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met anyone as big and imposing as the man in front of her now, started to cry.
    Paige wanted to scoop the child into her arms, to hold her and hug her and promise her that the big scary man would go away and everything was going to be okay. But it was a promise she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep, so she stood motionless, helpless, while Zach squatted beside the teary child.
    He murmured softly to her, so softly that Paige couldn’t hear the words that were said. But despite the soothing tone, Emma turned away, tears tracking down her cheeks as she crawled over to where Paige was standing. Grabbing hold of her pant leg, she pulled herself up and hung on, peeking at the stranger from behind the shelter of Paige’s leg.
    Zach stood, too, and sighed wearily.
    â€œShe’s a little wary of strangers,” Paige told him.
    She expected he would again claim that he was her father, but he seemed to understand that even if that was true, he was also a stranger.
    â€œBut she warms up quickly,” Megan interjected, as if to reassure Zach. Then she ruffled Emma’s soft curls. “Don’t you, Em?”
    The little girl looked up at her and smiled shyly. Then, apparently bored with the adult conversation, she dropped down to the floor again and crawled back to the living room.
    â€œI want to get the paternity test done as soon as possible,” Zach told Paige.
    â€œAll right,” she agreed, biting back a more elaborate retort that would have let him know in clear terms that what she wanted was for him to descend into the fiery underworld.
    Megan sent her a look that warned her cousin that she knew what evil thoughts were lurking in her mind, then she turned to Zach and asked, “What are you going to do in the meantime?”
    â€œI had originally planned to fly out to California tomorrow, but finding out about Emma changed those plans.”
    â€œHaving the responsibility of a child changes everything,” Paige felt compelled to point out.
    He nodded. “That’s why I’ve decided to stay in Pinehurst until we’ve established Emma’s paternity.”
    He planned to stay in Pinehurst?
    Oh, this is not good, Paige thought.
    At the same time, Megan said, “That’s great.”
    Paige frowned at her, but her cousin refused to meet her gaze.
    â€œBecause caring for Emma has been a big responsibility for Paige to tackle on her own,” Megan continued.
    â€œI’ll gladly help in any way that I can,” Zach said.
    Paige didn’t need or want his help and the steely-eyed glare she sent in his direction told him so. But he wasn’t looking at her but at Megan, who rewarded his evident compliance with a smile.
    â€œAnd it would probably help ease Emma’s shyness if she got used to seeing you around,” she continued. “She’s in the living room playing, if you wanted to hang out in there.”
    â€œDo you mind?” he asked Paige, as if her opinion actually mattered.
    She forced a smile through gritted teeth. “No. Go ahead.”
    Paige waited until Zach had left the room to turn to her cousin. “I can’t believe you just did that.”
    â€œWhat I just did was ensure that Zach Crawford will see firsthand how good you are with Emma, how much she’s bonded with you, and realize how difficult it would be for her if he tries to take her away,” Megan said.
    â€œSo I’m supposed to believe that you did this for me?”
    â€œYou know that Ashley and I love that baby, too. Maybe not the way you do, but none of us want to see you lose her.”
    â€œYet you just invited the enemy to essentially set up camp here.”
    â€œIt’s not as if you could force him to leave town before he’s ready, and this paves the way for a cooperative, rather than an adversarial, relationship,” Megan said reasonably.
    â€œIf he is Emma’s father, he could take her away from me, so forgive me for not