Because of the Baby(21)

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. After tonight I can’t imagine doing this alone.”

“What about your parents? You know your father will object.”

“Too bad.” Annoyance smoldered in her gut. “If I can’t count on their help, they lose the right to criticize what I do to ensure Grace’s welfare.”

“I’ll bring my stuff by tomorrow. In the meantime, since this little lady is momentarily content, why don’t you run off to bed and grab what sleep you can?”

“What about you?”

“Your couch is pretty comfortable. I’ll just stretch out here.”

“You’re sure?” Lark was perfectly willing to keep him company. Perhaps too willing.

“Positive. Besides, you worked last night and no doubt are half-asleep already.”

“Okay, just for a little while. When she wakes for her next feeding, get me up.”



The road in front of Keaton’s truck blurred for a moment, forcing him to give his head a fervent shake. A giant yawn followed. Three days of hard labor at the ranch. Three evenings of caring for Grace. Three nights plagued by the temptation of Lark sleeping a dozen strides away.

Damn. He was worn, frazzled and restless.

Grace’s most difficult time of the day began as the sun went down. This was when she grew fussy and nothing they did seemed to satisfy her completely. That meant she didn’t want to eat despite being hungry. Which meant she wasn’t falling asleep after only half an hour of wakefulness. Tired and hungry, she grew more irritable by the second. And his inability to soothe her distress roused feelings of helplessness he’d never known before.

Lark wasn’t faring much better. During the day Grace had decided she liked being held while she slept, so Lark wasn’t free to take care of anything around the house. At first she resisted his suggestion that she needed a housekeeper to help, but on the third day after the laundry piled up and they’d eaten takeout three nights running, she’d caved to his insistence that she needed domestic assistance. Once Jen had started working, things had gone more smoothly with the household chores, but keeping Grace content remained a challenge.

Keaton’s respect for parents had grown during the last several days. He’d never imagined how much work went into taking care of a baby. It made a twelve-hour day in the saddle rounding up cattle seem like a ride on a merry-go-round.

If either of them had considered revisiting the kiss they’d shared that first night, it was lost in feedings, diapering, swaddling and soothing Grace. Maybe that was a good thing. The brief taste of her lips had been a mind-blowing surprise. Who would have guessed a simple kiss could ignite his senses? He’d been deaf and blind to everything but the incredible pliancy of her lips, the way her breath had caught, how she’d quivered at his touch.

Had he ever kissed a woman who’d responded to him with such genuine longing? It had stunned him. Left him wanting so much more. Keaton shifted his weight to ease the sudden heaviness in his loins. If just thinking about Lark aroused him, what would it be like to make love to her? Was it madness to consider it? Hadn’t enough trouble been caused by Jake falling in love with Skye? And what made him think that Lark was willing to risk a similar rift with her parents? She was far more practical and cautious than her sister. Less willing to make waves.

Look at how she’d struggled with her decision to allow him to help her with Grace and permit him to move in. If she hadn’t been desperate, he doubted she’d have accepted his assistance. She was far too worried about her father’s reaction.

Arriving at Lark’s house, Keaton fetched his latest purchase from the back of the pickup. It was a windup swing for Grace. His foreman had suggested it and Keaton had headed straight to the store. He hoped Grace would find it a suitable substitute for being held so Lark could get a break.

He noticed an eerie stillness to Lark’s house the moment he entered. For a second, his heart stopped. Because her premature birth meant Grace’s lungs hadn’t fully developed, Lark intended to keep her home unless absolutely necessary. Had something happened while he was at the ranch? Setting the box inside the foyer, he advanced into the living room. The succulent scent of roast beef struck him the same instant he spied Lark sacked out on the couch, a sleeping Grace splayed across her chest.

The adorable picture held him transfixed. Keaton had never imagined himself living with, much less marrying a woman. Every one he’d dated had satisfied his physical desires or matched him intellectually, but he’d never found the right balance. In three short days Lark had demonstrated the perfect combination of physical allure and mental acumen.