Holiday Baby. Jenna Mindel

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СКАЧАТЬ Christmas, yes.”

      “Why?”

      He shrugged. “Living here wasn’t working for me and I’d like to get back to the hunt.”

      Cat nodded. It was what she’d known all along. A man like Simon would never settle down.

      He took a deep breath. “Look, I don’t know how to be a good father.”

      “And I know how to be a mom?”

      His eyes narrowed. “You appear to know what you’re doing and you’ve a good family here.”

      “What’s that supposed to mean?”

      “You have a solid support system. I will support you too, you know, financially.”

      Cat sighed. So, they were only a financial obligation to him. “I’m not looking for you to do anything.”

      Simon shot to his feet and ran his hand through his hair. “I won’t abandon my own kid.”

      He’d abandoned her—setting her on that plane as if he couldn’t wait to be rid of her despite the night they’d spent together. She’d thought they’d shared something special, but the morning after proved it obviously hadn’t meant anything to him—just as their daughter didn’t seem to mean anything to him now...other than money he needed to pay.

      She didn’t want him complicating things for her or Opal as some absentee parent whose only connection to them was child support. Or worse, popping in and out of their lives. A person couldn’t parent halfway and Cat wasn’t into taking his money unless Simon showed that he wanted to be a real dad.

      “Can I hold her?” His voice was whisper-soft.

      Cat wanted to refuse. He was leaving in a month’s time. Why bother pretending to care if he wasn’t going to make any commitment to stick around? And yet because he was leaving, what harm could there be in granting this small request?

      With a sigh, she got up and walked toward him and settled Opal in his arms. She continued to support the baby from underneath and, being this close, she caught the light scent of Simon’s spicy cologne. “Cradle her so you don’t drop her. Okay, that’s it.”

      “I’ve held a baby before.” He awkwardly adjusted his arms.

      “Yeah? When?”

      A dark shadow crossed his face. “A long, long time ago.”

      “Support her neck.” Cat finally relinquished her hold and stepped back, curious. “What baby did you hold?”

      “My little sister and brother.” Simon cradled their daughter and his face softened.

      “Ah, so you do have family.” He’d refused to answer that question before.

      “If you can call them that, yes.” Simon didn’t elaborate and concentrated on Opal’s face.

      Cat watched the man melt before her very eyes. The sight nearly undid her.

      He looked back up at her. “Cat, I have no idea what to do.”

      “You’re holding her just fine.”

      “That’s not what I mean.” He looked as if he’d been torn in two.

      “What do you mean?” she whispered.

      Simon’s gaze bore into hers, searching.

      A different woman stepped into the room with a crying infant and her eyes widened when she spotted Simon.

      “You’d better go.” Cat reached for Opal.

      Simon didn’t hand her over. “Come with me.”

      Her stomach flipped again, but Cat killed the butterflies swirling there. “Where?”

      “My house isn’t far.” He waited for her to decide.

      Cat could refuse, but they’d have to finish this conversation eventually. Before he left, anyway. She supposed she owed him that much.

      Glancing at the woman waiting for Simon to leave so she could feed her baby, Cat quickly grabbed her diaper bag and followed him out.

       Chapter Two

      Simon held open the door to his rental house for Cat and the baby. She stepped inside and set Opal, bundled inside a car seat, down in a puddle of sun shining on the hardwood floor. She took off the little fleece blanket that covered the baby and looked around.

      “Would you care for tea?” Simon walked past her into the kitchen.

      Cat shook her head. “Thank you, but no. I shouldn’t stay long.”

      He didn’t know why not. He’d faced her lion of a brother in the sanctuary on their way out the door and had told him that Cat was coming home with him so they could figure out a few things. Simon didn’t know where to start, so perhaps a tour might break the tension. “Let me show you around. It’s not much, but there are two bedrooms.”

       Room enough for Opal.

      What was he thinking? He couldn’t care for an infant. One glance at the protective way Cat checked on the baby, and Simon had his doubts about her ever letting the child out of her sight, much less leaving the baby alone with him.

      His baby—whom he never would have known about if he hadn’t seen her in church today.

      Why hadn’t she told him?

      Cat followed him in icy silence. His place might be small, but it was tidy with a nice-sized wood-burning fireplace in the corner and big windows and a view of Maple Bay. The short hall led to two bedrooms across from each other and a full bath at the end. His room was sparsely furnished with only a bed and nightstand. He’d never felt the need to own more than the essentials.

      “There’s no pictures or anything. Have you packed things up already?” Cat kept looking around as if she expected more.

      “No, this is it.” He’d never owned artwork and he certainly didn’t have family portraits to hang. He didn’t remember his mother taking pictures. But then, she’d never spend money on a camera. Not when drugs had been more important.

      Back in the living room, Cat sat on the tan couch. His furnishings might be well made, but he got the feeling they were lacking under her critical gaze. “How long have you been here?” she asked.

      He sat in the only other piece of furniture in the room, a handcrafted rocking chair with a curved high back. “I moved here the end of May.”

      “Why?”

      Simon stopped rocking and looked at her. “I guess I wanted a break. The way you described Maple Springs, I thought it’d be the perfect place to design and sell jewelry on a smaller scale.”

      “Isn’t СКАЧАТЬ