The Cowboy And The Baby

“Looks like she’s hungry,” Mrs. Moretti told him helpfully. “She’s trying to get her sustenance out of your shirt.”

“Sorry, Layla, I’m afraid you’re out of luck there,” Cody told the baby, very gently separating the tiny mouth from his shirt.

At a temporary loss as to what to do, he looked at Mrs. Moretti for help.

The older woman shook her head. “I’m afraid I don’t have anything for her. I stopped carrying formula with me several years ago. All my grandchildren are older than she is. But let me see if I can get one of the nurses to find something for her.”

Rising heavily to her feet, the woman approached the registration desk and looked over it in hopes of seeing someone coming out of the impromptu operating room. She didn’t, but that didn’t stop her.

Making her way around the desk, Mrs. Moretti continued to the rear of the clinic. The doors to four of the exam rooms were wide open. Mrs. Moretti zeroed in on the one that was closed. When Melissa, one of her granddaughters, had needed stitches for the gash she’d gotten on her forehead thanks to a game of hide-and-seek that had gone wrong, she’d been taken into that room.

Knocking on the door, Mrs. Moretti raised her voice. “Sorry to bother you, but the baby out here seems to be hungry. Is there any formula in the clinic?” she asked politely.

After a moment the door opened in response to Mrs. Moretti’s question. Holly was in the doorway.

“You didn’t have to come out, dear. You could have just told me where the formula’s kept and I would have gotten it,” the woman said to Holly.

If given a choice, Mrs. Moretti always preferred being self-sufficient instead of dependent on the help of others.

“It’s just easier this way,” Holly told the woman. Besides, the doctors really didn’t want to have civilians rooting through their supplies. However, there was no polite way to say that to Mrs. Moretti, so she let that pass. “How’s everyone out here?” she asked as she took the woman to the supply cabinet in the last exam room.

There were several bottles of formula on the bottom shelf. Taking one, Holly decided to look in on the baby before heating the formula up.

“Mostly gone,” Mrs. Moretti told her matter-of-factly, still following behind her. “Except for a couple of us. And, of course, Cody and the baby. Poor little thing’s hungry.” She smiled sympathetically. “I guess being born was hard work for her.”

“I guess so,” Holly agreed. She walked out into the waiting room. “How’s our girl?” she asked Cody.

He was rocking the baby back and forth in an attempt to soothe her. “Okay, I think.” And then he flushed. “I’ve got more experience with newborn calves than humans.”

It amazed Holly how someone who looked the way Cody McCullough did—broad-shouldered, athletic with a soft, sexy smile and soul-melting blue eyes—could be so humble.

“You’re doing fine, Cody,” she assured him. “I’ll just go and warm up this formula for you.” Holly paused for a moment, needing to ask him a question just to be sure. “You all right with feeding it to her?”

Cody nodded, adding, “Not much different than with a calf, right?”

She’d never heard it put quite that way before. She supposed that there were similarities. “As long as you make sure you don’t try to get her to stand up while she’s doing it.”

Cody laughed. “I think I’ve already figured that part out.”

* * *

HOLLY RETURNED WITHIN MINUTES, the small bottle of formula warmed and ready to be given to the hungry infant. “There you go,” she said, handing Cody the bottle.

She was about to coach him through it, but saw that she needn’t have worried. Cody was doing just fine with feeding the baby.

Instead, she gave him an encouraging smile. Still, she had to admit to herself that there was a little concern on her part.

“You’re sure you’ll be all right out here?” she asked him.

“He’ll be fine,” Mrs. Moretti told the nurse, answering for Cody. “I’ll stay on just in case,” she volunteered.

Cody looked at the older woman as he fed Layla. “You sure? It might be a long wait to see one of the doctors, when they’re finally free.”

It was becoming obvious that the delay would be even longer than anticipated. “I can come back for that tomorrow, but I’ll stay here with you as long as you feel I might be of some help.”

“I don’t want to keep you, Mrs. Moretti,” Cody told her.

Mrs. Moretti laughed. “It’s been a long time since I was a kept woman,” she told him with a wink that both surprised and amused him. There was still a little bit of the young flirt within the older matron. And then she waved her hand, dismissing his protest. “Don’t give it another thought.”

Feeling that everything was under control, Holly told them, “I’d better be getting back in there.”

A flash of anxiety came out of nowhere, surprising Cody. “How is she doing?” he asked.

“Better than when you first brought her in.” That was all Holly felt comfortable saying at this point. She’d learned that it was better to say too little than too much.

With that, the young nurse left the waiting room and hurried back to the operating room.

Mrs. Moretti sensed Cody’s concern.

“She’ll be fine,” she assured Cody, patting his hand in the same soothing fashion she’d employed with all of her own children. “They don’t come any better than Dr. Dan and Dr. Alisha,” the grandmother of six told him. “Those two are the best thing that ever happened to this little town,” she said with conviction.

* * *

HALF AN HOUR PASSED. Layla finished the formula that Holly had brought out for her.

Though he strained his ears, Cody couldn’t discern anything coming from the rear of the clinic. He didn’t hear any voices, nor did he hear a door being opened.

This “operation” was going on much too long, he thought. Something was very wrong.

As if reading his mind, Mrs. Moretti leaned forward. Her eyes meeting his, she told him, “Remember, no news is good news.”

“Yeah,” he murmured without conviction.

Cody knew that the woman meant well, but the old saying didn’t really comfort him at this point. He’d always been the kind of person who met everything head-on. He didn’t have that option here. All he could do was wait and the inactivity was making him fidget inwardly.

“Well, I guess I’ll come back tomorrow,” Oral Hanson suddenly announced to the room, even though Cody and Mrs. Moretti were the only two occupants left.

After getting up, the man crossed over and paused in front of Cody. He looked down at the baby and allowed a nostalgic expression to pass over his face.

“Brings back memories,” he explained, referring to when his children had been that small. “You hang in there, Cody, you hear?”

Cody merely nodded. There wasn’t anything else that he could do, really.

“You’re doing a good thing,” Oral said as he left the clinic.

“He’s right, you know,” Mrs. Moretti told Cody, adding her voice to the sentiment.

He was really beginning to feel guilty having the woman remain here with him.