Peggy Moreland - A Sparkle In The Cowboy's Eyes

“Good help!” Merideth cried. “Why, that woman—”

John Lee clamped a hand over her mouth. “Don’t you say another word,” he threatened. “I’ll be lucky if she doesn’t quit over this.”

Merideth ripped his hand from her mouth. “You’ll be lucky if she does quit!” she returned furiously.

Firming his lips, John Lee caught her by the elbow again and marched her down the hall to the master bedroom. Once inside, he slammed the door behind him and fisted his hands on his hips. “Let me tell you something, Miss High-and-Mighty McCloud. I need Mrs. Baker. Without her help with Cassie, I don’t know what I’d do.”

Merideth shifted the baby to her shoulder and frantically patted her back, trying to calm her. “You’d find someone better. Someone conscientious. Someone without a television addiction.”

Shooting Merideth a scathing look, John Lee took the baby from her. Holding Cassie at arm’s length, he jounced her up and down, puckering his mouth sympa-thetically as he looked up at her. “Whatsa matter, darlin’? Is all this yellin’ upsettin’ you?”

Merideth snatched the baby right back from him. “For heaven’s sake! She isn’t some football you can toss around.” She cradled the baby to her chest, tucking the infant’s head beneath her chin and rocking slightly while she glared at John Lee. “And I can tell you what’s wrong with her. She’s wet. She’s dirty. And probably hungry. And that witch in the kitchen totally ignores her.”

John Lee narrowed his eyes. “Don’t you start in again with me,” he warned.

“As if anything I said could penetrate your thick skull.” Turning her back on him, Merideth paced the room, patting and comforting, trying to calm Cassie. A huge beveled mirror covered the wall opposite her from floor to ceiling, offering Merideth her reflection and that of the black velvet comforter and cowhide throw that stretched across the king-sized bed behind her. She knew without looking that she’d find a similar mirror on the ceiling. She also knew their purpose. She shifted her gaze to a huge impressionistic painting of bold red slashes. After staring at it a moment, she realized she was looking at a nude woman’s reclining form.

The entire room screamed of seduction.

She glanced over her shoulder to scowl at John Lee. “I suppose this is your room?”

“Yeah,” he said defensively. “You got a problem with that?”

“Yes, I do, though I imagine the caliber of women you entertain here probably find this hedonistic display highly erotic.”

John Lee wasn’t at all sure what she’d just said, but by her tone, he figured he’d just been insulted. “I’ll have you know—”

Merideth shifted Cassie to the opposite shoulder, cutting him off with a dismissing wave of her hand. “Don’t bother me with the details of your sordid sex life. Just tell me where the baby’s room is so that I can change her.”

Scowling, John Lee gestured toward a door. “Through here.”

Merideth followed him into the adjoining room, which proved to be an extension of the den of iniquity she considered his bedroom. An entertainment center lined one wall and a sleek black leather couch, deep enough to sleep on, another. Framed photographs hung above the sofa and Merideth focused in on the largest, a picture of John Lee surrounded by a group of big-busted cheerleaders, each of whom seemed intent on offering him the most daring view of her cleavage. By the broad smile he was wearing, Merideth could tell he had been enjoying himself immensely.

“Disgusting,” she muttered under her breath and brushed past John Lee, heading for the crib parked in a comer of the room.

She laid the baby down, her expression and her tone softening perceptibly as she turned her full attention on Cassie. “That’s okay, precious,” she soothed, drawing a clean diaper from the bag hanging on the side of the crib. “Merideth will take care of that old wet diaper.”

As she worked, the trio of gold bangles at her wrist clinked musically. Mesmerized by the sound, Cassie stopped crying and stretched up a chubby hand to grab for them. Laughing, Merideth slipped one off her wrist and gave it her. “You like jewelry, do you? Well, so do I. And I must say you have marvelous taste.” When Cassie carried the bracelet to her mouth and began to gum it, Merideth smiled approvingly. “That’s right, darling. It’s only fitting that a princess should cut her teeth on gold.”

John Lee wasn’t sure what to make of all this, but damned if he was going to say or do anything to stop it! Merideth was holding Cassie, talking to her, even teasing her. This from the woman who, a little more than a week ago, couldn’t bring herself to so much as touch the baby.

Was it possible that she had reconsidered his proposal?

Cautiously, he eased up behind Merideth and peered over her shoulder as she pressed the tabs of the clean diaper in place. “You’re pretty good at that.”

Merideth favored him with a look that would have brought a lesser man to his knees. “Any fool can change a diaper, which only supports my claim that Mrs. Baker is incompetent. You should fire her.”

John Lee cocked his head in warning. “Merideth...”

“Oh, forget it.” She glanced around. “Where do you keep her clothes? You do have something other than these tacky T-shirts for her to wear, don’t you?”

“Of course I do.” He dug through a box of clothes sitting on the floor beside the crib, and pulled out a pink romper and held it up for her inspection. “Will this do?”

Merideth eyed it critically. “For now.” She took the garment and tugged it over Cassie’s head. “We’ll go shopping later.”

“Shopping?”

“Yes, shopping.”

“For what?”

“A new wardrobe.” She bent to lift Cassie from the crib and shifted her to her hip. “She’ll need furniture, too. A chest of drawers, a changing table and a rocker, of course.” She crossed to the window and opened the shutters, letting sunlight flood the room. Turning, she cocked her head, studying the walls, already mentally ripping the pictures from them. “And paint,” she added thoughtfully.

“Paint?” John Lee repeated, wondering what in the hell was going on, but afraid to ask.

“Yes. This room is much too dull. A baby needs color for stimulation. We’ll need to drive into Austin, and maybe even to San Antonio.”

“And when are we going to do this?”

“First thing in the morning. We’d go today,” she added, already thinking of fabrics and colors, “but I need to go home and pack a few things.”

“Pack a few things?” he repeated, beginning to feel like a parrot. “Are you planning on moving in?”

Merideth rolled her eyes. “Well, of course I am. Someone has to look after Cassie, and it’s obvious she—” she jerked her head toward the kitchen “—isn’t capable of the job. And you,” she added pointedly, “are too spineless to fire her.” She turned to Cassie, nuzzling her nose against the infant’s. “Isn’t that right, princess?”

In answer, Cassie caught Merideth’s cheeks between her chubby hands and pressed their noses closer together.

Laughing, Merideth gave her a quick hug before turning to John Lee. When her gaze met his, her frown returned.

“I suppose we should get a few details out of the way,” she said, her tone turning crisp. “I’ll take care of Cassie, but that’s it. I do not cook, clean or do laundry, including my own. I’ll sleep in your room, so that I can be nearby in case she cries out in the night, which of course means that you’ll need to move into one of the other bedrooms.”

Though the idea of giving up his room didn’t exactly please John Lee, he figured he could live with the inconvenience for a few months if it meant Merideth was going to be looking after Cassie. “Sounds fair enough. What else?”