LITMIR.BIZ

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disbelief.

      “It didn’t happen exactly like that. Don’t fuss at me,” she said. “I thought you would understand.”

      “Hell, no,” Jude said. “Don’t jump into a new romance. It’s not in your best interest.”

      She gave a double take at his advice. “Says the guy who falls in love or like at least once a month.”

      “I don’t want you to get hurt. Colton’s a good guy, but if he’s involved with another girl...”

      “I didn’t say he was involved,” she said. “He just said he wanted to make her happy.”

      Jude winced. “That’s a big deal, Stacey. Guys don’t talk about making a woman happy if they aren’t already pretty committed.”

      “Thanks for the encouragement,” she murmured as she bundled up another casserole for the freezer.

      Jude squeezed her shoulder. “I’m just looking out for you.”

      She took a deep breath. “I know. It just seems ironic for you to be warning me away from my feelings for Colton.”

      “Maybe I’m changing in my old age,” he said. “Or maybe I just don’t want you to get hurt again.”

      Stacey thought about Joe and frowned. “I know it may sound crazy, but I feel as if my engagement to Joe was a lifetime ago.”

      “I still wouldn’t mind kicking him into next week,” he said. “He shouldn’t have abandoned you.”

      “He couldn’t handle the commitment,” she said, and only felt a twinge of sadness over the situation. She had begun to realize that Joe’s abandonment was his issue more than hers. “It’s taken a while for me to realize this, but I wouldn’t want him if he stayed with Piper and me out of obligation. At the same time, I feel terrible that Piper doesn’t have the daddy she deserves. But the truth is, I’m not sure Joe deserves her.”

      Jude studied her for a long moment. “Dang, girl. You’ve grown up.”

      She smiled at her brother. “You think?”

      “Yeah,” he said, and waggled his finger at her. “Just don’t go falling for the local cowboys. I don’t want you to get hurt.” His gaze slid to the pot on the stove. “Can you share any of that soup? The smell is killing me.”

      “That bad, huh?” she asked, smiling at his description.

      “Have a little pity,” he said.

      “Tell the truth,” she said. “When was the last time you prepared a full meal for yourself or anyone else?”

      “Grilled cheese and canned soup count?”

      She shook her head.

      He sighed. “A long time.”

      “That’s what I thought,” she said. “Maybe you’re due for a cooking lesson.”

      “I’ll tell you a secret, Stacey. It’s my goal to never need to cook for myself. That is the goal of most bachelors,” he said.

      “Well, at least you’re honest,” she said, and planted a kiss on his cheek. She fixed a large container of soup for him to take home. She spent the next hour storing meals. Piper awakened, and Stacey gave her a half bottle of baby food and her bottle. Afterward, it was time for baby calisthenics. Stacey set Piper on her belly and watched her do dry swimming. Piper grunted and groaned as she exercised.

      When Piper’s groans turned to cries, Stacey whisked her up in her arms and walked to the kitchen with her. Stacey finished wrapping up her meals for storage and put a few portions in the refrigerator. Her father was always grateful when she packed a lunch he could take outdoors.

      Tucking Piper into a baby pack, Stacey began to clean the public areas of the house. She took care of the den, foyer and kitchen and began to feel tired. Pulling Piper from the sack, Stacey sank onto a chair in the den and told herself not to think about Colton.

      Even her Romeo brother, Jude, had warned her away from her feelings. But Stacey couldn’t keep her mind off of Colton. She wanted to be close to him. Very close.

      She concentrated on rocking Piper, then burping her. Stacey knew she needed to focus on Piper. Her baby needed her love and devotion.

      Unfortunately, Stacey was all too aware of her own needs. How was she supposed to make those needs disappear?

      * * *

      The next afternoon while her mother made some calls to her circle group, Stacey folded laundry in the den. Piper took a nap. Stacey did the hated job of folding sheets. Was there any good way of folding fitted sheets? With the television on a news show, she folded several linens.

      A knock sounded at the door, and she rushed to keep whoever was on her porch from knocking again. She didn’t want Piper waking from the noise. It was amazing how precious her child’s sleep had become to her, she thought. She wondered if she should start putting a note on the front door when Piper was napping. Or would that be a bit too cranky?

      Stacey opened the door and saw Colton on the porch. Her heart took a huge dip.

      Colton removed his Stetson. “We need to talk.”

       Chapter Six

      “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have taken advantage of you,” Colton said.

      Stacey felt her face heat with embarrassment and cringed. “Oh, no, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have interfered. I was supposed to be helping you with your girlfriend and ended up kissing you. I knew you had plans with her, but you and I got close and I stopped thinking about your girlfriend. I was just thinking about you and—”

      “Stop,” he said, and took her mouth in a kiss, then pulled back. “There is no girlfriend.”

      She stared at him in confusion. “No girlfriend?”

      “No girlfriend,” he repeated. “There is no one else I can think about right now. You’re the only woman on my mind,” he said.

      Floored, Stacey could only gape at him. “I don’t know what to say.”

      “You don’t have to say anything. Just know that I didn’t want to take advantage of you,” he said and walked away.

      Stacey gawked after him, wishing she could produce some magic words, but her tongue wouldn’t even form basic syllables. “Colton,” she finally managed, but he was already in his truck.

      She was at a pure loss. He’d given her no chance to respond. How could she tell him how she really felt? How could she let him think their kiss was totally his fault? She raced to the back of the house and found her mother in between phone calls.

      “Piper’s asleep. Do you mind watching her for a while?” she asked.

      “Not at all,” her mother said. “Is there a problem?”

      “I just need to go somewhere,” she said, and didn’t want to hang around long enough for her mother to question her further. Her mother was extremely intuitive. Stacey grabbed her purse, pulled on her coat and headed for her car. As she drove toward the Foster house, she tried to find the words to explain her feelings for Colton. She kept rehearsing several verbal scenarios, but none seemed adequate.

      With no great plan in mind, she stomped up the steps to the Foster house and rapped on the door. A few seconds passed, and she knocked again.

      The door whipped open and Colton looked at her. “What are you doing here?” he asked. “Listen, we don’t have to talk about what happened again. I know you don’t think of me that way,” he said. “In a romantic way.”

      “Stop telling me what I think,” Stacey said. She didn’t know any other way to express her feelings

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