Читать книгу Married For His Heir - Sara Orwig - Страница 10

Two

Talia Barton drove away from Nick Duncan’s ranch house. She could barely see for her tears, so she pulled over and tried to get a grip on her emotions. She loved Hattie and felt as if she was a second mother to the little girl. It had hurt terribly to try to get Nick to realize he had a responsibility to take Hattie. She had lived with a chilling panic since people from the state agency had stepped in and said Hattie should be a ward of the state because there was nothing official to indicate the mother had wanted Talia to raise Hattie.

Madeline’s life had been filled with joy, excitement and the promise of a glittering future in the music world. She had talked about seeing an attorney and getting papers drawn up to make Talia Hattie’s guardian, but hadn’t gotten around to it. Madeline had been so busy with her career, so filled with a love of life and her baby, that she hadn’t considered anything happening to take that life away. It hadn’t occurred to Talia to worry about the possibility, either. The accident had been a painful, numbing shock that still was a raw hurt.

Thinking about parting with Hattie hurt and Talia cried quietly. Finally she dried her eyes. She prayed Nick would want his baby and would come forward to claim her. Talia knew that, whatever happened, she would not get to keep Hattie as her own. She had to accept that. If she couldn’t raise Hattie herself, then she wanted the best possible outcome and right now there were only two solutions: Nick Duncan would claim his baby or the state would take Hattie. Talia didn’t want the latter to happen.

Thinking about Hattie and wanting to get home to see her, Talia gripped the steering wheel tightly and pulled onto the road.

Her thoughts shifted to Nick and the moment she had first met him. The first time they had touched, the mere handshake had sent tingles radiating through her and made breathing difficult. What shocked her was that he had felt the electricity, too. She’d seen it in the look he gave her, felt it as he took her hand lightly, a slight, impersonal touch, yet it hadn’t been impersonal. She had tingled to her toes, and she knew he reacted, as well. Another twist she couldn’t worry about. Right now she was focused on getting him to become the dad for Hattie that he truly was, and as soon as possible. Hopefully, Nick would let her stay part of Hattie’s life. Was that asking so much?

Yet she didn’t know Nick and he didn’t know her. What if someday he married again and his wife didn’t want Talia in their lives? Would Nick keep Hattie from her?

She didn’t want to think what would happen if Nick wouldn’t claim Hattie. First he needed proof that he was her dad. The minute she’d seen him, Talia had noticed the family resemblance. Hattie had Nick’s green eyes with little flecks of gold, his tangled brown hair and the same facial structure.

Talia shook her head. How was she going to go about work and keep focused on what she needed to do? All she could think about was Hattie every minute. She pulled into the day-care parking lot, climbed out of the car and went inside to find her little charge.

Hattie saw her coming and held out her arms. Talia picked her up, smiling at her and kissing her cheek as she squeezed her close. “Hi, sweetie,” she said, smiling at the baby, feeling warmth and love pour over her. She loved this child with all her heart. If only Nick would love Hattie, too. She told herself he would, once he was certain she was his. Surely he wouldn’t want the state to take her.

“How’s my girl?” she asked, snuggling close and inhaling the sweet scent of baby powder. Then she leaned back to look at Hattie, who smiled and patted Talia’s cheek. “I love you,” Talia said.

“Wuv you,” Hattie replied softly in her childish voice, but the words thrilled Talia even when it was wuv instead of love.

“I’m taking you home now,” Talia said, getting Hattie’s bag, gathering up her other things. She talked to two of the women who ran the day care and then signed out and left with Hattie.

“Once he sees you, I don’t see how your daddy can resist you,” Talia said as she buckled the child into the car seat.

“Da,” Hattie repeated.

“That’s right,” Talia said, brightening. “Daddy. We’ll work on that one. Da-dee,” she said, drawing out the word. Hattie giggled.

“I hope he makes you laugh. Da-dee,” Talia repeated, hoping Hattie would pick up the sounds and learn the word.

“We’ll keep trying. I want your daddy to be unable to resist you. I don’t want him to take you from me, but if he doesn’t, the state will, so better your daddy, who might let me see you occasionally.”

* * *

The first week of May, Nick was in his office on the ranch, staring at the document in his hand. The results of the DNA test. Absolute proof that he was Hattie’s father. He mulled over the news when Stan knocked and entered the open door.

“I needed to drive into town and thought I’d stop to see you. Are you doing okay with this?”

“That I’m a dad? Hell, no, I’m not.” He’d told his brother the DNA test results as soon as they’d arrived. Over the last few hours he’d read them a dozen times. He dropped the report back on his desk. “Talia Barton is bringing Hattie to my Dallas house tomorrow so I can meet her. We’re both trying to ease into this. Talia is hurting over losing her charge and I can’t imagine becoming a parent to a fourteen-month-old little girl. I don’t know how to cope with a baby girl.”

Stan stared at him with his brow furrowed as he pushed his hat back on his head. “You want to let the state take her?”

Startled, Nick looked up at his brother, his brows rising.

“Sorry,” Stan said. “I know you don’t want to do that and I wouldn’t want to, either. I’m sorry I even asked you a question like that.”

“Forget it. She’s mine and I’ll take the responsibility that I should, though this deal just tears at me. I didn’t even know the mother. I feel like every time I look at that little girl, I’ll want her to be Artie.”

“Sorry, Nick. You’ll get used to her. I’ll help any way I can.”

Nick heard the earnest note in his brother’s voice and he smiled. “Thanks, Stan. That offer means a lot,” he said, suddenly feeling proud of his younger brother for volunteering to help.

“I’ve got to run. I just stopped for a minute. When tomorrow is Ms. Barton coming to see you and bringing the baby?”

“In the afternoon. In the morning I’ll go to Dallas and she’ll bring Hattie by after her last class.”

“You’re a dad and I’m an uncle to a baby girl. Wow. That does take some getting used to.” His wistful look was replaced by a serious one. “I’m surprised the state hasn’t already stepped in and taken the baby from Ms. Barton. She doesn’t have legal rights.”

“She’s a teacher in a community college and she has a quiet, take-charge manner that probably makes people do what she wants.”

“A battle-ax?”

Smiling, Nick shook his head. “Trust me, you’ll never use those words again after you see her.”

“A hottie?”

“She’s stunning. You’ll see. In addition, she has that authoritative manner, in a quieter way, that our grandmother does.”

“No kidding. I can’t wait to meet her.”

Nick didn’t reply, but he looked forward to seeing her again himself and that shocked him. He didn’t want to have that reaction to her because she had upended his life.

He walked out with Stan. “I don’t want to tell Grandmother until I have everything lined up. I don’t want her trying to move into my house.”

“What a thought. Of course, if you let Grandmother move in, you won’t ever have to make another decision. You can just drift.”

“You know better than that. She’d make all the decisions but she’d keep me hopping every second. No, she doesn’t know until I’m ready. You go ahead and tell Blake and Adam and I’ll call them or text.” He knew he’d have better luck with his other two brothers than his grandmother.

“Good deal.”

“Talia said Hattie looks like me. We’ll see.”

Stan shot him a horrified look. “I’m afraid I can’t imagine a little baby girl looking like you.” Then he smiled.

“Frankly, I can’t, either,” Nick said, running his hand over the brown stubble on his jaw.

“Even if you try to keep her out of your hair, Grandmother will want to approve of the nanny you hire. And I’m sure you’re hiring a nanny.”

“I don’t know what I’ll do.” Nick couldn’t stop his fears from surfacing again. He’d been fighting them for the last few hours. “I don’t even know this little girl, much less love her. I keep thinking how she won’t have anyone who loves her here. Talia Barton adores her. She’ll go from having love poured out to her to a bunch of strangers. That’s not good and it’s worrying me.”

“We’re not a bunch of ogres, Nick, but I see what you mean. She’ll need someone to love her. It may not help her disposition, either,” Stan said.

Nick had already thought of that, but he was more worried about having a little baby who wasn’t loved.

“If she’s that good-looking, marry this Talia person,” Stan said, breaking into his thoughts.

“Stan!” Nick said, annoyed and amused at the same time.

“I’m kidding. I wouldn’t worry, Nick. Babies adapt and we’ll all be here to help. You know Grandmother is going to love this baby. She adored Artie. And pretty soon, we’ll all love her, too.”

“You’re right, I suppose. Grandmother is going to have to cooperate on this one. I can’t deal with a hassle from her.”

“Send me a picture of the teacher,” Stan said, going down the porch steps. He glanced over his shoulder. “I might want to propose. Then I’d be daddy and uncle to your little girl.” He laughed at his own joke and Nick shook his head.

“You’re hopeless, Stan. Take your suggestions and go,” Nick said, laughing with his brother.

“Seriously, I’ll help if you need me, although I don’t know as much about babies as you do. My expertise ends with colts and calves.”

“Thanks, Stan,” Nick said, feeling a bond with his brother.

As Stan drove away, Nick returned to his office, but he couldn’t get his mind to focus on the ranch work in front of him. He remembered Madeline. Since meeting Talia, he recalled everything about that night. He was sure he had used protection, yet here was this little baby and the DNA definitely made her his baby. He couldn’t get accustomed to the idea, and guilt swamped him at the thought he would have to take her away from someone who poured out love to her and place her in a family of strangers.

Enough, he told himself. It’d work out. It had to.

He picked up the leather-bound ledger but the figures swam before his eyes. All he could think about was his new status as a daddy...and his electrifying attraction to Talia Barton.

* * *

Late the following sunny May afternoon Nick paced back and forth. He was in his mansion in a gated community of Dallas, waiting for Talia to arrive, and then he would meet his daughter. That still didn’t seem possible. A night at a party—when he’d had too much to drink, been too long alone, hurting over his loss and trying to overcome the grief and desperation he felt—he’d had sex with a woman he’d barely known. Now he had a daughter for the rest of his life. A little girl who was going to move in with a father who was a total stranger. He knew that was better than the state and they would probably all grow to love her, but it was going to be rough for the little girl for a time and he hated that. And it was breaking Talia’s heart, something he could understand all too well because of the loss of his son.

When he heard a car, he glanced at his watch. Talia was on time. He thought about seeing her again and that was one bit of this whole thing that he looked forward to, even though he shouldn’t because she had already complicated his life beyond measure.

He hurried to the front door. When he reached for the door, he glanced out and saw Talia coming up the walk carrying a little girl in her arms. His pulse jumped as his glance swept over Talia’s high heels and her deep blue sleeveless dress. Her hair was high, pinned on the sides of her head, and fell in spiral curls over her shoulders. The curls bounced slightly with each step she took. His gaze shifted to the baby in her arms. The little girl had one thin arm on Talia’s shoulder with her fingers wound in Talia’s long curls. Her other arm hung at her side. She had wispy, tangled brown hair, and from a distance she looked like a pretty child. He couldn’t imagine that this was his baby, but she was. It was a shock each time he thought about it, and seeing her didn’t make it any more real to him.

A little girl he didn’t know in the arms of a woman he would like to know if circumstances were different. His life was going to change forever and he couldn’t even imagine how.

He opened the door. “Come in. You and Hattie.”

“Thank you,” Talia said in a tight voice. From the sound of it, he was sure she was hurting. If she felt this bad just introducing him to his daughter, how much worse was it going to get for her?

He looked down at the baby in her arms, gazing into wide green eyes with gold flecks that were like his own and ran in his family. Hattie had the same color hair he did, the same facial features, but slightly darker skin. As if sensing something was wrong with the adults around her, she gazed solemnly up at him.

He stepped back so Talia could enter and closed the door behind her, catching up with them, his gaze lingering briefly on the sexy sway of Talia’s hips as she walked. Hattie twisted around to stare at him, studying him intently.

“Let’s go to the family room. It’s probably the most childproof room in the house. Arthur wasn’t toddling around or even crawling, so we didn’t get anything ready for a baby to explore.”

“I’ll watch her and she’ll go home with me until you’re ready to take her,” Talia said. “Unless you have other plans.”

“Plans? I’m just trying to get a grip on my new status.”

She glanced up with worry in her big eyes.

“You’re worrying about me taking her from you,” he said.

She shook her head. “I’m worrying you won’t take her and the state will get her.”

He caught Talia’s arm lightly, instantly having that startling awareness from the physical contact. He heard her breath catch and realized she felt something, too. Why did sparks fly between them when they didn’t even know each other? Looking intently at her, he released her just as quickly. Standing so close, he was acutely aware of her while he tried to focus on the problem.

“Let’s settle that one right now. I have the DNA and Hattie is my baby. I’m not giving my baby to the state to try to place in foster homes or wherever they can find. I’ll take Hattie and you’ll get to see her. You have my promise,” he said, emotions tearing at him because he was making a huge commitment that he didn’t even know if he could live up to. He had been tossed into fatherhood abruptly and it brought back memories of his baby boy and of his wife, of being in love and happy and filled with plans for a future that vanished in a crushing blow when their private plane went down in a storm. He hadn’t ever expected to raise a little girl he didn’t even know, a child born to a mother he was with for only a few hours. As he looked down into Talia’s wide, frightened eyes, his insides churned and he wondered if he could possibly keep the promise he was making to her. This promise was monumental and a life-changer. Along with tremendous responsibility, it brought heartache. Every time he looked at this child he’d be reminded of what he had lost in the past.

As she searched his gaze, tears filled Talia’s eyes. She brushed away her tears hastily. “You really mean that, don’t you?” she asked softly.

“Yes, I do,” he said. “Don’t cry. I’ll take Hattie because she’s my child and you’ll get to see her. We’ll figure something out.”

“I wanted so badly to adopt her and be her mother. My attorney said I’d have to go through the state to apply.” Shaking her head, Talia turned away, carrying the baby to the window and talking softly to her. He let her go so she could get herself pulled together while he tried to calm his own nerves.

A few minutes later he glanced around and saw Talia was standing a few feet behind him, holding out Hattie to place her in his arms. As their hands brushed, he felt a frisson of electricity shoot up his arm. He inhaled her perfume, an enticing scent. As he took Hattie, his gaze met Talia’s, and if he let himself, he could drown in the blue depths of her eyes.

His heart pounding, he forced himself to step back slightly, and his gaze was captured by the baby, who stared at him with huge eyes.

She was soft, warm and smelled of soap and lotion. She wore a white blouse and a pink jumper.

“Hi, Hattie,” he said quietly.

She touched a button on his shirt and then touched his chin.

He felt little fingers moving over the stubble on his chin while he gazed at her as solemnly as she looked at him. She ran her tiny fingers over his face. “I’ll contact the state human services and let them know that I have my baby. I think that will take her name off any list they have.”

“It will as soon as you’ve notified them that you’re taking her permanently. My attorney checked and I can’t just come calling and then take her home with me. I have a friend who is an attorney and he’s been keeping up with this. When you step in and actually take care of her and she lives with you, they have to back off and leave you alone unless they get a complaint about the way she’s being raised, which they won’t. Since Madeline’s death, Hattie hasn’t had any family except me. There’s no one else who cares about her except the women at the day care. They think she’s sweet and adorable.”

“So except for those ladies, you’re her whole world. We’ll definitely have to work something out so you can come see her.”

Her blue eyes widened and he saw hope blossom in them. Then she turned them to the child he held.

“Hattie, this is your daddy. Daddy,” she repeated distinctly and looked at Nick. He looked down at her, and for a few seconds all he could think about was Talia and how close she stood, how tempting she smelled. She looked back at Hattie. “Daddy,” Talia repeated.

“Da,” Hattie said, running her fingers on Nick’s jaw again.

“God love the little children,” Nick said softly and turned away. Emotions tore at him when she ran her tiny fingers over his chin because Hattie made him think about Artie. He would never hear Artie say “Daddy,” and it hurt. He missed his son and felt conflicted over the little girl in his arms. He pulled out his handkerchief and wiped away tears, trying to get a better grip on his emotions.

“Do you want me to take her?” Talia asked.

“No. I’ll pull myself together. Sometimes it just hits me out of the blue and I miss Artie.”

“That’s the way I’m going to feel about Hattie,” Talia said so softly, he didn’t think she was even talking to him.

He heard her and knew she was right, and that disturbed him. “At least you can come visit and I’ll let her visit you,” he said, making another commitment that might be difficult.

Hattie’s little fingers ran over his cheek, her mouth turned down, and she looked worried by his tears. He smiled at her and she stared for a few seconds and then smiled.

“Da,” she repeated. He looked into her big green eyes and they stared at each other. Could he be a real dad to her? Would he grow to love her the way he had loved Artie? Right now, he felt at a loss and he hurt. Guilt rocked him for missing Artie each time he looked at Hattie. It wasn’t right, but he couldn’t help himself because he longed for his little son. Hattie was a little girl he didn’t know.

“One thing’s for sure,” he said. “She’s related to me. She has the Duncan hair and eyes. I’m glad I have the DNA results, but this child is a Duncan.”

Holding Hattie, Nick walked across the room with her. He wasn’t sure what to do next. At a store specializing in babies, he had bought a small stuffed pink bunny for Hattie. The bunny was in a gift sack with pink tissue paper covering it and he had placed it on a game table.

He picked up the small sack and held it in front of her. “Hattie, this is for you from me. It’s your present,” he said quietly.

She looked up at him and then down at the sack. He held it closer in front of her. “This is for you.”

She looked at the sack and at him in uncertainty, but then she pulled one of the pieces of tissue paper. As it came out of the sack, Nick smiled encouragement. “A bunny.”

“Bun,” she repeated and retrieved the small pink stuffed rabbit. He took the sack from her to set it on a table. “Mine,” she said, hugging the bunny, making him smile.

“That was sweet, Nick,” Talia said softly. “She likes you. She hasn’t protested going to you or wanted me to take her. That’s good.”

He walked to Talia and held out Hattie. “I’ll give her to you.”

“Of course,” she said, taking Hattie from him, their hands and arms brushing and bringing that same electric awareness of touching Talia that he felt each time they had contact. He glanced at her as he stood so close and she looked up, their gazes meeting. For another moment he was more aware of Talia than of Hattie. He couldn’t understand the physical attraction, especially at a time when they both were torn up emotionally.

Moving away, he didn’t want to pursue the feelings she stirred. His life was tangled enough already and he didn’t need one more emotional pull. He suspected she wasn’t any more enthused about the sparks flying between them than he was, but he couldn’t figure how there could be one little glimmer of appeal under their current circumstances. She had brought him a monumental problem, changing his life, demolishing the little calm and peace he was beginning to get back after losing Regina and Artie. Talia was awakening feelings he hadn’t experienced in a long time and he wasn’t ready to deal with them. He didn’t want to complicate his life with Talia as well as Hattie. Hattie was all he could deal with at present. A baby girl who needed two loving parents and siblings, but that wasn’t possible.

He stared at her and thought about Stan telling him to marry Talia. “My brothers are filled with curiosity and eventually I’ll have to tell my grandmother.”

Talia’s expression changed and she looked stricken. “You don’t think your grandmother will like Hattie?”

“Talia, relax,” he said patiently. “My brothers will be in awe because they’re uncles now. My grandmother likes babies and was devastated by the loss of Regina and Artie. The reason I said I’d tell her eventually is because my grandmother is a take-charge person and she will be all over me with ideas about what I need to do. I can handle that, but it’s tedious because I don’t want to hurt her feelings.”

Talia ran her hand across her forehead. “I know your mother is deceased and your dad lives in Palm Beach. You’re the oldest son at thirty-four. Your brother Stan is thirty-three, Adam is thirty-one, and the youngest, Blake, is twenty-nine. Your dad started Duncan Energy. You took over later and then stepped down, and Adam is CEO. Blake works for him while you, as well as Stan, are on the board.”

Startled, he looked up again. “How do you know all that?”

“I hired a PI to find out about you before I contacted you. I’m sorry that I pried into your life but I wanted to know what kind of person I would be dealing with.”

He nodded. “I don’t blame you. My dad will have no interest in Hattie one way or another. He’s into his own life and we don’t see him. He was a good dad and we loved him and everything was fine until Mom died when I was sixteen. Dad never has recovered. He drinks and he’s married to his fifth wife. He doesn’t come home to Texas, and when he does come back, my grandmother ties into him. She’s my maternal grandmother and those two don’t get along.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t have family, so family seems special and important to me, something valuable to be cherished.”

He nodded. “That’s a good outlook.”

She blushed. “Well, again, I’m sorry for prying into your life. By the way, I know your age, so if you want to know mine, I’m twenty-nine. Madeline was twenty-eight when she was killed in the car wreck.”

“She was beautiful and talented. I remember that much. Talia, forget hiring a PI. You had a good reason. That’s how you found my attorney, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” she admitted.

“I wondered.” Hattie chose that moment to let out a shrill giggle as she played with her bunny, eliciting a smile from Nick. “She is a happy little girl, isn’t she?”

Talia put the baby on the floor so she could play. “She’s a sweetheart. She’s had a big loss in her life but she’s still happy. I’ve tried to make up for the loss of her mother as best I can, which just means being there for her and showering her with love.”

“You’ve done a good job and I’m grateful.” He looked at Talia again. Her long blond curls framed her face and he realized he could spend the day looking at her. His gaze lowered to her mouth and he wondered what it would be like to kiss her. When he realized the drift of his thoughts, he tried to shift his focus. He reached down and ruffled Hattie’s brown hair, which earned another giggle.

“She’s been around a lot of kids at the day care and her mother used to take her to music tryouts and rehearsals,” Talia said, “so she’s comfortable with people. You’ll see.”

“Artie was happy, too. He was so easy.”

Hattie was busy with her new bunny, making sounds as she played with it. She was a beautiful baby but he couldn’t feel like she was his yet. Nor could he keep from wanting Artie and Regina.

Talia watched Hattie, another of those concerned looks on her face. He knew what she was thinking about—that moment when she would have to give up little Hattie, when she would have to hand her over to Nick forever. He ached for her because he knew how she felt. He missed his own little boy, the baby he had rocked, kissed, fed and held. Hattie and Talia were bringing back memories that ripped him apart.

“Aw, hell, Talia, this is tearing us both up,” he said, turning to her. “Let’s figure where we’ll go from here, what we’ll do next and get this over with. I have to take her, but not today. We’ll continue to send her to day care until we work out what we’ll do. Then I’ll take Hattie, so the state will have to back off and get the hell out of our lives.”

He glanced at the child. “Thank goodness she doesn’t know what’s going on. She’s going to miss you like hell.” Talia had become mama to her. When they loved each other, a mother and child formed the tightest possible bond. Nick rubbed his forehead as he thought about what he was doing—taking a baby from the only mother she now knew. When Hattie woke crying in the night and he came to comfort her, would she be scared?

He looked intently at Talia and she stared at him.

“What?” she asked. “What’s wrong?”

“As far as she knows now, you’re her mother,” he said.

“Yes, but you’ll be her daddy before you know it,” Talia answered solemnly. “And suddenly you’ll be a family. You’re bound to marry again and then she’ll have a mama who loves her.”

Talia looked away and he knew she was fighting tears again and he couldn’t blame her.

He barely knew her, yet he ached for her. He wanted to put his arms around her and try to comfort her and to calm his own nerves and feelings of loss, but they had a fiery chemistry between them that he didn’t want to ignite. He didn’t know why sparks flared when they touched, but he didn’t want the physical attraction to escalate. He didn’t need that to complicate his thinking. He had to avoid crossing a line where they had more emotional problems between them to deal with, but it was a strain to keep from reaching out and comforting her. He fought the urge and stood facing her as he said, “Talia, you should raise her.”

She turned her back to him and he suspected she lost the battle to try to avoid crying. “That was my biggest fantasy, that I was a stay-at-home mom and with her every day,” she said in a soft voice as if talking to herself. After a moment she wiped her eyes while her back was still turned. “This is hard, Nick. It hurts because I love her as if she was my own baby. I’ve had two miscarriages, so I’ve lost two babies and I’m going to lose another one now—one that I love with all my heart.”

This time he couldn’t keep from stepping up close to her to pat her on the shoulder, and even that touch just made him want to pull her into his arms and hold her. “Shh, Talia,” he whispered. He looked at the baby seated on the floor, still playing with her new bunny. She looked up at him and smiled, holding out her arms.

“Talia, she wants to be picked up,” he said.

Glancing over her shoulder, Talia moved instantly, wiping away tears as she turned to get Hattie before he did. She scooped her into her arms and held her, hugging her and kissing her cheek. Hattie smiled and held Talia.

And Nick hurt for them and for himself.

Talia sat on the floor with her, doubling her long legs under her. He couldn’t keep from letting his gaze sweep over her gorgeous, long shapely legs. As he watched them play, he couldn’t deny his attraction. She was a beautiful woman.

Again, he thought Talia knew how to take care of Hattie better than anyone else on earth. She stood and faced him while Hattie curled up on the floor and played with her bunny.

“She’s getting sleepy, so we should go. You’ve got your DNA results and you’ve met your baby girl. I’ll take her home with me tonight. You plan what you’ll do, get baby equipment—and I will be happy to help with any or all of that if you want me to—and then I’ll turn Hattie over to you. It really shouldn’t take you long. I can give you a list of baby furniture she’ll need. I don’t want to give mine up because I hope you’ll let her stay with me sometimes.”

“Of course she can stay with you. She can stay a lot. Talia, she’ll be lost without you,” he said.

“She’ll adapt. Children do adapt,” she said and he heard the strain in her voice. “Whatever help you need, let me know.”

“I’m letting you know right now,” he said, suddenly wanting her help and knowing Hattie needed someone who loved her to be with her. If this were Artie, Nick absolutely wouldn’t want him handed over to a house of strangers. Talia was the one person Hattie would know and love. And who would love Hattie with all her heart in return. Babies thrived on love. Talia would be the most possible help because she was already parenting Hattie.

The thought struck him like a lightning bolt. Suddenly he knew exactly what he had to do.

“I need your help,” he said. “Move in here while we work this out. You don’t have to tonight, but soon. I can have someone drive you to school and pick up you and Hattie.”

“In a limo?” she said, smiling and shaking her head. “I’m almost tempted to answer yes just to see everyone’s reactions. I would be the most famous person in the school. No, Nick, thanks. I can’t move in with you. We’ll get this over and done with without me moving in because all too soon, I’d have to move out again. I’d cry over her every day.”

“Okay. Come over for dinner tomorrow night, bring Hattie, and I’ll have my first questions and problems lined up. And I will need the list of baby furniture. I got rid of the baby furniture that I had because I couldn’t see any point in keeping it.”

“If you want me to go shopping with you, I will.”

He looked into wide eyes that made him momentarily forget baby furniture. “I won’t go shopping,” he said. “I’ll hire someone to buy everything. You can earn some money on the side if you want to do it.”

“I’ll get it but you don’t have to pay me. Just pay for the furniture. Where do you want it delivered? Here or the ranch?”

“I’ll need it at both places. I live here and I live there. She’s so little and yet she needs enough things to fill a big truck.” He let out a deep sigh. “I need a wife.”

“I’m sure you can find a wife easily enough,” she said. “But please get one who really likes Hattie and means what she says.”

He meant his comment as a joke, but he saw the sincerity in Talia’s eyes. They were filled with worry and he was part of the problem. He stepped close, placing his hands on her shoulders, feeling her warm, smooth skin where her dress was sleeveless.

“I can’t tell you to stop worrying because I know this hurts, but you’ll always get to see Hattie. You’ll get to be with her. She isn’t going out of your life. Hang on to that. I’d give anything if I could see Artie.”

She blinked and her eyebrows arched. “Oh, Nick. I’m sorry. I’ve probably been making things worse for you.”

“We both hurt.”

“Just love Hattie. She’s going to need your love. She lost her mother, never knew her grandparents and now she’s losing me. She’ll need your love.”

Her eyes filled with tears. “Sorry, Nick, sometimes I just can’t avoid crying. I love her so much.”

“I understand. I’ll love her because she’s my child. I only knew Artie two months, but I loved him beyond measure,” he said so quietly, he didn’t know whether she heard, but it didn’t matter.

“There’s just no way I can be her mother in the eyes of the state,” Talia said, looking at Hattie. “Love doesn’t even fit into their equation.” Talia looked up to find Nick studying her intently.

He gazed at her in silence so long that she focused on him, frowning when she studied him. “What, Nick? What’s wrong?”

Lost in his thoughts, he blinked. “I’m thinking. There’s one way you can become her mother as far as the state is concerned. It would be legal and binding.”

Frowning, she shook her head. “I don’t think so. We don’t have any—” She broke off to stare at him while her frown deepened.

“We can marry,” he said.