Judy Duarte: Triple Trouble / A Real Live Cowboy

She wasn’t just pretty. She was beautiful, he realized. And if the faint flush on her cheeks was any indication, she was feeling the same slam of sexual awareness that had hit him like a fist the moment her gaze had met his.

“Everything okay?” he asked when she continued to stare at him without speaking.

She blinked, and just that quickly the faintly unfocused expression was gone, replaced by a sharp awareness.

“Yes.” She lifted one slender-fingered hand in a dismissive gesture. “I had to nearly run to catch the plane. I hate being late.”

Nicholas nodded and would have said more, but just then the plane engines throttled up, the sound increasingly louder as the jet hurtled down the runaway and left the tarmac. He glanced at the woman beside him and found her gripping the armrests, eyes closed.

Clearly, she didn’t like to fly. Air travel didn’t bother Nicholas, but he waited until the plane leveled out and her white-knuckled grip relaxed before he spoke.

“I’m Nicholas.” He purposely didn’t tell her his last name. The Fortune surname was well-known in Red Rock and being part of a rich, powerful family carried its own problems. He’d learned early that many people associated the name with a preconceived set of expectations.

“Charlene London,” she responded as she took a bottle of water from her bag. “Are you flying to Amarillo on business?” she asked, sipping her water.

“Not exactly.” He paused, frowning.

Charlene tucked an errant strand of hair behind one ear with an absentminded gesture. What did that mean? “I see,” she said.

He laughed—a short, wry chuckle. “I don’t mean to be vague. My trip is both business and personal.”

“Oh.” Curious though she was, Charlene was reluctant to grill him. Somewhere in the coach section of the airplane, a baby began to cry.

Nick stiffened and appeared to listen intently until the cries turned to whimpers. Tension eased from his body and he looked at her, his gaze turbulent.

“My college roommate and his wife died a few days ago and I’m guardian of their daughters. I’m going to Amarillo to take custody of three kids. Triplets.” He sighed. “Twelve-month-old triplets.”

Charlene’s eyes widened with shock. She was speechless for a moment. “You’re kidding,” she finally managed to get out.

“Nope.” His expression was part gloom, part stark dread. “I’m not kidding.”

“Do you and your wife have children of your own?”

“I’m not married. And I don’t have any kids,” he added. “The closest I’ve ever come to having a dependant is my dog, Rufus.”

“So you’ll be caring for three babies…all by yourself?”

He nodded. “That’s about the size of it.”

“That’s crazy.”

“Yeah,” he said with conviction. “Insane.”

“I’m the oldest of six siblings, two of whom are twins,” Charlene said. “If you’d permit a little advice from someone who’s been there—you should hire a full-time nanny, and the sooner the better.”

Nicholas thought she probably was right—in fact, the more he considered the idea, the more he was convinced. Before he could ask her more questions, however, the woman walking the crying baby up and down the aisle reached their row.

“Excuse me.” Charlene stood.

Nicholas wanted to ask her if she knew anything about hiring nannies, but her abrupt request stopped him. He stepped into the aisle to let her pass him. Her shoulder brushed his chest in the slightest of touches, yet his muscles tensed as if she’d trailed her fingertips over his bare skin.

Nick dragged in a steadying breath, but it only served to flood his senses with the scent of subtle perfume and warm woman.

He nearly groaned aloud. He’d dated a lot of women over the years, but he hadn’t reacted to a female with the level of gut-deep, instant lust since he was a teenager. He blinked, frowned and ordered his rebellious body to calm down. He couldn’t afford to be distracted just now—he had to focus on dealing with Stan and Amy’s little girls.

He dropped back into his seat. He expected Charlene to walk toward the lavatories at the front of the first class section, but instead, she waited until the young mother turned and moved back down the aisle.

“Hi,” Charlene smiled at the weary mother. “I bet you’re exhausted.”

Oh hell. Nick tensed when the woman holding the baby looked like she was going to cry. He hated it when women cried. Fortunately, the woman didn’t burst into tears.

“I’m beyond exhausted,” the woman murmured, patting the wailing baby on the back soothingly. “And so is she,” she added. “I don’t think either one of us has slept more than a half hour at a time for days.”

“Oh my. My little brother did the same thing,” Charlene said, her gaze warm and sympathetic. “He was born several weeks premature and had acid reflux. Poor little guy. It took a while for us to figure out how to handle him so he could fall asleep.”

The young mother’s eyes widened. “You found a solution? What was it?”

“I’d be glad to show you,” Charlene said, holding out her arms.

The woman hesitated, clearly torn about handing her baby to a complete stranger.

“I totally understand if you’re not comfortable with having me hold her, after all, we don’t know each other,” Charlene said reassuringly. “I could try to explain, but it’s much easier to demonstrate.”

The baby chose that moment to wail even louder than before. The unhappy cry seemed to galvanize the mother, because she eased the tiny little girl off her shoulder and passed her carefully to Charlene.

Nick didn’t know much about babies, but every one he’d seen had been cradled or propped against someone’s shoulder. Charlene did neither. Instead, she laid the baby facedown on her arm, the little head in the palm of her hand, and gently swayed her back and forth while smoothing her free palm over the tiny back. The baby’s arms waved jerkily, slowing in time with her cries that quickly gave way to hiccupping sobs, then blessed silence.

Nick stared at Charlene. Damn. She’s good. Really good.

He glanced at the baby’s mother and found her expression as surprised as he felt.

“How in the world did you do that?” she whispered.

“Experience,” Charlene murmured, her fingertips continuing to gently rub in soothing circles over the little girl’s back. The pink cotton dress matched the baby’s sock-covered feet, now dangling limply on either side of Charlene’s arm. “I was twelve when my little brother was born.” She glanced down at the baby, fast asleep and seemingly boneless in her arms. “If you tilt her slightly to the right when you hold her, change her diaper or feed her, it helps with acid reflux too. I don’t know if your little girl has that problem, but if she does, the pain can make her so uncomfortable that she won’t be able to fall asleep or stay asleep.”

“Thank you so much.” The words carried a wealth of heartfelt appreciation as she carefully took the sleeping baby from Charlene.

“You’re welcome,” Charlene replied, moving aside to let the mother and child step past her. She watched them move down the aisle and return to their seat in coach.

Nick stood to let Charlene slip into her seat near the window, then dropped into his own.

“Impressive,” he told her. “Very impressive.”

She shrugged and picked up her water bottle to sip. “Basic stuff, if you’ve ever helped care for a baby. Unfortunately, most new moms only find out about the little things to make life easier for them and their baby if they talk to someone who’s coped hands-on with the problem.”

After watching Charlene’s easy confidence with the crying baby before she handed the peacefully sleeping child back to her mother, Nicholas knew he’d found the answer to his urgent need for a nanny. “Makes sense. Experience always counts. I need someone with that level of experience. How about you?” he asked.