The Lawman's Baby

  He’s in over his head...

  And calling for backup!

  Police officer Mike McMann is always cool under pressure, but taking custody of his infant nephew has left him in a cold sweat. Coming to his rescue is social worker Paige Stedler. Paige gives him a crash course on parenting—and a tempting glimpse into a life beyond the badge. But is Mike ready to trade in his SWAT team aspirations for a white picket fence?

  “He’s very sweet...”

  Mike smiled hesitantly. “I don’t know how to take care of him, and that scares me a whole lot. I’m better with perps and bad guys than I am with babies.”

  “I can see that,” Paige said wryly.

  “I can pay you for your time,” Mike added. “Basically, I’ll need to get some sort of childcare arranged, but in the meantime, I’m looking for someone to take care of Benjie while I’m at work, and to teach me everything I need to know.”

  It should be simple—a few baby-care lessons and a little baby minding for a couple of weeks. Maybe it would help her get out of her head so she could decide on what to do with the rest of her life. Was she sticking with social services, or was she quitting for good?

  “I’m not a long-term solution,” Paige said.

  Mike met her gaze, those gray eyes locking on to hers so powerfully that her breath caught. “I’m not looking for long-term. I’m just looking for some help right now while I get my balance. What do you say?”

  Dear Reader,

  When I write, I often think about my reader—what she might look like curled up in a comfy chair, sitting on a bus, standing in a long lineup somewhere—and what she might get out of the story I’m writing. If there is one thing I hope you feel at the end of this story, it’s brave! I hope you’ll feel courageous enough to take a risk when it really matters. Love is complicated and oftentimes messy. But it’s always worth it.

  I write for Heartwarming and Love Inspired here at Harlequin, and I hope you’ll check out my other books. You’re guaranteed to get sweet romance with a lot of heart!

  You can find me on my blog at patriciajohnsromance.com, on Facebook and on Twitter. I’d love to hear from you.

  Patricia Johns

  The Lawman’s Baby

  Patricia Johns

  Patricia Johns writes from Alberta, Canada. She has her Hon. BA in English literature and currently writes for Harlequin’s Love Inspired and Heartwarming lines. You can find her at patriciajohnsromance.com.

  Books by Patricia Johns

  Harlequin Heartwarming

  Home to Eagle’s Rest

  Her Lawman Protector

  Falling for the Cowboy Dad

  A Baxter’s Redemption

  The Runaway Bride

  A Boy’s Christmas Wish

  Love Inspired

  Montana Twins

  Her Cowboy’s Twin Blessings

  Her Twins’ Cowboy Dad

  Comfort Creek Lawmen

  Deputy Daddy

  The Lawman’s Runaway Bride

  The Deputy’s Unexpected Family

  His Unexpected Family

  The Rancher’s City Girl

  A Firefighter’s Promise

  The Lawman’s Surprise Family

  Visit the Author Profile page at www.Harlequin.com for more titles.

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  To my husband, my very own happily-ever-after. I love you!

  Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  EPILOGUE

  EXCERPT FROM SWEET HOME ALASKA BY BETH CARPENTER

  CHAPTER ONE

  PAIGE STEDLER WALKED up the front stairs to the Eagle’s Rest Police Department and tugged her coat a little closer. It was a chilly fall morning, and an eddy of wind whipped a pile of leaves against the police station front doors. The police chief had called her in as a special request. Everyone knew that Paige was on stress leave, but this wasn’t exactly related to her job as a Social Services agent. Or so the chief had assured her.

  She did feel a lot better than she had three weeks ago when she’d had her fifth panic attack while at work. But Paige wasn’t sure what the chief even wanted from her. Here was hoping it was just a form to sign or something like that. She pulled open the front door and headed into the station’s warmth. The receptionist, Ellen, shot her a smile.

  “Paige!” the chief’s voice boomed across the office.

  Paige returned Ellen’s smile on her way past and headed toward Chief Simpson’s office in the back. The chief was an older man with a potbelly and a demanding stare that softened when he waved to her. He strode across the bull pen and met her halfway.

  “Thanks for coming in, Paige,” he said, lowering his voice.

  “No problem.” It was only half a lie. “What can I do for you?”

  “We have a situation, and I think you’re the person we need. One of our new officers just became guardian of his sister’s newborn, and he’s overwhelmed, to put it mildly. He needs a hand getting used to child care. For a bit. Just while he sorts things out. And since you were on leave...”

  As if stress leave were paid vacation!

  “Why do you think I’m the only one who can handle it, Chief?” she asked.

  “You’re the best,” the chief replied.

  “I’m on stress leave,” she countered.

  “You’re still the best.” He met her gaze. “And your brother’s worried.”

  Paige’s brother, Nathan, was a cop, too, but he was stationed in a small town a couple of hours away. Serving the public was in the Stedler blood...except Paige didn’t seem to have what it took anymore.

  “You could ask pretty much anyone to help out with a baby,” Paige said.

  “This particular baby is pretty small, and he was born with cocaine in his system. He doesn’t seem to be going through any withdrawal, miraculously enough, but it’s still a touchy case,” he said. “And no one else is available. I did ask around, for the record. If not you, we’re moving on to some local grandmothers who might lend a hand, and I’d rather recommend someone who’s trained in social services. You have...more of the experience that we need, considering this infant’s shaky start.”

  “Oh.” Yes, that did make sense. Still...

  “Nathan’s not the only one who’s been worried about you,” the chief added with an apologetic shrug. “I know you pretty well, Paige, and I want to help you get back in the saddle. I’m guessing you want that, too, or you wouldn’t be here.”

  “Did you run this past Dana?” Paige asked with a teasing smile. Dana was Chief Simpson’s wife—twenty years his junior, short, slim, and with a mop of curly hair that set off a pair of sparkling eyes. She and Paige had always gotten along.

  “No,” he said, but he returned the wry smile. “She would have told me to mind my own business and let you deal with things your own way.”

  “So this baby care thing—this is for me,” she said.
>
  “Come see the situation,” Chief Simpson suggested quietly. “Meet the officer, the baby... And if you don’t want to help out, then no hard feelings and I’ll start talking to local grandmothers.”

  “And you can tell Nathan that you did your best,” she said.

  “Something like that. Unless you want me to tell him I tried but you’re not interested. I’m not going to push you into something you’re not ready for.”

  From across the bull pen, the soft cry of a baby filtered toward them, and Paige’s heart softened. A new dad and a new baby...complications aside, she was curious.

  “Let’s go,” she said, and the chief shot her a grin.

  “Thanks for this, Paige.”

  Paige followed the chief through the bull pen. A couple of officers who stood by the coffeemaker nodded at her. Three others were working at their desks. She knew most of these cops from various cases she’d been called in to. The chief led her to his office, and gestured her in first, then followed, shutting the door behind him.

  A large, muscular man sat inside, a baby car seat cradled in his lap. He looked to be around thirty, with short-cropped brown hair. His attention was fixed on the car seat he was holding in his lap. He was rocking it—the entire car seat—and the baby seemed to be settled again. He looked up, his steely gray gaze drilling into her. Paige glanced between the men.

  “Hi,” she said feebly.

  “This is Officer Mike McMann,” Chief Simpson said. “He’s just transferred over from Denver.”

  “Pleasure.” Mike reached out to shake her hand, and she was struck by the sheer size of him. His arms were thick with muscle, but as his broad palm engulfed hers, that iron gaze of his melted, and she caught a flicker of emotion under his professional reserve. And he looked—scared?

  From the car seat, another little mewling cry arose, and she bent down to get a closer look. Inside was a tiny newborn baby who couldn’t have been much over five pounds. He was swimming in a blue newborn sleeper that had been rolled up at the sleeves, but the legs just flopped empty underneath him.

  “This is my, uh, nephew,” Mike said hesitantly. “His name is Benjie. Well, Benjamin Alexander McMann. It’s kind of long for a guy this small, though.”

  “Benjie...” Paige bent over the car seat, and the baby squirmed again and wrinkled up his tiny face in a cry. “Have you held him yet, Mike?”

  “Um. Once. I put him right back, though.”

  “Once!”

  “I didn’t want to hurt him,” Mike said, eyeing her.

  “You won’t. He’s not that fragile. Babies are meant to be held—it’s good for them. They need the contact. Do you mind if I pick him up?”

  “No, that’d be fine.”

  Paige unbuckled the straps and lifted the tiny infant from the restraints. “You’re supposed to hold him as much as possible,” she said. As she pulled the baby up to her shoulder, Benjie instinctively nuzzled into her neck, tucking up those little legs underneath him. There was just something about that milk-sweet scent and the tiny rump in her palm that slowed her heartbeat down. She leaned her cheek against his downy head.

  She needed the contact right now, it seemed, and when she looked down at the baby, he opened his mouth in a tiny yawn. She smoothed a hand over that little back. He was thin—which was natural when a baby was born a few weeks early. He didn’t have any of that healthy newborn chub.

  “I kind of knew that, but he’s pretty little, and I’m kind of—” He looked down at his hands. “I’m in over my head.”

  “He’s your nephew, you said?”

  “Yeah. I only found out about him at one this morning. That’s when the hospital tracked me down. He was born four days ago. It took them that long to find me and to be certain that he wasn’t born addicted. He, um, had cocaine in his system.”

  “Yes, the chief filled me about that,” she confirmed quietly.

  “My sister left him after he was born,” Mike went on. “I’m her only living relative, so he’s in my hands now. I’m obviously working full-time, and add to that, I have no idea how to take care of babies.”

  “So you need to learn how to care for a newborn,” she clarified.

  “That among other things, I guess. I just need...” He shrugged weakly. “Help.”

  Paige could see that much. Mike looked down at the car seat in his lap, and then placed it on the floor. His movements were carefully controlled—she could see the police training in him as he kept himself contained in the chair that was too small for his muscular frame. He rose to his feet and rolled his shoulders, then let his gray gaze move over Paige, finally settling on the baby in her arms.

  “Did Chief Simpson tell you that I’m on stress leave?” she asked.

  “He mentioned that you had some time off,” Mike replied, glancing toward the chief. Yeah, she was sure the chief had explained more than that.

  “I’ve been working in Social Services for seven years now,” she said, “and I’m burned out. You should you know that up front. I need a break—desperately.”

  “And helping me out...isn’t exactly the break you’re looking for.”

  “Not exactly,” she agreed. The baby nestled closer against her neck, and she patted his back gently. He was so tiny and so desperately in need of love, and she looked over at the infant, her heart melting in spite of her. “He’s very sweet, though.”

  It was this sort of scenario that had drawn her to Social Services—parents in need of support, children in need of love. But there was always deeper heartbreak underneath, and that was what made this career so draining. She couldn’t fix it all. She couldn’t fix much actually. Everything she did for the good ended up hurting whoever was on the other side. There was never an easy right or wrong decision.

  Mike smiled hesitantly. “I don’t know how to take care of him, and that scares me a whole lot. I’m better with perps and bad guys than I am with babies.”

  “I can see that,” she said wryly.

  “I can pay you for your time,” Mike added. “Basically, I’ll need to get some sort of child care arranged, but in the meantime, I’m looking for someone to take care of Benjie while I’m at work, and to teach me everything I need to know.”

  It should be simple—a few baby care lessons and a little baby minding for a couple of weeks. Maybe it would help her get out of her head so she could decide about what to do with the rest of her life. Was she sticking with Social Services, or was she quitting for good?

  “I’m not a long-term solution,” Paige cautioned.

  Mike met her gaze, those gray eyes locking on to hers so powerfully that her breath caught. “I’m not looking for long term. I’m just looking for some help right now while I get my balance. What do you say?”

  * * *

  CHIEF SIMPSON HAD recommended Paige Stedler because he claimed she was the best. And looking at her with the baby nestled next to her chin, her undecided blue eyes meeting his, Mike had to wonder if this was a good idea.

  When the chief mentioned a Social Services agent on leave, Mike had figured she’d be older, and maybe a little less attractive. Instead, he was faced with a petite blonde, her hair loose and wavy around her face. Her blue eyes were expressive, and he could read all the concerns flitting through the clear gaze that regarded him.

  Paige broke eye contact and looked down at the baby again, adjusting him so that he lay in the crook of her arm. He looked snug and cozy in her arms—and she seemed so confident holding him. Mike had been scared that he’d drop the baby, or hurt him somehow. Benjie was just so small, with thin little arms and legs he was afraid he’d snap if he held him wrong.

  “Here’s what I can do,” she said finally. “You have me for three weeks, so make sure you line up some alternative child care for after that. In that time, I’ll teach you everything you need to know about baby care and help you get comfortable.
While you’re at work, I’ll take over, but when you’re home I expect you to be hands-on.”

  “Okay,” he agreed.

  “My stress leave is up in three weeks, so I’ll either be going back to work or tendering my resignation there,” she added.

  “You’re thinking of quitting?” Mike asked in surprise, then he softened his tone. “Sorry, I just thought—”

  “I have decisions of my own to make, is my point,” she said. “But maybe helping you with Benjie will get my feet wet again so that I can be sure of my choice.”

  Mike saw Paige’s gaze flicker toward the chief, whose eyebrows were raised. Color rose in her cheeks. Obviously, this was news all around. But it shouldn’t matter to Mike. She was offering him three weeks of help, and he was grateful.

  “Thanks,” he said. “I appreciate you being willing to give me a hand. All things considered.”

  “You’re welcome.” Paige looked back in control again, her confidence in place. She was so petite, but she intimidated him a little. Maybe it was that he needed her help so much. He was more comfortable in the role of rescuer than...this.

  “Take the day off,” the chief said, turning to Mike. “You can start fresh after you’re settled in.”

  “Thanks, sir,” Mike replied. He looked down at Paige, feeling better already. Until he figured this out, he’d have some support from someone who knew what she was doing when it came to infants.

  “If you’re willing to start now, we can head back to my place,” he said.

  “Sounds good.” For the first time, she smiled, and he was struck by how it transformed her face. She went from pretty to stunning, and he turned his attention to the car seat instead. He was glad she was willing to give him a hand, but he’d have to stop noticing just how attractive she was if they were going to make this work.

  He wasn’t sticking around Eagle’s Rest for long, anyway. This was a demotion, and everyone knew it. If he’d had a better relationship with the chief in Denver, Mike might have been able to pursue getting on to the SWAT team there, but things had gotten complicated between him and Chief Vernon. To say the least. If Mike stuck around Denver any longer, Chief Vernon would find some reason to write him up again, and his career as a cop might be over completely. Accepting this position in Eagle’s Rest was the smartest move under the circumstances.