And Baby Makes Five (16 page)

“Ketchup?” the wonderful man asked. The smile he gave her was half silly as he slapped a hand towel over his shoulder then headed toward the refrigerator, his eyebrow lifted in question.

“You’re getting warm,” she teased. Shifting Joshua in her arms, she straightened the bottle so he could get the last of the formula into his growing little tummy.

Cort yanked the fridge door a mite too hard and one of Joshua’s formula bottles flew out of the holder on the door straight at him like a fastball.

“Whoa, where’d that come from?” he said, catching it just before it hit the floor.

“I’m prepared. When Joshua wakes at night I’m bumping into walls, so I was afraid to try to mix formula with my mind—let me rephrase that—I was afraid to mix formula
without
my mind. I know I forget words when I’m tired—I don’t want to think about what else I might be forgetting.”

Cort found the ketchup. He chuckled, turning toward her. Lilly liked his laugh. It was low and gruff, and sent a shiver of delight coursing through her, making her want to do something really funny just to hear it again.

“I’m sure Josh thanks you.” Cort dumped a good half cup of ketchup into the dish that Lilly had yet to put a name to, then cracked four eggs on the edge of the skillet, dropping them in one at a time. When he’d finished he took a wire whisk and went to town beating the mixture. She began to think it was some kind of omelet, scrambled. It looked awful, but smelled great.

She’d been thinking about her truck. It couldn’t have picked a worse time to conk out on her. “Do you think my truck will be running tomorrow? Joshua has a doctor’s appointment in the afternoon.”

Cort brought two plates to the table with the scrambled egg mixture and toast. “What time?”

“It’s not until three o’clock.”

“I’ll check it out first thing in the morning after I’ve exercised my horses. If it’s just the battery and I can jump it with battery cables, then you’ll be ready to go. If not, then I’ll take you to the appointment and pick up the parts I’ll need to fix it while you and Joshua are seeing the doctor.”

“Oh, no, I couldn’t ask you to do that,” Lilly exclaimed. His hand on hers halted her protest.

“Lilly, you didn’t ask. I offered. When are you going to just let me help because I want to? Besides, as tired as you are, you don’t need to be driving all that way alone. It’s okay to have a little support.”

Lilly’s heart melted a little more. He could help her all he wanted.

C
ort unhooked the battery cables from Lilly’s truck. Once he’d opened the hood of the old truck, it had been obvious that aside from the fact that she probably needed a new vehicle, the battery had seen better days. He couldn’t even jump-start it. He didn’t know anything about Lilly’s financial situation. He didn’t know if she drove the old truck because she had to or because she wanted to. He didn’t like the idea of her and Joshua being on the road alone in unreliable transportation.

“Loser, load up,” he called out. Loser lay beneath the oak tree next to the church. Tail dragging, the lazy beast plodded over to the truck and hopped in. Cort watched with amusement.

“Perk up, boy, we’re going over to Lilly’s, and I
know
you want to see her.” Yesterday had been a good day. No, it had been a great day. No amount of denial could change the fact that he enjoyed Lilly’s company. He knew it was bad, but he’d been happy when he realized her battery was in such bad shape, and he’d get to escort her to Ranger. Lilly and Joshua. Thinking about the little boy put a smile on his face. He’d come a long way since the night Lilly had practically forced him to hold the baby. As if she’d sensed how scared he was, but understood how much he wanted to cuddle the little fella. Now he couldn’t wait to have any excuse to be near Joshua and Lilly. His heart was getting involved, and it terrified him.

Basically, he was in a mess. He’d spent time in prayer and in searching his Bible that morning looking for some kind of peace about what God wanted from him. But God answered prayers in His time and Cort had come away empty-handed.

So he’d come up with a plan of his own while waiting on the Lord’s plan to reveal itself. Obviously he’d been put there to watch over Lilly and Joshua, so he would. He’d help out when they needed him. He’d look out for their well-being. God had actually given him a gift. He could be like an uncle to Joshua. All he had to do was remember that anything more than friendship with Lilly would not be in the best interests of Lilly and Joshua.

Lilly had said she’d made a mistake in choosing her first husband. Sweet Lilly, sheltered by her grannies. Her ex-husband had, in Cort’s mind, taken advantage of her limited experience. If Cort’s purpose was to be there to help protect them, so be it. The next bozo that came to fix Lilly’s roof or anything else was going to have to pass through him to get to her.

Unless Cort thought his intentions were honorable.

Then it would be in Lilly’s best interests for Cort to step out of the way.

He started his truck and backed out of the drive as he glanced heavenward. God would give him the strength to do what he needed to do. He’d struggled since Ramona left. He’d become less and less inclined to seek after God, to really rely on Him. His anger at all that had happened had put a gulf between them. Last night he’d taken a step toward reconnecting with God. He’d felt God’s presence beside him and Lilly as they stood together in the churchyard. It had been God who’d enabled him to focus on being Lilly’s friend.

He’d understood while looking into her sad eyes that God was with him. Because if he’d been relying on his strength alone he’d have said things to her yesterday that would only have messed up her life later on.

No matter how confused his life seemed, Cort knew and believed that God had a plan. He just had to keep treading water until he found solid ground.

Samantha was sitting on the side of the road between his and Lilly’s house as Cort drove down the long, lonesome dirt road. She looked like a big dog relaxing on its haunches beneath the branches of an oak tree. A long blade of hay stuck from her mouth and she chewed it slowly, watching as Cort eased his truck up beside her.

Loser leaped through the open window and thudded to the ground at Samantha’s feet like a bag of rocks.

Samantha looked down her broad nose at him sprawled out before her and continued chewing on the stalk of hay as if nothing unusual had just happened.

Cort propped his arm on the door and watched the pair. They had a connection. He wasn’t sure where it would lead, but just seeing Samantha perk up Loser was a kick in the pants. As he watched, Loser rolled over, picked himself up off the ground and, lifting his head, sniffed at the hairy chin of the burro before circling her in wary discovery. When he got too close Samantha bumped him with her nose and kept on chomping. Cort laughed. They were quite a pair.

Putting the truck in gear, he left Loser to walk the rest of the way to Lilly’s. Exercise would do the lazy pooch some good. And maybe he’d learn to be civil to Samantha.

It was a nice day for a drive. The weather was cold but the sun was out. Cort liked this temperature. In the summers he had to rise before dawn so he could have his stables completely ridden before noon, just so the heat wouldn’t overcome him. This was a time of year the horses loved, and he could get more out of them when they were happy. Today was a breezy, perfect day. A perfect day for a ride into town with Lilly.

Lilly was waiting when he pulled up to the house. She had on tan pants and a green shirt that brought out the gold flecks in her eyes. Her hair was loose, touching the collar of her coat, and it swayed with the breeze as she walked toward him carrying Joshua in the heavy car seat. Cort hopped from the truck to help.

“Hey, cowboy,” she said as he took the carrier out of her hands. “Do you think I’m too weak to carry that?”

He smiled. She thought she was Mighty Mouse. “Nope, just don’t want you carrying it while I’m around. Did you get any sleep? You look good.” He was rewarded with a pretty blush.

“As a matter of fact, I did. When he woke the first time I cheated and gave him a little baby rice with his formula like Esther Mae told me to do. He loved it. He slept the rest of the night. I think the poor boy was starving. Of course, when I woke up this morning I was scared to death that something was wrong. But he was just as happy as a clam when I charged into his room.”

“Well, that sounds promising.”

Lilly beamed, her eyes brighter with the extra rest. “Now, I just hope the doctor doesn’t get mad at me.”

Cort clicked Joshua into the backseat. When he turned and closed the door Lilly was standing beside him. He had to fight the urge to hug her. She smelled so good, like fresh soap and baby powder. He opened the passenger’s door and forced himself to merely hold out his hand for hers. She looked at his hand, then back at his face.

When she lifted her hand and placed it in his, their eyes met and held for the briefest moment. In that second he wished…but it could never be right, so he pressed the wish away.

“You know,” she said, looking away and climbing into the cab, “your cooking for me last night was a first. And all this helping me into the truck—I wonder if any of my grannies ever had a man do this sort of thing for them?”

Cort shrugged. “My mother taught me to open doors for ladies. She would have skinned me alive if I hadn’t.”

A tiny smile quirked the corners of her mouth. Cort closed the door, jogged around to his side of the truck and climbed in. Lilly was an unusual woman brought up by unusual women. Her story intrigued him as much as she did. He couldn’t imagine how a man could walk out on a woman carrying his child, how he could marry her and not treat her right. How he could do any of those things when that woman was Lilly was especially bizarre.

“You have everything you need?” he asked, determined more than ever to show Lilly she was special and deserved to be treated that way. Friends could do that.

“I’m wonderful. Thanks. Oh, Cort, look!” she exclaimed, pointing toward the road. Samantha was moseying up the drive with Loser trailing right behind her. They had the slow rhythm of lumbering elephants. It was pathetic.

“Loser has come to visit!” Lilly exclaimed, opening the truck door. She hopped out and jogged over to the dejected animals, giving each of them a hug.

Cort laughed, watching Loser wiggle like crazy. Why, the tangled heap of depression practically had his tongue hanging out. No, he
did
have his tongue hanging out lapping at Lilly’s face, making her laugh out loud while dodging his wet kiss. When he tried to put his paws on her, Cort decided it was time he corralled his pet.

By the time he made it to her side Loser had knocked her to the ground.

“What do you feed this animal?” she squealed, pushing at the dog, laughing so hard she was making little progress at keeping the excited mutt at bay.

“Obviously not the right thing, according to his manners. Loser! No.”

Reaching down, he took Lilly’s hand and pulled her off the ground. Her eyes were twinkling and she didn’t seem upset by the dust that clung to her. Instead she slapped her hands on her pant legs as dust rose in a plume about her.

“Loser sure knows how to mess a girl up.”

He wanted to tell her that nothing could mess her up, but he couldn’t say that. “He’s a goofball,” he said instead, then reached to pluck a piece of grass off her forehead. “Missed a piece.” His fingers found their way back to the curl that dangled over her eye. She swallowed hard, looked away and took a step back.

Cort’s survival instinct held him firmly to the ground she’d retreated from, and he stuffed his fingertips into the edge of his jeans pockets. “We’d better hit the road or we’ll be late.”

She nodded. “My grannies would be shamed by my struggles to be on time lately. But I had to say hi to Loser. He’s my buddy and I haven’t seen him much. Unlike Samantha, he doesn’t come visiting. I smile every time I remember how nervous he was on the wild ride to town to deliver Joshua. I think he was worse than an expectant father.”

Cort led the way back to the truck, remembering not only Loser but the entire night. “He was pretty bad. But at least he didn’t faint.”

That got him a huge grin. “Ah, don’t beat yourself up about that. It was cute and terrifying at the same time. I doubt anyone had more excitement during a delivery than me. My gosh. What a night.”

“Yeah, what a night.”

They stood there grinning at each other, sharing a moment that connected them forever. Cort was the first to clear his throat and move back toward the truck. “I guess we better go.”

“Yeah. Can’t have the baby being late for his appointment.”

Determined to stay focused, he loaded up and headed toward Ranger. Despite the friction bouncing between them, a shallow ease nestled about them as the miles ticked by. Cort liked the straightforward way that Lilly had of talking to him. She was funny and smart. They were about halfway to Ranger when he asked her how she supported herself. He knew the small operation she had going on at her farm wouldn’t be able to do it. He was being nosy, but at this point he didn’t care. His curiosity was getting the better of him.

“Besides leasing some of my land to my neighbor on the far side of me, and my pitifully small cattle operation, I keep the books for some of the ranchers around here and put together cattle sales catalogs for a man out of Ranger and another fella out of San Angelo. It keeps me busy.”

“Sounds like it. Do you enjoy what you do?”

She smiled, looking toward Joshua, who was wide awake and infatuated with the ceiling of the truck. “Most of the time.”

“I know what you mean.”

She turned toward him and Cort glanced her way. She had a curious expectant expression.

“I figured you loved what you do,” she said. “I mean those are beautiful horses you have at your ranch. And you go to all those competitions. You see all those exciting places.”

Cort glanced at her again. Did he hear longing in her voice? “Going to all those places alone isn’t what it’s cut out to be.”

He studied the road, thinking. “I enjoy the training. But…I don’t know. I guess I’m getting older. I’d rather stay home and let someone else hit the circuit rather than spend another night in a hotel room by myself.”

Lilly probably thought he was some bleeding heart now. He realized it was true, though. After Ramona left him, he’d thrown himself into his work. But being on the road reminded him of everything he’d lost. Not that Ramona had enjoyed going with him. She hadn’t, and when she did go, it was because of who she was going to get to rub elbows with. Famous people sank huge amounts of money into the horse industry. Ramona had loved the social aspect. She’d never really gone just to spend time with him.

He should have taken that as a hint that all was not right in his supposedly happy home.

“I’d love to go,” Lilly said, surprising him. “I mean, not with you. I mean…well, what I’m trying to say is that I’ve been on the farm all my life. Being raised out there with my grannies was a very secluded upbringing. Granny Bunches used to always tell me that I should sell the farm when they were all dead and gone and head out to see the country. Of course, Mule Hollow is all I’ve ever known. And I love it….”

Her voice trailed off and Cort found himself studying her again. She was looking out the window, a frown creasing her face.

He wondered what it would be like to show her his world. To see his life through new eyes. Lilly’s eyes.

It was a dangerous thing to wonder about.

“He weighs eleven pounds, and the doctor said it was all right for me to mix a bit of cereal in with his formula if he’s been that sleepless.” Lilly hadn’t stopped talking since she’d come out of the doctor’s office. “Thank goodness he’s an older man, because I don’t think the younger doctors would ever agree to such a thing.” She was so excited to think about getting some sleep and to realize that her giving Joshua the cereal early wasn’t bad. She couldn’t contain her excitement.