sure you have plenty to do. And I need to feed him.”
He looked embarrassed as he quickly glanced at his watch. “Sure, I have a meeting anyway.” He started out and stopped. “If you need anything…”
“I know, you’re across the hall,” she echoed, knowing how easy it would be to depend on him. To care more and more for this man. But she had to stand on her own and raise her son. “Jarrett, I could never begin to thank you for everything you’ve done.”
“Hey, what good are landlords if they can’t step in as labor coaches?” He glanced at the baby. “Be good to your mom, hot rod.” He turned and walked out.
Mia heard the door shut and it sounded so final. But it had to be. She couldn’t get involved with Jarrett McKane.
She laid BJ down on the changing table. Startled, the baby blinked open his eyes and looked at her. Something stirred in her chest as his rich blue gaze stared back at her.
“Hey, little guy,” she whispered, almost afraid he would start crying. Instead, he stilled at the sound of her voice. Her throat tightened. “Welcome home, son.” She swallowed, knowing there could be only one man in her life.
“Looks like it’s just you and me now.”
A FEW nights later, Jarrett got off the elevator on the second floor after a friendly poker game with Joe and friends in the community room.
Friendly, hah. They were card sharks. All of ‘em. They had set him up, and by the time Jarrett had figured it out, it had cost him nearly a hundred bucks. Nothing to do but cut his losses and go home.
Fighting a smile at how the old guys had tricked him, he unlocked his apartment door. Before he got inside he paused, hearing a sound coming from across the hall. A baby crying. BJ. He checked his watch. It was after midnight. He waited a few minutes, but the crying didn’t stop. Concerned, he went to Mia’s door, and the sound got louder and angrier.
“Mia.” He knocked, and after a few seconds the door opened.
A tired and anxious-looking Mia stood on the other side. Dressed for bed, she had on a robe, but by the looks of her, she hadn’t gotten much sleep.
“Is everything okay?”
She didn’t answer, instead she handed him the baby wrapped in a blanket. “Here, you make him stop. I’ve tried everything.”
He quickly grabbed the bundle, then she turned and walked across the living room.
Jarrett looked down at the red-faced infant with his tiny fists clenched, waving in the air. “Whoa, there, little guy.” He closed the door and followed after the mother. “It can’t be that bad.”
The answer was another loud wail. Not good.
He looked at Mia. “Did you feed him?”
She sent him a threatening look. “Of course I fed him. And I diapered him, bathed him, burped him, but he won’t stop crying.” Tears filled her eyes, her lower lip trembled. “I’m lousy at this.”
“Stop it. You’re just new at it.”
He readjusted the squirming baby in his arms. Hell, he didn’t know what he was doing either. He raised the baby to his shoulder and began rubbing his back. The baby stiffened, but Jarrett didn’t stop.
“Has he been eating good?”
Mia nodded, but looked concerned. “Maybe he’s not getting enough. I feed him every two hours.”
“Maybe he’s got an air bubble,” Jarrett said.
He went to the sofa and sat down, laying the screaming baby across his legs. He remembered seeing Kira doing this with Jenna. After a few minutes a burp came from the little guy and the loud crying turned to a few whimpers and then, finally, silence. He kept patting the baby’s back until he fell asleep.
He smiled at Mia who still looked close to tears. “Hey, BJ is fine now.”
She didn’t look convinced.
He lifted the baby into his arms and caught the clean sent of soap as the tiny bundle move against his shoulder, then finally settled down again. Protectiveness stirred in him as he carried the infant into the bedroom.
There was a night-light on over the crib, and he placed BJ down on his back. He made room as Mia adjusted the baby’s position and covered him with a blanket. The kid stirred but didn’t make another sound. The silence was golden.
They stepped away from the baby’s bed. “He’s so exhausted, he should sleep for a while,” Jarrett said encouragingly.
“Thanks to you,” Mia said, then added, “I couldn’t even figure out it was gas.”
Jarrett took her by the arm and led her across to the queen-size bed. They sat down side by side.
“So now you’ll know,” he said, seeing the dark circles around her pretty blue eyes. He brushed back wayward strands of hair that had escaped her ponytail. His heart pounded at the surge of desire that shot through him. He needed to leave, but he already knew nothing could draw him away from her.
“Call Kira. She had trouble with Jenna, too. That’s how I knew what to do. And the next time you’ll know, too.”
She swiped at the last of her tears. “You’re lucky to have family.”
He glanced away. “Trace and Kira didn’t always think so.” He’d made so many mistakes with his brother.
“You and your brother haven’t always been close?” she asked.
“Try never,” he admitted. “It was mostly my fault.”
“You two look pretty close now.”
“Sometimes damage can’t be fixed. But thanks to Kira, we’ve been working on it.”
She watched him, waiting for more. “You’re half brothers?”
He nodded. “Different mothers. I lost mine at six.” He shrugged. “My dad remarried, and his wife had a baby, Trace.”
“Was she a good stepmother?”
“Alice? She didn’t have much time for me, so I don’t know much about her mothering skills. My dad just dealt with the ranch business, and that included taking me along.” He glanced away. “I hated it. I can still smell the stink of the cattle, the burning hide of the steers during branding. And it’s damn hard work, for damn little money. And as soon as I could, I got out. Straight into college.”
She smiled. “Bet they were proud of you.”
“Yeah, sure.
“Brad was my cheering squad. My best friend. Whether I wanted him to be or not.” She glanced away. “All I gave him was trouble.”
