Free Second Chance Christmas (The Colorado Cades) by Tanya Michaels Page A

moonlight snowshoe tour. Meanwhile, Arden had a last-minute change of child-care plans so I agreed to meet her here and take my gorgeous niece off her hands for a few hours.”
    “He’s a lifesaver,” his sister added. She stood a few feet away, stirring a packet of creamer into a mug of coffee. “My normal weekend sitter is a schoolteacher. She’s taking advantage of the two-week vacation to visit some cousins in Texas. My backup sitter is Jill Dennis, but she called this morning to say she was coming down with a bad cold. I couldn’t risk leaving Hope with someone who’s sick.” There was a note of anxious apology in her voice, as if she worried her clients would think her unprofessional for having her baby at the studio.
    “Of course you couldn’t let her stay with someone who’s ill,” Elisabeth agreed promptly. Although she and Arden were, regrettably, not as close as they’d once been, she’d heard about Hope’s first few days spent in a special incubator. She could only imagine how protective Arden must be of her child.
    Noting the garment bag draped over Steven’s arm and the small duffel he carried with accessories for varying outfits, Arden pointed him toward the changing room. “You can put those in there. There are already hangers on the rod if you need them, so everything stays unwrinkled and camera-ready.”
    “Can I hold the baby?” Kaylee asked, sticking both arms straight out in front of her.
    Justin lowered his voice to a friendly, confidential tone, as if he were sharing an important secret. “I’d better hold on to her—I’ve almost got her to sleep. You wouldn’t believe what a pain she is when she doesn’t get her naps. I mean, she’s crankier than Chef Bates when someone rearranges any of the supplies in his walk-in pantry.”
    Kaylee giggled, and Justin bent his legs so that he was closer to her height—albeit, not by much.
    “Here,” he whispered. “This way you can get a better look at her. Just remember, no touching. And keep your voice soft like mine.”
    “So she’ll fall asleep,” Kaylee agreed. “And not be a pain.”
    Elisabeth couldn’t help creeping forward for a closer look of her own. The infant was tiny, bundled in a fuzzy blanket, her head covered in an adorable hat that looked like a polar bear face. Beneath the baby’s sleepy eyelids, Elisabeth glimpsed the same blue-green color of Justin’s eyes. She could pass for his daughter . It was a bittersweet thought, imagining him cradling a child of his own against his broad chest. He looked like such a natural with his niece, but Elisabeth knew he had no intentions of ever becoming a father.
    Although he made jokes about being “the shallow Cade,” she suspected his aversion to building a family came from losing loved ones. Would he ever change? Would sufficient time pass for him to one day overcome his emotional baggage? Or would he perhaps meet a woman he cared for enough to face his fears?
    Whether it happened or not, she wouldn’t be around to see it. She’d be in California, embracing her future. Grateful she’d met a man dependable enough to offer her that future, she flashed a warm smile over her shoulder at Steven, who was being pretty gracious about running into Elisabeth’s ex for the second time in two days. He’d confirmed after Kaylee went to bed last night that Elisabeth and Justin had once dated, but he hadn’t seemed threatened by it. And why should he be? It was Steven’s ring she was wearing. Justin was the distant past.
    Although, he sure seemed to be popping up a lot in her present.
    Elisabeth stepped forward to make introductions. “Arden, this is my fiancé, Steven Miller.” Behind her, Justin began humming to the baby. Elisabeth assumed it was a lullaby but a moment later, as she accepted Arden’s offer of coffee, she identified the tune as “ Fly Like An Eagle .” She shot him an unamused glance, which he returned with a phony expression of boyish innocence.
    Smart-ass