Their Instant Baby

“I thought I was supposed to be the one heading for the hills,” Nick said, as he propped a hiccuping Dexter against his shoulder and patted his nephew clumsily on the back. Nick’s light-gray eyes gleamed as he took Amy in with the same steady-but-curious appraisal Amy was giving him. “Me, being a guy and all…”

Amy forced her glance away from the wind-tossed strands of Nick’s ash-blond hair and ruggedly handsome face. “So maybe we could just split the baby-sitting duties, fifty-fifty,” Amy continued, determined to work this out rationally, in a way that was acceptable to all three of the adults involved.

Nick shrugged. “Sounds good to me,” he said, the corners of his masculine lips lifting in an enticing smile.

“There’s only one problem with that,” Lola interrupted as she came out to join them on the raised porch of her South Carolina low-country cottage. She shot an affectionate look at her brother before taking Dexter from him and ushering Nick and Amy inside. “Nick’s never baby-sat for Dexter, Amy. You have.”

Only once, Amy thought, when Lola’d had a doctor’s appointment. Dexter had been asleep the entire time. Amy hadn’t had to do a thing except watch over the little angel. “Nick and Dexter seem to be getting along now,” Amy pointed out as she tried to avoid the tantalizing sandalwood cologne clinging to his skin. Nick might not know much about how to hold a baby, as had been evidenced by his awkwardness with his nephew, but Dexter had cuddled against Nick’s powerful shoulders and chest willingly and instinctively.

“Nick also knows nothing about taking care of babies. In fact, it’s my guess my brother has never so much as changed a diaper,” Lola continued, stating her case matter-of-factly.

Nick shrugged and shoved both hands into the pockets of his trousers. A devilish look on his face, he braced a shoulder against the wall and smiled confidently at both Amy and his younger sister. “How hard can it be?”

Lola merely rolled her eyes. “And Dexter can get really fussy sometimes,” Lola continued firmly to Amy. “Nick would definitely have a hard time dealing with that.”

Nick grinned at Amy, not about to dispute the veracity of that particular observation. “So maybe it could be your turn then,” Nick said to Amy with a wink.

“I’m not kidding around here, Nick,” Lola told him sternly, commanding his attention once again. “It’s going to be traumatic enough for Dexter to be separated from me indefinitely. He needs both a ‘mother’ and a ‘father’ here with him while I’m gone.”

Abruptly Nick straightened and moved away from the wall. His expression was suddenly every bit as serious as his thirty-four-year-old sister’s. “Dexter has a mother and a father, Lola,” Nick reminded her quietly. He spoke as if carefully underscoring every word. “He has you and Chuck.”

Lola swallowed, her face suddenly becoming pinched and pale, as the upsetting events of the day—which had started by a visit from military personnel—caught up with her. She began to tremble. “What if something happens to one or both of us?” she whispered as she sank onto the nearest chair. “What happens to Dexter then?” she asked plaintively.

“Nothing will happen,” Nick promised her firmly. The tension between the two Evertons climbed.

Lola looked unconvinced as she bounced her baby boy on her thigh. “You more than anyone ought to know how unpredictable life can be,” Lola began nervously. “Sometimes things just happen.”

Like Lola’s husband’s unexpected injury in the line of duty, Amy thought sympathetically. But Lola’s older brother had no such sympathy for his sister, Amy noted, perplexed. Instead of agreeing with Lola, Nick Everton gave Lola a warning look, as if ordering her to say nothing more on that dark subject. More tension flowed between Lola and Nick, and the room fell silent, but for baby Dexter’s conversational gurgle. Lola and Nick were still staring at each other when the doorbell rang. Cradling Dexter closer, Lola hurried to the door. “That must be Jack Granger now,” she said.

Amy caught Nick’s puzzled glance and explained, “I asked Jack to come over. He’s a family friend and an attorney, and Lola wanted some papers drawn up before she got on the plane to Germany this afternoon. It’s not the kind of work Jack normally does—he’s a corporate lawyer for my family’s shipping company—but he agreed to help us out because there was literally no other way to get a will drawn up and notarized on such short notice.”

“Not to mention the guardianship papers,” Jack Granger said as he strode into the room. One of those guys who was all business all the time and not in the least bit emotional, Jack gestured at the woman accompanying him. “Everyone, this is Sue. She’s a notary public, and she’s going to attest that everything done here today is certified.”

Everyone said hello to Sue—a petite brunette with a ready smile—as Jack finished the introductions and began to set up for the document signing.

Amy wondered, Was it her imagination, or did the thirty-two-year-old Jack look even a bit more world-weary than usual today? Certainly he was as neatly and conservatively dressed as always in a white button-down shirt, gray suit and nondescript tie. But beneath the surface, he looked a little harried and distracted. And that wasn’t like Jack. Normally, nothing threw Jack Granger. He’d had such a tumultuous childhood on the wrong side of the tracks that his adult life, even when fraught with difficulty and stress, seemed easy. Which was, of course, why her father and brothers liked and trusted Jack so much. He never whined and complained. He was simply the guy who was there when you needed him. No questions asked. No demands of his own made.

Nick turned back to Lola with a questioning look. Lola said, “I want you and Amy to assume care of Dexter if anything happens to Chuck and or to me.”

“Nothing is going to happen to you,” Amy said quickly.

“I certainly hope that’s true,” Lola said, her pretty face set determinedly, “but just in case, I want to make sure Dexter has legal documents dictating his care before I take off for Germany. It’s better to be safe than sorry. And every parent should have a will, spelling out their child’s future, in the event of a tragedy. I’ve been remiss not getting it done thus far. No longer.”

Amy exchanged glances with Nick. Neither spoke, but it seemed on one point they were in complete agreement. Lola had already had one heck of a day, learning her career-military husband had been injured in a Special Forces mission overseas and flown to Germany for surgery. Right now Chuck was stable, but they weren’t sure he would ever walk again, and he needed his wife by his side. Lola had to go. She didn’t want to take her baby to the military hospital overseas. So she had asked her best friend, Amy, and her brother to simultaneously care for Dexter in her absence. Both had agreed readily—they wanted to do their part as Dexter’s godparents—even if the christening officially naming them as such hadn’t taken place yet, and wouldn’t until Chuck returned to the States and could be present.

“Okay,” Nick said, nodding. “I agree, a will is a good idea. And since Dexter will need both a male and a female presence in his life, in the unlikely event anything happens to both you and Chuck, I’ll be glad to step in for you. I assume Amy here feels the same way.” Nick looked at Amy.

Her mood suddenly as serious as Nick’s, Amy nodded. “I’m honored you’ve asked me, Lola.”

“It seemed right,” Lola said quietly. “Since you were my labor coach and here when Dexter came into the world.”

“But as for the rest of it,” Nick continued gently, speaking to his little sister in a practical, reassuring manner, “that is where and how we care for Dexter in your absence during the next few days or weeks, I agree with Amy—we may need to rethink what you’ve planned. This house of yours is great, perfect for newlyweds like you and Chuck.”

Amy agreed wholeheartedly with that. The cozy country cottage had a combination kitchen, dining and living room, bathroom with claw-foot tub and pedestal sink, a small nursery and an equally tiny master bedroom with only a double bed. “But for two adults like me and Nick who are relative strangers,” Amy added gently, “the quarters are pretty tight. Even if you include the screened-in back porch. I’d gratefully offer my home as an alternative, but I’m still having the master bathroom remodeled. And the work won’t be finished for another three or four days.” She couldn’t take baby Dexter into that mess, exposing him to construction dust and paint fumes. It wouldn’t be safe.

“Maybe we should go to a hotel in Charleston, then,” Nick suggested. “Get adjoining private suites.”

Amy breathed a sigh of relief. That sounded so much better to her…so much less intimate than the current proposed circumstances!

“I know you can afford it,” Lola said, frowning up at her older brother once again. “With all the money you’ve made producing those syndicated television shows, you’re richer than most movie stars, but the answer to that is no, Nick. I stayed with Dexter in a hotel once and he hated it. And he also hated going for an overnight at someone else’s house. He knew he was in strange surroundings and he didn’t sleep a wink all night.”

“Maybe it’s time to broaden his horizons,” Nick countered amiably.

Lola sent Nick a censuring glance. “No. Dexter stays in his familiar environment. Trust me on this. He’s not used to being away from me.” Lola teared up again unexpectedly. Her chin quivered as she struggled to get control of her emotions, before she finished in a low, choked voice, “This separation is going to be hard enough on both of us as it is.”

Amy saw Lola’s point. Dexter was probably going to have a difficult time coping without his mommy, never mind being thrown into a completely unfamiliar environment. “You’re right, of course,” Amy told Lola gently as she patted her on the shoulder. Amy turned and gave Nick a quelling look—the same kind her mother had given her father before the two had separated and divorced years earlier. “I agree with your sister, Nick. Dexter will do better if we both stay here. And don’t worry.” Amy turned back to Lola, promising, “Nick and I will manage. We’re adults.” The important thing was the baby, she thought. They had to do what was right for Dexter.

Nick merely raised a brow, just as Amy’s father used to when he felt her mother had made a highly impractical suggestion.

“Well, now, that’s settled,” Jack Granger said. He laid the papers neatly out on the coffee table and pulled up two chairs—one for himself and one for Sue, his notary. He motioned for Nick, Lola and Amy to sit on the small sofa.

Lola perched on one end, Dexter still cradled in her arms. To give her friend and the baby enough elbow room, Amy had to scoot closer to Nick. He was warm and solid against her. Too warm and solid and male, Amy thought, as another sizzle of awareness swept through her.

“Okay,” Jack said, appearing impatient to get on with it. “Let’s have a look at these papers. And I’ll explain what they all mean before you sign them.”

TWENTY MINUTES LATER, the legalities were taken care of. Lola had gone over the emergency numbers and instructions she was leaving for Dexter’s care, and it was time to go. “You’re going to miss your plane if we don’t hurry,” Jack Granger said. He and Sue were driving Lola to the airport. “And there isn’t another airline seat available until tomorrow.”

“Okay.” The tears Lola had been holding welled up and spilled down her pretty cheeks. She bent to kiss Dexter goodbye. “Mommy loves you,” she whispered.

Dexter, not sure what was happening, screwed up his little face as if he, too, was about to cry. In an effort to avoid a calamity, Nick tenderly took Dexter from Lola’s arms. “Take good care of Chuck,” he told his sister in a low, gravelly voice as he cradled the baby awkwardly against his chest. “We’ll take good care of Dexter. And call the first chance—hell, every chance—you get. Amy and I want to know how you’re doing.”

“And you’re going to want to know how Dexter is doing, too,” Amy said.

Lola nodded. Too choked up for words, Lola kissed her baby one more time, hugged Amy and then Nick, and then rushed, sobbing openly now, out the door. For her infant son, the emotion emanating from his mother was too much. No sooner was she out the door when Dexter let out a wail that could be heard for three counties. Lola started back for the cottage. Jack Granger grabbed the young mother’s arm, shook his head and guided her implacably toward his car. Still crying uncontrollably, Lola got in. Dexter continued to wail. The sympathetic tears Amy had been holding back spilled down her cheeks. Nick turned back to Amy. His eyes, too, were suspiciously moist, but all he did was look at both her and Dexter and try to lighten the mood. “Lola was right, you know,” he said. “I’m a real novice, so for all our sakes, I hope you know a lot more than I do about taking care of babies.”

His joke was exactly what she needed to get herself back on track. Amy drew a deep breath and wiped away her tears with her fingertips. “I know some things. Not everything.” And probably, she thought, not nearly enough to make this baby-sitting experience smooth sailing.

“Well, that’s still probably more than I know, at least on a practical level.” Smiling as if he hadn’t a worry in the world, Nick lifted his hand and waved goodbye to his sister. When Jack’s car was out of sight, Nick turned back to Amy and shifted Dexter to a football hold. “So which one of us is going to take the first shift?” he asked casually.

Wishing she weren’t so physically attracted to Nick, their enforced quarters so small and cozy and hopelessly romantic, Amy raked her teeth across her lower lip. “That depends.” She searched his pewter-gray eyes. “Have you really never changed a diaper?”

Half of his mouth crooked up in an enticing smile. “I’ve seen it done. Does that count?”

Amy rolled her eyes. She could see this baby-sitting mission was going to be a laugh a minute. Especially if it turned out that Nick wasn’t exaggerating his lack of prowess with infants. Amy shrugged and said, “Depends on how handy you are with the tabs on the disposable diapers, I guess.”

Nick grinned and waggled his eyebrows at Amy. “There’s one way to find out, isn’t there?”

NICK WAS PUTTING on a good front, but the bald truth was, his heart was breaking for his sister, too. This whole situation had to be torture for her. Lola loved Chuck every bit as much as Nick had loved Glenna, and Lola’s husband having been badly hurt so soon after they’d married and had a child, must be killing his younger sister inside. But there was a difference, Nick warned himself sternly. Lola’s child was fine. And though Chuck was very seriously injured, he did have a chance to recover and resume his life. The three of them could still be a family, provided Chuck made it through the surgery ahead of him and went on to recover as fully as they all hoped. Even if Chuck ended up in a wheelchair, his life forever changed, the three of them could be a family.