Chapter 50

50

"He's from Finley Creek, Mey," Dylan said after that man left. "How weird a coincidence is that?"

She was already getting the baby out of the car seat. She couldn't wait to hold her again. Babysitting really wasn't something they did at the inn—but Dixie said they had made exceptions before. They all had. Sometimes, guests needed a little extra help. And it was way too cold for a baby this young outside right now. It had started snowing again an hour ago.

"I have seen him before. In the diner. With Mr. King. Mr. King said he was his nephew or something. I saw Mr. King in Texas, too. I think that man was with him. Someone was, and they had the same baby seat. Brandt took me to a diner. They were there," Meyra said quietly. She had circles under her eyes now. Dylan somehow suspected her cousin hadn't got much quality sleep in Texas. "I saw them both there."

Dylan had seen how Brandt had been holding Meyra's hand. And the extremely disgruntled look on her uncle's face when Meyra had pressed her forehead to Brandt's rather delicious chest and hugged him like she had.

Meyra, who didn't hug people.

They'd slept together, Dylan could almost bet on that. It gave her a wicked little thrill to know her cousin was taking that next step with a good man like Mr. Brandt Barratt.

Meyra deserved an awesome man like that.

Dylan snuggled little Katie closer.

The baby just cooed. Dylan was in love, seriously in love, here.

"No baby hogging, though. We all get a turn," Dixie told her. She peered at the baby's face. "She does look much better. Poor little thing had hives from the previous formula. I think it was probably a soy-allergy thing."

Dylan looked at Meyra and Sage. "We have met before. He's a single father. Lives in Texas and drives a semi back and forth. He's doing it all alone. The baby's mother passed away when she was born. A heart attack, I think he said. She was only like twenty. Weird."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Sage's eyes narrowed. "He's from Finley Creek?"

"Yes. That's what his license said," Dylan told her.

"And he drives a semi? How…interesting."

Dylan wasn't sure what Sage was getting at. Masterson was one of the main routes to Vancouver for drivers from Texas and Mexico. There was a small interstate that passed just south of town that connected to Interstate 15 in Idaho. They didn't get many semi drivers at the inn—the inn could be a bit pricey—but the diner got lots of truckers just passing through.

Sage said something else, but Dylan missed it. The baby was fussing in her sleep. Dylan rocked her gently and fell even more in love.

"He's trying really hard," Dylan told Sage. "I got the feeling he's a little scared and overwhelmed by the whole new dad thing, though."

"Me, too." Dixie brushed one hand over the baby's little head. Baby eyes slowly blinked open. "But this one will be okay. Her daddy loves her, and that's what matters most. I'll call the IGA. Let them know not to call the cops about the overnight."

That was one thing about her family that Dylan definitely loved. They pitched in when someone needed help. No denying that. If she had to find a great big family out of nowhere, at least it was a really, really good one, right?

"Okay, long enough," Sage said, making "give-me" hands. "Share the baby cuddles, Dyl. Share them."

Dylan didn't want to let her go, but she understood the look in Sage's eyes, after all. Someday—four of her own. Someday.

Maybe even six.