A Baby for Dry Creek and A Dry Creek Christmas. Janet Tronstad

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      “But I don’t have a job in L.A. anymore.” Chrissy reached over to unbuckle Justin from his car seat.

      Speaking of jobs reminded Reno that he hadn’t called Mrs. Hargrove since he’d talked to her when they stopped in Las Vegas. He hoped she had remembered to put a notice on the bulletin board in the café asking for a live-in housekeeper.

      Reno opened the back door for Chrissy. “Here, let me hold Justin while you get out. And he’ll need a blanket. It’s a little chilly out here.” Reno had held Justin many times over the past couple of days, but he continued to be surprised every time Chrissy handed him the baby at how small Justin really was. This time was no exception. Chrissy had assured Reno several times that Justin was a healthy weight for his young age, but Reno still wanted Dr. Norris to check Justin out.

      “Remember, if you take a job, you need to ask for this Thursday off so we can take Justin to the doctor in Miles City.”

      “I can’t ask for a day off the first week of the job.” Chrissy stepped out of the car and stretched. “We’ll have to postpone the doctor’s visit until the next week.”

      “Well, we’ll wait and see.” Reno didn’t say that Mrs. Hargrove wouldn’t care what day Chrissy took off. After all, he wasn’t supposed to know about the job that was posted inside on the bulletin board.

      “He sure is an agreeable little guy,” Reno said as he looked down at the baby. “Look at him smiling.”

      “Babies that young don’t smile. Its just gas. It says so in the baby books.”

      “Those books don’t know everything. I can tell by the look in his eyes that he’s smiling at me.” Reno hated to give the baby back to Chrissy. It suddenly hit him that this was probably the last time he would get to hold the little one. “He knows I’m the one who taught him how to make a fist.”

      “I think that’s pretty natural. So he can suck his thumb.”

      “Yeah, but I showed him how to hold his fingers so he can get a good grip on a baseball when he’s older.”

      Chrissy smiled as she held out her arms for Justin. “He’ll appreciate that.”

      Reno gave the baby to her. “If you ever need someone to watch him, let me know.”

      Reno figured he was due some visitation rights. After all, he’d changed Justin’s diapers several times on the road. That should give him some rights.

      “Thanks. I’ll remember that.”

      Chrissy squared her shoulders as she cradled Justin to her. Reno figured she was preparing herself to face Dry Creek. He only hoped she would give the place a chance.

      Chapter Six

      Chrissy stepped through the door that Reno held open for her and entered the Dry Creek Café with her baby cradled in her arms. She took a deep breath. It was midmorning and she’d made it home. She remembered the smell of baking biscuits and coffee from when she’d been here before. And the black-and-white checked floor had been in her dreams on more than one night. Six or seven tables were scattered around the café like before.

      But something was different. Three tables were pushed next to the large window overlooking the street. Lace half curtains covered the bottom of the large window and matched the white tablecloths covering each of the three tables. In the place where bottles of ketchup sat on the other tables, silver vases stood filled with pink silk flowers. Matching pink napkins were placed beside the silverware on those tables. A wide aisle separated the three tables from the rest of the more casual ones.

      Chrissy nodded. That was clever. It made the place feel as if had two restaurants instead of just one.

      “Linda thinks we need more class,” Reno said as he turned to leave the café again. “I’m going to bring in the diaper bag in case you need anything. I’ll be right back.”

      A delighted shriek made Chrissy look toward the door that led to the kitchen, and she saw Linda stand still for a moment in the open doorway before she came rushing toward her. “You’re here!”

      Chrissy felt her heart smile. It sounded as if she had one friend in Dry Creek besides Reno. With the two of them by her side, she’d be fine.

      “Oh, I can’t wait to see the baby!” Linda whispered as she stopped about a yard from Chrissy and then tiptoed closer. Linda had a butterfly tattoo above one eye and a copper-red streak in her dark hair. “Is it sleeping?”

      “No, he’s awake.”

      “So it’s a boy.”

      Chrissy nodded. She decided she had no reason to feel self-conscious about her orange dress here. Linda was wearing a purple velvet dress and a large pink apron.

      Linda just stood grinning at her. “And you! How are you? You know, I meant to write, but I lost your address and then I forgot to ask Garrett for it again and, well—” She stopped to take a breath. “You’re here!”

      “It’s good to be back,” Chrissy said. “I thought about writing you, too, but there was the baby and then I was working and—well, it’s good to see you.”

      Chrissy knew Linda and her boyfriend, Duane “Jazz” Edison, were running the café to earn enough money to buy a farm of their own so they could get married. Unless Linda had had a birthday since Chrissy was here last, Linda was twenty.

      “Now, sit down and tell me about the baby,” Linda said as she motioned to one of the tables with the flowers on them. “What does he like to do? Are you nursing him or is he on the bottle? I want to know everything. I love babies.”

      The door to the café opened again, and Reno came in with the diaper bag.

      “Well, Justin eats good, so he’ll be growing fast,” Chrissy reported.

      “He’s going to be a baseball player someday,” Reno added as he set the diaper bag on the floor at Chrissy’s feet. “He’s got a good grip in his fingers. Don’t you, big fella?”

      Chrissy watched as Reno ran his thumb softly over the smooth skin on Justin’s tiny hand. “I can feel him practicing his pitches already.”

      Justin gurgled in response to Reno’s words.

      “That’s right,” Reno murmured.

      Chrissy’s throat went dry and she had to swallow. Where had she been for these past days? She hoped Justin wasn’t becoming too attached to Reno. Was it possible for a baby to even do that? Chrissy remembered how painful it had been for her when she was young and her mother’s boyfriends would leave. The first few times it happened, Chrissy didn’t understand and thought the men had disliked her for some reason. She didn’t want Justin to have that same hurt in his life.

      “The baby seems to like you,” Linda said quietly to Reno.

      “Yeah.” Reno grinned as though he’d been given a first-prize ribbon.

      “Justin just likes the sound of men’s voices,” Chrissy added quickly. She was beginning to see just how complicated this all was.

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