A Father In The Making Read online

  What was going on?

  Through all this he caught the faint murmurs of Mia’s consoling voice. “It’s okay, honey. Don’t worry. Mommy’s not angry with you,” she was saying.

  He stopped at the sink to wash and dry his hands, then followed the cacophony and unpleasant odor to the bathroom down the hall from the kitchen. Just inside the door he saw Jennifer clinging to the cabinet door, mouth wide open, tears streaming down her cheek. Grace was also crying and trying to pull herself up on Mia, who was crouched beside the toilet, her arm around Josh. The boy was bent over it, crying, as well. Nico huddled in the bathtub, arms clasped over his head as if to shut out the intense noise.

  “I don’t want to be sick. I hate being sick,” Josh was wailing, clinging to either side of the toilet.

  “Sweetie, it will all be over soon.” Mia’s voice was barely audible over the shrieking.

  The entire scene was chaos and Nate never felt more helpless. But he couldn’t stand there and do nothing.

  Jennifer, still crying, lowered herself to all fours and crawled toward the door. Grace, still wailing as well, followed.

  “Jennifer, come back here,” Mia called out above the noise, still holding Josh. “Grace, stay here.” She caught the second baby just as Josh started crying again.

  Nate grabbed the wayward twin heading past him around her middle and heaved her off the ground. Mia looked up and when she saw him her shoulders sagged in relief.

  “Cavalry is here,” he said as Mia tried to corral Grace. “What can I do?”

  Mia bit her lip, her gaze shooting from Josh to Grace, who was wiggling free from her clutches. “Josh is sick and I’m supposed to go to Cranbrook with Nico later this morning.”

  “I know,” Nate said. He had heard from Evangeline.

  Then Grace escaped her clutches, heading toward Nate and he bent over and scooped her up, as well. “I’ll take the girls to the kitchen. You take care of Josh. Nico, you want to come?”

  The boy didn’t need a second invitation. He launched himself out of the tub and hurried over to Nate’s side so fast he expected to see cartoon swirls of dust behind him.

  Grace and Jennifer each let out another wail as he walked out of the bathroom, but as soon as he got to the kitchen, they simultaneously stopped crying. As if someone had flipped a switch in their little minds. He jiggled them on his lap, which made them laugh. So he kept doing it and they kept laughing.

  “Sounds like someone is having fun.” Mia came into the kitchen, her arm around Josh, who was leaning against her.

  “How is he?” Nate asked, jiggling the girls again.

  “I’ll have to call and cancel the appointment.” She blew out a frustrated sigh and Nate felt her disappointment. “Do you mind watching the girls for a few more minutes while I get Josh settled?” she asked.

  “No. We’re okay here.”

  Mia’s grateful smile made him feel like quite the white knight. When she left he bounced his legs again. The girls laughed again, each one reaching for the other, their hands tangling together.

  He smiled at their antics. Something unique about twins. Twice the fun and twice the work. But still kind of neat. Jennifer reached up to grab at his hair. “Yeah. I know. I need a haircut.”

  Above him a door closed and he heard Mia come down the stairs leading into the kitchen. He looked up at her, once again feeling a flash of sympathy for the weariness etched on her features. “Is he going to be okay?”

  “A stomach bug is no fun, but yes—I just hope we don’t all get it.” She wrapped her arms around her midsection, looking at Nico, her concern clearly expressed in her frown.

  Nico seemed to pick up on that, and immediately ran back upstairs.

  Nate watched him go, jiggling the girls again as he struggled with an idea. He put the girls down on the floor, watched to make sure they weren’t going to get into trouble and then turned back to Mia. He took her hands in his, then leaned forward and brushed a kiss over her forehead.

  “I couldn’t resist,” he whispered, touching her cheek with his forefinger.

  A smile teased Mia’s lips and he had to fight the urge to brush a kiss over them again. Instead he focused on what she needed more. Correction, what Nico needed.

  Don’t do it. Don’t offer. You don’t know anything about kids.

  The voice in his head created a hesitation, then saw the concern clearly etched on Mia’s features. What else could he do? She was stuck.

  “I don’t think you should miss that appointment,” Nate said, his hand lingering on her shoulder. “Nico has made few strides and I think you need to talk to the doc about that.”

  “I do, too, but what can I do about Josh?”

  “I’ll watch him.” The words popped out before he could stop them.

  “No. You don’t need to do this. It’s fine. I’ll figure something out.”

  “What? Evangeline and Denny are both working. And you can’t take Josh along.”

  Mia opened her mouth to form her automatic objection, which Nate stopped by simply placing his finger on her lips.

  “It will be fine,” he said, fighting down his own concerns. It was just one afternoon. He could handle this. “I have a good book to read—your book club book, by the way.”

  “Were you thinking of coming?”

  “I might. If I get it done,” Nate returned with a cheeky grin. “Which will probably only happen if I’m stuck in the house babysitting.” He squeezed her hand in assurance. “If he sleeps, how hard can this be?”

  Mia pressed her lips together, and though she gave him a grateful smile, he sensed her lingering concern.

  “Okay. I accept.”

  Nate looked down at the twins who, thankfully, seemed more than content to pull themselves up on the kitchen chairs. “And you can throw in one of those, too,” he said impulsively, as if he was purchasing groceries.

  Mia laughed then shook her head. “I’ll take the girls. Taking care of Josh will be more than enough for you.” She wobbled a moment as Jennifer, giving up on the kitchen chair, tried to climb up her leg.

  “He’ll be sleeping, I imagine,” Nate said. “And I must disagree with your idea that I can’t take care of more than one kid while you can take care of three.”

  Mia gave him a wry grin. “I grew into the job.”

  “So. Crash course for me,” he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a quarter. “So heads I take Grace, tails you take Jennifer.”

  “What?”

  He flipped the coin while she was trying to figure it out and showed it to her with a triumphant gesture. “Heads. I got Grace.”

  “But... That isn’t how it should work,” Mia said, bending over to pick Jennifer up.

  “My game. My rules.” He glanced over at Grace, who was slapping her hands on the chair, then turned back to Mia. “I want to do this.” He put extra emphasis on the word want, hoping she understood the subtext.

  She still looked as if she wanted to argue with him. So he did the one thing he figured would make her stop talking.

  He bent over and kissed her. Then he stroked the short strands of hair back from her adorable pixie face and cupped her chin with his rough hand. “So. Now that we’ve got that settled. What should I give Josh when he wakes up?”

  Mia’s eyes grew warmer. Nate couldn’t stop himself. He kissed her again.

  “Um... You can give him some...some soup. I think there’s a can...” She fluttered her hand in the direction of the kitchen cupboards, looking so adorably flustered Nate couldn’t help but smile.

  “Soup. Got it. And what about this cherub?” he asked, indicating Grace.

  Fifteen minutes and a dozen instructions later, Mia was ready to go. Nico, however, clung to Nate’s hand as Mia settled Jennifer into the car seat.

&n
bsp; “C’mon, honey, we need to go,” Mia said, reaching out to Nico, who shook his head.

  Nate, still holding Grace, knelt down beside him. “Hey, buddy, you cowboy up and go with your mom. When you get back you and me will go for a long ride.”

  Nico heaved a dramatic sigh and trudged over to Mia’s side.

  “Are you sure?” she asked one more time.

  “Yeah. I’m sure.” Though he wanted to give her another kiss, he contented himself with squeezing her shoulder. “It will be fine.”

  She gave him a quick smile and covered his hand with hers. “Thanks so much,” she said.

  “You better go.” He took a step away, wrapping his arms around Grace’s chubby body and giving her a quick bounce.

  She laughed, but then as Mia started walking away, her lower lip trembled and tears welled up in her eyes.

  “It’s okay, Gracie,” he said, bouncing her the way he had before. “She’ll be back. I hope.”

  But the little girl started crying even harder.

  Had he done the right thing?

  Could he do this?

  Chapter Twelve

  Mia pulled onto the road leading back to the ranch, fighting the urge to put the accelerator to the floor. She had called Nate a couple of times on her way home from Cranbrook but he hadn’t answered. She knew she had to let go, but leaving him with Josh and Grace had created unease on so many levels.

  Things were changing between them. She knew her feelings for him grew stronger each moment they spent together.

  But misgivings rose up with each mile she’d driven away from the ranch. What if, by taking care of two of her kids, he realized what he might be getting into? What if he realized that he had made a colossal error?

  She shot a quick glance behind her at the other half of her family. Jennifer was playing with her feet and Nico was staring out the window.

  He needs stability now more than at any other time, Dr. Schuler had said. Keep doing what you’re doing. Obviously, something is working.

  Mia made that final turn, trying to put her misgivings where they belonged. She parked the van and as soon as she opened the door, Nico barreled out and ran as fast as he could up the sidewalk toward the house. Mia took Jennifer out of the car seat and followed.

  “We’re back,” she called out, dropping the diaper bag with a thunk on the kitchen table. She paused, listening, but the only sound was Nico’s feet pounding back down the stairs. He stopped in the kitchen, looking puzzled as he lifted his hands in a gesture of confusion.

  “Isn’t Josh upstairs?” Mia asked as she set Jennifer on the floor.

  Nico shook his head and ran past her to the door.

  Had Josh gotten suddenly worse? Had Nate driven him to the hospital in Hartley Creek? Had something happened to Grace?

  “Wait, buddy. I don’t want you going outside without me,” Mia said breathlessly. Don’t panic. It’s probably fine.

  Nico stopped at the door leading outside, his hand on the knob, clearly waiting for her.

  “I’m coming, I’m coming.” She grabbed Jennifer again, parked her on her hip and followed Nico out the door on rubbery legs, wishing she didn’t feel so breathless, her vulnerability at what she had already lost screeching to the fore. She suspected Josh was somewhere on the yard, but common sense couldn’t seem to calm her panic.

  Relax. It’s fine, she told herself as she scanned the yard, walking toward the barn.

  Then she heard the sound of Josh’s giggling and Nate’s low voice coming from the barn. She sucked in a grateful breath, feeling suddenly weightless. Thank You, Lord.

  She pulled in another breath, willing her pounding heart to slow. Nico was already in the barn and as Mia followed him she saw Josh standing beside Nate, who had Grace on his shoulders.

  They were watching Nola and her colt.

  Nate looked down just as Nico joined them, grabbing on to Nate’s elbow.

  “Hey, buddy, you’re home early.” Then he looked up and Mia felt the second their gazes connected. His smile softened, his eyes grew warm. “Welcome back.”

  He was smiling. He was happy. The kids were fine.

  Mia’s worries slipped off her shoulders and as she walked toward him she felt as if her feet hardly touched the ground.

  “We were trying to figure out what to call the colt,” Nate said as she joined him. He lowered one hand and surreptitiously touched her elbow, creating a little thrill of expectation. She felt like a giddy teenager meeting her boyfriend in school. Wanting to touch, but not daring to do too much in front of their friends.

  She turned her attention back to her oldest boy. “Hey, Josh, how are you feeling?” she asked, brushing his hair back from his face. He still looked flushed and pale, but he was grinning as he kept his eyes fixed on the colt.

  “Nate said I had to stay in bed, but I was tired of sleeping,” he said, shooting her a quick glance. “And I wanted to see the colt again.”

  “Hope that’s okay,” Nate said, his tone apologetic. “I thought fresh air might do him good. We, uh, also spent some time on the swing that Denny put up the other day.”

  Mia nodded, looking up at Grace perched on Nate’s shoulders. Her face was streaked with dirt and bits of straw clung to her hair, but she was clapping her hands, laughing at the antics of the colt.

  “Thanks again,” she said, a remarkable feeling of well-being washing over her. He didn’t seem flustered at all and the kids were happy.

  “I had a good time,” he said, giving her a quick wink. “I’d do it again.”

  “That’s great because Evangeline, Renee and I were talking about a girls-only cruise down the Panama...”

  “Well, you girls just keep talking,” he said. “Cause Renee and Evangeline will have to convince Zach and Denny to babysit, too. They might not be as willing. Just saying.” He gave her a wink, which made her laugh, which made Jennifer, sitting on her hip laugh, as well.

  “Have you decided on a name yet?” she asked.

  “I want to call it Flash or Lightning. Because I think he will be a fast horse,” Josh said.

  They watched awhile and then Jennifer started fussing and rubbing at her eyes with her pudgy hands. “I better bring this little one in the house,” Mia said, giving her a quick hug. “She’s exhausted.”

  “I think Grace can use a nap, too,” Nate added. “She hasn’t slept since you left. We had a real busy afternoon, didn’t we?” He grinned at Grace and rubbed her nose with his.

  Mia’s heart melted at the sight. Then he glanced her way and his eyebrows lifted as if curious what she was thinking.

  She simply smiled, brushing her lips over Jennifer’s soft hair.

  “C’mon, boys, we have to lay the girls down.”

  “I don’t want to.” Josh’s voice wavered up and down in a classic whine.

  Mia was about to reprimand him when Nate, still holding Grace, crouched down in front of him.

  “Hey, buddy, you’re still sick,” Nate said, dropping one hand on the boy’s shoulder. “And Nico gets to come back outside because he had to go with your mom to Cranbrook while you got to stay here and play outside with me and Grace. You go have a nap and when you’re done, you can come back outside again.”

  Josh was about to protest when he caught Nate’s warning frown. He slumped his shoulders, pushed his hands in his pockets and slouched outside, Nico trailing alongside him.

  Mia watched them go, surprised at the mixture of emotions she felt watching the exchange. The mother part of her wanted to intervene, yet as she watched Nate deal with Josh, she felt a combination of relief and release. For the first time in years she felt like someone had her back.

  Nate caught her look and lifted a hand in apology. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have taken over. He’s your kid.”

&n
bsp; “No. It’s okay. You spent the morning with him. You had every right to have expectations from him,” Mia assured.

  “I guess it’s just the trainer in me,” he said as they followed the boys across the yard. “Can’t seem to keep my nose out.”

  “Well, I’ll try not to kick or bite you when you get too close,” Mia said with a laugh as he opened the door of the house for her.

  “Just bare your teeth in warning if you’re going to, or flatten your ears and I’ll step out of your way.”

  Mia laughed again, feeling more lighthearted in the past few moments than she had in months.

  Then Grace fussed and Mia reached out for her.

  “It’s okay. I got her,” Nate said, shifting the little girl on his hip.

  As he did, Mia pointed to his shoulder. “You ripped your coat.”

  Nate moved his shoulder to see better, then grimaced. “Oh, no. And that’s my lucky coat.”

  “Lucky?”

  “Well, it’s the one I’ve worn to all the competitions I’ve won. I guess I’ll have to fix it.”

  “And how handy are you with a needle and thread?” she asked.

  “Needle and thread?” Nate scoffed. “Real men use duct tape.”

  Mia laughed. “Bring it over to the house when you don’t need it and I’ll fix it for you,” she said.

  Nate gave her an odd look. “Really?”

  “Yeah. Evangeline has a sewing machine. I can fix it with that.”

  “You really are a woman of many talents,” he said, dropping an arm over her shoulders. He cupped her face and smiled down at her. “You’ll make some guy very happy someday.”

  It was a casual gesture, but behind it lay the kisses they had shared. The moments they had stolen.

  Then he caught her hand, his expression growing serious. “We need to talk,” he said.

  “Sounds serious.” She forced herself to smile, but dread clutched at her as she held his eyes.

  “It is.”

  “So talk.”

  His eyes slipped to the boys running ahead of them, the girls they carried. “Not now,” he said. “Not in front of the kids.”