Carla Cassidy - The Colton Cowboy

It was much easier to be on the run from the law without a newborn baby in tow. A surge of unexpected protectiveness welled up inside him as he looked at her. She was so tiny, so achingly vulnerable.

And it was also a possibility that the baby could be his. He’d always tried to make sure he had protected sex; however, he also had occasionally trusted when a woman told him she was on the pill and didn’t want him to wear a condom.

He would make a good target for a woman to trick. Although his uncle Fenwick Colton and his branch of the family were filthy rich, Anders’s father had done all right, too, and Anders certainly didn’t have to worry about money.

Yes, he’d make a good target for an unscrupulous woman to intentionally get pregnant in anticipation of some sort of a big payoff. He looked back at the baby.

He had to figure out something to call her besides “the baby.” Even though he intended to give her a name and despite the protectiveness that had welled up inside him, he refused to be drawn into caring or loving the baby in any way.

For just a moment his thoughts threw him back to a place when he’d been so happy. It had been a time when he had loved with all his heart, when baby giggles had been the sweetest sound he’d ever heard.

Damn, he couldn’t even think about that time without grief pooling inside him.

He sank down on the sofa, his thoughts turning to Elle Gage. He’d occasionally seen her around town but had never really noticed how attractive she was.

It had been acutely obvious that she didn’t particularly like him and she definitely didn’t trust him. Of course, he was a Colton and she was a Gage. Forbidden fruit, so to speak. Not that he was interested in a romantic relationship with anyone at the moment. He’d loved once and had been devastated. He certainly wasn’t eager to go there again. He had a ranch to run and plenty of work to keep him occupied.

A little cry alerted him that the baby was awake once again. He froze and waited to see if she would go back to sleep, but her cries got louder.

He picked her up in his arms and began to rock her, hoping that the motion would calm her down as it had before. It didn’t. Her little face screwed up and grew more and more red as her wails filled the cabin.

He could handle a bucking bronco or an enraged bull, but the crying baby in his arms scared him half to death. Why was she crying so hard? What was wrong with her?

The door opened and Elle and her dog came back in. “I can’t make her stop crying,” he said with an edge of panic. “I’ve tried rocking her, but that isn’t doing the trick.”

“Has she been fed? Have you checked to see if she needs a diaper change?” Elle walked over to the sofa and opened the tote bag. She pulled out a diaper, a bottle and a can of powdered formula.

“Give her to me. I’ll change her diaper while you make her a bottle.” She took the wailing baby from him and handed him the formula and the bottle.

“But I don’t know how to do this,” he protested.

“Read the side of the can. It isn’t rocket science.” She turned around and placed the baby on the sofa. “And make sure you warm it.”

He hurried into the kitchen where he managed to make a bottle and warm it in the microwave. He carried it back into the living room where she was seated on the sofa and rocking the still-sobbing baby.

He handed Elle the bottle and noticed the exotic, floral scent of her, a scent he found wildly attractive. The baby latched onto the bottle’s nipple and drank greedily.

“Poor little thing must have been starving,” she murmured.

An edge of guilt filled him. He should have thought about the baby being hungry. “I’m assuming you and your faithful companion didn’t find anyone outside,” he said.

He moved to stand in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room. It was easier to concentrate if he was far enough away from her that he couldn’t smell her evocative fragrance.

“No, but we both know somebody was here to leave the baby.”

“You know, it is possible she could be mine.”

Elle’s dark eyes studied him solemnly. “If that’s the case then you should know who her mother is.”

“Actually, it could be any one of several women.”

The look she gave him made him believe he should feel some sort of shame. He was thirty-three years old and he’d be damned if he’d let some hot canine cop make him feel guilty about his past relationships or any future ones he might enjoy.

“But she could also still be Demi and Bo’s baby,” she replied.

“We have to stop calling her ‘she.’ She needs a name, at least for tonight, because I intend to keep her here through the night,” he said.

She pulled a cloth diaper out of the bag and threw it over her shoulder and then raised the baby up and began to pat her back. She looked like a natural. Merlin sat at her feet like a sentry guarding both her and the baby.

“I’ll stay here for tonight to help.”

A rush of relief washed over him. “Thanks, I really appreciate it.”

“I’m not doing it for you,” she replied. “I’m doing it for the baby and because she might be a Gage.” The baby gurgled and once again she gave her the bottle.

All of her features softened as she gazed down at the baby. He’d always thought Elle was pretty, but she looked utterly gorgeous with all her features relaxed and a soft smile playing on her lips.

“Bonnie,” she said suddenly. She looked up at him. “Let’s call her Bonnie.”

“Sounds good to me,” he replied. “Does that name mean anything special to you?”

“No, it just sprang into my head when I was gazing into her beautiful blue eyes.”

He didn’t care what they called her. He was just grateful Elle was staying through the night to help him with the newly named Bonnie.

“I need to call the chief and let him know we’re keeping her here for the night but we’ll bring her into RRPD in the morning so we can decide what the next move will be where she’s concerned.”

The baby had fallen asleep once again, and Elle returned her to the cradle and then pulled out her cell phone and made the call to Finn. He agreed with the plan.

“It’s late,” Anders said when she finished with the phone call. “I’ll show you to the guest room.”

“Before you do that I’m going to take one final walk around outside with Merlin.” She stood and Merlin did the same, his gaze focused on Elle in what appeared to be utter devotion. “We’ll be right back.”

When she walked out of the door it was as if she stole some of the energy from the cabin. A weariness fell heavily on his shoulders. It had been a wild and crazy night. Thank goodness the small spare bedroom was clean and ready for a guest.

She was only gone a couple of minutes and then returned with a duffel bag in hand. “I always keep a change of clothes and some toiletries in my car. Now you can show us to the guest room.” She walked over and picked up the wicker cradle. “I’ll keep her with me for the night. She’ll want to be fed again before morning.”

“I really appreciate your help,” he replied. “I don’t know much about babies.”

“That’s fairly obvious,” she replied drily.

He didn’t respond, but instead led her into the room that held a double bed with another of his grandmother’s quilts covering it. There was also an easy chair in one corner and a dresser.

She carried the baby to the chair and set the cradle down. “She should be okay to sleep right here for the night.” She tucked the blanket around Bonnie and then straightened. “Before I go to sleep, I’d like to get another bottle ready.”

“I can take care of that,” he replied. He didn’t intend to just dump the baby in Elle’s lap and not do what he could to help her. He couldn’t forget that this was his problem and not hers.