Free Claiming His Brother's Baby by Helen Lacey

she replied and stepped a little farther into the room. “Weak. I guess I’ve been out of it since yesterday?”
    “Pretty much,” he said and pushed up from the chair effortlessly. Oliver didn’t protest, but instead seemed to snuggle closer to his uncle. “He was restless,” Tanner explained and gently touched the baby’s head. “And he seems to like this.”
    She smiled warmly. “Thank you for taking care of him.”
    Tanner met her gaze. “That’s what family is for, Cassie.”
    Her throat tightened.
Family.
It had been so long since she’d thought she had anyone to call family. With her grandfather’s slide into dementia and Doug’s continued absence from her life even though she’d considered them a couple, Cassie had felt very alone for the past few years. Oliver’s arrival had changed that of course, but he was a baby and needed her 24/7. To have someone to rely upon, to
need
someone herself, was a different kind of feeling. Not that she
needed
Tanner. Not at all. But he’d said they were family...and for the moment, while she was feeling so weak and weary, it made her feel a little less alone.
    “How about I put him in his crib and then make you some herbal tea?” Tanner suggested quietly.
    Cassie nodded. “That would be good.”
    Careful not to wake the baby, he slowly got out of the chair and came to stand beside her. Cassie’s heart rolled over when she gazed into the face of her sleeping son and she touched Oliver’s head gently. Glancing up, she saw Tanner watching her with a kind of blistering intensity and the look made her insides quiver. His eyes were dark and hypnotic and she was quickly drawn into his stare. So close, with only Oliver between them, she was more conscious of him than she had ever been of any man in her life. There was a connection between them...a link that had developed over the past few days. And it wasn’t simply about Oliver.
    This was something else.
    This was physical attraction...pure and simple.
    An attraction she’d always been able to ignore. Until now.
    “Be back in a minute,” Tanner said, breaking the visual connection.
    He left the room and Cassie let out a long breath. There was nothing right or reasonable about her feelings. Nothing she could say to herself that would assuage the heaviness in her heart. He was Doug’s brother so desiring Tanner was out of the question.
    He returned about ten minutes later and Cassie was sitting on the sofa, legs curled up, her chin resting in one hand. He came into the room with a tray and placed it on the small table beside the sofa.
    “I heated some soup,” he explained and passed her a mug. “You should probably eat something.”
    Cassie took the mug of warm broth and smiled. “Thank you. You’ve been very kind.”
    He shrugged loosely, as though he was embarrassed by her words. “It’s nothing.”
    That wasn’t even halfway to the truth. She managed a wry smile. “Ah...how did I get into these pajamas?”
    “Lauren,” he explained. “She was here this morning.”
    Cassie nodded a little. “Oh, I don’t remember much of today.”
    “Her fiancé checked you out and she organized the medication you needed. She also suggested taking Oliver home with her for the night, but I thought you’d prefer he stay here.”
    “I do,” she said quickly, hating the idea of being apart from her baby. “And you stayed?”
    He shrugged again. “It seemed like the right thing to do. You were in no condition to look after Oliver last night and today.”
    She was tempted to thank him again but sensed it wasn’t what he wanted to hear. Instead she sipped the broth and settled back into the sofa. It was strange, she mused, how comfortable she was being around him. She hadn’t expected it. On the two occasions they’d met before she’d always had her guard up, and always felt as though Tanner had, too. But this time was different. There was no one to hide behind. No one to whisper words about how unfriendly and