no clue how mothers had more than one child. And twins? Mercy, those women deserved a special place in heaven. She was having a hard enough time just focusing on this one kid, not to mention holding down a job, fixing dinners, showering, taking a bathroom break...
But Raine had always wanted to be a mother, and she would not trade a moment of the sleepless nights for anything. Especially since Jill had needed Raine, and there was no way Raine could turn her back on her cousin when she needed someone the most.
Being shut out of your family because of decisions you made was the common connection she and Jill shared. They’d always been close, but this baby truly secured that tight band around their love.
And regardless of genetics or DNA, Abby was 100 percent Raine’s. From the moment the precious baby girl had tightened her chubby little hand around Raine’s finger, she knew no greater bond could exist. Even those accidental gassy smiles were like another stamp on her heart, solidifying the fact that Raine couldn’t love Abby any more even if Raine herself had given birth to Abby.
Hearing the growing cries, Raine shook the bottle on her way back to the nursery. Early morning sunlight spilled through the window, and she picked up the fussy baby and prayed to God that, after this bottle, Abby would sleep for a couple hours. Because Raine truly didn’t know how much longer she could go on little to no sleep.
Sweet dimpled hands came up to grip the sides of the bottle, and Raine sank into the cushy rocker in the corner of the room. Resting her head against the back of the cushion, she closed her eyes as Abby greedily sucked down the milk.
Thankfully they had nowhere to go today, seeing as how the snow kept coming down in big, thick flakes. And when she’d glanced out at the driveway, her car had been there. The tow service must’ve brought it after she’d gone to bed, and she had no doubt there would be a hefty bill on her credit card statement since she had to give them the account number when she had called.
From what she’d seen, only the headlight and the grille were damaged, but she hadn’t waded through the snow to find out any more.
Raine opened her eyes and glanced down at Abby whose own eyes had drifted shut.
“Now you want to sleep,” Raine said with a smile. “When I’m holding and feeding you, but when you’re alone in your bed, you want to scream.”
Raine knew the feeling of being alone, left out and neglected. But there was no way this baby would ever feel anything less than secure. Perhaps that’s why Abby kept crying. She instinctively knew that Raine couldn’t handle it and would hold her to calm her down. The truth was, Raine just hated the thought of the baby feeling scared or abandoned.
There was no worse feeling in the world.
“We have each other,” she whispered to Abby. “And you’ll always know what love is.”
Finally when the bottle was depleted and Abby was breathing peacefully, Raine swiped the milk from beneath Abby’s soft, full lips and laid the baby back in the crib.
Raine slid the curtain from the hook and blocked out the bright sun. Tiptoeing as quietly as possible, Raine eased the door closed behind her.
Should she go finish making the rest of her lavender soaps, take a brief nap and then start in on filling the online orders, or throw a load of laundry in, and fold and put away the two baskets waiting on her?
Did the to-do list never end?
She’d just gone into her workroom when she glanced out the window and saw a full-sized black truck pull up her drive. In a mad dash, she ran down the stairs, because, if someone rang her doorbell, she’d not be greeting them with the most pleasant of smiles. She’d personally murder anyone who woke Abby from her long overdue nap.
Raine jerked open the door just as Marshall Wallace lifted his hand to the bell. She resisted the urge to ignore this unwanted visitor, not that she didn’t like Marshall, but she knew why he was here, and she wasn’t in the mood.
“Hey, Raine,” the young, polished man said with a wide smile. “Your father wanted me to drive out here and check on you.”
“Hi, Marshall.” She curled her hands around the door. “As you can see, I’m fine. So go back and tell the mayor he did his civic duty.”
God forbid her father trek out here in the elements to see how she and Abby were doing. The salt and snow would probably ruin his designer shoes.
And that was just another common thread she and Max had shared. Their fathers always put work ahead of family. Even though Max was one of the most recognized men in Hollywood, he’d dropped everything to be with his mother. Not that she needed a lot of care, but he was here for the love and support.
“Have you thought any more about my offer?” Marshall asked, shoving his hands into the pocket of his thick brown coat.
Raine sighed. Another reason why she always cringed when Marshall came to her house. The man was relentless in his quest to date her. He’d started pursuing her years ago after Max had left. He’d been so persistent and in her face, she’d let it slip that she was pregnant so he’d back off. Then she’d regretted her decision and had sworn him to secrecy.
She’d given into his advances once, though, and they’d gone out. The entire evening Raine felt like she was dating her brother...if she had had a brother, she figured that’s what it would be like.
“Marshall, I’m just so busy right now with Abby, focusing on the adoption and working on my online orders. You wouldn’t want to go out with me. You should look for someone with more time and freedom.”
“I’d be more than happy to come here with dinner. We don’t have to go out.”
Oh, Lord. If he thought he’d come over, eat dinner and play house, he was sorely mistaken. Even she wasn’t that desperate.
Raine dodged his less-than-subtle approach and returned his smile. “Tell my father I’m fine, and so is the baby, not that he ever asks about her. I appreciate you coming out, Marshall.”
As she started to close the door, a big black boot stepped over the threshold and blocked her.
“I hope you’ll at least consider my offer, Raine,” he told her, easing his body just inside the door frame. “That time we went out, I felt a connection with you.”
A connection? This was worse than she thought. Surely whatever he felt was just like...indigestion. There was no way that lame date sparked something romantic on his end. Of course, he could just be horny, and that was a whole other matter she didn’t want to get into with him.
“Marshall, I don’t have time to date right now. I’m sure a busy man like you understands.”
There, she’d appealed to his male ego and even stroked it a little. If he didn’t back off, she’d just have to be blunt and tell him to get the hell off her property. But her mother had raised a lady, despite her mother’s views to the contrary, so Raine would make every effort to be polite.
Marshall nodded. “I won’t give up on us, Raine.”
Before she could sputter a “There is no us,” he’d turned and was heading back to his truck. Was this dude for real? She’d never once led him to believe there was hope. Even after their date when he’d gone to kiss her good-night, she’d done the swift head turn, and he’d caught her cheek.
Closing the door, Raine sagged against it and squeezed her eyes shut. Why did life hate her? Why, within the span of twenty-four hours, did she have to encounter the only man she’d ever loved and now was fighting off the one man who wouldn’t take no for an answer? Apparently Cupid had struck Marshall, and now he was determined to make her his Valentine. No thank you.
Damn, Valentine’s Day was two days away, and Marshall was probably looking for a date. That was a big hell no.
The only Valentine she wanted was asleep upstairs. Besides, Valentine’s Day didn’t mean much to her. She’d spent nearly all of them single,