The Cowboy And The Baby. Marie Ferrarella

getting up, the man crossed over and paused in front of Cody. He looked down at the baby and allowed a nostalgic expression to pass over his face.

      “Brings back memories,” he explained, referring to when his children had been that small. “You hang in there, Cody, you hear?”

      Cody merely nodded. There wasn’t anything else that he could do, really.

      “You’re doing a good thing,” Oral said as he left the clinic.

      “He’s right, you know,” Mrs. Moretti told Cody, adding her voice to the sentiment.

      He was really beginning to feel guilty having the woman remain here with him.

      “Mrs. Moretti, you don’t have to stay any longer,” he told her. “You’ve got a family to get back to.”

      He knew that because of extenuating circumstances, Mrs. Moretti was helping to raise two of her younger grandchildren. It wasn’t fair to the woman to make her stay on his account. After all, it wasn’t as if he was helpless.

      But Mrs. Moretti shook her head. “I don’t feel right about leaving you alone.”

      “Two doctors and two nurses is not ‘alone,’ Mrs. Moretti,” he reminded her. “All I have to do is raise my voice and one of them is bound to come out. Really, go home to your family,” he urged, then added, “Layla and I will be fine. Really.”

      Mrs. Moretti’s dark eyes crinkled as she smiled at the sleeping infant in his arms. “Such a lovely name,” she told him. “That was your mama’s name, wasn’t it?” she asked. Cody nodded in response. “All right,” the older woman said with a resigned sigh as she rose to her feet. “I guess they’ll be wondering what happened to me if I don’t get home soon.” Mrs. Moretti spared him one last encouraging pat on the shoulder. “Don’t give up hope, Cody.”

      “No, ma’am, I won’t,” he promised her.

      Nodding her head, Mrs. Moretti picked up her oversize purse and finally made her way out of the clinic.

      “Looks like it’s just you and me now,” Cody whispered to the baby once the door had closed behind Mrs. Moretti.

      “And then,” he amended as he heard the door to the clinic opening again, “maybe not.” Raising his voice so that the woman would turn around, Cody said, “Mrs. Moretti, really, it’s okay. Go home.”

      “I’m not Mrs. Moretti and I’m not going home, at least not until I find out just what the hell is going on here.”

      Surprised, holding the baby pressed against his chest, Cody shifted around in his seat to see Connor walking into the clinic.

      Anyone looking at them would have instantly known that Cody and Connor were brothers, but Connor, three years older and two inches taller, was leaner and more weathered-looking than Cody. And while they both had the same blue eyes, Connor’s hair was a darker shade of blond than Cody’s.

      “Where did you get that?” Connor asked, nodding at the baby as he took a seat next to his brother.

      “Mrs. Abernathy was having a yard sale,” Cody cracked. “I couldn’t help myself.”

      “I’ll let that go,” Connor told him. He studied his brother for a moment. “I hear that you’ve had a hard morning.”