The Maverick's Holiday Surprise. Karen Rose Smith

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       Chapter Two

      On Saturday afternoon, Bella was thankful for the baby chain that was helping her brother at Short Hills Ranch. This afternoon, Lindsay Dalton, one of the volunteers in Jamie’s baby chain, had stopped by. She was taking over care of baby Jared while Jamie and Bella handled the others. By the stone fireplace in the family room, Bella was holding Henry and sitting in an old pine rocker she’d found at a flea market. His little eyes were almost shutting. Jamie had taken Katie upstairs to the nursery to try to calm her down. She was teething and couldn’t be easily consoled today.

      Lindsay sat on the sofa cooing softly to Jared. “If Henry starts crying again, he will, too,” she whispered.

      Lindsay was a pretty brunette and Bella could easily see why Walker, Hudson’s brother, had fallen for her. Her own friendship with Lindsay had been strained by the lawsuit against Just Us Kids since Lindsay had been the lawyer suing Walker. But now Lindsay and Walker were engaged, and Walker was going to work mostly from Rust Creek Falls and travel when necessary. Lindsay and Bella were finding common ground again by helping Jamie.

      “How goes everything at Just Us Kids?” Lindsay asked her, truly interested.

      Bella continued to rock back and forth, watching Henry’s fists curl. Holding a baby absolutely melted her heart, yet it made it hurt at the same time.

      “Everything’s going well,” she told Lindsay. “At least it seems to be. We had a mother tell us that if she saw one baby with the sniffles, she’d pull her child and enroll him at Country Kids.” Country Kids was their rival for clients.

      “Sniffles and kids just go together,” Lindsay said with a shake of her head. “Especially this time of year.”

      “One sniffle now and Hudson asks the parent to keep their child home. That’s the way it has to be. I know that’s a hardship on the parents, but we can’t have another outbreak.”

      “I’m glad we can talk about this,” Lindsay said. “I hated being on opposite sides of the fence.”

      Bella nodded. She’d missed Lindsay’s friendship, too. “How are you and Walker?” she asked.

      Lindsay’s face broke into a wide smile. “We’re wonderful. He’s wonderful.”

      Then Lindsay asked, “How are you and Hudson getting along?”

      “Fine,” Bella responded airily. There must have been something in her voice, because Lindsay asked, “How fine?”

      Bella felt her cheeks flush.

      Lindsay said gently, “You know, don’t you, that Hudson has a reputation for being a love-’em-and-leave-’em cowboy.”

      “His reputation doesn’t matter,” Bella said. “He’s my boss. That’s it.”

      Still she remembered the way they’d sat together eating those sticky ribs, the way they’d stood close and she’d felt heat from Hudson and her own heat in return.

      “You don’t resent him overseeing you anymore?”

      “I’m still not sure how I feel about that,” Bella admitted. “But I’m not as resentful as I was at the beginning. I understand that both Hudson and Walker have to safeguard the business. I just didn’t want someone judging every move I make.”

      “Is Hudson doing that?”

      “Actually, no, he isn’t. His managerial style is hands-off, unless he has to step in.”

      She thought about how Hudson had stepped in after a parent had dressed her down. She also thought about Walker’s brief visits to the day care center and his sometimes condescending attitude to Hudson because he was the older brother.

      “I wish Walker would tell Hudson he’s doing a good job. After all, Hudson handled the PR for the whole problem and managed to keep most of our staff and our clients. But I get the idea that Walker doesn’t understand what a huge achievement that is.”

      Lindsay rubbed her finger along Jared’s chin, studying his baby face as if maybe she was contemplating having a child of her own someday.

      “I hear what you’re saying,” Lindsay assured Bella. “But you know, brothers will be brothers. I get the feeling that Walker and Hudson’s relationship is complicated, so I think it’s better if I stay out of it.”

      Bella admired Lindsay’s honesty. “You’re probably right. I wouldn’t want anyone interfering in my relationship with Jamie.”

      After the babies fell asleep, Bella and Lindsay took them upstairs to their cribs in the nursery. Since Katie was still fussing, Jamie carried her to his bedroom so her restlessness and cries wouldn’t wake the other two.

      Downstairs once more, Bella and Lindsay cleaned up the living room and den. There were always baby things scattered everywhere, from bottles to diapers to receiving blankets to toys. After Lindsay left, Bella went to find Jamie, still in the recliner in his bedroom, rocking Katie. In a pink onesie with a teddy bear embroidered on the front, she looked like a little angel. He was looking down at her as if she were one.

      “She’s almost asleep,” he told Bella. “But she’s still restless. I want to make sure she’s really into a deep nap before I put her down with the others.”

      “I can take her,” Bella offered. “Why don’t you go riding? You need a break.” He’d been up half the night with Katie.

      “I want to make sure this is merely teething and not something else. She doesn’t feel hot, but I want to be certain she’s not running a temperature.”

      Bella could hear the fatigue in Jamie’s voice, and he looked exhausted. He hadn’t shaved today, and beard stubble lined his chin. His blond hair fell over his СКАЧАТЬ