She laughs and shakes her head. “Don’t worry, big guy. I’ll take care of you.”
After the last few days I’ve had, that sounds really good.
6
Katherine
Brady’s heavy boots fall in step behind mine as I lead him down the hallway after dinner. I hold a finger up to my lips and nudge the baby’s door open. She’s curled up in her crib. It’s quiet except for the soft sound of rain coming from the noisemaker in the corner.
I glance up at Brady, and he whispers, “She’s precious.”
“She’s a really good baby. Trust me, I’ve taken care of a few little monsters, and Bella is a sweetheart.”
“Bella?”
We step into the hall, and I nod. “Well, it’s Isabella, but we call her Bella.”
He frowns. “Maybe I shouldn’t call her Izzy. I wasn’t even thinking.”
The look on his face guts me, and I rub his shoulder. “Mel and Cal would love your nickname for her.” Somehow, I’m able to speak despite the now familiar spark that reaches through me when I touch him. His eyes? which look black in the dim light of the hallway, soften. “I promise.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” I nod and offer him a small smile, which he returns. “Okay, so follow me.” I point to the door across from the baby’s room. “This is the bathroom.”
I flip on the light, hoping it’s clean.
“Towels, shampoo, soap, whatever you need is probably in here,” I say, opening the large cabinet, “so please help yourself.”
He points toward the claw-foot tub. “Old-school.”
“I love that tub, but if you need a shower, I won’t take it personally.” Pulling back the curtain, I motion toward the wall-mounted shower head. On our way back out, I pause. “Word to the wise—you really need to jam the bathroom door closed. I think the house is shifting after all that rain we’ve been having, and the dang thing pops open.” I give him an apologetic shrug. “The lock broke, so if you use it, you might not be able to get out.”
“I’ll fix it as soon as I can get my hands on Cal’s toolbox.”
My eyebrows lift. “I hate to break it to you, but I don’t think Cal had a toolbox. He was better balancing the books than doing anything manual. I mean, he harvested one of the fields almost single-handedly, but fixing things wasn’t his strength. But Mel was pretty handy herself, so it’s not like we were helpless.”
His lips flatten, and I feel like I’ve said something wrong. “Hey, but Mel has a bunch of tools in the shed. I’m sure you’ll find what you need in there. We can track them down later.”
I motion down the hall, and he follows. My heart beats erratically as I grip the door handle. I haven’t stepped into this room since before. “This… this is Mel and Cal’s bedroom. I’m not sure what kind of state it’s in. But it has a big bed, and I can change the sheets for you.”
As I twist the doorknob, his hand comes over mine. “That’s okay. I can sleep on the couch.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. I don’t know why the idea of going in there freaks me out, but given Brady's panicked expression, I’m not alone.
“You can have my bed if you want.” I point to the next room and push the door open. “I know it’s only a twin, but this is probably your house now, and I’m more than happy to sleep on the couch in the office.” My bed is made, and fortunately, I didn’t leave anything embarrassing out. Not that I have many belongings here.
“Katherine, don’t be silly. I’m not kicking you out of your bed. I’ll sleep in the office.” His eyes sweep around my room, and he lets out a heavy sigh, furrowing his brows at the sight of his own breath. Intense green eyes snap to mine. “It’s cold in here.”
“The heat doesn’t make it to my room for some reason, so I have to bundle up. You might think Texas is always hot, but at night, here in the hill country, it gets pretty cold sometimes. I should’ve left the door open so it wouldn’t get so chilly, but I have a space heater, so that helps.”
“Those things are dangerous. I’ll look into fixing the heat for you.”
“It’s okay. I know you have a lot on your plate. I’m fine. Honestly. But if you see me lookin’ like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man in the morning, that’s why. Just don’t laugh.”
I point an accusing finger at him, and he chuckles. “I would never.” His expression gets serious. “But the heat works in the rest of the house?”
I nod half-heartedly. “It gets cold in the living room because it’s a drafty, old house, but the baby’s room, Mel’s bedroom and the office are all okay. It’s mostly this room that doesn’t get heat for some reason.”
Frowning, he nods and follows me to the office. Even though the door is open, it still kinda smells like Cal, like coffee and the faintest hint of the clove cigarettes he’d sneak at night. Swallowing down an unexpected rush of emotion, I turn on the floor lamp, which casts a warm light.