She panicked at that prospect. By the time her mother had passed, there’d been nearly nothing left. Coco had taken out a loan so that her mother could have a proper burial and she would be paying college loans for a long time. Coco had quit just shy of getting her degree and was determined to finish it. But that was for later. Now, she just needed to get some of her equilibrium back. From the first moment she’d stepped onto this ranch, something had clicked and she’d known this was the place for her. It didn’t hurt that Emma needed her.
Benjamin’s long-time housekeeper, Sarah Stevens, made a clucking sound as she entered the hallway. “How long is it going to take that man to just sweat it out and hold that baby until she stops crying?”
“I can’t totally blame him,” Coco said. “Emma hasn’t been at all cooperative.”
Sarah’s generously lined face softened. “Well, it’s true the baby has been through a lot of changes. Who knows what kind of environment she was living in with that Brooke Hastings.” Sarah gave a snort. “Party girl. Don’t know how he ever got involved with her.”
Coco had kept her curiosity to herself about the odd pairing of one of Dallas’s most notorious party girls and solid rancher Benjamin Garner. “They must have seen something in each other.”
Sarah snorted again. “Enough for a fling. Of course, as soon as Benjamin found out little Miss Brooke was pregnant, he tried to do the right thing and offered to marry her, but the woman refused. She didn’t want to be tied down. Too much life to be lived.”
“Did she keep partying throughout her pregnancy? That could have been terrible for Emma.”
“I think Brooke dialed it down during the pregnancy, but as soon as Emma was delivered, she was hitting the circuit again. Thank goodness you showed up when you did. The little peanut was usually okay with me as long as I held her every minute, but I couldn’t get anything done around the house. I’m still catching up,” she grumbled.
“It was good timing for me, too,” Coco said. “But I may need to take a couple hours off soon for personal business.”
Sarah sighed. “It’s only fair. You’ve been working two weeks straight with her. I just know that I’ll be the fill-in.” The older woman lifted her finger to Emma’s cheek and cracked a smile. “She’s adorable when she’s not screaming.”
“I’ll try to schedule my break when she’s taking a nap,” Coco said.
“You’re overdue,” Sarah said. “We’ll just have to adjust. Maybe I’ll finagle a way to get Benjamin together with her. Never would have believed a little baby could scare the devil out of a man like him,” she said and laughed. “You let me know when you need your break. I’ll be here for the little one.”
“Thank you, Sarah,” Coco said and wondered if perhaps she should just take Emma with her. She was reluctant to cause any more trauma for Emma or Benjamin.
* * *
Later that night, Coco slept in the room next to the nursery. The baby could still be a bit unpredictable. Coco was still bothered by the men who had come to visit her and wondered what she should do. Were they bill collectors? Should she consult a lawyer? It took her hours to go to sleep
A shriek jerked her awake. Coco sat upright, adrenaline pumping through her as she tried to pull herself together.
Another shriek pierced the air and she realized it was Emma. Another bad dream, she thought. Who would have guessed that a baby could have bad dreams? Coco jumped out of bed and darted out of her room toward the nursery next door. She didn’t bother with a light because she knew the way by heart.
Except this time she plowed into a human wall.
She felt her breath leave her body in a rush. Automatically bracing herself, she put her hands on his shoulders. Hot flesh over sinewy muscles. Her heart slammed against her ribs. She felt his arms slide around her to stabilize her.
Coco’s eyes finally began to adjust to the darkness. “Sorry,” she managed, a strange sensual panic racing through her.
“I heard Emma and she wasn’t stopping,” Benjamin said in a rough voice that made goose bumps rise on her arms.
Coco took a step back. “Sorry,” she said again. “I was fast asleep.”
“You need a break,” he said, raking his hand through his hair.
“We’ll figure it out,” she said and pushed through Emma’s partially opened door. The volume of Emma’s screams increased exponentially without a pause. Coco rushed to the crib and picked up the baby, cooing at her.
“There you are,” she said. “You’re fine. You’re okay, sweetie. You don’t need to be upset. You’re safe.”
Emma alternately whined and made hiccupping sounds.
Coco hated that the baby was so upset. She bobbed up and down. “There you go. See. You’re okay.”
Emma gave a heavy sigh. Then another. She felt the tot fasten her mouth against her shoulder and make buzzing noises and couldn’t help laughing under her breath.
“I take it she’s okay,” Benjamin said from a few feet behind her.
Emma continued her happy buzzing noise and Coco turned around to face Benjamin. He was dressed in a pair of pajama pants and nothing else. “Sure sounds like it to me.”
Emma paused a half beat then continued.
“Why does she keep waking up screaming?” he asked, resting his hands on his hips, clearly perplexed.
Jiggling Emma, she stroked the baby’s back. “It’s not every night. She’s just still adjusting. I think she’ll calm down soon.”
“She has an appointment with the pediatrician soon. Maybe he can tell us something. I’ll want you to go to that appointment,” he said. “If I take her, she’ll just scream the whole time.”
“That’s fine. I’d like a few hours off tomorrow or the next day, though. I have some personal business to take care of.”
“No problem. Sarah will cover for you. I may need to hire someone part-time so you’ll have backup,” he said with a sigh.
“We can give her a little more time. With little ones, they can turn a corner before you know it.” Coco could feel Emma’s rigid frame start to relax against her. “Maybe she wouldn’t be so afraid of you in the dark. Come closer and see.”
“I did that earlier,” he said in a dry tone.
“But this is different. It’s dark and you’re not wearing your hat. Maybe—”
“Maybe not tonight,” he said firmly. “I don’t want to get her riled up again tonight. See you tomorrow,” he said and left the room.
Coco slid into the rocking chair with a sigh. She hated that Emma and Benjamin were so tense around each other. When she’d first accepted the position to take care of Emma, she’d thought Emma’s screaming when her daddy came close was just a phase. True, it had only been a few weeks, but it seemed as if the two of them were growing more tense with each other, instead of less. Benjamin wanted to avoid upsetting Emma, which gave them fewer opportunities to interact.
Coco wondered if she should just set Emma in his arms and leave so the two of them could work it out, but she knew that was probably her lack of sleep talking. She felt Emma’s sweet little body go limp with relaxation. The baby’s trust in her never failed to grab her heart. Rising, she returned Emma to her crib and went back to bed. This time, she fell asleep before her head hit the pillow.
Late the next morning, after Coco put Emma down