A Father in the Making

“You can heat up the bottle in the microwave in the book club room if you need to feed her,” Evangeline offered.

As Mia reached into the diaper bag to get a bottle she caught Nate frowning at her.

“Those are your kids?” he asked.

She didn’t imagine the shuttering of his expression. Nor the step he took away from them. Like a rejection of her girls. Like Al.

“Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t know you were—”

“A mom?” Mia couldn’t stop the hint of annoyance entering her voice. “It gets worse. There’s two more of these at home and no father,” she said, reality extinguishing the small attraction she had allowed herself to feel. Nate wasn’t the first man put off by her brood.

She bounced Grace in her arms then turned back to Evangeline. “I’ll heat up her milk and feed her. Thanks for the books. I’ll pay for them on my way out.”

“You know you don’t have to—”

“I’ll pay for them on my way out,” she insisted, unable to stop herself from shooting a quick glance at Nate. He was still looking at her but the pity on his face ignited a flare of annoyance.

She juggled her baby in one hand and with the other worked the stroller around the desk. It caught on the corner and the diaper bag fell off, spilling diapers, bottles, snack packages, extra clothes and old cookies all over the floor.

Of course this would happen as she was trying to make a quick getaway. Of course this would happen in front of this handsome, single guy.

“Here. Let me help you.” Nate stepped toward her and bent over to straighten the mess just as she reached for the bag. His hand brushed hers and to her dismay she felt a faint tingle again.

“I’m okay. I got this,” she returned as Grace’s wails grew in intensity.

But Nate set her and the large diaper bag on end.

“I’ll take care of Jennifer.” Sophie Brouwer made a sudden appearance and before Mia could say anything she wheeled the stroller and its lone passenger away. Evangeline showed up with a broom and nudged Mia aside. “I can finish this,” she said.

“You should take care of your little girl,” Nate said, glancing over at her as he gathered up the embarrassing detritus of her diaper bag.

“I’m sure I know what I need to do,” she returned, frustration and pressure and everything that had piled on her shoulders the past few months making her snappier than normal.

She stood and strode to the back room with the sobbing baby. But by the time she got there she realized she had left the bottle of milk lying on the floor. With a groan of frustration she turned to get it, only to end up face-to-face with Nate in the doorway, holding out a bottle.

With a muttered thanks she took it from him, closed the door to the back room and rocked a now furious Gracie.

As soon as the milk was ready she snatched it out of the microwave and Gracie grabbed for it and shoved it in her mouth. Silence, blessed silence, now reigned and Mia dropped into the nearest chair, cuddled her little girl close and fought the inexplicable urge to break into tears.

* * *

Nate stood a moment by the door, listening. Guess Mia got her little girl settled.

“I feel like I have to apologize for Mia’s shortness,” Evangeline said as she stood. “She’s a great girl. She’s just had a lot to deal with lately.”

“I imagine taking care of four kids would do that.” He shot a quick glance over to where Sophie was pushing the stroller around and he couldn’t help a smile at the sight of the little girl still sleeping inside it, her head fallen to one side, her cute mouth open.

“Mia’s had a tough go of it,” Evangeline agreed as she set the diaper bag on the counter.

“Doesn’t help that she’s so independent,” Denny said, still leaning an elbow on the counter.

“She’s had to be,” Evangeline retorted, as if sticking up for her friend.

Nate could identify. He had come limping, literally, with his broken-down horse trailer and injured horses and Socks, his dog, onto Denny’s yard this morning feeling sheepish and reluctant. When he had his accident he had been on his way to deliver his mares to a ranch in Montana where he would be working after the competition he had entered Tango in. The vet in Cranbrook had told Nate that Tango wouldn’t be competing anytime soon, and Nola might end up foaling earlier because of the accident. Thankfully, Bella was okay.

After being out of touch so long, Nate felt like the prodigal son when he pulled onto Denny’s yard.

But Denny had come running out and had pulled him close in a bear hug. Behind him had come his foster sister, Olivia, carrying a little girl. Denny’s daughter, Nate found out later. Both Olivia, Nate’s foster sister, and Ella were crying. Olivia from joy, Ella from frustration.

And as he stood with Denny’s arm around his shoulder and Olivia’s around his waist, Nate felt like he had come home.

“So, Nate, what do you think of my future wife’s store?” Denny was asking, leaning on the counter as he flipped through the children’s books Mia had left behind.

As Nate glanced around the building with its high ceilings, wooden floor and bookshelves lining every wall, he felt a craving rise up in him.

“This old store is cool,” he said with a grin. “And all those shelves of new books just waiting to be cracked open.”

“So you like to read?” she asked.

“Like to read?” Denny snorted. “This cowboy had his nose in a book so often I can’t believe he’s not shortsighted. Used to read on the way to school, on the way back, when he was riding fence. I had to snap my fingers in his face to get him to look up and even then he would barely notice me. You probably have at least three books with you now.”

Nate just grinned. “There are two in my truck and a few more in my backpack.”

Denny shook his head. “Of course there are.”

The other baby girl in the stroller the older lady was pushing around let out a squawk, which made him wonder how Mia was making out with the little girl. And then he wondered why he cared. Someone like her was so out of his comfort zone, she may as well be in another country. It would be difficult enough for him to bring another person into his life, let alone another person with four kids. Then the back door of the store opened up and Mia came out, and in spite of his self-talk he couldn’t stop himself from taking another look.

She was petite. Cute. Her dark hair cut in a short, pixie-looking cut. Her brown eyes were like a doe’s, large, brown, thick-lashed and held a hint of sadness. This, in turn, created a protective urge that surprised him.

He pushed down the reaction. He was in no position to protect anyone. He was having a hard enough time taking care of himself.

“Everything okay?” Evangeline asked as Mia walked over to where the older lady named Sophie stood, reading a book with one hand, pushing the stroller back and forth with another.

“Yeah. She’s settled. Hopefully that lasts until I get back to the store.”

“Hey, Mia,” Denny said. “Nate and I came to take Evangeline out for supper. You want to join us?”

“Sorry,” Mia said with a smile of regret. “I have to catch Zach’s father before he quits for the night and I’ve got a ton of other things to do yet.”

She didn’t look at Nate this time and he was confident he was part of the reason she turned down the invitation. He felt like he should apologize for his reaction but then caught himself. Apologizing was Denny’s thing.

He was always the one who felt like he had to smooth things over with Olivia, Adrianna and Trista. Nate would hunker down, avoid eye contact and keep himself from getting caught in the emotional storms. They usually blew over quickly in the Norquest family.

As for Mia, Nate knew he wouldn’t be spending much time with her. As soon as Tango was healed, he would be on the road again. Back to a life that he was more comfortable with.

Just him and his horses and no one depending on him.

Chapter Two