They stopped next to Holden’s UTV. The older man swung down from the seat and walked over to Cordy’s side.
“So this is your baby.” Holden peered into the carrier. His creased face screwed up in concentration.
“Yep.” Cordy held out one of the carrier straps to show off Madeleine. “Isn’t she cute? Aren’t you, baby?”
Madeleine frowned at her from under her white sunhat. Next to them, Chance watched his father the way he would a strange dog, searching for any sign of aggression.
“Isn’t she cute?” Chance demanded when Holden didn’t say anything.
Cordy reached out and touched his forearm. There wasn’t any need to defend Madeleine from his dad, although she understood why Chance was doing it.
Holden ran a rough hand over the baby’s head. “She doesn’t look anything like Chance.”
“Yeah,” Chance drawled, “that’s why she’s cute.” His gunfighter stance eased a bit.
Holden sighed. “I guess she wouldn’t, though.”
Cordy couldn’t tell if Holden was disappointed by that or not. “She looks like Reed to me. Her eyes, her nose—those are his.”
Holden studied Madeleine. “Yeah, I can see that. Reed took after Bob.” He looked up at Cordy. “But she favors you too.” He smiled. “She’s a beautiful baby.”
“Thank you.” Cordy couldn’t help but smile back. “My dad said she looks like his father. My grandfather.”
“Huh. Couldn’t say, never met him.” Holden sounded tired. “Your dad coming to visit?”
“Probably not.” Cordy kept her voice light, but Chance squeezed her shoulder anyway.
“Well, Bob Saxon’s here, so she’s got one grandpa close.”
She held her breath. So Holden didn’t consider himself Madeleine’s grandfather. Beside her, Chance was humming with tension. Did Chance think of himself as Madeleine’s dad? Cordy knewshefelt that way but had no idea what was going through Chance’s head. He certainly had done everything a dad would do for Madeleine.
“This baby has a lot of people who love her here.” Chance’s tone was rough. “We need to get going. We don’t want to be out when it gets hot.”
“All right.” Holden gave Madeleine's hair one last caress. “Thanks for letting me meet her. She’s a good baby.”
“It was good to see you,” Cordy said as Holden walked away.
Once they were out of earshot, she asked Chance, “Will he be okay getting back on his own?”
Chance’s face screwed up. But then, he paused. He watched Holden’s side-by-side as it rumbled away, his expression solemn and young all at once.
“He got old,” Chance said, almost to himself. “I didn’t see it until I saw him with Madeleine.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I mean, I know he’s sick. He’s been sick for years. But old…” He shook his head. “He’s oldandsick.”
“I’m so sorry.” Cordy wished she could make things different for him. And for Holden.
Chance slung an arm over her shoulders and pulled her and the baby close. “I’ll be fine. It could have gone worse.”
“It wasn’t bad at all. He… he doesn’t seem confused about Reed and Madeleine anymore.”
“A rare moment of clarity.” Chance started the UTV. “He doesn’t have many of those.”
“Did you ever get sick of it? Raising your younger brothers all on your own without his help?”
He stared at her. “Taking care of my brothers is nothing like caring for you and Madeleine. Don’t think I’m worn out or burned out by you two.”
A silly, useless hope filled her chest. “I mean, you already raised two kids on your own.”
“Not really. It wasn’t like Quint and I had these big heart-to-hearts with Lane and Rye about growing up or how to live or any of that. It was more like we were only doing what we could to keep everything together. If Lane and Rye were alive at the end of the day and not in CPS custody, then that was enough. That was all we could do.” Chance reached out and cupped Madeleine's head. “It’s not like that with her. Even with the sleep deprivation.”
