Guard My Baby

by Rebecca Savage

  Lainie walked back down her hall, her mind screaming. Cade would be a good father and a good husband, if she could convince him he could love both her and Eli. Not just his daughter. But the mother of his child as well.

  Lainie shook her head. Cade thought all women were vile, or weak creatures not to be trusted. Maybe he was right about a lot of them, but not all of them - certainly not her. Stereotyping and lumping her into the same mold as his ex-wife - the woman who'd aborted his child without telling him - was completely unfair to Lainie. Lainie hadn't killed his baby. In fact, she was doing everything in her power to make sure Eli survived the threats against her.

  Sighing, Lainie rewound the knob on the musical gadget holding Eli's undivided attention. Then she straightened her baby's changing table. Lainie wished men weren't so narrow-minded. She also wished Cade didn't affect her on every level possible. She truly believed that he would leave soon, when he had enough of the fun and games of playing with his newborn baby.

  Lainie sighed again and checked the locks on Eli's tiny nursery window. She'd started letting Eli sleep in this room a few nights ago. During the day, she kept Eli in her bassinet, close by, especially when she spent time in her bedroom, reading, studying, or napping.

  She wasn't sure why she'd listened to Cade about putting Eli in her own room, but she had to admit that she felt safe with him there, guarding them, especially with the added security measures of every device and alarm Chuck had installed. They were attached to every opening of the house and rigged to go off with the slightest unidentified movement or suspicious activity.

  Admittedly, though, Eli would sleep more comfortably in the baby bed, and there was only one small window in the baby's room - one not large enough for a perpetrator to climb through. So Lainie figured that her daughter was about as safe as she and Cade could make her.

  Lainie headed down the short hall and for the kitchen. Cade came through the door and handed her the mail. He never let her go out to get it. He always brought it in to her. She started feeling a little claustrophobic, cooped up like some chicken in a pen. She hadn't been out of the house in two weeks, since she'd given birth. It wasn't as if she could call that an outing, exactly.

  She'd started thinking about suggesting going out when the letter brought her up short and changed her mind. She gasped in shock as she opened the long, thick, manila envelope, and the gory contents spilled out onto the coffee table. Her hand flew to her throat, and a strangling sound tore from her voice box. Cade was at her side instantly.

  Cade gaped at the photos, and his face hardened. His eyes shot temper from their depths, and she was glad he was here. She was afraid. Very afraid. But not Cade. He was angry. Extremely angry.

  Good. She needed him to be angry. His anger kept her strong and focused.

  The doorbell rang.

  They both jumped.

  Cade started for the door, but Lainie stopped him with a trembling hand on his arm. "No. What if it's... "

  He drilled her with a look, stopping her in her tracks. She released his arm and stepped back. His rigid stance screamed rage. Anger emanated from his whole body, which shook with tremors Lainie could only classify as restrained violence. His deep voice sent involuntary shivers down her spine. "I hope it is, sweetheart. I hope it is."

  He had murder in his eyes, exactly as she'd seen in them when he'd spoken of vengeance for the deaths of his sister and niece. How much does this situation remind him of that incident? Was that why he was profoundly adamant about making sure that Eli survived and escaped any possibility of attack? He looked through the peep hole, turned, and said in a cool tone, "Trish and Chuck."

  Lainie sighed, and her heartbeat slowed. She released the pent-up breath she'd been holding from her burning lungs and allowed her taut nerves and muscles to relax. She slumped back down on her sofa, relieved yet still in turmoil.

  Trish breezed in, vibrant and excited. "Look who I found lurking on your doorstep." She tapped a grinning Chuck on the shoulder. "We want to see that baby girl and... " She broke off when she saw the look on Cade's face and Lainie's. "Oh, God. What's wrong? Eli's not... "

  "No," they barked in unison.

  "Eli's fine. So far. But we just got those." Lainie let Cade speak. At least his voice worked, albeit a little gravely. Hers had been a mere croak with the one word she'd choked out.

  He nodded at the table and jerked his hand in the direction of the disgusting photos. Trish and Chuck edged toward the table and saw the pictures spread on the slick shiny surface, the bright, glowing background of the glossy tabletop contrasting sickly with the look of the blood, guts and gore revealed in the gruesome photos.

  "What the hell?" Trish shrieked, stumbling back from the table, her face white in an instant.

  "He sent us pictures," Lainie found her voice and said weakly, stating the obvious.

  Cade sat next to her and linked his fingers in hers. He held them, and she let him. Unity might be good right now, and his warmth and strength felt good and bolstered her confidence and morale.

  "Pictures? That's an understatement." Chuck glared at the snapshots of Cade in the front yard and the other photos: images of dead bodies, specifically, small children and babies, mutilated in war-torn countries. The shots were the kind taken by professionals and put in politically oriented magazines to make people realize how violent some parts of the war ravaged world are.

  "It's a message." Trish's usually-chirpy, normally-cheerful voice sounded defeated.

  Cade's grasp tightened on Lainie's hand, and he ground out between clenched teeth, "He won't get to her."

  Lainie stared at the look of cold fury in his features, and at that moment, she believed him. Or at least she wanted to. Badly.

  After discussing security measures and evidence, Chuck used latex gloves to put the pictures back in the envelope and place it in a plastic baggy. "I'll take them to the police to have them checked for prints and DNA. I'll let forensics try to determine what they can from the evidence, but I don't expect them to find much. The guy probably wore gloves."

  Eli let them know she was awake, and the sound of her crying played like music to Lainie's ears. Eli remained alive and well, but for how much longer? No. She couldn't let herself think that way. She had to trust Cade, and that worried her even more. She'd started to depend on his continued presence. Heaven help me.

  "I'll go." Lainie started to get up off the sofa.

  Cade stopped her, holding her fingers firmly. He gave them a gentle squeeze and rose. "No. It's okay. I'll go. I'll change her and bring her in." He looked at Trish and Chuck. His wide grin lightened the mood somewhat, but it didn't erase all the worry from his eyes or Lainie's frightened mind. "That's what you really came for, isn't it, guys? To see Eli?"

  Trish and Chuck said in unison, with matching wide grins, "Yep."

  Chuck stood. "I'll go with you."

  Trish laughed. "Go ahead. Talk macho men trash all you want to, while you're in there, but bring us back that baby girl, and don't be too long about it."

  Chuck winked at Trish. What passed between Trish and Chuck? Had that been flirting she'd seen? Trish drilled Lainie. "Okay. Spill it."

  Lainie looked at her quizzically. "What? Spill what?"

  "I saw how Cade held your hand for dear life. Are things getting sticky around here, or what?" Trish angled for gossip, probably trying to take Lainie's mind off the nasty photos in the baggie lying on the end table.

  "Newsflash for ya, Trish. Sticky isn't the word for it. Tension is. Especially since Drayton showed up last week and kissed me right square on the lips in front of Cade, and then blew out of here in a mad rush of testosterone and stupidity."

  At the sound of the door bell, Lainie jumped like a cat on hot coals. "Now who could that be?" Lainie went to the door and gasped. "Oh, Lord. Speak of the Devil."

  Trish stood next to her, her mouth dropped. "Surely not."

  "When it rains, it pours." Lainie opened the door, prepared to tell Drayton to go away
. Her jaw dropped in stunned involuntary reaction. Drayton stood next to her mother. "Mom." Lainie gasped the word and nearly passed out with shock. Her mother breezed in, wrapped Lainie in a bear hug, and cooed over her for several seconds. Finally, Lainie pulled back long enough to let both Drayton and her mom in the door, so Trish could close it behind them and lock it.

  "All right, young lady." Her mother shook an extravagantly-jeweled, professional-manicured, perfectly-polished finger at Lainie, as if Lainie were a spoiled-rotten, disobedient child who needed to be admonished. "You have some explaining to do." Lainie could only stare in amazement and embarrassment. I really should've moved to the moon, instead of Dallas, TX. St. Louisis still on the same planet.

  Her mother barreled on, "But not now. We can talk later. Right now, I want to see my granddaughter." She looked around her. "And where's my husband gone off to?" The doorbell rang again. Her mother giggled. "Oh, we must've locked him out. He parked the car at a better angle. You know how picky he is about parking just right."

  Thank God. It was all Lainie could muster in her flabbergasted mind. She was so glad that her father was there, too. He served as the calming force against her mother's tornado-like tirades, and as the go-between who helped Lainie survive her mother's whirlwind rampages and legendary matchmaking attempts. Lainie didn't need a matchmaker right now. She had more men hovering around her than she could possibly handle: the persistent, yet-to-speak, looking-down-at-his-shoes Drayton, and the duty-bound Cade.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Cade heard the commotion and headed for the kitchen with his daughter lying against his shoulder. He patted her well-bundled, now-dry behind. He loved to pat her tiny rump, covered in all that padding. It was so soft and cuddly, with all those layers of clean diaper and frilly cotton panties worn on the outside. He still didn't get that one. Why bother with the fancy panties? Must be a girl thing.

  What he saw in the kitchen stopped him cold, froze him in motion, and assaulted his vision. Drayton stood next to Lainie's mother, whom Cade had met only a short time ago, back in St. Louis. The comparison between the two was striking. The sleek woman stood next to Lainie and practically mirrored her. The middle-aged reflection was petite, yet built as was Lainie. She hadn't lost her figure, and she obviously put countless hours into maintaining the illusion of youth and keeping herself healthy and beautiful. The older version of Lainie's eyes were almost the same, too - cobalt blue - but there was something odd in the older woman's eyes. Her mind spun, connived, and calculated, Cade realized. What must she be thinking now?

  Cade's eyes scooted over to the older gentleman, and he was a gentleman, if ever there was one. Dark hair, graying at the edges. The man kept himself trim and healthy, but not for vanity's sake, as Cade believed the woman did. The guy simply wasn't phony. Not like Lainie's whimsical mother. No wonder Lainie cringed each time she spoke the woman's name or answered the phone, knowing that her mom was on the line.

  Guilt stung him for a moment, for thinking ill of Lainie's mom and wondering how plastic she was. Then he looked at Lainie. She bit her lip and edged away from her mother. She obviously felt the same way he did, with a bit of added guilt thrown into the mix. Cade glanced at Lainie's dad. His eyes were full of pride, wonder and love. Cade's eyes dropped on Drayton and narrowed in contempt. He tightened his grip on Eli, his daughter, his blood, his family. Drayton had no right or reason to be here.

  Lainie spoke first. "Mom, Dad, you remember Cade. I believe you met, back in St. Louis. He's... well, he's... "

  "The father of her baby," Cade finished, daring anyone to contradict him, narrowing his eyes in challenge.

  Every person in the room gasped at Cade's bluntness. Lainie's mom clasped at her heart. Trish recovered quickly and smiled knowingly. Chuck smothered a grin, with a cough into the back of his hand. Lainie's dad looked as if he'd known all along, and as if he adored his daughter and his grandchild, which he'd never even met yet, and - did Cade dare believe it? - as if he approved of him.

  Cade stuck what he hoped was a smug, proud mask on his face, if for no other reason than to warn off Drayton. Drayton needed find another tree to climb. Lainie was Cade's tree. They had roots together, and they were growing branches. He planned to grow a whole damned forest in the future, if Lainie would have him, and if he could convince her. Marriage didn't always have to be about true love and all that nonsense that could tear a heart to shreds. It could be about compatibility, friendship, and passion in bed, which they had in spades. Marriage could be about family, and they'd already begun that. It was perfectly logical to him, but would it be to Lainie?

  Lainie cleared her throat. "Let me make introductions all around. Might as well." She pointed out each man and woman in turn. "My mother, Sharon Blanchet, my father, Thomas Blanchet, my friend Drayton Clausen, my best friend and doctor, Trish Gordon, and my security guy, Chuck Winston, who also happens to be Cade's brother. Cade Sheridan, that is." She lifted Eli from Cade's shoulder. "And of course, this is the real star of the show, Eloise Rachel Brianne Sheridan - Eli for short."

  Eli acted as if she knew she had all eyes and attention locked on her, blowing bubbles through her pooched-out lips. Lainie would have sworn she smiled, but she believed it was too soon for a smile. Wasn't it? Eli's eyes were alert and dancing, taking in everyone around her, and then landing on Cade and staying fixed on him.

  Cade sidled up to Lainie and put his hand at the small of her back, marking her as his, branding her with the heat of his gaze and the warmth of his strong fingers through her clothing. He met Drayton's challenging glare, and Drayton tensed. Cade stiffened, and then dared anyone - with his determined glare - to say a word. Even Lainie.

  "Well, isn't this... homey? And such a nice surprise? I thought you might be all alone and suffering, Lainie, with only Trish to help you through such a tough time." Sharon Blanchet's all-observing slits-for-eyes twinkled.

  "Well, as you can see, I have plenty of help, if I need it. Cade's here all the time, and... " Lainie began.

  Her mother gasped at that, her hand flying to her chest again. "All the time? What do you mean, all the time? Oh, he lives here?" Sharon's voice softened to a mere whisper at the end, as if she could make it unreal if she spoke quiet enough.

  Chuck cleared his throat, an amused gleam in his eye. "Cade, what do you say we go out for a beer? I don't think Lainie and her family need us right now, buddy."

  Cade hesitated, but finally said, "Maybe you're right, Chuck."

  Chuck stepped up to Cade and spoke in his ear. "He's not going to take over your territory with the women hovering over her. Especially Trish. She's on your side. I can see that from here. Don't worry. She'll put Drayton in his place. She's a spitfire, that one." Cade gawked at Trish. Chuck was Trish's security guy, too, but was that all? What went on here that Cade didn't know about? Chuck continued, "Let's go, Cade. You need some fresh air. And alcohol. From the looks of things, it's gonna get pretty dicey around here for awhile. Better take a break while you can."

  Chuck was right about that, but Cade didn't want Chuck's insight or assessment of the situation. Lainie gasped as Cade reached for her and stunned her with a possessive kiss right on her lips, doing what Drayton had a week ago. Lainie blinked as Cade pulled away and rounded on his heels. She glanced and Drayton. Cade had hit his mark. A look of pure, open hatred crossed Drayton's features, before he closed off his expression again and stared at the wall in front of him. Cade narrowed his gaze as he strode purposefully across the room and followed Chuck out the door. There was something odd about Drayton Clausen.

  Lainie took a deep breath. "Daddy, why don't you put the luggage in the second room on the right? It's a guest bedroom. Cade's staying in the first room on the right."

  Her mother inhaled deeply. "Oh, good. Well then, maybe we're not too late."

  Why is she looking at Drayton like tha - as if he's her ally?

  Lainie glanced back and forth between her mother and Drayton.

  "At least he'
s not sleeping with you now," Sharon twittered and lifted her chin condescendingly, angling her glare at the door through which Cade had exited.

  Trish gasped, obviously surprised at the nerve of the woman Lainie called Mom. Trish apparently wasn't used to the sort of scathing remarks Sharon Blanchet threw out with just about every breath. Offensive or not, Lainie's mom said whatever she thought and seldom held her sharp, cutting tongue, especially where her only child was concerned.

  Lainie's dad said softly, "Why don't you come with me, Drayton? Help me get settled in."

  Drayton hesitated, but he nodded and went without an argument. People did that. They listened to Thomas Blanchet's gentle requests. He was a born leader. Even his wife followed him, when he put his foot down.

  Lainie narrowed her eyes at Drayton's back as he left the room. Drayton was probably fearful of alienating what he hoped to be his future father-in-law, but how had they gotten to know each other so well? As far as she knew, they'd never met. What had they done - talked in her driveway, before giving away their presence? Why, that'd be as underhanded as Lainie had ever suspected Drayton could be. Oh, that devious little...

  Lainie narrowed her eyes further as she listened to the peaceful conversation between Trish and Sharon, feeling anything but peaceful herself. Why was her father going along with this? Or was he? Maybe he really was here to be a calming force. He certainly didn't seem to be opposed to Cade. He'd looked at Cade measuringly, yes, but approvingly, too, it seemed to Lainie. Thank God. Right now she needed a hero, and her father had always been very good in that role.

  Trish got out the pitcher of tea and poured drinks all around. The women sat at the kitchen table, talking small talk, until Sharon started in, chiding, "Lainie, I don't understand it. When we pulled up in your driveway, Drayton came up behind us. He told us he's your fiance, and... "

  "He's not my fiance, Mom."

  Her mother looked shocked, both at the fact that Lainie had interrupted, and at her discrediting the man she obviously trusted - Drayton. "He said he wants to marry you, but you're playing hard to get these days. It's more than that, though, isn't it? Does Drayton know that man is living with you? Good Lord, it'd be a miracle if the poor man wants anything to do with you after what we all just witnessed.