tools down and faced the facts. She had behaved badly, stealing the happiness from what had been a fun afternoon.
Dillon was buying a house for him and Toby, she and her friends had been given the honor of helping him decide how to make things special for them and she had walked out just when things had come to fruition. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t spent years living with the knowledge that she couldn’t produce a child.
No, her sudden sadness had been because the house represented the beginning of the end. Dillon would be leaving soon. Not that that was a surprise exactly, but she hadn’t expected that sharp pain that had hit her when she’d realized how fast time was flying. She’d just had to get away.
And now you have to go back, she told herself. The man probably thinks you’re acting crazy or that you’re rolling in self-pity. Which she was…a little bit. And that just wasn’t going to continue. She was not that kind of woman.
“So, suck it up, Applegate,” she told herself. “And go help the man do what he needs to do.”
She opened the door to the house quietly. The curtains were open in the bunkhouse, and she could see Millie reading by the window, so Colleen knew that only Toby and Dillon were in the house.
She went directly to Toby’s room, but no one was there. Then she heard a low baby gurgle.
And then a deep male voice mimicking the gurgle. “Oh, you are so talented, buddy,” Dillon said. “That’s a tough sound to make. How about this one?” He made a buzzing sound like a bee.
Colleen poked her head around the door. Dillon was sitting on a blanket holding Toby in front of him. Toby was studying his daddy very solemnly with those big blue eyes.
“No? Not that sound? Okay, about this one?” He leaned forward and very gently made a raspberry noise against Toby’s tiny tummy. The baby’s eyes got big and round and then he squealed and grabbed a handful of Dillon’s hair.
“You little squirt,” Dillon said, disentangling himself and smiling at his son. “You are going to be trouble when you grow up, you know that? And I’m going to love you no matter what.”
Toby blew a bubble. He smiled.
It was a beautiful thing to see, this big man and this tiny baby enjoying each other’s company. Then she realized that she was snooping. She hadn’t even announced her presence.
“You’re going to get a stiff neck sticking your head around corners that way,” Dillon said, making her jump and squeal almost as loud as Toby had.
She came all the way into the room. “I didn’t mean to keep my presence a secret and I wasn’t spying,” she protested. “Well, maybe just a little.”
“Uh-oh, Toby. I wonder how much of our conversation sheheard. She probably knows our secrets now. We may have to tie her up and hold her prisoner.”
Toby’s eyes followed every movement of his father’s head and mouth. He made a very small grunt.
“Toby says we must show lenience to the princess who has sheltered us and given us asylum.” Dillon put his hand in front of his face to block his mouth and spoke to Colleen in an aside. “My son has a heart of gold, it seems, but I was kind of looking forward to having you as my prisoner,” he teased.
“Toby, pay no attention to your daddy’s antics. He’s crazy.” She leaned closer and smiled at the baby, who gifted her with one of his most beatific smiles.
“You’re an angel, sweetie,” she told him, “but it looks as if you’re wearing part of your dinner.” Milk had dribbled down his neck.
“A slight incident with the bottle,” Dillon told her. “I was just going to give him a bath. We were just waiting.”
“For what?”
“A how-to session,” he said. “It occurred to me that reading your instructions on how to give a baby a bath while in the midst of actually carrying out those instructions might be tricky, given all the water and soap and slippery baby and instruction sheets. What if I smudge the paper and can’t figure
Dillon was buying a house for him and Toby, she and her friends had been given the honor of helping him decide how to make things special for them and she had walked out just when things had come to fruition. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t spent years living with the knowledge that she couldn’t produce a child.
No, her sudden sadness had been because the house represented the beginning of the end. Dillon would be leaving soon. Not that that was a surprise exactly, but she hadn’t expected that sharp pain that had hit her when she’d realized how fast time was flying. She’d just had to get away.
And now you have to go back, she told herself. The man probably thinks you’re acting crazy or that you’re rolling in self-pity. Which she was…a little bit. And that just wasn’t going to continue. She was not that kind of woman.
“So, suck it up, Applegate,” she told herself. “And go help the man do what he needs to do.”
She opened the door to the house quietly. The curtains were open in the bunkhouse, and she could see Millie reading by the window, so Colleen knew that only Toby and Dillon were in the house.
She went directly to Toby’s room, but no one was there. Then she heard a low baby gurgle.
And then a deep male voice mimicking the gurgle. “Oh, you are so talented, buddy,” Dillon said. “That’s a tough sound to make. How about this one?” He made a buzzing sound like a bee.
Colleen poked her head around the door. Dillon was sitting on a blanket holding Toby in front of him. Toby was studying his daddy very solemnly with those big blue eyes.
“No? Not that sound? Okay, about this one?” He leaned forward and very gently made a raspberry noise against Toby’s tiny tummy. The baby’s eyes got big and round and then he squealed and grabbed a handful of Dillon’s hair.
“You little squirt,” Dillon said, disentangling himself and smiling at his son. “You are going to be trouble when you grow up, you know that? And I’m going to love you no matter what.”
Toby blew a bubble. He smiled.
It was a beautiful thing to see, this big man and this tiny baby enjoying each other’s company. Then she realized that she was snooping. She hadn’t even announced her presence.
“You’re going to get a stiff neck sticking your head around corners that way,” Dillon said, making her jump and squeal almost as loud as Toby had.
She came all the way into the room. “I didn’t mean to keep my presence a secret and I wasn’t spying,” she protested. “Well, maybe just a little.”
“Uh-oh, Toby. I wonder how much of our conversation sheheard. She probably knows our secrets now. We may have to tie her up and hold her prisoner.”
Toby’s eyes followed every movement of his father’s head and mouth. He made a very small grunt.
“Toby says we must show lenience to the princess who has sheltered us and given us asylum.” Dillon put his hand in front of his face to block his mouth and spoke to Colleen in an aside. “My son has a heart of gold, it seems, but I was kind of looking forward to having you as my prisoner,” he teased.
“Toby, pay no attention to your daddy’s antics. He’s crazy.” She leaned closer and smiled at the baby, who gifted her with one of his most beatific smiles.
“You’re an angel, sweetie,” she told him, “but it looks as if you’re wearing part of your dinner.” Milk had dribbled down his neck.
“A slight incident with the bottle,” Dillon told her. “I was just going to give him a bath. We were just waiting.”
“For what?”
“A how-to session,” he said. “It occurred to me that reading your instructions on how to give a baby a bath while in the midst of actually carrying out those instructions might be tricky, given all the water and soap and slippery baby and instruction sheets. What if I smudge the paper and can’t figure
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