“Josie’s bleeding.”
“Oh, gosh.” She wipes her hands on a dish towel. “Bring her here.” I take her over and hold out Josie’s finger. Andie looks at me how Amber did a minute ago. “It’s a paper cut, Quinn.”
“What if it gets infected or something?”
“Wash it with soap and water.”
“Then what? Do you have special baby bandages?”
“You don’t want to put on a dressing unless the bleeding is bad. You’d have to glove her hand or she could ingest it. Just wash the cut and hold a little pressure on it. It’s probably already stopped bleeding.”
“How do I wash her hand? She won’t stop wiggling.”
Andie cleans her hands. “Give her to me. It’ll be quicker for me to do it than tell you how.”
“You’re good at that. Hey, you don’t mind if I leave her here for a while so I can do some work around the ranch, do you?”
“I told you, I’m getting ready to leave myself.”
“I’ll just wait for Devyn, then.”
She laughs. “And you expect her to watch three kids? You know they have services if you need a babysitter.”
“Josie won’t be here that long.”
“Besides, didn’t Maddox and Aaron give you the week off? Aaron said the helicopter won’t be fixed until next week, and there are plenty of ranch hands to do your chores.”
“I know, but I can’t just sit around and watch a drooling baby all day.”
“Thus, the babysitting service.”
Devyn comes through the front door. “Sorry I’m late. This one spit strained peas all over me, and I had to change. I think we’re going to wait on the whole starting solids thing.”
She walks past and I see green goo in her hair. I point. “You missed some.”
“It’s in my hair?” She hands me a tissue. “Can you get it out?”
“You want me to wipe green crap out of your hair?”
Andie comes over and wipes it for her. “The joys of parenthood.”
They both look at me and laugh. I don’t get what’s so funny.
“You mind if Josie and I hang out with you for a while?” I ask. “Amber is working, and I have no idea what to do with a baby.”
“Sure,” Devyn says. She leans in and touches Josie’s cheek. “God, she’s gorgeous. I think she has your nose.”
“She does not have my nose.”
More laughter.
“The cookies are in the oven,” Andie says. “Take them out when the timer goes off.” She turns to Vivian. “You can have one. Show Mommy one.” Vivian raises a finger. “Good girl.” Andie kisses it and races out the door.
I sit. “How’s it working out with you and Andie watching each other’s kids?”
“Pretty well. As you know, Mickey doesn’t need another full-time horse trainer right now, which is great for me because I’d prefer to only work part-time while Casey is so little. And Andie has cut back on her hours now that she’s expecting again. The Double Duce is the only other ranch she’s providing vet services for.”
“I didn’t know that.”
She sits next to me with Casey on her lap. Josie seems to like having another baby here. “Look at that,” Devyn says. “I think these two are becoming friends.”
“Yeah, well, tell Casey not to get too attached.”
“You really don’t think she’s yours?”
“I think that Michelle chick is a liar and an opportunist. I guarantee she’ll show up sooner or later wanting me to write a big fat child support check so she can quit her waitressing job or whatever and live off my money.”
“But you’ll support Josie if she’s yours, won’t you?”
“Sure, whatever.”
Maddox comes bursting through the front door. “She didn’t leave yet, did she?”
“Your wife? About five minutes ago.”
“Damn it. She was supposed to wait for me. I don’t want her going off the property with that maniac out there.”
“You can’t chaperone her everywhere,” Devyn says. “She’s a grown woman.”
“A grown woman whose attacker was just released from prison.” He grabs his keys off the hook by the door. “I’ll be back. I’m heading to The Double Duce.”
“I could go,” I say, walking out with him.
He pats Josie on the head. “Trying to get out of baby duty?”
“Hell yes.”
“You stay. I’ve got this.”
“It’s fucking boring,” I say quietly as if Josie can understand me. “All she does is eat, shit, and cry.”
“She’s a newborn. That’s all they’re supposed to do. Don’t worry. It gets better. Not necessarily easier, but better.”
“I’m not worried. She won’t be h—”
“Here that long. I know, I know. You sound like a damn broken record.” He hops into his truck. “See ya.”
“Well, she won’t be,” I call after him, as if to prove a point. Then I look down at her. “Will you?”
Chapter Twenty-two
Amber
Quinn and I walk into the pediatrician’s office with Josie. We must be a sight. I’m not sure either of us has showered in two days. Josie is a handful, and she’s been waking more at night. We get called back, have a short wait, and then the doctor comes in.
She extends a hand. “I’m Dr. Johansen. You must be Quinn.”
They shake. “Nice to meet you. This is Amber.”
She nods. “Andie told me about your situation. I know you’re here for a paternity test, but do you mind if I take a look at Josie?”
“Be my guest,” he says.
“She’s six weeks old?”
“As of yesterday,” I tell her.
Dr. Johansen undresses her, weighs her, measures her, listens to her chest, runs her hand down her spine, and does some other things. “She looks very healthy. She’s in the fortieth percentile for weight and sixtieth for height.”
“So she’ll be tall and thin?”
“Too soon to tell. But she’s just perfect right now. What are you feeding her?”
“Simi-something?” Quinn says. He looks to me, but I shrug, not remembering the brand.
“Is she spitting up?”
“All over.”
“How much?”
“He’s exaggerating,” I say. “It’s barely anything at all.”
“And how’s she sleeping?”
“She wakes up every few hours. It’s gotten worse the past few nights.”
“She’s perfectly capable of sleeping through the night at this age. If you’re getting up with her every few hours, you’re probably creating more of the problem. Let her fuss and see if she can settle herself back to sleep. If she doesn’t, go in and gently massage her tummy. Sometimes infants do well in sleep sacks. Those are wearable blankets that swaddle the baby. Do you know if she’s up-to-date on her shots?”