Talia knew that, whatever happened, she would not get to keep Hattie as her own. She had to accept that. If she couldn’t raise Hattie herself, then she wanted the best possible outcome and right now there were only two solutions: Nick Duncan would claim his baby or the state would take Hattie. Talia didn’t want the latter to happen.
Thinking about Hattie and wanting to get home to see her, Talia gripped the steering wheel tightly and pulled onto the road.
Her thoughts shifted to Nick and the moment she had first met him. The first time they had touched, the mere handshake had sent tingles radiating through her and made breathing difficult. What shocked her was that he had felt the electricity, too. She’d seen it in the look he gave her, felt it as he took her hand lightly, a slight, impersonal touch, yet it hadn’t been impersonal. She had tingled to her toes, and she knew he reacted, as well. Another twist she couldn’t worry about. Right now she was focused on getting him to become the dad for Hattie that he truly was, and as soon as possible. Hopefully, Nick would let her stay part of Hattie’s life. Was that asking so much?
Yet she didn’t know Nick and he didn’t know her. What if someday he married again and his wife didn’t want Talia in their lives? Would Nick keep Hattie from her?
She didn’t want to think what would happen if Nick wouldn’t claim Hattie. First he needed proof that he was her dad. The minute she’d seen him, Talia had noticed the family resemblance. Hattie had Nick’s green eyes with little flecks of gold, his tangled brown hair and the same facial structure.
Talia shook her head. How was she going to go about work and keep focused on what she needed to do? All she could think about was Hattie every minute. She pulled into the day-care parking lot, climbed out of the car and went inside to find her little charge.
Hattie saw her coming and held out her arms. Talia picked her up, smiling at her and kissing her cheek as she squeezed her close. “Hi, sweetie,” she said, smiling at the baby, feeling warmth and love pour over her. She loved this child with all her heart. If only Nick would love Hattie, too. She told herself he would, once he was certain she was his. Surely he wouldn’t want the state to take her.
“How’s my girl?” she asked, snuggling close and inhaling the sweet scent of baby powder. Then she leaned back to look at Hattie, who smiled and patted Talia’s cheek. “I love you,” Talia said.
“Wuv you,” Hattie replied softly in her childish voice, but the words thrilled Talia even when it was wuv instead of love.
“I’m taking you home now,” Talia said, getting Hattie’s bag, gathering up her other things. She talked to two of the women who ran the day care and then signed out and left with Hattie.
“Once he sees you, I don’t see how your daddy can resist you,” Talia said as she buckled the child into the car seat.
“Da,” Hattie repeated.
“That’s right,” Talia said, brightening. “Daddy. We’ll work on that one. Da-dee,” she said, drawing out the word. Hattie giggled.
“I hope he makes you laugh. Da-dee,” Talia repeated, hoping Hattie would pick up the sounds and learn the word.
“We’ll keep trying. I want your daddy to be unable to resist you. I don’t want him to take you from me, but if he doesn’t, the state will, so better your daddy, who might let me see you occasionally.”
* * *
The first week of May, Nick was in his office on the ranch, staring at the document in his hand. The results of the DNA test. Absolute proof that he was Hattie’s father. He mulled over the news when Stan knocked and entered the open door.
“I needed to drive into town and thought I’d stop to see you. Are you doing okay with this?”
“That I’m a dad? Hell, no, I’m not.” He’d told his brother the DNA test results as soon as they’d arrived. Over the last few hours he’d read them a dozen times. He dropped the report back on his desk. “Talia Barton is bringing Hattie to my Dallas house tomorrow so I can meet her. We’re both trying to ease into this. Talia is hurting over losing her charge and I can’t imagine becoming a parent to a fourteen-month-old little girl. I don’t know how to cope with a baby girl.”
Stan stared at him with his brow furrowed as he pushed his hat back on his head. “You want to let the state take her?”
Startled, Nick looked up at his brother, his brows rising.
“Sorry,” Stan said. “I know you don’t want to do that and I wouldn’t want to, either. I’m sorry I even asked you a question like that.”
“Forget it. She’s mine and I’ll take the responsibility that I should, though this deal just tears at me. I didn’t even know the mother. I feel like every time I look at that little girl, I’ll want her to be Artie.”
“Sorry, Nick. You’ll get used to her. I’ll help any way I can.”
Nick heard the earnest note in his brother’s voice and he smiled. “Thanks, Stan. That offer means a lot,” he said, suddenly feeling proud of his younger brother for volunteering to help.
“I’ve got to run. I just stopped for a minute. When tomorrow is Ms. Barton coming to see you and bringing the baby?”
“In the afternoon. In the morning I’ll go to Dallas and she’ll bring Hattie by after her last class.”
“You’re a dad and I’m an uncle to a baby girl. Wow. That does take some getting used to.” His wistful look was replaced by a serious one. “I’m surprised the state hasn’t already stepped in and taken the baby from Ms. Barton. She doesn’t have legal rights.”
“She’s a teacher in a community college and she has a quiet, take-charge manner that probably makes people do what she wants.”
“A battle-ax?”
Smiling, Nick shook his head. “Trust me, you’ll never use those words again after you see her.”
“A hottie?”
“She’s stunning. You’ll see. In addition, she has that authoritative manner, in a quieter way, that our grandmother does.”
“No kidding. I can’t wait to meet her.”
Nick didn’t reply, but he looked forward to seeing her again himself and that shocked him. He didn’t want to have that reaction to her because she had upended his life.
He walked out with Stan. “I don’t want to tell Grandmother until I have everything lined up. I don’t want her trying to move into my house.”
“What a thought. Of course, if you let Grandmother move in, you won’t ever have to make another decision. You can just drift.”
“You know better than that. She’d make all the decisions but she’d keep me hopping every second. No, she doesn’t know until I’m ready. You go ahead and tell Blake and Adam and I’ll call them or text.” He knew he’d have better luck with his other two brothers than his grandmother.
“Good deal.”
“Talia said Hattie looks like me. We’ll see.”
Stan
