“She’s a pretty easy baby, not that I’ve had a ton of experience.” Rose dipped the plastic-coated spoon into the bowl of pureed peaches, then slid it into Callie’s mouth.
I never would have guessed she didn’t have a dozen baby brothers and sisters based on how easily she handled Callie. Since I’d been in sink or swim mode for the past week, I hadn’t even asked. It might pay to get a little more information about the woman I’d hired to take care of her.
We finished our lunch, got Callie’s things packed up, and said goodbye to Miles and Kinley. He said he’d connect with the rest of the Riders to put everyone on alert to look for Kinley’s ex. I promised to follow up with the Fire Marshall and the Sheriff to see what headway we could make there.
Rose got Callie buckled back into the baby carrier in the backseat while I started the truck and turned on the heat. When she was done, I walked around to open up the passenger door for her.
“You don’t have to keep doing that.” She stepped onto the running board and pulled herself up.
“What, you don’t like having a guy open doors for you?” My dad might have been a dick, but the great-aunt who’d raised me had taught me to respect women. Chivalry would never die if I had anything to say about it.
“I guess I’m not used to it.” Her cheeks pinked as she reached for her seatbelt.
I grabbed it first and handed it to her. “You deserve to have a man open doors for you. Don’t settle for less, Rose. It’s the least a guy can do.”
Our fingers brushed as she took the strap from me. Prickles of awareness traveled up my hand, but I shut that shit down fast.
“Let’s go get the rest of your stuff.” I said it more to myself than to her as I shut the truck door. As much as I was attracted to the temporary nanny, the last thing I needed was to complicate my life any further. I’d get her moved in, take the help she was willing to give, and try to find someone to replace her as soon as possible. That was the plan. But plans burned up fast around here, and this time, I wasn’t sure I’d make it out without a few more scars.
CHAPTER 4
ROSE
Seeing how little space everything I owned took up in the back of Cullen’s pickup made me question every choice that had led me here. Most of the girls I’d gone to high school with back in California were married and settled down already, some of them with multiple kids. I didn’t care or keep track, but my mother did.
She hadn’t given a crap about me when I was little and didn’t put up much of a fight when I was taken out of the house and put into foster care. I could still remember the smell of bleach and cigarette smoke the day they took me away and picture her face as she closed the door behind me. But now she’d decided it was time to make up for all of those bad decisions she’d made. She wanted a relationship. I wanted to get as far away from her as possible. Keeping my distance was easier than reopening old wounds.
My phone buzzed. Callie’s soft fussing from the back seat drowned out the sound, but I still felt it like the past tugging at my sleeve. I glanced at my most recent text as Cullen pulled into the gravel drive leading up to his cabin. My mom wanted to know when I was going to turn around and come back to California. The answer was never.
The week I’d spent taking care of Callie had been the most stable period of my life. I’d been wary of Cullen at first, but Ruby vouched for him. That meant a lot, but I’d also had my fair share of “good guys” turning into creeps, so I’d been on guard all week. Lucky for both of us, he hadn’t tried anything. I could handle myself but didn’t want to leave town and have to keep looking over my shoulder. Been there, done that. Had the scars to prove it.
“Do you want to bring in the baby, and I’ll grab your things?” Cullen asked as he killed the engine.
“Sure.” I climbed down out of the truck before he could race around to open my door. He was just being polite, but I didn’t want to feel like I owed anyone else a damn thing. Even opening the door for someone could be twisted around and used against them. He moved in behind me to grab the bags. Heat rolled off him along with the smell of pepper and smoke and soap. It landed low and unwelcome.
Ozzy greeted me at the door and immediately nudged his nose into the baby carrier. I still wasn’t sure how Cullen felt about being a dad, but the big dog was clearly in favor of having a baby sister around. It only took him an afternoon to figure out how quickly she could clear off her highchair tray. Since then, he sat next to the chair during every meal, ready to nab whatever treats happened to fall his way.
We’d been gone so long that it was time for Callie’s next bottle. I changed her, then set her in the baby saucer while I mixed it up.
Cullen carried in the few bags I had and put them in the guest bedroom. It only took one trip. By the time I had her bottle mixed, he was done.
“Do you want me to feed her while you get unpacked?” he asked.
“That would be great.” I passed him the bottle.
He carried Callie over to the couch and sat down, a burp cloth already draped over his shoulder. She immediately sucked the nipple into her mouth and the two of them stared into each other’s eyes while she sucked it down. Watching the tough, tattooed firefighter cradle her in his arms knocked something inside me loose. Forearms inked, hands impossibly gentle. His brown eyes went soft when she sighed, and my chest pinched hard enough to make me look away. He was a good man, and she was lucky to have him.
I headed into the bedroom before I ruined the moment. There wasn’t much to unpack besides my clothes. I hadn’t wanted reminders of the life I was leaving behind. Except for a snow globe my grandma had given me from a trip she took to the Outer Banks when I was a kid, I hadn’t kept anything personal.
Once my clothes were tucked into drawers, and I’d stashed my toiletries in the bathroom, I didn’t have an excuse to hide away in the bedroom anymore. I walked out to the family room to find Cullen stretched out on the couch. One arm rested over his head, the other held Callie to his chest. Both of them were sound asleep.
I snapped a picture with my phone so I could send it to him later. Then tears welled up in my eyes, and I blinked them away. What was it about a relative stranger sacked out on his couch that hit me so hard? I didn’t want to stick around long enough to find out.
“Come on, Ozzy. Want to go for a walk?” I picked up his leash from a hook by the front door. He bounded over, his tail thumping against my legs like a whip.
Fresh air helped. I inhaled deep gulps of pine-scented air. I set a fast pace, like distance could outrun the thought of unpacking anywhere. Fall had definitely settled over the mountain. Tall trees stretched toward the sky, their leaves a mix of orange, red, and brown. I pulled my sweater tighter around my shoulders as my feet crunched on the gravel.
Back home, fall would mean a slight dip in the temperature, not a total metamorphosis. Here, everything changed at once… the weather, the sky, even me pretending that moving in with a hot, inked firefighter didn’t make me feel good for a change. Not that I was ready to acknowledge it. I took in another deep breath.
