The Rancher's Baby Proposal. Barbara Daille White
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Название: The Rancher's Baby Proposal
Автор: Barbara Daille White
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Вестерны
isbn: 9781474059718
isbn:
He was tiny, not much bigger than Tina’s newborn. A few wispy curls lay against his scalp. “His hair’s so much lighter than Reagan’s,” she blurted.
“It is,” Mrs. Browley agreed. “That may darken as he gets older. Or he may take after his mother.”
She shot a glance at the older woman. Could Reagan have told Mrs. Browley the “long story” he didn’t want to share with her about why he wasn’t married? But the other woman just looked down at the baby.
Ally did, too. The baby stared up at her, his eyes only half open.
“Those eyes, though,” Mrs. Browley said, “are just like the blue of his daddy’s. Aren’t they, Sean?” The baby’s eyelids drifted closed, then fluttered open. She laughed softly. “He just finished eating, and now he’s fighting sleep. You should have a nice, quiet ride out to Reagan’s ranch.”
“I hope so.” And with one feeding out of the way, she might get a reprieve from having to give the baby his bottle today. Two afternoons’ worth of lessons with Tina and Andi had left her feeling a tiny bit more comfortable but nowhere near competent. And to her relief, at least neither Tina’s infant nor Andi’s little girl had protested when Ally held them. She had no guarantee of the same result with Reagan’s baby.
Mrs. Browley gave a heavy sigh.
Ally tensed. “Is there something wrong?”
The other woman shook her head sadly. “Just thinking about yesterday. I saw Jed Garland at Sugar’s, and we were discussing Reagan.”
“You were?” Ally eyed her from under her lashes. This didn’t sound promising. Everyone in town knew anytime Jed or Sugar involved a third party in one of their conversations, at least two of those three were up to something.
“We all knew both Reagan’s parents, of course,” Mrs. Browley said. “And we think that boy is going to have a hard time out at the ranch. Sandra was a wonderful wife and mother, and an excellent housekeeper, too. But she liked her crafts just as much as any of us in the women’s circle do. And she was a fabulous cook. Their place was filled with so many of her handmade decorations, and lots of material and yarn and cookbooks and all kinds of kitchen equipment.”
Ally tried not to grimace. At home, Mama often rolled her eyes and moaned that Ally would never learn to cook. She would reply she did know how—she did just fine with a box and a microwave, didn’t she? “Wouldn’t his father have gotten rid of some of those things, or given them away?”
“No. It was hard on Larry when Sandra got so sick. I know for a fact he couldn’t bring himself to touch any of her things once she passed on.” She rested her hand on Ally’s arm. “Having your help with the baby will give Reagan more time to focus on what needs to be done.”
And give her more time to waver between wanting to run from the ranch and longing to be with him.
“Well.” She looked at the baby, whose eyes were now fully closed. “I guess it’s time to get moving with Sleepy Beauty here.”
“Sleeping Beauty, I think you mean, dear. Although she was a girl, not a boy.” Mrs. Browley’s eyebrows dipped in a concerned frown.
“Don’t worry.” She laughed. “I do know the difference. You know I always joke when I’m feeling uptight.”
“I wouldn’t have thought that applied here. There’s nothing to be nervous about. This little angel won’t give you a bit of worry.”
Ally nodded. She only wished she could feel as confident.
No wonder Reagan didn’t want to make the trip into town and back again twice in one day.
Ally had visited his family’s ranch once and knew it was small compared with most of the properties around Cowboy Creek. The narrow rectangular piece of land lay tucked between two larger spreads. But the ride had been longer than she remembered.
As she pulled the car up to the ranch house, she peeked into her rearview mirror at the car seat Reagan had left for her at Mrs. Browley’s house. Luckily, she had gotten instructions from Tina on the right way to install the seat in the car and then how to fasten the baby safely inside.
Another mirror suction-cupped to the back window reflected the infant’s image. In the frequent quick peeks she had taken on the drive to the ranch, she hadn’t seen him stir. Now, his eyes were open, blinking in the light, staring up at the mirror.
“Hey, baby,” she said softly. “So, you’re awake. Listen, the two of us are going to get along great. No tricks, no temper tantrums on your part. And only first-class care on mine. I promise you that. After all, I’ve been trained by the best. There’s nothing like learning your trade from a brand-new mama.”
She winced. As far as she knew, the baby didn’t have a mama. Had he ever heard the word before? How would he react at hearing it from her?
But he lay still in his seat, blinking lazily.
She took a deep breath and let it out again. Now or never. She would rather never, but that hadn’t been the agreement she had made with Reagan.
She went to the rear passenger door and knelt on the back seat to unhook the safety harness. “This is only your first time out here at the ranch, isn’t it?” Her hands shook just a tiny bit. So did her voice.
The baby looked up at her. He had slept through the entire ride, as if the bouncing of her car on the frequently uneven road had soothed him. Maybe the wobbly sound of her voice had the same effect. If that was the case, she would let her nerves take over and talk to him all day long.
She transferred him to his baby seat and strapped him in. “I’ve only been out to the ranch once before. My mama and the other ladies of the women’s circle sometimes have special Saturday meetings. And one Saturday a long time ago, when Mrs. Chase, your abuela—your grandma—had the meeting here, she invited all of the ladies to bring their kids along.”
After hoisting her purse and the diaper bag onto one shoulder, she picked up the baby in his carrier.
So far, so good. Keep talking.
“This was when I was in junior high school. You’ll find out all about school someday. Anyway, that Saturday, I got to see your daddy.” The memory made her voice suddenly rise. She looked at the baby in alarm, but he simply stared up at her. “He was grooming his horse outside the barn. And would you believe, I got hit with an attack of shyness. Me, Ally Martinez, The Girl Most Likely to Make You Laugh. Crazy, isn’t it? Well. I sat on the darned corral fence for almost an hour, never even saying hello, just watching him work.”
As she went up the steps to the house, she shot a fond glance toward the corral. Then she looked down at the baby. Sean seemed transfixed by her story. Maybe there wouldn’t be much to this babysitting, after all.
Reagan had told her the kitchen door at the back of the house would be open. She went inside and took the baby over to the table.
She hadn’t СКАЧАТЬ