Karen Whiddon - A Secret Colton Baby

“Then who would?” Her tone came out sharper than she’d intended. “If I don’t, the hands won’t have anything to eat.”

“Thank you.” He came to stand next to her, making every nerve in her body quiver. “I’m sorry. I thought I’d made it back in time to get the noon meal ready.”

She didn’t comment. It was eleven-thirty and the men ate at straight-up twelve.

When he touched her arm, she gave a little jump. Inhaling sharply, she took a step back from him, hoping if she put a little distance between them, she could regain her equilibrium. When she’d first applied for the job, she was so desperate for work, she’d barely noticed his rugged good looks. After all, she’d been nearly broke with nowhere to live but her car.

Now, almost a full week later, every time Theo came anywhere near her, she went weak in the knees and her entire body tingled.

Cleary, she needed to get over this.

“I’ve talked to my grandmother.” He frowned. “I wanted to ask her to help with the baby, but she sounds like she’s coming down with a cold.”

“That’s not good.” Ellie kept her voice steady, a bit startled at the odd rush of possessiveness she felt at the thought of someone else taking care of Amelia. “Maybe it would be better to see if you can find someone else to cook, at least until your grandmother gets better. I don’t mind.”

He gave her a long look, his green eyes keenly observant. “We’ll see. In the meantime, I’ll help you with dinner,” he said. “How about that?”

“Let’s get through lunch first,” she said. “If you don’t mind, I’ll get Amelia changed and fed. There are corn chips on the table, shredded cheese in the fridge and all they need to do is ladle the chili into their bowls.”

He nodded. “I can handle that.”

“Thank you.” Moving briskly, she washed her hands and then grabbed one of the cans of formula and read the instructions, just to make sure.

Once everything was mixed up in one of the bottles, she warmed it slightly in the microwave and shook it to make sure the heat distributed evenly. She squeezed a drop on her wrist, something she thought she’d seen on TV. “Perfect.”

More relieved than she’d care to admit, even to herself, she crossed over to where Amelia still slept. One quick glance at Theo, and the knot was back in the pit of her stomach. “I’ll just take her upstairs and feed and change her.”

“Sounds good.” Theo glanced at the clock. “The less exposure she has to others, the better, at least until we get her checked out. I’m going to see if Gemma can come by tonight after work, though I might have her stop by Gram Dottie’s first.”

The worry and affection in his voice when he spoke of his grandmother warmed her. “Just let me know,” she said. “I think I hear the guys.”

He gave her a panicked look, nearly making her laugh. Instead she picked up Amelia’s carrier, tucking the warm baby bottle on one side. She looped the bag with the diapers over her arm and hurried upstairs just as the back door opened and the hungry ranch hands began filing in.

Amelia woke with a startled little sound when they were halfway up the stairs. After one quick gasp, she scrunched up her little face and let out an ear-piercing wail. By the time Ellie had reached the landing, Amelia had begun to cry in earnest.

Making soothing sounds, Ellie hurried to her room. Once there, she dropped the diapers on the bed and hurried to get Amelia out of the carrier. No amount of rocking or murmuring endearments would soothe her. But the instant Ellie pressed the baby bottle against her lips, Amelia latched on, drinking so fast she hiccupped.

“What a beautiful baby you are,” Ellie murmured, her heart full. “I’m so sorry your mama won’t get to see you grow up.”

Cradling Amelia while she finished her bottle, Ellie wondered at this newfound surge of maternal emotion. She hadn’t spent a lot of time around babies, and it amazed her how tiny this one seemed.

Once Amelia finished her bottle, Ellie burped her, again copying something she’d seen on television. Amelia let out a satisfied belch.

Ellie kicked off her shoes and climbed onto her bed, holding Amelia close. She propped up a pillow and leaned back, resting while she gently rocked her charge.

A few seconds later, Amelia had gone back to sleep. Smiling, Ellie watched her. Once, before her stalker, she’d settled into a sort of Bohemian existence working at a bookstore in Boulder. She’d had friends, she’d been happy, though she’d often felt like she was floating along through life. Her stalker had changed that, and the constant panic had forced her to go on the run. Now she’d landed here. She wasn’t sure why, especially since she’d always wanted to travel, but she hadn’t felt this content in a long time.

* * *

By the time the lunch hour was over, Theo had a newfound respect for the job of ranch cook. Since coming back home, he hadn’t had to do much, Mrs. Saul had worked in the kitchen for over twenty years. When the plump white-haired lady had come to him and announced she wanted to retire, the entire ranch was caught off guard. She’d promised to stay until he’d found someone to replace her, and so she had. The transition from Mrs. Saul to Ellie Parker had gone seamlessly.

One tiny baby and everything had been thrown off balance. That was okay, he told himself. Once Gram Dottie took over nanny duty, everything here would be right back on track. He’d just have to pitch in until then. At least he had plans. Big ones, actually. He just had to find the right stock to get his breeding program underway.

Most people didn’t realize that the majority of broncos in the rodeos were bred specifically for that role. The best buckers had good confirmation and breeding. Theo figured if he couldn’t ride ’em, he’d breed ’em.

Until then, he’d help out in whatever way he could, including cooking. The men had been surprised to see him in the kitchen, but they’d been hungry and dug into the chili. Theo had fixed himself a bowl, too, and taken a seat at the table in the other room to eat with them. All the talk was on the upcoming Tulsa State Fair and Rodeo in Oklahoma.

Pretending it didn’t bother him talking about something that had been his favorite activity in the world was something he had gotten better at. Theo laughed and joked, argued about who he thought was the best bull rider, hoping and praying they didn’t ask him about the bronc riders, whether saddle bronc or bareback. Bareback had been his sport, and even thinking about what he would be missing usually filled him with a brooding kind of anger.

Maybe they had heard this, or perhaps his hired cowboys had a lot of common sense, because bronc riding never came up.

Most of them had seconds, complimenting Theo on the chili. He smiled and told them to thank Ellie. No one asked about the baby, no doubt remembering the way the conversation had gone that morning.

Finally, one by one, they pushed back their chairs and headed out to get back to work. Relieved, Theo gathered up the dirty dishes, rinsed them off and put them in the dishwasher. He made sure the burner was off and left the pot on the stove to cool.

He made a quick call to a local alarm monitoring service and left a message on their answering machine asking for an appointment the next day to have motion detectors and whatever else came with a home alarm installed.

Someone called him back in two minutes, confirming the appointment for Monday afternoon. He imagined they didn’t get much business. Here in Dead River, the country folks rarely even bothered to lock their doors.

Theo had been the same. In the past. No longer. He planned to make sure the house was locked up tight each night before he went to bed. An alarm would be additional insurance. Whoever had broken in, whether he’d been after the baby or Ellie, wouldn’t be able to get in so easily next time.