Colton Christmas Protector (The Coltons of Texas #12)(56)
“Well, I...”
“Just accept my offer to drive and get your coat.” He hitched his head to the door of the kitchen where Nicholas, red faced and sniffling, had just appeared. “When you’re ready to go, I’ll meet you at the Range Rover.”
Her shoulders dropped in defeat. “Will you move his car seat, then?”
“I’m on it.”
Pen had her son bundled in a blanket and her own coat on in short order, and once Nicholas was buckled in his car seat, she rewrapped him in the blanket.
“No coat for him?”
“New studies say it’s not safe.” She tucked the ends of the blanket under his feet. “The car seat straps won’t be snug enough with a coat on him.”
Why hadn’t he known that? As a police officer, he’d been required to stay on top of safety regulations and warnings in order to enforce not only the law but to advise the public of the safest practices. He’d allowed his attention to such matters to lapse in recent months. He didn’t have a kid, so why bother following safety seat recommendations? Except that he had new nephews and/or nieces on the way. A new generation of Coltons to look out for and protect.
As well as Nicholas.
They got on the road, and Reid angled the rearview mirror so he could better see Pen’s son. Even before they made it all the way down the long bumpy driveway to the highway, the toddler had quieted to a snuffle and was trying to see the night-darkened view out his window.
A sensation like the warmth and satisfaction of that first sip of hot coffee on a cold morning filled his chest. Affection, he realized. Because whether he wanted to admit it or not, he was growing attached to the little boy. Nicholas’s endearing grin, wide and insightful eyes and infectious laugh had burrowed into Reid’s heart and taken root. Even his crying spells and tantrums didn’t irritate him the way they had in the first few days. He’d begun to understand how the toddler ticked and what precipitated a meltdown.
But along with the mellow tenderness that filled him, a stark edginess crept in at the periphery, as well. Reid had a new appreciation for the demands of parenting. The job of raising a child was huge, never-ending and quite possibly, even more pressure-packed than being a policeman. As a detective, Reid could go days or weeks without facing an emergency situation where he literally had a person’s life in his hands. But a parent was responsible for their child’s life every minute of every day. Feeding them, keeping them from getting hurt, keeping them clean and warm and happy...
Not to mention how a parent’s example, interactions and instruction shaped their child’s personality, outlook on life and preparedness for the future. Just considering all the ramifications made Reid’s hands sweat, even in the cold car. He rubbed his palms, one at a time, on his chest. He wasn’t ready to be a father. He cared deeply for Pen and appreciated her son in a new light, but how could he tie himself down to that mountain of responsibility and pressure?
“Are you mad at me?” Pen asked softly as she gave him a long, scrutinizing look.
“Huh? No. Why?”
“You just looked so...upset. You were scowling and so quiet. I thought maybe you were angry at me for defying you and insisting we drive out.”
“No. It’s not that. I’m...” he flipped up one palm on the steering wheel “...just thinking.”
“For what it’s worth,” she whispered, peering into the backseat, “it’s working. His eyes are getting droopy.”
Reid checked the mirror and smiled at Nicholas’s efforts to fight sleep.
By unspoken agreement, he and Pen remained silent, allowing the whir of the tires and light sway of the vehicle to lull Nicholas. When he did ask Pen a question about how soon was too soon to return to the lake house to ensure the boy stayed asleep, he got no response. Glancing her way, he found her head lolled to the side and her lips parted slightly in sleep.
He smiled and resisted the urge to stroke her cheek for fear of waking her. She needed her sleep as badly as Nicholas did. He knew she’d been restless and had had trouble sleeping over the past several days. The whole situation with her father, the attempt on their lives and the stress of caring for Nicholas in a new environment were weighing on her. He’d seen the circles under her eyes grow darker each day.
So he kept driving. He’d drive all night if it meant she got some much needed rest. He used the time to ruminate on his own concerns and plans. Repairs he needed to make at the lake house, the unsolved case of his missing father, the next steps in proving Hugh Barrington’s deceit and corruption. He needed to get a copy of Hugh’s phone records. He still needed to see if he could link a known hit man to the fictitious Mareau Towing, where the sizable bank draft had been sent on the day of the gunman’s attack. He needed—
“Reid?”
He whipped his head toward Pen, who blinked sleepily at the scenery out the window. “Why are we here?”
He brought his attention to where he’d driven and groaned. The fences of the farthest pastures of his family’s ranch whizzed by and the turnoff to the mansion loomed in the distance. He snorted his wry amusement. “Autopilot, I guess. I wasn’t really thinking about where I was.”
She gave him a reluctant glance. “Do you want to stop in as long as we’re here?”
“Naw. I’ve got nothing particular to report to them. Nothing to pick up.” He craned his neck to check on Nicholas. “Besides, little guy is asleep. Let’s just head back to the lake.”