Page 30 of Cowboy's Christmas Wife

Lily had been crying for a solid hour. Laura had told Daryl that she was putting the baby to bed, and then she would be right with him, but what usually took fifteen minutes at the most after a good bath had been an hour of intermittent screaming and dozing. Just when she thought that she thought the girl was down, she’d wake up and start screaming again.

“Please, baby girl,” she begged and bounced the baby while she walked. “Please go to sleep.”

Lily’s answering wail was the only answer she received. Laura rubbed at the baby’s back, shushing and walking, but Lily just refused to be soothed.It’s going to be a long night, she thought miserably. She didn’t feel hot, and Laura didn’t think she was teething—she’d felt for swollen gums—but still something was wrong.Maybe it’s just sleep regression, she thought. They’d gone through that before, and it nearly drove her crazy.

“Are you hungry?” she asked. “Do you need a bottle?”

There was a tap on the door, and Daryl stuck his head in the room. “How’s it going?” he asked.

Lily began wailing again. It was a deep, mournful sound, which was surprising considering she was such a tiny thing. “About that good,” Laura said. “Sorry about this.”

Daryl stepped into the room. “It’s not a problem,” he assured her. “Do you want to take her into the living room? Try putting the TV on or something?”

Laura shrugged. “At this point, I will try anything.”

They walked into the living room, and Daryl found a movie on one of the streaming services that he and Kyle subscribed to. Clark was all about cable; he wanted the biggest package with the most channels. Laura didn’t really get it. She watched the Food Network here and there; sometimes she’d put on a house renovation show if she was bored. She’d suggested that they give up cable and get a few of the streaming services to give them some options about shows and movies without wasting the monthly payment on the bill. Clark had vehemently refused; he was insulted that she would even indirectly imply that he couldn’t take care of the bill. She’d dropped it after that. No use in fighting about it.

Lily hiccupped into a quiet sort of dozing, and Laura settle into Daryl’s side. “I know this isn’t quite what you had in mind for tonight,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

Daryl looked at her, and it was like he was trying to peer into her soul. He’d been looking at her that way more and more often lately. It was unsettling, and yet there was a part of her that wished that he would never stop. “I told you at dinner that I wasn’t expecting anything besides spending time with you,” he reminded her. “A movie night with you and Lily sounds great to me.”

Laura didn’t get why his ex-girlfriend would turn him down. Okay, so maybe a year of dating was kind of fast to be jumping into a proposal, but even a single date should have been enough to show her what a good guy she’d found. Daryl was the easiest man in the world to fall in love with.So why is it so hard to admit that I have feelings for him?She’d been asking herself that since the night they’d first made love. She knew how she felt, but the words wouldn’t come out, no matter how much she tried. She didn’t think he would swoop in and take away her independence—not deliberately, anyway—but it was hard to shake the knowledge that she didn’t think Clark would do that either…until he did.

She shifted, and the movement was just enough to wake Lily. “Shh,” Laura hushed, patting at her back again. “It’s okay, baby. Mama is so sorry. Please go back to sleep.”

Daryl held out his hands. “Can I try?”

Laura almost said no: she had been Lily’s sole caregiver her entire life, and it wasn’t easy to accept help from anyone. Yes, it was cute when Daryl fed her, but soothing the baby when she was in the throes of a real upset like this was another thing entirely. Whatever was upsetting Lily, shouldn’t Laura be the one to make it better? Wasn’t that what mothers were for? Still, she did say that she would try anything. He handed the squirming girl to Daryl. The man stood and began to walk back and forth across the floor. He made the same soft, shushing noise that she did, but his voice was deeper. He patted her bottom gently, rhythmically, and Lily’s head plopped on his shoulder within five minutes.

Did I sniff glue or something? What is happening?She stared at him as he walked and murmured and patted. It was like he had fifteen hands at once or something. She should be grateful, but in reality, a tight bitter ball formed in the pit of her stomach. What the hell did Daryl know about kids? Sure, he had a pair of nieces and a nephew, but that didn’t make him the baby whisperer. “What kind of secret talent is that?” she asked, but her tone read more like a demand.

It was clear that Daryl knew she was upset. She could read the “oh shit” panic all over his face, and in turn, that made her more upset because she knew just how irrational she was being. “You have these amazing computer skills, right?”

She was surprised into a smile. “Yeah,” she said. “I suppose I do.”

“Well, I have baby skills. Ever since I became an uncle, I’ve just had a knack for caring for kids.”

Laura attempted to not roll her eyes. Of course, Daryl would have the innate ability to care for children. Just one more perfect thing to add to the checklist. People would be lining up down the block to ask her what she was thinking when they finally did divorce. “Do you think you could put her down in her crib without her waking up again?” she asked, gesturing to how the baby was sprawled across his chest.

Daryl nodded. “I can certainly try.”

She trailed after him as he carried Lily down the hall. He bounced her a little and patted her back a little more. When he made the transfer from his arms to her bed, Lily barely made a squeak. Laura blinked. “You did it,” she said, almost numbly. She had honestly thought that Lily would wake up like every other time that she had tried to put her down.

They backtracked out of the room, careful to keep quiet. Once out in the hall, Daryl looked at her. “Are you okay?”

She wasn’t, but she didn’t want to come across as ungrateful. Laura was grateful that he was able to soothe the baby and get her down, but she was Lily’s mom. She was supposed to know all of the things that worked when no one else could figure it out; she was supposed to be able to take care of her daughter without anyone’s help. She’d gotten Lily to five months all on her own, and she didn’t want anyone taking credit for her hard work now.I can’t say that to him, she thought dismally. “I’m just tired,” she said instead of trying to explain the chaos that was inside her head. “I think I’m just going to go to bed, if that’s okay.”

Daryl was disappointed, she could tell, but he nodded regardless. “Sure.” He looked at his watch. “It’s still a little early for me; I might go out to the workshop and get a few more things done if you’re all right?”

“Okay.”

“Will you sleep in my room? Or are you going in with Lily?”

It was a loaded question that he was trying to downplay. “Your room,” she said. “If you don’t mind.”

He leaned in and kissed her. It was a quick peck, but she could practically feel his relief. “Sweet dreams,” he said. “I’ll do my best not to wake you when I come in.”

Laura leaned up and kissed him again, a little longer this time. “Sweet dreams.”

---