The Cowboy's Unexpected Baby. Stephanie Dees

before I left the house. I had a hunch we might need it.”

      He lifted Charlotte out of the seat. “Did Miss Abby try to starve you?”

      Abby swatted his arm. “Not funny.”

      Garrett settled into one oversized leather chair in his office, while Abby perched on the arm of the other one, digging the bottle out of the side pocket of the diaper bag.

      He gave it a little shake and then let Charlotte have it. She really did eat like she was starving.

      “I fed her three hours ago, I promise!” Abby’s dark brown hair was pulled back in a low ponytail with little tendrils curling around her face.

      She seemed as casually friendly as usual, but that neon pink toenail polish he’d spied this morning seemed to hint that there were facets to Abby’s personality he hadn’t yet seen. It made him want to poke and dig and figure her out.

      Her eyes lingered on Charlotte, the expression on her face thoughtful.

      “What are you thinking?”

      Her cheeks colored, a dimple at the corner of her mouth appearing and disappearing. “Just that Charlotte’s blessed. Not all kids who go through a childhood trauma have someone who cares as much as you do to take care of them.”

      He wasn’t sure how to feel—flattered that she thought he was caring, or concerned that she thought Charlotte could be traumatized. “Do you think I should be worried about Charlotte?”

      “Babies recognize their parents from the first moments they’re born—their smell, the way their voice sounds. So she’s had a loss. But it helps that she has you.”

      “Is that your professional opinion?” He shifted in the chair, a little uncomfortable with the intensity of her study.

      “My experienced opinion. You haven’t said… How did things go in court?”

      “Okay. Child Protective Services recommended that Charlotte be placed with me, I think partly because of the mother’s request. Partly because they know me.”

      “That’s good.” Abby frowned. “Right?”

      His head bobbed back and forth—not a yes, not a no. “The judge wasn’t happy. Technically, Brooklyn abandoned her baby, and while it’s understandable that she picked me to leave her with, in a weird way, the judge wants to make sure that she wasn’t coerced.”

      Abby narrowed her eyes. “So, you have to find Brooklyn?”

      “Someone does.” He tipped the bottle up so Charlotte could drink the last ounce.

      “But it seems like she doesn’t want to be found.”

      “Therein lies the problem.”

      “From a legal standpoint, I guess I can see the judge’s point. The situation is weird, but…Charlotte’s staying with you, right?”

      “The judge said CPS could leave her in my care as a kinship provider, but he’s given me until the next hearing to come up with proof that Brooklyn made the choice to leave Charlotte voluntarily. And then there’s the issue of the dad.”

      “Who’s the dad?”

      “Exactly. We have nowhere to start.” Garrett made a face. “So that has to be addressed at the adjudicatory hearing as well.”

      “Which is when?”

      “Supposed to be within thirty days or the earliest practical date, which in this case happens to be a little over six weeks from now if it doesn’t get continued.”

      “How do you feel about that?”

      His eyes were on Charlotte as she slowly took the last little bit from the bottle. How he felt was as complicated as the case. “I feel guilty that I couldn’t just leave it alone, that the mandatory reporter thing took that decision out of my hands. I feel relieved that Charlotte won’t be dragged into another foster home with someone she doesn’t know. And at the same time, I wonder if I’m making the best choice for her because I don’t have any clue what to do with a baby.”

      Abby’s lips curved into a soft smile. “You’re doing fine, but all of those feelings seem perfectly valid to me. Any thoughts on where Brooklyn might be?”

      “Not a clue.”

      “I’ll think about it. There’s got to be some way to find her. In the meantime, I’m gonna get going. I’ve got to run to the grocery store before I head home.” She walked toward the door and turned back to hand him the burp cloth. “Oh—you might need this.”

      As if on cue, Charlotte burped and Garrett smiled. “Good call. Thanks for keeping her today. I owe you dinner.”

      “You’re welcome. See you Monday.”

      As Abby walked away, Garrett’s eyes followed. She was beautiful and complicated and a part of him wanted to figure out what was really under that shell of serenity.

      He shook his head, chuckling under his breath. His brothers teased him about his idealistic streak. He fell in love about as often as other guys washed their clothes. Any other time in his life, he wouldn’t have hesitated to ask Abby out. Now?

      Even if he did lose his mind and consider it, he had no idea if she was even planning to stay in Red Hill Springs. It was a nonstarter.

      They were working together. And maybe…friends?

      And that was all he could let it be.