Chapter Seven

“I thought I heard a noise.”

Jessie’s voice, hoarse and groggy, drew Chase’s gaze her way as she stepped inside the nursery.

“It’s three in the morning. Why are you in here doing my job again?” she asked.

“Shhh…” He scooped a whimpering child into his arms and held her close. The warm tears from wet cheeks felt damp against his neck as the babe snuggled close. Motioning toward the hallway, he moved silently through the doorway. “Daisy started crying. I’m taking her downstairs so she doesn’t wake her sister. You can go back to bed.”

Jessie tugged the white robe closed over a crumpled nightshirt. “If you leave her in there and give her a few more minutes to settle down, she’ll be fine. We’ve been over this already. The girls are accustomed to noises from each other. There’s more chance you’re going to wake the other one by going in there. I realize you prefer a more lax approach to child-rearing, but please, just give my ideas a chance.”

He soothed Daisy’s hair and silently counted to ten—an old trick from Birdie.

Time to cool down.

Jessie’s new way of doing things downright irritated him sometimes, but he couldn’t lose her. She was the glue that held the place together most days. And her affection for the girls ran deep. Even now, her concern for what was best for Daisy and Poppy fueled her argument, not grouchiness. There she stood, caring about his nieces, in the middle of the night, all sleepy, disheveled, and looking oh, so forgivable.

“You know, when Charlotte was here, we’d always take whichever baby was crying downstairs, so they both didn’t end up in tears. It just made sense. Otherwise, no one would get any more sleep.”

“But Daisy is learning how to get her way in everything. She makes a little noise, someone comes running.”

He chuckled. “Not someone. Me. I haven’t seen you swayed by tears or temper tantrums yet.”

She crossed her arms, a hint of a frown tugging at the corners of her lips. “Do you want me to do this job right or not?”

“Your definition of right and my definition of it may not be the same. I want to make her happy, Jess. It’s no big deal if I bend the rules a little here and there.”

“You work hard all day running this ranch. You don’t need to deal with this.” Sliding the hair band from her wrist, she tugged her tousled hair up into a messy ponytail. “Don’t worry about little bumps in the road with the girls. I’ve got this. Honestly. It’s what you pay me to do.”

“I want to be here when they need me.” If he’d given more to his sister, would things have been different? It wasn’t a mistake he wanted to make with Poppy and Daisy.

“And you are here when they need you. You play with them every night, no matter how tired you are. We all have dinner together, you read bedtime stories to them, you help with their baths. And how far you’ve come these past couple weeks with your parenting skills? Amazing! Night and day difference. It’s obvious you adore these kids. But responding to every whimper? That’s just not going to work. You’re spoiling them, and you’ll pay for it later. We all will.”

He shrugged it off. “Maybe I don’t see the big picture. Maybe I just want my baby niece to stop crying. Pretty simple stuff.”

Daisy grinned, her eyes still glistening with fresh tears. She reached up with both hands, patting her uncle’s face.

Reward enough. Chase felt a bit stunned all over again at the swell of love in his heart for this child.

“All better?” He kissed a tiny forehead. “She’s calmed down and can go back to bed now.”

Jessie tapped her foot against the floor impatiently. “You’re only creating more problems for yourself down the road.”

He gave a slight shrug. He couldn’t help it. “If comforting them when they’re sad is spoiling them, then that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

Daisy rubbed her eyes with both tiny fists.

“See?” He nodded toward the child who had quieted. “She’s sleepy. She’ll be out in a few minutes.”

A loud cry came from the nursery. Peeking in the door, he saw Poppy standing up in her crib, wailing away, both hands shaking the railing. “Di-Di! Di-Di!”

He frowned at the unfamiliar word. “That’s the first time I’ve heard her say that. How did I miss it?”

Jessie cast an irritated look in his direction then moved to console the second weeping baby of the night.

“Shhh…honey, your Di-Di is right here. See, there?” She pointed at Daisy who was stretching both arms to her twin.

“When did she start calling her sister that?” he asked, adjusting the babe in his arms.

“This morning at breakfast. C’mon, Poppy. Here’s your stuffed tiger. Time to go back to sleep, sweetie.”

He returned Daisy to her bed where she quickly curled up with her toy lion and stuck her thumb in her mouth. Walking to the other crib, he planted a kiss on top of Poppy’s little head as the child quieted. “Night-night, baby girl.” Then he yawned and glanced at his watch. More sleep sounded good. He could still catch a couple of hours before he had to be at the stables. “Poppy seems to be settling down. I’m going back to bed.”

“Great. Thanks.” Jessie let her voice ooze sarcasm as she shooed him away. “Men,” she grumbled to the wide-eyed little girl who promptly tossed her tiger out of the crib. “Can’t live with ’em—can’t live without ’em.”

She could live without a man. Pregnancy and all. She’d told herself that, even before she and Brian had parted ways. In fact, she’d grown almost comfortable with the idea…until this rugged rancher crossed her path. Stopped her in her tracks. Changed her thinking about the boy he’d been and the man he had become.

She glanced toward the door Chase had exited moments earlier looking all tired and rumpled in faded jeans and that wrinkled blue shirt he’d likely thrown on right before coming to little Daisy’s rescue. The guy she’d walked away from all those years ago was as much at home comforting his sleepy baby niece as he was running this vast family business. He didn’t shun responsibility. He met it head-on. Did the right thing.

And looks so fine doing it.

Moaning softly, she retrieved the stuffed toy and placed it next to Poppy, whose eyes were beginning to look blessedly drowsy. Then she pulled one of the rocking chairs closer and sank onto it.

She’d been too harsh with him, and she wasn’t sure why. Unless… Could it be because this good man was willing to lose sleep to care for his sister’s child when the father of her baby didn’t have a whit of interest in caring for his own? Because she’d made herself believe men like Chase didn’t exist? Because he roused feelings in her she’d nearly given up on?

He gave her hope.

She touched her hand to her stomach. Did she have time for that?