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Nealy hadn’t failed to notice that Lucy had bathed her early that morning. Sunlight glinted in her dandelion hair, and her worn clothes were clean. She found herself wondering if any of the National Merit Scholarship winners she’d hosted at the White House would have taken such good care of a pesky baby sister.
Mat reappeared with the quilt. Nealy took it from him and tossed it down on the slope. She set the baby on it, but Button immediately headed for the open range. Her overalls protected her from the prickly grass, and she grew entranced with a butterfly hovering over a clump of buttercups. She sped toward it, then settled back on her bottom to issue an indignant protest as it flew away.
Nealy sat on the quilt and was surprised when Mat sprawled down beside her. She sighed and breathed deeply, savoring every moment of this stolen summer day.
“I don’t usually get drunk, you know.”
She closed her eyes and tilted her face into the sun. “Uhm.”
“I mean it. I’m not much of a drinker.”
“Good, because I don’t think the girls should be exposed to that sort of thing.”
She opened her eyes and saw that he was watching her. Something in his gaze made her feel as if she were being bombarded with a shower of sparks. He took his time before he looked away.
“They were probably exposed to a lot more when Sandy was alive.”
Nealy realized she didn’t want to hear about Mat’s ex-wife, and she stood up. “Watch the baby, will you? I want to walk through the bridge.”
“Hey! You’re the nanny here, not me.”
“I’m taking a coffee break.”
Just like that, she left him behind and headed for the covered bridge. Mat glared at her back as she disappeared inside. It would serve her right if he dropped her off at the next truck stop and let her fend for herself. But he knew he wouldn’t do it. She might not be the devoted child-care provider of his dreams, but she was the best he had. She was also an enigma.
It was hard to reconcile that upper-crust, Presbyterian bearing with her abundant good nature and boundless, almost childlike enthusiasm. She certainly was entertaining. Or at least she’d entertained him yesterday. This morning’s hangover had pretty much put a damper on fun.
A flicker of movement caught his attention. Something pink. He looked up in time to see the Demon crawling backward down the grassy bank, heading directly for the river. His coffee flew as he threw down his mug and shot to his feet.
The baby was moving with lightning speed and fierce determination. The soles of his shoes slipped in the grass as he scrambled after her.
Without warning, her arms flew out and she began to slide. Her sneakers hit the water, and, a heartbeat later, the rest of her followed.
The river wasn’t high, but it was too deep for a baby, and he watched in horror as her blond head immediately disappeared. He lost his footing, righted himself, and waded in after her.
The water hit him just above the knees. It was muddy. Too muddy to see anything. Then he caught a flash of pink traveling in the current and grabbed for it.
She came up with open, startled eyes, arms and feet dangling. He’d caught her by the back straps of her overalls.
She blinked, gasped for air, then coughed. He set her in the crook of his arm while she got her breath back. As his own heartbeat tried to return to normal, he felt the muddy river bottom sucking at his shoes. He barely managed to pull them free as he made his way out of the water.
She finally stopped coughing. For a few seconds she was still, and then he felt her chest expand as she took a deep breath. He knew exactly what was coming and tried to forestall it.
“Don’t cry!”
Nell and Lucy were still inside the bridge, but he’d never hear the end of it if they found out he’d almost let the Demon drown. He looked down at the baby. River water dripped from her hair into her eyes. Her mouth was opening, her forehead puckering in outrage. The first chord of what was guaranteed to be a symphony of outrage began to emerge.
“Stop right there!” Shifting his hands so they were beneath her arms, he drew her up so she could look right in his eyes and know he meant business. “You just took a little water. It’s no big deal. You didn’t even come close to drowning.”
The fierce pucker between those two small eyebrows eased. Her eyes widened, and she released the breath she’d been holding.
“No big deal,” he said more quietly. “Got it?”
She stared at him.
Her pink overalls would never be the same, and she’d lost one of her sneakers. He quickly slipped off the other and pitched it into the trees.
Bickering female voices were coming from the covered bridge. Now he was in for it. He thought fast. “We’re going back in that water.”
