In The Arms Of A Stranger. Kristen Robinette
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she replied.
Her eyes were lit with amusement and something that Luke couldn’t quite define. Something maternal that made him want to do nothing other than watch her. Maybe it was that the tender moment between Dana and the baby was so foreign to him. Or maybe it was because it triggered some long-buried memory of his own mother, a memory all but wiped out by the cold aloofness of his stepmother.
He shook off the thought. “So what do we do?”
“Uh…” Dana raised her voice to be heard over the baby’s insistent cries. “Can you get me the diaper bag?”
Luke retrieved the diaper bag from the floor, passing it to Dana. A rustling noise in the hall surprised him and he spun toward the sound, his hand going immediately to his gun. Sam stood in the doorway, his brow drawn into an inquisitive expression and his tail wagging cautiously. Luke walked to Sam and gave him a scratch behind the ears. The dog looked as puzzled as Luke felt. He could usually feel his way through any situation, but a baby was another matter entirely.
“I need, uh…”
Luke looked up to find the expression on Dana’s face had turned a little frantic. No wonder. Though she was busy fastening on a fresh diaper, the baby was still crying. Louder even, Luke thought. If that were possible.
Dana held up the dirty diaper, its contents neatly folded inside. The sticky tabs that had once secured it on the baby were now holding it in a perfect triangle. At least it looked harmless. Luke took the diaper from Dana’s hand.
“Can you throw that away for me?”
Her expression was slightly amused and slightly commanding. No doubt because he was standing frozen in place, smelly diaper in hand. Not much help in the scheme of things. He took the diaper to the porch and sat it outside. Freezing it to death seemed like a good enough plan.
When he returned to the bedroom, he found Dana sitting cross-legged on the mattress and the baby contentedly taking a bottle.
“There’s not much formula left,” she announced, her face pulled tight with worry. “How long do you think we’ll be stuck here?”
Luke thought of the solid layer of ice that lay beneath at least ten inches of snow, of the downed trees that dotted the landscape. He’d intentionally made light of the situation when he’d told Dana they were snowed in for “a few days.” Everything depended on how quickly the temperature rose, but it could be longer than a few days before they could attempt to navigate outside without committing suicide. Much longer, in fact.
“At this point it’s hard to say. How long do you think the formula will last?”
Dana glanced down at the diaper bag. “This is the last of the premixed bottles but there’s a small can of powder we can use. It’s only half-full, though. I really don’t know how long it’ll last.”
Luke nodded, determined not to make matters worse with any dire predictions. Surely there was something they could do other than watch their options disappear with the formula. He pulled the cell phone from the diaper bag. “I’m going to try and get a signal outside.” He turned to Sam, then pointed at the foot of the bed. “Stay.”
Dana looked relieved when Sam obeyed the command and plopped himself down with a contented sigh. “Be careful,” she whispered to Luke.
He nodded, thinking how the situation would look to someone who didn’t know them. A man, a woman and a baby tucked inside a cozy cabin with a greeting-card landscape outside. Hell, there was even a dog. Picture-perfect family.
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