Page 38 of Winter Vows

Trish stared. “He did?”

“Never really said what he wanted, but I assumed it was to see your precious little one. He fed her and rocked her as if he’d been doing it all his life. They had quite a chat. I tried eavesdropping, but he kept his voice too low for me to hear,” she said, obviously disgruntled.

“Are you sure he didn’t come by to see Jordan or something?” Trish asked.

“Nope. He seemed to know that Jordan was out of town and that you were at the store.” She grinned. “I’ll admit, Laura was wailing and I sort of shoved her into his arms while I fixed her bottle, but when I came back into the room, he was cooing at her like a proud papa. He settled her right down. You should have seen him with her. It would have melted your heart.”

Trish didn’t doubt it. She sank into a chair. What on earth had possessed him to drop by? she wondered. Apparently the fact that he’d delivered Laura had created a more powerful bond than she’d realized, not just with her, but with her daughter. Just as obvious was the fact that he didn’t want her to know about it. He’d deliberately chosen to come by when he’d known she wouldn’t be there, as if he feared her making too much out of whatever attention he paid to the baby.

She glanced away from the baby’s face and realized Kelly was staring at her with a puzzled expression.

“You’re not upset because he spent time with Laura, are you?”

“No, of course not. I’m just surprised.”

“How did things go at the store? Did you get a lot of work done?”

“Yes.” When everyone hadn’t been busy prying into her love life, she thought wryly. “Everyone was wonderful. But I can’t go on depending on all of you for everything. I need to start making my own plans for living arrangements.”

“Absolutely not,” Kelly said. “There’s plenty of room here, and we love having you. Once you get the store up and running, if you want to find your own place we’ll help you. In the meantime, I’m right here to look after Laura while you work. It’s winter, so there’s less for me to do on the ranch. I always get a little antsy this time of year. I’m glad of the distraction. Besides, if you moved now, you’d have to find a sitter. You can’t take Laura with you. She has no business being there while you’re painting.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Trish admitted. “Staying here for the time being does make sense.”

“Of course it does. So, that’s the end of that.”

Kelly peered at her. “What brought that up out of the blue, anyway? Too many nosy people trying to run your life today?”

Trish grinned at the assessment. “Something like that.”

“Ignore us. No one means any harm. We just can’t help ourselves.”

“One person I could ignore. Maybe even two,” Trish argued. “But there are so many of you.”

“And we’re all right,” Kelly teased. “Still doesn’t mean you have to listen to us. Tune us out. Make your own decisions. Tell us to take a flying leap, if it suits you. We won’t be insulted. In fact, we’re used to it.”

“Yes, I imagine you are,” Trish said, thinking that however many insults had been hurled at them over the years, they remained steadfastly undaunted when it came to meddling.

“Can I ask one last nosy question before I quit for the night?”

Trish regarded her with amusement. “Could I stop you?”

“Probably not.”

“Then go for it.”

“Are you even the teeniest bit tempted by Hardy? I mean the man is seriously gorgeous. Even I’m not too old to recognize that.”

Trish sighed heavily and admitted, “I’d have to be dead not to be.”

Kelly grinned. “Then we’re not wasting our time. Good.”

Too late, Trish realized that she’d just offered encouragement to an entire clan of matchmakers. Now they’d never in a million years believe that their cause was hopeless.

Hardy finally discovered a serious flaw in Trish.

When it came to choosing the wood for her bookshelves, she couldn’t make a decision to save her soul. Unfortunately he found her indecision more amusing than annoying.

She hadn’t been satisfied with the selection at a local lumber company, so he’d suggested a trip to Garden City. Now they were surrounded by samples of maple, pine, oak, cherry and mahogany. She rubbed her fingers over the grain. She sniffed deeply, as if she might be swayed by the fragrance alone. She studied the prices, punched numbers into her little pocket calculator and noted them on the paper they’d brought with measurements. Then she sighed and went through the same routine all over again.

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