CHAPTER 10

	As the days passed into weeks, Hannah found it wasn’t as difficult living under
the same roof as Cole as she had expected.  During the days, while he was at work, she
spent her time with Morgan, or puttering around the house.  Often, she took the baby for
short walks around the neighbourhood, and she was slowly getting to know her way
around.
	When Cole came home, he would take the baby while Hannah cooked them a
meal, and it became the most natural thing to see him with Morgan.  More than once,
Hannah had come into the living room in the evenings and found Cole stretched out in a
chair or on the couch, with Morgan resting on his chest, his big hands protectively
cradling her, and both of them sound asleep.
	At times, Hannah even felt like they were a real family, and she cherished those
moments.  Moments when they would stand at the nursery door together, in the dark,
watching Morgan sleep; or when they would both be stretched out on the floor beside
the baby’s blanket, Cole shaking toys or rattles above Morgan while she kicked and
gurgled happily. 
	At times like those, the only thing that reminded her that things were not ‘normal’,
was when she went to her own room at night, and he went to his.  Often she would lie
awake at night after going to bed before him, and listen to his movements, thinking how
he would have come to bed with her had they been a real family. 
	Not that she wanted to marry him.  She had never believed that any couple
should marry just because they had a baby together.  It wasn’t as if they had started out
in a normal relationship prior to this pregnancy!  They had been total strangers. Too
many couples who had been in relationships and had married out of a sense of duty
over an unexpected pregnancy had ended up split, and that wasn’t good either.  At least
she could say she had a comfortable house, and a partner to raise her child with her. 
The fact that she loved him would have to be kept in the background. 
	She had also made a fast friend in Claire, Cole’s cleaning lady.  Claire came in
on Tuesdays and Thursdays to clean the house, and Cole insisted that this was not
going to change despite the fact that Hannah was now living in the house. 
	“You’re not here to do the housework,” he told her.  “Morgan is your priority.”
	“But Morgan sleeps half the time,” she reminded him.
	“That will change,” he reminded her. “She’s going to become a handful once she
starts crawling, and then walking.  Claire is used to cleaning the house and there is no
reason why she shouldn’t keep doing it.”
	After the initial meeting, and once assured her job was not in jeopardy, Claire
warmed to Hannah quickly.  She was a woman in her sixties, with grown children and
grandchildren of her own, and she was delighted with Morgan.  Although there had been
the raised eyebrow and curious look when Cole had told her Morgan was his child, she
never once brought the subject up.  Instead, she made it her business to help Hannah
feel at home in the house.
	“Our Cole deserves a good woman like you!” Claire observed one day as she
moved about dusting the living room while Hannah sat on the couch feeding the baby. 
Hannah just smiled, but said nothing, and Claire went on.  “I was never so happy as I
was the day he told me that witch woman wasn’t going to be around the house any
more.”  She clicked her tongue and shook her head.  “That woman was made of stone,
mark my words!”
	“You mean Veronica?” Hannah said, remembering the name from the few  times
Ty and Cole had mentioned her.  
	Claire shuddered.  “Yes, that’s the one.  Wicked, wicked woman!  I heard what
she done to our Cole, and I’m so glad she’s gone! He was good to her, and he done
nothing to deserve that!”
	“Yes, Cole told me,” Hannah said, mostly in hopes that professing prior
knowledge would keep Claire from telling the whole sordid tale.  Claire shook her head
and unloaded the trinkets and photographs from the mantelpiece so she could dust
there. 
	 “She used to waltz in here like she owned the place and give me orders.  Do
this, Claire, do that Claire!”  The woman spoke in a high pitched voice and Hannah
nearly laughed at her.  “She was very demanding, especially when our Cole wasn’t
around.  That’s when she would look down her nose at me like I was just a servant and
didn’t deserve respect.  Now Cole, he never once treated me like that, and she minded
her ways when he was around, but I hated being in the house with her when he wasn’t
here.”
	“She didn’t live here?” Hannah asked, as she looked down at Morgan and
switched the baby to her other side.
	“Oh no!  She wasn’t going to move in until they were married.  Said it was
because of her father, had to be old-fashioned about it and not disgrace his name by
living together before they were married, although she did spend the night here
sometimes.” Claire frowned deeply and shook her head.  “Poor Cole! All along it was just
that she was fooling around with other men and obviously if she’d been living here she
would have had to make explanations for being away overnight.”
	Claire paused in her dusting and stared off into space as if she were recalling an
unpleasant memory, then shook herself and smiled, turning to look at Hannah and the
baby.  “But bless my soul!  I’m pleased as punch that Cole has found someone sweet
like you!  And that little angel — I’ve never seen him so happy in years!  Now, I don’t
poke my nose in his private life, but  I will say, he’s like a new man, completely revived
since you’ve come here, Miss Hannah.”
	“Thank you, Claire.”  Hannah smiled up at the cleaning lady, who was smiling
down at her and nodding, both hands on her hips.
	“I mean it Hannah,” Claire continued to nod. “I always thought poor Cole was cut
out to be a father, but that witch would have no part of having children, and he seemed
content enough to let her have her way.  My Lord, with her it was the best thing anyway,
because she would have made a terrible mother!  But Cole,  well, he’s always been so
good with children!  It takes a special kind of man to take on a rebellious teenager like
young Ty was and raise him into a respectable adult you know!”
	Hannah chuckled. “Ty mentioned he hadn’t been the best behaved teen.”
	Claire rolled her eyes. “Oh that be true! And he’s still the biggest practical joker
I’ve ever seen.  I have to watch my back when that one is around, he’s likely to jump out
from around a corner somewhere and give me a heart attack! He was always like that.  I
came to work for Cole after his parents died.   When he came home to look after Ty, he
needed a woman in the house to cook and clean.  I came in every day back then,
cooked their meals and cleaned up after them.  Ty wasn’t exactly tidy, if you know what I
mean!”  She laughed, and Hannah laughed with her. 
	“They got along well though, back then?”   Hannah asked. 
	“Yes, pretty well, considering.  Ty got a little rebellious trying to cope with his loss,
and Cole didn’t have time to dwell on it much because of trying to keep the company
going and looking after Ty.  You know, you might think a defiant boy like that would
resent his older brother telling him what to do, but Ty looked up to him, and I think deep
down, he knew they were in it together, just the two of them.  They were just two boys,
Cole fresh out of college with all those responsibilities thrust on him like that. He done
good with that boy!  Some people say he’s up to no good, that Ty, but naw, I don’t
accept that.  He doesn’t seem to take things seriously, but that’s just his way.  Even
Cole gets a bit frustrated with Ty, but he wouldn’t hurt anyone, and when it comes right
down to it, he’ll always do what’s right.   He’s a good man, and he appreciates what his
brother did for him, even though he don’t show it much.  Why, he was here right by
Cole’s side til all hours of the night getting that nursery ready while you and little Morgan
were in the hospital.”
	“Was he really?”  Hannah looked surprised, and Claire nodded again. 
	“Sure as day he was! I came in one morning and the two of them were here,
dead to the world til mid morning. They’d been up practically all night painting and stuff.
My but that nursery was so important to our Cole.  He wanted it all just right  before you
came home.” She paused and looked down at the baby that Hannah lifted up onto her
shoulder for a burp.  “And it’s plain to see why, with such a sweet little angel as that
going to sleep in it!”
	The baby began to fuss, and Hannah struggled to adjust her into a comfortable
position.  She looked down at the wriggling figure in her arms and sighed.  “She’s not
always as quiet as an angel though.  I think she’s colicky today.”
	Claire frowned.  “Let me take her a while, give you a break.”
	Hannah handed the baby to Claire and took a deep breath.  She watched as the
woman bounced Morgan in her arms and talked to her, and Hannah knew Claire must
be a wonderful grandmother.  She sat back and enjoyed a little bit of freedom while the
older lady walked the fussing baby around the room until she finally settled, and Claire
placed her in her basket in the corner of the room. 
	“Now, you take advantage of her nap to get some rest yourself,” Claire said, with
a smile.  “I’ll just go clean upstairs so the two of you can rest.”  Hannah didn’t have to be
told twice,  and  stretched out on the couch to rest.  Claire closed the curtains, and
quietly left the room.
	That was where Cole found her when he came home from work early.  She was
nestled under a blanket that Claire had brought down and covered her with after she fell
asleep, and he stood quietly in the doorway not wanting to wake either one of them. 
Just as he turned to leave them alone, however, Morgan wriggled in her basket and let
out a squeak, and Hannah instantly opened her eyes. 
	“Don’t get up, I’ll get her,” he whispered, as Hannah lay looking at him in surprise. 
	“What time is it?” she asked, glancing at her watch. “What are you doing home
so early?”
	“Things were going fine, I just wanted to come see Morgan.  I missed her this
morning; she was still sleeping when I left.”  He bent over the basket and picked the
baby up, hugging her to his chest as he  walked over to sit on the couch beside where
Hannah lay.  “How’s my little girl today, hmmm?” he asked, holding Morgan out so he
could see her face.  She gurgled and squealed, then screwed up her nose and let out a
shriek before opening her eyes and fixing them on his face. 
	“That was quite the protest!” Hannah chuckled.  “Maybe she needs a diaper.”
	Cole nodded. “I’ll take care of it.”  Then he looked down at Hannah with a tender
smile. “Have a good day today?”
	She shrugged. “I was going to take Morgan for a walk this afternoon, but I ended
up chatting with Claire, and then when Morgan went to sleep, Claire suggested I have a
nap too. I’m glad I did.  I must have been really tired.”
	“Well, we still can go for that walk, if you want to?”  Cole suggested.
	Hannah looked surprised. “You want to go with us?”
	“Sure, why not?” he asked.
	She shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. I guess I just figured you’d have better things to
do.”
	“No! Nothing better to do today than go for a walk with my two girls, huh,
Morgan?” he blew the baby a kiss and watched her grin, while Hannah watched them,
ignoring his comment.  She knew it was just an expression and he meant nothing by it. 
He just saw himself as protector of both of them, she assured herself, that was all.  She
was better off not to try and read more into these little slips than was meant by them. 
Instead, she offered him a cheery smile and sat up.
	“Well, if you’d like to do that, then I’ll just go freshen up while you change that
diaper, and we’ll be all set.”
	The weather was pleasant and they walked through the neighbourhood at a slow
pace while Cole pointed out houses and told her who lived in them, and offered stories
from his childhood.  They took turns pushing the stroller, and a few times stopped for
people to coo over the baby.  When asked who’s adorable little baby she was, Cole
wasted no time announcing that she was his, which inevitably brought raised brows and
questioning glances and led into his introduction of Hannah.  Playing it safe, Hannah
supposed, he always chose to introduce her as Morgan’s mother, which was the truth of
course, but didn’t shed any light on the exact relationship between them. Not that it was
anybody’s business, she reminded herself. 
	“We’re going to be the talk of the neighbourhood today.”  Hannah chuckled, as
they started to walk again after an elderly lady had finished looking at the baby.
	“That’s alright,” Cole said with a shrug.
	“You don’t mind?” Hannah glanced at him questioningly.  Did he really not mind
that the buzz of the day was going to be that  Cole McKinley, confirmed bachelor, not
only had a woman living in his house with him but had been seen walking around the
neighbourhood with a baby he claimed to be his own? 
	Cole turned to face her and smiled.  “Hannah, my personal life is none of their
business. Morgan is my child and I’m not going to hide that fact.  I’m proud to be her
father. Besides, if they think I have settled down and started a family they might stop
trying to fix me up with their daughters and granddaughters and nieces and cousins!”  
	Hannah looked at him wide eyed. “Do they do that?” she asked him, and he
laughed at her.  
	“Some of them have,” he said.  He casually slipped his arm across her
shoulder as they walked side by side.  “Tell you what,” he said, glancing cautiously over
his shoulder.  “Mrs. Walker is still watching.  Why don’t we give her something to really
talk about?”
	Hannah lifted her face to his with a questioning look, and he smiled down at her.
Then, without warning, he lowered his head and kissed her, a long, soft, intimate kiss.
Hannah froze for a moment, then her lips started responding, and when he lifted his
head she was left standing there in a trance.  She had never expected him to kiss her
—especially not like that! — not out on the street in public.
	“That ought to keep them gossiping for days,” he said, with a wicked grin, and
Hannah cleared her throat. Just for show, she told herself over and over again in her
head. Just for show. It meant nothing!  Oh how she wished that she could have acted
out that kiss the way he intended it, instead of standing there with her knees like jelly
wondering if she could take the next step. 
	“Yes, I imagine it will,” she said breathlessly, trying to smile casually back at him.
Then he started to move and she picked up step beside him.

	Indeed, a half hour later when they rounded the corner on the return trip, Mrs.
Walker was standing at the end of her drive, with Mrs. Cooper from next door, and they
were in deep conversation.  As soon as they spotted Cole and Hannah they huddled
closer together and watched them approach, both plastered with overdone smiles. 
Without missing a step, Cole moved closer to Hannah, who was pushing the stroller
now,  and slipped his arm around her waist. 
	“Smile nicely, now,” he whispered to her, his fingers holding her firmly.  They
approached the woman and Cole nodded politely.  “Afternoon, Mrs. Cooper,” He said
with a smile. 
	“Good afternoon, Cole,” Mrs. Cooper nodded and grinned to the point of almost
giggling.  “Sadie was just telling me about your darling little baby. I simply did not believe
her, but oh my, I see it is absolutely true!”   She leaned towards the stroller, obviously
hoping to get a look at the child, and Cole put his hand on the stroller to bring it to a stop.
	“Yes, Mrs. Cooper, it’s true, and she’s a perfect little angel.”  He bent over the
stroller and pulled the blanket away from the sleeping baby’s face, instantly igniting a
series of ooo’s and ahhh’s from Mrs. Cooper, and a what did I tell you now, Mable? from
Sadie Walker. 
	“A sweet, darling angel indeed!” Mable Cooper said, nodding her head and
holding her hands to her chest.  “Why Cole, I remember when you were a little bundle
like that.  I used to say to your mother, ‘Connie, that boy is going to be one handsome
man when he grows up!’ and sure enough, look at you now!  A father!  Oh, your poor
mother would have loved this little baby, Bless her soul!”
	“Yes, I’m sure she would have,”  Cole said, and suddenly Hannah felt a gentle
nudge against her side. “Well, we had better get moving on, ladies. It’s time to get the
baby back to bed.”
	The two ladies bobbed their heads as Cole ushered Hannah and the stroller
forward.  When they were far enough away, Hannah looked at Cole cautiously. 
	“Are you OK?” she asked, and Cole sighed and nodded.
	“I’m fine. It was just listening to that old lady talk about mom like that.   Mable
Cooper wasn’t exactly friendly towards my mother when she was living. It just rubbed me
the wrong way hearing her talk as if they were.”  He put an arm around Hannah’s
shoulders and gave her a squeeze and made himself smile. “For your benefit, I’m sure,”
he said.
	“They’re still watching,” Hannah observed, for she could see them over Cole’s
shoulder as she turned her head to face him.
	“Well, better not let them think we’re watching them!” he announced, and gave
Hannah another soft but fleeting kiss. “There, one more to leave them talking.”
	Hannah swallowed, and turned back to the stroller.  She had enjoyed  spending
this casual time with him on their walk, but now she would be glad to get back to the
house.  She needed to be alone, to get her emotions in check.  She  knew he had only
kissed her for the benefit of their audience, but if he did it one more time, she wasn’t
going to be able to control herself, and the last thing she wanted to do was make a fool
of herself over Cole McKinley!