This Child Is Mine

by Mildred Colvin

  “Your daughter needs to learn some table manners.”

  Jon grinned at her. “Which one?”

  Beth grabbed Stevie’s spoon and reached for Lexie’s. “Both.”

  Then, as if she realized what she’d said, Beth frowned. She cleared the girls’ trays, leaving the toast for them to munch on and sat back down. “I guess they weren’t as hungry as I thought they would be.”

  Jon tackled his cereal, keeping quiet until he finished.

  When the girls began shredding their toast and dropping pieces on the floor, Jon and Beth reacted at the same time. Jon scooped Lexie up and Beth took Stevie.

  Jon couldn’t keep from laughing at the happy expression on his little girl’s face. Lexie had been a quiet child until Stevie came. Now she splashed her bath water and threw her food. He’d even seen her and Stevie in a tussle over a toy the other day.

  Jon glanced at Beth as she cleaned Stevie’s face and hands. Yes, bringing Stevie into his house had been good for Lexie. But what about him? Had bringing Beth into his home complicated his life more than he could handle? What if he fell in love with her? Was that why he’d been so jealous of Bob what’s-his-name?

  An hour later Jon took Lexie to church and dropped her off at the nursery as usual. He sat beside his parents and tried to listen to the sermon. But the image of Beth kept getting in his way. Beth, in jeans and T-shirt, her dark hair held back out of the way in a ponytail, playing with the girls. Beth, beautiful in a soft blue dress, getting ready to go out with another man. His thoughts skidded to a stop as red-hot jealousy again surged through his heart.

  He shifted in the seat. How long did Pastor Barnes intend to preach this morning anyway? Thoughts of Beth, at that moment sitting in church with Bob, kept Jon occupied and restless throughout the rest of the service.

  As soon as church ended, Jon spoke to his parents and then headed for the nursery to pick up Lexie. By the time he pulled into his own driveway, his nerves were on edge. He and Lexie went in search of Beth and found her in the kitchen chatting with Mrs. Garrett.

  She had changed into jeans and had her long hair pulled back into a ponytail. She looked like a teenager, sitting on a high stool peeling potatoes.

  She dropped her knife when he walked through the door, her eyes brightening. She reached toward him. “Hey, how’s my girl? Did you miss me as much as I missed you?”

  Lexie wiggled in his arms trying to get to her mother. Jon blinked as he realized Beth’s smile was not meant for him. Feeling foolish, he stepped closer and Lexie fell into Beth’s arms. Beth cuddled the baby, talking to her, totally ignoring him.

  Stevie toddled toward him from somewhere in the room. He hadn’t even thought to ask where she was. She lifted her arms and he picked her up, glad someone wanted him.

  “I’m going outside with Stevie. Do you want me to take Lexie, too?”

  Beth’s eyes met his as if she’d just realized he was there. “Oh, I guess I should get these potatoes peeled. Mary is always helping with the girls, so I thought I’d give her a hand. Besides, I love to cook.”

  As Jon took Lexie from Beth, he said, “My parents are coming over this afternoon. They want to see the girls.”

  “How nice. It will be good to see them again.”

  The lilt to her voice couldn’t be fake. He searched her smile for the truth. She really wanted to see his parents? Sharolyn had avoided his family every chance she got. He shook his head and turned away. He shouldn’t be comparing the two women. There was no need. Beth was only the nanny. Nothing more. Except the mother of his daughters. He couldn’t get to the outside door fast enough.

  Jon sat on the patio in the fenced-in back yard and watched the girls explore. He really should have changed his clothes, but he’d been in a hurry to get away from Beth. Why that was, he didn’t know. He’d wanted to come home badly enough during church.

  Frustrated at himself for acting like a love-struck teenager, he shoved all thoughts of Beth aside and concentrated on the little girls. He did pretty well, too, until Lexie brought a dandelion to him and looked up at him with Beth’s large, blue eyes and said, “Bubble.”

  ~*~

  By Monday morning, Jon couldn’t wait to get to his office as an escape from Beth’s sweet temptation. He swiveled away from his desk and looked out the window at the busy city below. Even here Beth’s image hovered in his mind. Had he done the right thing in bringing Beth and Stevie to Kansas City? At the time, his only thoughts had been for his daughter, to bring her home where she belonged. He hadn’t considered that her mother might turn out to be so appealing. Beautiful inside and out except for one dark spot. Beth’s goal was to ultimately win both girls from him.

  He would not allow that to happen. She couldn’t take either of the girls. Maybe he should ask Beth to leave. He could set her up in an apartment nearby so he could visit Stevie. He shoved his chair back and stood, then paced from one side of his office to the other while he tried to imagine such a thing. Would she stay or would she take Stevie and run? No, she wouldn’t run because she wanted Lexie. Just as he wanted Stevie in his home, not in some apartment across town. Maybe things would be better left alone.

  Frustrated with his life and his pacing, Jon left his office and went in search of his father.

  Ray McDuff looked up, the telephone against his ear. As Jon sank into the chair in front of his desk, he brought his conversation to a close and hung up the receiver.

  “Well, you look more like a thunder cloud than those outside. What can I do for you, son?”

  Jon glanced toward the window. He’d been looking outside for over an hour and hadn’t noticed the rain. If that wasn’t a sure sign of the turmoil Beth had caused in his life, he didn’t know what was.

  “I want a divorce, and I’m not even married.”

  Ray burst out laughing.

  “I’m serious, Dad.” Jon stood and moved around the room. “Stevie’s mother has me tied up in knots.” He swung toward his father. “Or is she Lexie’s mother? All I know is she’s caused more turmoil in my house in the months she’s been there than Sharolyn caused in three years.”

  “Hmm.” Ray leaned back in his chair and made a steeple with his fingers, resting his hands across his stomach. “Judging from my memories of Sharolyn, that would have to be a considerable amount of turmoil. Just what is it this girl does?”

  Jon opened his mouth to speak and promptly shut it. How could he tell his father Beth was seeing another man and just thinking about it drove him up the wall? He tried another angle. “She wants both the girls. I think the best thing would be for her to move out into an apartment.”

  “I see.” Ray nodded. “And you think she would be willing to, considering she wants both girls?”

  “No.” Jon paced to the other side of the room and straightened a picture on the wall. “She isn’t going anywhere. She can’t because of the babies. How could she leave Lexie now? Or Stevie? And I’d never let her take either of them. Not even across town. Not now.”

  He dropped back into the chair in front of his father. “Can’t you see my problem? Beth and I are tied together by those two babies tighter than most marriage vows. How do I get out of it? How do I get my life back to normal?”

  “What about Beth? Do you have any complaints with her mothering skills?”

  Jon shook his head. “No. She’s perfect. I mean as a mother. She treats the girls equally. She’s always with them, but she doesn’t crowd them. She makes sure they’re clean and fed. She sleeps with her door cracked open so she can hear them at night. She takes them outside every day and plays with them. No one could find fault with Beth’s treatment of the girls.”

  Ray’s voice softened. “You know she has as much right to those babies as you do, don’t you?”

  Jon nodded.

  His dad chuckled.

  Jon looked up.

  A wide smile sat on his father’s face. “I just had a thought. If you want to make sure you don’t lose Stevie again, why don’t you
and Beth adopt each other’s child? Then we could draw up a contract for equal custody just as if you were divorced. You could kick Beth out of your house and retain visiting rights with Stevie. Ingenious plan, don’t you think?”

  “Ha. Ha.” Jon stood and moved toward the door. “I’m sure there must be some humor in there somewhere, Dad. Sorry I don’t see it. I want Stevie in my house. I want—” He hit the doorframe with the palm of his hand. “Okay, I don’t know what I want, but it isn’t a mock divorce.”

  He went back to his own office with his father’s laughter ringing in his ears.

  ~*~

  Beth loved early spring when flowers began to bloom and green spread across the land. She took the girls outside after their afternoon nap and watched them run through the grass and play. The rain clouds of that morning had all but disappeared in the face of sunshine and a gentle breeze.

  “Hi, Mary said I’d find you out here.”

  Beth looked up from Stevie’s investigation of a colony of ants rebuilding their hill after the rain. She smiled at Cecelia and watched Robbie run after Lexie. “Hi. What are you two doing out on a Monday afternoon? I thought lawyers worked long, hard hours winning all those cases in court.”

  Cecelia laughed. “That’s the advantage of working for one’s father. I used to work long, hard hours, but since Robbie was born, I’ve cut back. Now I only accept the easy cases and I take off work whenever the urge to shop hits. How about it? Want to go with us?”

  Beth stood and dusted her hands together. “Wow! I’m impressed with your persuasive techniques. No wonder you don’t have to work twelve-hour days. You’ve already talked me into a shopping trip.”

  Cecelia laughed again. “All right! Let’s get these munchkins gathered up, outfitted, and in my van. My credit card is burning a hole in my wallet as we stand here talking.”

  Beth laughed and grabbed Stevie as she started away. “Come on, let’s get your sister and go bye, bye.”

  Cecelia drove to the nearest mall and parked.

  As they pulled babies and strollers from the van, Beth shook her head. “You must have been desperate for company to ask us to come along. Look at all this.”

  Cecelia laughed. “I thrive on babies and shopping. It’s such a welcome relief from my high pressure job. I’ll enjoy getting better acquainted with my two nieces not to mention their mother.”

  Beth cast a side glance toward Cecelia as they pushed the strollers toward the mall entrance. “Do you feel at all uncomfortable about our situation? I mean having Stevie and me show up this way. It must have been a shock.”

  “Oh, yeah.” Cecelia nodded. “But a pleasant shock. Look what we got out of it. Two absolutely adorable little girls. Surely you can understand when I say Stevie and Lexie are equally my nieces. I couldn’t choose between them if I had to, and I bet you couldn’t either.”

  “No, I couldn’t.”

  Cecelia gave Beth a wide smile and then headed toward the children’s clothing store. Three hours later with the back of the van piled with packages, the women headed home with three sleepy children. Cecelia turned down the street toward Jon’s house. “That was fun. Next time let’s go to the park.”

  “Sure.” Beth smiled. She liked Cecelia.

  “Good. That’s settled so now we’ll work on the dude ranch.”

  Beth straightened from the head rest and turned to face Cecelia. “Dude ranch? You are going to work on a dude ranch?”

  Cecelia laughed. “Each year my brothers and I, along with our spouses, go to a dude ranch out in Kansas for a weekend trip. It’s just a fun thing we’ve done for years. I want you to come with Jon.”

  Beth gasped as she understood Cecelia’s meaning. “Wait just a minute. I, by no stretch of the imagination, am Jon’s spouse.”

  “Of course you aren’t. Donna went before she and Brad were married. You can, too.”

  Beth shook her head. “No, I don’t think so.”

  “Oh, come on. It’ll be fun. You don’t want to leave me stuck with Donna for female companionship, do you? I mean Donna is all right, but she’s. . .well, she’s Donna.”

  Beth smiled. Then she sobered. “I’m sorry, but Jon would never want me to go. If he asked, maybe, but don’t hold your breath because he won’t.”

  “You like him, don’t you?”

  “Jon? Sure, I like him fine.”

  “Come on, Beth. Don’t play games. You know what I’m asking. There’s something going on between you two. He’s different even at work. I can see the sparks when you’re together. I admit I haven’t been around you a lot, but it doesn’t take long to see that you two were made for each other.”

  “I don’t think so.” Beth shook her head. “Even if I felt something for him, we both have our past marriages to consider. I loved Steven very much. I’m sure Jon still has feelings for his wife.”

  “Oh, I’m sure he does.” Cecelia stopped in the driveway and turned off the motor. She faced Beth. “Let’s see if I can tell you about Sharolyn before the kids start a ruckus. She was not your typical wife. I have no idea why Jon married her. She wanted his money. Period.”

  Beth’s eyes widened and Cecelia nodded. “I’m serious. But that’s not the worst. What she didn’t want was a baby. When she got pregnant, she tried to get an abortion, but Jon threatened to kick her out and tie the purse strings if she so much as harmed Stevie.”

  Cecelia looked away from Beth as she continued. “They had a fight the night she died. She threatened to end the baby’s life. Then she was in that car accident.”

  She turned back to Beth. “You know the pile-up that caused the babies to be switched?”

  At Beth’s nod, Cecelia said, “Sharolyn veered across the oncoming lanes of traffic. She caused the wreck that took her life. Jon thinks she was trying to kill the baby. I think she was taking something that made her crazy. Not that she needed much help.” Cecelia spoke the last sentence under her breath.

  When Beth didn’t say anything, she went on, “I’ve seen Jon look at you. I know he cares more for you than he will admit right now. Give him time. He needs to sort out the facts and discover he can trust another woman. Right now, he doesn’t trust anyone. Sharolyn tried to kill his child. He thinks you are trying to take both of his babies away from him.”

  As Beth started to protest, Cecelia held up her hand. “I know. You’ve seen how much he loves them. But can you honestly say the thought of running away with both of your babies has never crossed your mind?”

  Beth could only stare at the other woman.

  As Stevie started to fuss, Cecelia said, “You know, I think you’re more attracted to Jon than you want to admit even to yourself. Think about what I’ve said. See if you can’t understand him a little better. Then give him a chance and come with us to the dude ranch.”

  Beth nodded. “I’ll promise to think about things. But that’s all I can do. I won’t go where I’m not wanted, and I’m sure Jon doesn’t want me.”

  “Then you’ll go if he invites you?”

  Beth took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Yes, I’ll go if he asks me.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “How about it, Beth? Will you go with us?”

  Beth looked across the table at Jon and laughed. “As if you’d take both these babies to a petting zoo by yourself.”

  His dimple flashed and his eyes twinkled. “Is that a yes?”

  At that moment Beth realized she had a weakness for people with just one dimple. First Stevie and now Jon. She gave in gracefully. “Yes, I’ll go with you. I wouldn’t want the girls eaten by a lion.”

  Jon’s eyebrows lifted. “You do know petting zoos don’t have lions, don’t you?”

  “Of course.” Beth helped Stevie scoop corn with her spoon. “But if I don’t go along, you might go to the wrong zoo.”

  Jon laughed and caught Lexie’s spoon just before she dropped it over the side of her high chair tray. “Mrs. Garrett, how about you coming, too? It sounds like I need all the help I
can get.”

  Mary shook her head and smiled. “No thanks. By the time these two babies finish their lunch, I’ll have plenty to do.”

  “I’m sorry, Mary. Stevie has been a bad influence on Lexie, hasn’t she?” Beth handed the spoon to Stevie after an unsuccessful attempt to feed her. Stevie and Lexie both were becoming more independent with each day.

  “Not a bad influence, Beth.” Mary stood and picked up her plate. She stacked Jon’s and Beth’s plates on top of hers. “I’d say it’s been good for her. Lexie has come alive now she has a sister to play with. She was too good before.”

  “Too good?” Beth smiled. “I can’t imagine saying that about Stevie. She always had daycare kids to play with from the time I brought her home. I suppose she learned a lot from them.”

  “Maybe some of that feistiness is inherited.” Mary slanted a glance toward Jon who had his hands full trying to get Lexie to either use her spoon or leave it on the tray.

  After several near misses, he caught the spoon and put in on the table out of her reach. An ear piercing yowl announced her displeasure as she arched back against the seat with both hands pushing her tray.

  Mary laughed. “And then again, maybe not.”

  Beth pushed her chair back to take care of Lexie, but Jon had her in his arms before she could get there. He carried her out of the kitchen. Beth could hear him talking to her as he went.

  “Now, is that any way to act at the table? Let’s calm down and get cleaned up so we can go bye, bye.”

  Beth didn’t know if Lexie calmed down or if Jon walked out of hearing range, but she couldn’t hear any more screams. While Mary continued clearing the table, Beth helped Stevie finish her lunch and then took her from her high chair. As she went upstairs, she realized she hadn’t once thought Jon might hit Lexie. She completely trusted him to handle her baby without fear he would harm her in any way. At that moment, she realized she trusted Jon not only with the babies, but with her very life, even with her heart.