Winning the Custody of Three

ANDIE

Andie groaned when the 4 a.m. alarm went off. She shut it off and slowly rose. She got into her typical bakery uniform and headed over to the nursery, where Lucy was just starting to stir.

She picked her up, changed her diaper, then did the same with Lily.

She took both girls out to the kitchen and placed Lucy in her highchair since she was awake, but Lily was still half asleep and snuggled into Andie’s shoulder.

Andie got two bottles ready and managed to open one jar of baby food while still holding Lily. She set the jar on the other highchair and began to feed Lucy.

Lily slowly woke up more, and Andie let out a small laugh. “Are you ready to eat, pretty girl?”

She babbled a little and rubbed her cheek against Andie’s shoulder. She placed Lily in the other chair and got her to eat as well.

Soon she had them cleaned and was ready to head over to the bakery. As she was walking over, a strange feeling washed over her. She glanced around but didn’t see anything.

She stood Lucy on the ground so she could unlock the door, then she propped it open with her foot, scooped Lucy back up, locked the door, and headed to the playpen.

She kissed each of their chunky cheeks and sat them down to play. She let out a sigh, grabbed the video monitor, and began to bake her muffins, bread, scones, and other goodies.

After baking for a couple of hours, she was ready to open. She flipped the sign to open, then began to load up the glass cases.

Ten minutes later, everyone came rushing in to get their morning breakfast.

She had debated about selling coffee or not when she’d first opened, but when she tried to make some of the fancier coffee drinks, it had been an epic fail. So she stuck with what she knew.

She and Candice had learned to bake when they were about ten. Rose had helped them at first, and they would go to Candice’s house every day after school to bake anything and everything.

It was the only stable thing she had had in her life, and now half of that stability was gone.

As she rushed around the shop taking care of her customers, she got the same strange feeling as when she and the girls had headed to the bakery that morning.

A shiver ran down her spine as her eyes darted around. Nothing seemed unusual. So she pushed the feeling away and continued to serve her customers.

As she finished up with the last few customers, the door opened again, and Rose and Bruce entered the shop. She plastered on a fake smile as they immediately went to Lucy and Lily.

The last customer finally left, and Andie approached the Howells as they talked to Lily and Lucy. She smiled as she sat down beside them but kept quiet while they visited Lily.

Once she saw they were all okay, she sighed and began to clean up. This was her least favorite part of the day. But it needed to be done.

She locked the door when it was becoming obvious a certain tall and handsome cowboy wasn’t coming by.

At the last wipe of her rag against the counter in the kitchen, she heard a throat clear. She turned around to see Bruce standing in the doorway.

“Mr. Howell.”

“Andie, we’ve known each other twenty years. When are you going to call us Bruce and Rose?” He sighed as he leaned against the frame.

“Sorry, sir. Is everything okay with Lily and Lucy?” She felt her face heat up a smidge. She had never been allowed to call anyone by their first name unless they were closer to her age.

She had never called an adult Mom or Dad. They were always sir, ma’am, or Mr. and Mrs.

“Yeah, Rose and I want to talk to you before we head home today.”

She threw the rag in the washer she had next to a dryer in the corner of the kitchen. “Sure, I just finished cleaning,” she said and headed over to the metal swinging door.

Bruce followed her, and they joined Rose on the pink cushioned chairs.

“So, what’s going on?” she asked as she looked at the older couple.

Bruce and Rose glanced at each other and then back to her.

Rose reached out to grab her hand and said, “Well, we and Maisy and Todd wanted to let you know we know why Candice and Caleb chose you, and we agree. We’re all too old to be running after a baby like Lily.

“She’s always on the go now, and we can just imagine how she’ll be as a toddler and everything else, and we’re proud of the way you stood your ground with Eli.

“We think once he realizes his dedication is to the ranch and not to a baby, he’ll understand why Caleb and Candice chose you as well. He’ll get over it. Just keep standing your ground, and don’t let him scare you.”

“He doesn’t. He’s got one hell of a temper, but I’m not afraid of him,” Andie said with determination. It was good to know Rose, Bruce, Maisy, and Todd supported the decision.

“Good, now the next part is we’re thinking about trying to move closer. We have a lot to figure out, but we want to be close to Lily, Lucy, and you so we can help you when you need it,” Bruce said.

He reached out and squeezed her hand tightly. “And, if Eli Cameron gives you any trouble, you call me, and I’ll come set him straight.”

Andie gave a small smile. “Thank you.”

“Are you sure there isn’t anything else that you want?” Rose asked, searching her eyes.

“Actually, there’s an afghan Candice was making for Lily. I’d like to have it, and if it’s not finished, I’d like to finish it for her and give it to Lily when she’s a little older.”

“Was it pink?” Rose asked.

“Yes, and different greens. It was going to be camo.”

“I know exactly where it is. Come on, Bruce.” Rose stood and picked up Lily, who seemed okay with it.

Andie got Lucy, and they left the bakery. They made their way to the U-Haul they had loaded up.

Rose directed Bruce to which box it was in, and he managed to pull it out and stepped out of the back of the U-Haul, closing the door. He handed the afghan to Andie.

“Thank you,” she whispered as she took the somewhat dark-pink blanket with the different shades of green in little circle clusters in diagonal lines. It looked finished.

Rose moved closer to her and hugged her tightly before they headed back to her house.

Bruce and Rose kissed Lily and Lucy, then hugged Andie. “If you need anything, just call us,” Rose whispered to her.

Andie nodded and watched as they climbed into the U-Haul and drove away.

ELI

Eli was out checking fences, but his mind was on Andie and everything that was going on. He sighed heavily.

She’d let him hug her yesterday and touch her, but that didn’t mean he was in the clear from how he had treated her the day they found out Caleb and Candice were gone and the day of the funeral at the house.

He ran a hand across his face and head, wiping the sweat from his brow. It was going to be a hot one today. He was debating on whether or not to go see them again today.

But he had an excuse. He had to deliver the pictures she wanted of her Lucy, Lily, and Candice. A smile touched his lips. Yeah, he wanted to see all three of them again.

He made his last round of the pastures and headed back to the barn. As he unsaddled his horse, Dale Hank came around the corner.

“Hey, boss. How are things?” he asked carefully.

Everyone knew how the littlest of things were setting him off. “Good. Fences all look good. I’ve got to run a few things to Andie, so I’m going to head over there in a few.”

“Okay, we’ll handle everything here. Give Lil a kiss for me,” Dale called over his shoulder as he exited the barn, running a hand over his short black hair.

Eli shook his head. It was crazy how close they had all gotten in the last year. The men were just as upset about Caleb and Candice. They all wanted justice for the loving couple.

He hated that there was nothing he could do to get it.

ANDIE

Andie just finished feeding the girls, changing them, and laying them down for their naps.

She changed into an old beat-up pair of Sketchers and put on her dingy gray sweatpants and a T-shirt that was just as old and ragged and had seen better days.

She headed out to the garage after grabbing the video monitor and checking on the girls one more time. She got her red lawnmower out, checked the gas, then started it.

She began with the strip between her house and the bakery, and the fresh-cut grass smell entered her nose.

She turned to make another swipe and jumped and screamed when she just about hit Eli with the mower as he stood in her path.

He walked around the mower and made her shut it off. “What’re you doing?”

“Mowing,” she said and gestured. Her voice had an “obviously” kind of tone.

“Well, I see that. Where are the girls?”

“Inside, sleeping.”

He raised a blond eyebrow.

She pulled the monitor off the side of her hip. “See?” She turned it toward him.

He looked over the monitor but still had a scowl on his chiseled, unshaven face.

“What’re you even doing here, Eli?” she demanded, pushing the excited feeling away that rushed over her, trying to take away the disappointment she had felt when he hadn’t shown up earlier.

He shrugged a little. “I came to give you the pictures you wanted, then heard the mower, so I figured I would investigate.”

He approached her and put one of his huge hands on the mower. “So, why don’t you go inside, and I’ll finish this up?”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Why don’t you go inside, and I’ll finish it?”

“Because you put in a hard day at the bakery and still have a full day with the girls. I’m free right now, so it makes perfect sense.”

“I don’t need help, Eli. I can do this. You’ve put in just as much work as me, if not more. I’m sure your jobs are not done there either.” She went to take hold of the mower, but he grabbed her hand gently.

Her eyes and head snapped up. Why did he have to be so tall and she so short? She barely came up to his chest and had to tilt her head pretty far back to look him in those yellowish, golden eyes of his.

He pulled her closer and laid his other hand against her back. “How about this is me making up for the two days I was an absolute dickhead to you?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Leaving me alone and not showing up to try to prove how irresponsible and unfit I am for Lily would be a perfect way to do that.”

“Andie…”

“No, I’m not so stupid I don’t know that’s what you’re trying to do here. I am not a bad mom to Lucy, so why would I be a bad mom to Lily? I know her pretty well. I can do this by myself, Eli,” she explained.

“I know, but you don’t have to.”

“Why can’t you accept that I want to?” she asked.

“Why can’t you accept a nice gesture?”

“Men and nice gestures don’t exist. It’s all just a load of bull.” She continued to glare up at him.

He pulled her even closer to him, and she laid her hands against his hard chest. She just about swooned but knew she couldn’t.

“What about with Candice and Caleb? That kindness was real. He absolutely adored her, and you know it,” he challenged.

“Fine. Kind gestures to me from men are a load of bull and nonexistent, and you do not adore me.” She tried to push away from him again.

“That’s because I was stupid and didn’t take the opportunities that Caleb gave me. I’m not trying to prove you’re bad for Lily. You love her. And, believe it or not, the opposite sex can be friends.”

He smiled, still not letting go of her.

Her body began to react to his hard, toned one. A little over a year and a half with no testosterone around could do that to a woman. Especially the kind this man put off.

She could see it ooze from his powerful, resilient muscles along his whole body, like some Greek god. And that was just gathered from how he pressed her body against his.

She took a deep breath. “But we’re not friends, Eli. The day at the station was the first time we’d talked since their wedding day, and that wasn’t a very long or intellectual conversation.”

“Then, let’s start over.” It seemed more of a demand than a request. “By letting me mow both properties.”

“Then will you go away?”

“Eh, guess you’ll just have to find out, won’t you?”

“Oh, you are so infuriating.” She pushed away from him and stormed back inside her house.

ELI

Eli chuckled as he watched the strong-willed spitfire storm away from him. He was sure she would have slammed the door if the girls hadn’t been asleep.

Getting under her skin this way was a little fun. He had noticed the way her breath hitched when he got so close to her, the way her eyes had shone right before she’d shut her emotions off.

But no matter what it took or how much she would push him away, he’d be there for her when she finally wanted and needed to break down.

Even a strong, determined spitfire like herself would need to have the option. He turned to the mower, started it, and took over from where she had stopped when he had scared her.

Which he hadn’t intended to do.

He got halfway done with the backyards and began to sweat.

So he turned the mower off, unbuttoned his white and light-blue plaid shirt, and tossed it onto one of the white plastic lawn chairs Andie had on the concrete patio and continued his work.

ANDIE

Andie checked on the girls and then headed to the kitchen. Just because she was comfortable out in the heat didn’t mean he was going to be.

She got out a pitcher from one of the oak cabinets and filled it with cold water from her long, curved chrome faucet, then she went to the pantry and pulled out the pink lemonade mix.

It wouldn’t be as good as fresh squeezed lemonade, but it would have to do for today. She grabbed a plain drinking glass from the cupboard. They were bigger than most glasses.

After throwing in some ice cubes, she filled the glass with lemonade and then made her way to the small sliding glass door that took her to the concrete patio off the back of her house.

She stood there waiting for Eli to turn around to notice her. When he seemed to catch sight of her, he changed direction and started mowing a strip that led over to her.

Her eyes widened in shock as his tan skin glistened in the sun, and his muscles rippled beneath his taut skin.

She gulped hard at the sight of his chest muscles and the tightness of his abdomen that narrowed into lean hips and long, muscular thighs.

She could see everything ripple, from his arms to his pectorals to those thighs of his, even though jeans covered those.

She felt her heart jump to her throat as he turned the mower, and his rock-hard body came toward her.

It took her a minute to find her voice as he tilted his brown Stetson up and hooked his thumbs into his front pockets.

His light-blue jeans hung on his hips a little, and she couldn’t help but follow the light-blond hair that traveled from his navel and dipped into his jeans.

She licked her dry lips, trying to moisten them.

“I brought you some lemonade,” she said, handing him the glass.

“There’s more in the fridge inside. Just help yourself if you want some more,” she whispered as he took the glass from her, and she spun around quickly, literally running back into the house.

She had never seen a man like him without a shirt on. Her face felt so hot as she pushed the door closed loudly. Her heart was beating a mile a minute.

She took off to her living room. He’s just a man, an asshat of a man, so don’t get worked up over it. There was no way she would get sucked into his maleness.

Just because he had masculinity, unlike Daryl, did not mean she would fall into his arms harder than she had with him. She had learned her lesson and would never repeat her mistake.

She sat down on the couch and put the video monitor onto the arm as she leaned against the comfy brown cushions.

As she sat there, her eyes began to get heavy, and she slowly fell asleep, her head tilted back against the cushion behind her.

ELI

Eli finally had both yards done and put the mower away in the garage, pulling the door down.

He headed into the kitchen from the interior garage door, taking the drinking glass inside. He almost wanted to get another glass but stopped when he heard soft crying.

He followed the sound to the living room, and when his sharp gaze landed on Andie, he rushed over and knelt in front of her. He shook her arm gently and said, “Andie, wake up.”

Her eyes snapped open, and she darted up from the couch, tripping over her feet and crashing into him. She knocked him down and landed on top of him.

She pushed against him, but he rolled her over, caught her hands in one fluid motion, and pinned them against the floor.

“Let go of me,” she demanded, still struggling beneath his rock-hard body.

“Andie, just stop. It’s okay. What happened?” He didn’t move, nor could either one of them break eye contact.

“Just get off of me.” She glared up at him, and in a flash, those gray eyes changed like lightning to hard steel.

“Andie, it’s okay. I’m not going to do anything. Was it a bad dream? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, Eli. Leave me alone.” She bucked her hips up beneath him, setting his body aflame as her curves met his hard plains.

“Fine.” He gave in and moved to his knees, helping her up. He didn’t need her feeling his instant desire for her.

“Are you done with the yard?” she demanded as she stood up and put distance between them.

“Yes, I am,” he answered just as Lily began to cry.

Andie went to the nursery with Eli right behind her, and Lucy began to wail a little.

He picked Lucy up, and she got Lily. Then they returned to the kitchen, where she prepared two bottles. She handed one to Eli without even thinking and began to feed Lily.

ANDIE

Andie was so angry with herself. She had fallen asleep and was again plagued with the dreams. She couldn’t get their bodies out of her mind, no matter how hard she tried.

It was becoming so normal to wake up in tears after a few short hours of sleep.

After the girls had eaten, she turned to Eli. “Thanks. Now you can go.”

“Andie.”

“No, Eli. I don’t want you here right now. I want to be left alone.

“Just let me call you later, and stop coming by here unannounced. It’s going to start a lot of drama, and neither one of us needs that right now.

“We can meet somewhere neutral and go from there for visits with Lily. Thanks for your help today, but I really just need you to go.”

His eyes hardened a little as he handed Lily over to her. “Fine.” He headed out to the patio, grabbed his shirt, and left.

Andie put the girls down in the living room to play as Eli stormed from the house. Surprisingly, he didn’t slam the door.

She pulled the curtain back slowly and watched the muscles along his back work as he marched over to his truck.

She didn’t want an enemy in him, but she also couldn’t keep letting him see her like this. It just wouldn’t go in her favor if he really tried to take Lily from her.

She needed to keep her distance from him. There was no other way around this whole mess. It wasn’t like she asked to be put in charge of Lily. She would do it to the best of her ability, but she did not ask for it.

And she didn’t ask for him to come barging into her life either, and the only reason he did was because she had his niece. However, he was very good with Lucy.

No, stop it. Men are no good, and just because he’s being sweet now does not mean a thing. Keep your distance from him. It’s what needs to be done.