Their Instant Baby. Cathy Thacker Gillen

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      “You don’t know that,” Amy protested quietly, her worry apparent. She cleaned Dexter’s diaper area with a baby wipe, and then sprinkled cornstarch powder on his lower half. “Sometimes families don’t get their happily-ever-afters, Nick.”

      “But Lola and Chuck and Dexter will,” Nick said firmly, aware he had no way of promising that. But he also knew it was important the two of them think that way, just the same. Finished fastening the tabs, he picked up Dexter. To his relief, the diaper, with its cartoon figures on the front, stayed in place, albeit somewhat loosely. Nick turned the momentarily subdued Dexter around and saw smaller cartoon figures on his backside. “Well, that’s interesting,” he said. Before, the bigger cartoon figures had been on the back of Dexter’s diaper, the smaller ones on the front.

      Amy peered at him from beneath a fringe of long dark eyelashes. “You realize you put that on backwards, don’t you?”

      Nick shrugged and handed Dexter over to her. “I’m sure you’ll agree that’s the least of our problems right now.”

      In fact, the way Nick saw it, his main problem was not going to be which side of the disposable diaper went where, but how he was going to survive a week or more in the company of Dexter’s other, very sexy and very beautiful godparent. Nick had been alone with Amy Deveraux for barely five minutes, and already he found himself wanting, quite badly, to take her to bed. Unusual, to say the least. These days when desire hit him, it was usually fleeting and short-lived. He had the feeling that would not be the case with Amy. No, he’d be remembering her pretty face and cloud of dark-mahogany hair for days and weeks to come. Not to mention those wide-set turquoise eyes, narrow elegant nose, high delicate cheekbones, soft luscious lips and cute stubborn chin.

      Dexter squirmed and whimpered once again. Amy put him a little higher against her shoulder, so he was able to fuss and look over her shoulder at the room around them simultaneously. As she gently stroked the infant’s back with the palm of her hand, Amy looked at Nick curiously. “Do you have any idea when Dexter here last ate?”

      Trying not to notice the way Amy’s cotton shirt had ridden up above the waistband of her khaki shorts, revealing several inches of flat, sexy abdomen and silky golden skin, Nick shook his head. Tearing his gaze from the slender but curvy figure visible beneath her loose-fitting knee-length shorts, he shifted his weight to ease the pressure at the front of his slacks and said, “He hasn’t had a bottle since I’ve been here, which is at least two hours.”

      “Then it’s probably time for him to be fed again,” Amy decided. She walked toward the kitchen, her hips swaying so gently and provocatively as she moved it was all Nick could do not to groan out loud. Damn, but it was going to be a long week. Doing his best to return his mind to the task at hand, Nick said, “Lola left some breast milk in the door of the fridge. And there’s more in the freezer when that runs out.”

      Amy handed Dexter to Nick, then moved quickly around the kitchen. Referring often to a handwritten set of instructions on the counter, she warmed Dexter’s bottle in the microwave, then gave it a good shake and tested the liquid on the back of her wrist. Satisfied, she took the bottle to Nick, who was leaning against the counter with Dexter cradled in one arm. He put the nipple to Dexter’s mouth. Dexter spit it out, turned his head away and cried even more loudly.

      Nick and Amy’s subsequent tries to feed Dexter proved no more successful than the first. It didn’t seem to matter if they were sitting or standing, indoors or out. Rocking him or sitting perfectly still. Nick’s nephew was having none of it. Probably, Nick thought, because Dexter kept looking up, expecting to see his mommy’s face, and instead, saw him or Amy. Bottom line, as far as Dexter was concerned, it wasn’t the usual cozy breast-feeding experience he was accustomed to. And he was mighty ticked off about it. Ticked off enough to go on a hunger strike.

      “Now what do we do?” Amy asked anxiously, turning her face to Nick.

      Nick sighed. He could think of only one solution. “I guess there’s no helping it.” He looked at Amy seriously. “You’re going to have to take off your shirt.”

      Chapter Two

      Amy was holding Dexter when Nick made his suggestion, and now she stared at Nick, her pulse taking on a rapid jumping beat. “You’re joking, right?” He looked so handsome and self-assured, lounging against the back of the sofa with his jacket off, his tie loosened and his shirtsleeves rolled up to just beneath the elbow. So big and strong and undeniably sexy that all sorts of romantic thoughts and fantasies came to mind. Fantasies Amy knew she should not be having!

      Nick shook his head, managing to look even more at home at his sister’s small country cottage. “Dexter is used to being fed at Lola’s breast.”

      Heat began to center in Amy’s chest and move outward in mesmerizing waves. “Well, I can’t breast-feed him!” Amy glared at Nick. “I’m not pregnant or nursing. I don’t have any milk!”

      Nick gave Amy an exceedingly patient look, apparently oblivious to the havoc he was causing in her. “I know that,” he said as he gave her an affable smile and somehow avoided looking at her breasts. “But I was thinking about something that was on a television show I produce—Nature’s Kingdom. Have you seen it?”

      “Yes,” Amy said cautiously, aware that being closed in with Nick and the baby this way was putting all her senses in overdrive. Making her wonder what it would be like to have a husband and an infant in her life. She frowned and continued walking Dexter back and forth. “It’s wonderful.”

      “Thanks.” His eyes lit with pleasure. “Anyway, they did a show on puppies who’d been separated from their mother. The new owners comforted the puppies by putting a hot-water bottle covered with a towel with the mother’s scent on it next to the puppies. They all snuggled up to it instinctively and it worked to comfort them. So,” Nick continued, still approaching the problem logically, “I suggest we try to mimic Dexter’s usual mealtime experience as best we can. Therefore—” Nick’s glance slid over her body, head to toe, warming Amy even further “—since your skin is obviously a lot smoother and silkier and your body a lot, uh, curvier than mine, I suggest you do the actual feeding, at least this first time, as we try to help him with the transition from his mom’s breast-feeding.” Nick eased Dexter from Amy’s arms and cuddled the squalling infant close. “Lola left a robe in the bathroom on a hook on the door.”

      Aware her knees suddenly were as wobbly and uncertain as the rest of her, Amy eased past Nick and Dexter. “You really think this will work?”

      Nick shrugged and continued holding Dexter awkwardly against his hard-muscled chest. “I wouldn’t have suggested it if I didn’t.”

      Had they been anywhere else, doing anything else, Amy would have told Nick Everton exactly what he could do with his suggestion that she appear in a state of undress in his presence. But unable to bear Dexter’s hiccupy sobs a second longer, Amy slipped into the bathroom and did as Nick proposed, pulling off her lemon-yellow shirt and donning the robe. When she came back out, Nick was standing next to the rocking chair, Dexter in his arms. His eyes seemed to darken at the sight of her, and he motioned her to sit.

      Her mouth dry, Amy did.

      Nick leaned down and put Dexter in Amy’s arms. With fingers that trembled, Amy tried to discreetly open her robe. Given the way Dexter was still flailing his little limbs and crying, it was impossible to hold on to him and do that simultaneously.

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