by Judy Duarte
“You must not know Harry very well. He’s one of the greatest guys in the world.”
“I know Harry as well as I need to,” she said, taking a sip of her coffee. “As far as I’m concerned, he gives the term deadbeat dad a whole new meaning.”
Nick understood her feelings. But if she would just give Harry a chance, the guy could explain. “I’m sure there’s more to the story than you know.”
“Maybe so,” she said. “My mom would certainly agree with your assessment of the man. She died loving Harry Logan in spite of his abandonment.”
“Harry lost track of you, Hailey. He wants to make things right.”
“He’s wasting his time. That man may be my biological dad, but he means nothing to me.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Nick said. “Harry was the father I never had.”
“Oh, yeah?” Hailey said, her voice laden with sarcasm. “Harry was the father I never had, too.”
Nick kept his mouth shut, unsure of how to respond to that. The scars she carried ran deep. And there didn’t appear to be much he could say to convince the stubborn woman to give a guy a second chance to prove himself.
It seemed pretty clear that his mission had been a failure. He’d just have to return to San Diego with his tail between his legs and tell Harry he’d had no luck in convincing Hailey to travel with him. The rest of his guilt—sleeping with his friend’s daughter—would remain a secret. Even a rebel had a conscience.
Nick blew out a sigh and decided to try one last route to Hailey’s heart. “Harry would have come himself, but he’s in the hospital.”
The hospital? Hailey bit her lip. Did it matter that that the man was sick or injured? Did it make things any different?
She didn’t wish Harry Logan any harm, she just didn’t want to be a part of his life. Or let him be a part of hers. He’d had his chance years ago. He hadn’t acknowledged her as his daughter then, choosing his real family over her.
And that was okay. She’d grown up just fine without a dad. And she certainly didn’t need one now.
“I’ll send him a get-well card. I’m afraid that’s the best I can do.”
Nick nodded slowly. “Well, if your mind is made up, then I guess there’s no reason for me to wait around here any longer.”
“No, there isn’t.” Her heart thumped against the wall of her chest, but she stood tall. She and Nick Granger had no future together. And the sooner he left, the sooner she could try to get her life back on track.
He walked to the living room window and peered out into the driveway. “Do you have a shovel I can use? The car is buried fender deep.”
She gave him the snow shovel, then tried to keep herself busy, tried not to watch his efforts to clear a path to the road.
When he returned, he had built up a sweat, as well as a shiver. And his jeans were wet to the knees. “Can I use your bathroom before taking off? I’d like to change my pants.”
“Sure.”
Her bittersweet emotions seemed to tumble around inside. She wasn’t sure what she was feeling, other than a hodgepodge. But she felt sorrow, for sure, mingled with a bit of relief.
When he had finished in the bathroom, he returned to the living room where she stood, giving her a soft kiss on the cheek, a kiss that made her chest ache and her eyes water.
“Take care, Hailey.”
She nodded. “You, too.”
He hesitated a moment, as though he wanted to say something, then he turned and quietly walked out the front door.
She watched out the window as he climbed into his car and drove away. She wanted to scream out, to be angry with Nick, although she couldn’t seem to figure out why. Maybe it was because of his tie to Harry. Maybe he was just a handy target for her disappointment in the man who had abandoned her mom.
But more likely it was because he taunted her with something she’d never wanted, something she would never have.
Tears that seemed to come from nowhere poured down her cheeks, and she went into the bathroom to find a tissue.
What she spotted first was one of her good towels—the one Nick had used—skewed to the left and hanging unevenly. Without contemplating why, she lifted the fluffy, embroidered towel to her nose and tried to catch one last whiff of the man who’d shared her bed.
Then she placed the towel back where it belonged, making sure it hung straight beside the other. Trying, she supposed, to put her bathroom and, hopefully, her life back in order.
God willing and the creek didn’t rise, her biggest worry wouldn’t come to pass.
What in the world would she do if she and Nick had conceived a baby last night?
Chapter Five
Three weeks later Hailey stood in the bathroom and stared at the home pregnancy test on the white tile countertop. She’d driven all the way to Granville to purchase the darn thing, just so no one would recognize her.
But if her suspicion proved true, she’d have a hard time keeping things a secret or maintaining an upstanding reputation at Walden Elementary or in the community.
She peered at the plastic stick that rested in its stand and prayed that the telltale pink dot wouldn’t appear. But as she watched in slow, steady anguish, a pale circle began to form until it blazed bright, like a neon sign.
Hailey’s heart—and her hopes—sank low in her chest, and she blew out a ragged breath.
Pregnant.
In spite of her plans to provide a loving, two-parent home for her future children, Hailey would have a baby out of wedlock. How could she have been so stupid? So swept up in desire that she’d had unprotected sex with a virtual stranger?
She was pregnant with Nick Granger’s baby.
Now what?
Did she try to locate the detective in San Diego? Tell him he was going to be a father? Or keep that precious secret under lock and key?
What, if anything, should she tell the man who had merely been a one-night lover? The man who didn’t at all seem like her idea of a daddy?
Time, she decided, would be her best ally. She needed to think and plan, to come to grips with such a life-changing situation and map out a new future.
But time didn’t seem to be on her side.
Several days later, on a cold Saturday morning during Christmas break, the phone rang while Hailey decorated the small Scotch pine she’d placed near her living room window. She released the garland of artificial cranberries she held in her hand, letting it dangle to the hardwood floor. Then she snatched the phone that rested on the end table—a handcrafted antique she’d found at a flea market in Mankato. “Hello.”
When Nick’s gravelly voice sounded over the line, her breath caught, and her heart slipped into overdrive.
“How have you been?” he asked.
She gripped the receiver tight, as though he might sense her hands had grown moist from the lie she was about to tell. She would tell him she was doing just fine, even though she wasn’t. She was pregnant. And unmarried.
Tell him about the baby, her conscience pleaded.
Not yet, her heart countered.
She needed more time to consider the ramifications of involving Nick Granger in her life. In her baby’s life.
Of course, that was assuming he would even give a hoot about the child they’d created. “I’m fine, Nick. How about you?”
“I’m okay,” he said. “But…Harry isn’t. He’s going to have a quadruple bypass tomorrow or the next day, depending on some test they’re running.”
Hailey didn’t answer right away. She’d made it clear to Nick how she felt about having any kind of relationship with her father, but the seriousness of Harry’s pending open-heart surgery poked at her conscience.
“I thought you might want to reconsider coming out to see him.” Nick blew a weary sigh into the phone. “You know, just in case…”
He didn’t have to finish the words. Hailey knew what he meant. It was one thing to say she didn’t ever want to see Harry again, to vow not to have any kind of relati
onship with him. And another thing to know she might never have an opportunity to change her mind, if there were complications with the procedure.
She glanced at the brass clock on the mantel. It was nearly noon. Could she even get a flight out of Minneapolis this late in the day?
“I’ll see what I can do,” she said.
“You’ll come to San Diego?” Nick asked, as though wanting a firmer commitment.
She couldn’t give him one. Who knew what the flight schedules and seat availability would be like this close to Christmas? “Give me a number where I can reach you. I’ll let you know if I can purchase a ticket.”
After giving her his cell phone number and hanging up, Nick blew out a heavy breath.
For weeks he’d felt like a jerk for not bringing Hailey home to see Harry. Sure, the retired detective had accepted the explanation Nick had given him—that Hailey had stubbornly refused to return—but it hadn’t assuaged the guilt Nick carried for having slept with his friend’s daughter.
He paced the living room of his downtown loft apartment, a spacious, one-room home with no walls—the perfect place for a don’t-fence-me-in kind of guy.
Surely she could snag a ticket. He strode to the window that overlooked the city, watched the miniature cars poke along the busy street, the little pedestrians zipping in and out of shops and restaurants. Everyone, it seemed, had a place to go. A job to do.
Everyone but Harry, who’d been in the hospital for weeks while doctors tried to stabilize him for the surgery.
When the cell phone finally rang, he quickly answered. “Granger.”
“It’s me. Hailey. I’ve got a seat on a flight arriving in San Diego at ten tonight.”
Relief poured over him as some of the guilt he’d been harboring eased. “That’s great. I’ll pick you up at the airport.”
She didn’t respond, and he figured she might prefer to call a cab instead. But he would put up a hell of an argument. Getting Hailey to see Harry was Nick’s responsibility. And this was one mission he intended to see through, even if it meant keeping Hailey under his wing until she got a chance to talk to her dad.
“All right,” she said. “I’ll be on Northern Air flight number 413.”
He scratched down the information, all the while feeling a growing sense of satisfaction. Contentment.
Excitement, too, he supposed. He tossed aside the fact that he might want to see the pretty woman again, and clung to something far more important.
Now he could make up for his earlier failure. He could hand deliver Hailey to her father.
Flight 413 took off an hour late from Minneapolis and, after bypassing a thunderstorm over the Rockies, lost even more time while in the air.
Hailey adjusted her watch, rolling it back two hours, yet her body still insisted it was past her bedtime, and she was eager to get settled into a motel room for the night. Nick said he’d pick her up, and she wondered where to look for him.
Near baggage claim, probably. Or maybe at the curb.
He wouldn’t have to wait much longer, since the only luggage she’d packed was a black canvas carry-on that held everything she would need for the two days she planned to remain in town.
All she wanted to do was meet with Harry and have him offer some sort of explanation for the past. She’d accept her father’s apology with a smile and let him face his surgery in peace.
Then she’d leave San Diego and head back home. Of course, she’d wait until after he came out of recovery before flying back to Minnesota, which seemed like something a dutiful daughter would do.
When the plane pulled to a stop at the gate, she grabbed her canvas tote from the overhead bin and waited for what seemed like forever to disembark. Then she followed the throng of passengers heading for baggage claim and ground transportation. Her steps slowed when she spotted Nick standing with arms crossed near the security checkpoint.
In spite of Hailey’s resolve to keep the detective at arm’s distance, to pretend nothing had ever happened between them, her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him, then it ricocheted in her chest like a pinball in motion.
Wearing a pair of faded jeans, a white T-shirt, the familiar aviator jacket and the hint of a smile, the rugged detective reminded her of an undercover cop who could easily carry himself as a streetwise thug.
Had he portrayed a bad guy in the past? Was his job just as dangerous as the glimmer in his eye?
As his gaze zeroed in on her, following her down the escalator, she forced her sluggish feet to pick up the pace until she reached him.
As much as she hated to admit it, she’d missed his bad-boy smile, his gravelly voice. His arousing touch. Why was she always attracted to the men who were wrong for her? And why this particular man?
No matter how hard she’d tried to forget the night of passion they’d shared, she couldn’t. It was etched too deeply in her mind.
And, unfortunately, the fact that she was carrying a lifetime reminder of that evening wouldn’t allow a convenient case of amnesia to set in.
He brushed a kiss on her cheek, which surprised her, then took her bag. “Thanks for coming.”
She didn’t respond right away. What was she supposed to say? You’re welcome? I wouldn’t miss my father’s surgery?
Unable to come up with anything better, she said, “I’m sorry you had to wait.”
“No problem. It’s too late to go by the hospital tonight, so I’ll take you home. We can see Harry tomorrow morning.” He took her arm and guided her up the escalator that led to ground transportation and short-term parking.
I’ll take you home?
Hailey didn’t think staying at Nick’s house was a good idea. Not with what they’d shared in the past hovering over them. Or at least over her.
Every time she glanced at his profile, caught the determination and intensity in his gaze, she was reminded of the passion that raged in his soul. The desire he’d released in hers.
Hailey wasn’t at all ready to face the stimulation she received from those caffeine-laden eyes. She needed a good night’s rest if she planned to see Harry tomorrow morning. And sleeping under the same roof as Nick Granger promised to keep her up all night long, thinking, remembering. Wanting.
No, going to his house wasn’t a good idea.
“You can just drop me off at a motel along the way,” she said.
“Nothing doing. You’re going to be my guest.”
Stay with Nick? The guy who stimulated her senses even now?
No, she shouldn’t stay with him. Why let temptation have another shot at her? Yet pride wouldn’t let her admit her real concern. “I don’t want to put you out.”
“You’re not putting me out.” His tone of voice and determined step implied an argument would be useless. “Besides, I owe you one. It’s my turn to provide you room and board.”
More than a little tired from the long and unexpected trip, Hailey didn’t feel like butting heads. What the heck, she told herself. It would only be for a night. Two at the most. Surely she could put aside her attraction and keep a level head for that long.
Besides, she really shouldn’t spend any extra money on a hotel room. This last-minute flight had cost a bundle, and her savings account had taken a good-size hit. With the baby coming, she would need to save every penny she could.
Again her conscience stirred, and she questioned whether she should tell Nick about her pregnancy or not.
Not yet, she decided. But she would take him up on the offer to stay with him. Hopefully, sharing a home with the father of her baby for a day or two wouldn’t complicate things between them any further.
He led her across the parking lot until they came to his car, a late-model, black Jeep Wrangler. She didn’t know what she expected him to drive, but the all-terrain vehicle seemed to fit his personality. Something sporty for a man comfortable with the outdoors.
After Nick backed out of the stall and exited the terminal, he turned on the radio to a late-night jazz station, which
was nice, since Hailey wasn’t up for a discussion or polite chitchat. She preferred to keep her thoughts and feelings to herself.
So she sat back in the leather passenger’s seat and tried to enjoy the sights and sounds of the harbor town at night, as well as the view of a multitude of ships docked along the wharf to her right.
San Diego was a pretty city, an interesting place for a tourist to visit, Hailey decided, although she doubted she’d ever come back.
Minutes later Nick pulled into a private underground parking garage that required a card to activate the wrought-iron gate and parked in his allotted space.
The building seemed to be safe and secure, but Hailey’s pulse raced in apprehension as they entered the elevator that took them to the highest floor. Alone. At the top of the world.
Nick unlocked his door and let her enter the loft apartment he called home.
A pair of pants covered the back of a reclining chair, and an empty long-neck beer bottle perched on top of the wide-screen television. In the far corner, next to a bike and a set of golf clubs, he’d propped a surfboard upright, its rubber leash curled on the floor.
The walls, white and stark, waited patiently for a decorator’s touch, while a stack of dishes in the sink begged for a maid’s attention.
Hailey didn’t know what she expected, but apparently the rugged detective hadn’t gone to any extra effort for her arrival.
“Interesting place you have here,” she said, thinking a comment was in order.
“It works for me. I’m not home very often.”
She made her way to the window overlooking the city that displayed a magical panorama of bright lights that created an impressive skyline.
“Pretty view.” It was the most positive statement she could make about his male domain.
Nick stepped behind her and placed two hands on her shoulders. The heat of his touch sent her heart racing, her blood surging. He gently steered first her body, then her eyes to the west. “Look over there.”
With his spearmint-tinged breath against her hair, his musky scent accosting her senses and his hands warming her shoulders, she had to fight the urge to turn from the window and face the man who stirred more than a memory. But reason prevailed, and she maintained a tenuous grip on self-control.