Beckett. He’s the best man with horses I’ve ever met—and believe me, I’ve met my share.” A lightbulb lit behind his eyes. “You were at Hilliard & Beckett a few weeks ago, with Layne.”
So he remembered her outrageous outburst of admiration.
She nodded, despite the annoying warmth that flooded her cheeks. No time for that right now.
“Dex is her husband.” Thank goodness Gavin was too much the Texas gentleman to tease her about the most embarrassing moment of her life thus far.
“Well, then I guess he knows what he’s talking about.” She forced the words between reluctant lips.
“I’ve never known him to speak unless he did.” Gavin chuckled. “Dex doesn’t talk much, but when he does, it means something.”
She sighed. “I guess I have no choice. Let me change clothes and get the baby.”
Gavin lifted his glass and winked. “Take your time.”
****
Half an hour later, they were at Wellsprings of Grace. Gavin slipped an arm around Dawni’s waist as they walked inside, and she was grateful for his strength. Her own seemed non-existent at the moment.
An attractive young woman greeted them with a smile. “Susanna’s expecting you. Right this way.” She led them to the director’s office, smiled once more, and then returned to her desk.
“Hi, Dawni.” A willowy brunette held out a hand, and she managed to shake it, clutching the baby in her other arm. “It’s so nice to meet you. Gavin says you’ve had quite an interesting day.”
She nodded, but couldn’t keep from glancing at the tall, somber-faced policeman standing next to the woman.
“Don’t be so tense, honey.” The director offered a sympathetic smile. “Everything will be all right. God will work it all out.”
She drew the police officer up closer to the two of them. “This is my husband, Gabe. I invited him here because it’s absolutely crucial to get a police report any time an abandoned infant is involved.” She grinned and sent her husband a mischievous smile. She clearly adored the man. “Gabe here’s not nearly as scary as he looks. You can trust him.”
Again, Dawni nodded, but said nothing. She wasn’t sure she could speak if she tried. A knot the size of a golf ball seemed to have taken up permanent residence in her throat.
Susanna touched her arm. “Would you like a glass of water?”
Was the woman psychic?
“Yes, thank you.” She managed to speak after all, even if her voice did sound pretty croaky.
Susanna touched a button and spoke into the intercom. “Cassie, would you mind bringing in a pitcher of ice water and four glasses?”
“I’ll be right there.”
While they waited, Susanna touched the baby’s cheek. “May I hold him?”
Dawni laid the infant in the other woman’s arms and watched, barely able to draw a breath, as she cradled the infant. If Susanna was half as smart as she was pretty, she’d know what to do for the little guy. Judging by the pristine housekeeping conditions at Wellsprings of Grace, and the peace that had washed over her as she came through the door, Dawni somehow felt the rightness in her decision to allow Gavin to bring her here.
So why did her heart ache so at the thought of the baby being taken from her?
A river of silky dark hair cascaded down the director’s back. Eyes almost the same color held a kindness and concern that reached out to Dawni. Against the backdrop of those richly-hued tresses and deep, dark eyes, Susanna’s fair skin appeared almost porcelain.
“Oh, he’s a darlin’,” she cooed. “Dawni, you’ve been taking good care of him.”
Dawni caught Gavin’s quick grin and the wink he sent her way. She’d tried to take good care of the infant, but without the help of her cowboy neighbor, the poor little guy would have been far less happy. Right now, he slept peacefully in Susanna’s arms.
“Thank you.” She hitched in a nervous breath. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now. Should I keep him, or…?” She couldn’t even finish.
A young woman tapped on the door and entered, carrying a tray with a pitcher of ice water, four glasses, and a small pile of cookies. She set it on a round table, smiled and left the room.
Susanna motioned for all of them to gather around, and poured water into each of the glasses. Within a moment or so, they were all seated together, munching on the sweets.
Dawni sipped at her water and pulled in a deep breath that seemed to bring with it another touch of the same peace she’d experienced upon entering Wellsprings of Grace. Why did the simple act of sitting around a table together make everything seem so much better, and allow her to breathe a little easier?
The director tapped her lips with a napkin, sipped at her water, and then met Dawni’s gaze with frank honesty. “In answer to your question, Dawni…I’m afraid you can’t keep the baby. We have to report an abandonment, and he’ll go into protective services until we find his mother, or…well, we’ll start there.”
“Susanna’s right, Miss Manors.” Gabe spoke for the first time, in a deep, low Texas drawl. “The infant will be taken to a hospital and examined, and then placed somewhere safe while we investigate.”
“In—investigate? What do you mean?”
“We’ll try to find his family, Dawni, and—depending on a number of criteria—see if an
y of them want the child.”
Dawni closed her eyes. Blood drained from her face in a wave of dizziness.
Gavin moved closer and took her hand. “Breathe, Dawni. It’ll be all right.”
“No, it won’t.” She snatched her hand away, ignoring the sudden river of emotion that gushed from her eyes. “I’ve been there. In the ‘system.’ I spent my life in foster homes and court-mandated facilities. It’s no life for a child! I can’t—I just can’t let him be caught up in that situation.”
Susanna offered a gentle smile. “I’m sorry, honey, but I’m afraid you really don’t have a choice.”
Gavin started to speak, stopped, then drew a deep breath. “Susanna…Officer Peretti…what if I can get the Beckett Ranch to take him in until we know something more? Dex and Layne applied as foster parents a while back. I remember Dex telling me about it.”
Gabe narrowed his gaze and stared thoughtfully at the window for a moment. Finally, he shrugged and nodded. “I don’t see a problem with that. Of course, I’ll have to put the idea through to the right channels, and see what happens.”
Susanna ran a gentle finger along the baby’s soft cheek. “I think I can put that through…but I’m not sure. Gabe, should I find out if the Becketts are willing, and if they have accommodations for infants?”
“They do. I work at the ranch,” Gavin said. “I know they do.”
Gabe nodded. “Well, then, maybe you’re onto something, Gavin. I’ll definitely include that possibility in my report.”
“Well, then.” Susanna stood and looked at Gavin. “Why don’t you have someone call me if the ranch’s facility is willing to take on another child. Actually, I may know who—” She stopped and bit at her bottom lip before finally meeting each of their gazes directly. “I think I may know who the mother is.”
“You do?” Dawni couldn’t help a small smile when she and Gavin spoke the words in unison.
Gabe’s gaze tracked their reactions as if he could see right into their souls. Dawni moved a little closer to Gavin, shivering a little. The officer’s piercing gaze must be quite effective when he dealt with criminals.
Susanna’s voice drew her back into the conversation.
