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“She looks peaceful now.”
“I only got her to sleep half an hour ago.” Hadley began shifting the baby in her arms. “Do you want to hold her?”
“Not yet. I spent most of the day in the saddle. I’m going to grab a shower first.”
He rushed through his cleanup and ran a comb through his damp hair. Dressed in brown corduroy pants and a denim shirt, he headed back to the den. The afternoon light had faded until it was too dark for Hadley to read, but instead of turning on the lamps, she was relying on the flickering glow of the fire. Outside, the wind howled, and she shivered.
“Is it as chilly as it sounds?”
“I suspect the windchill will be below freezing tonight.”
He eased down on the couch beside her and took the baby. Their bodies pressed against each other hip to knee during the exchange, and Liam smiled as her scent tickled his nose. They’d become a well-oiled machine in the last few days, trading off Maggie’s care like a couple in sync with each other and their child’s needs. It had given him a glimpse of what life would be like with a family. Liam enjoyed Hadley’s undemanding company. She’d demonstrated an impish sense of humor when sharing stories of her fellow nannies’ adventures in caretaking, and he was wearing down her resistance to talking about horses by sharing tales of people she used to compete against.
“I have a business trip scheduled in a couple days,” Liam began, eyeing Hadley as he spoke. Her gaze was on the baby in his arms.
“How long will you be gone?”
“I rented a house in Colorado for a week, but usually I’m only gone for four days.” He paused, thinking how he’d prefer to stay in this cozy triangle with Hadley and Maggie rather than flying off to entertain a group of men. “It’s a ski weekend for five of my best clients.”
“Are you worried about leaving Maggie here?”
“Yes. I want to bring her along.” He paused a beat before adding, “I want you to come, as well.” He saw the arguments building in her blue eyes. He already had the answer to her first one. “Candace has offered to take Waldo, so you don’t have to worry about him.”
“I’ve never traveled with a client before.” She wasn’t demonstrating the resistance he’d expected. “Are you sure there will be room for us?”
“The house is quite large. There are seven bedrooms. Ivy is coordinating the trip and said you should let her know about anything you think Maggie might need. She is already making arrangements for a crib.”
“When would we leave?”
“We’ll fly up in two days. I like to get in a day early to make sure everything is in place. Is that enough time for you to get what you’ll need?”
“Sure.” But she was frowning as she said it.
“Is something wrong?”
She laughed self-consciously. “I’ve never seen snow before. What will I need to buy besides a warm coat?”
“You’ve never seen snow?” Liam was excited at the thought of being there when Hadley experienced the beauty of a winter day in the mountains.
“For someone as well traveled as you are, that must seem pretty unsophisticated.”
Liam considered her comment. “You said you’d never traveled with your clients. Is that because you didn’t want to?”
“It’s mostly been due to school and timing. I always figured there’d be plenty of time to travel after I graduated and settled into a job with regular hours and paid vacation time.”
Her wistful smile gave him some notion of how long and arduous a journey it had been toward finishing her master’s degree.
He felt a little hesitant to ask his next question. “Have you flown in a small plane before?”
“No.” She drew the word out, her gaze finding and holding his. Anxiety and eagerness pulled at the corners of her mouth. “How small is small?”
* * *
Small turned out to be forty feet in length with a forty-three-foot wingspan. Hadley’s heart gave a little bump as she approached the elegant six-seat jet with three tiny oval windows. She didn’t know what she’d been expecting, maybe a single-prop plane with fixed wheels like the ones used by desperate movie heroes to escape or chase bad guys.
“This doesn’t look so scary, does it?” She whispered the question to a sleepy Maggie.
Hadley stopped at the steps leading up to the plane. Liam had gone ahead with her luggage and overnight bag carrying all of Maggie’s things. Now he emerged from the plane and reached down to take Maggie’s carrier.
