and then frowned, and then smiled again.
What was up with that?
“Jessica runs the day care center down the road,” Vince explained with a wave of his hand, as if he were brushing off the question Nate hadn’t even thought to ask. “You’ll no doubt need some assistance with Gracie here, and no one knows children better than Jessica Sabin.”
Nate opened his mouth to argue and then closed it again. His gaze slid back to the pretty blond-haired woman at Vince’s side, who was now cuddling baby Gracie in the curve of her arm and murmuring in pleasant undertones. Nate was hesitant to admit Vince might be right, but the way the pretty woman immediately calmed the fussy baby did much to persuade him.
There was no denying it. He did need help with Gracie. That was a fact.
“Thanks,” he said at last, casting Jess half a grin. “I appreciate the offer.”
Vince nodded, looking pleased with himself. “Do you want me to go get Pop? I’m sure he’ll want to know you’re home. And I know he’ll want to meet the baby.”
Nate shook his head fiercely. He knew he had to face his father sooner or later, but he was definitely leaning toward later. He was under enough stress without confronting Pop.
“No. I don’t want him to know I’m here, Vince. At least, not yet.”
When Nate saw his father again, he wanted it to be on his own terms. In his own good time.
He leveled his gaze on his brother. “Promise me you won’t say anything to him.”
Vince arched his eyebrow and shrugged. “Whatever floats your boat. I won’t say anything. But you need to go see him. When you’re ready.”
Nate scowled at his brother. All his life, Vince had ordered him around. Why had he expected things to be different now?
He sighed inwardly. He hadn’t really expected change, and that saddened him more than anything.
“Where are you staying, again?” Vince asked in what Nate thought was an overt attempt to steer the subject to more neutral ground.
Nate shrugged and grimaced.
“I didn’t say,” he murmured. “Here at the lodge, I hope. Unless, of course, that’s an inconvenience to you.”
Nate thought the look on Vince’s face was clear affirmation that Nate was, in fact, a considerable inconvenience to his elder brother, but Vince’s soft words belied his expression. “As you pointed out, this is your home. You are always welcome here. Your old cabin is still waiting for you.”
Vince hadn’t rented out Nate’s old cabin?
That came as an overwhelming surprise to him. Desperate to affirm his independence, Nate had moved into his own cabin and away from the family quarters in the lodge on his sixteenth birthday. He’d selfishly not cared how his family felt about it. Yet Vince had kept the cabin intact and waiting for him, at his own loss, for Nate knew Vince could have been cashing in by renting the cabin out to guests.
Yet he hadn’t. Why?
He shook his head. Not wanting to think too much on what that might mean, he turned his attention to the smiling woman by Vince’s side.
“Jess,” Nate offered, nodding his head toward the woman and reaching his hands out for Gracie. He suddenly and inexplicably wanted the infant back in his arms, even if it felt awkward, and probably looked worse. “I can take the baby now.”
“It’s Jessica,” she corrected, only briefly glancing at Nate before her gaze returned to the baby, whom she didn’t immediately relinquish. “What can I do to help?”
“Not a thing, ma’am,” Nate snapped impatiently, then winced at his own harsh tone. With Vince glowering at him, he felt as if he was on trial, and all because, as Vince had said, Nate wasn’t exactly daddy material.
But he would learn to be. And quickly. He was nothing if not determined.
“Sorry,” he apologized gruffly, but that didn’t stop him from scooping Gracie back into his arms. He kissed the baby’s soft cheek, wishing she would smile at him as she did at Jess.
It didn’t seem fair to Nate that Gracie started squirming and protesting the moment she was back in his arms, squawking and reaching out for a woman she had only just met, rather than wanting to be in her own guardian’s arms.
Not that Nate could blame her.
Jess shrugged. “No problem.”
“Thank you, anyway,” he continued, trying to take the edge off his earlier tone, “but I’m sure Gracie and I will get along just fine on our own, at least for right now. We’ll see how it goes.”
Vince barked out a laugh and shook his head in disbelief.
“Oh, right, little brother. You have been taking care of babies all your life.”
“Well, no, but…”
“You do know she needs a diaper change?” Jess asked, arching one golden eyebrow and grinning wryly. Nate might have taken offense, but her large brown eyes radiated kindness.
“I—er, well of course I know,” Nate said, patting Gracie on her plump behind.
In truth, he hadn’t noticed until Jess brought it to his attention. What Nate knew about babies could fit onto the head of a pin.
That was one problem he was going to have to fix, and fast.
“Would you like me to change her for you?” Jess asked with a polite smile. Her gaze was steeped in amusement, but Nate couldn’t argue. A rough-cut marine holding a tiny baby girl had to look fairly humorous to anyone’s eyes, especially to this day care director, who no doubt took care of babies every day.
He shook his head before he could think better of it. “I’ve got it. Thanks.”
“You’re sure?” Jess queried.
Nate shook his head again. “I’ll just go over—” He hesitated, looking around the lodge’s day room. No thought presented itself that would reasonably complete his sentence, so he let it dangle as awkwardly as the baby squirming in his arms.
“The sofa, perhaps?” she suggested. This time Nate was certain he heard a little teasing in her tone, not that he could blame her.
“Right. The couch.” He moved toward the sofa as he spoke, not wanting to make eye contact with either Jess or Vince.
“Do you have a changing pad?” Jess asked from directly behind his left shoulder.
Nate couldn’t remember what he had in the diaper bag, but by the weight of it, he was positive he’d packed everything, including the kitchen sink. He’d certainly cleaned out the infant shelves of the baby store where he’d stopped to pick up necessary baby items on his trip to Colorado.
Settling himself on the couch, Nate propped Gracie on his knee and reached for the diaper bag.
Changing
