Colton Family Showdown. Regan Black

      Fox heard the baby crying and rolled out of bed, more awake than asleep. He padded over to where the makeshift crib had been under his window. The baby wasn’t there. That’s right, he had help now. He had a nanny.

      So why was the baby still crying?

      He padded out of his room, following the hiccupping cries, the hardwood floors cool under his bare feet. The bathroom light was on and the guest room door was open. In the dim light he found Kelsey on the floor, singing a lullaby as she changed the baby’s diaper.

      The words slowly filtered through his sleep-hazed brain and he recognized an old church hymn.

      She had a sweet voice, even at a whisper. He didn’t want to scare her, but he didn’t want to interrupt, either. He leaned against the doorjamb and listened.

      The baby was running out of steam and Kelsey cuddled him close as she rolled to her feet. Tucking the pacifier into his mouth, she swayed side to side, keeping his face out of the light as she sang another verse.

      He could watch her for hours. Days maybe. Time slowed down, and Fox savored every precious moment until she had the baby nestled into the bed once more.

      She came toward the door, and Fox stepped out of her way. She wore the T-shirt he’d loaned her over the jeans she’d arrived in. The fabric was thin enough that he could see she hadn’t put on her bra, and he averted his gaze. She was his employee twice over and being half-asleep wasn’t an excuse to ogle her.

      He was suddenly aware he didn’t have anything on but an old pair of flannel pants.

      “Sorry we woke you,” she whispered.

      His body was more than willing to have her wake him anytime. He ignored the flash of heat. Employee. It became a chant in his head. “You look different.”

      She twirled her finger in the air as if turning him around. “Go back to sleep before you can’t.”

      It was her hair. Her hair was down and flowing loose around her shoulders in glossy strawberry-blond waves. “You’re good with him.”

      She smiled, then pressed her finger to her lips in a sign for silence. “Sleep now, employee evaluation in the morning.”

      She turned out the bathroom light and disappeared into the darkness of what would be her bedroom while the baby was here.

      Leaving Fox alone in the dark hallway. If he went back to bed, he’d dream of her, assuming he could get back to sleep at all. If he dreamed of her, it would be even more awkward between them in the morning.

      He returned to his room, grabbed his reading glasses and the latest veterinary science magazine.

       Chapter 3

      A few hours later, Kelsey heard Fox leave to tend the horses and dozed off until the baby started stirring. If Fox meant to take care of the infant for some time, a baby monitor would be a good investment. It wasn’t exactly her business, but DNA tests took time. Unless someone claimed the baby right away, he needed some proper baby gear just to make things run smoothly.

      She rolled out of bed and pulled on her jeans. Today, once the baby was settled, she’d get to see the Colton breeding operation live and in person. Grabbing her bra, she darted down the hall to the bathroom, taking a few minutes for herself before the baby got wound up.

      Perfect timing as Baby John was testing out sounds and degrees of fussiness when she returned to the bedroom. The moment he saw her he grinned, kicking his feet. He was such a cute little guy, all smiles in the morning, though he was surely hungry and in need of a clean diaper.

      When he was all set, she carried him out to the kitchen and saw a note from Fox. Morning chores. Back soon. Bottle ready in the fridge.

      “Well, isn’t your temporary daddy the best ever?” she cooed to the baby. When the bottle was warmed up, she found a spot in the family room to feed Baby John.

      Fox walked back in just as the infant finished eating. “Perfect timing,” she said to the baby, making him giggle.

      “You two are up early,” Fox said.

      “It’s a baby thing,” she said. “You understand.”

      “I do, actually. Baby horses and baby people keep crazy hours.” He walked over and the tyke reached for him. Fox tickled his tummy and they both grinned. “I was going to start on breakfast,” he said, his gaze still on the baby.

      The man was charmed whether or not he’d admit it. “I can make breakfast,” she offered. “You fixed dinner last night.”

      “Nah, let me. It serves as a nice mental transition from chores to office work.”

      With a thousand questions about the horses circling in her head, she let him go. She could ask about horses at the barn or the office. Right now, she needed to broach the subject that the baby needed some additional supplies if they were going to make this arrangement work.

      “Did you get coffee?” he asked.

      “Not yet,” she replied. Holding Baby John to her shoulder, she went to the coffeepot to pour.

      Again Fox had anticipated and poured her a cup. “Cream or sugar?”

      “First cup of the day is always black,” she said.

      “The better to kick it into high gear?”

      “Absolutely.” She sat down at the island and situated the baby so he could slap the countertop, her coffee cup well out of danger. “Bliss,” she said when she got the first sip in.

      “Did he keep you up all night?”

      “Just that one time.” She breathed in that sweet baby smell, the better to get her mind off Fox, shirtless. He hadn’t earned those lean, ropy muscles sitting behind a desk. “I think he’ll adapt to your schedule easily. He’s a good sleeper.”

      Fox put sausage patties into a hot pan and while they sizzled and snapped, he cracked eggs into a bowl. “Do you have food allergies or anything you can’t stand to eat?”

      “No allergies, and I’ll eat whatever you set in front of me.” Growing up being picky meant going hungry. Her mother hadn’t entertained complaints at the dinner table. She caught the baby’s tiny hands in one of hers and took another gulp of coffee. “Have you given any thought to baby gear?”

      Fox looked to the other end of the counter, then back to her. “What do we need beyond formula and diapers?”

      “Clothing?” She arched a brow. “Maybe a seat to make feeding him easier. The car seat is okay, but he’ll start on cereal soon and an easy-to-clean seat that stayed here would be ideal.”

      For several long minutes, Fox worked on their breakfast without saying a word. He set a plate of fried eggs, toast and sausage in front of her along with a fork and napkin. She just managed to turn the baby aside before he caught the lip of the plate.

      “An easy-to-clean seat?” he asked. “You mean a high chair?”

      She caught the distaste in his voice as he glared at the open end of the island. Her stomach rumbling, Kelsey got up and spread out a blanket on the floor and put Baby John down to play so she could eat while the food was hot.

      “He’s temporary,” Fox stated in a clipped tone. “If you think we need a high chair, I’ll call my sister and borrow hers.”

      “How old is your niece?” Kelsey asked.

      “Two.”

      She doubted his sister was ready to part with the high chair, but maybe she had other items they could borrow. “I understand,” she replied. “We don’t need a big bulky high chair with all the