A Family of Her Own (Dundee, Idaho #3)(62)
Author: Brenda Novak

Booker stood off the concrete porch, a toothpick dangling from his mouth, hands in his pockets. When Katie looked out at him, he gave her a slight nod. In deference to the baby, they’d obviously left Bruiser at home.

“Come in,” she said.

Delbert handed her a rectangular shape wrapped in thick bunches of newspaper and masking tape. “I brought you something. It’s for the baby.”

Katie smiled as she accepted his gift. “Thank you, Delbert.”

“It’s from Booker, too.”

“It is?” She raised an eyebrow at Booker and saw a flash of white teeth as he grinned and shrugged.

Spotting the bassinet, Delbert headed right over to it. “Is this the baby, Katie? Can I hold him, huh? Can I hold him now while we’re here?”

“Sure.” She set his gift aside so she could lift Troy. “Sit on the couch there, and I’ll hand him to you.”

Delbert obeyed immediately, his eyes wide as she settled Troy in his arms. “Whoa,” he breathed. “He’s little.”

“He is little. So be sure you hold him very carefully, okay? Keep him in the crook of your arm like this.”

“Oh, I’ll be careful. I wouldn’t ever let anything happen to him.” Delbert sat very, very still. “He’s wonderful. He’s wonderful, isn’t he, Katie?”

Katie smiled. “He’s sweet like you.”

A blush tinged Delbert’s cheeks, but he continued to stare at the baby. After several minutes, he remembered his gift. “Are you going to open my present now? I think the baby will like it.”

“You bet.”

Booker stood at the edge of the room, near the door. Katie was conscious of him watching her and had a difficult time focusing, but she wanted to give Delbert the attention he deserved.

Sitting on the couch so she could help him with Troy if necessary, she tore the wrapping off the package to find the model car he’d shown her, with such pride, that first night at Booker’s house.

“Oh, Delbert!” she said. “Are you sure you want to give this to Troy? It’s your most prized possession!”

“Booker helped me build it,” he said.

He’d already told her that. Several times. She realized now that was why the model held such worth. That Booker had cared enough about him to help him build it. And he was giving this treasured item to her….

Fighting tears, Katie looked over at Booker. He took helping Delbert in stride, treated him like a brother instead of a burden. She didn’t know anyone else who would have done so much, so ungrudgingly.

“You and Booker are pretty special,” she said. “I’ll put this car up on my shelf where I can see it all the time, and it can remind me of the two of you, okay?”

She made a big production of letting Delbert find just the right place to put the car, which turned out to be a prominent spot on her entertainment center, then gave him a hug.

“Aren’t you going to hug Booker?” Delbert asked when she stepped away.

“Uh…yeah, of course. Thanks Booker,” she said and gave him a very brief, formal hug.

“Booker, you want to hold the baby?” Delbert asked.

Katie thought Booker would mumble something about how late it was and slip out the door before Delbert really cornered him. But he didn’t. He walked over and lifted Troy gently out of Delbert’s arms, then sat in the rocking chair. “Got any movies?” he asked.

THEY WATCHED THE NEWS and an old sitcom because Katie didn’t have a VCR or a DVD player. Delbert fell asleep on his end of the couch almost immediately, and Katie felt her eyelids grow heavy soon after. Somehow, sleep was even more inviting when there was someone around to help watch over her son. Then she didn’t feel as though she needed to jump up every few minutes just to be sure Troy was breathing.

“Do you want me to take him?” she murmured softly as the sitcom went to a commercial, wondering if Booker was getting tired, too, and wanting to go home.

“I’m fine.” He still sat in the rocking chair. “Go ahead and get some rest.”

She dozed off after that. She thought she heard the baby fuss a couple of times, but Troy didn’t cry in earnest. When her son finally demanded her attention, she was surprised to see by the glowing numerals on her alarm clock that nearly three hours had passed.

“He’s hungry,” she said, trying to wake up enough to find her feet and get him. But she didn’t need to go anywhere; Booker brought him to her.

At some point, Booker had turned off the lights and lowered the volume on the TV. Even with Delbert sleeping on the couch, the room felt close and quiet. Katie put her back to Delbert and settled the baby so he could nurse, and Booker started to move away. But she didn’t want him to leave. Catching his hand, she rubbed his knuckles against her cheek.

Booker met her eyes for a long moment, then lowered them to watch Troy nurse. Feeling his interest, his curiosity about the whole baby process, she pulled her shirt slightly higher.

Kneeling beside her, he trailed one finger lightly over the swell of her breast to Troy’s mouth. “Beautiful,” he murmured.

The reverence in his voice surprised her. She let him watch a couple of minutes longer. “Booker?”

“Hmm?”

He bent his head. She thought he was going to kiss the place he’d touched on her breast. Her stomach tensed with anticipation and she caught her breath, but he kissed Troy’s head.

“You’re a soft touch,” she said.

He chuckled. “Yeah, well, just don’t tell anyone, okay?”

She admired his dark eyes, and the thick lashes that framed them. “I’m scared.”

“Of what?”

“Are they going to arrest you?”

He sighed. “No. There were a few things taken from Jon’s house. If Orton’s warrants come through right away, he’ll search the farmhouse and the garage in the morning. But when he doesn’t find anything, I’m hoping he’ll let it drop.”

“What if he doesn’t?”

“There’s no evidence linking me to that crime. I was in Boise or driving most of the night.”

“Then how can they even believe it was you?”

“They’re saying I could’ve done it on my way home, but I think they’ll eventually realize that I wouldn’t have had time. Anyway, a good lawyer should make a big difference.”

“I hope so.”

Delbert stretched and yawned, and Booker stood. “Come on, Delbert,” he said. “We’re leaving now.”