dangerous and heartbreaking life choices—and wrestled with her own guilt over not doing enough to help resolve it—she couldn’t be Connor’s permanent legal guardian. If she was honest, she didn’t want to be his guardian. A temporary leave from her pharmaceutical sales position in Denver to come home to Merritt’s Crossing and help her widowed mother while she recovered from knee surgery was manageable. Keeping the family furniture store afloat proved daunting, but Skye could handle it until Mom was back on her feet. Literally.
But motherhood? Though a noble endeavor, it wasn’t part of her carefully orchestrated plans. Kids were fine for her friends, and she’d love it if her brothers married and started families someday, but she wasn’t interested in raising Connor or having children. It wasn’t just the day-to-day tasks of meeting Connor’s needs and finding adequate child care, although juggling both responsibilities felt overwhelming. Caring for him threatened the self-reliance she’d worked so hard to gain. What was worse, with each passing day, Skye worried more and more that McKenna might not ever show up. The thought of parenting Connor on her own and managing a career planted an icy ball of dread in her stomach. She couldn’t stand the thought of the precious baby boy going to foster care, though.
Common Grounds’s front door opened, and a blast of frigid air accompanied a tall, broad-shouldered man wearing a dark green winter jacket and black knit hat. Her breath caught. Was that Gage? Although he’d worn exactly what he’d promised in his message so she could easily identify him, she wasn’t prepared for his impressive physical appearance. The words devastatingly handsome darted through her mind.
Flustered by her reaction to his arrival, she willed the butterflies flitting through her abdomen to settle down while she let her eyes travel—just for a second—from his angular, clean-shaven jaw to his dark-washed jeans and what appeared to be new hiking boots. Interesting choice for a Colorado winter. Maybe he wasn’t from around here?
The pleasant hum of conversation faltered as he removed his hat and surveyed the coffee shop. When his gaze landed on Skye and he strode toward her table, she felt the weight of every curious stare in the room. She squirmed, pressing her spine against the rungs of her ladder-back chair, while her legs itched to stand and carry her to the safety of her car outside. If she was quick, she could brush past him. Offer a hasty excuse and cancel their meeting.
He stopped beside her, his fingers twisting his hat in his hands. She forced herself to meet his gaze. The flicker of uncertainty in his hazel eyes gave her pause. Was he nervous?
“Skye?”
She managed to find her voice. “Yes?”
“Gage Westbrook.”
Skye clasped his outstretched hand, groaning inwardly as she realized the contrast between his cool skin and her clammy palm. “Nice to meet you,” she mumbled and quickly pulled her hand away.
“It’s nice to meet you, too.” He gestured toward the counter behind him. “Mind if I grab a cup of coffee?”
His smooth voice and impeccable manners—not to mention those captivating eyes flecked with hints of gold—derailed her intentions. Any thought of getting up and leaving had vanished.
“Skye?”
Warmth heated her skin. “No, I—I don’t mind. The coffee here’s great.”
“I’ll be right back.”
While Mr. Handsome-Hazel-Eyes strode to the counter, Skye avoided eye contact with anyone else in the room and pulled her phone from her purse. Her brother Drew had agreed to stay with Connor this afternoon while she met with Gage, and Mom went to church and then to lunch with a friend. Although Drew said he was willing to help, his lack of experience with babies put her on edge. Connor wasn’t easy to care for. Would Drew be able to handle him?
Sure enough, two text messages waited for her. The first asking if they were out of diapers, and the second requested tips for coping with a fussy baby who refused to nap. She winced. Poor Drew. He wouldn’t volunteer the next time she needed help. She sent a quick response and then set her phone down in front of her so she wouldn’t miss another text.
A few minutes later, Gage slid into the seat across from her and set a steaming mug of black coffee on the table. He unzipped his jacket and draped it across the empty chair beside him. His aqua-blue sweater emphasized his muscular arms and shoulders, and Skye forced herself to avert her gaze. Gage settled in his chair and quickly smoothed his hand through his close-cropped sandy-blond hair.
“Thank you for meeting with me.” His smile revealed straight white teeth and Skye’s heart blipped double time. “I’m sure my message seemed odd.”
Skye cradled her coffee again and strong-armed her thoughts into submission. Handsome or not, Gage was still a stranger, and she was only meeting with him to see if he could help her get what she wanted—a permanent guardian for Connor. “You said you found me because my cousin McKenna Tomlinson posted a picture online of the two of us at Christmas with her baby, Connor. It’s unnerving, although not surprising, since she posted a lot of photos that day. The part I can’t figure out is your connection to McKenna. I’d ask her myself, but she left town right after the holidays.”
“I was afraid that might be the case.” Gage frowned. “Do you know where she went?”
“Hard to say. She’s...complicated. Last text I received said she’d made some friends in Wichita.” Skye picked at the cardboard sleeve on her cup. “I was hoping she’d reconnect with her mom, who lives in Kansas City now, but there’s really no way to predict what McKenna might do next.”
Not that McKenna’s mother would bother to call if McKenna showed up in Kansas City anyway. Aunt Willa stopped speaking to Skye and the rest of their extended family a long time ago. The familiar regret over their long-standing feud made Skye’s heart ache.
“And her baby?”
Gage’s question pulled her back to the present. Her scalp prickled with uncertainty. “Before I say more about Connor, I’d like to know why you’re asking. Who are you?”
“McKenna’s boyfriend, Ryan, is—was—my best friend.” Gage reached inside his jacket pocket and then slid a photograph across the table. “We were stationed in San Diego with the navy, and that’s where he met McKenna.”
“Oh.” Skye examined the picture of Gage and a blond-haired, blue-eyed man standing on the beach, wearing shorts and T-shirts and grinning at the camera, with the ocean in the background. Ryan. Skye didn’t know much about the guy with Gage, other than McKenna claimed he was Connor’s father. McKenna’s stories had always seemed a bit convoluted, though. It was reassuring to meet someone who could fill in some of the gaps, especially anything about Connor’s father.
“I’m not sure what happened after San Diego,” Gage said. “Ryan couldn’t stop talking about her, but then we got our orders to transfer to Florida and he asked her to move there.”
“She didn’t, did she?”
Gage shook his head. “Ryan said he talked to her all the time and tried to convince her to change her mind, even offered her money to help cover the expenses. Then she told him she was pregnant, and he...” Gage looked away, and a muscle in his jaw knotted.
“He what?”
Gage dragged his gaze to meet hers. “He died before he could see her again or meet Connor.”