“Hi there. I’m Ava. I’m going to be taking care of you,” she said.
The little girl didn’t seem fussed about that. She continued cooing, her eyes wide as she watched Ava. There were times when she rethought her decision to stay single and not have kids of her own…this was one of them. Overpowering emotions flooded her as she rocked the baby back and forth.
It was something she craved. But she also guarded her heart when it came to relationships. Losing her fiancé had taken her a long time to recover from. It was only through her biweekly therapy sessions that she’d been able to start moving on. But he had been the love of her life…there wasn’t going to be another one.
Growing up with parents who adored each other, Ava wouldn’t marry someone she didn’t love or who she was just really good friends with. She had friends—she could hook up if she wanted to, her life was good as it was. There was no missing spot to be filled by a partner or husband.
Greg was still alive in her heart. He’d been a kind and caring man. The perfect boyfriend after the controlling and abusive man she’d dated before him.
Shaking her head, she went to get the baby bag. Inside was a snowsuit, which would keep the baby toasty and warm when they stepped outside. Ava laughed to herself as she struggled to get Gracie into it.
The little scamp liked to kick her legs when she was on her back, but eventually Ava got her zipped in just as Hannah returned with the discharge papers. Ava zipped up her own coat, picked up Gracie and shouldered the bag to leave.
“If you need anything, call me. My cell is on the discharge papers,” Hannah said.
“Thanks,” Ava said. She didn’t anticipate calling anyone. Mainly because she really liked to figure things out on her own. She and Gracie would be good.
“We’re a team now,” she said to the little girl. “You’ve got me in your corner.”
She knew the baby didn’t really understand her but wanted the girl to know she had someone. Ava meant for life, which Gracie would learn as she grew up.
It had gotten darker while she was in the hospital, and she was careful as she made her way to her Trax and opened the door. The car seat had been set up in the back seat. She tucked Gracie in and then double-checked she was secured before putting the baby’s bag under the seat and getting in. Firing up the engine, she cranked the heat and leaning over to check the baby one more time before heading home.
Her house was on a residential street with lots of families. She drove carefully toward it, happy to have Gracie with her. In the middle of all of the incidents going on around Dark Canyon, this was a bright light.
Chapter 2
Three days later, she was no closer to getting Fern to open up than she had been the first time they spoke. It made sense to her. The other woman was dealing with a lot, her body, mind and spirit broken and trying to heal. She also was afraid to go home. It seemed to Ava that the woman was in no hurry to leave the hospital.
Luckily Chay hadn’t stopped by with more questions. Maybe he was respecting her when she’d told him she’d let him know if she heard anything. That would be a nice change from his normal bulldozing.
She was off today, and Gracie had been fussy all day long. She’d called her mom, who had suggested she put the baby in her car seat and take her for a drive, which Ava had done. The baby fell asleep in the car, but when she got back home and carried her into the house, Gracie started crying again.
She’d paged Hannah, and the pediatrician had advised her to check Gracie’s temperature and asked her several questions to rule out infection or any other ailment. “Sorry, Ava, sounds like she’s just having a bad day,” Hannah said.
“Both of us are,” Ava said jokingly. “Well, I’ll just keep holding her. Hope that helps.”
Walking the baby around seemed to help a little bit. Her doorbell rang just as Gracie started to nod off, and Ava went to see who it was…hoping it was her mom. She could use someone else to hold the baby so she could go pee.
It wasn’t her mom but Chay Benally. Standing on her threshold, he put his hands up near his shoulders in a gesture of surrender. “Sorry to drop in on you, but I was hoping to follow up on our conversation from the other day.”
She glared at him. “I can’t even begin to think while she’s crying.”
“I’m sort of a baby whisperer,” Chay said. “If I get her to stop crying, can we talk?”
Ava doubted he’d be able to achieve that, but nodded and handed the baby to him as he stepped into her hallway. She closed the door behind him as he was talking to the baby in a soft tone.
“I have to run to the bathroom. Be right back. The living room is that way,” she said with a gesture.
After doing her business, she checked her hair, realizing she had a bit of spit-up on her shoulder and she looked as frazzled as she felt. Taking an extra moment to braid her hair so that it fell over one shoulder, she splashed some water on her face and then took her shirt off, turning it inside out so the spit-up stain was hidden. She looked…well,betterwas a relative term, but there it was.
Going back into the living room, she heard nothing but the ticking of her grandfather clock. Her living room was decorated with overstuffed chairs and a long couch that her mom had helped her pick out when she’d moved in. Chay sat in the large armchair nearest the fire. Baby Gracie lay in his big arms sleeping.That little traitor, Ava thought, but she smiled at Chay.
“Not sure how you managed that,” she half whispered in a very low tone.
“Told ya—baby whisperer. Where’s her bed?” he asked.
Ava led him down the hall to the room where the crib was set up. He placed her in it and then covered her with the Navajo blanket. His hands lingered on it for a moment.
