Up in Smoke (Hotshots 4)

“Not the same thing, but I can sympathize a little as our folks were terrible about things like pictures. We moved so much that I learned to not get sentimental about much. The couple of baby pictures I remember seeing, Shelby had a lot of dark hair.”

“Yeah.” Brandt’s mouth twisted. “So. Paternity testing. And a lawyer to figure out options. I’ve got a message into a buddy who’s married to one. How sure are you that Shelby’s not in danger? I’m good with not reporting her missing to the authorities, but I’ve heard about post-baby mental health issues. And there are other dangers.”

“Shelby said she’s going to Macy. I believe she’ll do that, even if she’s not answering her phone. Macy and I aren’t tight, but I left a text asking her to let me know if Shelby doesn’t show. And to tell Shelby to call me, not that I expect Shelby to listen.”

“Okay. Keep trying to reach her.” Brandt nodded like he was the one organizing this plan. Shane’s back muscles bristled, but arguing over who was in charge was probably not the best use of their time. Instead, he left his chair to go reclaim the yawning baby.

“Here. Your turn to eat.” He waited until Brandt had a chance to microwave his plate before continuing. “As far as post-partum depression, I read a little bit about it in the baby book. And I suppose it could be a factor, but a lot of this is typical Shelby behavior. She gets serious about cleaning up her act for a spurt, then it’s right back to hard partying and bad choices.”

“I know plenty of people like that.” Brandt scooped up some beans with a piece of toast, and Shane tried hard not to notice his long fingers or his lips. He forced himself to focus on settling the baby in his arms, trying to see her with fresh eyes, trying to find more of Brandt in her little face.

“Also, she’s not threatening self-harm in the note and is pretty clear where she’s headed. Honestly, I’m not sure what the cops would do with this other than charge her with child abandonment.”

“Yeah.” Brandt frowned. “Probably don’t want that. But keep me posted what you hear. I’d hate it if we missed some sort of cry for help.”

“Will do. And agreed.” Shane liked that we far more than he should have, liked not being alone in this dilemma. Hell, simply having someone to tell the story to was a relief, as was getting a second opinion about how to deal with Shelby and the question of whether to involve the authorities. Brandt still wasn’t his first pick for father material, but right then, he was all Shane and Jewel had. It wouldn’t be smart to trust him to see this through, but Shane also wasn’t walking away from his help.

Chapter Four

“Now what?” Brandt considered Shane across the table, trying to read his reaction to Brandt’s new willingness to get paternity testing. Shane wasn’t the easiest guy to read, impassive expression and tense body language appearing to be his default. However, now that Brandt had agreed to be part of this mess, he wasn’t entirely sure how to proceed, which was a feeling he didn’t much care for. And might have been why he felt the need to needle Shane. “I mean, what was your plan for after you found me? Drop the kid and get back on tour?”

“I’m not on tour at the moment.” Shane flushed and his tone said that might be a sore subject Brandt should steer clear of. “And no, of course, I wasn’t gonna leave her on your doorstep or anything dramatic like that. I’m not Shelby.”

“On that we are most clear.” Brandt’s voice was dry, but his memory was vivid with the way Shane had smelled that day in Grangeville, the way he’d felt against Brandt, the exact timbre of his laugh. He’d done countless tandem jumps over the years, and never had one affected him like that.

“Honestly, I didn’t have a plan beyond getting here. Couldn’t really let myself think beyond that. I just knew we couldn’t stay in my RV in Portland much longer.” Shane shifted from side to side, yawning at the precise moment the baby did too. “Lack of sleep and food had my brain fuzzy. I keep trying to follow the schedule in the baby book, but Jewel doesn’t seem to have read the same manual as me.”

“I imagine not. Reading’s what, a six-month skill?” Brandt had to laugh at the idea of this poor over-his-head uncle trying to put this itty-bitty baby on a schedule. Hell, Brandt had worked with plenty of grown ass adults who couldn’t keep to a routine.

“Probably.” Shane snorted. “Anyway, I guess I better find an RV campground around here for the night. My kingdom for the chance to do a load of baby laundry. And my shirts.”