Never Say Never Read Online Free Page A

lose my pregnancy weight.”
    “My mother says the same thing. Although you can’t tell by looking at her that she had four of us.” Jill held the baby closer. Dustin saw the child was just about to fall asleep, enjoying the woman’s warmth and soft voice, no doubt.
    Lucky baby.
    “I hope you don’t mind that I dropped in on you like this,” Jill said to Eunice. “I am interested in the position, if it’s still available.”
    “I see,” Eunice replied. “Dustin?”
    His mother looked so pleased that Dustin scowled. “Well, I don’t see. Can we get on with finding this child’s parents and save the social amenities for later?”
    It was lack of sex, pure and simple, that was making him irritable, Dustin decided.
    “But what will happen if you call the police?”
    Dustin met his mother’s eyes. “I’m sure they’ll take the baby with them until someone from Child Protective Services can be reached.”
    His mother was quiet for a moment. “I really hate for this little orphan to be taken somewhere right before Christmas, Dustin. Don’t you think we should keep her, just over the holidays?” At Dustin’s astonished expression, Eunice hurriedly clarified, “By all means, notify the police. But maybe you could just offer that, until the mother is located, we can take care of her.”
    Dustin shook his head slowly, looking first at his mother, then at Jill, who appeared interested in his reaction to these plans. “How in the world are we going to care for that baby?”
    “I can,” Eunice replied calmly.
    “How?” He stopped himself from reminding her that sometimes, when the arthritis flared up, it was all she could do to walk, never mind care for a tiny and fragile infant—and Joey was a handful besides.
    “My hands work just fine, Dustin. Hand me that little angel, please, Jill.”
    Gently, Jill laid her in Eunice’s arms. The infant made the transition without opening her sweet, shell-shaped eyelids. Dustin’s heart clenched. Eunice had held Joey that same way many times. Would it hurt anything to give her one last chance to love a baby while she still could?
    Shaking his head at the thought that maybe this wasn’t the best idea in the world, Dustin said, “I could mention it to them, I suppose. But they may not let us have her.”
    He’d meant to warn her, but Eunice shook her head. “By heaven,” she said with spirit, “we should be able to get our way on this one thing, Dustin. If we have to fight for our own Joey, and believe me, we are going to fight Maxine tooth and nail, then we should be allowed to keep this little bundle of joy for the holidays. It seems like we deserve this one bit of good fortune.”
    Jill’s eyes had widened. Her gaze traveled from his mother to him. Questions were there, but Jill lowered her gaze without asking any of them.
    He had to give Ms. McCall some credit: she was handling the whole strange situation with a lot of cool. The uncanny thought hit him that she approved of Eunice’s wish.
    Slowly, Dustin nodded. “Maybe you’re right, Mother. I’ll mention that we’ll be willing to keep the infant until her parents can be located. The police will have to take it from there.”
    “I should think that there would be few places as nice as this one for her to stay,” Jill said. “Maybe she will get to remain here for Christmas.”
    She stood, glancing down at the sleeping infant in Eunice’s arms. “What if I go get some formula, and diapers and wipes while you’re talking to the police?”
    Pride had started flowing through Dustin at Jill’s compliment. She liked the ranch and his home, maybe even his mother, and him, but her offer to get supplies pricked the pride instantly. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Since you helped find this child, I think you should be here when the police arrive.”
    How stupid did she think he was, anyway? Whether it was her baby or not—and he tended to think his mother was right, because Jill’s body was too