AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I hope so.” A peppy tune came on the radio and she nearly sprung from the seat. “Oh, I love this song.”
Next thing he knew, the windows were down on her side of the car, and her fingers were snapping in time to the music. With her arms up in the air, she bopped to the beat, pretty much dancing in her seat. On top of that she was singing at the top of her lungs, though she couldn’t sing worth a damn, but he didn’t seem to care. Once again the word adorable came to mind, along with Mitch’s parting words. Our baby sister thinks she’s all grown up. Baby sister. Every instinct he had screamed back off, walk away. But whether Mitch liked it or not, this free spirit was most definitely not a baby anymore. And whether he liked it or not, at the top of the best friend Bro Code, in big bold letters, little sisters were off limits. Which left one question: what the heck was he getting himself into?
Chapter Six
“Do you have any ideas about what to buy?” Siobhan unsnapped her seatbelt.
Jack clicked the fob on his key ring and locked the car with a beep. “I have no ideas. I hadn’t thought too hard about it, hoping inspiration would strike me.”
The mall was crawling with people, it was a miracle they found a parking spot so close to the doors.
“Is she like Gram and the Governor, buys what she wants when she wants it, or does she have a long list of things she wants but no time to shop for?”
He fell into step beside her. “Is a little of both a helpful answer?”
“Only if you have a list of what she hasn’t bought herself?”
“And that’s the rub. I freely admit if she mentioned anything, I didn’t pay attention.”
Siobhan blew out a huffy breath and muttered, “Men.” Inside she thought back to the time or two she’d met Jack’s parents at a gathering at the ranch. Mrs. Preston had struck her as rather down to earth, well dressed, but not overly dressed, and always smiling. Mr. Preston seemed to like his cigars and bourbon with the rest of the older men. “Does she have a favorite clothing store?”
Frowning, Jack pressed his lips and seemed to be considering the question. “I think I’ve seen her come home with shopping bags from Chico’s. Does that sound right?”
“It does.” Siobhan smiled. She’d thought his mom was practical. “And there’s a shop here in the mall too.”
Halfway across the mall, the ground floor pavilion had a model train store that had set up a massive display. The line of mothers and children to get in and see the trains was trailing down the side and around a corner. She and Jack had just reached the storefront when Siobhan noticed a woman exiting with an infant on her hip, a two or three year old gripped tightly and another kid running ahead.
“Josiah, get back here!” the frazzled woman shouted as loudly as she’d dared in public.
The kid stopped in his tracks and looked back at his mother, now struggling to open one of the many folded strollers that had been parked outside the storefront.
“At least he stopped.” Siobhan kept her eye on the harried mom.
“What?” Jack stopped beside her.
“Hold on a sec.” Scurrying the few feet to where the woman was still trying to balance a baby, and with her free hand both coral a toddler and open the stroller. “May I help you?”
“Oh, lord, yes.” The poor woman looked as though she hadn’t slept in a month of Sundays. Her hair up in a messy bun, what looked like a ketchup stain, probably from the kid’s lunch, was prominently displayed on the left breast pocket of her shirt. “I knew not bringing my husband was going to be a problem.”
The next thing Siobhan knew, instead of stepping out of the way to allow her to open the stroller, the woman, without a second’s hesitation, dropped the baby in her arms. Within seconds the fussy baby had stopped crying and large blue eyes studied her with intense curiosity.
“Well, aren’t you a sweetie.” She absolutely loved babies, and most of them knew it. The mom was lucky she hadn’t handed the kid off to someone uncomfortable around babies. Wiggling her fingers in front of the baby, she managed to coax a wide smile. “Atta girl. Are we having a good time?”
Behind her, the mom had managed to open the double stroller, snap the toddler into the back seat, and had placed the older sons hands firmly on the handle of the stroller with strict instructions not to move an inch or there’d be no ice cream for dessert tonight.
Siobhan liked the woman’s style.
“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the help.” Mom held her arms out to the baby, and to everyone’s surprise, she frowned and leaned into Siobhan.
That coaxed a smile out of Siobhan. “Well, I like you too.”
The mother stood, her hands on her hips, and her eyebrows high. “I’ll be. She normally doesn’t cotton to strangers. You either have kids of your own or the magic touch.”
“My mother often says we’ve been blessed by the leprechauns. We like babies and babies like us.”
“I’ve never heard it put that way, but I’d have to agree.” Once again the mother clapped her hands lightly and then stretched them out to the baby.
At the same moment, the older boy seemed to see his chance to slip past his mother’s watchful eye, and carefully eased one hand away from the stroller.
