When A Hero Comes Along

Joe nodded, but to her relief didn’t follow her into the other room. She placed the baby on his back with a light receiving blanket over his legs. It was May in Las Vegas and far from cold. The gesture was more of a “mom thing” than a necessity to keep him warm. After adjusting her shirt more modestly, she rejoined Joe.

“I got your dinner ready,” he said.

He’d set it on the bar with a glass of iced tea beside it. Although she wasn’t hungry now, she knew she needed to eat something and sat down. He stood in the kitchen across from her.

“Thanks.”

He shrugged. “I know how to get food in and out of a microwave.”

The subtext of that remark was that he didn’t know what to do with a baby. The pained regret in his expression made her want to comfort him. “Having a child might be the most natural thing in the world, but they don’t come with an instruction manual.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here.”

She took a bite of mystery meat and studied him while she chewed and swallowed. All she could think to say was, “It’s not your fault, Joe.”

And it wasn’t. But when she’d received no response from him, she hadn’t known he was a prisoner in Afghanistan and the silence had hurt her deeply. For the second time. She never wanted to hurt like that again.

“I’ll never know what it was like to hold him as a newborn.”

“If it’s any consolation, he won’t remember that.” She finished off the mashed potatoes and washed them down with iced tea. “And it’s a good thing. I was all thumbs and he was so tiny. It took time to know what I was doing.”

“That’s all I’m asking for, Kate.” He rested muscular forearms on the countertop in front of her. His eyes sparked with intensity as they met hers. “All I want is time to know my son and learn how to take care of him. Time for him to know me, to trust me.”

“That’s the hard part,” she said. “Why should I believe you’ll stick around?”

Why should she believe he was different from the other men she’d known? The ones who’d paraded in and out of her mother’s life when she was a child. Each time she’d hoped and prayed this one would stay so she could have a family—a mom and dad like other kids. It had never happened and she didn’t want J.T. to know the same disappointment she had.

Joe looked down for several moments, then met her gaze. “I guess there’s nothing I can say to convince you. But, here’s the thing. I wasn’t here when you were pregnant or for the first months of his life. I will be around now. Count on it.”

She had to be fair; there was no choice but to give him time with his child. He was entitled to that. It wasn’t his problem that her attraction for him refused to die. Since there was no way she’d let J.T. out of her sight, she’d have to see him—and do her best to make sure history didn’t repeat itself.

The last time he’d only wanted sex. Now he was there for the baby. It had nothing to do with her, and she needed to remember that. She’d already experienced a serious level of pain on Joe’s account that was a small preview of the damage he could do to her heart.

“Okay,” she said. “You can come over.” Then she held up her finger in warning. “Just don’t bring up marriage again.”

As if that would protect her from emotional catastrophe. She could only hope.

Chapter Three

Kate had said okay—permission to come aboard as a parent. It was bright and early the following morning and he stood on her doorstep with bagels and doughnuts in hand. He didn’t bring coffee because after browsing breast-feeding sites on the Net, he wasn’t sure whether J.T. would get caffeine through his mom. On general principle he figured it wasn’t good for a baby.

Joe knocked softly on the door in case the baby might still be asleep. He didn’t know a lot about this, but the little information he had suggested new parents were tired, which meant babies didn’t sleep much.

Kate answered the door with a coffee cup in her hand which answered the caffeine question. “Hi. You’re early.”

And you’re beautiful.

For a split second he was afraid he’d said that out loud. It was the honest-to-God truth, but she wouldn’t want to hear it from him. Her sunstreaked brown hair was tousled from sleep and he remembered it looking like that after he’d run his hands through the silky strands all night long. She was wearing white shorts and a sleeveless green cotton shirt. Her feet were bare and her face didn’t have even a trace of makeup. She took his breath away and also, apparently, his powers of speech because he hadn’t said a word yet.

“Hi.” He gave her the bag. “Breakfast.”

“Thanks. Come in.”

He followed her inside and said, “I wasn’t sure about coffee and caffeine for J.T.—”

She held up her cup. “It’s decaf and I miss my morning jolt. Want some?”

The sight of her had already given him a jolt and no caffeine was involved. “Coffee would be great.” He looked around and saw J.T. propped up in a high chair and gnawing on something that looked like a bread stick. He had goo and residue, presumably from a food source of unknown origin in his hand, all over his face and as far down his body as was visible. He reached to the top of his head and ran a grubby hand in his hair, grabbing a hank before pulling it straight up.

“Hey, buddy.” He walked over and squatted in front of the boy who was watching him with big, interested blue eyes. “You’ve got a punk-rock thing going on there.”

“I wouldn’t get too close,” Kate warned, coffeepot in hand. “He’s a mess.”

“Yeah. I have visual confirmation,” he said wryly.

“He’s pretty quick with those hands if you’re not careful. Just like you—” She stopped and her cheeks turned pink. “Never mind.”

Impossible not to mind when she reminded him of how good the sex had been. Not that he needed much reminding. But she was right. It was better not to go there.

He smiled at the baby. “What’s up, J.T.?”

“He is,” Kate said, glancing over her shoulder. “And a lot during the night, too. I think he’s teething. As a matter of fact, that gross thing in his hand is a teething biscuit. He likes to chew on it. Keeps him busy for a long time.”

Joe moved to the bar and watched her put sugar and fat-free half and half in her steaming mug. She was very particular about it, he remembered now. Coffee was practically a religious experience.

With another cup in her hand, she moved to the counter, keeping the bar between them. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” He took the steaming mug from her and set it down to cool. Black was how he liked it.

There was nothing like the smell of a good cup of coffee. Unless it was the sweet scent of Kate. The fragrance of her skin drifted to him and all he could think about was fresh flowers and feminine heat. For a woman who hadn’t had a good night’s sleep, she looked awfully darn appealing. For a man who’d given her up, he was still pretty damn attracted. What had he been thinking?

That was a no-brainer. He’d walked before she could. He didn’t want to get burned again. It was as simple as that. But there was nothing simple about the way he got lost in her big, expressive eyes.

“You’re here for a crash course in child care. So—” She dragged out the single word, then took a sip of coffee. Nervous. Good. It wasn’t just him.

“Not quite the way I’d phrase it,” he said and couldn’t help smiling. “More like the basics of baby boot camp.”

“Well put.”

“Where do we start?”

She glanced over her shoulder at the gurgling, babbling baby. “Bath first. Do you want to get him out of the chair?”

He blew out a breath. “A pilot has to take the controls sooner or later.”

“Just remember he’s really sturdy and crying is actually good for his lungs.”

But not so good for my heart, Joe thought.

Last night, his son had cried because he didn’t know his own father. Joe had felt angry, powerless to help, and it had made him hurt in a place he’d never known existed. He hated that. Kate had easily handled the situation. But she had a four-month headstart. More than that if you counted the time she’d carried the boy inside her. It was the time Joe could never get back which had sparked his anger. All he could do was start now and learn, because he never wanted to feel that helpless again.

He started to lift the child out of the chair, then released the seat belt when he got hung up. The baby’s feet caught on the tray and, with one arm around J.T.’s waist, he untangled them.

“And we have lift off.” In more ways than one, he thought when there was an unmistakable sound from the region of the baby’s tush. Sniffing, he said, “Tell me that isn’t what I think.”

Kate grinned and it could only be described as evil, with a little wicked thrown in for good measure. “There’s never been a better time for diaper-changing 101.”

Joe groaned. He held the boy in both hands, out in front of him so as not to squish anything any more than necessary.

Kate instructed him to put the baby down on the changing table, which was the easy part. Keeping him there was like trying to lasso a hurricane. His son wanted to roll sideways, chew on his feet and grab tubes, tissues and everything else lined up for this operation. Joe felt a trickle of sweat on his back, not unlike the first time he’d taken the controls of a helicopter.

“You’re going to need wet wipes and lots of them,” Kate said, amusement dripping from every word.

With one hand firmly on the baby’s midsection, he looked at her. “You’re enjoying this way too much.”

“I know.” She smiled.

“You’re not even going to deny it?”

“Nope.” She shook her head. “This is just too good for words.”

She verbally walked him through the process, but remained hands-off while he struggled to keep small hands and feet out of the radioactive zone. Then she told him what he could do with it, the diaper that is. Who knew there was a gizmo that magically contained odors? There was a good reason it was called a Diaper Genie.

“Mission accomplished.”

“Not so fast, Marine.” She laughed. “You’re not finished yet. It’s bath time.”

Lord have mercy, he thought. Words that struck terror into his warrior soul. At least she took pity on him and put out the supplies, then filled the tiny tub. Keeping the baby contained in it was diaper-changing bad times ten. Holding on to a slippery baby was like trying to steady his chopper in a twister. When goo and God knows what else was washed off, Kate handed him the towel. Probably not because she wanted to help him as much as because she didn’t want the baby to get cold.

“I’ve put out his clothes,” she explained.

“Changing table?” He held back the groan.

“You’re catching on.”

Not really, but he was glad she thought so. When he put J.T. down, Kate handed the baby a toy that went straight in his mouth. It also kept his hands busy. She could have done that before.

“Here’s a fresh diaper.” She held out a small, folded, not-quite-square white thing.

“Where are the schematics and operating manual?”

She laughed and opened the square, sliding it under the baby’s bottom, getting in close to Joe’s side. Her shoulder brushed his arm and he swore there were sparks. She glanced at him, then stepped sideways.

“Just cover him and hook the tabs,” she instructed. “Here’s a onesy.”

“A what?”

“It’s a shirt that snaps between his legs so it won’t ride up. One piece. A onesy.”

“Not a very manly name.”

“Trust me. You’re the only one offended. J.T. is all about being comfortable.”

At least one of them was. With her so close, Joe was anything but comfortable. Not to mention soaked. He was as soaked as she’d been the night before, but it looked much better on her. The wet shirt she’d been wearing had been practically transparent. Molded to her full breasts it had made her look like a randy teenage boy’s best dream.

He hadn’t known at that point, but it had been only the first temptation of the evening. If there was any silver lining to J.T.’s meltdown, it had been the glimpse of her creamy skin when she’d fed his son from her body. The message had come through loud and clear that she wanted him to leave. But he’d already missed too much to retreat at the signs of hostility in her eyes. And he was glad he’d stood his ground. It had been the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen.

A high-pitched squeal pulled him back to the present. J.T. was rubbing a chubby fist in his eye, following the action with a big yawn. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know he was tired. That made two of them. Babies were definitely high-maintenance.

“Nap time?” he asked, looking at Kate.

She nodded and he felt as if he’d deciphered intel that would bring down a whole terrorist network. “But he has to eat something first.”

“Again? The teething biscuit wasn’t enough?” He picked the boy up. The feel of the baby weight in his arms was a little better. “Scratch that. He was wearing most of it.”

“You’re very observant.”

He watched Kate prepare a baby bottle she took from the freezer, which was probably the pumped breast milk she’d told him about. When it was ready, she settled him on the couch with J.T. in his arms.

“I think you can figure it out from here,” she said, hovering close by.

He put the bottle up to the small mouth and the kid latched on. At least one of them knew what to do. And that’s when it hit him that he was feeding his child for the first time. This was a photo moment of monumental proportions. This was huge.

The baby must have felt some of these vibes because he started squirming.

“It’s okay, buddy. Easy does it,” he said softly.

That seemed to calm him because he started sucking again. After draining the bottle, he let out a big burp.

He grinned at Kate. “I’m so proud.”

“You’re such a guy,” she said, rolling her eyes.

When J.T. heaved a satisfied sigh, Joe wondered what to do now. Then the baby closed his eyes and the sight made Joe’s chest grow tight. A second later something expanded and moved through him, filling up some of the empty places in his soul.

He’d done Marine Corps boot camp, flown helicopters in Afghanistan until his eyes felt as though all the desert sand was in them. But he’d never felt as tired as he did now. Being a father was hard work—in the most awesome possible way. What if he had never received the letter?

Thinking about the fact that Kate was pregnant with his son had kept him going in his darkest hours. And suddenly he wondered how she’d found out where to send the letter.

“Do you want me to put him in his crib?” she asked.

“No. I like holding him.” Understatement of the century. “Can I ask you something?”

She sat on the couch beside him. “Sure.”

“When I was deployed overseas—” He met her gaze. “—how did you get my address?”

“From your brother.”

Preston Morgan. The man who’d betrayed him and broken up his marriage. That was freaking perfect. Unfortunately their dad’s death had left them partners in Southwestern Helicopters. Because of that his attorney brother needed to know how to reach him. It should have been obvious that Kate had gone to him for the information. He just hadn’t wanted to think about what that meant.

“What’s wrong?” Kate asked, frowning at him.

The easy answer was that he didn’t want his bastard of a brother anywhere near Kate. The hard question was why it mattered so much that the thought of it enraged him.

“It’s not important.”

“No? Then why do you look like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like you want to choke someone. I know your brother is here in Las Vegas so I went to see him. He was extremely kind and very helpful.”

That wasn’t a big surprise. Kate was an incredibly beautiful woman, not unlike his ex-wife. Preston had hit on her without regard for legal or family ties. The thought of Kate in a compromising situation like that tightened the knot in his gut. “I’ll just bet he was ready to lend a hand.”

She didn’t look happy. “He said if I needed anything while you were gone to call. And to be sure and let him know when he was an uncle.”

“Did you?”

“No.” Her full lips pulled into a straight line for a moment. “When I didn’t hear from you, I thought it best not to.”

Well, thank goodness for that. The thought of his brother anywhere near her bent his rotors big time. “Smart move.”

“Obviously you disapprove of what I did.” Her eyes narrowed. “It would be helpful to have more information, Joe. I don’t know what’s going on between you—”

“Nothing.” Not any more. Not ever again. He’d looked up to his big brother once, wanted to be like him. Their father had thought Preston was perfect and Joe was the screwup. Not so much.

“Where else was I supposed to go? Would it be better if I hadn’t written to you at all?”

“No.” The word was sharp and his voice louder than he’d intended.

J.T. began to squirm and whimper as his tiny fists started waving. Then he let out a wail. Joe wasn’t sure what he’d done, but it wasn’t good.

Kate stood and held out her arms. “I’ll take him.”

He let her because she knew what to do and he didn’t want to make things worse. She walked down the hall, murmuring soothing sweet nothings and the silence proved it had worked.

Joe restlessly paced the living room because he was angry as hell. At Kate, but mostly at himself. He’d thought the past no longer affected him. He was wrong. And being wrong had affected his son.

It was obvious that Kate was confused and wanted to know what was up between him and his brother, but talking about it was the last thing he wanted. About that, and especially about what happened to him in Afghanistan. As long as there was breath left in his body, he would move heaven and earth not to let any of his darkness upset his son again. And Kate. He couldn’t stand the thought of anything bad touching her.

Kate wondered about Joe’s sudden shift in mood. One minute he was gentle and soft, the next tense, angry, and the baby had felt something—his aggression, hostility. That definitely defined the man after she’d said his brother had given her the address. What was up with that?

While the baby slept, she and Joe sat at the kitchen table munching on doughnuts and bagels and drinking the coffee that had gone cold. She’d nuked it.

Needing something to take the edge off what felt far too intimate, she had a pencil and paper and was jotting down things to get at the store. Every time she looked up, he was watching her.

“What?” she asked.

He nodded at her growing list. “You’re going to need a U-Haul.”

“Sometimes it feels that way. Especially when I’m toting J.T. along. I don’t think I truly appreciated shopping by myself until becoming a mother.”

“I could help.”

“I wasn’t complaining,” she said quickly.

“That never occurred to me. After going through basic training this morning, I have a better understanding. Shopping with the little guy must be similar to the precision and coordination of inserting a combat team into a hot zone.”

She laughed. “Sometimes it feels that way.”

“So let me help. I could go for you.”

“Thanks, but no. I’ve seen men in the store. Without a cell phone they’re lost. It would take twice as long.”

“Then I could stay with J.T.—”

“No.” When his eyes narrowed, she wanted to call the word back. Or at least soften her tone. “What if he wakes up?”

“I’ll handle it. Crying is actually good for his lungs, remember?”

And how she wanted those words back. “I’m more worried about you.”

“I wouldn’t hurt him.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Not really. But his sudden change of mood before had taken her aback. “The crying can frazzle you even if you’re used to it.”

“I’m pretty tough—”

The phone rang and she was grateful for the interruption until the caller ID showed that it was her mother. Nonetheless, dealing with Candy Carpenter was easier than explaining to Joe why she didn’t want to leave him alone with his son.

She picked up the phone and hit the talk button. “Hi, Mom.”

“Hi. How’s J.T.?”

“Really good.”

“And you?”

“I’m fine.” A lie, but she wasn’t saying anything about her baby’s father showing up while he was sitting there watching her. “How are things with you?”

“Robert and I had a fight.”

So this wasn’t a call to see how things were with her and J.T. It was all about her mother. She glanced at Joe who was watching her. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

A big sigh came through loud and clear. “He said I wasn’t giving him enough space. That I was going too fast and he’s not ready.”

“Were you?”

“No.”

Kate rolled her eyes. Her mother lived in Pahrump, about an hour’s drive northwest of Las Vegas. She worked as a waitress in a diner. An attractive brunette, she got a lot of male attention. All was well in the first stages of a new relationship—first-meet euphoria followed by a few weeks of adoration. And of course, Candy always swore this one was the love of her life and they’d be together forever. Then she started to push.

Kate had told her over and over that she didn’t need a man to be happy, but somehow the words never stuck. She was tired of wasting her breath.

“Did it ever occur to you that you might be better off?” she asked.

“How can you say that?” Candy demanded. “He’s everything I ever wanted. Good-looking. He has a great job. We have fun together. The sex is—”

“Too much info, Mom.” That wasn’t a visual she wanted in her head.

“I’m still a young and vibrant woman.”

“Yes, you are. And you’re okay on your own. There’s no point in hanging on to something that doesn’t make your life better.”

“He does make it better,” Candy protested.

“That’s not what I’m hearing.”

“If he’d just give us time we could work it out.”

“That’s the thing, Mom. You’re trying to speed things up instead of giving it time.”

“You don’t understand.”

No, she didn’t. “Look, Mom, J.T. is starting to fuss. I have to go,” she lied.

“Give him a kiss from me.”

“Will do. Bye.” She replaced the phone and looked at Joe.

“Problem?” he asked.

“Just the usual.”

“Define usual.”

Apparently she’d never told him about her mother. But then, they’d been so wrapped up in each other talking hadn’t been high on their list of activities.

“The usual is the latest in an inappropriate string of men she’s gotten too possessive with. My father being one.”

“Oh?”

There was no reason she could come up with off the top of her head not to tell him. “My mother was pregnant when she married my father. What I don’t get is why he bothered when he didn’t plan to stick around. I never met the man.”

Joe’s eyes turned dark, a sign he didn’t approve, except that this time it wasn’t about her. “Maybe you’re better off.”

“That thought has crossed my mind.” In fact, she’d just said it to her mom about the current flavor of the month. “But over the years she’s had a string of men. My father was just the first mistake.”

“Is that why you refused my marriage proposal?”

“Partly.”

Again she could see no reason not to admit the truth. Sometimes she’d liked a man her mother brought home, but found out caring was a mistake because they always left. There was one she’d disliked on sight, and she’d begged her mom to dump him, gave her an ultimatum—him or me. Candy had chosen him. So Kate had left home and made a rule: she would rely only on herself and not make a mistake that would ruin her life. Now J.T. was her life and not making a mistake was more important than ever.

“What’s the other part?” he asked.

She met his gaze. “My biggest fear is turning into my mother. Always looking for a man. Always hoping he’ll be the one to take care of me. I don’t need anyone.”

“So no man gets in?”