Babies and Badges. Laura Altom Marie

I have to?”

      The nurse laughed. “You can’t imagine how many of my new mommies say the same thing. Come on now, Ms. Tremont, time to wake up. Your adorable babies need their first meal.”

      “Maybe Cass needs something to eat?” Noah suggested.

      “She’ll be fine,” the nurse said with a sharp, authoritarian tone.

      Well, excuse me for asking. Checking that his tiny princess hadn’t been frightened by the nurse’s bark, Noah eyed his baby girl. Lucky for Nurse Nasty she contentedly continued her nap.

      “Most of our new mommies are a little out of it, but Ms. Tremont, here, had an extra tough time.”

      “Tell me about it,” he said under his breath.

      “You the father?”

      “No, I—”

      “Well, then, you’ll have to leave. Patient privacy and all.”

      “I don’t think so.” With me gone, who’s gonna keep an eye on you, Nurse Nasty?

      “Please, sir. Ms. Tremont really does need to get on with the business of mothering. While nursing is a natural, beautiful part of that process, the patient will undoubtedly want her privacy.” The nurse handed a pink bundle to Cass.

      Nursing? Noah scratched his head. What was this woman talking about? Cassie couldn’t even get out of bed. How was she going to—oh.

      That kind of nursing.

      The kind with babies and breasts.

      I’m outta here!

      Noah leaned over the bed rail to kiss Cassie’s forehead, then the baby’s. “I’ll uh, be around,” he said, giving Cassie’s hand a final squeeze. “Just holler if you need me. Not that you will. I mean, I’m sure you can handle this on your own. But you know how—”

      “I know,” she said, wide eyes glowing from the intensity of her adorable sleepy grin. “Go on. Get. I’ll be fine.”

      Sure, she’d be fine, but what about him?

      Those spur-of-the-moment kisses had been a mistake!

      Cassie’s grin had him all hot and cold and maybe even dizzy. And all of that was before he’d made the mistake of kissing her baby! The kid smelled confusing. Like sweetness and innocence and baby lotion and shampoo. But then underlying that was Cass’s exotic oriental perfume—that spicy, musky, sexy, sultry storm of mixed signals designed for no good reason other than landing him in serious bachelor trouble.

      Okay, deep breaths.

      There’s nothing to be alarmed about.

      He hadn’t slept in what? Like eighteen hours? Surely lack of sleep was bound to mess with a guy’s head?

      “Noah?” Cassie asked, voice ripe with concern. “Are you okay? All of a sudden you don’t look so good.”

      “Sure…I’m, ah, great.” He swallowed hard, ran his fingers around the already loose collar of the dress shirt he had yet to change out of. “Probably just need some shut-eye.”

      “Of course, you do. Poor thing, you’ve been here all night. I’m fine. Why don’t you go home and get some sleep?”

      Great idea!

      While Cassie was still recovering, honor would never permit him to leave her of his own free will. But since Nurse Nasty was still giving him the evil eye, and Cassie had told him to leave, and not to mention the fact that she was about to bare her breasts, Noah made a final round of kisses, then high-tailed it out of the room.

      “THAT’S QUITE A MAN you’ve got there,” the nurse said to Cassie while making a note on her chart.

      “Thanks, but Noah’s not my man. He’s my guardian angel.”

      And speaking of angels…

      The sleeping angel Cassie held in her arms took her breath away. Had there ever been a more beautiful sight?

      Apple-blossom-pink cheeks and a tiny scrunched nose. And that shock of red curls! Guess those old wives’ tales about heartburn had been right!

      Emotion swelling, Cassie blinked back tears.

      For the miracle she now held in her arms, every bit of the anguish she’d been through over Tom had been worth it.

      Not only was she alive, but she was holding her very much alive baby in her arms, with another perfect baby waiting in line for her breakfast, as well.

      And just think, she had this double blessing and her own life all because of Noah. Though the actual delivery of her babies had become a blur, he was the one thing about her ordeal that she’d never forget. His soothing voice, and the way he’d held her hand, urging her not to give up.

      Starting at the still-warm spot on her forehead where Noah had planted his tender kiss, a quiet contentment crept through her.

      “Given any thought to names?” the nurse asked, reading the card on a pink carnation bouquet.

      Of course. Since Tom’s death, Cassie planned her days down to the minute, and since the end of her second trimester she’d known the girls would be named Rachel, after her mother, and Ruth, after her grandmother, but now…

      Now she wasn’t so sure.

      “Was this baby born first?” Cassie asked, gazing at the infant in her arms.

      The nurse nodded, reading the cards on lilac and then peach roses.

      “Then she’ll be Noelle.”

      The nosy nurse smiled and nodded approvingly. “And her sister?”

      “I don’t know.” Cassie grinned, skimming her finger along Noelle’s tiny strawberry-blond brows. “I think I’ll just dream up something when I meet her.”

      Noelle woke with a start, scrunching her mouth into a full-blown squall.

      “I take it that means she’s hungry?”

      The nurse nodded before talking Cassie through the breastfeeding procedure.

      Far from what the many books Cassie had read on nursing had told her, there was nothing simple about it! Still, after a few rough starts, by the time the nurse brought in Cassie’s second baby, then left mother and daughter on their own, Cassie felt like an old pro.

      Now that her latest diner had eaten her fill, then promptly fallen back to sleep, Cassie took her time memorizing her dear face—not hard since she looked exactly like her sister!

      “What should I name you?” she asked, smoothing her hand over her second daughter’s silken crown.

      A knock sounded on the door, and Cassie looked up. “Come in.”

      “Hey. How’s it going? Everyone decent?” Noah popped his head around the edge of the oversized door.

      “Hi,” Cassie said, unprepared for the rush of warmth flooding her system on hearing his voice—let alone meeting his warm, brown gaze and easy smile.

      “Hi.” The paper rustling of shopping bags bursting with gifts preceded him into the room.

      “What in the world?”

      He dumped his purchases on the room’s spare bed. “Thought you and the girls might need a few things.” Out came matching Malibu Barbies and tea sets and stuffed bunnies and ducks and rattles and teething key rings and pink, purple and yellow dresses with ruffled skirts bigger than both babies combined.

      “A few things?” Cassie laughed. “Noah, from the looks of it you’ve got the girls set up with enough gear to last them from infancy straight through to college.”

      Drawing the guest chair away from the window to the head of her bed, he shrugged. “I figure what can it