by Helen Conrad
“The water is on.” Tanner was back again, looking once more like a man in charge of things. “But you’ll have to deal with it. I’m going to go and get a doctor.”
Kat turned and looked at him, holding back a smile. Somehow even his anxiety was adorable. His hair was still wild, and he looked uncharacteristically edgy, but he was regaining his self-possession, and she was glad. “How are you going to do that?”
“I’m going to drive up to the hospital and grab the first doc I see and bring him back here, that’s how.” He took her by the shoulders—a general briefing his lieutenant before battle. “Will you be able to handle things without me?” he asked in all seriousness.
She nodded, holding back her smile.” “I’ll manage.” Then she realized what this meant. She was going to be all alone here with a woman giving birth. She grabbed a handful of his shirt and said earnestly, “But hurry back. And be sure you get a good doctor.”
“Will do.” Hesitating only a moment, he dropped a quick kiss on her lips. Then he turned, shoulders set with determination, and in a second he was gone.
Kat turned back and looked at Shelley. It was just the two of them now. Her stomach did a fast flip-flop.
Shelley was trying to catch her breath between contractions, but she managed a smile. “What time is it?” she asked.
“Almost seven.”
“Oh. The restaurant...”
“We left the Closed sign up. And the door’s locked.”
Shelley nodded, then frowned. “But where on earth are Rosa and Michael? They should both have been back ages ago. They’re never late to open the restaurant, either one of them.” She shifted her position, searching for a measure of comfort she wasn’t likely to find. She looked toward the stairway. “Michael has got to make it back to see his baby being born,” she said softly. “We’ve been looking forward to this for months.”
Kat felt a pang of compassion. “I’m sure he’s coming. I’m sure he’ll be here.”
Shelley didn’t look sure at all. She smiled at Kat, but her eyes were anxious. “I really want Michael to see this. It’s our first, you know. Her voice faltered a bit. “This will be his first child, and he needs a family so badly. I wanted him to be here, to form that bond right away. You know what I mean?”
Kat nodded brightly, although she knew she didn’t know the half of it Still, it was obvious Shelley loved her husband very much. Loving—being loved in return—there was no greater gift. She began to hope very hard for Michael’s speedy appearance.
“Do we need to prepare something for the baby?” she asked.
Shelley sighed, “Yes. Darn it, I’ve got to get hold of myself here. See that bag in the corner? I packed some blankets, just in case. If you could set up a makeshift bed—tell you what, pull out one of the dresser drawers.”
Kat did exactly that, fixing a cozy nest for the newcomer.
“I’ll run down and check on that boiling water,” she said, turning to look at where Shelley sat propped against the headboard.
Shelley nodded. “You’d better sterilize a few things while you’re at it,” she commented. “Get a good sharp knife and some scissors.”
“A... a knife?” Kat felt the blood drain from her face.
Shelley tried to grin. “Yes. Just in case. You don’t think I’m going to use my teeth like a mama lion, do you? We need something for the cord.’’
Kat ran downstairs to take care of it, but she was beginning to lose the raw confidence she’d come into this situation full of. This was real life, not some TV show where everything was guaranteed to be clean and have a happy ending. She was beginning to wonder if she was really up to it.
Back upstairs a few moments later, she found things moving right along. Shelley was panting again. The contractions were evidently getting more intense. She was bathed in sweat, and this time when Kat tried to wipe her forehead with the cloth, she shoved her hand away with a gesture of impatience.
“I’m feeling sick to my stomach,” she announced brusquely. “Get me a bowl or something.”
Kat hurriedly complied, but by the time she got back, the nausea seemed to have passed. Still, Shelley was rocking back and forth and looking fierce. “You know what this means, don’t you?” she demanded, as though the whole thing were somehow Kat’s fault. “I’m probably in transition. Expect a lot of swearing from now on.”
“I can handle it”
Shelley didn’t smile, but she reached out and squeezed Kat’s hand, as though to apologize.
“Where’s Michael?” she moaned fretfully, turning away again. “I need Michael.”
“I’m sure he’s trying to get here.”
But Shelley was no longer in the mood to be soothed.
“Damn you, Michael,” she cried, tears welling in her eyes. “Why aren’t you here?” She closed her eyes and two huge drops rolled down her pale cheeks.
Frustration filled Kat. The woman was in agony and there was nothing she could think of to do to relieve her. She wished Tanner would get back with the doctor he planned to kidnap. She wished Michael would come. She wished almost anyone would come. This whole operation was beginning to look less doable all the time.
A bell rang downstairs. The door was opening. Kat jumped up and ran to the landing and leaned on the overlook. A handsome, middle-aged woman was bustling in through the restaurant.
“Hello? Where is everyone? I’m so sorry I’m late. My daughter’s boy, Jorge, fell off the swing at the park and cut his head and we had to rush him to the emergency room.”
Kat breathed a sigh of relief and called down, “Rosa?”
She looked up, startled. “Yes?”
“Come quickly. Shelley’s having her baby.”
A torrent of Spanish followed, and Kat didn’t understand a word of it, but it didn’t matter, because Rosa was upstairs in a flash, rolling up her sleeves, heading straight for the bed where Shelley half lay, half sat.
“I will handle this, querida. Just leave it to me.”
Kat’s knees turned to jelly and she sank into a chair, overwhelmed with relief. She hadn’t realized how much of herself she’d been putting into this until the responsibility was taken away.
Rosa didn’t waste any time. Taking control, she immediately prepared Shelley, at the same time judging the stage of the process for herself. Shelley barely acknowledged her presence. She was panting and rubbing and staring very hard at someplace above Kat’s head.
Rosa glanced back at Kat. “Where is the doctor?” she asked tersely.
“We couldn’t get him by phone. Tanner—Shelley’s cousin—he’s gone to find one.”
The woman nodded, taking it in stride, turning back to Shelley. “No matter. We’ll do this on our own. I’ve done it before. My mother was a midwife, you know. I used to help her when I was young. The babies we delivered, the two of us! I have pictures at home....” Shelley gave a violent start and she turned her attention back to the patient. “How do you feel, querida?”
Shelley’s eyes were wild. She reached out and grabbed the older woman by the blouse. “Rosa! I have to push.”
“Not yet.” Rosa changed positions and began to do what she could to help. “Blow the air out Blow! Blow! Let me just...”
The contraction seemed to last forever, Kat found she was holding her breath through the whole thing, feeling the intensity right along with the mother-to-be. When Shelley finally came out of it, she looked at Rosa and tried to smile as she caught her breath.
“I’m going to push next time, Rosa, I swear it,”
Before Rosa could say a thing in return, a door slammed and a male voice rang out from downstairs.
“Shelley!”
Kat turned. She hardly had time to register the man’s presence before he was with them, his face tense with worry, heading right for the bed, not seeing another thing or another person. “Shelley, my God, Shelley.. “
“Michael.” Shelley reached out with both hands to meet him, and then her elegant face crumpled a
nd tears began to pour from her eyes. “Oh, Michael, thank God. You made it.”
He sank beside her, pressing her head to his chest, soothing her.
As Kat watched, a lump rose in her throat. The love between these two people was open and nourishing. There was no question that their lives were intertwined in a way that made them two parts of one whole. She’d never really noticed such pure affection in a relationship such as this before, and seeing it made her ache with a longing she hadn’t realized she possessed. What would it be like to be loved this way? Would she ever know?
“There was an accident,” Michael was explaining, smoothing her hair back from her face with tenderness. “A truck overturned on the highway and I couldn’t get through. If I’d known you were in labor... As it was, I nearly went crazy.”
“Me, too,” she whispered, kissing him. “Hold me, Michael. Just hold me.”
He held her, but not for long. The urge to push was upon her again, and she reared up, gasping.
“Go ahead and push,” Rosa told her. “There’s nothing more I can do.”
And she pushed, her face set in a fierce mask, every fiber of her being involved in the effort.
“There’s the head,” Rosa crowed. “Oo-oh, black hair, just like Daddy.”
Shelley tried to laugh, but the urge to push came again, and then again, and this time the baby came bouncing triumphantly into the world, and into Rosa’s arms.
“It’s a girl!” Rosa cried, and everyone was laughing and Shelley was crying and Kat tried to wipe away the moisture that filled her eyes.
New life. It was such a miracle.
Suddenly she felt arms slide around her from behind and she looked up to see that Tanner was back. The doctor he’d brought along bustled forward to take over, but Rosa wouldn’t let him, and he found himself playing nurse for a few moments until she would relinquish the little bundle of joy to him for a quick checkup.
In the meantime, Tanner held Kat tightly, as though he needed the reassurance of her warm body against his. She didn’t pull away, although she knew she ought to. She felt awkward at first. Their relationship hadn’t developed to this stage. But no one seemed to notice, and eventually she relaxed and let herself enjoy his embrace. But she couldn’t help but wonder why. Twisting, she looked up into his face, there were no clues there. His expression was unreadable.
He glanced down at her and smiled. “You did great, Kat,” he said huskily. “You really helped her. If you hadn’t been here...” He swallowed hard and shook his head. “Thanks,” he said gruffly, blinking quickly.
Were those tears he was blinking away? She felt a surge of affection for this contradictory man.
“Go congratulate your cousin,” she urged him softly.
He looked down at her again and shook his head. “Not yet. She doesn’t want to see or hear anyone but Michael and that baby,” he said.
Kat looked back and realized he was right. Their love was a tangible thing that glowed about them, like a halo in a Pre-Raphaelite painting. It was beautiful to see and her heart filled as she watched them. Silently, without thinking, she reached up and covered Tanner’s hand with her own.
Tanner looked down at her fingers curling around his and he frowned. Emotions were running high right now. He had to be careful he didn’t let himself go too far. But she felt so damn good against him. Too good. If he didn’t watch out, he might start getting illusions. He might even begin to think he could have something like Shelley and Michael had. And if he let himself fall into that trap, he would be sorry very quickly.
Abruptly he pulled away without a backward glance and went to look at the baby.
“She looks like Grandmother Vandenberg,” he told his cousin. “Same fat little cheeks.”
“She does not,” Shelley cried. “She’s beautiful. She’s got Michael’s eyes. Just look at that.”
He observed the two of them, their faces shining. All they saw was what they wanted to see. Why was he the only one cursed with a clear vision of reality? He could never be like this, so accepting, so... happy.
Straightening, he turned and walked toward the stairway, avoiding Kat’s eyes. “We’ve got a van,” he called back over his shoulder. “We’ll take you both to the hospital where you can get some rest. I’ll go get it set up.”
Kat said, “I’ll follow you in Shelley’s car.”
He glanced at Kat just before he left the room, not bothering to answer. She was watching him, her eyes round with questions. She wanted to know why he’d acted so close and was now acting so distant.
He didn’t blame her. But how could he explain it to her, when he couldn’t even explain it to himself?
CHAPTER EIGHT:
Broken Hearts and Stolen Kisses
The hospital room was bright and clean and Shelley looked fresh and happy, lying back against the pillows with her baby in her arms. Kat smiled, watching the family interact, Tanner and Michael kidding each other as old friends do, Shelley scolding playfully, the baby snuggling down into her arms. It was a warm scene and she felt a bit out of place. After all, she didn’t really know these people, did she?
She slipped out, knowing they wouldn’t notice, and walked down the long hall to the glass windows looking in at the nursery. The babies were all wrapped tightly in their blankets, some sleeping, some moving fretfully, screwing up their little faces as though practicing for a good cry later on in the night. Each and every one of them tugged at her heartstrings. To be loved by a special man—to have his baby—she’d never realized before how very much she would like to have that happen.
When she’d been married to Jeffrey she’d never really thought that far ahead. It had been all she could do to adjust to marriage. Thinking about babies hadn’t entered into it. And then she’d closed off that side of her life.
Now, suddenly, it was open again. Why? Was it because of Tanner?
No, how could that be? She barely knew him. What did she know about him, after all? That his uncle was a crook, that he laughed a lot, that he said barbed things that made her recoil at first, then made her think.
That his touch made her sizzle. Every time. That she wanted to sizzle that way again. Soon.
He was right when he’d claimed that there’d been something going on between the two of them from the very beginning. She’d felt it. It had happened in a way she’d never felt with any other man.
“Sexual attraction,” she whispered, forehead pressed to the glass as she stared at the babies. “That’s all it is.”
“Oh, no, Miss,” insisted a short man who had come up beside her without her noticing, making her jump. He carried a stuffed elephant and a huge bunch of white roses. “True love. Believe me, true love made every one of these babies.”
She laughed. “Of course. You’re right,” she said.
He saluted her, then turned and hurried off to congratulate some new mother, and Kat watched him go, her smile fading. True love. Every baby deserved it. And so did every mom and dad,
“Hey, there.”
She turned to greet Tanner. He looked very different from the debonair sophisticate she’d known earlier that day. His suit coat and tie were gone, left behind at the cafe, and his shirt was open at the neck and pushed up at the sleeves, making him look young and casual and very attractive. Still, that was no reason for her heart to give a little lurch every time she looked into his eyes. Was it?
She’d done a complete about-face on how she viewed him. At first he’d been the enemy, attractive but clearly dangerous. When she’d realized she was being drawn to him despite her misgivings about his honesty, she’d tried to keep her feelings under control and stay sensible. But the more she’d come to know him, the more she’d seen of what sort of a man he really was, the more her qualms had evaporated.
She liked him. Really liked him. And she knew she responded to him physically as she had never responded to any other man.
She was still suspicious of his uncle, but she had no more doubts about him. She’d se
en him in action, especially in the way he cared for his cousin. He was good and decent and kind. The sort of man it might even be worth taking a chance on.
In all the excitement of the past few hours, this was the first time they’d had a moment to be alone, the first time in a while that she’d actually looked him in the face and paid attention to what she was seeing. As he approached, she gazed at him with anticipation, remembering how they’d been interrupted in the storeroom.
But the closer he came, the more she began to realize that something had changed. Looking into his blue eyes, she felt her stomach drop, as though she’d just hit a bumpy road. She had no idea what had happened, but the teasing, mocking, sensual mood the man had been in since she’d first met him had faded. His eyes were flat, wary. And he made no move to touch her at all.
“Are you about ready to head back to the hotel?” he asked, stopping a few feet away from where she stood, still looking at the babies.
She nodded, suddenly feeling very tired, as though all her energy had been drained away. “What time is it?”
He looked at the slim gold watch on his wrist. “Almost midnight. Can you believe it?”
“No.” She shook her head and wondered why she didn’t care. Tired or not, she didn’t really want to go back. She wanted to go somewhere with Tanner. Anywhere, just as long as there was a silver moon and a velvet sky.
They turned to go. He put a hand on the small of her back to help guide her and as they walked along the corridor she had to steel herself to keep from nestling into the circle of his arm. It was a comforting temptation to do so. If he’d given her any hint at all that he would welcome the move, she would have done it without thinking twice.
“I guess you’re anxious to get back and warn your mother,’’ he commented wryly.
Was she? Funny how long ago and far away that situation seemed now. “She’ll be asleep,” she noted helpfully. “I won’t be able to talk to her until morning anyway.”