advice on any of the Web sites she'd visited. All she could do was gawk as he picked up the now quiet baby and cradled her in the crook of his right arm.
"Come," he said to Jenna. "Sit down. You look like . . . well, like you could use a break."
Jenna was too darned tired to even smile at his remark. "You're being kind, I'm sure. I look like a bad train wreck."
"I wouldn't say that."
She paused before sitting down, some unexpected tone in his voice impelling her to take a moment to study his handsome face. Hut she wasn't able to discern if some hidden meaning lurked behind what he'd said, or if he was merely being polite.
Sighing, Jenna took a seat and reclined against the couch back. "I feel as if I've been rocking her for hours. It hasn't been that long, I know, but ..."
Lily let out the cutest coo Jenna had ever heard, and Gage chuckled. Although an unmistakable nervousness edged the sound, his deep, soft laughter resonated through her being.
"I understand what you're saying," he said, his eyes never leaving Lily. "There's something about that cry that breaks your heart. And you have no idea if you're meeting their needs. The fact that they can't clearly communicate what they want with words makes it all the more frustrating."
Ah, Jenna thought, so Lily's crying had disturbed his sleep.
Amazed at the baby's reaction to Gage, Jenna said, "Look at how she's staring. It's almost as if you've hypnotized her or something."
He smiled down at the baby and, again, chuckled. And for the second time, Jenna felt the vibration hum through her. She liked the sound. More than she probably should.
"It could be that I've triggered a memory of her father."
"Could be," Jenna agreed. "David had dark eyes, too. And he kept his hair long, like yours."
But her brother-in-law hadn't been nearly as handsome as Gage.
The thought made Jenna's breath catch in her throat. Exhaustion was really taking its toll on her.
"She's so quiet," Jenna said, sliding a few inches closer to him. "Maybe I should go lay her down on the bed. Maybe she'll go to sleep."
"And maybe she'll start crying all over again," he said. "She seems content enough right where she is. Why don't you take the opportunity to lay back and rest your eyes?"
"Oh, no." She shook her head hard enough that a lock of her hair fell over her shoulder. "I couldn't do that."
"Of course you can." Gage gathered the baby in his arm, bent over and curled the fingers of his free hand around her ankle. In one fluid motion, he scooted himself off the cushion and lifted her feet onto it.
Jenna was very aware of the heat of his touch on her leg. Before she even realized what was happening, she was lying prone, her head resting against a throw pillow.
"I really shouldn't, Gage," she murmured. "What if Lily starts crying? She fights sleep as if she were a boxer competing for the world title."
"Tell me about it. She's a champ."
She felt guilty again that her niece had been keepin g him up during the night, but t he humor in his lone helped her to relax.
She stifled a yawn.
"Like I said,” he continued, easing himself down onto an adjacent chair, "she seems happy at the moment. Close your eyes and enjoy the peace." He smiled. "However fleeting it turns out to be."
She didn't understand why he was being so nice. The drowsiness closing in on her didn't let her think on it too hard.
He had a nice smile, she thought as her eyes fluttered closed. Smiling was something he should do more often.
"I'll work on that."
The rich timbre of his voice sounded soft and fuzzy, as though he'd whispered the response into a long tunnel. Jenna was sure she must have dreamed it. She didn't think she'd voiced her observation aloud. And then she thought no more as she faded into exhausted oblivion.
Jenna stirred and stretched, then opened her eyes with a soporific sigh. The sound of birdsong was so pleasant to her ears that the corners of her mouth curled. The delicious scent of smoky bacon and coffee
"Come," he said to Jenna. "Sit down. You look like . . . well, like you could use a break."
Jenna was too darned tired to even smile at his remark. "You're being kind, I'm sure. I look like a bad train wreck."
"I wouldn't say that."
She paused before sitting down, some unexpected tone in his voice impelling her to take a moment to study his handsome face. Hut she wasn't able to discern if some hidden meaning lurked behind what he'd said, or if he was merely being polite.
Sighing, Jenna took a seat and reclined against the couch back. "I feel as if I've been rocking her for hours. It hasn't been that long, I know, but ..."
Lily let out the cutest coo Jenna had ever heard, and Gage chuckled. Although an unmistakable nervousness edged the sound, his deep, soft laughter resonated through her being.
"I understand what you're saying," he said, his eyes never leaving Lily. "There's something about that cry that breaks your heart. And you have no idea if you're meeting their needs. The fact that they can't clearly communicate what they want with words makes it all the more frustrating."
Ah, Jenna thought, so Lily's crying had disturbed his sleep.
Amazed at the baby's reaction to Gage, Jenna said, "Look at how she's staring. It's almost as if you've hypnotized her or something."
He smiled down at the baby and, again, chuckled. And for the second time, Jenna felt the vibration hum through her. She liked the sound. More than she probably should.
"It could be that I've triggered a memory of her father."
"Could be," Jenna agreed. "David had dark eyes, too. And he kept his hair long, like yours."
But her brother-in-law hadn't been nearly as handsome as Gage.
The thought made Jenna's breath catch in her throat. Exhaustion was really taking its toll on her.
"She's so quiet," Jenna said, sliding a few inches closer to him. "Maybe I should go lay her down on the bed. Maybe she'll go to sleep."
"And maybe she'll start crying all over again," he said. "She seems content enough right where she is. Why don't you take the opportunity to lay back and rest your eyes?"
"Oh, no." She shook her head hard enough that a lock of her hair fell over her shoulder. "I couldn't do that."
"Of course you can." Gage gathered the baby in his arm, bent over and curled the fingers of his free hand around her ankle. In one fluid motion, he scooted himself off the cushion and lifted her feet onto it.
Jenna was very aware of the heat of his touch on her leg. Before she even realized what was happening, she was lying prone, her head resting against a throw pillow.
"I really shouldn't, Gage," she murmured. "What if Lily starts crying? She fights sleep as if she were a boxer competing for the world title."
"Tell me about it. She's a champ."
She felt guilty again that her niece had been keepin g him up during the night, but t he humor in his lone helped her to relax.
She stifled a yawn.
"Like I said,” he continued, easing himself down onto an adjacent chair, "she seems happy at the moment. Close your eyes and enjoy the peace." He smiled. "However fleeting it turns out to be."
She didn't understand why he was being so nice. The drowsiness closing in on her didn't let her think on it too hard.
He had a nice smile, she thought as her eyes fluttered closed. Smiling was something he should do more often.
"I'll work on that."
The rich timbre of his voice sounded soft and fuzzy, as though he'd whispered the response into a long tunnel. Jenna was sure she must have dreamed it. She didn't think she'd voiced her observation aloud. And then she thought no more as she faded into exhausted oblivion.
Jenna stirred and stretched, then opened her eyes with a soporific sigh. The sound of birdsong was so pleasant to her ears that the corners of her mouth curled. The delicious scent of smoky bacon and coffee
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