Baby on His Doorstep by Tessa Berkley

Author:Tessa Berkley [Berkley, Tessa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, Contemporary, Western, spicy
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2017-01-15T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

Within a few days, a simple routine fused itself into place. Haley would rise around five a.m., shuffle into the kitchen, and plug in the coffeepot. Then she would make her way down the hall, toss in a load of laundry, and still manage to hand Avery a muffin before he hurried out, all bleary-eyed, to face the day. Today, the sun melted the low-hanging clouds, and she took the opportunity to set up the baby’s playpen on the front porch.

“Now…” She smiled down at the baby’s upturned face. “You play in the pen, while I hang up your diapers. We’ll enjoy the sun together, okay, Princess?”

The infant’s trusting eyes gazed adoringly up at her, and Haley’s heart melted. “You know, you are just too darn cute for words.”

The little face broke into a grin, and she couldn’t resist brushing her index finger down the child’s nose. Avery’s daughter squealed with joy and waved her arms and legs to show her approval. Chuckling, Haley laid the child down and placed her favorite rattle close at hand.

“I’m going to be right over here at the clothesline.”

Picking up the basket, she rested it against her hip and crossed the short distance over to the three lines of rope Avery had strung the day before, just for this purpose. She set the basket down on the warm ground and glanced over to the porch. She could see the child moving her arms and legs in the air, content to practice rolling onto her side. Knowing the child was entertained, Haley bent down, picked up a diaper, draped the edge of it over the line, and clamped a clothespin over each of the two corners to hold it in place. Three diapers later, the hum of a motor caught her attention.

Turning, she watched a dark sedan bounce along the dirt drive, heading toward the yard. Haley stepped back from the line and placed a hand over her eyes, shielding them from the sun’s glare. An emblazoned shield on the side of the car came into view as it turned in near the house. While she couldn’t read the words, deep down she knew she didn’t have to. A sick feeling followed the drop of her stomach to her feet. She retraced her steps and placed her body in front of the playpen.

The car slowly pulled to a halt. Haley held her breath as the door opened. A leg emerged first, and the foot encased in a sensible black pump planted itself on the ground. She could only stare as the rest of the woman followed. Her skirt, the same severe color as the pump, was topped by a white blouse and a nondescript jacket. Haley would have loved to see the woman’s eyes, but a pair of dark aviators kept her identity secret. A gold nametag twinkled against the breast of her jacket. Haley didn’t need to read the name to know the social worker had arrived.

The woman reached back into the car and pulled a leather-bound agenda folder from inside.

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