Читать книгу Cherish Collection January 2014 (Books 1-12) - Rebecca Winters - Страница 53

Chapter Ten

Piper spit up a little on his suit’s pant leg. Colton bit his lip, remembering the blowout at the festival. Could be worse, he thought, and removed his coat and tie. If Piper ruined his shirt, he could wash it. The tie and coat were more problematic. He lifted her in his arms and walked around the kitchen.

Colton wanted to check on Stacey, but he also wanted to give her some privacy. He’d had a couple stomach viruses in his life, and all he’d wanted to do was lie on the bathroom floor and pray for relief.

Piper began to babble again. Colton was just thanking his lucky stars that the sounds she was making were happy ones. “So, who do you like better? Spurs or Mavericks?”

Colton carried Piper around for a half an hour. It seemed the easiest way to keep her happy. She grew drowsy in his arms, though, and he didn’t know if he should put her down for the night. Plus, he was worried about Stacey. He meandered down the hallway to Stacey’s room.

“Hey, Stacey,” he said and tapped at the door. “Are you okay?”

“No,” she called. “My stomach has been inhabited by an alien, and it has turned itself inside out.”

He swallowed a grin. It must be a good sign that she could joke. “Can I do anything for you?”

“Just make sure Piper is taken care of if I croak,” she said.

His heart squeezed tight. “Don’t joke about that,” he said.

Silence stretched between them. “I’m not gonna croak,” she said. “I’m just gonna wish I could croak.”

“Are you sure I can’t get anything for you? Water? Soda?” he asked.

“Maybe some soda,” she said. “Clear soda,” she clarified.

“Done,” he said and went to the kitchen. Juggling Piper from one arm to the other, he searched the refrigerator and found a can of seltzer. He poured it into a glass with ice and took it back to her bedroom.

“Got the soda,” he said, knocking at the door.

A moment later, the door opened, and Stacey looked up at him as she propped herself against the doorjamb. He could honestly say she looked like death warmed over. She was pale, and her eyes were red-rimmed. “I can only take a sip,” she said, and reached out to take a tiny drink.

“Are you sure you don’t need to go to the hospital in Lubbock?” he asked. “You look pretty bad.”

“I’m in the worst part of the virus,” she said. “I just need to stay hydrated. One sip at a time.” She closed her eyes. “I need to lie down. Can you watch Piper a little longer?”

“Yes, I just need to know—”

“Thanks,” she said and shut the door.

Colton looked at the door for a long moment, then looked at Piper. Her eyes moved in a slow blink. “You look very sleepy,” he said. “But I don’t want you to wake up in the middle of the night. Maybe a late-night snack?”

He returned to the den and pulled out the magic bag. Rifling through it, he found a jar of peaches. “Sound good?” he said to her.

She drooped against his shoulder. Colton opened the jar and fed her while she rested in his arms. It required far more coordination than it took to wrestle a calf and brand it.

Piper scarfed down the pureed peaches and let out a hearty burp. Colton figured a poop was coming any moment. He felt a sudden surge of warmth on his legs. “Wait, wait, wait,” he said, and lifted her up before she ruined his suit pants.

He laid her down on a blanket and grabbed the whole container of wipes. “I can do this,” he said to himself. “I’ve done it before.” Colton opened Piper’s diaper and winced. Quickly, he cleaned her up and fastened her new diaper only to have her refill it.

“Oh, Lord, help me,” he muttered and started cleaning her up again. Sprinkling powder on her, he fastened yet another diaper on her. Taking the little girl in his arms, Colton tossed the two dirty diapers into the kitchen can and walked toward the nursery.

Rummaging around the room, he found a gown. With some trouble, Colton removed Piper’s shoes, tights and dress, then pulled on the gown. She whined at him several times.

“Cut me some slack. I haven’t done this before,” he said. He caught sight of some booties and pulled them on her feet. “Comfy?” he asked.

She wiggled and stared up at him. He stared back at her for a long moment and felt as if he was seeing the beginning and ending of the earth in her eyes. He couldn’t look away.

Piper wiggled again, and he shook his head. He must have imagined that strange feeling, he thought. He picked her up and paced around the room. After a few moments, he decided to try out the rocking chair. He rocked her for several moments, then set her down in her crib on her back.

Bracing himself for her cry, he held his breath and waited. Colton counted to one hundred. No sound from Piper. He almost couldn’t believe it.

Leaving the room and carefully closing the door behind him, he glanced back at Stacey’s room. He wondered if he should check on her. Lost in a quandary, he stared at her door.

“Is there a problem?” Stacey’s mother asked.

Colton nearly jumped out of his skin. He’d been so focused on Stacey and Piper he hadn’t heard Stacey’s parents enter the house. “Stacey got sick on the way to the wedding,” he whispered, not wanting to awaken Piper. “We came back, but she was too sick to take care of the baby. I looked after Piper, and she’s fallen asleep.”

“If there’s one thing I know, it’s not to wake a sleeping baby,” Jeanne said.

Colton smiled. “I’m with you on that, but I’m a little worried about Stacey. Would you mind checking on her?”

Jeanne disappeared into Stacey’s room for a moment, then returned to the hallway. “She’s falling asleep as we speak. I think the worst of the virus is past. I feel bad that this was her first experience tutoring.”

“Knowing her, she won’t quit,” Colton said.

“Very true,” Jeanne said to him and squeezed his arm. “Thank you for looking out for Stacey and Piper tonight.”

“Piper was a breeze,” Colton said. “I just wish I could have helped Stacey a little more.”

“You helped her by taking care of Piper.” Jeanne gave him a considering glance. “Looks like Piper may be getting used to you.”

“I think I just got lucky with her tonight,” Colton said. “I always feel as if I’m spinning the roulette wheel with that little one.”

“Don’t underestimate yourself,” Jeanne said.

“If you say so,” he said. “You sure you don’t want me to hang around a little longer in case you need an extra set of hands?” he asked, feeling oddly reluctant to leave Stacey and Piper.

“I’ll be fine,” she said and chuckled. “I had to juggle babies when they were sick many times when my children were young.”

“I guess so,” he said, and felt a little foolish. Of course Jeanne Fortune Jones knew what she was doing. The woman had seven children, after all. “I’ll head on home, then. Tell Stacey to give me a call when she’s feeling better.”

“I’ll do that,” her mother said. “Thank you again for looking after both of them.”

He nodded and collected his tie, jacket and hat. “Good night,” he said, and headed toward his truck. Colton had an odd, empty, gnawing sensation in his gut as he drove home. He should have been relieved to hand over the reins of Piper and Stacey’s care to Jeanne, but he wasn’t. Taking care of a temperamental baby while Stacey was sick? It should have been one of the most miserable evenings of his life. He should have run screaming the second Stacey’s mom came home. Instead, he’d taken to the task quickly—and more easily than he’d imagined possible. And walking away from Piper—and her beautiful mother—was getting tougher by the day.

Something was wrong, very wrong. He needed to rethink all this.

* * *

Over the next couple of days, Colton brooded over his relationship with Stacey. With everyone else voicing an opinion about it, he needed to figure out his own thoughts. In a different situation, in a different— bigger, more crowded—town, he and Stacey could allow their relationship to develop naturally with little intervention. Since, however, both of them lived at home with their families, it seemed they were overwhelmed by prying eyes. Colton had feelings for Stacey and Piper, stronger feelings than he wanted to have at the moment, but he wasn’t sure what he should do about those feelings—or what he wanted to do about them. Colton wanted to take things slow. He wanted to be careful. There was a baby involved, for Pete’s sake. At the same time, he wanted so badly to be with Stacey and Piper. And yet he couldn’t stop thinking about Joe. Why had he abandoned Stacey and Piper? How could he have? Colton had known that Joe’s father hadn’t been around much, but surely that wouldn’t have prevented Joe from being the husband and father Stacey and Piper needed.

The quandary frustrated him so much that he worked outside until it turned dark. Maybe if he wore himself out, he would fall asleep without thinking about Stacey and Piper. He walked into the house with two goals in mind, a meal followed by a shower, but he caught sight of his sister Rachel grading papers in the den.

“Oh, there you are,” she called out to him, jumping up from the sofa. “I thought you might have fallen in a hole.”

“No, but I’ve been digging a few,” he said, and continued to the kitchen. He foraged through the refrigerator and found some leftover baked chicken and rice. “How’s life as a student teacher?”

“Busy, busy. But not so busy that I can’t offer to babysit so you and Stacey can have an evening out by yourselves,” she said, and shot him a cheeky grin.

“That’s nice of you,” he said and heated his leftovers in the microwave. “I’ll have to check with Stacey when she’s feeling better.”

“Oh, she’s feeling better,” Rachel said. “I talked to her today. She hasn’t called you yet because she’s embarrassed that she got sick and you had to take care of Piper.”

“I didn’t mind taking care of Piper. I was glad to do what I could to help Stacey when she felt so bad,” he said impatiently.

“What’s wrong with you?” Rachel asked. “You seem grumpy.”

“I’m just tired,” he said, pulling a mug from the cabinet. “I’ve been up since the crack of dawn, working outside in this wind.”

“Hmm,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Are you sure it isn’t anything about Stacey? You’re not leading her on, are you?”

Frustration ripped through him, and he slammed the cabinet door. Swearing under his breath, he shook his head. “That’s part of the problem,” he said. “Everyone is watching every move Stacey and I make. Everyone feels the need to offer an opinion. Did you ever think we don’t need your opinion? Did you ever think we don’t want to hear what you think?” he challenged his sister.

Rachel drew back, her eyes widened in surprise. “Why are you so touchy? I just said you shouldn’t lead her on. You know that, too.”

“Then why did you feel the need to tell me?” he asked. The microwave dinged, signaling his food was ready. He poured himself a cup of decaf and took his dinner to the table.

“I just thought I should make sure,” she said. “Stacey has been through a hard time. You know what happened with Joe.”

“I do,” he said. “You think I should stop seeing her?”

Rachel blinked. “Well, no. Why would you say that?”

“Because it’s starting to look as if everyone either wants me to make a lifetime commitment right off the bat or pull back. Those are two extreme choices, considering we just started seeing each other. I’ve never dated a woman with a child before. I don’t know if I’m ready to be an instant father. I don’t know that much about kids, let alone babies.”

Rachel sank onto the kitchen chair across from him and sighed. “This kinda stinks for you,” she said. “Everyone is so excited for Stacey to get involved with a man who would be both a good husband and father that they’re jumping to conclusions. Do you wish you hadn’t started seeing her?”

“No. I do wish everyone would stay out of our business, but I don’t see how that’s going to happen. I have feelings for Stacey, and for Piper, too, but I have to figure out how to slow this down and get it more under control,” he said.

Rachel nodded. “I know control has always been important to you, but good luck with it. I hear it doesn’t always work in the romance department. My offer to babysit Piper sometime still stands. Otherwise, I’ll let you figure this out on your own.”

After eating his dinner and taking a hot shower, Colton went to bed, but he still didn’t sleep well. He tossed and turned, trying to figure out what he should do about Stacey.

It was so cold that by afternoon the next day, he decided not to torture himself by staying outside any longer and chose to work in one of the barns close to the house. Hearing the barn door swing open, he turned to see Stacey standing in the doorway holding Piper in one hand and a basket in the other.

His gut took an involuntary dip at the sight of them. Both pairs of eyes were trained on him expectantly. “Hey there,” Stacey said, and lifted her lips in a hesitant smile. “Have you recovered from taking care of us on Saturday night?”

“I think the more important question is whether you’ve recovered. How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Much better. It was a twenty-four hour virus. I’ve been holding my breath because I was afraid either you or Piper might catch it. You haven’t felt sick, have you?”

“No, but I’m lucky that way. I don’t get sick very often,” he said, thinking he might not have gotten the stomach virus, but he still felt as if he’d caught some sort of emotional virus that was keeping him bothered and interrupting his sleep.

“I’m glad to hear that,” she said. “I wanted to thank you. Seems like I’m doing that a lot lately,” she said and smiled again. “I made some chocolate-chip cupcakes for you. You seemed to like the other ones.”

She lifted the basket toward him, and he moved forward to take it. “You didn’t have to do that, but thank you.”

“My pleasure,” she said, and the silence stretched between them. He felt her searching his face, but he couldn’t offer her any answers if he didn’t have any answers for himself.

She cleared her throat. “Well, I guess I’ll go now. Thank you again for taking care of us on Saturday.”

“I’m glad I could help,” he said, and watched her walk out the barn door. Part of him screamed that he should go after her. But Colton had no clue what he would say.

* * *

Stacey walked away from the Fosters’ barn with a lump in her throat. She couldn’t bear to return to her house right away, so she drove into town and wandered around the Superette with Piper perched on her hip. Stacey knew she’d gotten her hopes up about Colton, and she clearly shouldn’t have.

She picked up a couple bananas for Piper and seriously checked out the chocolate bars.

“Oh, no,” a female voice said from behind her. “I’m counting on the hope that I won’t crave chocolate once I deliver this baby. You’re scaring me, Stacey.”

Stacey turned around to find Ella Mae Jergens looking at the candy-bar display. She smiled at the pregnant woman. “I’ve always loved chocolate,” she said. “Pregnancy didn’t make it any worse, so don’t base your fear on me.”

“You’re so sweet,” Ella Mae said. “I really have to watch my weight. I’m married to an important man, and there will always be women chasing after him.”

Stacey felt sorry for Ella Mae if she thought her husband would stray due to a little pregnancy weight. “I’m sure he adores you and sees you as truly beautiful.”

Ella Mae smiled. “You’ve always been a nice girl. I was glad to hear you’ve been spending time with Colton Foster. Other people have been saying the only reason you got involved with Colton was to get back at Joe, but I didn’t believe them. You ignore those rumors and hold your head high, Stacey. You deserve a good man.”

Stacey’s heart tightened with distress. “What other people have been saying that?” she asked. The only time she’d heard the horrible rumor was from Billy, Joe’s friend.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Ella Mae said. “I heard it from my mother, who heard it from someone else. You know how this town is. Any kind of gossip, true or false, spreads like wildfire. Don’t pay any attention to it. It will pass. But I will get just one candy bar,” she said, and grabbed one from the display. “Here comes my mother. I’m spending the day with her. Take care, now,” Ella Mae said, and headed for the checkout.

Sick from Ella Mae’s comments, Stacey put the bananas back and fled the store. Could the day get any worse?

After Stacey returned home, she couldn’t muster much conversation. Her mother tried to make small talk as the two baked side by side in the kitchen, but Stacey just wasn’t in the mood. She wondered if having to take care of Piper on Saturday night had pushed Colton over the edge. Even though he’d always been sweet to the baby, he wasn’t her birth father. He may have looked at his experience Saturday night and feared for his future.

Or had he heard more about the nasty rumor that Ella Mae had repeated to Stacey? Stacey knew that people in Horseback Hollow liked to gossip, but she was sick over the latest outright lie that was spreading like fire.

“You’re very quiet, Stacey,” her mother said as Stacey washed some pots and pans. “Are you feeling ill again?”

“No, no. I’m fine,” she said, and dried the lid to a pot.

“Is something bothering you? I talked with your father last night about your financial concerns and he doesn’t want you worrying,” she said. “If you need more money—”

“I don’t,” Stacey said. “I got another student lined up for tutoring this week, but I know I’m not going to be making a lot of money right now. I’ll figure that out later.”

Her mother nodded and spread out a dish towel on the counter to dry. “Okay. Is there anything else on your mind? You know you can talk to me.”

Stacey inhaled and sighed. “I’m not sure this thing with Colton is going to work out,” she confessed and fought the urge to cry. She wiped the already clean counter for the third time.

“Why not?” her mother asked. “Did you decide you don’t have feelings for him?”

“Oh, no,” Stacey said, and swallowed her deep disappointment. “I have feelings for him, but I just don’t think Colton is ready to be a daddy.”

“Well, you could have fooled me. You should have seen how he hovered over Piper on Saturday night,” her mother said with a firm nod of her head.

“That was just one night, Mama,” she said. “He may be thinking he’s not ready to take us on a full-time basis,” Stacey said. “I can’t really blame him. A lot of men wouldn’t want to father someone else’s child.”

“You can’t possibly believe that,” her mother said. “Colton Foster is a good man. He would always do what’s right.”

“But how is it right for him to take on the responsibility for a child that isn’t his?” Stacey countered. “How is it fair?”

Her mother frowned. “I think you may be jumping the gun. You need to give Colton a little time.”

“I’m trying not to pressure him, but everyone we run into seems to want to make a comment or give advice about us seeing each other. I don’t know,” she said, shrugging even though she was miserable. “Plus, I haven’t told you, but there’s a terrible rumor going around about us. Some people seem to think that the only reason I’ve started spending time with Colton is to get back at Joe.”

“Well, that’s a complete fabrication. How would Joe even know that you’re seeing Colton since he hasn’t bothered to check on you or his baby?” her mother asked, indignantly. “If I were a lesser person, I could wish some bad things on that boy. Leaving you in the lurch like that. With a note, no less. Thinking about it still makes my blood boil.”

Stacey knotted her fingers together, then pulled them apart and knotted them again. “This is turning into a big mess. I think I’d better give Colton some space.”

* * *

Jeanne Marie Fortune Jones stepped in line at the tiny Horseback Hollow post office. Her mind hopped and skipped to different issues weighing on her—Stacey’s romantic predicament and her troubled son Christopher—as she patiently waited her turn.

“Hello, Jeanne. Good to see you,” Olive Foster said as she got in line behind her neighbor. “How are you?”

“Good, thank you. I see you have packages,” Jeanne said. “Christmas gifts you need to return?”

Olive nodded. “I overdid it this year, and my husband, Frank, can be so hard to please,” she said with a heavy sigh. “What about you?”

“I’m sending a letter to my—” She broke off and smiled. “My sister in England, and another to my brother James. I know everyone uses email these days, but I thought both of them might enjoy a letter.”

“That’s nice of you. Are you still getting used to being a Fortune?” Olive asked.

Jeanne nodded and stepped forward. “It’s still hard to believe, but it’s wonderful having brothers and a sister and all these new nieces and nephews.”

“I think it’s so sweet that your children added the Fortune name,” Olive said. “It shows a lot of family unity.”

“Not all of them have,” Jeanne said, thinking of Liam. “But they’re all adults and it would be wrong for me to push them. They should make this decision on their own. It’s not a perfect situation, but I’m glad most of them are interested in getting to know their new family.” Jeanne thought, too, of her son Chris and the resentment he held against the Fortunes and their wealth. She wished he could let go of his ill feelings, because she knew he would be much happier if he did.

“How is Stacey doing? I heard she got sick the other night,” Olive said.

“Yes, she did, but she’s much better now. Colton took care of the baby during the worst part of it. You’ve raised a fine young man.”

Olive beamed with pride. “Thank you. We’re very blessed with both our children,” she said.

Jeanne hesitated, wondering if she should say anything else. “I know that Stacey has enjoyed spending time with him lately.”

“Yes, we are pleased about that. Stacey’s a wonderful young lady.”

Silence stretched for a long moment between them. “Of course, I understand if things don’t work out. They’ve just started seeing each other, and we don’t know what will happen in the long run.”

Olive looked pensive and stepped closer to Jeanne. “It’s none of my business, but is something wrong between them?” she asked in a lowered voice. “Colton hasn’t said a word about her the past few days, and he seems a bit withdrawn.”

“Well, I have to confess I’ve been concerned lately, too. Even though I love Colton, I told Stacey to be careful about getting involved again. She didn’t seem to appreciate me giving my opinion,” Jeanne said. “It’s hard to hold your tongue when you worry about your children.”

“I know what you’re saying. I hate to admit it, but I asked my husband to speak to Colton about spending time with Stacey. I wanted it made clear that he shouldn’t take advantage of her.” Olive winced. “I wonder if I should have kept my thoughts to myself.”

“They’re adults and very responsible,” Jeanne said. “I’d hate to think I helped to mess up anything by sticking my nose in their business.”

“Me, too,” Olive said miserably. “I suppose it wouldn’t help to bring it up to Colton in casual conversation.”

“Probably not,” Jeanne said.

Olive sighed. “I guess we’ll just have to do what we should have done from the beginning. Be quiet and hope for the best.”

Jeanne nodded in agreement, but she worried about her daughter. Stacey had already been hurt enough. “Please don’t tell anyone, but someone has started a terrible rumor,” she confided to Olive.

“About Stacey and Colton?” Olive asked in surprise.

“Yes. Someone, and we don’t know who, has been saying that the only reason Stacey has been spending time with Colton was to get back at Joe because he left her. The reason I’m telling you is because I want you to know that is absolutely not true. I think Stacey has fallen for your son, but she feels as if she needs to back off and give him some breathing room.”

Olive frowned and shook her head. “Why is it that people find it necessary to gossip about people who are just trying to do their best? If someone is stupid enough to repeat that rumor to me, I’ll set them straight. You can count on it.”

Jeanne felt a surge of gratitude inside her at Olive’s protectiveness of Stacey. “You’ve always been the best neighbors we could have. I would love it if we could be in-laws,” Jeanne said. “I’ll be saying my prayers and crossing my fingers that our children will work this out.”