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“You’re not scared of a little tiny baby, are you?”
    He scowled. “Of course not.”
    “Come on, then,” she said, grabbing his hand and propelling him into the nursery. “You can rock her. Look at that face. You can tell she’s getting ready to wail again. She’s been keeping the other babies up.”
    Before he could stop her, Lizzy had him gowned and seated in a rocker with the baby in his arms. He stared down into those wide blue eyes and felt something deep inside him twist. Oh, this was dangerous, all right. If he’d been able to thrust her back into Lizzy’s arms without looking like an idiot, he would have.
    “She’s beautiful, don’t you think?” Lizzy asked, gently smoothing the baby’s wisps of hair.
    A lump formed in Hardy’s throat. He was prettysure he couldn’t possibly squeeze a word past it without making a total fool of himself. He nodded instead, rubbing the back of his finger along the baby’s soft cheek. She was…amazing. It was the only fitting word he could think of. Since he’d never considered marriage, he’d figured fatherhood was a moot point. Holding this precious little girl in his arms, he was beginning to realize that he was actually sacrificing something incredible.
    “Here comes her mama now,” Lizzy said brightly. “Don’t you two be fighting over her.”
    She beckoned to the woman who was gazing through the window. Hardy took one look at the baby’s mama and wanted to flee. She was every bit as beautiful as he’d remembered, every bit as much of a shock to his system. If he hadn’t been holding her baby, if Lizzy hadn’t kept a hand clasped on his shoulder in a less-than-subtle attempt to keep him in place, if it wouldn’t have been the most cowardly thing he’d ever done, he would have leaped up and run like crazy.
    Lizzy made the formal introductions that had been skipped the night before, gave them both beaming smiles, then took off and left them alone, clearly satisfied by a sneaky job well done. Hardy awkwardly got to his feet, then gestured toward the rocker.
    “After what you went through a few hours ago, you should be sitting down,” he scolded.
    Trish gave him an amused look, but she dutifully sat. He all but shoved the baby into her arms. For amoment, with her attention riveted on her daughter, neither of them spoke. Eventually she sighed.
    “I still can’t quite believe it.” She looked up at him. “Thank you.”
    “No thanks necessary.”
    “You handled it like a real pro. Are you in the habit of delivering babies by the side of the road?”
    “No way. This was a first for me. Can’t tell you how glad I am that I didn’t foul it up. What were you doing out on a lonely stretch of highway in a snowstorm, anyway?”
    “Running away from home,” she said wryly. “It’s a long story.”
    And one she clearly didn’t want to share. Hardy pondered why a woman in her twenties would need to run away from home. Was it that husband she’d said didn’t exist that she was leaving? If so, getting to know her any better would just be begging for trouble. He twisted his hat in his hands, then asked, “Does that mean you’re not from around here?”
    “Yes. I’m just passing through.”
    To his surprise, her reply actually disappointed him. Because he wasn’t wild about the reaction, he backed up a step. Entranced by the daughter, intrigued by the mother, he was likely to do something he’d regret. In fact, if he wasn’t very careful, he might be crazy enough to suggest that she stay on just so he could sneak an occasional peek at that little girl growing up. The words might pop out despite his best intentions to steer as far away from them as possible from this moment on.
    “Ought to be going now,” he said in a rush.
    She reached out a hand, but he was too far away for her to make contact. The gesture was enough to bring him to a halt, though.
    “Oh, no you don’t,” she said firmly. “You and I need to talk.”
    “About the