About a Baby

by Ann Yost

  Baz nodded. “We quarreled about something, and it suddenly seemed imperative that we separate.”

  “Hell, boy. I wasn’t born yesterday. Explain the phrase quarreled about something.”

  He hated to do it. He knew it made Hallie look desperate, and it made him look like a fool.

  “She wanted to get married and start a family.”

  Jesse lifted a craggy eyebrow. He not only had the same gray eyes as his eldest son, their faces were similar, bold and square with blunt-cut features.

  “I thought I didn’t want that. I turned her down and sent her to you. It took about a month for me to admit my mistake to myself. By then, I’d married someone else.”

  “The hell you say!”

  “She was a cocktail waitress, young and in trouble. Her ex-boyfriend’s a mobster named Jimmy Dinari. He wanted the baby, and she needed the protection of marriage.”

  “Jesus, Basil.”

  “It was always going to be temporary. The divorce was final two weeks ago. Nicole and the boy are well provided for, and I’m free again.”

  “Have you told Hallie this?”

  He rubbed the back of his neck with the palm of his hand. Jesus, he was tired.

  “In a strange sort of way I did it because of her. She was always rescuing wounded creatures.”

  “A wife’s not exactly a bird with a damaged wing, son.”

  “She was only a wife legally. It was a legal arrangement. Hallie will understand that.”

  Eventually.

  “What is your legal responsibility to the child?”

  “He’s officially my son. I expect to support his mother and him.”

  Jesse shook his head. “You didn’t think this through, Basil. The boy needs more than a monthly check. He needs a daddy. Didn’t you learn anything from the train wreck of our lives?”

  Baz blinked at him. His dad was right. He hadn’t thought it through. There was a perpetual cloud of guilt hovering over his head. Worse than that, he missed the child. “I’m not his biological father.”

  “You’re a fool if you think that’ll make a difference to him,” Jesse said, sadly. “Or to you.”

  Fury flashed through Baz. “I can’t take care of the whole damn world, Dad. I tried to help this girl, but you can’t expect me to spend my whole life with her or her son. I want Hallie. And, whether she knows it or not, she wants me.”

  Cam finally broke his silence. “Will she want you when she discovers you’re somebody’s daddy?”

  He glared at his brother. As a sucker punch, it was effective.

  “You’d better think about this long and hard,” Jesse said. “Hallie’s a damn fine woman, smart and kind with a heart as big as the summer sky. Sheriff’s interested in her, and he’s a good man. Way I see it, your business with this other woman isn’t done.”

  “I want Hallie, Dad.”

  Jesse shook his head. “Sometimes wantin’ is not enough. You have to think about what’s good for her.”

  ****

  The next morning the clinic was closed, but Jesse found Hallie in her office catching up on paperwork.

  “I didn’t sleep well last night,” he confessed. “I want to make my boy happy, but I couldn’t live with myself if I thought I’d driven you away.”

  She looked into the anxious gray eyes. He and Baz shared the same color, but the expressions were so different. She’d never seen Jesse’s eyes hard and rejecting. She wondered what on earth had driven his wife to seek a divorce. Whatever it was, it had done a number on their eldest son.

  “I’m not leaving,” she assured her boss. “I love

  the practice and the town and your family.”

  “You’re part of the family. You know that, don’t you? You’ve brought us so much more than your fine veterinary skills. It’s thanks to you that my son’s back home.”

  The slight tremor in his voice reminded her of how much this meant to the older man. She was happy for him, for Baz, and the rest of the Outlaws.

  The family circle was now complete. She’d had a lot of experience standing on the sidelines of a real family, and she knew its value. She’d do what she could to help Jesse repair the relationship with his son.

  Anyway, she could do three months handcuffed. She hoped.

  “You have a wonderful trip,” she told him. “I’ll see you in the spring.”

  Jesse Outlaw pulled her into his warm embrace.

  ****

  Hallie, with Daisy in tow, opened the door to Little Joe’s and quickly spotted Jolene and Sharon in one of the booths. The women had agreed to celebrate Boxing Day with ice cream sundaes and gossip.

  Her friends wanted more details about Basil Outlaw, but they couldn’t talk about him in front of his niece. They restricted their conversation to the upcoming Ice Carnival and their fledgling crafts cooperative because of the little girl.

  The Ice Carnival had been a yearly tradition in Eden until ten years earlier when the Milland Outlet store closed and half the town became unemployed.

  Cameron Outlaw had been an investment banker in Boston. When his wife died, he returned to Eden with his daughter and taken over Central-Western Bank. He was dedicated to creating jobs in Eden County. He’d already re-established the Chamber of Commerce and the ice Carnival. He was also developing plans with a Bangor contractor to build a luxury resort on land adjacent to the casino on the Blackbird Reservation, twenty miles outside of town.

  Inspired by Cam’s work, Hallie and her friends were working on a cooperative called the Maine Attraction where local crafts people could market their products.

  “Lavinia Cattridge has made up some sample sweaters,” Jo reported. “I’ve already ordered the red alpine cardigan and the royal blue pullover with sunflowers. Janine,” she added, referring to her sister who lived in Blue Hill, “wants that sweater with the little pastel Easter bunnies on it, and Aunt Irma asked for one of Mrs. Cat’s rainbow vests. Have you seen the vests, Hallie? They’re gorgeous.”

  Hallie laughed at her friend’s enthusiasm.

  “Sounds like your family alone will keep Mrs. Cat busy. By the way, Harry Finley’s set to go. He’s got samples of his white pine furniture.”

  “That stuff will sell like hotcakes,” Sharon predicted. The innkeeper knew the sleek lines handcrafted by the reclusive Harry would make a big hit with customers. “Oh, and speaking of difficult men, I’m having a heckuva time with the ice sculpture contest. I got a good price from this guy who runs an ice fishing camp up on Lake Takona, but he’s giving me a hard time about everything from the size of the blocks, to the time of delivery.”

  Jolene blinked at her. “Has he seen you? I’ve never known a man yet who didn’t fall under your spell.”

  Sharon was tall and slim with long auburn hair and big brown eyes. She was competent, too. She ran the Garden of Eden with class and efficiency. But the best thing about her was her friendliness and warmth.

  “I agree with Jo,” Hallie said. “A little face time with you will turn him around.”

  “Heck,” Jolene added, “you could close the deal with the offer of your lemon meringue pie.”

  “I’m not sure he’s interested in pie or women,” Sharon said, with a laugh. “The guy’s a Sasquatch.”

  She looked at Hallie. “Are Molly’s sachets going to be ready?”

  Molly Whitecloud, the Reservation’s midwife, had asked Hallie to consult and they’d become friends. In her spare time, she and her mother fashioned burlap sachets filled with dried wildflowers from her summer garden.

  Hallie realized she hadn’t talked with her friend in several days. Not since Baz hit town. His presence had driven out all other thoughts and enjoyments.

  “I love Molly,” chirped Daisy.

  Hallie understood why. Molly was gentle and patient and breathtakingly beautiful. There were shadows behind her indigo eyes, and Hallie suspected she, too, had some secrets.

  “I know you do, Kitten. Could you go to the counter and get us more napkins
?”

  The child hopped off her chair and headed for the counter. Hallie watched her fondly. A minute later she used one of the napkins to wipe a speck of marshmallow off the little girl’s cheek.

  “Hallie?”

  The voice was male, rich and husky. Tall, broad-shouldered, fair-haired Jake Langley flashed a friendly smile at all the females, but the glow in his gaze was just for Hallie.

  Chapter Four

  “Sam and Lillie are suffering from post-Christmas letdown,” Jake said, referring to his six-year-old twins. I’m taking them to the pond. Anyone up for ice skating?”

  Daisy’s face lit up. “Me! I want to go skating, Sheriff Jake!”

  Hallie considered the invitation. It seemed like a good way to entertain the little girl. Hallie loved to skate. She also loved to watch couples arm-in-arm, teenage girls flirting with pimply hockey players and children wobbling over the ice for the first time. The section of the Eden River designated the “skating pond” reminded Hallie of a picture out of Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates.

  As an added bonus, she’d buy herself more time away from Baz. “Why don’t we meet you there in half an hour?”

  “It’s a plan.” He tipped his hat to Jolene and Sharon.

  The four females, along with the rest of the women in the restaurant, enjoyed watching the sheriff’s loose-limbed, coordinated amble.

  Jake looked good coming and going.

  “I know we’ve been over this before,” Jolene said, “but what’s wrong with Jake?”

  He isn’t Baz.

  “I can’t think of a thing,” Hallie said.

  “He’s so into you, Hallie,” Sharon added. “He’s such a hunk. And he’s got those darling children.”

  Sharon and Jolene knew that her most recent lab report indicated her odds for conception now hovered in the single digits.

  “He is perfect,” Hallie murmured. But not for me.

  Jake’s number one priority was to acquire a mother for his twins. She understood since having children had been her priority, too. But, as much as she liked the sheriff, she didn’t care for the idea of being married to solve a problem. She hadn’t even realized it until Christmas Eve when she felt the flames of raw passion. For the first time she wondered if Baz had felt that way. She refused to think about the disastrous proposal. It had happened more than a year ago and was completely irrelevant now.

  ****

  The ancient leather chair in Jesse’s office creaked as Baz leaned back into it. He’d skimmed the clinic’s files and thought he had a pretty good handle on the large animal component of the practice. There were several farms in the area. It was obvious Jesse visited them on a routine basis.

  He’d do that, too. No problem.

  He rubbed the knot that had formed at the top of his spine. He worked hard in L.A., but he never felt this guilt-roiling tension. He told himself it had nothing to do with the baby he’d left in California. It was just that he was impatient to get Hallie back into his arms and into his bed. After all, it had been nearly a year since he’d been with her. Hell, he’d only been with her once.

  It had made quite an impression.

  He shook his head. Her proposal had shocked the daylights out of him, and he’d come up with the wrong answer. As a result, he’d lost Hallie, spent a year with the wrong woman, and assumed responsibility for a child.

  He must be nuts.

  Baz stared at the walls of his dad’s office. It was filled with photos of peewee soccer teams, certificates of appreciation, and childish drawings of animals. Jesse hadn’t been in his eldest son’s life, but that wasn’t his fault. He’d obviously done a good job with Cameron and Lucy, plus he’d been real benevolent to the folks of Eden.

  Baz remembered the loneliness of his teen years. He’d promised himself he’d never put a kid through that. He’d promised himself he’d never try—_and fail—_ to build a family. He’d learned to get along just fine on his own.

  He closed his eyes. He’d managed to keep to himself for nearly twenty years. He didn’t know the neighbors in his condo; he didn’t socialize with the assistants in his lab. It would never have occurred to him to sponsor a kid’s sports team or to join the Jaycees.

  He felt a curious tug at his heart. Maybe the promise he’d made his mother—_ that he’d never step foot in Eden—_ had sealed him even tighter in the cocoon he’d created for himself. For a long time time, he’d kept his promise. He hadn’t returned to Eden, hadn’t wanted to, until all of a sudden he did. Because of Hallie.

  He’d half expected the Outlaw family to blame him for the estrangement. For years, Jesse had been trying to get him to move back to Maine. Cam sent occasional emails. Instead, they’d accepted him as easily as if he’d been on a two-week vacation instead of AWOL for two decades. He wasn’t fooled. He was still an outlier. Sharing a set of genes and a name with people did not make them family. He didn’t care. The only family he wanted was Hallie.

  A knock at the door jump-started Baz’s heart.

  But it wasn’t his golden-eyed partner who opened the door. It was his brother.

  “You busy?”

  “I’m finished for today.”

  Cam flopped into a chair opposite the desk.

  “Having second thoughts about spending three months pulling calves and inoculating pigs?”

  Cameron wore his expensive wardrobe with a casual elegance. He’d undoubtedly always charmed people with his outgoing personality and his intelligence. His saturnine good looks had, no doubt, attracted women in droves. Baz didn’t need to be told his brother had been Eden’s golden boy.

  It would have been natural to be envious of the sibling who’d been allowed a normal childhood and who seemed so comfortable in his skin, but the only envy Baz felt was for the time Cameron had spent with Hallie. Just how close were those two, anyway?

  “Calves and pigs seem pretty normal compared with some of the patients around here,” he said. “I found Hallie splinting the wing of a baby bat the other night.”

  Cam chuckled. “I guess you haven’t heard about the squirrel that got clipped by a car, or Jekyll and Hyde, the chipmunks abandoned by their mother.”

  Baz fought the knee-jerk jealousy. “Let me guess. They’re all healthy and happy and running around the woods thanks to Dr. Scott.”

  “Bingo.”

  “She’s missed her calling. She ought to be out on a wildlife preserve. What does Dad think of all this?”

  Baz saw his own surprise reflected in Cam’s face. He’d used the word “dad” so naturally. Once again he marveled at the way his resentment had vanished. He knew it was because of Hallie. She’d softened his heart. The protective shell was gone forever.

  “Oh, she’s got Dad wrapped around her little finger. Like all the rest of us.”

  The comment presented a new complication.

  How entwined was Hallie? How hard would it be to convince her to leave her new home and return to L.A.? It shouldn’t have been difficult. Not if she still wanted his baby. Not if she still loved him.

  But were those things still true?

  “She’s been like a mom to Daisy and a sister to Lucy.”

  “What’s she been to you?”

  Cam appeared to think about the question. He finally settled on an answer. “A friend.” A friend could be a lot. He knew. He’d been a friend to Nicole, but he hadn’t loved her. He felt something inside him relax.

  “I actually came to offer you the ten-cent tour of town,” Cam said.

  “All three blocks of it?”

  “Don’t scoff. You were born here, too.”

  Baz waited for the old, familiar bitterness to fill his veins, but all he felt was a vague wistfulness.

  “Thought you might like to go down to the river,” Cam said, casually. “Hallie and Daisy are down there with Jake and his kids.”

  She was down on the river with the sheriff?

  Baz’s gut contorted and he exploded out of his chair.

  “C’mon.
I’ll drive.”

  The moment Cam closed the passenger side door to Jesse’s battered pickup, Baz gunned the motor. He wheeled out of the clinic’s parking lot and was halfway down Walnut before he realized he didn’t remember where the river was.

  ****

  Hallie secured the laces on Daisy’s double-runner skates. She smiled at the feel of the little girl’s mitten-encased hand in hers as the two made their way out of the warming shack down the narrow ribbed vinyl runner that led from the wooden shelter to the ice rink.

  The temperature had risen overnight, and the skating was sluggish, but Hallie didn’t mind. She loved being a part of the community. She loved everything about the small town, including the fishbowl-like lack of privacy. She even loved the grapevine that was more effective than any wire service.

  “Dr. Hallie!” Richie Ward, son of the mayor, clutched the hand of his big sister, Fern, and chugged along the slushy ice.

  Hallie waved. She’d met Richie last summer at the Fourth of July picnic on the Town Green when he’d found a bullfrog by the gazebo and she’d convinced him not to take it home. She’d rewarded that sacrifice several days later by giving him a kitten. After checking with his mother, of course.

  Richie had proven to be a responsible pet owner. One of the things she liked best about her job was watching the interactions between humans and pets. Animals definitely brought out the best in people. She heard another cheery shout and looked up to see Jake and his kids skating toward her. Sam and Lillie Langley greeted Daisy with friendly enthusiasm.

  “C’mon.” Lillie grabbed the younger girl’s hand.

  “We’ll skate you across the pond.”

  “Can I, Hallie?”

  “Not too fast.”

  “We know.” Hallie smiled at the little girl. Jake’s six-year-olds were fantastic. He’d done a wonderful job as a single parent.

  The rangy sheriff was as handsome as Cameron Outlaw, but instead of dark hair, Jake’s was golden and his eyes, between long, curly lashes, were the color of twin emeralds. He wore a brown bomber jacket and a scarf of blue, green, and pink. Hallie remembered the scarf. She’d helped Sam and Lillie pick it out at the The Closet, Eden’s only clothing store.