The Bull Rider's Baby Bombshell. Amanda Renee

emotional distance ever since. “Any more thoughts where your sister might be?”

      “Tomorrow I’ll call every postpartum depression treatment center I can find, including over the border in Canada just to be on the safe side. She’s an adult, so I’m not sure if anyone can legally tell me if she’s there, but I at least have to try.”

      “Well, the reason I came here tonight was to give you my phone number and to get yours.”

      “You could’ve called the house and given it to me seeing as you didn’t want to meet the girls.”

      “That dawned on me while I was knocking on the front door.” Wes sniffed the top of Audra’s head. She smelled like new car smell for humans. “From the looks and sounds of things, it’s a good thing I did. Where’s Maddie?”

      “I sent her home. She’d been here for over twenty-four hours. The woman hadn’t even had a shower or change of clothes.”

      “It looks like you could use the same.”

      “Thanks a lot.” Jade attempted to smooth the front of her shirt.

      Wes laughed as he settled Audra into the empty bouncy seat and lifted Hadley into his arms. “I didn’t mean that to sound as insulting as it did. It was a poorly worded offer to watch the girls while you take a few moments for yourself.”

      “Are you sure?”

      “Considering I made a commitment to help bring these three into the world, I think I can commit to babysitting while you shower.”

      “Thank you.”

      “But...this is a onetime deal, Jade.” He didn’t want to delude her into thinking he’d changed his mind about being involved in their lives. “I’m here now, but once I walk out that door, I’m not coming back.”

      He couldn’t—wouldn’t—risk his heart. It was already on the verge of shattering into a thousand pieces.