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“This is your house?”
He rolled to a stop and cut the ignition. “Technically, it’s my sister’s house, but I rent from her. She followed love and career to New York, so she doesn’t need the place right now.”
Would Joy ever be a big sister? Having grown up scarce on family herself, Madison had always figured on having a large one when she got older—an adoring husband and a roomy SUV with the stick figure stickers on the back window, featuring every member of the family plus dog and cat. Funny how she’d never once imagined herself single and alone, with a baby to raise. Did they make stick figure stickers for that? She looked at Joy busily sucking on her paci, oblivious to how colossally her mother had failed her already. Or maybe not so oblivious, because as soon as she stared into those round blue eyes and offered up a telepathic, Mommy’s sorry she didn’t plan for you better, Joy spit out the pacifier and started to cry.
The door beside her swung open and Hunter filled the space. “Come on.” He took her hand and helped her down. “Bring her inside. I’ll get you set up in the spare room. You can tend to her while I unload your things.”
“I can get the bags later. I don’t want to impose on you to be my bellboy.”
“You’re not imposing. I volunteered.” He shut the door, walked around to the other side of the car, and looked at her over the roof. “If you behave yourself, I might even offer you a beverage and let you use the facilities.” A blond brow cocked, along with the corner of his mouth.
She came around to where he stood holding the back passenger door open and unlatched Joy from the car seat. “You had me at facilities.”
He laughed. “So much for my dangerous charm.”
Oh, but he was a dangerous charmer, she thought as she followed him up the front steps and into the house. The way he’d automatically grabbed the diaper bag and the tote while she carried the baby? Charming. The way he’d gently but steadily manipulated her into doing exactly what he wanted? Dangerous—even if it was for her own good. She’d tangled with one dangerous charmer already, and look how that had turned out.
From here on out she needed to be less susceptible to charm. Bottom line? She needed to stand on her own two feet, not lean on him. Her self-respect demanded it. The blood of a strong and resourceful woman flowed in her veins. She had it in her to be the same kind of role model. Joy deserved no less.
Chapter Six
Hunter shined an apple on his shirt and knocked on the door to his spare room. Thanks to him not having another place to put his desk, the space looked more like an office than a guestroom, but thanks to his sister, it had a daybed, a small dresser, and a comfortable chair.
Some rustling greeted his knock, and then Madison said, “Come in.”
He walked in to find her sitting on the bed, the presumably happy baby feeding away under cover of one of the baby blankets from the hospital. He placed the apple on the table beside the bed. “I hear one of these a day keeps the doctor away.”
“Thanks.” The bedside light cast a warm glow over the room—and her cheeks—although the warmth in her cheeks might have an equal amount to do with breastfeeding in front of him—again—even with the protection of a blanket. How much warmer would her cheeks grow if she knew what effect the sight of her cleavage in the snug gray top had on him?
Hold up, pervert. You’re fantasizing about the new mama’s tits. Jesus, he needed a cold shower. He pushed his prurient thoughts away and sent her the disarming smile he reserved for skittish patients. “You ladies doing okay in here?”
“We’re good. I was thinking…” Her eyes slid to his desk, where his laptop sat. “Would you mind if I borrowed your computer to find a new motel? I might even be able to get a room tonight, if I can trouble you for a ride?”
Giving her a ride wasn’t any trouble. The trouble came when he envisioned leaving her alone with a month-old baby, no car, and nobody to turn to if something went wrong. She could book a room at the Four fucking Seasons. His answer was still no. But a smart man would find a way to talk her out of it and leave her pride intact.
He sagged against the doorframe and yawned. “Damn. Sorry. Long day…the shift slammed me. I’m pretty beat. What were you saying?”
“I was thinking…um… Never mind. We can talk about it tomorrow. I appreciate you putting us up tonight.”
“I’ll wave to you from the podium when they give out the Nobel Prize for simple human decency.”
The sarcasm drew a weak smile out of her. He’d take it over the beholden expression she’d worn a second ago, which made him feel awkward. This was simple human decency, for Christ’s sake, not some ego-driven need to prove he could fix everything. Screw Ashley and her hero complex bullshit. Restless energy brought him to his feet. He rubbed his palms down the legs of his jeans. “I’m going to run to the store.” Babies ate every couple hours. The small stash of diapers wouldn’t last long. “Do you need anything?”
Her smile turned sharp. “I thought you were tired.”
Busted. “I got my second wind.”
“Yeah, right. You’re about as tired as you are gay.”
Apparently she wasn’t above a little sarcasm, either. “Could be I like to smooth my path, whenever possible.”
“You get much smoother, I’ll have to remind myself not to trust a single word that comes out of your mouth.”
“Very funny.” Unless she actually felt that way? Muscles in his stomach tightened. He tipped her chin up until their eyes met. “You can trust me, Madison.”
“Sorry.” She blinked and looked away. “That came out wrong. It’s me, not you. I’m a little rusty with trust.”
Of course she was, and he shouldn’t take it personally. “Don’t make me dig out my Boy Scout badges.”
