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Julia had been out for most of the night, so she didn’t have to explain her odd behavior to her sister. She’d been awake all night, but the police never came. Apparently, he’d believed her when she said she had proof of his harassment, which she did not.
    After a long and sleepless night, she realized she’d called his bluff, and in the process, had quit a job she needed. It was for the best, though. God only knew what might’ve happened in the office that night if she hadn’t known how to defend herself. She couldn’t even think about it without feeling sick to her stomach.
    “Katie?”
    Jarred out of her thoughts, Katie discovered she’d walked quite a ways down the beach and was staring out at the ocean.
    Shane McCarthy, with Holden on his shoulders, eyed her inquisitively. “Are you okay?”
    Katie shook off the unpleasant memories of her now ex-colleague and forced a smile for Shane. “I’m fine, thank you. How are you guys this morning?” Shane wore plaid shorts and a white T-shirt that made him look extra tan. His feet were bare as he walked along the water’s edge. She caught a whiff of sporty cologne or maybe it was shampoo. His hair was still damp from an earlier shower, but he hadn’t shaved, and his whiskers were golden in the early morning sunlight. All in all, he was incredibly handsome, not that it mattered. He was Laura’s brother , for crying out loud.
    “We’re great. Just out for a stroll on the beach before brunch.”
    “How did Holden do last night?”
    “Slept through the night. I’ve decided his mother is making up all this middle-of-the-night business.”
    Holden let out a happy-sounding squeal that made Shane and Katie laugh.
    “Be careful telling her that, or she’ll want you to stay with him every night.” As she spoke to him, Katie tried to forget that his hands had been all over her, that he’d seen her naked breasts and blown air into her mouth. It was mortifying to remember the way she’d clung to him in her panic and nearly managed to drown them both. Not to mention afterward, when he’d held her while she sobbed.
    “I’d happily stay with him every night. He’s the best thing… well, ever.”
    “He sure is cute.”
    “You want to hold him?”
    “Um, sure.”
    “Go see Auntie Katie, buddy,” Shane said as he handed Holden to her.
    She took the baby into her arms, noting how solid and sturdy he was at just over six months old. He had soft dark hair and eyes that looked up at her curiously as if to determine who this stranger was holding him. “He must look just like his father.”
    “He does,” Shane said, his smile fading. “Don’t get me started on that guy.”
    “I never heard what happened between him and Laura, not that it’s any of my business. Whatever it was brought her to Owen, which is where she belongs.”
    “It sure is. Her ex never quit dating after they got married. She found out when he made a date with one of her bridesmaids who’d seen his profile online and set him up.”
    “Oh my God. Seriously? When he had someone like Laura at home?”
    “My thoughts exactly. It was all I could do not to kill him.”
    “I bet.”
    With Katie still holding the baby, they started back toward the Sand & Surf, where the post-wedding brunch would begin shortly.
    “Is he too heavy for you?” Shane asked after a few minutes of silence.
    “Not at all. He’s adorable.”
    “No arguments here. I think he’s the cutest baby in the history of the world.”
    “It’s really nice of you to stay with him so Laura and Owen could have a night alone.”
    “I love being with him.”
    “He smells so good. I love that baby smell.”
    “We took a shower together, and I discovered he’s like a slippery eel when he’s wet. It was all I could do to hold on to him. We ended up sitting in the tub.” He laughed and shook his head. “It was a disaster, but he loved it.”
    The image of Shane McCarthy, naked and wet in the shower, had Katie swallowing hard.