Papa Bear (Finding Fatherhood Book 1) Read Free Page A

I supposed to do with her?”
    Her stressed father threw up his hands. “I have no idea. I’ve been walking with her, I rocked her, I gave her a bath, and I fed her.”
    “Did you change her diaper?”
    He gave her a look that revealed just how stupid he thought the question was, though he was kind enough not to say it. “Of course I did. Nothing seems to work. She’s not running a fever, or I’d take her to the hospital. Do you think she’s teething?”
    She shrugged. “How old is she?”
    “Eleven days.”
    She shrugged again as she patted the baby’s back and started pacing with her. “I have no idea. Why don’t you Google it or call her pediatrician?”
    He seemed happy to have a purpose, and he strode to the computer tucked away into the corner of his living room, taking a seat at the desk with an air of relief that suggested he was relieved to be sitting. He was probably relieved to receive a small reprieve from holding the screaming infant too.
    She knew nothing about babies, but it made sense to comfort the little one, so she jostled her gently and rubbed her back with one hand while supporting her head with the other. After a few minutes of searching, Lucas made a sound of what could have been satisfaction. She moved closer to him. “Did you find something?”
    “Yeah, though I’m not sure it’s exactly good news. It sounds like she might have colic. Is she drawing her legs up to her tummy still?”
    She looked down, finding the baby curled up in just that position. “Yes.”
    “Does her tummy feel hard?”
    She cupped it gently. “I don’t know. I don’t think so, but it’s definitely firmer than mine.” That wasn’t much of a comparison though, since she was a curvy woman, and the baby was tiny, and certainly not one of the adorable chubby kind. She was still awfully adorable, even when screaming, but she didn’t have a lot of extra baby fat.
    “It sounds like colic, though she’s a bit young for it. I have to go to the store to get some supplies. Do you mind watching her for a few minutes?”
    “Of course not. I just hope they have what you need.”
    “Me too. I hate hearing her scream.”
    She put a hand on his arm as he stood up, patting lightly. “I think you’re doing a good job at this fatherhood thing. Don’t let a little screaming get to you. I bet babies do this all the time.”
    He looked faintly alarmed. “I certainly hope not. Hearing her cry is the worst thing ever.”
    She could have interpreted that as him being irritated with the baby’s noisiness, but the tender way he looked at the infant revealed he hated the sound because it was representative of Angel’s suffering, not because it irritated him. Crack went another layer of ice around her heart, and she was tempted for a moment to shove the baby back in his arms and run away before the rest of the ice melted. Of course she couldn’t do that, so she just held onto the baby and watched him leave the house five minutes later, his determination to ease his daughter’s suffering making it awfully hard to maintain her resolve to avoid entanglements with the law enforcement officer.
    She looked down at the baby in her arms, who continued to wail. “Your daddy’s a heartbreaker.” Not because he was deliberately cruel, but because his tenderness was breaking through her heart and the walls she used to protect herself. He was dangerous to her, not because he was threatening, but because he was so tempting. It was getting harder to remember the reasons why it would never work out with Lucas.
    ***
    It was nearly ten a.m. before Angel settled down completely, falling fast asleep in the sling. Libby had been the one walking her at that point, because Lucas looked just as exhausted as his daughter, and he was now snoozing on the couch. When she was certain the baby was asleep, she moved into his bedroom, where he’d set up the crib. She carefully removed the baby from the sling and laid her down on her back, looking