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Timber wasn’t sure how this was happening or why. He was feeding her when she was hungry and burping her properly afterward. How could she be pooping this much even after everything he was doing?
He cleaned her again and grabbed the diaper, unfolding it as quickly as he could. “Maybe I shouldn’t have put the princess dress on you before I did this?” he asked Marigold miserably.
His daughter looked up at him with her large gray eyes before she inexplicably started wailing.
He had wanted to make a good impression on the woman who he was interviewing for the nanny job today. “I wanted you to look presentable, sweetheart,” he tried cooing at her as he cleaned her again … another burst of poop had come from her bottom.
But this time, instead of being a stream, it spurted everywhere. When Timber looked down, his shirt … a new shirt … was streaked with baby shit.
“Oh, dear God.” He groaned and set about cleaning her again. Marigold had stopped crying and was looking up at him.
Timber didn’t think his daughter could feel any emotions other than hunger, tiredness, and irritation. But right then, the only emotion in her eyes was trust.
His daughter was looking up at him like he was the center of her world … which he was, if only because she had not met anyone else.
But it was a nice feeling, nonetheless.
Another spurt of poop burst from her, and this time, her dress was completely ruined. The burst of poo was followed by a fart so loud that the sound bounced off the walls of the cabin, making Timber jump.
He glared down at Marigold, then set to wiping her up again. Timber started coughing as the acrid fragrance of shit filled the cabin. And he was covered in it.
“There will never be enough showers to clean this off,” he groaned to himself as the doorbell rang. “Come in,” he yelled, not bothering to move as he wiped Marigold down, smearing more than cleaning. “Please, just come in.”
The woman who walked in was not what he had expected from a nanny. Her voice had sounded young over the phone, but he hadn’t expected her to look the way she did. And Timber couldn’t help but notice everything about her, even though he was elbow-deep in baby crap.
Lyra Clemmons was a vision of wavy, shiny blonde hair. She was a vision of plump curves … he had never seen an ass that spectacular before.
The uncertain smile she had been wearing dropped from her face as she examined the situation Timber was in. Then she dumped her bag on the floor and walked briskly toward him, rolling up the sleeves of her shirt.
He was breathless and didn’t say anything as she pushed him away and expertly cleaned up Marigold and put her in a diaper in one fluid motion. “You should always, always put a wipe over her little baby butt to protect your clothing,” Lyra said sternly.
Timber nodded dumbly. His heart was racing. Inside him, the bear lifted its head hopeful before whining slightly.
“Baby poop is lethal. You have to protect yourself,” she continued.
Lyra was the only person who had answered the ad he had placed in theMissoula Dailynewspaper. And now that she was here moving with efficiency as she pulled the soiled dress off Marigold and sponged the baby poop off the infant’s tiny body, Timber never wanted her to leave.
Marigold’s arms were flailing as she tried to twist away from Lyra. But Lyra just continued moving as she found a clean baby onesie. She dressed Marigold in record time before she lifted the baby to her shoulder and started swaying.
“Why don’t you clean yourself up?” Lyra said to Timber over her shoulder, her voice kind.
“Yeah,” he replied, slightly dazed. “I should probably do that.”
He trudged to the bathroom, where he stripped, cleaned off in the basin, and then hurried to his bedroom to find a clean shirt and pants.
When he was finally presentable, he went back to the living room, where Lyra had settled on the couch with Marigold. Instead of crying, which she was always doing, Marigold was fast asleep.
A feeling of immense peace washed over Timber as he stood in the doorway, watching the two of them. Then he looked out the open door at the slight hump of dirt in the distance where Serenity was buried under the great oak overlooking the lake and mountains.
He had a feeling her mother would approve of his decision.
Lyra saw him and sat forward. “I guess you want to interview me now. Sorry for just taking over.” She laughed nervously, her cheeks becoming rosy as she blushed. Her eyes were a bright, sparkling liquid green.
“Yes. Well.” Timber cleared his throat. “Tell me all about you.”
And so Lyra burst into speech, still patting Marigold on the back every few minutes.
She was a graduate with an English degree and had been unable to find a job. She had worked as a babysitter in high school. She was articulate, funny, and caring.
