She made her way to her kitchen, all the while holding Savannah. It was crazy how after only a handful of hours Katie had the ability to hold Savannah with one hand and work with the other. The task wasn’t effortless, and she was slow with the multitasking, but it was getting easier.

Behind her, Dean followed. What he was thinking was a mystery. Which was just as well.

“Who is she?”

“Her name’s Savannah.” Katie kept her back to Dean knowing he always caught her when she lied. “I’m watching her for a friend.”

“Who?”

“No one you know. Can you hand me a bottle from the fridge?” She hoped putting him to work would stop his questions.

Dean handed her a premade bottle, which Katie put in a pot of water on the stove to warm.

Savannah started to fuss and Katie found herself rocking back and forth to keep her quiet. “It will just be a minute,” she cooed. “Oh, I’ll bet you need to be changed.” They eat, sleep, and need to be changed. Welcome to motherhood. Monica’s words ran like a tape inside Katie’s brain.

“Watch this, will you?” Katie gestured toward the bottle before walking around him to tend to Savannah’s needs.

Back in her bedroom, she went to work on the diaper with a surprising smile on her face. Dean seemed to take the “babysitting” excuse. Why wouldn’t he? He certainly wouldn’t believe the truth.

Focused on changing Savannah into one of the few outfits in the diaper bag, feeding her, and then ushering Dean out the door, Katie outlined the next half hour in her head.

The tiny pajamas were kicked free of Savannah’s skinny legs. Katie leaned down to kiss her baby toes. What a precious gift. How could anyone give her up willingly? The thought never left Katie’s mind. Even in the stolen moments of sleep, Katie dreamed about a desperate mother walking away from her door in the middle of the night.

Then again, not all mothers were the same. Katie’s own walked away years ago, never looking back. Even before she left, Katie remembered the cold disapproval that hovered around her mother like an aura. Hell, Katie felt more love from her daddy’s housekeeper, Beth, and her Aunt Bea than she’d ever experienced from her mother.

What if the letter left by Savannah’s mother wasn’t really heartfelt? What if Savannah’s mommy wasn’t ready to be a mom and she left her baby and never even glanced over her shoulder again?

Katie dismissed the thought instantly. Too many fingers pointed to this mother’s desperate need to find a safe home for her daughter. The letter had said that Savannah would win Katie’s heart by morning, and by God, that’s exactly what had happened.

While Katie tucked Savannah into a lavender cotton shirt that snapped between her legs and fashioned a tiny skirt around the baby’s waist, she thought of all the supplies needed to care for a baby.

She needed more diapers, wipes, and formula. Certainly a few more outfits were in order and a bassinet. Sleeping in the middle of a king-size bed wasn’t safe. She could roll off and get hurt. Maybe a baby book with a list of expected milestones would be a good thing to have on hand. Monica seemed to know all about babies, but Katie wanted to understand Savannah’s needs so she could meet them.

Back in the kitchen, Dean had removed the bottle from the pan and stood holding it with a faraway look on his face.

“Is that ready?”

“Couldn’t tell you. But I’m pretty sure it isn’t supposed to boil.” He waited for her to sit down at her kitchen counter before handing her the bottle.

Katie tested the formula like Monica had taught her during the night. The milk was still a little cool, but Savannah’s fussing was turning into a full-blown Give me something to eat cry.

Once the nipple was in Savannah’s mouth, she quieted and sucked down the formula in greedy fashion.

“You know, for a tiny bitty thing, you sure do eat a lot.”

Savannah blinked her eyes, barely focused on the bottle in front of her.

“How long are you babysitting her?”

Katie swallowed and didn’t meet Dean’s eyes. “For today.”

“How long have you been watching her?” Dean leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Since last night.”

“You were at the wedding last night.”

Right. A post-midnight drop off wouldn’t sound good. “I mean the night before last. She doesn’t sleep for long, the hours kind of speed by.”

Dean nodded, his expression unreadable.

Katie shifted in her seat, uncomfortable under Dean’s stare. “Why are you here again?”

“In a hurry to get rid of me?”

“Yes, actually. I told you I wasn’t ready for visitors and now you know why. So be a doll and show yourself out.” The sappy sweetness of her voice with a little extra Texas twang usually produced exactly what she wanted.

Unfortunately, Dean wasn’t one to bend to her charms easily.

“You didn’t say anything about babysitting last night. I wonder why that was?”

“Go home, Dean.”

“And since when does a new mother leave an infant with a friend overnight? That baby can’t be more than a month old.”

“Two weeks.” Katie regretted her words the second they popped out of her mouth. Dammit, she really needed to shut the hell up.

“Has her cord even come off yet?”

Right, that’s why Savannah’s belly button was pink. Katie glanced down at her lap.