Josey closely and seemed to be weighing every move the older woman
made.
Caleb reached for the hot coffee. Before either Jessica or Cole could
react, Josey moved the cup out of his reach.
"Can the little imp have a cookie? I just made some fresh. They've
got nuts in them, though, and some babies don't like nuts. What about
some ilk? I've got plenty."
"I'm sure he'd like some milk and a cookie, " Jessica answered. "But
he'll make a mess. Will you mind? " "No, of course not. He's too
young not to be messy, " she added.
"Have you folks had your supper yet? I could fry upţ" "No, we've
eaten, " Cole hastily interjected. "But thanks for offering.
"I'm not at all hungry, thank you, " Jessica answered.
"Tom, could I have a word alone with you for a minute? " Cole asked.
The sheriff led the way into the living room. Caleb was still a little
suspicious of his strange surroundings and wouldn't let go of Cole. He
handed him to Jessica, winked at her, and then left the room.
Jessica wrapped her arms around her baby and held him protectively
against her. The kitchen was clean. She noticed there wasn't a speck
of dirt anywhere. Josey was obviously a good housekeeper, but if she
and Tom agreed to look after Caleb, would she be able to keep up with
him?
And would she be patient?
She wished there were more time for her to find out everything she
needed to know. She was relying on Cole's judgment, but he was a man
and he wouldn't have the concerns a mother had. He trusted the
Nortons. She didn't, at least not yet, and she wasn't going to leave
an innocent baby in the hands of fiends.
They weren't monsters, though. The kindness in Josey's eyes told her
she loved babies. She'd already taken to Caleb, and he was quickly
warming up to her. Granted, his thumb was still in his mouth, but he
was smiling at her.
What did he know? He was just a toddler. It was up to her to make
certain he was well cared for, and, oh, God, how could she leave him
with anyone? No one could love him the way she did.
Josey put a plate of cookies on the table. She poured two glasses of
milk, the taller one for Jessica and the smaller one for Caleb, then
sat down across from her and let out a loud sigh.
"It sure was hot today, wasn't it? " "Yes, it was, " Jessica agreed.
She smiled at Josey and tightened her hold on Caleb when he tried to
scoot off her lap. "You have a lovely home."
"You've only seen the kitchen, " Josey said with a chuckle.
"Do you have children? " "No, we don't. We always wanted a large
family, but we just weren't blessed. I've taken care of a bushel of
nieces and nephews, and I sure do know my way around babies, but I've
got a longing in my heart to raise some of my own."
"You could still have children. How old are you? " It was a bold
question, but Josey didn't seem to mind. "I'm too old to start having
babies. Why, I'm going to be forty-seven next month. It seems kind of