Cowboy Baby Daddy

“Yes, I'm having him over for dinner,” Mom said as though this were just some social engagement rather than a visit with her doctor regarding test results from a very serious illness that she had. “You'll be here as well, won't you?”

“Yeah, he asked me to come,” I agreed. There was so much more I wanted to say. From the way the doctor had spoken, it sounded like Mom was getting worse, not better.

But I checked myself. That's what the appointment was for the next day. There was no point worrying Mom about my suspicions now, not when I didn't really know anything. For all I knew, Eric had just been frowning about something else.

“Dr. Jones sure is handsome, isn't he?” Mom asked after a moment.

I rolled my eyes but grinned. “Yeah, he is,” I admitted.

“Single, too,” Mom continued.

I groaned. I hadn't even lived in Tamlin for two weeks, and Mom was already trying to hook me up with a guy. She probably envisioned me settling down and getting married, filling my house with light and laughter and all those clichés.

“All right, all right, I won't say anything else,” Mom said, laughing. “But he's such a nice man.”

“He is nice,” I allowed. “Good with Emma, too. It's clear that she adores him.”

“What aren't you telling me?” Mom asked, always perceptive of my tone.

“Well, I have to wonder if Eric might be too lenient with her,” I said slowly. “Don't get me wrong, she has her sweet moments, but her behavior was pretty bad today. And given what she had done when I first met them today, I would have expected him to be more upset with her.”

“What had she just done?” Mom asked.

I grinned. “She didn't want to come to daycare, and she kicked him in the gonads,” I told her, startling a laugh out of her. “I don't think she meant to do it; she was just flopping around. But he didn't say a word to her.”

“Emma's had a hard time since her mom died,” Mom said. “And if it wasn't intentional, well, sometimes, you just have to let those things slide, as a parent.”

“I know,” I said, shaking my head and resolving to quit worrying about Eric's parenting skills. Lots of kids were upset on their first day of daycare. Tomorrow would probably be better.

“I'm glad that he already has Emma, or I'd have to stop trying to matchmake the two of you,” Mom said slyly. “You know how much I want grandchildren, but I guess that's probably out of the question for him after today.”

It was my turn to burst out laughing. “Mother!” I said, shocked that she would even hint at that. But she was laughing as well, and I felt a warm glow go through me. Mom might be sick, but at least we were still laughing. I'd just have to listen to what Dr. Jones had to say the next evening and follow whatever recommendations he gave us.

Chapter Three

Eric

I watched from the doorway as Helen tried to teach her granddaughter how to make cookies. It was the perfect scene of domestic bliss, something Norman Rockwell might have dreamed up, except for how Emma was doing a better job making a mess than making cookies. I was pretty sure she had dough in her hair, for crying out loud!

But they looked happy, and there were so few moments when Emma looked happy these days. Helen too: it was hard on Emma, losing her mother, but I could only begin to imagine how hard it must be for Helen to have lost her only daughter.

“That's a little too big, sugar,” Helen said, breaking one of Emma's cookie balls into two and helping her reform them.

“I wanted a monster cookie, though,” Emma pouted.

Helen hid a smile. “What if I let you have two regular cookies when they're ready?” she asked.

Emma beamed at her. “Okay!”

I shook my head; that girl had us all wrapped around her finger.

But as much as I wanted to be amused by their antics, I couldn't stop thinking about the other family that I was about to visit. About the news that I was about to deliver. What was worse, I knew Jeannie Sable too well already: she wasn't going to listen to my suggestions. I would be fighting an uphill battle, trying to get her to accept the treatments that I knew she needed. I was hoping that having Olivia there would help things and that Jeannie might see reason with her daughter listening in. Or if nothing else, I hoped that Olivia might be able to talk some reason into her mom.

But I hated having to give the bad news to both of them, especially when Olivia was so new in town.

“All right, you two, don't burn the house down while I'm gone,” I teased, coming into the kitchen to say goodbye to my two favorite people. “And Emma, keep an eye on this one,” I said sternly, putting an arm around Helen's shoulders. “Don't let Nana eat all the cookies before I get home.”

Emma dissolved into giggles as I bent down to kiss her cheek. I kissed Helen's cheek as well.