Cowboy Baby Daddy

“I don't feel anything there, but if you'd like to have some tests run, for cancer or anything else that might be wrong, you're welcome to make an appointment, just like everyone else,” I told Georgia, my tone frosty. “Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to enjoy the rest of my weekend. And I think it's time for Emma to go down for a nap.”

Emma stirred in my arms, pouting at me. “No, Daddy,” she said plaintively, but from the way she cuddled closer to me, I could tell that she was ready to go to sleep for an hour or so. I smiled down at her; she was cute like this.

Olivia was smiling at the young girl as well. Georgia, on the other hand, looked disgusted. I wondered what she thought would happen if she and I did get together. Didn't she realize that she was going to have to see Emma all the time?

I hid a smile, pressing a kiss to Emma's forehead. Then, I bent down to scoop up our shopping.

I couldn't resist one parting shot toward Georgia. I smiled at Olivia. “I'll see you tomorrow morning,” I told her.

She waved at me, and I went to check out.

Chapter Eight

Olivia

I didn't want to say that Monday morning came too soon, but waking up after a restless sleep, knowing that I would be dealing with Emma all day again, was enough to make me sigh. Of course, I had done some planning over the weekend, and I thought I had enough activities to keep her and Harlan entertained, when he joined us after school. If she would behave herself, and if I could pull Harlan away from his screen.

If I were well-rested, I'd probably have been feeling pretty good. But the previous night, I'd been plagued with thoughts about Georgia and our run-in at the general store. I could tell that she was interested in Eric; she hadn't made any secret of that. I could still hardly believe that she'd basically put his hand on her breast, right in the middle of the store. There had to be some sort of history there, but whatever it was, I didn't know it. And it wasn't like I could ask Mom about them; she'd only tease me about being interested in Eric.

I was coming to realize that I was, in fact, interested in him, but I knew that there was no way I could ever have him. It would be so inappropriate for me to even consider asking him out. He was my mother's doctor. Anyway, I needed to focus my energies on convincing Mom to start chemo. I couldn't afford to be distracted by some guy, no matter how handsome and caring he was.

It bothered me to think of him with Georgia, though. From the way they'd been acting, I had a feeling they must have dated in the past. And it made sense. Eric was probably the only eligible bachelor in town, and there was no denying that Georgia was gorgeous.

Even if Eric weren't Mom's doctor, the more I thought about it, the more I doubted he would be interested in me. Our dinner date was lovely, but afterward, I'd cried all over him. If that hadn't been enough to permanently friend-zone me, I didn't know what was. And he hadn't even kissed me goodnight. Instead, we'd hugged, and that hug, unlike the one at Mom's house, had been super awkward, like he felt obligated to deliver it rather than actually wanting to deliver it.

I'd probably looked awful after all that crying. But that was even assuming that he'd thought I looked good in the first place. He probably wasn't even interested in me.

Especially not with someone like Georgia throwing herself at him.

Harlan's dad called just before 9 to let me know that Harlan was feeling sick and wouldn't be coming into daycare that day. Well, that was one fewer kid that I had to worry about entertaining for the day. And it meant that I was all alone in the house when Eric arrived with Emma.

Emma immediately skipped over to the box of coloring supplies, looking the happiest that I'd ever seen her. Eric looked happy too, and he was carrying two coffees from the diner. “Good morning,” he greeted me.

“Good morning,” I said, wondering what had the pair of them in such good spirits. But I wasn't about to question it.

“Do you like theater?” Eric asked, handing me one of the coffees.

I frowned at him. “Is there a theater in Tamlin?”

“Oh no,” Eric said, shaking his head. He grinned. “One of my patients gave me two tickets to a play that they're putting on in Westbrook on Wednesday night. He practically begged me to go.” He paused, his grin widening. “I figure if I have to go, I might as well torture someone else with it as well. So I really hope your answer is that, no, you don't like theater.”

I burst out laughing. “It can't be that bad,” I said.

“Only time will tell, I guess,” Eric said, shaking his head. “You interested? I could pick you up around 5, and we could get an early dinner before the show.”

Hope bloomed in my chest. There was no mention of illnesses this time, and it sounded like an actual date, rather than something that friends would do. I couldn't keep the smile off my face. “I guess I could go with you,” I said. “Just for the sake of your sanity. You shouldn't have to endure torture on your own.”

“Phew,” Eric said. “I didn't know what I was going to do if you said no.”

“You'll have to pay for dinner, too,” I teased.

“Done,” Eric said. He glanced at his watch. “Well, I have to get to work, but I'll see you on Wednesday.” Then, he frowned. “I mean, I'll see you sooner than Wednesday since I'll have to pick up Emma this afternoon, and then I'll drop her off and pick her up again tomorrow.”

I laughed at how flustered he was. Maybe I wasn't the only one who was starting to develop feelings for the other. “I understand,” I told him. “See you this afternoon, and looking forward to the show on Wednesday.”

On Wednesday, I pulled out practically everything that I owned, trying to figure out what I wanted to wear for the date. Of course, I still didn't know if he thought this was a date or not. He'd made no indication when he was asking me. For all I knew, he just felt bad wasting one of the tickets since they'd been a gift from his

patient. But I was going to make it clear that I considered this to be a date, whatever he thought about it.