The Maverick's Baby Arrangement

by Kathy Douglass

  Who knew someone so small could be so draining?

  Hailey was screaming at the top of her lungs by the time he reached the nursery. It was only four in the morning and, hoping she’d fall back to sleep, he didn’t turn on the light. A quick check revealed that her diaper was still dry, so that wasn’t the source of her displeasure. Holding her against his chest, he sat in the glider and began to rock back and forth. Though she was no longer screeching, Hailey still cried. She didn’t feel warm, so he had no clue about what was wrong.

  “Did you have a nightmare?” he asked, rubbing his hand up and down her back in a soothing motion. “Or are you missing your mommy?”

  Daniel knew he did. He still couldn’t believe Jane was gone. If only he could go back in time and change things, he would. Instead he was forced to live with the reality that the past couldn’t be altered. He wanted Hailey to know about her mother. And when she was older, he would tell her. At least he’d tell her the positive things he remembered about his sweet little sister. After all, he wanted Hailey to have a positive image of her mother.

  Daniel would have liked to tell her about her father, too, but other than the man’s name—Craig Larimar—Daniel didn’t know anything. He’d never met the man who’d fathered his sister’s child. And since he’d died in the same accident that had claimed Jane, Daniel never would. He’d have to be satisfied with telling Hailey that her father had loved her.

  “Your mother would be so proud of you,” he said to Hailey, whose sobs had finally stopped. “She loved you very much. She wanted me to raise you as my own child and that’s what I’m going to do. I love you, too. Very much.”

  “Badanappa.”

  “Why, yes, it would be nice if you would go back to sleep.”

  She laughed and clapped her hands.

  He laughed softly. “I hope that means you agree with my suggestion.”

  “Batba ooh ooh.”

  Daniel didn’t reply, not wanting to prolong the conversation. Instead he rocked slowly until Hailey fell back to sleep. Rising carefully, he put her into her crib and covered her with the light blanket. With any luck, she would sleep for the rest of the night.

  One thing was certain. He couldn’t go on like this much longer. He needed help. Perhaps he should have taken Brittany up on her offer to help him find a new nanny. But that would mean letting the people in Bronco learn about Hailey. So far, he’d been able to keep her existence a secret and wanted to keep it that way.

  He’d learned at a young age to guard his private life. Although he’d prefer not to be mentioned in the press, it had been part and parcel of starting a successful company in his twenties. He’d had to do interviews and make himself available to be photographed. But even then, he’d avoided answering questions about his family and personal life.

  Protecting his privacy had been important before, but it was essential now that he had Hailey. She deserved to have as normal a childhood as he could give her. Being followed by press and having her picture splashed all over the internet so people he didn’t know and who didn’t know them could get a glimpse of her made his stomach twist in knots. Still, he had to do something.

  He kissed her soft cheek. “Sleep well, little one.”

  Daniel didn’t return to his room, going instead to his office. There would be no more sleep for him tonight, so he may as well get some work done. Hopefully, he’d hear from Brittany soon with her ideas for the party. He really was looking forward to talking to her, and not just about her ideas. She was an attractive woman with a lot of spunk. Under other circumstances, he might have pursued her.

  Sadly, these weren’t other circumstances. And if he liked her proposal, she would be working for him. Their relationship needed to remain strictly professional.

  Now he just had to figure out a way to keep her from invading his thoughts night and day.

  Chapter Four

  Brittany took the last paper from the printer, stacked all of the pages neatly, then inserted them into a folder. She’d outdone herself and was pleased with the results. Every vendor she’d sought out had been available and had given her reasonable quotes. She never liked to skimp on cost, believing you ultimately paid if you tried to nickel-and-dime people, but she didn’t like to overpay, either, no matter how wealthy her client. She preferred to have win-win deals. That way, vendors would want to work with her again as well as accommodate special requests.

  She hadn’t heard from Daniel in the past few days, which gave her pause. She’d left two messages for him, but he hadn’t responded. As far as she knew, he hadn’t hired another firm and she was still working for him, so she needed to update him on her plans and get his go-ahead to proceed. If he wanted to make changes, now was the time.

  Since he also wanted this event to occur as soon as possible, she needed his approval now. Leaving messages had been futile, so she had to try a different tact. She’d drop by his house. Stopping by without an appointment was a gamble, but it was a risk she was willing to take. If he wasn’t available, she’d leave a copy of her plans with a member of his staff.

  After letting Rachel know she’d be out of the office for a few hours, Brittany drove to the Dubois ranch. As before, she was struck by the beauty of his property. It was nature at its absolute most stunning. She could only dream of waking up to this beauty every morning; of walking through the grass to the lake every day. But since she was only here for business and not to move in, imagining was as close as she would get.

  She parked in the driveway and headed to his front door. The closer she got to the house, the harder her heart began to thump. She inhaled deeply, trying to calm her suddenly jittery nerves. She didn’t understand the reaction. She had follow-up meetings with clients all the time and never got nervous. In fact, meeting with clients generally energized her.

  Blowing out the breath, she forced herself to admit the truth. Her blood wasn’t racing through her veins because she was concerned about the meeting. She was reacting this way in anticipation of seeing Daniel again. Though she was loathe to admit it, she’d been thinking of him quite a bit these past few days. He’d invaded her thoughts at the most inopportune times, not that any time would be good. But no matter how many lectures she gave herself, she’d found herself daydreaming about him.

  Well, that wouldn’t do. He was her client and she had her rules. Straightening her shoulders, she rang the doorbell. Before it stopped ringing, the door swung open.

  “Hello, Ms. Brandt.”

  “Hi, Marta,” Brittany replied, grateful for the warm greeting. “I realize I’ve dropped by unannounced, but I’m wondering if Mr. Dubois is available to meet.”

  “I’ll check. Come inside.”

  Brittany waited in the foyer for a minute or two. She was reconsidering the wisdom of her impulsive trip out here when Marta returned. “Mr. Dubois is available. Follow me, please.”

  Brittany expected to be shown into Daniel’s office, but instead she was led deep into yet another wing of the house to an enormous family room. Daniel was sitting on a comfy-looking couch, Hailey on his lap. Whereas his clothes had been neat, if not immaculate when she’d last seen him, he now looked slightly disheveled. Orange specks of what was probably strained peaches dotted the front of his wrinkled shirt. He didn’t seem to notice. Or maybe he was just past caring.

  The look on his face gave away his exhaustion. His deep brown eyes were red-rimmed and puffy. And it looked like he hadn’t shaved in a couple of days. He stifled a yawn, confirming what she’d already surmised. He needed rest.

  He glanced at her ruefully, rubbing the stubble on his chin. “Sorry I haven’t called you back. I intended to, but Hailey has been fussy lately and not in the mood to cooperate with me.”

  “I take it you haven’t found a nanny yet.”

  “No.” He heaved a deep sigh. “My staff have pitched in when they could, but Hailey hasn’t warmed up to th
em. Besides, she’s my responsibility, not theirs.”

  Brittany resisted the urge to repeat her offer to help him find another nanny. The last time she’d made the suggestion, he’d bitten off her head and threatened her. If he wanted her help, he was going to have to ask for it. Yet a piece of her heart ached for him. She remembered how worn out her mother had been when Brittany’s siblings had been little. Babies might be adorable, but they were exhausting.

  At the sound of Brittany’s voice, Hailey turned and gave a bright smile, showing off her four teeth. She might be the cutest baby Brittany had ever seen, but she wasn’t fooled. She knew Hailey would give her a run for her money in a minute.

  “I stopped by to go over my proposal with you, but I can tell you’re busy. I’ll just leave a copy of it with you, so you can read it at your leisure.”

  “Leisure. That’s a distant memory. Kind of like a good night’s sleep. If you don’t mind, I’d like to go over the proposal with you now.”

  Hailey rattled off a few nonsensical words then stretched out her arms in Brittany’s direction.

  Daniel covered another yawn. “I know I rejected your offer to help me find a nanny, but if it still stands, I’d like to take you up on it.”

  “Sure. I can ask around. I won’t let anyone know it’s for you. I’ll just say a friend is looking for help. How’s that?”

  His bleary eyes widened in surprise. What? Did he think she didn’t recall how he’d freaked out at the idea of anyone knowing about Hailey? She didn’t know why he felt that way, but it wasn’t her business. She could help him and allow him to maintain his privacy.

  “That sounds perfect. Thank you. And let me take this time to apologize for being a jerk. I was a bit stressed the other day, but that’s no excuse for how I treated you. I’m sorry.”

  Brittany hoped she covered her surprise better than he had. “You’re forgiven.”

  “Thanks.”

  They shared a smile and Brittany’s heart went pitter-patter. It was foolish and a bit dangerous to give her attraction to this man even a breath of air, but apparently she wasn’t as smart as she’d liked to believe. Luckily, they weren’t going to be in each other’s lives for much longer. If he approved her proposal, she would set her plan into action and not see him again until a day or two before the dinner. Once the event was over, they would go back to their regularly scheduled lives. Since their social circles didn’t overlap—he was a wealthy rancher and she was a middle-class working girl—it was unlikely their paths would cross again.

  Mr. Rogers, Daniel’s butler, entered the room. “Sorry to interrupt, but you have an important call from Dallas.”

  “I’m in the middle of a meeting,” Daniel said. “Take a message and I’ll call back.”

  “You’ll want to take this call.”

  “Who is it?”

  “A man with the last name of Larimar.”

  Daniel stiffened. “Right.”

  Brittany looked from Daniel to Mr. Rogers, who wore a somber expression.

  “Would you mind watching Hailey for me while I take this call?” Daniel asked.

  “Uh,” Brittany uttered as words failed her. Daniel must have taken that sound as a yes because he stood and handed over Hailey, who immediately grabbed the front of Brittany’s shirt in her tiny hands. For someone so small, Hailey had quite the grip.

  Mr. Rogers followed Daniel from the room, leaving Brittany alone with the baby. Hailey blew spit bubbles and giggled at her accomplishment. After a moment, she pushed away and tried to slide down Brittany’s body.

  “I take it you want to get down,” Brittany said, bending to set the baby on the floor. Hailey bounced her bottom on the thick rug centered on the dark hardwood. A few seconds later, she got on all fours and crawled with amazing speed across the floor. When she reached a leather ottoman in front of an oversize chair near the unlit fireplace, she tried to pull herself up. Brittany crossed the room and sat on the floor beside her. “Well, let’s see what you can do.”

  Hailey stopped moving long enough to string together a bunch of syllables before returning to her chosen task. When she was standing, Hailey looked at Brittany, let go of the furniture and wobbled for a moment before plopping back down on her bottom. Undaunted, she grabbed hold of the ottoman and began to climb again. Within seconds, she was on her feet. Chortling happily, she began bouncing up and down in what Brittany surmised was the baby version of the happy dance.

  Brittany heard footsteps and placed a hand on the baby’s back before turning around. Daniel was standing there. The color had drained from his face and he looked distraught. Shaken.

  “Is everything okay?” Brittany asked.

  He shook his head. “Look, I need a favor. I know this is an unusual request in a business meeting, but would you mind keeping an eye on Hailey for a while longer? I have no idea how long I’ll be. I need to call my lawyer. I would ask one of my staff, but to be honest, she hasn’t bonded with them the way she has with you. She cries when she’s left with any of them. I’ll pay you for your time, of course.”

  “Oh. Sure.”

  “I know this wasn’t how you expected to spend your time and I appreciate your help.”

  “I’m a full-service event planner.” Brittany smiled, but it wasn’t returned.

  “Thanks. I’ll just be in my office. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  Daniel was out of the room before Brittany could even nod.

  “Intense. Your daddy is intense,” Brittany said to Hailey.

  “Bah,” Hailey replied.

  Brittany laughed. Although she hadn’t planned on babysitting, spending time with Hailey was actually kind of fun. None of Brittany’s siblings or close friends had infants, so she didn’t spend much time with babies. Though she’d thought she’d gotten her fill of little ones when she’d been tasked with taking care of her siblings, she’d been wrong. Being with Hailey was a nice change of pace. Being responsible for Hailey wasn’t something Brittany would choose to do every day, but today was novel and enjoyable.

  Hailey let go of the ottoman, teetered on her feet then landed on her diapered bottom. Her lip quivered as if she was about to cry.

  “Oh no you don’t.” Brittany scooped Hailey onto her lap then buried her face in her neck, kissing her sweet baby skin.

  Hailey giggled, so Brittany did it again. Then she moved on to Hailey’s chubby belly and planted kisses there, making Hailey laugh loud and long. They were still playing when Daniel returned. One look at the strained expression on his face and Brittany knew that the conversation with his lawyer hadn’t gone the way he’d hoped.

  Brittany stood, Hailey in her arms. “You don’t look so good. Is there anything I can do to help?”

  Daniel didn’t say anything, but any number of emotions raced across his face, ranging from despair to hope before finally settling on determination.

  “Actually, there is something you can do to help me.”

  “Name it.”

  “You can marry me.”

  * * *

  “Say what now?”

  “You can marry me,” he said. Initially when he’d blurted out the words, the idea was still forming in his mind and he’d been speaking out of desperation. But now that he’d said it, the idea was starting to take hold.

  The first call he’d received had been from Craig Larimar’s parents. Hailey’s paternal grandparents. They’d only just learned that their son was dead and that their granddaughter was, in their words, living with a stranger in Montana. They demanded immediate custody of Hailey.

  A few weeks ago, he might have been relieved that someone else wanted the responsibility of caring for Hailey. Back then, he would have been glad to be relegated to the role of doting uncle. He would have happily kept his bachelor lifestyle while making frequent visits to his niece. But that was then. This was now. It might not be of
ficial yet—something he intended to remedy immediately—but he loved Hailey as if she were his biological child. There was no way he would give her up without a fight. Besides, it was Jane’s dying wish that he raise her child. He might have failed his sister in life, but there was no way he was going to fail her in death.

  Unfortunately, since there was nothing in writing, his case wasn’t as strong as he would have liked. As the Larimars astutely pointed out, they were a married couple while he was a bachelor with a reputation as a ladies’ man.

  Though his lawyer, John Kirkland, had told him there was a good chance he would prevail in court, that wasn’t good enough. Even the slightest possibility of losing Hailey was too great a risk. He needed to improve the odds so there was no doubt that the judge would grant him custody. John had mentioned that it was too bad Daniel wasn’t married, planting an idea in Daniel’s mind.

  If he was going to compete with a married couple, he needed to have a wife by his side to balance the scales. And not just any woman. He needed someone who would impress the judge. Someone with an impeccable character. Most importantly, he needed someone who’d bonded with Hailey. Someone who Hailey responded to. He’d thought it was a fluke that first day when Hailey had seemed to like Brittany enough to let her pick her up. But after seeing them playing right now, he knew that Brittany would be the perfect person to bring into their lives until the custody battle with the Larimars was resolved.

  He needed Brittany to marry him.

  Brittany reared back and a confused expression crossed her beautiful face. Then she laughed. “Good one. And clever. You say something outrageous so I’ll be more inclined to agree to what you really want. So now that you’ve shocked me, why don’t you tell me what you actually want?”