rustled as he opened the bag and sorted through his purchases—purchases she had yet to pay him for. During the silence that followed, she considered grabbing Jaimie and hightailing it out of there. Two things stopped her. The cowboy had the bottle and formula in the bathroom with him, and she could barely walk, let alone run.
She careened toward the bed, somehow managing to lift her feet enough to avoid falling flat. When the mattress nudged her knees, she sank gratefully onto the soft surface and buried her face in the pillow.
He'd come back in a minute and be all hot to do his thing. Think Maggie. Unless she came up with a quick solution, he would expect her to pay him back as per
BABY LOVE 51
the terms of their bargain. She trailed her fingertips over her bare left wrist, wishing she could offer him her watch in trade, but she'd broken the crystal at work last week, and water had gotten inside the casing.
Tears prickled behind her eyelids. That left her exactly nothing to barter with now—except her body.
Oh, how she hoped he really would let her sleep afterward. Then, perhaps, she'd feel better and would be able to leave. She just wouldn't think about what was in store for her. That was the trick. In fact, she was so tired, maybe she would be able to sleep through the ordeal. He could wake her up when he was done—
or, even better, just let her go on sleeping.
From a long way off, Maggie heard Jaimie crying. She blinked to awareness, relieved that her need to use the bathroom seemed a little less urgent now that she was in a horizontal position. Pushing herself up on one elbow, she saw Rafe standing beside the bed. With the air of a man who'd done so many times, he dribbled formula from the bottle onto the inside of his wrist.
He glanced up and smiled. "I washed everything as best I could, and I got the chill off the formula by putting the bottle in scalding hot water from the coffeepot. This is premixed so we don't have to mess around measuring everything. "
The frayed cuffs of his shirt looked wet, an indication that he had at least scrubbed his hands. But, even so, he still looked none too clean. She could only pray Jaimie wouldn't come in contact with some awful germ and get sick.
Rafe scooped the baby into his arm and offered him the bottle. Jaimie gummed the nipple, then pulled an awful face. Rafe chuckled and began walking, nudging the baby's mouth with the latex tip and jiggling him gently.
"I know it's not quite like what your mama has, " she heard him say huskily, "but I don't come with the same equipment. Ah, there. See? It doesn't taste so bad. " He 52 CATHERINE ANDERSON
gave another low laugh. "Whoa, son. Not that fast, or you'll get a bellyache. " The nipple drew air when Rafe tugged it from Jaimie's mouth, the formula inside the bottle bubbling. He glanced at Maggie. "He's draining it like a little siphon hose. "
Maggie yearned to get up and feed the baby herself, but the leaden heaviness of her body dictated otherwise. She watched longingly as Rafe held Jaimie over his shoulder and gently thumped his back to burp him.
"You're good at this, " she observed hoarsely. "Have you been around lots of babies?"
A blank expression crossed his dark face as he resettled Jaimie in the bend of his arm and began feeding him again. "Yeah, I've been around a couple, " he replied, his voice sounding oddly hollow. "Caring for them is kind of like riding a horse. You never forget how. "
Maggie lowered her gaze, feeling as if she'd trespassed on forbidden ground. Glancing back up, she said,
"I didn't mean to pry. I just—"
"No problem. " His larynx bobbed as though he were swallowing a golf ball. When he spoke again, the sadness in his tone lay heavily on the air. "I had two kids, a boy and a girl. "
Maggie couldn't help but note that he had referred to both children in the past tense. "Are you divorced?"
He kept his gaze fixed on the baby, his silence stretching out for so long she thought he meant to
She careened toward the bed, somehow managing to lift her feet enough to avoid falling flat. When the mattress nudged her knees, she sank gratefully onto the soft surface and buried her face in the pillow.
He'd come back in a minute and be all hot to do his thing. Think Maggie. Unless she came up with a quick solution, he would expect her to pay him back as per
BABY LOVE 51
the terms of their bargain. She trailed her fingertips over her bare left wrist, wishing she could offer him her watch in trade, but she'd broken the crystal at work last week, and water had gotten inside the casing.
Tears prickled behind her eyelids. That left her exactly nothing to barter with now—except her body.
Oh, how she hoped he really would let her sleep afterward. Then, perhaps, she'd feel better and would be able to leave. She just wouldn't think about what was in store for her. That was the trick. In fact, she was so tired, maybe she would be able to sleep through the ordeal. He could wake her up when he was done—
or, even better, just let her go on sleeping.
From a long way off, Maggie heard Jaimie crying. She blinked to awareness, relieved that her need to use the bathroom seemed a little less urgent now that she was in a horizontal position. Pushing herself up on one elbow, she saw Rafe standing beside the bed. With the air of a man who'd done so many times, he dribbled formula from the bottle onto the inside of his wrist.
He glanced up and smiled. "I washed everything as best I could, and I got the chill off the formula by putting the bottle in scalding hot water from the coffeepot. This is premixed so we don't have to mess around measuring everything. "
The frayed cuffs of his shirt looked wet, an indication that he had at least scrubbed his hands. But, even so, he still looked none too clean. She could only pray Jaimie wouldn't come in contact with some awful germ and get sick.
Rafe scooped the baby into his arm and offered him the bottle. Jaimie gummed the nipple, then pulled an awful face. Rafe chuckled and began walking, nudging the baby's mouth with the latex tip and jiggling him gently.
"I know it's not quite like what your mama has, " she heard him say huskily, "but I don't come with the same equipment. Ah, there. See? It doesn't taste so bad. " He 52 CATHERINE ANDERSON
gave another low laugh. "Whoa, son. Not that fast, or you'll get a bellyache. " The nipple drew air when Rafe tugged it from Jaimie's mouth, the formula inside the bottle bubbling. He glanced at Maggie. "He's draining it like a little siphon hose. "
Maggie yearned to get up and feed the baby herself, but the leaden heaviness of her body dictated otherwise. She watched longingly as Rafe held Jaimie over his shoulder and gently thumped his back to burp him.
"You're good at this, " she observed hoarsely. "Have you been around lots of babies?"
A blank expression crossed his dark face as he resettled Jaimie in the bend of his arm and began feeding him again. "Yeah, I've been around a couple, " he replied, his voice sounding oddly hollow. "Caring for them is kind of like riding a horse. You never forget how. "
Maggie lowered her gaze, feeling as if she'd trespassed on forbidden ground. Glancing back up, she said,
"I didn't mean to pry. I just—"
"No problem. " His larynx bobbed as though he were swallowing a golf ball. When he spoke again, the sadness in his tone lay heavily on the air. "I had two kids, a boy and a girl. "
Maggie couldn't help but note that he had referred to both children in the past tense. "Are you divorced?"
He kept his gaze fixed on the baby, his silence stretching out for so long she thought he meant to
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