Free When Lightning Strikes Twice by Barbara Boswell

I get Quint to either take Brady or stop Austin.” Sarah looked morose.
    “Brady down. Brady go! Go down now!” Brady demanded, bucking and rearing and nearly unbalancing the petite Sarah.
    “Stop it, Brady! Bad boy!” his nanny scolded.
    The child began to howl, keeping his arms and legs in constant motion, even more desperate to be free.
    Sarah appeared ready to cry, too. Still clutching the vigorously protesting Brady, she turned tear-filled eyes to Rachel. “What am I going to do? I saw Austin headed down the street with his BB gun and I know he’s going to shoot out the windows in that vacant house at the end of the block, but I can’t drag Brady down there ‘cause I’ll need both my hands to—”
    “Austin is Carla’s older child,” Rachel recalled, trying to make some sense of Sarah’s desperate monologue. “And he has a BB gun? Which he uses to—er—shoot things?”
    The girl nodded, sniffling. “Quint talked to Austin about not, well, vandalizing property after the cops caught him shooting out streetlights, but now Austin’s real upset, and who can blame him? I mean, his brother and his dog are in his house that’s on fire and—”
    “Could you get the BB gun away from Austin, Sarah?” Rachel cut straight to the point. “Before anything happens?”
    “Sure. I have four brothers, plus I’ve been baby-sitting for half of Lakeview since I turned twelve. I know exactly how to handle Austin Cormack.” Sarah’s confidence was unshakeable.
    “Then why don’t I take Brady while you—uh—disarmAustin,” Rachel suggested quickly. “I agree that having the police catch him shooting out windows would be more than this family can cope with right now.” She looked at the small, wailing, flailing figure of Brady Cormack. “Do you think he’ll let me hold him?” she asked uncertainly.
    “He’ll have to!” Sarah dumped the toddler into Rachel’s arms. “I’ll go after Austin. Thanks, Rachel.” She took off down the street.
    Brady stopped crying the moment he landed in Rachel’s arms. The two of them eyed each other tentatively.
    “Hi,” he said, his lower lip quivering.
    Rachel melted. He was only a baby! And she liked children; her little niece was one of her very favorite people. “Hi, Brady,” she said softly. “Do you want down? Do you want to walk?”
    While that had definitely been his goal when restrained by Sarah, now Brady appeared to be reconsidering. He remained still as his little hand touched Rachel’s cheek, then he curled his fingers around the small gold stud she wore in her ear.
    “Earring,” said Rachel.
    “Ear-ring,” Brady repeated. “Lunch?” he added hopefully.
    “You want to eat an earring for lunch?” Rachel launched into the type of nonsense game she played with her small niece. “I think I want a hamburger and french fries and a soda for lunch.”
    Brady laughed appreciatively, catching the humor. Quick as lightning, he closed his teeth around Rachel’s earring. “Eat ear-ring for lunch.” He licked her ear like a puppy.
    “I bet that tastes yucky,” Rachel said jovially, not minding the baby drool on her ear and neck.
    “Yucky!” Brady sang out. He bounced up and down in her arms, beaming from ear to ear.
    Rachel smiled, too. He really was an adorable child, as cute as her little niece, which was very cute indeed. He had thick blond hair, dark brown eyes, and a deep dimple in his left cheek. Rosy cheeks and tiny white teeth and a darlingsmile. She felt ridiculously happy to be holding him and hoped that Sarah took her time confiscating Austin Cormack’s weapon.
    “Do you want down?” she repeated the offer, remembering his earlier determined efforts to achieve freedom. “Do you want to walk?”
    “No!” Brady settled himself more comfortably against her. “Carry me,” he ordered grandly.
    “Yes sir. Whatever you say, sir.” She grinned at his two-year-old confidence. He’d expressed his wish and expected it to be fulfilled. And