Fortune's Heart. Leanne Banks

a packet of wipes and a changing pad. “Okay. Okay,” he said to Piper as he set her down on the pad. “Give me a break. This is my first time.”

      Piper stuck her fingers in her mouth and gazed up at him with inquisitive green eyes.

      At least she wasn’t crying, he thought and lifted her gown. “Okey, doke. We can do this,” he said because some part of him remembered that he’d seen a few people talk to babies. It wasn’t as if they understood. Maybe they just liked the sound of a human voice.

      Who knew?

      He looked at the diaper, and for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out which was the front and the back.

      Piper began to squirm and make noises. They weren’t fussy, but they were getting close.

      “I’m getting there,” he promised. “Just give me a little extra time.”

      He pulled open the dry diaper, then carefully unfastened the baby’s dirty diaper. Colton glimpsed a hideous combination of green, yellow and brown.

      “Oh, Piper. How could you?”

      The baby squirmed and almost seemed to smile.

      Heaven help him.

      Colton pulled out a half dozen wipes and began rubbing her front and backside. Six wipes weren’t enough, so he pulled out some more and cleaned her a little more. Afterward, he tossed some baby powder on her and put on the disposable diaper.

      Sweat was dripping from his forehead. “There. We did it.”

      Piper began to fuss.

      “Well, thanks for nothing,” he said, picking up her and the dirty diaper. He wondered if there was a special hazardous-waste disposal container in the house for the baby’s diapers. He didn’t see one, so he tossed it in the kitchen trash and felt sorry for the poor fool who lifted the lid to take out the garbage.

      He jiggled Piper, but she was still fussy. He wondered if he shouldn’t have fed her. He cruised the hallways of the house. Piper never broke into a full cry, but he could tell she was right on the edge.

      Desperate, he tried to sing. “Mamas, don’t let your babies—”

      Piper wailed.

      “Not a good choice,” he muttered and jiggled her even more. He walked and talked, since talking worked better than singing did. She calmed slightly, but he could tell she still wasn’t happy. This female was definitely difficult to please.

      After thirty minutes, she was still fussy and Colton was growing desperate. He headed for the magic diaper bag and sat down to dig through it. Piper sobbed loudly in his ear as he searched the bag.

      “Give me a break,” he said. “I’m trying.” He dug his way all the way to the bottom and grabbed hold of a bottle. Pulling it out, he stared at a bottle labeled, “Last resort”.

      Colton was pretty sure he was at his last resort. He opened the bottle and found a wand. “Well, damn,” he said, and began to blow bubbles.

      Piper immediately quieted and stared at the bubbles.

      Colton continued to blow, and Piper began to laugh. It was the most magical sound he’d ever heard. He blew the bubbles, and she giggled. Her reaction was addictive.

      “Well, who would have known?” he muttered under his breath. Maybe everyone should come armed with a bottle of bubbles. He blew bubbles past the time he was tired from it, and Piper finally rested her head on his shoulder. Colton wasn’t taking any chances, though, and he kept up his bubble blowing.

      Finally, he glanced down and saw that Piper’s eyes were closed—half moons with dark eyelashes fanned against her creamy skin. She was one beautiful kid, he thought. The spitting image of Stacey. He gently strolled through the hallways again.

      Weariness rolled through him. He’d been up before dawn and trying to work through a mile-long list of chores his father shouldn’t do. The sofa in the den beckoned him. He wondered if he could possibly sit down without waking Piper.

      Colton decided to give it a shot. He slowly eased down onto the sofa. Piper squirmed, and he froze. Don’t wake up, he prayed. He waited, then leaned back, inch by inch. “We’re okay,” he whispered. “We’re both okay.”

      Colton relaxed against the side of the sofa and slinked down. He rested his head backward and moved the baby onto his chest. “Don’t wake up.” He rubbed her back until he fell asleep.

      * * *

      “Stick out your tongue, Kylie,” Stacey said to her brother’s youngest foster child.

      Redheaded Kylie reluctantly stuck out her tongue. Stacey saw no signs of strep. “I’m sorry you feel bad, sweetie,” she said.

      “I can stick out my tongue,” Kylie’s older brother, Justin, said and fully extended his tongue from his mouth. The boy’s expression had a disturbing resemblance to a rock singer.

      “Not necessary, but thanks, sweetie,” she said.

      Stacey turned to her brother Toby. “Her temperature is normal, and her lymph nodes feel fine. I would give her some extra liquids and try to help her get some extra rest.” She rubbed Kylie’s arm. “Do you feel achy?” she asked.

      Kylie shook her head. “No, but my head hurts.”

      “I’m so sorry,” Stacey said. “I bet a cool washcloth would feel good. If she can’t sleep, she can take some children’s Tylenol. In the meantime, Kylie needs some rest, comfort and cuddling.”

      “Does that mean I get to use the remote for the TV?” Kylie asked.

      Stacey laughed. “I think you are definitely due the remote.”

      “But I wanna see SpongeBob,” Justin said.

      “You can see SpongeBob anytime,” Toby said, rubbing Justin’s head. “Let’s just pile on the couch and watch what Kylie wants to watch.”

      Her brothers sighed but scrambled onto the couch. “I hope it’s not a princess movie,” Brian, the eleven-year-old, said.

      “I want Monsters,” Kylie said.

      “Again?” Brian said in disgust.

      “Kylie gets to choose tonight. If you don’t like her choice, you can get ahead on your homework or read a book,” Toby said.

      Stacey did a double take. She still couldn’t quite get used to seeing her bachelor brother turn into an instant dad by agreeing to take on these three kids. Then again, Toby had always had a generous heart, so she really shouldn’t be surprised. Stacey knew he’d met the kids when he’d volunteered at the Y. When he’d learned their mother had died at an early age and that their father wasn’t around, he’d tried to give them some extra encouragement. When their situation had gone from bad to worse and the aunt who’d been caring for them was forced into rehab, Toby had stepped forward to take them into his house by becoming a foster dad.

      “Well, I’d better head back to the house. I couldn’t find anyone except Colton to take care of the baby while I was gone,” she said, packing up her little medical bag.

      “Colton?” Toby echoed, giving a startled laugh. “You asked Colton Foster to take care of Piper?”

      Stacey lifted her hands. “He was my only choice. Everyone else was busy, and I didn’t want to leave you in the lurch.”

      Toby sighed. “Well, tell him I said thank you. I’ll feel better about Kylie now that you’ve checked her.”

      “You still need to keep an eye on her. You should check her temperature and symptoms in the morning. It’s a shame the kids’ regular doctor is out of town,” she said. “I wish we had a clinic in Horseback Hollow. Maybe I could get a job there,” she said. “That’s wishful thinking,” she murmured, then looked up at her brother and squeezed his arm. “Are you okay?”