while I do that?”
“Guess so.”
“I’ll hurry.”
“Don’t hurry so much you hurt yourself.”
She grimaced. “Right.” She headed for the bathroom. Once she closed the door she automatically flicked on the wall switch before remembering the electricity was out. But even in the gloom of a rainy afternoon she noticed the huge claw-foot tub that dominated the room. Decked out with a utilitarian showerhead and curtain, it still looked sinfully luxurious.
As she peeled off her damp clothes and washed up as best she could in the icy tap water, she imagined what a hot bubble bath would be like in that tub. Heaven. She wondered if Zeke ever took a hot bath. Certainly he did. Otherwise he wouldn’t have installed such a thing in his cabin. It was an intriguing picture.
She was about halfway finished when Amanda began to cry. Gritting her teeth, she began working faster.
Then Amanda’s crying stopped. She didn’t usually stop crying by herself, so either Zeke had picked her up, or something was wrong. Immediately her imagination came up with a dozen possibilities that put Amanda in peril of her life. Zeke wasn’t experienced enough to know if she was choking, or had the blanket over her nose, or...
Katherine jerked on Zeke’s shirt and sweats, tied them quickly and hurried out the door to find him quietly holding Amanda in his arms.
He glanced up, a tender look in his eyes. Then he looked at Katherine’s bare feet. By the time his gaze met hers again, all tenderness had vanished. “Didn’t think I could handle it, did you?”
“I...” She paused and grimaced. “No. And I apologize. If you could please hold her a little longer, I’ll go put on the socks.” She turned back toward the bathroom, berating herself for stepping on Zeke’s feelings at the very moment he was beginning to gain confidence around the baby. If she wanted him to form a relationship with Amanda, she’d have to back off and trust him.
* * *
Z EKE PACED BACK AND FORTH in front of the window, which worked off some of his frustration and seemed to keep Amanda from crying. But he didn’t kid himself that he had any talent in that direction. When Katherine sprained her wrist he’d foolishly announced he’d take care of the baby. Oh, sure. And pigs could fly. Maybe he’d done okay with the smaller boys at the ranch, but he’d never been in charge of anybody this young, or this gender.
Katherine came back out of the bathroom with socks on her feet. “Zeke, I’m really sorry I reacted like that. You obviously had the situation under control.”
As if to prove that wasn’t true, Amanda began to fuss.
“I don’t think so,” Zeke said.
“She’s probably hungry and needs to be changed.” She hesitated. “If you’re willing, I could show you how to change her.”
He didn’t think he had much choice. “Okay.” He hoped it wouldn’t be any more complicated than changing the oil in his truck. But as he glanced down at the squirming, fussy bundle in his arms, he decided it was probably more like deactivating a bomb.
He held her while Katherine used her good hand to arrange the necessary tools on the table. It all looked completely foreign to him.
“Okay, you can bring her over,” Katherine said.
He walked up to the table, where she’d put a padded mat down. She moved aside and gestured toward it.
He started to put Amanda on the mat and paused with her suspended over the table. “Does it matter which end goes north and which end goes south?”
“Yes. Depending on whether you’re right-handed or left-handed, her feet should be pointing in that direction.”
“I’m left-handed.” He turned Amanda carefully around and placed her on the mat with her head pointing right and her feet pointing left.
“You are?” Katherine glanced at him. “I didn’t know that.”
There was a lot she didn’t know about him, he thought.
“Left-handed people are supposed to be very creative,” she said. “That might be one
“Guess so.”
“I’ll hurry.”
“Don’t hurry so much you hurt yourself.”
She grimaced. “Right.” She headed for the bathroom. Once she closed the door she automatically flicked on the wall switch before remembering the electricity was out. But even in the gloom of a rainy afternoon she noticed the huge claw-foot tub that dominated the room. Decked out with a utilitarian showerhead and curtain, it still looked sinfully luxurious.
As she peeled off her damp clothes and washed up as best she could in the icy tap water, she imagined what a hot bubble bath would be like in that tub. Heaven. She wondered if Zeke ever took a hot bath. Certainly he did. Otherwise he wouldn’t have installed such a thing in his cabin. It was an intriguing picture.
She was about halfway finished when Amanda began to cry. Gritting her teeth, she began working faster.
Then Amanda’s crying stopped. She didn’t usually stop crying by herself, so either Zeke had picked her up, or something was wrong. Immediately her imagination came up with a dozen possibilities that put Amanda in peril of her life. Zeke wasn’t experienced enough to know if she was choking, or had the blanket over her nose, or...
Katherine jerked on Zeke’s shirt and sweats, tied them quickly and hurried out the door to find him quietly holding Amanda in his arms.
He glanced up, a tender look in his eyes. Then he looked at Katherine’s bare feet. By the time his gaze met hers again, all tenderness had vanished. “Didn’t think I could handle it, did you?”
“I...” She paused and grimaced. “No. And I apologize. If you could please hold her a little longer, I’ll go put on the socks.” She turned back toward the bathroom, berating herself for stepping on Zeke’s feelings at the very moment he was beginning to gain confidence around the baby. If she wanted him to form a relationship with Amanda, she’d have to back off and trust him.
* * *
Z EKE PACED BACK AND FORTH in front of the window, which worked off some of his frustration and seemed to keep Amanda from crying. But he didn’t kid himself that he had any talent in that direction. When Katherine sprained her wrist he’d foolishly announced he’d take care of the baby. Oh, sure. And pigs could fly. Maybe he’d done okay with the smaller boys at the ranch, but he’d never been in charge of anybody this young, or this gender.
Katherine came back out of the bathroom with socks on her feet. “Zeke, I’m really sorry I reacted like that. You obviously had the situation under control.”
As if to prove that wasn’t true, Amanda began to fuss.
“I don’t think so,” Zeke said.
“She’s probably hungry and needs to be changed.” She hesitated. “If you’re willing, I could show you how to change her.”
He didn’t think he had much choice. “Okay.” He hoped it wouldn’t be any more complicated than changing the oil in his truck. But as he glanced down at the squirming, fussy bundle in his arms, he decided it was probably more like deactivating a bomb.
He held her while Katherine used her good hand to arrange the necessary tools on the table. It all looked completely foreign to him.
“Okay, you can bring her over,” Katherine said.
He walked up to the table, where she’d put a padded mat down. She moved aside and gestured toward it.
He started to put Amanda on the mat and paused with her suspended over the table. “Does it matter which end goes north and which end goes south?”
“Yes. Depending on whether you’re right-handed or left-handed, her feet should be pointing in that direction.”
“I’m left-handed.” He turned Amanda carefully around and placed her on the mat with her head pointing right and her feet pointing left.
“You are?” Katherine glanced at him. “I didn’t know that.”
There was a lot she didn’t know about him, he thought.
“Left-handed people are supposed to be very creative,” she said. “That might be one
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