Christmas in River's End

Prologue

She shushed the baby as best she could, but it wasn't enough. She wailed. Gingerly picking up the newborn, she tried to rock her. The bus they were on made that difficult. Not to mention her injuries. She could barely lift the kid without crying herself, but she suffered through it silently. Her daughter was more important. Fumbling in the diaper bag, she found the last bottle she had premade. It was cold, but again, on a bus, there was no way to heat the formula. An older woman sitting across from her curled her nose and it was all she could do to keep from flinging the bottle at her judgmental face. The old biddy had no clue what she'd gone through.

The baby settled once she'd eaten her cold supper and it was a relief when she dozed off. It made the last leg of the trip bearable. When the bus finally stopped, she gathered her purse, the diaper bag, and the car seat and descended into the bitterly cold winter air. She only had a little money, but she couldn't walk to where she was going. It was too cold for the baby. So she called a cab and waited for it in the shelter of the bus station.

She stroked the downy soft hair that graced her daughter's head. It was dark, and she knew the blue of her eyes wouldn't fade. Most babies had blue eyes when they were born, but since both she and her father had blue eyes, hers wouldn't fade. They might shift in color to match either hers or her father's, but the blue would remain.

She was such a beautiful little girl. A perfect blend of her and her father. The Christmas lights casts a red and blue shadow over the child's face, making her look like she'd been drenched in rainbow Kool-Aid. It brought a small laugh to her lips, but it was quickly doused knowing this would likely be the last happy memory she had of the girl.

The cab pulled up and she sighed. Best to get this over and done with. She gave the driver the address and strapped the car seat in. The baby didn't even rouse from her deep slumber. It amazed her what a sound sleeper her daughter was. Yet another thing to always remember.

The entire ride there, she debated if she was doing the right thing, but what choice did she have? She had no money, no place to go, no way to even feed her daughter after today. It broke her heart, but she had to put her daughter first. Had to make sure she was safe and well taken care of.

The cab came to a stop and she looked up toward the house lit up like a gingerbread house. His mother loved to decorate. Didn't matter what holiday, her home was always decked out. It was something she'd never be able to give her daughter, but this way the kid would grow up surrounded by the things that would make her happy.

She pulled out her phone and texted him to come to the door and then asked the cab driver to wait for her, she'd only be a minute. Unhooking the baby's seat, she gathered her things and moved resolutely, if slowly up the drive and onto the porch.

"I am so sorry, baby girl, but I have to keep you safe. Maybe one day I'll get to explain why I had to do this and you won't hate me, but for now, just know how much mama loves you."

The door opened and a familiar dark head appeared, followed by the star athlete physique that was Owen Hanes. Tall, dark, and broody. That was her first impression of him and one that still held true.

His eyes zeroed in on the car seat holding the most precious thing in the world to her. He frowned and then looked back to her.

"What..."

She thrust the car seat into his hands and dropped the diaper bag at his feet.

"I can't keep her," she rushed out. "She's two weeks old. Her birth certificate and all her other paperwork is in the bag. Please, Owen, keep her safe. I can't."

Before he could say anything, she turned and ran down the steps to the waiting car and told the driver to take her to town.

Looking back, she could still see Owen standing there staring after her. God only knew what he would do, but she hoped he would keep their baby girl.

Turning around, she don't bother trying to hide the tears. Her heart was broken, and it would never heal, but at least her daughter was safe.