The New Baby. Brenda Mott
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“No. I’m Amanda Kelly. This used to be my Granny Satterfield’s place.”
“I’m Troy Stoakes,” he said. He bent over to pick up the plastic cup and Amanda belatedly realized he was wearing some sort of scout uniform.
Boy Scouts were supposed to be honorable, dependable, good kids, so surely this one meant no harm in entering her house. But the fact that he’d walked in without knocking was a bit unusual, even for small-town etiquette.
“If you’ve got a towel, I’ll clean this up.”
“It’s okay,” Amanda said, still confused. She reached for the roll of paper towels hanging near the stove. “Troy, why are you in my kitchen?”
Now it was the boy’s turn to look confused. “I know Miss ’Livia died, but I thought Miss Rachel was taking care of the house. Miss ’Livia always let us come in for a drink or a cookie, and Miss Rachel said it was still okay to come in here for water.” He took the wad of paper towels from her and proceeded to clean up the spill. “I can’t drink from the creek outside. My ma says it’ll give me jagardia.”
Amanda pursed her lips in a smile. “You mean Giardia.” She knelt beside him and helped mop up the water.
Troy paused in his task long enough to point at the cupboard beside the sink. “Miss Rachel keeps cups for us in there.”
“I see.” She hadn’t thought much about the plastic cups, since quite a few of Granny’s things still remained in the house and in the toolshed outside. And while the utilities had been turned off until Amanda’s arrival, the old hand pump at the sink worked without electricity, fed by a natural underground spring. “But I still don’t understand what you’re doing here at my granny’s place.” She frowned, remembering the sound of laughter she’d heard through the bathroom window. She gave a nod in the direction of the woods. “Are there Boy Scouts out there?”
Troy stood, paper towels dripping in his hand, and Amanda pulled the trash can out from under the sink for him. “Uh-huh. We’re sleeping in the woods behind your house.” He tossed the soggy towels into the container. “We camp out several times a year, and this is one of our favorite spots.” He smiled at her, revealing a row of teeth darkened by what must be black licorice. “We’re the Cumberland Cubs.”
“Oh.” Amanda bit her bottom lip. This boy was sweet. “Where’s your scoutmaster?”
“He’s out back. His name’s Aain.” Carefully, Troy refilled the plastic cup, took a big gulp of water, then set the cup in the sink. “Can I go now?”
Amanda shrugged. “Sure.”
“Bye.” He pushed open the screen, then paused and looked back at her. “I’m sorry I made you yell, ma’am.”
“That’s all right.”
Amanda put the trash can back under the sink as the kid hurried away, letting the screen door slam behind him. She walked over and shut the door as well, making a mental note to lock it from now on. Ingrained habits faded far too easily out here in Granny’s beloved woods, where the only thief Amanda could remember had been a raccoon after the eggs in Granny’s henhouse. She flipped the latch in place and went to her room to get dressed, deciding she’d better have a talk with Troy’s scout leader.
Aain? What sort of name was that?
She hung her bathrobe on a hook behind the door, and slid into her underwear and jeans as light dawned inside her mind. Troy had a thick, southern accent. He hadn’t said “Aain.” He’d said Ian. And he’d also said they’d come to camp here on Granny’s property.
Her property now, since her mother had no interest in the place. Did he mean Ian Bonner?
Fully dressed, Amanda slipped on her tennis shoes and hurried out the back door, picturing Ian, with his dark brown eyes and sexy drawl. Sleeping in the woods, practically in her backyard. She told herself it might not be him. Maybe it was another Ian. But whoever it was, he’d brought kids. And that made her a bit uncomfortable.
How dare he do so without asking? While she’d be more than happy to honor Granny’s wishes, she still felt the man owed her the courtesy of making sure she didn’t mind before simply descending on her with an entire troop of scouts.
Knowing she should be wearing boots in case there were snakes, Amanda strode across the backyard toward the woods, her footsteps quiet in the tennis shoes. Quiet enough that she managed to come close to the man who sat on a fallen log in a clearing just behind the house without him noticing her. It was Bonner. He was watching the boys pitching tents and unpacking supplies.
“You’re doing fine, men.” He chuckled. “I’d help you, but you know the rules. So tell me—what does a Cumberland Cub do before turning to his leader for help?”
“Ask a team member!” More than one boy shouted.
“And try, and try again,” another added.
“That’s right.” Ian raised one fist in the air in a gesture of triumph and encouragement. “So keep at it.”
But the look on his face told her how much he wanted to dive in and help the kids, in spite of what he’d said. At last, he noticed her, and Amanda’s heartbeat rose, then dived as he turned to face her. She did her best to ignore what she felt, watching Ian. She had no business being attracted to him or any other man, seeing as how she wasn’t ready to begin a relationship with anyone right now. She wasn’t even sure she could ever take a step past casual friendship again. Dating led to intimacy and that led to heartbreak. She’d had enough of that being engaged to Mark.
The accident had robbed her of everything, had put her thoughts into a whole new perspective. She’d once loved working in the maternity ward, taking care of countless newborns. Precious little things, swaddled in teddy-bear blankets. Wearing teensy-weensy booties, their skin so soft and sweet-smelling. She’d dreamed of one day having a child of her own.
Then Anna had been killed, and now Amanda no longer wanted what she’d once held dear. A husband…a family.
It would be a cold day in hell before she ever allowed herself to be pregnant again.
CHAPTER THREE
TELLING HERSELF SHE WAS being ridiculous, thinking way too far ahead, Amanda walked calmly toward Ian. After all, she didn’t even know him. And while she was pretty sure he’d looked at her the other day as though he liked what he saw, that hardly meant he was going to jump up and propose. She knew it was her past experience, coupled with the accident, that made her overly cautious. She and Mark hadn’t made certain things clear right up-front when they’d begun dating. Things like the fact that she had wanted children and he didn’t. They’d argued heatedly over the matter. Her decision to act as surrogate for Nikki had been the final blow to their already shaky relationship.
Mark had been long gone from her life when the accident happened. But the entire set of circumstances had driven the point firmly home for Amanda. Never again would she go into a relationship with blinders on.
“Hi, there.” Amanda halted.
Ian rose from the fallen log. “Hey, Amanda. It’s nice to see you again.”
She pursed her lips and gave the group of scouts a pointed glance. “I didn’t know I had company.” She knew it wasn’t realistic to think she could hide from children and babies forever, and as Ian smiled at her, her initial irritation slowly began to melt.
“We knocked,” he said, as though that explained everything and excused his act of trespassing. “I didn’t think you were home.”
She started to explain that she’d been wearing headphones and hadn’t heard him, then decided she’d rather not have Ian Bonner picturing her in the bathtub. “You must have a different set of rules here in the South.” Amanda folded her arms and gestured with one hand. “Out west trespassing is against the law, and finding the owner