It Must Be Christmas Read online

  Chapter Four

  The sky was overcast when Dave crawled out from beneath the covers. He hadn’t slept much, though that wasn’t entirely surprising after his exciting evening. He might as well get up and get on with his day rather than lie in bed.

  The shower was hot and he dressed quickly in the cold air of the cottage, pulling on jeans and a thick sweater. God, he’d forgotten how raw and unforgiving an East Coast winter could be. There wasn’t any work today to keep him busy, so he bundled up, scraped the windshield of his SUV, and headed into town.

  The only thing open this early on Sunday morning was the café, so Dave stopped and bought two large coffees and a selection of pastries before heading up a street to the clinic. Maybe Charlie wasn’t even there anymore, but he felt uncomfortable with how they’d left things last night. He hadn’t exactly kept his interest in her a secret. Looking at it now, in hindsight, he could understand why she’d backpedaled when she found out about his kid.

  Lights were on inside when he arrived, so he cradled the tray holding the food in one hand and tapped lightly on the door with the other. Moments later Charlie came out of an exam room, the baby on her shoulder and a bottle in her hand. Her usually neat-as-a-pin hair was disheveled and sticking out of a frayed braid, and she had bags under her eyes. Clearly it hadn’t been a good night for her either.

  She shifted the bottle, turned the dead bolt, and stood back so he could open the door.

  The office was warm, and he hurried in and shut the door behind him before he let in too much icy air. “Good morning,” he said softly, peering over her shoulder at the baby. His tiny eyes were closed and his fingers pinched the soft fabric of her sweater. “Rough night?”

  “He’s asleep now, isn’t he?”

  At his nod, she sighed. “Little bugger. Kept me up most of the night and now he’s out. Typical.”

  Dave let out a soft laugh. “Can’t blame a man for wanting your attention all night,” he joked, delighted when her cheeks colored a bit. “Here. I brought coffee. And very-bad-for-you white flour and sugary things.”

  “I take back all the bad things I thought about you last night,” she said solemnly, reaching for the bag. “Let’s go to the kitchen. I’m not sure if I dare put this guy down or not.”

  Once in the kitchen, Dave put down the tray and stripped off his jacket. Charlie looked up at him with naked yearning in her eyes. “Can you take him while I have something to eat? I feel like I’m going to keel over, and he can stay nice and cozy. And quiet.”

  She slid the baby into his arms without waiting for an answer and immediately moved to the counter, grabbing one of the coffees and opening the paper bag, peering down inside before selecting a rather large apple Danish. Her first bite was huge, and glaze clung to the corners of her mouth.

  Dave had a lot of thoughts about kissing that glaze from her lips. And if he hadn’t been holding a baby in his arms, he might have. But if—when—he kissed Charlie, he wanted to have his hands free so he could put his arms around her and hold her close.

  He looked away, taking a deep breath. She wasn’t the kind of woman a man played with. He should probably just let well enough alone. Still, thinking about her was better than thinking about the baby in his arms and how the weight felt foreign and familiar at the same time. At least the little guy wasn’t crying. Dave figured he’d be okay as long as the baby slept on.

  “Let’s go into my office,” she suggested. “I have my desk chair and there’s a decent armchair there too. I’ll bring the stuff and you can have some coffee. It doesn’t look like you got much sleep either.”

  He frowned, following her down the hall. “It doesn’t?”

  She shook her head, and he watched the ratty braid move back and forth. “It’s in the wrinkles around your eyes. And you showered this morning but you didn’t bother to shave.”

  He hadn’t. He knew a day’s growth of stubble was on his cheeks. More than that, she’d noticed. Despite how exhausted she was, she’d noticed all that about him in the space of a few seconds. It was flattering as hell.

  Her office was extraordinarily tidy, just as he would have expected, and she pulled the padded chair closer so they could use her desk as a table. He eased himself into the upholstery, careful not to wake the baby, and reached for the thick paper cup.

  Charlie sat in her chair, took another healthy bite of Danish, and watched him with keen eyes.

  “What?” he asked, after several seconds had ticked by.

  “I’m trying to puzzle you out.”

  “Never a good idea. I’m a complicated man.” He grinned at her, trying to dispel her solemn gaze, but it was no good. She was focused now.

  “You’re good with babies.”

  “Why is it so important to you?”

  She paused then, furrowing her brow a bit. “You mean, your personal life is none of my business.”

  “I wouldn’t put it that bluntly…”

  “But that’s what you mean.”

  Awkward silence settled over the room. Finally he spoke again. “No, I don’t mean that at all. It’s not an easy thing to talk about. I get that you’re curious given that we … that I … started something.”

  “That’s part of it,” she agreed.

  He wasn’t immune to the lovely feeling of warm baby curled up against his sweater. “You’re a tough woman, Charlene Yang.”

  “Thank you.” She smiled and took a satisfied sip of her coffee.

  “You want the truth? All right. Here it is. Anyone I go on a date with wants to know who Dave Ricker is. Coming right out and admitting I have an ex and a daughter … that can be intimidating. I’m not just a guy. I’m a dad.”

  “And women are turned off by that?”

  He was saved from answering by another tap at the front door.

  Thanks to the coffee, pastry, or a bit of both, Charlie looked slightly revived as she said, “That’ll be the social worker. Hang tight.”

  She was back moments later with a middle-aged woman who identified herself as Marissa Longfellow. She looked kind, like a schoolteacher, and smiled at the sight of Dave holding the baby in his arms.

  “He certainly looks contented,” she noted.

  “He likes Dave,” Charlie replied. “He fell asleep right away last night when Dave held him inside his jacket. Then Dave went home and it seemed like he cried for hours.”

  Marissa laughed. “Sounds about right. All of mine went through a stage at this age. For three or four weeks they’d be up in the middle of the night and just wouldn’t settle. And then poof. One day they got their days and nights the right way around and I’d start getting good sleep. Or at least a good chunk of sleep at a time. Well, let’s see to the official paperwork, shall we? I have those papers for you I mentioned, Dr. Yang, and then we’ll be good to go.”

  “Dave, are you okay here for a few minutes? He’s so contented at the moment.”

  “No problem. I’ll just drink my coffee and we’ll have some male bonding time.” He smiled up at her.

  They left the office, and he took a sip of coffee then put the cup back on the desk. The baby in his arms took a deep breath and let out a sigh. Dave adjusted his hold so the little guy was cradled just right, then slid down in the chair a little so that his head rested against the padded back and his legs stretched out comfortably. He closed his eyes. He’d missed these first moments with his daughter and he could never get them back. But he didn’t regret the choices he’d made since. It had meant giving up being a SEAL, but it also meant being part of his daughter’s life as she grew up, and that was more important.

  * * *

  Charlie came back for the baby and stopped in the doorway to her office, her heart catching at the sight before her.

  The baby was lying on Dave’s wide chest, still sound asleep, while Dave’s rough hands held him snug and safe. A soft snore broke the silence. Dave had fallen asleep too, and it was as sweet a picture as she’d ever seen.

  “Dave,” she said