The baby let out a squawk and she eased him onto her shoulder, cooing as she tried and failed several times to get her hospital gown snapped back up, finally giving up in frustration and letting Leah help her. “See? I can’t even do all of this without help.”
Leah shook her head and mashed her lips together in a flat line. “Looked to me like you were doing just fine before I came in and got you all flustered. I’m sorry, sis.”
The baby started crying as Presley Ann patted his back and then he spit up on her shoulder. “I’m just being realistic. Trust me, if they’d known me before—” She quickly wiped the shoulder of her gown with a cloth diaper before patting him until a little belch sounded. “—they wouldn’t be wasting their time on me. I’m scatterbrained and flaky as it is. Add in a baby…I just don’t understand why they would want such a hot mess.”
Leah frowned at her and shook her head once more. “You don’t understand why they’re interested in you?” She watched with wide eyes as the baby latched on with speed and efficiency. “Wow. He’s got that move down pat.”
“He’s my good boy,” Presley Ann murmured, lifting his head a little higher as Leah moved the pillows to her other side. “Look,” she said as she flicked at the screen on her smartphone. “This is how flaky I am. I need an app to help me remember to nurse him on a schedule, otherwise I’ll forget and lose track of time.” Her cheeks warmed as she showed Leah the schedule, set up with alarms that went off every two hours.
Leah grinned. “Sure, you’ll need help until you get your feet under you. This is actually kind of ingenious. I didn’t mean to upset you, sis. I think they’re just trying to show they care. It’s always nice to know someone cares, right?”
“It is. I don’t want to hurt them…but I don’t want to be hurt either.”
“Here, drink your smoothie and please don’t worry about it. You can talk to them if they come by. They wouldn’t be callous about the stress you’re under, learning to take care of the peanut. Have you decided on a name yet?”
Presley Ann grinned as she ran her fingertip over the baby’s cheek, and he gave a little shudder and squeezed her breast in his tiny grip. “I thought of one. You tell me if I’m off base. I don’t want him getting beat up at school because his mama didn’t name him right.”
“What is it?” Leah asked as she gazed at the baby and stroked his hair, too.
“Whitman Merritt Woodworth.”
A smile spread across her sister’s face. “Our grannies’ maiden names. Whitman Merritt Woodworth. It has a nice ring to it. All his buddies can call him Whit.”
“I thought so, too.”
“Well, I need to get to work. Is there anything I can bring you on my lunch break? Or if you need it sooner, I could have one of the guys swing by.”
Presley Ann smiled and shook her head. “I’m fine for now. We’re just taking some time and getting used to each other. If he falls asleep later I’ll nap with him.”
“Got all the pillows and blankets you need? I know you get cold sensitive.”
“I’ll be okay. Don’t be late because of me. Make sure and show Evelyn the pictures and tell her what we named him.”
After Leah left, Presley Ann found herself just gazing at her son. “Whit. I hope you like it, honey.”
Her dad called from out of town and told her he’d be home by that evening. He sounded like he was about to bust with happiness and asked her to send him pictures on his phone.
Tracey offered to take Whit when she came in to check on them and saw him dozing, but Presley Ann shook her head and held him closer. In the quiet of the room, she gazed at her beautiful son.
The dark blue eyes of a raven-haired cowboy hovered in her memory. She’d met him at O’Reilley’s while waiting for tables to become available. Her dad was supposed to join her, but he’d called and cancelled on her because he had to work late. Not a big surprise coming from her dad, and she’d decided to stay and eat on her own anyway, since it beat cooking at home alone. Their eyes met across the lobby and the spark between them had been so powerful, so perfect. He’d greeted her, and once he found out she was on her own he’d invited her to be his guest at his table for the evening. There was no way perfection like that could last, so she’d refused to give him her name and cut him off gently when he tried to introduce himself. He’d smiled and played along.
“Why did I do that? It was so stupid.” Not only because she was pregnant, either. He’d been different toward her. She had been used to men taking what they wanted, and she was mostly okay with that as long as she got what she needed first.