Rebecca’s Cove

Chapter 21

Baylor spent twenty minutes in the bathroom, and she managed to worry herself into a frenzied state. She had never known it was possible to ruminate over so many topics in such a short span of time. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she ran her fingers through her wet hair and wondered once again how her life had gone so far off course since she’d been on Ana Lia.

She cautiously stepped from the bathroom into Hobie’s bedroom. A small pile of clothes sat on the end of Hobie’s bed with a note attached. “Mack must buy these things by the gross, but he assures me they’re freshly laundered.” Baylor grinned when she unfolded the Ana Lia Sheriff’s Department-issue sweatpants and T-shirt.

As she dressed, she thought about what, if anything, she should tell Hobie. Would they all be better off if she went back home and pretended she’d never been trapped on the island in the first place? Baylor had always had issues, especially concerning her love life. Years in therapy had shown her the source of her difficulties, but no amount of analysis had managed to exorcise the memory of the way her father had treated her. She knew that she alone had the power to change her inability to commit. The question was, did she have the nerve to take the first step? Would it be worth it?

She stepped into the living room and found the answer to that question directly before her. Hobie sat cross-legged on the thickly carpeted floor. She had changed into a royal blue sleeveless blouse and a pair of mid-thigh-length cotton shorts. Her bare feet tapped the floor in time to the music as she leafed through her CDs. Her shoulder-length auburn hair took on a deep, rich color that Baylor thought any runway model would envy. The sight of Hobie, so

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relaxed and beautiful, struck Baylor like an arrow through her heart.

Hobie looked up and into Baylor’s gaze. “Hey, you look like you feel much better.”

The bright smile disarmed Baylor. She had thought Hobie would be angrier, but she looked almost tranquil. “I feel cleaner, at any rate.”

“Good. How does your leg feel?” “Great, just great.”

“We ought to be able to take that cast off this week.” “Fantastic. No complaints from me there.”

Baylor wondered how long she could, or should, keep up the casual conversation. She had a feeling that if Hobie didn’t dig in and begin, they would still be standing in the middle of the living room the next morning. As fate would have it, Hobie read her mind.

“Baylor, why don’t you sit?”

Here it comes, Baylor thought. “If you don’t mind, I think I’ll just lean here.” She rested her backside against the edge of one of the four tall stools along the breakfast bar.

“I hope you agree that we need to talk.”

“Um, yeah. I guess I figured you’d be a lot madder at me than you are, though.”

“Mad?” Hobie got to her feet.

Okay,

maybe reminding her that she’s supposed to be mad is a bad thing. Shit, looks like she’s losing it now. Actually, she kinda reminds me of...well, shit...of me.

“I’m not sure you can appreciate just how mad I am at your actions tonight, Baylor. I’m pretty sure I don’t even know the whole story yet. I’m not certain I want to, but what I do know is enough to piss me off from now until the very moment that hell freezes over.”

She paced back and forth across the small living room. “The lack of faith, of trust that you must have had, either for me or Jules, to follow us around like—”

“Okay, now about that—” Baylor attempted to tell some small part of her side of the story.

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Hobie continued as if she hadn’t heard Baylor. “—like some sort of deranged stalker! This is crazy. You know, I turn around and there you are—”

“Well, in all defense—”

“I don’t know how much longer I can put up with this. You come into town and first you hate me, then you like me. I just—”

“Okay, I admit I’ve been a little inconsistent, but—” “Inconsistent?” Hobie acted as though she had finally heard

something that Baylor said. “You’ve turned me into a crazy woman. I don’t know what to think when I’m around you. I don’t know how to act or what to say. What do I wear? Do I put on perfume, or is that sending her some kind of a hidden message?”

“I like the way you smell. I mean, I like the perfume you wear.” Baylor offered a small grin.

“See what I mean? Baylor, you say things like that and it makes me think…God, I don’t know if I can do this. I feel so—”

Hobie’s eyes began to tear and that, as always, affected Baylor more than anything else could. She opened her ears and began to listen to what Hobie had been saying. When she heard the words, she finally understood. All the time she had been worrying about Hobie rejecting her, and here Hobie was afraid of the same thing. “You know, my life has a certain order to it. I’m usually very

in control,” Hobie went on. “I never thought I’d like you so much, but then you do something or you say something and I just don’t know how to describe how I feel anymore. I mean, one minute I—”

Hobie continued to babble, even after Baylor stood before her calling her name. Baylor placed her hands on Hobie’s shoulders. Baylor knew then that there would be only one way to do it, only one way to convince Hobie, as well as herself. For once in her life, she had to live and not just survive.

Baylor took one deep breath and kissed the girl.

It took a number of seconds for Hobie to realize that she was being kissed. Just as swiftly as it had begun, it was over. Baylor pulled back slightly to look into stunned green eyes. Hobie’s shock was short-lived, however. She felt the pull of Baylor’s loving gaze and the corners of her lips drew upward in a smile.

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In a synchronized move, Baylor’s hands went to Hobie’s waist as Hobie slipped her arms around Baylor’s neck. On tiptoe, Hobie returned Baylor’s kiss with more fervor. It wasn’t rushed, but slow and lingering, powerful in its intensity. It seemed as though each of them had waited a lifetime for that kiss. Oddly enough, Baylor felt as though this had all happened before. One kiss turned into many until the need for air pulled the two women apart.

“Wow,” Hobie said with a grin.

“Yeah,” Baylor said with a matching smile. She bent her head to eliminate the distance between them, and their lips met once more.

A soft warmth enveloped Baylor’s senses. Her brain swam as though she were high on drink. Hobie’s kisses brought her to a place she hadn’t visited in ages. It was a safe spot, a place where it was okay to feel vulnerable, to feel good, to simply feel. Had she ever really been there in any woman’s arms before Hobie? There was one time. There must have been. Kissing Hobie was so familiar. Baylor was certain she had felt this kiss before.

Her brow creased as she continued to share caresses with Hobie. When had Baylor experienced these feelings? Images flashed through her mind. A glass of wine tossed into her face...a smiling stranger...a hotel room...the hotel room where she awoke the next morning...a beautiful but unseen face...slowly coming into focus.

Baylor opened her eyes and abruptly pushed Hobie away, holding her at arm’s length. “You! It was you!”

She didn’t have to say more than that. Hobie knew what Baylor meant. She had hoped she would never have to explain the situation, but then again, she had never expected to be making out a second time with Baylor Warren.

“If you’re talking about Chicago, yes. It was me.” “I-I don’t understand. I looked for you!”

“Oh, right.” Hobie laughed.

“Really. I had Jules trying to find you.” “Wow, she’s good.”

“Why didn’t you say anything when I got here?”

“Excuse me, but if you think back, you’ll remember that you

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were less than pleased with me when you got to Ana Lia.” “Okay, I can see that, but wasn’t there some moment since

then that you could have mentioned you spent the night with me?”

“When was I supposed to say that? ‘Um, yes, I think we’ll be putting on a walking cast today, and oh, by the way, did I mention that I was the woman you passed out on in Chicago?’”

“I can see where timing was probably an issue.”

“You do remember that nothing happened between us. Nothing, you know.”

“I figured as much when I woke up fully dressed.”

“I suppose I should admit that having you not recognize me when you got to the island wasn’t very flattering or good for my self-esteem, I might add. Part of me was disappointed, but the other part was happy.”

“Happy?” Baylor asked in confusion.

“I think you know that I don’t do things like take women back to my hotel room.” Hobie smiled. “Well, at least not in a strange town. I guess I was embarrassed. I felt like some major slut.”

“That’s about the furthest thing from my mind when I think of you.”

“What do you think about...when you think of me?”

“I think about how wonderful you are, what a caring, loving woman you are. How special you make people feel, without doing anything out of the ordinary. I think about what a great mom you are, and I think that everyone in this world should be so lucky as to spend time with you. If they did, they’d discover what I already know. That no one comes as close to absolute beauty as you.”

“Boy, have I got you fooled,” Hobie said self-consciously. She shook her head. “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into when you get me.”

“Do I?” Baylor reached out and let her fingertips slide against Hobie’s tan cheek. “Get you, I mean.”

Hobie smiled at yet another perfectly phrased response from Baylor. “I’m thinking you’re pretty much stuck with me. I love you, Baylor.” Silence hung in the air after Hobie’s last statement. “It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way. I—”

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“No, but I do. Feel the same way,” Baylor hurriedly added. “Oh.” Hobie let out a sigh of relief. “Wow.” She indicated

with her eyes and a subtle tilt of her head that Baylor should carry that acknowledgment a step further.

“Baylor,” she said at last. “Are you sure you feel the same way? Because it’s okay if you don’t. I’ve just been so afraid to be the first one to say it that I guess it all came out at once. If you need time to—”

“No, really. I-I...” Baylor wore a pained expression. “Do you really have to hear the words?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yes, I really have to hear the words. I need the words.” “Okay...here goes. Hobie, I-I—”

Suddenly, Baylor’s face became ashen. She felt as if there was a tremendous weight on her chest. She looked down in terror as she felt her left arm go numb. “Oh, my God.”

“What?” Hobie asked in fear.

“I think I’m having a heart attack.”

Hobie had seen many an MI during her residency. It was always possible that Baylor was indeed having one, but Hobie’s expression said it was doubtful.

“I can’t feel my arm.” Baylor looked down at the limb in question. “Holy shit, I’m gonna die.”

Hobie rolled her eyes, then sharply pinched Baylor’s arm. “Ow!”

“Did you feel that?” “Yes, damn it. That hurt.”

“Then your arm isn’t numb, you’re not having a heart attack, neither are you about to die. See how that all works? You have to actually feel nothing to say that your arm is numb.”

“I can see why you got out of medicine with a bedside manner like that.” Baylor rubbed the spot where Hobie had pinched her. “That was hard.” Her face formed into a childlike pout.

“I bet you don’t feel like you’re having a heart attack anymore, though. Do you?” Hobie asked with a smile.

“You are not a nice woman.” Atiny smile formed on Baylor’s face. “I love you, Hobie.” Just like that, she said the words, before

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she had the chance to think about them any longer. She didn’t want to wait to see what her father’s memory would whisper in her ear. She shrugged off the ghost for the first time in her adult life and it felt good. Damn good.

It only took that simple admission to open the floodgates of emotion for Baylor. She pulled Hobie into her embrace and kissed her with a passion that made their previous kisses seem ordinary in comparison.

“I want you to stay here tonight,” Hobie breathed against her neck.

“Yes, oh, yes.” Baylor murmured her assent as she and Hobie lowered themselves as one onto the overstuffed couch.

“Oh, yes.” Hobie moaned as Baylor’s weight pressed on top of her. “Ow, ow.”

“What?”

“Your cast. Watch where you’re swinging that thing.”

“How about you on top?” Baylor could think of no delicate way to put it.

“Good idea.” Hobie squirmed as Baylor slid her back against the couch. “Hmm.” She paused. “You sure you’re ready to give up the power and control of the top position?”

Baylor grinned. “I’ll risk it. Now where were we?”

“Right here.” Hobie covered Baylor’s mouth with her own. “Mmm.” Baylor moaned. Suddenly, the groans became short

and sharp. “Mmm-mmm!”

“What?” Hobie finally translated the sounds to mean Baylor was in pain.

“Don’t put your hand there, it hurts.”

Hobie immediately lifted her hand and pushed up Baylor’s T-shirt. Just underneath her ribs was the beginning of a nasty bruise. “How on earth did this happen?”

“Putt-putt course,” Baylor said as she tried to get Hobie’s mind on other things with her caresses. “I think it was the swinging monkeys. One of them waylaid me.”

“God, Baylor,” Hobie said, still examining the large bruise. Baylor’s hand slipped under Hobie’s blouse and snaked around her waist, stroking the smooth skin. “Oh, God, Baylor!” Hobie

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exclaimed again, with more enthusiasm this time.

“Ow! Just don’t lean over that way,” Baylor directed, unwilling to end her kisses.

“Hey!” Hobie cried. “Okay, now you’ve got my hair.”

“Ow, shit! Sorry, baby, but the cuts on my hand sting. Let’s try this...” Baylor tried to move out from under Hobie so they could at least lie on the couch, facing each other.

“Ouch!” Hobie cried out as a strand of hair caught on Baylor’s ring.

“I almost got it...just a sec...there, that wasn’t too hard. Whoa!” Baylor had moved a little too far toward the end of the couch. Her weight carried her until she was lying flat on her back on the floor.

“Jesus! Are you okay?” Hobie asked in alarm. It was apparent to Baylor that Hobie was trying hard not to laugh at her, especially before she found out if she had injured herself.

“Who, me?” Baylor tried to appear casual. “Oh, yeah. Cushy carpeting you have in this place. I’m getting used to falling, actually. I think there’s an art to it.”

Hobie covered her mouth to stifle her laughter.

“I feel at this point I probably should make something very clear,” Baylor said. “I don’t usually run into this many problems when making love. It usually goes much smoother than this.”

Hobie burst into laughter at last. “Are you always this...this...” She searched for a word that wouldn’t offend Baylor.

“Clumsy...a klutz?” Baylor finished. “That’s the funny part. I’m considered downright graceful by most people. This seemed to start when I arrived here on the island. For some reason, it appears to be accentuated whenever I’m around you.”

Hobie leaned over the side of the couch and reached a hand down to stroke Baylor’s cheek. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

Baylor responded with a sloppy grin. The term of endearment made its way straight to her heart. “Um, you could come down here. It’s pretty comfy.” She patted the carpeted floor.

“I have an idea,” Hobie began. “What would you think if I said I wanted to wait?” She crinkled up her nose as if expecting a blow.

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“You don’t want to?”

“No! That’s not it at all.” She brushed a stray lock of hair out of Baylor’s eyes. “I do. Trust me, I do. I just want it to be...I don’t know, not perfect, but damn close. I was thinking if we waited until I took that cast off and when you healed up a little bit—”

“Not a long bit?”

“No, sweetheart, not a long bit at all.”

“Sounds practical, which kind of sounds like you.” Baylor grinned. “I guess I should—”

“I don’t want you to go, though. Would you still stay tonight?”

“Think we can manage it without killing each other?” “I’ll take my chances.”

“Then yeah,” Baylor said softly. “I want to, if only to be next to you.”

“I can arrange that. Come on.” Hobie slid off the couch and helped Baylor to her feet.

Hobie led Baylor to the now familiar bedroom. “Do you want to sleep in these?” She gently tugged the drawstring on Baylor’s borrowed sweatpants.

“I think if we plan on just sleeping, then I’d better. It’s that no-underwear thing again.”

“Spoilsport,” Hobie said with a teasing smile. “I’ll be right back.”

Hobie returned a short while later, her face freshly scrubbed and her breath smelling of mint. Baylor had seated herself on the end of the bed, unsure of where to go from there. Hobie stood in front of Baylor and it seemed the most natural thing in the world for Baylor to slip her hands around Hobie’s slim waist.

“This is my usual sleep attire.” Hobie looked down at the faded blue Chicago Cubs T-shirt. “Is it going to...bother you?”

Baylor swallowed at the sight of the white lace bikini underwear that peeked out from under the shirt. She pulled Hobie closer to her. “I think if you were wearing flannel from head to toe, you’d still turn me on.”

“You always know just what to say to me.”

“I am a writer, after all,” Baylor said with a pretentious air.

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Hobie rewarded her with a slow kiss. A slight wince and a pained moan from Baylor alerted Hobie to stop where she was. “No strenuous activity for you tonight,” Hobie said, ignoring the charming pout on Baylor’s face. “I’d say a week before all those bruises heal.”

“A week?” Baylor nearly shouted. “Five days?”

“Actually, I meant seven. There are still seven days in a week, right?” Hobie scrunched up her face and began counting with her fingers.

“Four.”

“I said seven.” “Wait...five.” “Seven.”

“Six!” Baylor pleaded.

“You’re under the mistaken impression that taking advice from your doctor is like an evening at Sotheby’s.”

“Oh, please. Come on, baby...” Baylor ended the thought by running her hands along the backs of Hobie’s thighs, pulling her closer.

“Oh, no, you don’t.” Hobie laughed as she extracted herself from Baylor’s suddenly octopuslike grasp. She had been seconds away from giving in to Baylor’s sensual bargaining.

“One thing you better learn right now.” Hobie held Baylor’s chin in her fingers. “I already know how charming you are, and I know how much you like to use that charm, Baylor Warren. That sexy little pout and those magic hands may have worked on those girls you went out with before…we are talking before, right?”

Baylor held up three fingers in a Scout salute. “I only have eyes for you.”

“Good,” Hobie said as she grinned slyly. “As I was saying, that routine may have worked with the girls, but you’re dealing with a woman now.”

“Don’t I know it.” Baylor returned the smile and the light kiss that Hobie had placed upon her lips.

She settled into bed, propping a pillow under her cast. After she got comfortable, she opened her arms and nodded to Hobie, whosnuggledagainst her as though they had been doing it for years.

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“Good night,” Hobie said as she kissed Baylor’s neck. “Night,” Baylor responded. She kissed the top of Hobie’s

head. She thought Hobie had already fallen asleep when she heard her lilting laughter. “You okay?”

“I was just wondering...” “Yeah?”

“I wonder if I could get a copy of the security tape from putt-putt. You know, to see the bird when you—”

“Good night, Hobie Lynn,” Baylor said through clenched teeth.

Hobie didn’t say another word, but long into the night, Baylor heard her occasional chuckle.

“Mmm, you okay?” Hobie asked as she felt Baylor slip back into bed.

“Just had to make a pre-dawn pit stop.” She carefully situated her cast so that she could roll onto her side and curl up behind Hobie.

“Feels good,” Hobie mumbled sleepily as she felt Baylor’s body against her own. “I forgot to warn you that I have to get up later and cook Noah breakfast.”

“Won’t your mom fix him breakfast?”

“It’s a Sunday tradition. Noah likes a disgusting breakfast, his favorite treat, so I make them on Sundays.”

“What’s the treat?” “Chocolate-chip pancakes.”

“Really?” Baylor said excitedly, lifting her head off the pillow.

Hobie turned slightly to look into Baylor’s face.

“It’s chocolate. Chocolate always sounds good,” Baylor said defensively.

Hobie rolled back over and mumbled into her pillow. “You and Noah will get along famously. He likes chocolate almost as much as you do.” She felt a soft and unexpected kiss on her neck as Baylor settled against her.

Baylor was surprised at how natural it felt to be lying there with Hobie. There wasn’t any of the usual discomfort related to

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sleeping in the same bed with someone for the first time. We must be meant to be, she thought before she drifted off to sleep again.

Sunrise came sooner than she thought possible. “Arturo, get off my stomach,” she commanded sleepily.

A giggle followed Baylor’s command.

“It’s not Arturo,” Noah whispered. “It’s me, Noah. Noah Allen.” He lifted Baylor’s eyelid with a tiny index finger. “You in there, Baylor?”

“No, there’s nobody home.”

Noah laughed again. “Yes, there is.”

Baylor struggled to open her eyes, with some success on the second attempt. “Hey, Bubba. Why are you so wide awake at this hour?”

“Pancakes.” He said the word, then smiled his large, toothy grin before pushing his glasses up. “Mom makes ’em.”

Hearing Hobie’s name, Baylor looked to the other side of the bed. Hobie lay asleep on her stomach, buried under a mound of sheets and blankets.

“Tell you what.” Baylor lowered her voice. “Why don’t you and I start breakfast and let your mom sleep a few minutes longer? What do you say?”

“Do you know what my favorite breakfast in the whole wide world is?”

“Chocolate-chip pancakes, of course.”

Noah’s eyes widened. “How’d you know that?”

“I know everything,” Baylor whispered and winked. “All right, give me a few minutes and I’ll meet you in the kitchen. Deal?”

“’Kay. Baylor, do you know how to make pancakes?”

“I’ve never actually made chocolate-chip ones before, but how hard can it be, right?”

“Right.” The youngster smiled and clambered off the bed. As promised, it only took Baylor a few minutes to wash her

face and try to smooth out her morning hair. Hobie had left her a toothbrush, still in its packaging, on the bathroom sink. On her way out of the bedroom, Baylor couldn’t resist going back to the bed and looking down at the sleeping redhead.

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What a lovesick dyke I’ve turned into, Baylor thought just before she bent down to place a gentle kiss on Hobie’s cheek.

“Hmm?” Hobie muttered. “What time is it?” she rasped in a throaty voice.

“It’s really early. Go back to sleep.” Baylor kissed her again. “’Kay,” Hobie replied and instantly drifted back to sleep. Baylor almost laughed aloud at the resemblance between

mother and son. She walked into the kitchen to find Noah perched on one of the high stools.

“Mom always lets me sit here and watch. I could help, though.”

“Have you ever helped before?” Baylor asked hopefully. “Uh-uh.” Noah shook his head.

“Then I think it’s probably better to have only one person in the kitchen at a time who doesn’t know where anything’s at.”

“You go for it, Baylor.” Noah had a giant smile, as if he thought this was the most adventurous thing in the world.

Baylor reached out and mussed the boy’s hair. “You know it, Bubba.”

It took a matter of moments to realize she was in over her head. Now Baylor prided herself on her culinary abilities, but Hobie’s kitchen was a lesson in futility. It was difficult enough to find all the necessary utensils, let alone the ingredients.

“Doesn’t your mom have pancake mix anywhere? Or maybe flour?”

Noah shrugged.

Baylor finally admitted defeat when she found buttons in the flour canister and a can of baking powder that looked like it had last been used during the Carter administration.

“You sure your mom is the one who makes these pancakes you always have?” Baylor muttered to herself. “Okay, Bubba, I have an idea. Your mom likes her coffee as much as I do. I know a surefire way for us to wake her up. Where does she keep the coffee?”

Hobie smiled and stretched as the morning sunlight sliced across the bed. She breathed in and smelled the rich odor of freshly

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brewed coffee. That was when she recalled who else was in the house with her. She remembered a time when she would have dashed into the shower, brushed her teeth, and put on makeup before letting her new bedroom partner see her. She couldn’t understand why she didn’t feel that same urgency now. It all felt so natural with Baylor.

She replaced her sleeping shirt with a longer one and went in search of the source of the delicious aroma. “Good morning.”

“Mornin’, Mom!” Noah hugged Hobie when she bent to kiss his cheek.

“Morning, Mom,” Baylor added, holding out a steaming mug of coffee.

“Thanks. Nice hairdo you’ve got going there.” Hobie pointed out the cowlick that Baylor couldn’t keep plastered down.

“Speak for yourself, bedhead.” Baylor smiled and ran her fingers through Hobie’s unruly locks. She was surprised. She had expected Hobie to walk out of the bedroom, but she wasn’t sure who this woman was. The previous evening’s confessions had caused her to look different today. As sappy as it sounded to Baylor’s own ears, she thought Hobie looked much more angelic.

She leaned in for a kiss, only to have Hobie pull back ever so slightly.

“I, um...” Hobie began.

Baylor looked at Noah, who was calmly watching them. She hadn’t thought about him being in the room, but Hobie obviously had. “Oh, I’m sorry, I—”

“No! No, it’s not that at all,” Hobie said with an embarrassed grin. She set down her coffee cup and backed away toward the bedroom. “I haven’t brushed my teeth yet. Be back in a sec.”

Baylor chuckled. She leaned against the counter beside Noah and sipped her coffee. She turned to him. “Women. Go figure,” she said and shook her head.

“Yeah,” Noah agreed, shaking his head the same way.

Hobie returned a few minutes later wearing a sheepish expression. “Do you think it’s humanly possible for me to embarrass myself any more this morning?”

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“Not if you don’t count the fact that the back of your shirt is tucked into your underwear,” Baylor said casually.

“Aw, geez!” Hobie exclaimed, her face turning red. She quickly reached around and pulled it loose. “I must look—”

“Beautiful,” Baylor finished. “Right, Bubba?” “Yep! You look beautiful, Mom,” Noah added.

Hobie leaned her forehead against Baylor’s chest as Baylor wrapped her arms around her. “Thanks, guys. You two are good for my ego.” She tugged on Baylor’s T-shirt to get her attention. “Hey, you. Come on down here.”

Baylor bent down and Hobie sweetly kissed her lips. Noah giggled and Baylor opened one eye, finally pulling away. “What are you laughing at, huh?”

Noah pointed at Baylor. “You like Mom!”

“I do not!” Baylor winked at Hobie and mustered up a false expression of disgust.

“Do too. Baylor and Mom, sittin’ in a tree k-i-s-s-i-n-g...” “Oh, now you’re gonna get it.” Baylor moved toward the boy

just as he leaped from the chair.

Hobie watched as the two ran screaming and laughing through the house. “Hey, who wants chocolate-chip pancakes?” she asked after a few moments.

All action in the living room stopped. Baylor had let Noah pin her to the ground, but both turned their heads and answered. “Me, me!”

I’m not sure whether I just gained a lover or another kid, Hobie thought as she moved around the kitchen. The thought frightened her, but then again, the future always frightened Hobie.

She smiled as she listened to Baylor and Noah in the other room. How often did a woman find a partner who loved her child and whom her child loved in return? Did some kisses and a declaration of love necessarily mean a lifetime commitment, though? Would Baylor move to Ana Lia? Could she? Hobie thought about Chicago. The city was wonderful, with opportunities unavailable anywhere else, but did she want to raise Noah there?

Hobie sighed deeply. Now she wondered if falling in love with Baylor was a good thing.