Cattail Ridge (4 page)

By the time it passed Sarah had returned with a wheelchair and a nurse. The moment was lost and he stepped back to let them have access to Emma. Rick came up as they were taking her inside.

“She okay?” her cousin asked.

“Yeah. She’s a strong woman.”

“She is. You coming in?”

He gestured to his feet. “No. I need to go home, get changed. I’m a little ways up the road here. I’ll call and check on her. I don’t much like hospitals. Besides, this is family time.”

“Dad and Mom have John’s boys. You have Dad’s number at home, right? It’s probably going to be easier to call him and get updates. Thanks, Archer.”

They shook hands and as the rest of the family started arriving, Archer said his good-byes. He made the short drive to his apartment, which was less than a mile up the road.

By then the memories and emotions were hitting him hard. He stripped down in front of the bathroom sink, meeting his gaze in the mirror. Archer knew he wasn’t unattractive. Quite the opposite. But he’d never traded on his looks. That much of his mother’s teachings had stayed with him after her death when he was six.

Blond hair, eyes that changed from gray to green to blue depending on the weather and his mood, and a body that–despite the scars–was muscled and powerful. No, he wasn’t ugly. But neither was he flawless. As he hopped in the shower for a quick rinse down, he let his mind drift.

Once upon a time not that long ago, he’d thought he was going to be a father. He’d been excited and scared. Instead of the child strengthening his marriage, however, its mere presence had ripped his life apart. He’d lost everything.

He hadn’t been kidding when he’d told Emma the last pregnant woman he’d been close to had shot him. His wife, Candace, unbeknownst to Archer, had been carrying another man’s child. She hadn’t wanted to spend the time or money necessary for a divorce and so had set him up one night after work. She’d tried to make it come across like a burglary gone wrong.

What Candace hadn’t counted on was Archer surviving having been shot in the chest at close range. Twice. But he had.

She’d been tried and convicted of attempted murder. Her child was born in jail, and her mother had taken the boy to raise. Archer’d had no trouble obtaining a divorce but in the fallout while he was in recovery, he’d lost the garage he and Logan had inherited from their father. He’d been forced to file bankruptcy to restructure his debt and was still paying that off. He would be for some time. And those weren’t the only secrets he had.

Even if he were interested in something permanent, he was in no way father or husband material.

Emma and her baby presented a temptation he had not anticipated having to face. He wasn’t quite sure what to do about that.

Chapter Four

A
ll that next week, Jack clapped him on the shoulder at random moments through the day, thanking him time and again for having taken Emma to the hospital. He’d also been urging Archer to stop by Emma’s house, say hello.

Archer had resisted, using the excuse that he hadn’t wanted to bother the new mother. “Besides, it was just a lift to town. You’re making it sound like I delivered the child,” he told her uncle.

“Not to hear my sister tell it. Whatever you said to Em helped. Sarah’s been awfully worried about her.”

He wasn’t sure he believed that. “She’s probably relieved to have a healthy baby, some kind of post-pregnancy happiness or something.”

“Go see her.”

Archer was determined to stay away. That determination melted Friday evening when he swung by a local department store after work to grab some supplies for the apartment. He detoured quite by accident through the baby department. Sitting on an end shelf looking dejected was the softest, cutest stuffed bunny. His fur was pastel pink and lavender, and he had one ear up, one ear down. Archer was almost afraid to touch it with his work-roughened hands.

“Damn. You’re going to give in, aren’t you?”

He set the rabbit in the buggy in the little space designed for children to sit and finished his shopping. He got a few odd looks when people noticed the bunny but he ignored them.

Almost ready to check out, he hesitated in front of the perfume counter. When the older woman working behind it noticed him, she came over.

“Can I help you?”

“Um, maybe? I have a friend–just a friend–who had a baby last weekend. I found the bunny for the baby but I don’t know what to take Mom.”

“Does she like perfume?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know her very well.”

She tapped her fingers on the glass. “Then jewelry is out. And her husband probably wouldn’t appreciate that.”

Archer let that statement slide. He wasn’t going to correct her and tell her Emma wasn’t married.

“You could get her some nice lotion. That’s something that’s practical but also something that would be a nice gift. Won’t get you into any trouble, either.”

“Perfect.”

Not sure what scent Emma would prefer, he chose a selection of small lotions that the lady directed him to.

“Would you like me to wrap this for you?” she offered.

“That would be wonderful. Thank you.”

She patted him on the arm. “Why don’t you go pick out a nice card to go with these things, and I’ll get the wrapping taken care of?”

Grateful for her guidance but with a nervousness in the pit of his stomach that was a familiar companion, he headed to the card aisle. Despite his tendency to brush things off and joke, he settled on a serious message of congratulations. Thankfully, it was in the first card he picked up and he didn’t have too much trouble reading the message. Just to make sure he got it right he read it three times.

After his mother had died when he was six, focus on school and academics was something that had fallen through the cracks in the Gibson household. His dad was so grief-stricken that simply keeping Archer and Logan fed and clothed was almost too much responsibility, never mind worrying about school. So when Archer’s progress had started slipping, Steve Gibson hadn’t noticed. Feeling sympathetic but overworked, his teachers had passed him from grade to grade, most probably not even realizing he could barely read. He’d learned early on to pay close attention to his lessons, and he had strong math skills that had helped mask how poorly he read.

He was twenty-five now and barely literate. Logan and Candace were the only two people in the world who knew that. His illiteracy was something Archer was deeply ashamed of. He knew there were programs he could join but he’d not been brave enough to seek out help. The shame was too strong.

Card in hand, he went back to the front of the store to pick up the lotion and pay for the rest of his purchases. He then headed to his apartment to clean up and grab a quick bite to eat. A glance at his watch told him it was close to seven. Still plenty of daylight left.

“I should give it to Jack to take to her,” he said, hedging. But the bunny was sitting on top of the signed card and wrapped lotion, staring at him.

Giving in, he grabbed the presents and his keys and headed out.

Jack had given him Emma’s address and described the neighborhood she lived in. Archer found the house with little effort. He recognized the small, red car parked in the driveway as belonging to Emma’s grandmother, Eliza. He pulled up to the curb and studied the surrounding houses while he talked himself into going up and ringing the bell.

The neighborhood was established, quiet, with nice houses. Very nice houses. The street Emma’s house was on ran parallel to the river, with one row of homes in between. The understated wealth just served to underscore the differences between him and Emma and remind him again of exactly how far from suitable for her he was. That emotional wall in place, he got out and went up the walk.

Eliza met him at the door with a wide smile. “Archer. How nice to see you. Come on in.”

“Ma’am. I hope I’m not disturbing you. I wanted to bring something by.” He held the gifts out but she shook her head.

“You give those to Emma. Come on in. She just finished feeding the baby.” She steered him into a cozy living room off the tiled foyer. Emma, hair tied back in a loose ponytail, was seated on the couch with a tiny bundle nestled into the curve of her arm.

When she saw him, Emma’s smile seemed as pleased as Eliza’s had been. “Archer! Hello.”

“Hey.” He spoke softly, not wanting to bother the baby. “How are you?”

Emma patted the space beside her. “I’m good. Come sit down. Meet my daughter.” Her eyes dropped to the package and the bunny, and her eyes softened. “Oh, how adorable.”

Cheeks hot, Archer sat and placed the gifts on the table in front of her. “They’re just a little something.”

She touched the bunny’s ear. “He’s precious. Thank you. Here. Want to hold her?”

Before he could warn her that he’d never held a baby before and didn’t have a clue what he was doing, she’d placed the tiny little girl in his arms. Guiding his hands so he supported the baby properly, Emma gave him a rundown on the baby’s stats. “Sydney Marie, seven pounds, ten ounces. Twenty-one inches long.”

“She’s tiny.”

Emma chuckled. “Not in baby terms. She’s exactly where she needs to be.”

The baby peered up at him with an unfocused gaze, eyes sleepy. Her little mouth was working, and Emma handed him a pacifier.

“Give her that. She’ll fall asleep easier with it.”

A hand that was so small Archer could hardly believe it was real reached up from the blanket. The fingers spread wide, then clasped one of his fingers with a grip that was surprisingly strong.

“Oh, wow.” His voice was a reverent whisper as the baby stretched and gave a couple of soft kicks, holding on to his finger the entire time. “Wow.”

Emma was grinning at him, every inch the proud mama. “Pretty cool, huh?”

“Pretty cool. Congratulations. I told you things would be fine.”

While she opened the card and present, he eased back against the cushions with the baby. A wisp of dark hair swirled over her head, and he traced it with one finger. She smelled fresh and sweet, a mix of baby powder and milk.

“Hard to believe we all start out like that, isn’t it?” Eliza remarked from a chair adjacent to the couch.

“Impossible to believe,” he agreed. Seeing that Emma was tearing up, he frowned. Maybe he had misread the card and it didn’t say what he thought it had. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. This card is just so sweet. And you didn’t have to get me anything, but thank you.”

“Oh. It hardly seemed right not to bring you something.” Uncomfortable with the attention, he looked back down at the baby, whose eyes were closed. “I think she’s asleep.”

“She is. If you don’t mind, I’ll ask you to take her upstairs and put her to bed,” Emma requested softly.

“I’ll be glad to. Show me where you want her.”

Moving as carefully as though he held a stick of dynamite, Archer followed her up the stairs, Eliza behind them. Emma turned in at the first bedroom on the left. “Over there, in the bassinet.”

Archer did a quick double take when he realized this was Emma’s bedroom and not the nursery. He tried to hide his reaction, however, and went to the wicker basket on a rocker base that sat beside the bed. “Just inside?”

“Just inside, like it’s a bed. Head at the top. Make sure you support her neck when you lower her.”

Under close supervision he managed to get the baby in the bassinet without waking her. When she was safely down he stepped back with a relieved breath. “I did it.”

Eliza chuckled from behind him. “One would almost think you’d never held a baby before from the way you’re acting.”

“I haven’t. She’s my first.”

She came to his elbow and rested her hand on his shoulder. “Well, you handled her like a pro. She would have let you know if she didn’t feel safe. Our little girl is very particular about who she lets hold her, even as young as she is.”

Archer was doubtful. “Really?”

“Cross my heart.”

Emma reached down and straightened the blanket covering the baby. She stifled a yawn with her free hand. “I’m sorry. I’m still getting used to her schedule.”

“I’ll head out. I just wanted to swing by, offer my congratulations. She’s beautiful. You did a good job.”

“Thank you. And again, for what you did the other day.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Eliza showed him to the door. “It was sweet of you to drop by, young man. And it was nice to see you. How are you settling in?”

He shrugged. “Well enough. I lived my whole life near Ashland but it was time to go. I’m glad to be able to get a fresh start.”

She leaned against the doorjamb. “Sometimes a fresh start is exactly what we need. I left here almost thirty years ago, went to Georgia to live after I lost my husband. I only came back about a month ago. I had to get away from the memories to heal the wounds.”

The insight was so close to the feelings that had driven him away from Ashland it was startling. He sent her a questioning look.

“After you told Emma that you’d been shot–which she thought was a joke, as I’m sure you intended–I asked Jack about you. He gave me the short version. That you really were shot, that you’re having to start over. Sometimes that’s a good thing. Shame that it happened the way it did. I’m sorry.”

Hearing his secrets laid out so starkly was shocking. “So am I. Sorry, I mean.” He rubbed his chest where the physical scars were healed but served as a reminder of what he’d gone through. “Take care of yourself and those girls. I’ll see you around.”

“I hope so. I think you’d be a nice addition to the family. Oh, not by marriage necessarily,” she hastened to add with a slightly wicked grin when his eyes widened. “But by proxy. There’s more than enough room for you. Goodnight, Archer.”

As he drove away he realized he wasn’t quite ready to go home for the evening. He’d gone to a quiet bar on Main Street, the Bent Wheel, a couple of times with co-workers. He headed there now. He wasn’t going to get drunk but a little distraction wouldn’t hurt. No, it wouldn’t hurt at all.