“What’s the problem?”
“I cannot get her to sleep,” Lara whispered, soundingpanicked. “No matter what I do, she cries.”
“Where’s Jessie?”
“With the señora.”
“Has the baby been fed?”
“Sí. Only a short time ago.”
Luke crossed the room in a few quick strides, then reached down and tookthe baby from Lara. She fit into his arms as if she belonged there, her warm little bodysnuggling against his chest. Her gulping cries turned to whimpers almost at once.
“Shh,” he whispered. “It’s your Uncle Luke, sweetpea. What’s with all the noise? Were you feeling abandoned there for aminute?” He glanced at Lara and saw that an expression of relief had spread acrossher face. “How was she while we were out this afternoon?”
“Like an angel, Señor Luke. She slept most of the time. I thoughtshe would go to sleep again as soon as she had eaten.”
Luke rubbed the baby’s back. A tiny hand waved in the air, thensettled against his cheek. As if she found the contact familiar and comforting, shequieted at once. That strange sense of completeness stole over him again.
Luke made a decision. “Lara, why don’t you take a break for afew hours. I think our little angel ought to join the rest of us for dinner.”
“But la señora said…”
Luke tried to recall exactly how many times he’d heard hismother’s edicts repeated in just that way by Consuela, by his father, even histeachers. Mary Adams’s influence had been felt everywhere in his life, at leastwhen she chose to exert it. “Let me worry about my mother. Have your dinner. Go onout for the evening. We can manage here.”
“Sí, if that is your wish,” she said withobvious reluctance.
“It is,” he assured her.
He found a soft pink baby blanket, obviously a new addition since hedoubted there would have been anything pink in the assortment of items his mother hadsaved from her sons. Wrapping Angela loosely in the blanket, he cradled her in one armand gathered a few spare diapers and a bottle with his other hand. He eyed a can of babypowder, debated a couple of toys, but abandoned them when he couldn’t figure outhow to pick them up.
“Remind me to get you one of those fancy carry things,” hetold the baby, who regarded him with wide-eyed fascination. “I don’t haveenough hands to carry this much paraphernalia. Things were a whole lot less complicatedat my house, before you got outfitted with the best supplies money could buy.”
Angela gurgled her agreement.
“You know what I love most about you, sweet pea? You go along witheverything I say. Be careful with all that adoration, though. It’ll give a guy aswelled head. I don’t want to give away any trade secrets. After all, we menshould really stick together when it comes to women, but for you I’ll make anexception. If there’s any heartbreaking to be done, I want you to be the one whodoes it. You need advice about some jerk, you come to me. Is it a deal?”
The baby cooed on cue. Luke grinned.
“You understood every word, didn’t you? Well, now thatwe’ve settled how you should go about dealing with men, let’s go find yourmama and your grandparents. Not that I’m so crazy about sharing you, youunderstand, but the truth is I’m not always going to be around. You need to haveother folks you can count on, too. Your mama’s one of the best. And nobody onearth will protect you from harm any better than your granddaddy. He’s fierce whenit comes to taking care of his own. Just don’t let him bully you.”
Angela yawned.
“Okay, okay, I get the message. I’m boring you. Let’sgo, then.”
Downstairs, he located the rest of the family in the parlor. He found thevarying reactions fascinating—and telling. His mother looked vaguely dismayed bythe sight of Angela in his arms, just as she had when any of her own children hadslipped downstairs during a grown-up party. His father grinned, unable to hide hispleasure or his pride, just as he had when showing off his sons to company. Jessieseemed resigned at the sight of her daughter comfortably settled against Luke’schest.
“Where on earth is Lara?” his mother demanded at once.“I am paying that girl to look after the baby.”
Before Luke could say a word, Jessie jumped in. “Don’t blameLara. I suspect your son is responsible for this. Is that right, Luke?”
Luke shrugged, refusing to apologize. “She was crying.”
“Babies cry,” his mother said irritably. “Picking themup will only spoil them.”
“Oh, for goodness sakes, Mary, she’s a newborn,” Harlancountered. “There’s nothing wrong with giving her a little extra attention.Besides, I want to get to know my first grandbaby. Bring her here, Luke.”
He eagerly held out his arms. Luke placed the baby in them and wondered atthe oddly bereft feeling that instantly came over him. He moved over and took a seat byJessie, gravitating almost unconsciously to her warmth as an alternative to the strangesort of serenity he felt when holding the baby.
As soon as he sat down, though, he realized his mistake. Jessierepresented more than warmth. She exuded heat and passion, at least to him. His bodyresponded at once, predictably and with the kind of urgency he hadn’t known sincehis teens.
“Sherry, Lucas?” his mother asked.
“Hmm?” he murmured distractedly.
“She’s asking if you would like a drink,” Jessieexplained as if she were translating a foreign language. There was a look of knowingamusement in her eyes he couldn’t mistake.
“No thanks,” he said.
“I’m very surprised to see you here, Lucas,” his mothercommented.
“But we’re delighted, aren’t we, Mary?” his fathersaid, a warning note in his voice.
His mother seemed startled by the sharp tone. “Well, of course, weare. I’m just surprised, that’s all. He hasn’t been here for months.And,” she added pointedly, “he told me quite plainly that he couldn’tget here over the holidays. As I recall, he told you the same thing justyesterday.”
Luke refused to be drawn into a quarrel. “Plans change,” hesaid.
“Will you be staying long?” his mother asked.
“Mary!” Harlan
