by Ann Yost
“If you are certain Robert is your biological son then you don’t need to take him tonight. Why wake a sleeping baby? We can meet you tomorrow at Eden Memorial Hospital. We’ll have the test done then.”
“Celeste can’t wait,” Bluto put in. “She painted the baby’s room blue, and she’s got a mobile with teddy bears hanging from the crib.” He pronounced it “mobil.”
Hallie kept her eyes on Jimmy. “I sympathize with both you and your wife. It’s very difficult to find out you can’t have a child. I know. I’m barren, too.”
But Jimmy did not appear to be interested in Hallie’s fertility issues.
“Dammit woman! Just get Nic and the kid!”
Not yet. She needed to stall another minute or two.
“Infertility’s a problem for a lot of people,” Hallie said, casually. “It’s no reflection on me as a woman or you as a man.”
“I told you, it’s not me. That kid upstairs is my flesh and blood. I’m tired of bein’ jerked around. I want him now. You’ve got one minute to hand him over. Otherwise we’ll go up there and get him ourselves.”
He’d actually been remarkably patient for a gangster. Hallie knew she’d pushed him as far as she could. It was time to activate the plan. She prayed it would work as she headed for the stairs.
“I’ll get him,” she said.
A moment later she stepped into Lucy’s room.
Nicole was dressed in her new pink parka and her fashion boots. Robert was in her arms. He had on his pink snowsuit. Hallie smiled, in spite of the threat downstairs. Maybe he was Baz’s son. Pink suited him. She scooped up a bundle of blankets and headed back along the landing to the front staircase.
Behind her, Nicole tiptoed to the back stairs.
The fake baby would only buy Hallie a few seconds, but that might be enough. She talked to the fake Robert as she made her way, slowly, down the steps.
The mobster’s patience had run out. He vaulted up the steps and reached for the baby. “Jesus Christ,” he yelled, “the bitch is tryin’ to trick us. Nic’s gotta be goin’ out the back.”
Bluto took off with Jimmy only a few steps behind him. They made their way through the big house in a matter of seconds. Hallie stood very still and prayed.
An instant later a bloodcurdling shriek reached her ears. She smiled.
The plan had worked.
She called Jake.
Chapter Nineteen
Curses exploded out of Baz’s mouth as he questioned the universe.” “Where in the hell is the law when you need it?”
“We’re almost there,” Cam soothed. “Just focus on the road.”
Baz floored the rental car. He’d give a lot to have his Porsche wheel under his hands, but the old Buick was steady on the ice. Shit. Fear tasted like bile in his mouth.
What if it was too late? What if he was too late?
Again? His timing had stunk this past year.
“Baz, man, you’re driving like a maniac.”
“I know she’s gonna try to stop him.”
“She won’t do anything foolish. She won’t let Nicole and the baby get hurt. Jimmy D. has no reason to hurt Hallie. They’ll all be fine.”
Hallie would protect the others. It was her nature. The fear clawing at his guts wasn’t just about her physical safety. “She’s gonna run.”
“Who? Hallie?”
“I know her. She’s got it in her mind that Nic and I should make a family for the boy.”
“You can talk to her. Work it out. You’re going over the yellow line.”
“The hell of it is, she’s right.” He frowned at the road ahead. “I owe the kid. I guess I owe Nic, too.
Hallie’s all I’ve ever wanted and I’m gonna lose her.”
Cam stopped. Understandable, Baz thought.
There was nothing left to say. A burst of panic shook him. “I’ll give her up,” he muttered under his breath, “if she can just be safe.”
****
Hallie pushed open the door that separated the dining room from the butler’s pantry. She paused for an instant, in front of the glass-fronted cabinets that housed the Outlaw family’s dishes and pressed her ear against the door to the kitchen.
All she could hear was a kind of whimpering.
She was tempted to stay on her side of the door until Jake arrived, but she couldn’t do it. She had to be sure neither of them had followed Nicole.
She sucked in a breath and pushed open the door. Jimmy D. faced her, his palms flat against the wall next to the sun porch door. He looked like a corned cartoon character. His attention was riveted on the center of the room at a rainbow-colored boa constrictor coiled on top of the wicker table.
Bluto was embracing the refrigerator. His huge body shook as he continued to whimper. Wilbur stood next to him.
“I see you met Nadine.”
“It’s a damn python,” Jimmy bit out in a shaking voice. “It’s gonna eat us.”
Bluto’s whimpers turned into a whine.
“Highly unlikely. Nadine was fed yesterday. She won’t be hungry again for about a week. In any case, she’s not a python. She’s a boa.”
“Shit, boss,” Bluto wailed. “That means it’ll squeeze us to death.”
Dinari let out a harsh curse.
Bluto sounded plaintive. “Why’s that pig looking at me?”
“You’re next to the fridge. Wilbur is interested in any activity that involves the fridge. He’s waiting to see whether there’s a midnight snack in the offing.”
“You think you’re pretty damn clever, don’t you?
You got your damn creatures here to take us hostage so Nic could get away with my boy.”
“You’re not hostages. You can leave the room whenever you want.”
“Why the hell should I trust you?”
“I wouldn’t lie to you, Mr. Dinari. Not about something like this. Just as I’m sure you wouldn’t lie to me about Robert’s parentage.”
He glared at her. “What difference does this make to you? It’s no skin off your nose if I take the kid.”
“You’re wrong about that. Robert is Baz’s son, and I love Baz.”
The dark eyes flared for a minute. “You’re the one, aren’t you? Nic told me that’s why he came out here. You think you’re gonna marry him now and get the baby into the bargain?”
“No. Robert belongs to his biological parents. That’s not me. It’s not you, either.”
He looked at her pleadingly. “I told Celeste I’d bring him home.”
“I understand. I’m very sorry for you and your wife, but Robert isn’t a possession. He’s a person who needs years of nurturing and guidance. He needs parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. He needs his family.”
Suddenly, right there with the boa on the table, the pig guarding Bluto and Jimmy’s sullen face in front of her, she recognized a truth. A feeling of protectiveness swamped her senses. She loved Robert. All her objections evaporated like sugar in the rain, and she knew, in that moment, she could be part of his family.
“Robert should be with his natural parents,”
Hallie said, softly. “But there’s room in his life for people who love him. Do you love him, Jimmy? Does Celeste? Or is this about your masculinity and her longing for a child?”
The man didn’t respond. He looked away from her.
“It’s not that I don’t understand. You have to understand. Robert deserves to be with people who love him regardless of blood ties.”
Jimmy’s question surprised her. “You love him?”
Hallie nodded.
“Too bad you’re not the mom. Nic can’t handle this.”
“She’ll grow into it.”
“She’s got a butterfly tattoo on her butt, and her nipples are pierced. That’s why she couldn’t nurse the kid.”
Hallie shook her head. She didn’t want to hear about Nicole’s shortcomings. “You should both go.
The sheriff’ll be here any minute. Dr. Outlaw is on his way home, too.�
�
“You sure it’s safe?”
“Yeah. Go on out the back.”
“Dr. Scott?”
“Yes?”
“I won’t try to get the baby again.”
“I know.”
Hallie was relieved to see the last of Jimmy D and his sidekick, but she was left with a problem. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust the Internet, but she wasn’t fully confident Nadine wouldn’t try to hurt Wilbur. Or vice versa. She couldn’t leave the two alone in the kitchen.
The sound of the front door opening came as a huge relief. “Hallie?” Baz’s voice ricocheted off every wall in the house. She winced. The place had good acoustics.
“In the kitchen.”
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. I could use some help though.”
Nicole danced around the parlor.
She was like a female Peter Pan, Hallie thought. Athough. A blithe spirit not ready to be shackled by adult responsibilities.
“That was so cool! Man, we got Jimmy good. I couldn’t believe the plan worked.”
“It was an awesome plan,” Cam agreed.
Baz slumped on the sofa his brooding gaze on Hallie. She sat in the rocking chair holding Baz’s sleeping son.
“Hallie and me are a great team,” Nicole went on. “The only thing is, I just wished I coulda seen those two bums hugging the wall.” She howled with laughter. “You should’ve taken a picture, Hallie.”
“To tell you the truth,” she said, “I felt a little sorry for them.”
Nicole stared at her. “Why?”
Hallie shrugged. “Jimmy was desperate. He’s held onto the myth of his fatherhood for so long he’s started to believe it.” She gazed steadily at Nicole.
“And you encouraged him. That was cruel, you know. Infertility is a tragedy to people who suffer from it.”
“Hold on.” Baz’s eyes narrowed on her. “Are you saying Jimmy isn’t the father?”
Hallie looked at Nicole who suddenly tried to avoid eye contact with her. “He’s been telling people it’s his wife who’s got the fertility problem, but it isn’t. He’s sterile.”
“He knew he was shooting blanks,” Nicole said.
“He thought it was a miracle when I got knocked up.”
“Like I said. You encouraged him.”
“Well, what was I s’posed to do? I couldn’t take care of the kid by myself.”
“Nicole.” Baz’s voice was deep and intimidating.
“Who the hell is Robert’s father? Is it me?”
Her pretty face twisted. “I’m not sure.”
Baz’s curse was so loud it woke the baby. Nicole froze, and Hallie winced.
“Baz,” his brother cautioned.
Baz ignored him. “You’re just a two-bit manipulator. You’re shameless, and you’re a damn poor mother.”
“She’s not, you know.”
Baz glared at Hallie.
“She could have handed Robert over to Jimmy. I imagine he’d have been happy to pay her a chunk of money. Or she could have had an abortion. She has taken excellent care of the baby right from the start.”
“No way. When I met her, she was boozing and living in a dump.”
Hallie nodded. “Exactly. She took care of Robert by bringing you into his life.”
Baz went very still. A moment later he looked at Nicole. “Tell me the truth. Am I Robert’s father?”
The girl’s eyes filled with tears, and she shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe. There were a coupla others.”
No one spoke for a moment. Then Nicole moved to the rocking chair. She sat on the floor next to Hallie.
“I want you to have him,” she said, softly.
Hallie’s throat hurt from holding back tears. She knew a generous gesture when she heard one. Nicole might be bored with the day-to-day tedium of motherhood, but she loved her little boy. All her actions proved it.
“I appreciate that. But I know you’ll be sorry someday. You’ll regret giving up your child, and Robert will wonder why his birth mother left him with someone else. He’ll never understand. You’ve got to trust me on this. Blood is always thicker than water.”
She heard a soft curse coming from the sofa.
Nicole shook her head. “I made up my mind before I came out here. I can’t do this alone. I was going to l eave the baby with Baz.”
“You and Baz can raise him together.”
“No.” Her eyes were earnest now. “I don’t want to raise him. I don’t want to marry Baz any more than he wants to marry me. Blood may be a big deal, Hallie, but having two parents who love a kid…well, I think that’s more important to him.”
Hallie was touched by her words. She was so tempted to take the gift Nicole offered. She looked at Baz. “You need to talk to her,” she said, in a low voice.
He nodded. “What do you want, Nic?”
He sounded like a benevolent uncle. Hallie got up. Suddenly she couldn’t stand any more. “I’ll put Robert in bed,” she said and started for the doorway.
“Stay,” Baz said. “This concerns you, too.”
“I’ll take Robert up.” Cam slid the baby out of her arms.
“He needs a diaper change,” Hallie pointed out.
Cam’s glance was kind but ironic. “Believe me, I’m an old hand at this.”
For a long moment, no one spoke or moved. They were like three figures in a snow globe, but instead of snow, there was tension.
“I think it’s time to figure out the best setup here for the one person who can’t speak for himself.”
He paused, as if hoping someone else would take over. Hallie knew that wasn’t it. He was pulling his thoughts together, constructing his argument. Baz Outlaw knew what he wanted now, and he was going about it in an organized and methodical fashion. It was the researcher in his blood.
“I’ll start with my own role in this. I took on the role of father without giving any thought to what it really meant. It was undoubtedly a result of my years separated from my own father. It illustrates the importance of having a role model, and, while I have no doubt there’re thousands of men who could do a better job with Robert, he is stuck with me because I choose him.”
Tears gathered behind Hallie’s eyes. Baz had come so far in the eighteen months she’d known him.
She was so proud of him.
“I promise to do my best to raise him as an honest man who appreciates his family. To do that, I plan to move to Eden permanently. That way Robert will have all the advantages of an extended family.”
Hallie shouldn’t be surprised. She knew Baz would do the right thing once he figured out what it was.
He looked at her and she smiled. “Ideally,” he said. His voice was hoarse; he cleared his throat. He started again. “Ideally, a child should have a father and a mother. Robert is a very lucky baby because there are two women who love him unconditionally.
The only question that remains is in what capacity.”
“I hate to interrupt you,” Hallie said, “but Nicole is his mother.”
Nicole’s blue eyes seemed fathomless as she gazed at Hallie. “You can give him so much more Than I can.”
“Material things, you mean?”
“Don’t you see? You can give him a mother who loves not just him but his father. You can give him a mother who longs to be a mother.” She tilted her head to one side. “Do you remember when I told you I’d had several abortions? I didn’t do it this time.
Don’t you see? Robert was meant to get here. I had him for you. Kinda like Mary and Jesus, know what I mean?”
Hallie’s laughter mixed with tears and suddenly she was sobbing. She pulled Nicole into her arms.
When Baz put his arms around them both, Hallie felt an indescribable sense of joy. For the first time since she was thirteen, she was part of a family.
Baz rested his cheek against her curls. He was a lucky man. Hallie loved him, and she was going to be his wife. And he had a son. Robert Outlaw. His son.
/> Hallie’s son. Her happiness melted what was left of the icy fortress around his heart. He smiled at Nic.
He was very proud of her and so grateful.
When the cloudbursts had stopped and everyone was calm, Hallie finally spoke. “I don’t want you to sign away your rights to Robert,” Hallie told Nicole.
“He should know you loved him enough to give him a stable home with his father, but that you wanted to stay connected. I’d like you to live here, too.”
Nicole glanced at Baz. He lifted his brows as if helpless. She might as well know he wouldn’t risk his good fortune over a signature on a piece of paper.
“I’ll tell you what,” Nicole said, finally. “You adopt Robert, and I’ll make this my home base. I mean, not right now. I can’t wait to just, you know,
be free. But later, I’ll come back here. Deal?”
Baz and Hallie exchanged a look.
“Deal,” Hallie said, finally.” You’ll always have a family here. A home.”
Nicole giggled. “It might be a little hard to explain all this to Robert. You know, this is my mother, and this is my other mother.”
Hallie laughed. The sound was full of happiness that made Baz’s blood sing.
“I’ve been hung up on titles as long as I can remember,” Hallie said. “But I can change. As soon as he’s old enough, we’ll tell Robert about you and about all you went through to make sure he got a wonderful life.”
Enough waterworks, Baz thought. “Speaking of change. How’d Nadine wind up in our kitchen?”
“She started out in the mudroom,” Hallie said.
“Before that she was in the clinic,” Nicole put in.
“Then there was a broken pipe, and, by the way, the clinic is underwater.”
He blanched. “Underwater?”
“Jolene’s cousin is coming to fix it tomorrow,”
Hallie assured him.
“I still don’t understand. How’d you get Nadine in the first place? What about your snake phobia?”
Hallie wrinkled her nose.
“Diane had to go out of town. Actually, that might have been a ploy. She was really disappointed you weren’t here. I mean really disappointed.”
Nicole grinned at him. “You’re such a stud, Baz.”