Beauty and the Beastmaster - Linda Winstead Jones Page 0,50

one coming in now,” he teased.

She always walked to The Egg on Friday afternoons, dressing for the weather when it was necessary, afraid to get her car out in case someone took note of the expired license plate. She never took Mia with her, and doing so now would require a diaper bag, as well as a car seat they’d have to wrangle into the tiny back seat of Silas’s truck. She could thank him for helping, for not being anything like her ex-husband. But that would be too telling so she simply asked, in her most casual voice, “Are you accusing me of making you old before your time?”

He winked at her, shrugged his shoulders, and headed for the kitchen. “Could be. Is there leftover stew?”

His truck had never been so crowded. Gabi in the passenger seat, Mia strapped into a car seat for the short trip, and Judge in the back seat, along with a bulging diaper bag and a couple of doggie toys. Gabi looked a little nervous, and he knew why. Neither of them could be sure it was her ex who’d gone to Jordan’s ice cream shop asking about a haircut, but why take chances?

Silas looked out the window, hoping Gabi didn’t notice his sour expression. If he’d doubted for a moment that he’d chosen the wrong side when he’d agreed to help Jenna, those doubts were now gone.

He needed to talk to Clint. If he hadn’t finished his book by now, that was just too bad. After that he’d talk to Luke, too, if he could pull the man’s mind away from wedding plans and keeping the entire Benedict clan happy. Luke had definitely been distracted for the past couple of months. Who else? Susan, maybe.

He didn’t want Gabi to leave Mystic Springs. Not yet. When the time came for her to move on, if that time ever came, it should be her choice.

Parked in The Egg parking lot, they wrangled everything out of the truck. Kid, dog, baby, and all the things necessary for their comfort made the trip to the building interesting. Gabi carried Mia, who’d been thrilled to be released from her car seat, even though the trip had been a short one. He’d noticed that the car seat was getting too small for the kid. She’d need a new one, even if Gabi’s only trips were to the clinic in Eufaula.

Judge seemed to be torn between Silas and his new family. He danced around them, weaving in and out. Silas had the strap of a pink diaper bag slung over one shoulder, and carried Judge’s moose in one hand and a red ball in the other.

Herding two dozen hyper squirrels would’ve been easier.

In the small salon area on the ground floor of the building, Gabi’s regular customers waited. Helen Benedict, her friends Ramona and Ginger. And Frannie Smith, who kept her sparse hair dyed jet black. They were chatting as Silas and his crew walked into the room. He was almost positive he’d heard the word “wedding” on Helen’s lips. Of course he had. She wasn’t going to keep her opinions about her grandson’s wedding to herself.

Silas had agreed to keep an eye on Mia and Judge while Gabi did her thing. Just as well. This many women crammed into such a small space, all of them talking at once and yet somehow understanding one another, made him antsy.

All the women had to say hello to Mia. They kissed the baby and gave Judge some attention, too, while Gabi set up her area and prepared to do whatever she was going to do. And then, Gabi lifted Mia and handed the kid to Silas.

“Good luck,” she said with a sly smile.

Silas left the diaper bag behind, an excuse to check up on Gabi when he felt the need, and carried Mia into the main gathering room. He half expected her to protest leaving her mother, but she didn’t. She was perfectly happy to let him carry her.

Babysitting was not one of his strengths. He didn’t even like kids all that much. He didn’t dislike them, but until they reached their late teens they were unruly. Unpredictable. Messy.

Mia seemed to sense his unease and rewarded him with a slobbery kiss on his cheek.

It wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

Half a dozen gentlemen had gathered for the afternoon, and as the women had been, they were thrilled to have a child and a dog visit them. All of them were very careful to contain their