Baby Love (17 page)

He sniffed, and his gaze came to rest on the caster table angled across Maggie's bed. A cup of hot coffee sat on her pink plastic breakfast tray.

BABY LOVE 161

"So are you anxious to see the ranch, Maggie?" Ryan asked, all hint of animosity gone from his voice.

"I haven't told her much about the ranch yet, " Rafe interjected.

Ryan tapped the toe of his boot on the tile. "You
haven't?"
He grinned at Maggie. "You're going to love it.

Forty thousand acres of ranch and timberland that backs up to thousands more of BLM lease land. Pristine mountain wilderness. It's the perfect place for a boy. Rafe and I grew up there and never had a dull moment. In spring and summer, you can take off on horseback for days. Camp and fish at the mountain lakes. Hike until you drop. Winter sports are limitless. Do you enjoy downhill or cross-country skiing?"

"Horseback?" Maggie echoed, evidently hearing little else of what Ryan had said. "Oh, I don't think I want Jaimie around horses. He might get hurt. "

Ryan's gaze sharpened. "Well, of course he'll be around horses. " He glanced at Rafe. "We'll have him riding like a pro by the time he turns three. "

Maggie cuddled her baby closer to her breast, looking dismayed.

Ryan quickly backtracked. "Only with your permission, of course. Once you're there and meet the horses, you'll relax about it. We've got some mares and geldings so gentle you can lay a baby at their feet. Right, Rafe?"

Maggie's face blanched.

"Of course, we wouldn't actually lay a baby—" Ryan broke off and threw Rafe a look that said,
Help me
out here, brother.

Forgetting her bruises, Rafe settled a comforting hand on Maggie's shoulder. He was about to assure her that she would always have the final word regarding her baby, but she winced under the light pressure of his grip, and he forgot what he meant to say. Jerking his hand away, he said, "I'm sorry, honey. I didn't mean to hurt you. "

162 CATHERINE ANDERSON

"I'm fine. "

"Is something wrong with her shoulder?" Ryan asked.

''She's pretty bruised up. "

"From what?" As he posed the question, Ryan focused a sharp gaze on Maggie, obviously looking her over closely from the neck down for the first time. She self-consciously tugged at the rounded neckline of the overlarge hospital gown, but not in time to keep Ryan from spotting the discolored skin. "Jesus. What happened?" His gaze darted to her exposed arms, which still sported the unmistakable marks of a man's brutal grip. A muscle along Ryan's jaw bunched, and his eyes took on a dangerous glint. He shot Rafe a querying glance.

"It's nothing, " Maggie said faintly. Ryan's neck turned a ruddy red, and the tattoo of his boot on the floor picked up speed. Rafe decided it was time to get Ryan out of there before he began riddling Maggie with questions he had no right to ask.

Checking the wall clock, he said, "I've got some business to take care of in town. While you're finishing breakfast, I'll go do that. Then we'll come back. "

Maggie cuddled the baby closer. "Could I keep Jaimie with me?"

"It's probably not a good idea. You're supposed to be resting. " "I'm rested. "

Rafe was beginning to realize he had the spine of a jellyfish where she was concerned. Maybe that was just as well. He had a feeling Maggie had heard the word "no" far too often. On this issue, though, he had to stand firm. According to Dr. Hammish, she was making great headway against the infection that still coursed through her, but she was a long way from well. As dearly as she loved that baby, keeping him in the room would tire her.

"I don't think so, honey. " Taking the coward's way
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out, Rafe quickly added, "The nurses have been really good about ignoring him. But if we take too much advantage, they may start enforcing the rules. Then I couldn't bring Jaimie to see you at all. "

Her face fell, but even as her lips drew into a pout that made him yearn to kiss that sweet, vulnerable mouth, she set the bottle on the table, burped Jaimie, and then began putting the snowsuit back on him.

"You're right, of course. I forgot about that. Rules are rules. "

Rules.
They were something she understood all too well, evidently. Rafe's throat tightened as he watched her dress the baby. He wished with all his heart that he could snatch her up from that bed and take her to the ranch where the only rules in force were ones that had been made to be broken. God, how he wanted to see her smile and make her eyes shine with happiness. He could blow every penny he had on her and never regret the loss.

As Rafe took the baby, Ryan pushed to his feet and settled his Stetson on his dark head. "It's been great meeting you, Maggie. Now I know why Rafe's so crazy about you. "

Another painful blush flagged her cheeks. She started to extend her hand to Ryan, but the IV hampered her. He quickly leaned forward to lessen the distance and enfolded her slender fingers in a hard palm.

"I know you mentioned last night that she'd been battered. But I thought it was a figure of speech! Who the hell did that to her?"

Ryan's voice fairly vibrated with rage as he and Rafe walked along the east-wing hallway toward the hospital lobby.

"Her stepfather, Lonnie Boyle, a slimy little creep. I met him yesterday. "

"Did you stomp the holy hell out of him?"

"No. "

164 CATHERINE ANDERSON

"Where is he?"

Rafe started to reply but bit back the answer. "Why?"

Ryan shot him a disgusted look. "He needs his ass kicked, that's why. "

"And you've elected yourself to do the honors? Forget it. There's more to the situation than you understand. "

"Like what?"

Rafe kept the query on hold as they crossed the crowded lobby. When they gained the front exit and stepped out the automatic doors into the freezing morning air, he tucked the blanket over Jaimie's face.

"It's a long story, Rye. "

"I've got nothing better to do than listen. "

"I won't have you going off half-cocked. Maggie's my problem. Understand? In case that isn't clear enough for you, that translates into 'Butt out. ' Don't embarrass her by asking a bunch of questions, and don't get it into your head that she needs you to be her champion. She's already got one. "

"You? The brother I knew would have beaten a man to within an inch of his life for doing that to a woman.

You've either lost your guts, Rafe, or you've pickled your brains with so much booze that your sense of justice went down the John. Where I come from, no man gets away with shit like that. "

Rafe sighed. "We come from the same place. Remember? And how dare you judge me without knowing all the facts? An hour ago, you wanted me to dump Jaimie on the hospital steps and go home, leaving. Maggie to fend for herself. Now you're all hot to go pick a fight on her behalf?"

"So? I changed my mind. "

As they wove their way through the cars in the parking lot, Rafe began filling Ryan in on Maggie's past.

When they reached the rented Toyota, Ryan rested his folded arms on the roof to gaze across the expanse of

BABY LOVE 165

shiny red paint. "He arranged to adopt out her kid behind her back?"

"And then beat the hell out of her to make her sign the papers. The adoption attorney notarized them, which tells me he's a slimeball, too. He probably wouldn't hesitate to lie about her on the stand. " Rafe inclined his head at the baby in his arms. "Would you unlock the damned doors? It's cold. "

Ryan swore under his breath and shoved the key in the lock. An instant later, Rafe heard the latch mecha-nism pop inside the passenger door. He wrenched on the handle, jerked the door open, and slid onto the low-slung seat, cracking his knee on the dash.

"Son of a bitch!" He shifted Jaimie into one arm to rub the spot. "Did you have to rent a rollerskate? The leg room in here is for midgets. " He sniffed and jerked open the ashtray to see cigarette butts. "It figures.

""This isn't Los Angeles. I took what I could get. And don't go lipping off at me. I don't appreciate it. " Ryan pulled out the ashtray and rolled down the window to dump the butts on the asphalt. "There. Is that better? I don't remember you being such a priss butt. "

"Lip off at you? You say I've lost my guts, and I'm the one lipping off. "

Ryan hit the steering wheel with base of his palm. "I'm sorry. All right? How was I to know the son of a bitch had you by the balls?"

"Well, at least you acknowledge I've got some. Do you think it was easy, holding onto my temper? I wanted to kill the little asshole. You should see her shins. He kicked her with his boots. And he wears this big, honking diamond. Probably fake. I know damned well it was the prongs that cut her up. He's a vicious, cocky bastard who needs his teeth knocked down his throat. "

Ryan tapped his fingers on the wheel. "We have to stop cussing. "

Where that had come from, Rafe didn't know. He cast his brother a befuddled glance. "We can't talk like this

166 CATHERINE ANDERSON

around Maggie, " Ryan elaborated. "And what about the baby? You want him to be expelled from kindergarten for swearing? I don't want a pissed-off sister-in-law. Females don't fight fair. "

"Can I take that to mean you're no longer campaigning to make me come to my senses?"

Ryan rubbed beside his nose. "She's not what I expected. So, yeah, you can take it to mean that. "

Rafe studied Jaimie. "They say babies start learning their language skills in the womb. "

"You're shittin' me. " Ryan made a choking sound. "Kidding me, I mean. " Silence. "It's going to be a real bitch to stop cussing again. You know it? Saying 'dang' and 'gosh' just doesn't come naturally. "

"Maybe if we start now, we'll have it mastered before he starts talking. "

Ryan glanced in the rearview mirror to watch a slender brunette cross the lot. He gave a low whistle.

When he glanced back at Rafe, his eyes were twinkling. In a low-pitched voice, he said, "Maggie's a sweetheart, Rafe. I'm sorry I acted like such a jerk. "

Rafe smiled. "I wish I'd had a camcorder in there. "

"For what?"

"To catch the expression on your face. You went from tiger to pussycat in three seconds, flat. My brother, the hard-ass. "

"It took more than three seconds—four, at least. " Ryan laughed and shook his head. "She doesn't have a poker face, that's for sure. I haven't seen anyone blush like that in a coon's age. Like we've never seen a baby go after its mama before? Give her a couple of years on the ranch, and she'll toughen up. "

"I hope not, " Rafe replied. "I like her just the way she is. "

"Yeah, I can tell. " Ryan slanted his brother a measuring look. "How much did it take to buy the pus pocket off? His last name fits, doesn't it?
Boil. "

Rafe laughed. "Yeah, and right now, I feel like lanc-

BABY LOVE 167

ing him. Offering him money didn't set well, I can tell you, and if it's all the same to you, I'd rather not discuss how much. It went against my grain. But the end justifies the means. I think she's had enough heartache. "

"How's she feel about marrying you?"

"About as enthusiastic as she'd be over a root canal. "

Ryan mulled that oyer. "Have you thought about giving her a little play in the rope? It's a bad way to start a marriage. You can probably keep Boyle off her back without tying the knot. "

Rafe knew his brother had a point. "I hear what you're saying. But all my instincts tell me I'm doing the right thing. "

"For who?" Ryan asked softly. "Maggie, or you?"

"Not fair. She needs someone to watch out for her. You can't deny that. "

"No. And I'm not saying that. I'm just trying to point out that it can backfire when you deliberately toss a rope to foreleg a filly. It's a damned harsh way to take her down. "

"Maggie isn't a filly, and I'm not forelegging her. I'm doing what's best for her. The bastard will never dare mess with her again once she's a Kendrick. "

"That's true. Your name alone will protect her. Just make sure you don't fall into the trap of becoming a bastard yourself. " He held up a staying hand when Rafe cut him a glittering glance. "I'm not saying you shouldn't marry her. No quarrels. Honestly. I'm just playing devil's advocate and trying to remind you she has feelings. If you make the mistake of ignoring them, you may regret it. "

Frustrated by the low ceiling of the car, Rafe swept his hat off. "You going to drive this rattletrap or sit here until we freeze to death?"

Ryan keyed the ignition. "Where to?"

"The main drag. I've got some unfinished business downtown. "

* * *

168 CATHERINE ANDERSON

Rafe cranked up the heater of the rental car, his gaze scanning the street ahead. "There it is, " he told Ryan. "Pull over. I'll only be a few minutes. "

Ryan parked the red Toyota at one of the many unoccupied meters. After shoving the gearshift into park and cutting the engine, he looked surprised when Rafe handed him the baby. "If he cries, stick your knuckle in his mouth. It keeps him happy for a few minutes. "

"Oh, thanks, " Ryan said. "Now I get to play human pacifier. "

"Just take care of him. All right? This won't take long. If the car starts to get cold, start the engine and run the heater. "

Rafe climbed out and slammed the door. As he turned to face the pawnshop, his gaze came to rest on the diamond-studded gold band that lay on red velvet in the window. The overhead bell clanged to herald his arrival as he entered the shop. The place smelled of dust and hocked promises. Rafe breathed in the scent as he paced off the distance to the counter. The proprietor, a thin, balding man with strands of gray hair carefully arranged over his shiny scalp, glanced up from a notepad on which he was scribbling figures.

"May I help you?"

Rafe fished in his pants pocket for his receipt. "Yeah, I hocked a ring in here a couple of days ago. I want to pick it up. "

The shopkeeper had the good grace to blush. "I didn't recognize you. " He gestured vaguely at his jaw.