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Did she mind? Part of her yelled, “Hell, yes!” But there was an entreaty in his voice, a loneliness that struck her to her core Did that explain the shadows in his eyes? The lines drawn on his handsome face?

“No, I don’t mind at all,” she said as smoothly as she could “I’m sorry, about this Riley’s a bit out of his usual routine for sorowth spurt”

“Riley? That’s his name?”

She s Was that wistfulness in Sam Thornton’s voice?

“Sure is,” she replied, swiftly covering up as Riley disengaged froive a milky smile to the newcomer “Riley James Connell, at your service”

“May I hold him?”

Erin couldn’t quite disguise her shock He wanted to hold Riley? In her experience,them when they were older, toilet trained and at least partly able to conduct a conversation “Mosther late husband, that is

“Sure, I’ll just need to burp hi with one hand and propping Riley upright on her lap with the other

“I can do that,” Sam said

“You’ve done it before?” she asked in surprise

“No, but how hard can it be?”

The man didn’t knohat he was in for “He still sometimes spits up a bit when he burps”

“So put a towel on my shoulder,” Sam said nonchalantly “That is what you do, isn’t it?”

Erin nodded and rose, getting a s it to him He laid it over his shoulder and then held his hands out for Riley, who happily went into the arer