style="font-size:15px;"> Between work and caring for her girls, Becky hadn’t even realized her heart could still flutter the way it did when Callum’s dark gaze met hers. Butterflies had danced across her stomach and she’d had a difficult time pulling air into her lungs. Most women probably had the same inclination toward Callum. He would have been a standout in a big city like Dallas or Houston, but in the tiny town of Rambling Rose he was like a Greek god come to life.
Even now, her heart stuttered as she watched him smile at Ellie. Then his gaze tracked to hers, as if he could feel her eyes on him. His expression didn’t change but there was something about the way he looked at her that made awareness prick along her skin. Dropping her gaze, she shoved a hand in the diaper bag that hung off the back of the stroller and pulled out a plastic container of dried cereal. The girls immediately perked up and she sprinkled a few oat bits into the stroller’s tray before shoving a handful into her mouth. She really did need to remember breakfast.
Certainly an empty stomach was to blame for her dizziness, not the way Callum made her feel.
They cut the ribbon and the crowd, made up mostly of new employees of the center, cheered.
Luna clapped her hands at the noise while Sasha’s chin trembled.
“It’s okay, sweetie.” Becky bent down and dropped a soothing kiss on her shy girl’s cheek. “It’s happy noise.”
Sasha’s big eyes widened farther as she looked around but after a moment she let out a sigh and settled back against the seat.
Meltdown averted. At least for now.
With twins, Becky rarely went for any long period without some sort of minor toddler crisis, but she wouldn’t change a thing about either of her girls.
Callum and the rest of the pediatric center’s VIPs had disappeared into the main lobby by the time Becky straightened.
“I hear they have cupcakes inside,” a woman said as she passed Becky. “Your girls might like one.”
“They’re a little young for cupcakes,” Becky answered with a laugh. “But I could use a treat.”
“Those Fortune men are a treat for the eyes,” the older woman said, giving Becky a quick wink. “If I were twenty years younger and not married…”
Becky was plenty young but also far too exhausted to consider dating. At least the fact that she could appreciate Callum’s movie-star good looks proved motherhood hadn’t destroyed her girlie parts completely.
As they approached the entrance, the woman asked, “You’re the one who lost her husband a couple of years ago, right?”
She nodded, considering the joys and pitfalls of living in a small town.
“It’s good you stayed in Rambling Rose. We take care of our own. I’m Sarah. My husband, Grant, is the building manager for the pediatric center.” The automatic doors whooshed open, and they walked into the lobby together. “Our kids are grown and moved away, so I’ve got more time on my hands than I can fill right now. If you ever need help—”
“Thank you,” Becky said, forcing a smile. “I appreciate the offer, but I’ve got things under control.”
Sarah gave her a funny look but nodded. “I understand. If you change your mind, Grant can get you my number.”
Becky kept the smile fixed on her face until the woman walked away, then pressed two fingers to her forehead and drew in a steadying breath. She’d received at least a dozen similar offers since the twins’ birth and had rejected every one. She hadn’t really lied to Sarah. At this exact moment, she did have things under control. The girls were both sitting contentedly in the stroller watching the crowd.
Of course, things could go south at any moment. She’d handle that, too, on her own. She took the girls to a day care center when she worked, but otherwise didn’t like to accept help. It had been her choice to stay in this town where she had no family. She didn’t want people to think she was some kind of over-her-head charity case, even though most days she felt like she was treading water in the middle of the ocean.
But she didn’t focus on that. She just kept her legs and arms moving so that she wouldn’t go under. Her girls deserved the best she had to give, and she wouldn’t settle for offering them anything less.
She was pushing the stroller toward the refreshment table when someone stepped in front of her path.
“Cupcake?” Callum Fortune asked.
Becky’s mouth went suddenly dry, but she took the iced pastry from him. “Thanks,” she whispered, then cleared her throat. “You did a great job with the building.”
He shrugged but looked pleased by the compliment. “I love rehabbing old spaces, and this one is special.”
“Ellie mentioned in her speech that the building used to house an orphanage.” Becky took a small bite of cupcake and failed to smother a sigh of pleasure. It tasted so good.
Callum grinned. “Breakfast of champions,” he told her with a wink. “And, yes. It was called Fortune’s Foundling Hospital and dated back to the founding of Rambling Rose.”
“Your family’s ties to the town go back that far?”
“Apparently. I’ll admit I’m still getting caught up on all the different branches of the Fortunes spread across Texas.”
“You’re royalty here,” she told him, but he shook his head.
“Not me. I’m just a guy who loves construction.”
“I think you’re more than that.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them. Somehow they sounded too familiar. People surrounded them, but for Becky the thread of connection pulsing between her and Callum gave the moment an air of intimacy that shocked and intrigued her.
His mouth quirked into a sexy half grin. “I appreciate—”
Suddenly, a woman burst into the lobby, clutching her very round belly. “Help me!” she cried. “I think I’m in labor.”
“Get a gurney,” Dr. Green shouted, elbowing his way through the crowd.
Becky took an instinctive step forward. Panic was clear on the woman’s delicate features, and Becky understood that panic could accompany childbirth. But she couldn’t leave her girls unattended.
Dr. Green straightened, his gaze searching the crowd until it alighted on her. “Becky, I need you,” he called across the lobby.
She nodded and turned to Callum.
“I’ve got the girls,” he told her without missing a beat. “Go.”
She worked to calm her racing heart as adrenaline pumped through her. “Are you sure?”
She gave each of the girls a quick kiss and the assurance that Mommy would be back soon, then hurried toward the first patient in her new job.
“They’re safe with me,” he assured her, and although she’d just met Callum Fortune, she didn’t doubt him for a moment.
