Baby Be Mine

Clair Fletcher takes her first vacation in eight years to go to Elk Creek, Wyoming and make amends to the past. While she was busy becoming Chicago's most recognized account executive, her younger sister ran away from home. Kristen hadn't told Clair that she was pregnant when she insisted on dropping out of high school during her senior year. Hitchhiking across the continent had taught her about the dangers on her own, and the fact she couldn't care for herself, never mind a child. So Kristen agreed to a private adoption to Bill and Kim Miller, who would have adopted her as well, if she had let them. They helped her find college scholarships and make a good start after the baby was born. In their wills, they specified if something ever happened to them, Kristen be given a second chance at raising her son.An icy patch of ice took the Miller's lives, leaving behind two-year-old Willy. When the lawyer attempted to fulfill their last request regarding their son, he learned Kristen had perished in a fire. Assuming that she was still estranged from her family, he notified the family of Kristen's death. Clair was shocked to learn that she had nephew. While her father was uninterested, Clair insisted on gaining custody of the child. But when she arrives in Elk Creek, Willy's guardian disarms her. Jace Brumley is a natural parent, easily handling the stubborn two-year-old whether it is in a doctor's office or working the ranch. He makes pizza from scratch, using his own home canned tomatoes. He had become daddy by default, since he was like a brother to Bill and made a solemn vow to raise the child in his place, should the worse happen. And it won't give the child up. Besides, there are far more pleasant things he would like to do with Clair than fight a custody battle.As custody battles go, BABY BE MINE provides a rather light treatment, handling the emotions without the legal battle. Author Victoria Pade provides rather interesting and unexpected characterizations. Clair is not a natural mother and is clueless as to how to bond with her nephew. Her attitude that blood should supersede a currently stable home is gently, but effectively challenged as she learns to cope with her guilt about the past. Jace is a marvelous father who disregards his lawyer's advice because, while it might legally in the child's best interest, it is not in the child's moral best interest. His integrity and parenting skills make him an irresistible hero. Further, at no time does this stubborn two-year-old easily capitulate to the new strange woman in his life. Instead, he behaves just like, well, a two-year-old. Very highly recommended.