Colton Family Showdown. Regan Black

items are you thinking of?”

      “A portable crib could help,” she began. “And a bathtub. The diapers and formula of course. He needs a bowl and a spoon.” She stopped talking when he stopped eating.

      “Make a list,” he said. “We’ll go into town after I show you around the office and barns.”

      She wolfed down a few bites of her breakfast and insisted on handling the dishes, taking care of the chore in record time. When she had the list in her phone and her shoes on, Fox picked up her coat and the baby’s quilted jumper.

      “Do we need the seat?” he asked.

      “I can manage him.” She was much stronger than she looked thanks to years of yoga and martial arts training.

      They headed downstairs and straight into the office space. With the lights on, the etched glass popped even more than it had last night. The space was a bigger footprint than his home and it made her smile. He invested according to what mattered most. She respected that.

      There was plenty of room here for both of them to work and ample floor space for a portable crib or a blanket for the baby. The space he’d turned into a lab was really designed for one person at a time, but it was hard to complain about that. “It’s amazing.”

      It was immediately clear where he worked, the papers and notes sorted into piles across the wide desktop, surrounding a laptop waiting to come to life. She imagined him right there, reading through lab results or journals on horse health advancements.

      The baby seemed as curious as she did, taking it all in with wide blue eyes. Having nothing to go on but appearance, she couldn’t match the child’s features to Fox’s.

      Fox walked over and used a remote to turn on a wall-mounted monitor. The grainy security-type video showed the interior of the barn and horses in their stalls. Another camera gave her a view of horses in the closest paddock.

      “What a great idea.” She could hardly wait to get out there and see it all.

      “Helps primarily during foaling,” Fox said.

      “I’m sure it does.” He’d be able to see which mares were getting restless as labor started.

      Fox led her out of the office and once she’d put on her coat she zipped the baby into the quilted jumper, pulling the hood over his little head. “Have you introduced him to the horses yet?”

      “No.”

      She trailed behind him out onto the porch, waiting impatiently as he locked the door. They followed the drive she’d walked up yesterday to a track that led to the closest barn. Adjusting the baby in her arms, she asked questions about the number of mares in foal and what sort of work she’d be doing, other than seeing to the baby.

      “Let me take him.” Fox plucked him out of her arms without breaking stride before she could argue.

      She didn’t want to argue. She wanted to skip or run or just hug herself. Hug him. The sun was shining over a crisp autumn day and the horses in the paddock were in perfect health. A bay mare trotted toward them, clearly in love with Fox. She had a scar along her flank, but she moved with grace and pride.

      “This is Mags,” Fox said. “Short for Magnificent. She was a rescue. Past her breeding age, but she’s a good influence on the herd and she’s always up for a trail ride.”

      Mags let Kelsey stroke her nose and neck, arching into the touch. She sniffed and blew at Kelsey’s bun and sent the baby a curious glance when he gurgled.

      Fox pointed out the other mares in the paddock that had been successfully bred. “These are due for pregnancy verification this week.”

      “I can do that,” she volunteered. Hope fizzled when he shook his head.

      “You’ll get your chance, I promise.” He smiled as they walked toward the barn. “Just take some time to settle in. We have months left before foaling and I have calls coming in each week for consultations.”

      Mentally, she did a fist pump. This was exactly where she needed to be. The baby should have been getting sleepy by now, but he was wide-awake and taking it all in. “He loves making friends,” she observed.

      “Is that a good thing?”

      “It certainly isn’t a bad thing,” she replied.

      The barn, in golden oak and dark brown trim, was framed by the beautiful backdrop of the ranch landscape. This might be the finest barn she’d seen. The sweet scent of hay teased her nose as she walked along with Fox through a wide center aisle flanked by roomy stalls on both sides. Long faces leaned out here and there, eager for Fox’s greeting. The building and paddock were as thoughtfully designed as everything else he had shown her so far.

      “You know how to plan.”

      “Better to do things right,” he replied, smoothing a hand up and down the white star on the long face of a chestnut mare.

      “She’s a beauty,” Kelsey said, stepping close enough to slide her hand under the golden mane. “This is the coloring you’re known for.”

      “As you know, I’d rather be known for a durable quarter horse, but as my brother Wyatt pointed out more than once, a showstopper is great publicity.”

      “From what I’ve heard, you’ve accomplished both.”

      “Is that what brought you?”

      She felt his gaze on her and kept hers on the horse. “In part.” She’d lost count of the many things that had brought her here. After her last unhappy encounter with her brothers, she couldn’t even put the list into order of importance. She wanted to learn from Fox and get into the daily and seasonal routines of producing stunning, healthy livestock. She needed to establish a base, some permanence. At thirty she’d grown tired of her nomadic career and home life. “My recent work in labs has shown me how much I like to get my hands dirty.”

      Fox laughed and the baby, nearly asleep on his shoulder, gave a start. He fussed a bit so Kelsey moved to take him. “He needs to be changed.” She bounced him gently. “And he’ll probably take a good nap after all this fresh air.”

      They’d walked a full circle and came up to his house from the far side. He had a brick patio outfitted with an ironwork table and chairs under a pergola and a big grill off to the side. She was surprised to see a playset in the grass nearby until she remembered his mention of a niece. So maybe he wasn’t really afraid of children in general.

      She held Baby John while he unlocked the back door, and they went upstairs. Having changed the baby’s diaper, the little guy wasn’t quite ready to sleep. Cradling him against her shoulder, she returned to the main room to find Fox staring out the window.

      “If you want to go down to the office, I’ll join you when he’s asleep.”

      “You think he’ll sleep in the truck?” he asked. “He’s been quiet for two trips so far. We should go out and take care of your car, pick up your things and then the baby stuff, too.”

      “That would be fantastic if you’re sure we have the time.”

      “We have the time.” He picked up his jacket but didn’t put it on.

      They were locking up the front door when she realized her keys weren’t in her pocket. Dang it. This oversight wouldn’t help her prove herself as a competent and efficient caregiver and assistant. “I left my car keys upstairs.”

      “No problem.” Fox reached out and took the baby. “Go on and grab them,” he said. “I’ll load him up.”

      On a quick apology, she dashed up the stairs and hurried back down again. Fox was walking along, talking to the baby boy in his arms about the sky and trees and the grass.

      “Ready,” she said.

      Fox swiveled around and her breath caught. He and Baby John made a picture, the sunlight bathing