Sweets to the Sweet Read Free

hungry,” Laura agreed dismally. “She’s always hungry. But she was also crying earlier, before she could possibly have been hungry.”
    “Hmm.” Owen tried again. “She looks fat as a butterball.”
    “Too fat?” Laura said with alarm, and peeked at Mari’s double chin.
    “Not too fat. I was just trying to suggest that perhaps you don’t need to worry quite so much about anything being terribly wrong with her.”
    “Well…” Belatedly, it occurred to Laura that she must be pretty desperate for reassurance, to take it from a man who looked as though he’d be more at home between satin sheets than changing diapers.
    “In the meantime, there are two officers outside who need insurance and registration information…”
    “I’ll get it. I—” Thin wails started the moment Laura reached for her wallet. Her hand jerked back from her purse. “Oh, Mari….”
    With a sigh, Owen took the bag from her and started rifling through brushes, combs, diapers, pins.
    He held up the well-thumbed Mother’s Almanac with a skeptical look and finally surfaced with her wallet. “I’ll get your license. Your registration in here, too?”
    She looked blank.
    “Skip it. I’ll find it. Look, just feed your baby. I’ll take care of the rest.”
    A pale pink glow streaked across her cheeks. “I can’t feed her here.”
    Briskly, he tugged a dry shirt from his pile of clean laundry and handed it to her. “I understand. I figured you’d want a bottle from the diaper bag, and when there wasn’t one, I realized that you were breast-feeding her. Just use the shirt to cover yourself. I won’t let anyone near the car.”
    He was gone again. Through the back window, she could see him striding toward the policemen, but abruptly Mari’s shrieks climbed into the next octave. Draping his shirt over her, she groped underneath for the tiny pearl buttons of her blouse. “Just a minute. Just a minute, darling. Please, Mari…”
    There hadn’t been time to buy nursing bras, but she wore the kind that fastened in front—just as easy to manage, when her fingers were steady enough. It took three tries, and then she winced when Mari clamped down on her nipple. A familiar taut ache filled her breasts, and she closed her eyes.
    Only it didn’t work. The baby’s mouth opened, and Mari let out a furious wail. Laura coaxed her back; the baby pushed away. After several minutes, Laura gave up trying and simply rocked the frantic baby back and forth, back and forth. Stay calm, the books on nursing said. Sure. After an accident? Maybe she didn’t have any milk. Maybe she’d run out. Good Lord, could it conceivably turn sour after only three hours?
    When the car door swung open, Laura jumped, startled. “You’re finished with the police already?” she tried to say calmly over the baby’s screams.
    “No, we’re not done, but I could hear the baby crying from out there. Listen….” Owen leaned in, deliberately looking into Laura’s eyes and no lower. “I know you’re going to misunderstand this, but I’ve been around a ton of babies. I grew up with six younger brothers and sisters—and my sisters are having babies of their own now. They all breast-feed their infants, and my sister-in-law, Paige—”
    “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
    His palm was sliding gently between his shirt and her blouse. “Paige and Gary have three small ones. Gary’s always talking about breast-feeding. Now, just take it easy…”
    “ Stop that!” Desperately, Laura tried to hold the baby, climb away from him, keep herself covered, and for God’s sake look unconcerned. Unfortunately, she ran out of places to back up. Warm, smooth fingers stroked her firm, supple breast with the touch of a lover.
    Heat spread through her lower body in a rush. The sexual voltage was more potent than the slash of lightning outside. All the air left her lungs in a horrified whoosh.
    “If you’ll bring the baby close now…”
    “There’s no point. I