in hell was he going to get any sleep tonight?
Through an open door, he caught a glimpse of a bathroom. Good, he thought as he shucked his damp clothing down to his shivering skin. A long hot shower was just the ticket. Cleaned up and with his boots on, he could face the lady rancher on equal terms.
In the bathroom an old-fashioned claw-foot tub greeted him. The sink was of the same vintage, maybe thirty years old or more. The shower was over the tub and enclosed by a plastic shower curtain. At least the tub was man-size, Sam mused gratefully as he stepped into the tub and let hot water run over him.
To his surprise, he found his boots, cleaned and shined, just inside the door when he came back into the bedroom. Room service? He let out a sigh of relief. Maybe his stay at the ranch was going to be more enjoyable than he’d thought.
He rummaged in his duffel for clean jeans and a fresh shirt. Once dressed, he took the stairs two at a time and headed for the sounds coming from the kitchen.
Annie was sitting on a stack of pillows. A large kitchen towel around her middle bound her firmly to the rungs of a kitchen chair. Her little hands were waving in the air, and milk dripped from her chin. Laura was laughing and waving a spoon to catch the baby’s attention. Sure enough, an enchanted Annie’s lips parted.
One swoop, another, then plop, the cereal went into Annie’s open mouth. Beside them, the alert mutt stood with his tongue hanging out, his tail wagging. From the expectant look in his eyes, Sam expected kindhearted Laura to give the dog his turn.
Sam stood silently, lost in thought. He’d usually been on the outside of life, photographing heartwarming scenes for others to enjoy. This one, with his own daughter in it, warmed his heart. Too bad his ex hadn’t hung around long enough to be a part of a scene like this.
Sam had thought he’d realized his dream of having a family of his own. Until Paige had told him he wasn’t a good husband, let alone father. Annie had been a mistake, she’d explained when she’d called him from Paris and told him she’d filed for divorce.
He gazed at little Annie. With her golden-brown hair, chocolate-brown eyes and a dimple in her chin, she was almost a mirror image of himself.
Annie, a mistake? No way. Annie was the best thing that had ever happened to him. She might have a mother who’d opted out of motherhood, but she sure had a father who wanted her.
The domestic scene in front of him was unsettling. He told himself he still had mountains to climb, roads to travel, photographs to take. That it was the wrong time and place to become maudlin over broken dreams.
He’d have to forget the attraction he was beginning to feel for Laura, both for her sake and for his. His first priority was to prove he could make it as a father—or bust a gut trying.
Laura Evans apparently had problems of her own, anyway. She didn’t need him to complicate her life.
There was only one thing left to do, he thought as he cleared his throat and made his presence known. As soon as the car-rental agency turned up with another vehicle, he’d take Annie, do Laura a favor and get out of her life.
Arm in midair, Laura looked up at Sam. In a clean, although wrinkled, white shirt and fresh khakis, he looked taller, more sure of himself. Maybe not as sexy as he’d looked when he was dripping wet, but definitely interesting.
“Hungry?” she asked. Annie banged her spoon on the table and babbled a welcome. The dog growled at the interruption.
“Sure,” Sam answered with a grin. “That is, if you have something more filling than baby cereal around.”
“Of course,” Laura answered. “Just give me a minute to finish feeding Annie.”
“How about letting me take over?” Sam suggested. “I may as well learn the drill.”
Laura regarded him thoughtfully before she stood and handed him the spoon. “Of course. Just don’t put too much on the spoon at one time or she’ll choke.”
Sam sensed her reluctance. He understood her dilemma all too well. He might be Annie’s father, but Laura was concerned he might not be able to do the right thing for the baby. “With you here to supervise, I’ll do fine,” he said bravely. “Just wait and see.”
“I wasn’t expecting company,” Laura answered. “Ham and eggs and hash browns for supper okay with you?”
Sam sat down and gingerly dipped the spoon into the cereal and aimed for Annie’s mouth. “Sure,” he answered. Happily Annie was hungry enough to cooperate. “By the way, thanks for cleaning my boots.”
“It wasn’t me,” Laura answered as she rummaged in an old refrigerator. “Hank took care of it. Said a man without his boots is like a fish out of water.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Sam answered, wiping excess cereal off Annie’s chin. “Who’s Hank? I’d like to thank him.”
“The ranch handyman,” Laura answered. “He’s been around here for more years than he can remember. Not that there’s a lot for him to do anymore,” she added as she sliced a shank of ham, “but he said that since the old sheep herder’s life has passed him by, he might as well hang around here.”
Sam nodded. From their surroundings, he sensed Hank remained at the ranch because he cared for the place and its present owner. It wasn’t difficult to understand, Sam thought as he watched Laura break eggs into a buttered frying pan. Judging from the way she took to caring for Annie, she was the nurturing type. And the nurturing didn’t stop with babies.
Laura slid a plate with scrambled eggs, ham and hash browns toward Sam. “Toast and coffee will be ready in a minute.”
Sam studied his daughter. She’d spit out the last two spoonfuls of cereal and was hanging over the towel babbling at the mutt. Sam heaved a sigh of relief. Annie was obviously full.
Laura joined him at the table with a plate of her own. “Room okay?”
“Sort of,” he answered, debating the wisdom of complaining about the size of the bunk beds. “But to tell you the truth, I’m a little worried about where Annie is going to sleep.”
Laura jumped up to turn off the coffeepot before it boiled over. “Not to worry,” she answered as she buttered wheat toast and placed it on a plate. “There’s always the dresser drawer.”
Sam felt himself blanch. “The dresser? How is she going to breathe in there?”
Laura smiled reassuringly and poured coffee. “You don’t have to worry. We’ll improvise. If you’re going to be traveling around with Annie, you’re going to have to find ways to make do, starting now. Although,” she added with a frown, “I don’t think traveling with an infant as young as Annie is a good idea.”
Sam shrugged. “Don’t have a choice. At least, not for now. I’ll try to find a more permanent place to stay later. Somewhere I can bring in a nanny while I work.”
Laura leaned over to make sure Annie was still securely fastened to the chair. “Sounds to me it’s not going to be easy.” She bit her lip, reached for her cup of coffee and met Sam’s gaze. “It’s okay to leave her here while you do your thing at the spa. That is, if you feel okay leaving her here with me.”
Sam
