The sky was overcast when Dave crawled out from beneath the covers. He hadn’t slept much, though that wasn’t entirely surprising after his exciting evening. He might as well get up and get on with his day rather than lie in bed.
The shower was hot and he dressed quickly in the cold air of the cottage, pulling on jeans and a thick sweater. God, he’d forgotten how raw and unforgiving an East Coast winter could be. There wasn’t any work today to keep him busy, so he bundled up, scraped the windshield of his SUV, and headed into town.
The only thing open this early on Sunday morning was the café, so Dave stopped and bought two large coffees and a selection of pastries before heading up a street to the clinic. Maybe Charlie wasn’t even there anymore, but he felt uncomfortable with how they’d left things last night. He hadn’t exactly kept his interest in her a secret. Looking at it now, in hindsight, he could understand why she’d backpedaled when she found out about his kid.
Lights were on inside when he arrived, so he cradled the tray holding the food in one hand and tapped lightly on the door with the other. Moments later Charlie came out of an exam room, the baby on her shoulder and a bottle in her hand. Her usually neat-as-a-pin hair was disheveled and sticking out of a frayed braid, and she had bags under her eyes. Clearly it hadn’t been a good night for her either.
She shifted the bottle, turned the dead bolt, and stood back so he could open the door.
The office was warm, and he hurried in and shut the door behind him before he let in too much icy air. “Good morning,” he said softly, peering over her shoulder at the baby. His tiny eyes were closed and his fingers pinched the soft fabric of her sweater. “Rough night?”
“He’s asleep now, isn’t he?”
At his nod, she sighed. “Little bugger. Kept me up most of the night and now he’s out. Typical.”
Dave let out a soft laugh. “Can’t blame a man for wanting your attention all night,” he joked, delighted when her cheeks colored a bit. “Here. I brought coffee. And very-bad-for-you white flour and sugary things.”
“I take back all the bad things I thought about you last night,” she said solemnly, reaching for the bag. “Let’s go to the kitchen. I’m not sure if I dare put this guy down or not.”
Once in the kitchen, Dave put down the tray and stripped off his jacket. Charlie looked up at him with naked yearning in her eyes. “Can you take him while I have something to eat? I feel like I’m going to keel over, and he can stay nice and cozy. And quiet.”
She slid the baby into his arms without waiting for an answer and immediately moved to the counter, grabbing one of the coffees and opening the paper bag, peering down inside before selecting a rather large apple Danish. Her first bite was huge, and glaze clung to the corners of her mouth.
Dave had a lot of thoughts about kissing that glaze from her lips. And if he hadn’t been holding a baby in his arms, he might have. But if—when—he kissed Charlie, he wanted to have his hands free so he could put his arms around her and hold her close.
He looked away, taking a deep breath. She wasn’t the kind of woman a man played with. He should probably just let well enough alone. Still, thinking about her was better than thinking about the baby in his arms and how the weight felt foreign and familiar at the same time. At least the little guy wasn’t crying. Dave figured he’d be okay as long as the baby slept on.
“Let’s go into my office,” she suggested. “I have my desk chair and there’s a decent armchair there too. I’ll bring the stuff and you can have some coffee. It doesn’t look like you got much sleep either.”
He frowned, following her down the hall. “It doesn’t?”
She shook her head, and he watched the ratty braid move back and forth. “It’s in the wrinkles around your eyes. And you showered this morning but you didn’t bother to shave.”
He hadn’t. He knew a day’s growth of stubble was on his cheeks. More than that, she’d noticed. Despite how exhausted she was, she’d noticed all that about him in the space of a few seconds. It was flattering as hell.
Her office was extraordinarily tidy, just as he would have expected, and she pulled the padded chair closer so they could use her desk as a table. He eased himself into the upholstery, careful not to wake the baby, and reached for the thick paper cup.
Charlie sat in her chair, took another healthy bite of Danish, and watched him with keen eyes.
“What?” he asked, after several seconds had ticked by.
“I’m trying to puzzle you out.”
“Never a good idea. I’m a complicated man.” He grinned at her, trying to dispel her solemn gaze, but it was no good. She was focused now.
“You’re good with babies.”
“Why is it so important to you?”
She paused then, furrowing her brow a bit. “You mean, your personal life is none of my business.”
“I wouldn’t put it that bluntly…”
“But that’s what you mean.”
Awkward silence settled over the room. Finally he spoke again. “No, I don’t mean that at all. It’s not an easy thing to talk about. I get that you’re curious given that we … that I … started something.”
“That’s part of it,” she agreed.
He wasn’t immune to the lovely feeling of warm baby curled up against his sweater. “You’re a tough woman, Charlene Yang.”
“Thank you.” She smiled and took a satisfied sip of her coffee.
“You want the truth? All right. Here it is. Anyone I go on a date with wants to know who Dave Ricker is. Coming right out and admitting I have an ex and a daughter … that can be intimidating. I’m not just a guy. I’m a dad.”
“And women are turned off by that?”
He was saved from answering by another tap at the front door.
Thanks to the coffee, pastry, or a bit of both, Charlie looked slightly revived as she said, “That’ll be the social worker. Hang tight.”
She was back moments later with a middle-aged woman who identified herself as Marissa Longfellow. She looked kind, like a schoolteacher, and smiled at the sight of Dave holding the baby in his arms.
“He certainly looks contented,” she noted.
“He likes Dave,” Charlie replied. “He fell asleep right away last night when Dave held him inside his jacket. Then Dave went home and it seemed like he cried for hours.”
Marissa laughed. “Sounds about right. All of mine went through a stage at this age. For three or four weeks they’d be up in the middle of the night and just wouldn’t settle. And then poof. One day they got their days and nights the right way around and I’d start getting good sleep. Or at least a good chunk of sleep at a time. Well, let’s see to the official paperwork, shall we? I have those papers for you I mentioned, Dr. Yang, and then we’ll be good to go.”
“Dave, are you okay here for a few minutes? He’s so contented at the moment.”
“No problem. I’ll just drink my coffee and we’ll have some male bonding time.” He smiled up at her.
They left the office, and he took a sip of coffee then put the cup back on the desk. The baby in his arms took a deep breath and let out a sigh. Dave adjusted his hold so the little guy was cradled just right, then slid down in the chair a little so that his head rested against the padded back and his legs stretched out comfortably. He closed his eyes. He’d missed these first moments with his daughter and he could never get them back. But he didn’t regret the choices he’d made since. It had meant giving up being a SEAL, but it also meant being part of his daughter’s life as she grew up, and that was more important.
* * *
Charlie came back for the baby and stopped in the doorway to her office, her heart catching at the sight before her.
The baby was lying on Dave’s wide chest, still sound asleep, while Dave’s rough hands held him snug and safe. A soft snore broke the silence. Dave had fallen asleep too, and it was as sweet a picture as she’d ever seen.
“Dave,” she said softly, stepping into the room. He never moved, not a muscle, and she smiled to herself. He was really out. “Dave,” she repeated, louder this time, and he snuffled before opening his eyes slowly.
“I fell asleep.”
“You did.”
“He’s quite the little furnace, isn’t he?”
She shrugged. “He didn’t exactly settle that well for me.”
And there it was. The slow, sexy, slightly smug smile.
“Is it time?”
She nodded, wondering if she was crazy to be taking on this new responsibility. She’d been up all night, been at her wit’s end trying to soothe the child, been peed on when she didn’t get the diaper on fast enough, and was tired and still hungry. And yet the thought of the tiny bundle going somewhere else felt so wrong. Most of the time she was able to put her desire for a family of her own on the back-burner. Whether it was her ticking clock or what, that talent was getting more and more difficult lately. To her surprise, she’d found herself offering to care for the infant while the police investigated the case.
“Yeah, it’s time to get this little man settled.” Charlie moved closer.
“If the parents are local, it shouldn’t be too hard to find out if he has family. How many baby boys could have been born in the last few weeks, anyway?” Dave asked on a yawn, shifting the baby as he sat up.
Of course, if the family wasn’t local, that was a whole other thing. Still, it was a good starting place.
“Here, let me take him.” She slid her hands under the warm little body and lifted. His eyes opened as she moved him into her arms, staring at her without really seeing, not crying, but just taking a few moments to wake up from his comfortable nap.
Marissa was waiting with a car seat and warm blanket and strapped him in securely with competent hands. Charlie went forward and put the little cap back on his head. “He needs to keep warm,” she murmured. “It’s cold out today.”
“Are you sure you have everything you need?” Marissa smiled at her. “It’s a big thing you’re doing.”
“I’ll go right from here to the drugstore.”
“If there’s any problem, anything at all, you’ll call, won’t you? There’s lots of support available. And I’m here day or night.”
Dave stepped forward. “What? I thought you were taking the baby with you?”
Marissa slid a file into her case. “Dr. Yang is going to watch our little one for a few days. Just temporarily, of course.” She smiled. “She’s done such great work with our foster care support group. I have complete confidence in her.”
Charlie looked over at him, wishing she had the same confidence in herself but determined to do the right thing. “His weight’s a little low, and monitoring his health makes sense right now. Hopefully it’s just a case of nutrition and we can get him back on track.”
“And we have fewer foster families available every day,” Marissa added. “Ideally, we’ll find a family member quickly who can be awarded temporary custody, and if not, then once his weight is up, this little guy will be settled with a good family. Well, I’ll be on my way, and let you get home and settled. I’ll talk to you soon, Charlie.”
She was gone in a gust of wind and left the two of them standing there. Charlie took a deep breath. There was no turning back now. For better or worse, she was temporarily in charge of an infant boy.
Dave came closer and put his hands on her upper arms. She looked up, surprised to find his eyes filled with understanding.
“Feeling overwhelmed?” he asked simply.
“A little,” she admitted. “I’m probably just tired. And even though he was fussy, he really is a sweetie. I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
Dave grinned and squeezed her arms. “Well, he’s your little Baby Jesus, after all. Kind of difficult to harden your heart to that.”
She laughed a little. Come to think of it, she’d had more of those silly little chuckles in the last few days than she’d had in a very long time.
“I couldn’t bear the thought of him going to strangers this morning. How silly is that? But oh my. I’ve kind of leaped in with both feet.”
“If it makes you feel any better, every parent in the world leaps in with both feet. One minute you’re alone, the next you’re a parent. It’s a big shock.”
“Is that how it was with you?”
He chuckled. “Definitely. I’d never changed a diaper or given a bottle or any of those things. You at least know what you’re doing. You’ve got a head start.”
His pep talk made her feel better. “Thanks. So why did you come back this morning anyway?” she asked, pulling away. She picked up the carrier and together they headed back to her office where the cold coffee and sweets waited. “I figured you’d be sleeping in after your exciting evening.”
“Couldn’t sleep, and I was worried about you. This isn’t the coziest place to spend the night.”
“Clearly you’ve never tried to sleep in an inner-city emergency room,” she called out, as she poured the now-cold coffee down the sink.
He came up behind her, balling up a sticky napkin. “No, but I’ve slept in some nasty places just the same. Like in the desert where you sweat your balls off during the day and then freeze at night and you and your buddies huddle together because you’re out of fuel.”
She burst out laughing.
“Good times,” he confirmed, with a twitch of his lips. “Very … cozy. And you know what? I think that’s the first time I’ve really heard you laugh.”
She found that hard to believe. He made her smile a lot. But perhaps she hadn’t laughed. It felt good.
“Look,” he suggested, “your cottage is on the way to mine. You’re dog-tired. Why don’t I take you both home and you can pick up your car later?”
Her stomach took that swirly dip again. “That’s not necessary. A drop-off at the waterfront would be fine…”
“We had some snow last night and the roads are a little slick. Maybe I didn’t sleep well but I bet I got more than you plus I just had a nice little catnap. We can stop by the drugstore for whatever you need first.”
It was tempting. She was exhausted. Gosh, how did new parents do it night after night? Lord, she was about to find out, wasn’t she?
He reached for his coat. “Come on. You know you’re dying for a hot shower and a pair of sweats and some sleep.”
Oh God, that sounded heavenly.
“All right.”
“Get your coat. I’ll warm up the truck.”
Several minutes later they were loaded down with diapers and formula and back on the road toward Fiddler’s Rock. Charlie had her purse and the bag of pastries on her lap as Dave negotiated the winding turns, and hard flakes of snow bit through the air as they left town behind for the relative peace of the seaside road. The baby slept on, comfortable in the car seat, lulled by the motion of the car.
“Which place is yours?” he asked, as they passed the Blackberry Hill intersection.
“About a mile past the curve, on the left.”
As they got closer, the flakes started coming down heavier. She motioned for him to turn as they approached the driveway to her place. Even in the gloomy weather, she loved it. The gray shingle siding and white trim were old-fashioned and cozy, and she’d put a big evergreen wreath on her door, complete with a gigantic red bow.
“Nice spot,” he remarked, putting the truck in park.
“Isn’t it?” She looked over at him and smiled. “The trees make it so cozy, but then you go on the back deck and the bay is spread out for miles. It’s even nicer in the summer. I’m not much of a gardener, but I’m trying to expand a few perennial beds.”
He’d left the truck running and she asked a little hesitantly, “Do you want to come in?”
His gaze met hers evenly. “Is that what you want? Or are you just being polite?”
“You’re very direct, you know.”
“Is that a problem?”
“Not really. Takes some getting used to, I think.” She bit down on her lip. “I can’t eat all these pastries alone. Come in. We’ll get this little guy settled and I’ll make a decent cup of coffee. It’s the least I can do after all your help.”
She wasn’t as direct as Dave. Her words made it sound like a thank you when it was really an “I’d like to spend more time with you” thing.
He shut off the ignition and pocketed the keys. “I suppose I could do that. You take this stuff in, and I’ll bring the baby.”
Once inside Charlie immediately went to the thermostat and turned up the heat. “Gosh, it’s cold in here.” She slid off her boots and hung up her coat. “Make yourself at home. I’m going to start on the coffee.”
He came in behind her and shut the door, put down the carrier, took off his boots, and placed them precisely beside hers before hanging his jacket on the coatrack. “Are you sure you don’t want a hot shower first?”
She wondered if she still smelled of baby spit-up. Plus the idea of a shower and comfy, fuzzy clothes was incredibly tempting. “I wouldn’t be much of a hostess if I did that.” Dave picked up the car seat once more and they walked through to the kitchen.
But Dave stopped at the living room. “Hey, you’ve got a fireplace. Seriously, go shower. I’ll watch the baby and start a fire. When you come out, it’ll be warmer in here.”
Apparently he was taking her “make yourself at home” comments seriously. She put the bakery bag on the butcher block. “It does sound good…”
“Go. We’ll be here when you get back.”
“I won’t be long.”
She left them there and headed to the bedroom, gathered a pair of yoga pants and a bulky Harvard hoodie, and scooted into the bathroom. The shower felt glorious and she nearly didn’t want to get out, except she knew he was waiting. Her heartbeat quickened as she thought of it. She’d invited him in for pastry and coffee, but she was in a steaming shower and he was building a fire and there was clearly an attraction at work here. Was something more going to happen? Did she want it to?
The hot water ran in rivulets over her breasts. God, she did. It had been a very long time since she’d felt like this. The bigger question was, would she let something happen? Because they barely knew each other. Attraction, desire … were all well and good. But it felt weird, knowing that the mystery man she’d been fantasizing about was flesh and blood, in her house, and unless her radar was way off, interested in her. Despite the fact that she looked like death warmed over this morning.
“Oh, stop analyzing and get out of the shower already,” she muttered to herself, shutting off the spray. There was no rush for anything. They could totally take it one step at a time. Get to know each other better. She did have some self-control, after all.
The air in the bathroom was still cold and she hurried to dry herself and get into her clothes. It would take too long to blow-dry her hair, so she simply squeezed out the water with a towel, brushed it, and held it back off her face with a thin black headband. She smoothed on some moisturizer, swiped a bit of lip balm over her lips, and decided that was enough—she didn’t want to appear too obvious.
She pressed a hand to her stomach, took a deep breath, and opened the bathroom door.
The cottage was already warming up, thanks to the thermostat and the fire she could hear crackling behind the grate. Entering the living room, she saw Dave squatting before the fireplace, adding some small sticks to the dancing flames. She hadn’t actually had a man back to her place since moving to Jewell Cove. Her little living room was changed just by having him in it. It felt smaller. More alive. Over by the sofa, the baby slept on, his head at a slight angle, one of Charlie’s throw blankets draped over him.
“You’re very good at building a fire,” she said quietly from the doorway.
He looked over his shoulder. “I could claim it was my military training, but the truth is, I was in the outdoors a lot as a kid. My dad’s a fisherman on the Chesapeake.”
She went to his side and squatted too, holding her hands out to the warmth of the fire. “Is that where you learned to fix boats?”
He nodded. “Yep.”
“But you didn’t go back there when you left the army?”
“I did for a while.” He threw two thicker logs on the fire and closed the screen.
Talk about basic answers. Charlie frowned. “And then you moved here to be closer to your daughter?”
He rested his forearms on his knees. “Yes. I did my time, but it’s so hard to be a SEAL and a dad at the same time. George Adams is actually an old friend of my dad’s. He offered me a job, and that lets me support myself and be close to her.”
Charlie was curious about how his ex fit into all of this, but didn’t want to ask. Instead she focused on his daughter, who he clearly doted on. “What’s her name?”
“Nora. Nora Emily Christensen.”
Christensen. Not Ricker. Bit by bit Charlie was beginning to realize that the situation between Dave and his ex was complicated.
“That’s a beautiful name,” Charlie replied, standing up. “Now, the fire’s going, I’m warmed up, and I promised you good coffee.”
She left him in front of the fire and went to the kitchen to put on the kettle. While it was heating she got out coffee beans, her grinder, press, and frother. She put the remaining pastries on a pretty plate and ground the beans, and then when the water boiled, she warmed the press and mugs and put the milk in the microwave to heat.
It was a slightly more finicky process than using a regular coffeemaker, but it was worth it, in Charlie’s opinion. Within a few minutes she had freshly pressed coffee with a rich swirl of frothed milk added. She put both cups and the pastries on a small tray and carried it all into the living room.
Dave was still sitting on the floor in front of the fire, staring at the flames.
“Hey,” she said, putting the tray down on a small coffee table. “You don’t have to sit on the floor, you know.”
He looked over at her and smiled, some of the tension gone from his face. “Just watching the fire. You’ve got a nice place here, Charlie. It suits you.”
She liked the light colors—white, with bits of creamy beige and blue and greens. It reminded her of the ocean and sand, very soothing and relaxing. “Thanks. It’s the first place I’ve ever decorated myself, for myself.” She’d liked the cottage so much that after her first six months of renting, she’d bought it from the owner.
He laughed. “I’m not much of a decorator. Then again, I didn’t need to be. The Navy had it covered. And now I’m renting, which suits me fine.”
“Have some coffee while it’s hot,” she suggested. She nearly sat on the sofa but decided the rug in front of the fire was fine for her too. She sat, cross-legged, handed Dave his mug, and grabbed her own, then put the plate of pastries between them.
“This is good,” he complimented, taking a sip. “Damn. Really good.”
“Fresh beans and a press. Makes all the difference,” she replied, taking a sip of her own. She reached for a pain au chocolat and a paper napkin. The flaky pastry sent wisps of crumbs flying at her first bite, but she didn’t care. Butter and chocolate together was heavenly.
Dave snagged a sugared doughnut from the assortment and bit into it. For a few minutes they munched happily, in comfortable silence. What was amazing was that they didn’t feel the need to make small talk or break the stillness.
Her coffee was half gone when Dave finally restarted the conversation. “So,” he said, wiping his sugary fingers on a napkin, “you know a bit about me. How about you? Where did you grow up? Why did you become a doctor?”
The buttery croissant went papery in her mouth. She didn’t like talking about herself much. “Oh, my story’s pretty boring.”
“I doubt that. Especially since you’re avoiding the topic.” He leaned back on his hands. It made his shoulders look incredibly muscled, she noticed.
“Okay, so here’s the short version. I grew up in Boston. My mother teaches at the Berklee College of Music and my father works in clinical research for a pharmaceutical company. My dad is second-generation Chinese, and my mom’s family probably came over on the Mayflower.” She rolled her eyes at him and continued on. “They have very busy careers and very high expectations of their one and only child.”
“So you became a doctor.”
“Sure. After several years of violin and piano lessons, courtesy of my mother, and a lot of pressure to major in biochem.” She let out a breath. “There were good points to that too, though. They were so busy with their own careers and social lives that I stayed under the radar quite often. And I did want to become a doctor.” Eventually, anyway. Lucky for her. She couldn’t imagine what might have happened if she’d hated medicine.
He looked at her steadily. “It sounds lonely.”
Her heart gave a little thump. “It was, actually. And I know they’re disappointed that I’m a family doctor in a small town and not doing important research like my dad or being a top trauma doctor like my best friend, Lizzie. But I’m happy with my choices. I like my job and I like it here.”
And maybe she was still lonely at times. But she’d work on it. After all, she’d taken the step of volunteering for the church Christmas decorating, and look what had come from that. Sunday morning coffee and sweets in front of a fire with a gorgeous man. Progress.
She smiled to herself.
“What’s so funny?”
“If I told you, you’d get a big fat head, so never mind.” She pushed away the plate, her sweet tooth finally satisfied. “You make me laugh, Dave, and that’s kind of nice.”
He put down his coffee cup, then took hers and put it down too, on the brick hearth in front of the fireplace. Her pulse hammered frantically, beating at the base of her wrists. It was the kind of move she expected a person made before they made a bigger move. When he turned back to her, she swallowed thickly, nervous and excited all at once.
He put his hands on the sides of her thighs and pulled her forward, so she was sitting beside him but facing him, close enough that she could see gold-and-chocolate flecks in his dark eyes. Her breath shortened, her chest cramped as he lifted his hand and cupped her jaw. His thumb grazed the corner of her mouth and her breath stopped altogether. He removed his hand and put his thumb to his lips, tasting the buttery crumb he’d taken from her mouth.
Oh my.
Charlie was certain her eyes widened as he leaned closer, taking his time, making sure. Half of her was a jittery mess of nerves and the other half wished he’d hurry the hell up already, but she made herself be patient. To wait, to let him take the lead. If things hadn’t gone hinky last night, this was where they might have ended up, after all.
He closed the final distance between them and her eyelids drifted closed as his mouth touched hers for the first time.
His lips were soft, warm, and tasted like coffee and nutmeg and something that was just him. He nudged subtly, prompting her to deepen the kiss, and she did, somewhat shyly but enjoying the slow sweetness of it. One of his hands reached around to cup the back of her head, controlling the contact in a way she wholly approved of. She liked how he took charge of the kiss without forcing anything. Hesitantly she reached out and placed her palm on his chest in silent approval.
“Mmm,” he murmured against her lips, the vibration of the sound sending ripples of desire through her. “You’re good at that, Charlie.”
“So are you,” she replied, a little bit breathless.
“Should we try it again?” he asked.
There was no way she could say no. The combination of suggestion and teasing was impossible to resist.
This time she leaned forward and slid into the kiss, hungering for more. She put her hands on his shoulders and shifted until she was sitting across his lap, her fingers sliding through his hair as the contact deepened and quickened with urgency.