“Move what you need to my cart and we’ll go to check out.”
He watched as she moved the items from her cart to his.
“Do you have enough diapers and stuff with you to last a couple of days?”He planned to go get their things this afternoon but he wanted to be prepared in case something came up and they weren’t able to get to it.
“I could do a few hours, but not a couple of days.”
“Then let’s go grab what you need.”Smokey grabbed the front of the cart and pulled it past hers, hugging Carter with the other arm.He’d just found out he had a son, and he wasn’t ready to set him down.
Not yet.
Chapter Two
Tania blinked and watchedas Tim—no he went by Smokey now—walked away, her son in his arms as he towed his cart behind them.After several steps, he stopped and twisted around.
“Coming?I don’t know where the diapers are.I can find them but I still don’t know what size he wears.”
That got her moving.She glanced at her cart, wondering if she should put all that stuff back where she’d gotten it.
“Just leave it.The staff will put it away,” Smokey said.
She hurried to catch up with him.In the last year, she’d learned not to let a man wait on you if you could avoid it.Smokey had never hurt her, but she didn’t know if he’d hidden that part of himself the same way Rod had.And she didn’t want to find out.
She caught up with him.Taking the handle of the cart, she headed for the row with the diapers.When she took control of the cart, Smokey fell into step beside her, one hand resting on the small of her back or on her hip as they walked, sending warmth through her.
Why did Smokey have to be the one that stirred things deep inside her?Why couldn’t it have been the man her father wanted her to marry?But then if he had, then she’d be stuck loving the man who’d beaten her the night before.The bruise Smokey had found wasn’t her only one.Just the only one she couldn’t hide under her clothes.It was November, so her long sleeves and scarf didn’t seem out of place.
She wasn’t looking forward to getting wherever Smokey planned to take them, when she’d have to shed her outer layer and he would see more of what Rod had done to her.At the same time, she couldn’t help but be glad he’d found out and that he was getting them out of the situation.
Tania didn’t think Smokey would hurt either her or Carter, but she hadn’t thought Rod would either.And look how wrong she’d been about that.She told him which diapers would fit, he pulled a big box down then a couple packages of wipes too and dropped them both in the car, never hesitating as he balanced Carter in one arm and managed everything else with his other.
She couldn’t help but smile as she watched Smokey with their son.In the five minutes he’d known about Carter, he had shown the boy more attention and affection than her husband had.And until the day before, Rod believed Carter was his.
Tania took a deep breath and pushed away thoughts of Rod.She didn’t know how she would deal with him, only that she couldn’t stay.But until now, there had been nowhere to go.
She followed Smokey as he went to the register.When he started loading things onto the belt one handed, she moved up and helped.She tried to pay with the debit card Rod had given her for groceries and essentials.It only had a limited amount available but it would cover this.Smokey handed the cashier a wad of cash, shooting her a scowl as he lifted the bags into the cart, still holding Carter.She wondered if she’d be able to get the boy out of his arms to put him in his car seat.
