Fortune's Heart. Marie Ferrarella

his body, staring into her face. She squirmed in his hands.

      “You need to hold her closer,” Stacey said. “She feels insecure in that position.”

      “I’m not gonna drop her,” he said.

      “I know that, but she doesn’t,” Stacey said.

      He sat and gingerly set her on his lap, and she stopped wiggling.

      Piper cooed at him, lifting her finger toward his face. She seemed to stare at his every feature. What amazing concentration she had. He inhaled and caught a whiff of sweet baby smell. Colton felt a strange sensation inside him, as if the baby was trying to communicate with him. She was a cute thing. He felt an odd protective feeling for the child even though Piper wasn’t his. It was as if he was suddenly driven to keep her safe. At the same time, he was terrified she was going to start screaming any minute.

      “You look so nervous, Colton. I can take her,” Stacey said, lifting the baby from his arms.

      Colton felt a huge sense of relief. At the same time, he wouldn’t mind breathing in Piper’s sweet scent again.

      “So, did our advice help?” Stacey asked as she shifted Piper onto her hip.

      Colton couldn’t stop his gaze from flowing down her curvy body, then up again. A flash of what her nude body might look like slid through his brain. Colton gulped. Stacey—his sister’s friend, the literal girl next door—was unbelievably sexy. Colton wondered if he was going insane.

      “Isn’t she sweet?” Stacey asked.

      Colton lifted his head in a round nod. “Sweet,” he said. But frightening, he thought, although he would never admit it in a million years. Colton was no baby expert, and he had no idea what to do with a tot like Piper. For that matter, he wasn’t sure what to do with all the forbidden thoughts he was having about Stacey.

      * * *

      Later that night when Stacey had finally put Piper to sleep, she headed for her own bed after she’d washed her face and brushed her teeth. She couldn’t shake the image of Colton holding Piper. The baby had taken to Colton almost immediately. He didn’t know it, but Stacey did. Colton had looked wary about Piper, but the baby had clearly found him fascinating. She’d stared into his face as if she’d wanted to memorize every feature.

      Stacey had found herself watching him more than she ever had in the past. Crazy, she told herself and closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. She counted backward from two hundred and finally fell asleep and into a vivid dream. Piper was crawling down the aisle of a chapel wearing her christening gown. Her sweet baby finally reached the altar, and Joe stood, with his back to Stacey.

      “I do,” Joe said.

      Her heart pounding, Stacey tried to scream, but no sound came from her mouth. She felt utterly helpless.

      “Joe,” she whispered. “Joe...”

      Stacey rushed toward the altar. “Joe,” she called.

      Stacey watched Joe bend over to pick up Piper. Her heart melted. Joe was going to love Piper. Her baby was finally going to have a daddy. It seemed to take hours, but Stacey finally reached her groom and touched his shoulder.

      He turned, but her groom wasn’t Joe.

      It was Colton.

      Alarm rushed through her.

      Stacey awakened in a sweat. Joe? Colton? This couldn’t be. “Colton,” she whispered aloud and sat up in her bed. Why was she dreaming of Colton? Why was she even thinking of him? He was her neighbor, her best friend’s brother. Ridiculous, she told herself. Beyond ridiculous. She shook her head and tried to push away the image of the tall, sexy cowboy.

      Stacey forced herself to relax. She’d learned to seek sleep when her baby slept. Taking several deep breaths, she told herself not to think about Colton. She shouldn’t think about his wide shoulders and his insanely curly, dark eyelashes. She shouldn’t think about his strong jaw and great muscles and dependability. He was the kind of man who would always stand beside a friend and support him or her.

      Colton was also a man who was clearly interested in another woman at the moment. Why else would he have sought Rachel’s help about what women really want?

      The reality of that made Stacey feel a little cranky, although, for the life of her, she couldn’t say why.

      “Go to sleep,” she told herself. She would be so busy tomorrow with Piper that she would truly regret one minute of sleep she’d lose thinking about Colton.

      * * *

      The next day, just after Stacey put Piper down for her afternoon nap, she heard a knock at the front door. She knew that her mother had gone to a sewing circle meeting and her father was outside working, so she wanted to catch whoever was at the door before they awakened Piper. Heaven knew, Stacey cherished nap time.

      She raced toward the front door and whisked it open. Colton stood on the front porch holding a pie. Surprise and pleasure rushed through her. “Well, hello to you. Come on inside.”

      “I can’t stay long. My mother fixed a batch of apple pies, and she thought your family might enjoy one,” he said, following her.

      “We certainly will. This will go great with the dinner I’m fixing tonight. Please, tell her I said thank you. Would you like some coffee?” she asked.

      “No need,” he said. “I really can’t stay long. You’re fixing dinner, you say? Do I smell pot roast?”

      “You do,” she said, and took the pie to the kitchen and quickly returned. “Since I’m not bringing home the bacon right now, I try to help around the house as much as possible. I fix dinner and clean while Piper naps. It’s the least I can do. I’m also thinking about doing some after-school tutoring in math and science. I can have kids come here and Piper’s not walking yet. I hear once the babies start walking, it’s a whole different ballgame.”

      “I’m sure it is,” he said.

      Stacey looked up at Colton and noticed his eyelashes again. When had he become sexy-looking? she wondered. Although she’d certainly always known Colton was male, she just hadn’t thought of him as a man. And she shouldn’t be thinking that way now either.

      The silence stretched between them, and Stacey felt heat rush to her face. “Are you sure I can’t get you a cup of coffee? It’s the least I can do with you bringing over a pie.”

      “Trust me. I didn’t bake that pie,” he said in a dry tone. “But I’ll take a cup if you’re insisting. I’ll be working outside, and it won’t hurt to get warmed up before I face the cold.”

      “Just a moment,” she said, and returned to the kitchen to pour Colton’s coffee. As she reentered the den, she gave him the cup. “Any problems or just the regular endless chores?”

      He nodded. “I need to do a little work on some fences. My dad’s back isn’t what it used to be, so I try to tackle anything that may cause him pain.”

      “That’s nice of you,” she said. “He refuses to go to the doctor, doesn’t he?”

      Colton nodded again. “He doesn’t believe in it. Says it’s a waste of time and money. The last time he went to the doctor, he nearly died from a burst appendix. And we almost had to beat him into going.”

      “I remember when that happened,” Stacey said. “It was a long time ago. I’m sure someone has told him that there have been huge advances made in medical science.”

      “All of us have told him that, but he’d rather eat nails than admit he’s hurting.”

      “Maybe you can persuade him to go to the doctor if you take him out for lunch in Vicker’s Corners sometime,” she suggested.

      “Possible,” he said. “Rachel might have better luck with him than I would. He has always let her get away with murder.”