Free Baby's First Homecoming by Cathy McDavid

think it’s a good compromise.”
    “You’re my best friend, Clay. There isn’t anyone else I want to stand up for me at my wedding next weekend.”
    Ethan’s words warmed Clay. “I feel the same.”
    “The thing is, if you hurt my sister or her boy, it won’t matter how good a friend you are.”
    Clay wasn’t bothered by the thinly veiled threat. If he were in Ethan’s shoes, he’d want to protect his sister and nephew, too.
    “For the record, I don’t plan on hurting either of them.”
    Ethan’s grin, normally ear to ear, didn’t reach his eyes. “Okay. Because I’d hate to have to hunt you down.”
    * * *
    S IERRA WAS TOO BUSY with Jamie to pay much attention to what Clay and her brother were saying. Something, however, must have changed for they were suddenly serious and, this was odd, posturing.
    Really? Men!
    She knelt down in front of Jamie so that their faces were on the same level.
    “Hey there, handsome.”
    He ignored her, twisting his small body sideways to face Clay, his left arm extended.
    “It’s Mommy. Come on, look at me.”
    Jamie did, for a second. Then, his attention returned to Clay.
    Not far away, a golden retriever stuck his head out of a parked truck window and barked.
    “See the doggie, Jamie?”
    He didn’t care.
    Sierra gave up and stood, not liking her son’s fixation with Clay. She and Jamie were newly bonded, and she wanted to be the one he reached for. The one able to soothe him when he was distressed. The center of his small universe.
    What would happen if—more likely, when—Clay was granted joint custody? Sure, he was an eager parent now. More than eager, almost obsessive. That could change. The Stevensons had been eager parents in the beginning, too.
    Sierra would do whatever was necessary to protect her son from hurt and rejection. But how?
    Live and work here, she supposed. That would enable her to stay close to Jamie, including the days Clay had him. She might even be able to convince him to postpone taking Jamie overnight until they were more settled, and she was on firmer emotional ground.
    Jamie’s excited chatter alerted her to Clay’s presence behind her.
    “Sorry about that,” he said, his apology directed at Sierra but his disarming smile all for Jamie.
    And it was disarming. She’d basked in it often two years ago when, for a very short time, he’d forgotten all about Jessica.
    Jamie’s fidgeting returned Sierra to her senses. Thank goodness. She didn’t need to be thinking about Clay’s smile and how she’d basked in it.
    Before she could dig Jamie’s toy pony out of the diaper bag, Clay reached into his pocket and handed Jamie his set of keys.
    He’s learning, she thought. Clay might turn out to be a good father after all. Maybe even a better father than she was a mother.
    Sierra bit down hard, determination overriding her insecurities. Jamie would love her so much he would never blame her for giving him up temporarily.
    “Ready for the rest of the tour?” Clay asked.
    She gripped the stroller handle and forced a smile. “Let’s go.”
    He showed her the arena, bucking chutes, roping chutes and holding pens. Beside the bank of aluminum bleachers stood a two-story wooden structure with a staircase on the outside. Instead of windows, the second story was open on all four sides.
    “Above is the announcer’s stand.” He opened a door on the ground floor and flipped on a light switch. “This is the first aid station.”
    She noted the room appeared well-equipped and neatly organized.
    “It used to be my office, but I moved that to the barn after Caitlin started working for me.”
    Sierra had recently learned Ethan’s fiancée, a licensed nurse, ran the first aid station for Clay during events. It was another reminder of how out of touch she’d become with her family.
    She had to rectify that. She loved and needed her family. They would be all she had on the days Jamie spent with Clay.
    “Can I see the office?” she asked, a heavy