The Cowboy's Unexpected Baby. Stephanie Dees

it before it could hit the floor. “Ooh, I know—what about the new social worker, the one who kept Charlotte a couple of days ago while you were in court? Has she started her job yet?”

      “You mean Abby?” A smile started at the corner of his mouth. She’d saved his skin that first day and he’d thought of her often since then. She didn’t even know him, but her quick humor and totally unfounded confidence in his ability had made Garrett feel more in control.

      “See? Right there. There’s the look I was telling you about.” Devin pointed at Garrett. “He makes that face every time she comes up in conversation.”

      Lacey studied Garrett’s expression with a squinty eye. “Hmm. I see what you mean. Very curious.”

      “You guys are hilarious.” Garrett started tossing stuff back into Charlotte’s diaper bag. “I’m leaving.”

      Lacey smiled, clearly amused, but her voice was kind. “Garrett, you’re always the first one to step in and help when we need it—when anyone needs it. It’s all right to ask for help yourself.”

      He much preferred being the one doing the helping, but maybe Lacey was right. In any case, he didn’t have much choice. He was desperate to find a sitter for tomorrow afternoon. “Okay, I’ll text her.”

      Abby’s shiny dark hair and pretty hazel eyes came to mind. She was the silver lining to this absurd situation if there was one. And if he had to ask for help, at least he’d get to see her again.

      Abby stirred sugar into her coffee, the very act seeming like a luxury. She’d had instant coffee in the refugee camp, and she could almost always find a way to boil some water, but it wasn’t the same as freshly brewed. Not even close.

      A knock at the door startled her and she glanced at the clock on the oven. Ten thirty! She’d expected it to be seven o’clock. Maybe it was a good thing she was starting work on Monday.

      The knock came again. She glanced down at her yoga pants. Old, but the holes were all in discreet locations. Her feet were bare, toenails in the screaming pink neon polish that had been an impulse when Wynn had dragged her to the salon for a much-needed pedicure the day before.

      With a quick fluff of her bedhead, she wrapped her fuzzy gray sweater around herself and took a quick peek through the peephole in the door. Garrett stood on her doorstep, his collar turned up against the wind, the handle of the baby carrier gripped in one hand.

      She tugged the belt on her sweater a little tighter and pulled the door open just as he was turning away. “Hi.”

      Garrett turned around, his beaming smile fading just a bit as his eyes traveled from her disheveled hair to her bare toes. “I think maybe… I came at a bad time. I texted you.”

      “Not a bad time. This is just me, not working, and I turned my phone off because my former boss keeps asking me to come back to work.” Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, she shivered. “I thought winter was supposed to be mild in Alabama. It’s freezing out there. Come in, please.”

      He followed her into the living room and she saw him take note of the dishes in the sink, the pillow and blanket on the couch. Inwardly, she might have cringed a little, but what was the point? “Sorry for the mess. I’m making up for lost sleep. Like four years’ worth. So what can I do for you? Or is this a social call?”

      Garrett placed the baby carrier on the kitchen table and took a deep breath as he folded back the cover. “Not exactly.”

      She leaned forward to sneak a peek at Charlotte before she leaned back against the counter and crossed one ankle over the other. “Okay?”

      He rubbed one thumb across his lips. “Wow, this is more awkward than I thought it would be. I need help. I’ve asked all the church ladies and pretty much everyone else I know and I can’t find a babysitter for Charlotte. I know it’s not fair to ask, but is there any way you could help me out this afternoon?”

      “You talk so fast.” Abby crossed to the table and unbuckled the car seat straps. She lifted Charlotte into her arms, smiling down at her. “Hi, baby girl.”

      “Yeah, sorry. Hazard of the job. Judges never give you enough time to say what you need to say.” Garrett sat down in one of the chairs at the kitchen table. His cheeks were ruddy with cold, or maybe a little chagrin at having to ask for help.

      Abby swayed back and forth as Charlotte’s eyelids drooped closed. Garrett was clearly overloaded and Charlotte was just sweetness. “I can watch her. I don’t mind.”

      Garrett closed his eyes for a second and she wondered if he was praying. When he opened them, he said, “You’re sure? It’s just for the afternoon.”

      “Truthfully, I’ve been in a lot of situations where I wished there was something I could do. If this actually helps you, I’m glad to do it.”

      “The seventy-two-hour dependency hearing for her is at two o’clock.”

      “That’s fine. I don’t have anything else to do. And I’m well rested.” Abby’s lips twitched, but she kept patting Charlotte, not sure the baby was firmly asleep yet. “What happens at the hearing?”

      “A social worker from the Department of Human Resources will tell the judge what happened and make a recommendation to the court. I think they’ll recommend that she be officially placed with me.” He nudged his glasses farther up his nose and stabbed his fingers into his hair in a motion that she realized telegraphed his stress. “Then the judge will make a decision. He could leave Charlotte with me since we have the papers from her mom. Or he could decide that Charlotte would be better off with foster parents. I really have no idea. This situation isn’t one I’ve come across before.”

      “Do you want to keep her?”

      The question echoed the one she’d asked him the first day and again Garrett paused. His eyes lingered on Charlotte’s little face and his eyes softened before he nodded. “Yeah. I want to keep her. I may be the strangest choice for a guardian anyone’s ever made, but she’s safe with me.”

      “Good. I can see why her mom chose you.”

      Garrett blinked and then he grinned. When he smiled, it wasn’t just his lips. His smile broke through the winter gloom, brightening the whole room. “Thanks, Abby. I appreciate that. I’ve got to run. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

      “Just text me when you’re done and I’ll bring her to your office. I need to get out of the house anyway.”

      “Perfect. I’ll leave the car seat base on the front porch.” He took a moment to brush his fingers across Charlotte’s forehead and then was gone, leaving her staring at the closed door.

      Okay, so he was really attractive. It had been a long time since she’d been around anyone other than fellow disaster relief workers and they had been as exhausted and careworn as she was.

      That didn’t mean a flirtation was a good idea. In fact, it was a very bad idea. His smile might warm a room, but everyone knew that getting too close to the sun would burn you.

      Garrett leaned on the counter where Bess worked, talking into the phone she handed him while he texted on his cell phone. He heard the door open and turned to see Abby coming in the office door. He quickly ended the conversation, hung up the phone and crossed to her, lifting the heavy infant seat from her hand. “Everything go okay?”

      Abby grimaced. “I think maybe she’s hungry. She cried all the way here.”

      Little hiccups could still be heard coming from underneath the stretch cover over the car seat. Garrett pulled the cover back to peek inside. “Aw, Charlotte. What’s the matter?”

      As soon as