Ranger's Baby, page 3
The sheriff frowned. “I really don’t want you anywhere near the Faulkners. They might claim you’re trespassing on their property and shoot you.”
Fiona gave a half-smile. “If you send backup with me, you’ll have an eyewitness to murder.” She stared down at Caity. “Although, I don’t really want to be the bait to put the Faulkners in jail. Caity needs me to come home in one piece.”
“Exactly.”
Fiona met the sheriff’s gaze head-on. “But I’m not the only one in the department with family depending on them to return home alive. You can’t treat me any differently than any one of the men on the force.”
The sheriff scraped a hand down his wrinkled face. “I knew it was a mistake taking you on as a sheriff’s deputy.”
“You have to give me the same assignments as the men, Tom.”
“The hell he does.” Duncan stepped into the conversation. “You have a daughter who has now been threatened along with you. You think that upended baby crib would have ended any differently with a baby in it?” He shook his head. “The fact you’ve been targeted means Caity has been targeted as well.”
The sheriff nodded. “And I’d treat any one of my men the same by saying, you’re off this case.”
“But we can’t let Mark Faulkner get away with murder.” Fiona knew they were right, but they had been so close to putting a killer away.
“You’re off the case, Guthrie,” the sheriff said, his tone firm. “Now, are you going to stay at the Iron Horse Ranch, or do I have to make room for you and the baby in my jailhouse? You’re not staying here.”
Fiona scowled. “The hell I’m not. I have a gun. I won’t let anyone hurt Caity. And that paint can be covered. I don’t need anyone to take care of me and Caity. We’ve been on our own from the beginning, and we’ve done just fine.”
“Then why the hell did you call me, if you didn’t want me to get involved?” Duncan squared off with her. “Caity is my baby, too. I’m not leaving her here in this house. If you want to stay…stay. But I’m taking my daughter somewhere safe. And that isn’t here.”
Duncan plucked Caity out of Fiona’s arms and limped toward the door.
“You can’t take my baby,” she cried and followed him out of the house.
“I damn sure can.”
“She’s mine.”
“And mine.” He turned with the baby held close to his chest his big hand covering her back. “I won’t have her threatened and not do anything about it. What’s the problem, Fiona? It makes no sense that you want me to know about her, but you don’t want me to help.”
“I do want you to help me protect her,” Fiona said. Her voice softened to a whisper. “I just don’t want to go to the Iron Horse Ranch.”
“Why? Because you’ll have to face my mother and siblings when you tell them that they have another member of the family they didn’t know about? Are you feeling guilty?” He glared at her. “Well, you should. You robbed us of watching her grow for six months. We won’t be left out of her life any longer. Yes, you should feel bad for keeping her from us.”
Caity’s face puckered and great big tears rolled out of her eyes and down her cheeks.
“You’re scaring her.” Fiona reached out for her baby.
“You’re scaring me,” Duncan said and then changed the tone of his voice to something softer. “Caity needs protection. You need it, too. Face the music, Fiona, and let the McKinnons help you.”
Fiona fought back the tears threatening to fall from her own eyes. Everything Duncan said was true. Her shoulders sagged. “Your mother and siblings are like family to me. I never wanted to disappoint them.”
Duncan smiled at Caity and brushed a tear from her damp cheek. “Well then, don’t start now.” He said it in a singsong tone without looking at Fiona. “Caity needs her mama to make things right and keep her safe. Don’t you, sweetheart?”
Caity grabbed his thumb and held on.
Fiona stared at the two. They looked so much alike it made her chest hurt.
“Just say you’ll go,” the sheriff urged. “It’ll make me feel a whole lot better, knowing you have others around you to look out for you two.”
Fiona nodded, swallowed hard at the lump in her throat and said, “Okay. I’ll go.
Chapter 3
Duncan held Caity as Fiona picked through the rubble of her home for clothing, diapers, formula and anything else she might need for an extended stay at the Iron Horse Ranch. When she’d finished packing, the sheriff helped her haul everything out to her SUV and packed it into the back.
He would rather have packed everything into his own truck, but Fiona would need her vehicle to get her to and from work.
Not that he liked the idea of her working as a deputy when someone had issued a death threat against her.
The sheriff held her door for her and shut it after she’d climbed in. “I’m putting you on day shift until we get to the bottom of this.”
“You can’t—”
“I would do the same for any deputy in the department, so don’t play the sex card on me.” The sheriff looked through the back window. “And don’t report to work for two days. I have to work through the details of the schedule change, and I don’t want to worry about you showing up for duty when I don’t need you.”
Fiona appeared to want to argue the point, but she bit down on her bottom lip and nodded. “Yes, sir.”
Duncan let go of the breath he’d been holding. “I’ll follow you out to the ranch. You remember the way?”
She nodded. “Like the back of my hand.” Fiona shifted into reverse and waited for the other two vehicles to back out before she could get out of the drive and onto the road headed out of town.
Duncan followed close enough to cut off any trouble should it arise.
The entire drive to the ranch, he rolled her announcement over and over in his mind.
He was a daddy.
Those words made his insides quake. He had a daughter. A living, breathing human, totally dependent on him and her mother to keep her safe from harm. The magnitude of the responsibility left him feeling nauseated. How the hell had this happened?
Oh, he knew all about the birds and the bees, but…he was a daddy. He wasn’t ready to be a father. He hadn’t had nine months to dwell on it, to prepare himself and to think through how he’d raise a child in this crazy world they lived in.
No, he’d had no prior warning, no pre-game coaching, no pre-battle training. He was being launched into it blind and unprepared.
His hands gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. How was he supposed to be a father to a child when the mother didn’t want to be with him? If the Army decided he was fit for duty, he’d be shipped back to Ft. Lewis and deployed to another godforsaken continent to fight battles against people who didn’t give a shit that he was a father and had a baby to come home to.
Holy hell. This changed everything. Every damn thing.
By the time they pulled through the stone and wrought iron gate at the Iron Horse Ranch, Duncan was in a full panic. He’d never been panicked before in his life. Hell, going into battle had been less stressful than plunging into fatherhood.
When he drove up next to Fiona and shifted into park, he struggled to pull himself together. One thing he’d learned in his Army career was to never show weakness. Even when you’re scared out of your mind. And he was scared out of his mind.
He squared his shoulders and dropped down out of the truck. When he landed on his feet, his bad leg gave, and he would have fallen to his knees had he not been holding onto the door of the truck.
He cursed. How the hell was he going to protect his daughter when he had a bum leg?
Duncan couldn’t think about that now. He had to focus on being strong for Caity. She and Fiona needed him to protect them from whoever had trashed their house and written those threatening words on their wall.
Fiona climbed out of the SUV, chewing on her bottom lip. She opened the back door and would have reached into the backseat for Caity, but Duncan beat her to the baby.
“Please,” he said. “Let me.”
“Are you going to break it to your family?” Fiona asked.
He lifted Caity up into his arms and nodded. “I’ll tell them. But I want you by my side.”
She nodded. “Deal.”
As they started toward the house, his mother stepped out the front door, followed by his sister Molly and his brothers, Angus, Colin and Sebastian.
“Fiona.” His mother hurried down the stairs to engulf her in a hug. “It’s been so long since you’ve been out to the ranch. I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too,” Fiona said, her voice cracking.
“What was the emergency?” his mother asked, looking from Duncan to Fiona. “Everything all right?”
Fiona looked up at Duncan.
He cleared his throat. “Let’s get the baby out of the sun.”
The others remained on the porch, waiting for Duncan and Fiona to climb up to them.
Angus stood with his arms crossed over his chest, Colin’s brows dipped, and Sebastian stared at them through narrowed eyes.
“Oh, Fiona, I’ve seen you around town with this sweet little thing and haven’t found the time to stop and congratulate you.” Molly reached for the baby in Duncan’s arms. “Let me have that sweet baby.”
Duncan leaned away from his sister. “In a moment. We have something we need to say.”
When they were all on the porch, his mother turned with raised eyebrows. “So, what’s got your britches in a bunch?” she asked.
Beside him, Fiona choked on a chuckle.
Duncan stood tall and shook his head. “My britches are never in a bunch, Mother.”
“No?” Colin said with a sly smile. “You have a strange look on your face.”
“Come to think of it, I’ve never seen you hold a baby before. Maybe that’s what’s making you look weird,” Sebastian said
“Can it,” Angus said. “Let the man have his say.” He gave Duncan the nod. “Go ahead.”
Duncan turned Caity to face his family, suddenly nervous and proud at the same time. “You all remember Fiona, right?
“Of course, we know Fiona. She spent most of her summers here on the ranch riding horses and eating dinner at our table,” his mother said.
The others nodded.
“Well,” Duncan swallowed. This was harder than he’d expected, giving him a new appreciation for why Fiona had taken so long to tell him about his child. “This is Caity, Fiona’s baby girl.”
His mother started forward. “Congratulations, Fiona. Caity is beautiful.” When she reached for the child, Duncan turned slightly away, keeping his hold on his daughter. “I’m not finished.”
Molly clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes widening. “She’s got brown hair and green eyes.” She looked from Fiona to Duncan and back to Caity. “She’s a McKinnon! She’s your baby, too!” Molly jumped up and down, clapping her hands. “I knew it. I knew you two were meant to be together.”
Duncan frowned at his sister. “Thanks. I’m glad you held back while I made the announcement,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Is she right?” his mother said, her voice light, almost a whisper. “Is Caity yours?” Her gaze locked with Duncan’s. “Is she my very first grandchild?”
Duncan saw the wonder in his mother’s eyes and any hardness in his heart melted. “Yes, Mother, Caity is mine. And yes, that makes her your first grandchild.”
You’re serious?” Angus asked. “This is my niece?”
“Now, that’s a helluva wakeup call in the morning,” Sebastian smiled. “Congratulations, old man. I never pictured you as being the first to bring Mom a grandbaby.”
Duncan nodded. “It’s as much a surprise to you all as it was to me. But it’s the truth, and I couldn’t be happier.”
“What the hell?” Colin said, his face splitting into a grin. “When did you have time to come back to Eagle Rock and make a baby?”
Fiona’s cheeks reddened.
Duncan slipped his free arm around her. “It happened when I was on leave here fifteen months ago. The night before I left to return to duty and a thirteen-month deployment to Afghanistan.”
“And you didn’t tell him?” his mother said, her brow dipping.
Fiona reached out for his mother’s hands. “It was one night. I didn’t know where he was going or how he would feel about it.” She bowed her head. “I know I should have told him sooner, but I didn’t want him to feel obligated.”
Molly reeled back. “Are you kidding? Even if my big dufus of a brother wasn’t happy about having a baby, we all would’ve been happy to help.”
“Most of you were off, happy to be in the military. I couldn’t lay that on you.”
Molly planted her fists on her hips. “But you sure as heck could have laid it on us. We’ve been here all this time.”
“She’s right,” his mother said. “We would’ve gladly helped.” She took a big breath and waved a hand. “But that’s all water under the bridge. What’s important is that we help now. What was the emergency?” She glanced from Fiona to Duncan and back. “Or was telling Duncan he had a child the news?”
Duncan’s lips firmed. “Fiona had an intruder in her home. He threw knives at her and left a death threat.”
His mother’s eyes widened, and she slipped an arm around Fiona. “Oh, dear. I’m so sorry to hear that.” Then as only his mother could do, she organized them. “There’s no question, then…you and Caity are staying here with us.” Her face blossomed into a wide grin. “Which means I have more time with this precious little one. I can’t believe I have a grandbaby. Come to Nana, sweet Caity-did.” His mother held out her arms.
Duncan didn’t want to let go of his daughter, but the look of abject adoration on his mother’s face was too much to ignore.
The woman had been through hell with the disappearance of her husband. The joy of a grandchild brought the light back to her countenance and made Duncan have more hope for the future than he’d had less than an hour ago.
Molly was next to hold out her arms. “Mom, let me hold my niece. I can’t believe I’m an aunt!” While she waited her turn to hold the baby, she turned to Fiona. “How was your pregnancy? Did you have a lot of morning sickness? Did you go natural or have a C-section?” She peppered Fiona with questions Duncan didn’t understand…but wanted to. He’d missed it all. The pregnancy, feeling the first time his baby kicked, being there for the delivery…
Angus pulled him into a bear hug. “Can’t believe my little brother is a father. You sneaky bastard. All these years, I thought you and Fiona were just friends.”
“No kidding,” Sebastian clapped him hard on the back. “Caity looks like you, poor kid.” He winked.
Colin shook his head. “I’m an uncle.” He patted his chest as if looking for something. “I feel like I should pass out cigars or something. Do they still do that?”
The women moved inside and laid a blanket on the floor of the living room for Caity to lay on. Duncan’s mother and sister sat on the floor on either side of the baby.
“I need to unpack the SUV,” Fiona said.
“We’ll keep an eye on Caity,” Molly offered.
“Absolutely,” his mother said. “Let the boys unload.”
Duncan shook his head, hesitant to leave the room and the tiny baby that was his. The enormity of his responsibility toward the little girl hit him all over again.
“Come on, old man,” Colin said. “Let’s get them moved in.”
“Where do you want me to put them?” Duncan asked his mother.
“They can have your old room,” his mother said. “You can sleep in my sewing room beside them. The sofa in that room folds out into a bed. Oh, and Colin, bring the baby crib down from the attic.”
“Baby crib?” Colin asked.
“You heard me.” She grinned. “I saved it for just such an occasion as a visit from my future grandchildren. I brought all five of my children home to that bed. And your father wanted me to sell it when Molly outgrew it.” She lifted her chin. “He’ll be beside himself when he gets home to find a grandchild under his roof.” For a moment her eyes got glassy. She blinked, and the moment was gone.
Duncan felt the loss of his father as much as the rest of his siblings, but his mother had been with him the longest. She was the one who had to sleep alone in the bed they’d shared for the past thirty-five years.
He pushed the sadness to the back of his mind and turned to the task at hand.
Fiona walked with him, Sebastian and Angus out to the SUV.
Angus grabbed the portable playpen and carried it inside. Sebastian took the highchair. Duncan carried the swing, and Fiona grabbed a suitcase and a sack of clothes.
Several trips later, they had everything she’d managed to pack inside the house and distributed to where they belonged. The playpen stood in a corner of the living room, but his mother and Molly had yet to tire of entertaining the new member of the family.
Caity had flipped onto her tummy and jerked her arms and legs out to the side.
His mother smiled. “She’ll be crawling before you know it. They learn so much in the first year of their lives. You have so many firsts to look forward to. Her first time to sit up on her own, her first time to stand. The first time she walks without assistance, her first word…” His mother sighed. “I loved tracking each and every one of your firsts.”
Duncan shot a glance toward Fiona. How many of Caity’s firsts had he already missed?
Based on his mother’s list, he hadn’t missed too many. But he would have liked to have been there from the beginning, He wondered if his baby would have difficulty bonding with him as her father, since she hadn’t been with him for her first few months.
Like his mother had stated, that was water under the bridge. He couldn’t get it back, and he couldn’t hold a grudge. Not when mother and child were in such close proximity. Caity could sense her mother’s moods. If he wanted to bond with his little girl, he had to make peace with her mother.
