“When the computers in a major company crash, the big boys get a tad hysterical. I’ll ride in on my white charger and save the day—if I don’t freeze to death first. Alaska.” He shook his head. “Cripes.”
“Don’t you get tired of all the traveling you do as a computer troubleshooter, Richard? It would drive me nuts. You live out of a suitcase, instead of enjoying your lovely apartment.” Kara picked an imaginary thread from her brother’s jacket. “And your schedule certainly doesn’t give you much time to spend with Brenda.”
“Oh, here we go,” he said, rolling his eyes heavenward. “I don’t know what it’s going to take to convince this family that Brenda and I are just friends. Where is it written that a man’s best friend can’t be a woman?
“Brenda lives in the apartment next to mine. We share meals on occasion, go out together if we’re in the mood and…Forget it. I’ve been over this turf at least a hundred times.”
“Yes, Richard,” Kara said, smiling. “I’m sorry, Richard. I won’t bring it up again, Richard.”
He rapped his knuckles lightly on the top of Kara’s head.
“Remember that statement,” he said. “I have to go. I saw Uncle Robert for a few minutes. He looks great, he really does.”
“That’s good to hear,” Kara said, “but not surprising. Patients are usually much improved after that surgery. Of course, Uncle Robert has to recuperate from the original heart attack, too, but he’s going to be fine. Are the MacAllisters still here in force?”
“No. Everyone got to say a quick hello to Uncle Robert, then Aunt Margaret sent them packing. She’s still upstairs, though.”
“All right. How long will you be gone?”
Richard shrugged. “I never know until I get to the job and see what the situation is. I only stay at hotels that have laundry service, that’s for sure.” He kissed her on the forehead again. “Bye for now, little sister. And, well, as far as Andrew Malone goes, just stay alert. Okay?”
“You bet,” Kara said, then turned to watch her handsome brother stride away.
Stay alert, her mind echoed. Be continually aware of the sensual impact Andrew had on her? Realize that she had shared her innermost secrets with Andrew, allowing him to know of the existence of Gloria, her precious daughter?
No, of course, that wasn’t what Richard was referring to, because he had no idea of what had transpired between her and Andrew. Despite Richard’s apology she imagined that her brother was still harboring anger toward Andrew, was convinced that he had an agenda, was after something he wanted from their uncle Robert.
Richard was no doubt warning her to stay alert in regard to falling prey to Andrew’s good looks and any smooth charm he might possess.
Oh, little did Richard know. She was way past all that. Yes, she would most definitely stay alert, but it would be centered on her inner being, her very heart, soul and mind, to make certain that Andrew Malone didn’t steal her heart before he returned to Santa Maria.
She would not fall in love with Andrew, then be shattered into a million pieces when he walked out of her life forever.
“Stay alert, Dr. MacAllister,” she said aloud, then lifted her chin and entered the hospital.
When Kara reached the floor where Robert MacAllister was assigned a private room, she was told that the doctors were in with the patient. Mrs. MacAllister had gone to the cafeteria with one of the nurses to have some dinner.
“All right,” Kara said to the nurse at the station. “I’ll be back shortly.”
“Okay,” the nurse said. “Your uncle is a sweetheart, Dr. MacAllister. He didn’t even complain that his dinner consisted of green Jell-o.”
Kara laughed. “That will change. I doubt that he’s been informed yet of the strict diet he’s going to be on. My Aunt Margaret is in for hearing a lot of grumbling, which she’ll put a halt to when she’s had enough.”
“She’s a lovely lady,” the nurse said. “Well, your whole family is super, such nice people.”
“I know,” Kara said, smiling. “I’m very lucky to have them all.” She paused. “I won’t be gone too long. Please tell my aunt Margaret that I’m in the hospital and will be back soon if she gets here before I do.”
“Sure thing.”
Kara hurried to the elevator and a short time later entered the nursery on the maternity floor.
“Hi, Diane,” Kara said to the nurse who greeted her. “How’s my boy this evening?”
“He’s doing great,” Diane said, smiling. “He ate about an hour ago and is sleeping more peacefully than usual. I’m delighted to see that. It’s an excellent sign that the drugs in his system are diminishing. Oh, he looks so cute. I wish you had a camera with you.”
“He’s cuter than usual?” Kara said, laughing. “I would have thought that was impossible.”
Diane frowned. “I guess I’m confused. I got the distinct impression that you knew about the present that…oh, what was his name? Malone. Andrew Malone.
“Of course, that couldn’t be the same Andrew Malone they’re writing about in the newspapers. I bet the Andrew Malone who stopped by here wished he had a different name at the moment.”
“Wait a minute,” Kara said, raising one hand. “You’ve totally lost me. Andrew Malone was here? In the nursery? With a gift for the baby?”
“Yes, about fifteen minutes ago. He said it would be fine with you because you’d already let him hold and feed the baby. I jumped to conclusions, I guess, and thought you knew about the present. Oh, heavens, I didn’t do anything wrong, did I?”
“No, no, not at all,” Kara said. “What was the present?”
“I put it right on your kiddo. Go look for yourself. It’s too cute for words. It’s a little big for him, but the way he’s growing it won’t take him long to fill it out and be ready to play ball.”
“Play ball?” Kara repeated. “Never mind. I’ll go see what you’re talking about.”
Kara crossed the room to the rear of the nursery and peered into the bassinet where the baby was sleeping with his tiny fists curled next to his cheeks.
“Oh, my,” Kara whispered, staring at the infant. “Oh, Andrew, you got him a baseball suit?”
With her gaze riveted on the baby and her mind racing, Kara blinked away unexpected and unwelcome tears.
Why? she asked herself. Why had Andrew done this? He had to have gone to a mall, found a store that sold baby clothes, picked out the darling outfit, then brought it here to the nursery for the baby. All that had required a great deal of effort and thoughtfulness. But why?
Kara reached into the bassinet and lifted the baby carefully into her arms. She settled onto the rocking chair and watched the precious bundle sleep, all decked out like Babe Ruth.
Why? her mind echoed. Yes, all right, it must be apparent to Andrew that the baby was special to her because she continually made time to see him, feed him, hold him. But he had no idea just how important this child was. He didn’t know that she hoped, dreamed, prayed that this infant would be her son.
So, the only explanation that made any sense was that the baby had staked a claim on Andrew’s heart when he had been hastily recruited to feed him his bottle during the crisis in the nursery.
This was, she knew, the first tiny baby that Andrew had ever held, ever been in close proximity to. She’d heard him talking to the infant, sharing the meaningful story of the bicycle, a very private and special tale.
Yes, that had to be it. When her son—please, let him be her son—had curled his tiny hand around Andrew’s finger, he’d also grabbed hold of Andrew’s heart.
The adorable baseball suit was evidence that to Andrew Malone, this baby…mattered.
Kara blinked back fresh tears as a lovely warmth tiptoed around her heart.
Just for a second, she thought, she was going to allow herself a fantasy she had no business indulging in. But, oh, it was glorious.
In this fantasy, her fears of loving, falling in love, had taken wing and fled, never to return. She w
as deeply and irrevocably in love with Andrew and he loved her in return. Not only that, but he loved her—their—son. They would be a family, the three of them. And later, if they were blessed, they would add more children created while making sweet love.
They’d have a house. A big rambling home that was filled with sunshine, laughter and love. There would be a backyard for the children to play in, a swing set, sandbox, toys galore. There would be big trees for shade on hot days and lush green grass to roll and romp in.
What else? Oh, yes, there was a fireplace in the living room that would warm them through the rainy season of winter. She and Andrew would read bedtime stories to the children in front of the hearth, then carry them upstairs to hear their prayers and tuck them into bed with hugs and kisses.
Then she and Andrew would return to the quiet living room, turn out the lights and sit in front of the glowing fire. They’d reach for each other and—
“Enough,” Kara said aloud as heat swept through her in a wild current.
Such foolishness, she admonished herself. She had no intention of falling in love with Andrew, or any other man, for that matter. She would raise her son alone, just as she’d planned from the beginning when she’d made her decision to adopt him. That was fine. Good. Exactly the way she wanted it.
Wasn’t it?
Oh, Kara, don’t, she begged herself silently. She was set on a course of action to be a single parent, and that was that. She was currently engaged in an out-of-character affair with a magnificent man, but it was temporary, would end when Andrew returned to Santa Maria.
“You’re all suited up to be part of a team,” Kara whispered to the baby. “That team is you and me, my sweetheart. But I’ll save that little outfit, and someday I’ll tell you about the very special caring man who gave it to you. I think you’ve stolen his heart, but I can’t allow him to steal mine. I just can’t.”
Kara continued to rock, holding the precious baby in her arms. She frowned as she looked closer and saw a small round spot on the pocket of the baseball suit. She sighed wearily as she realized that the damp little circle had been caused by one of her tears.
Chapter 11
Kara knocked lightly on the door of her uncle’s hospital room, and an instant later heard Aunt Margaret call out a cheerful “Come in.” After drawing a steadying breath and producing what she hoped was a passable smile, Kara entered the room. She went to the bed that had been adjusted to allow Robert to sit up and kissed him on the forehead.
“You look wonderful,” Kara said. “How are you feeling, Uncle Robert?”
“Hungry,” he said, frowning.
“Oops,” Kara said. “Sorry I asked.” She glanced at the tray on the nightstand. “I’ll prop the door open a bit so they’ll know they can come in and get that dinner tray out of your way.”
“You do that,” Robert said gruffly. “When they pick it up, I’ll inform them that I’m ready for my steak and potatoes.”
“Uh-oh,” Kara said, returning to the door to flip the rubber stopper down, propping the door about one-third open. “Grumpy already.” She took a seat in a chair next to where Margaret sat by the bed.
“I’m humoring the mood while he’s in the hospital,” Margaret said. “But once we get home? That will be another story.”
Robert smiled. “I’ll be a perfect patient, my love. I’m grateful to be alive, believe me. An event like this one certainly makes a man aware of his blessings and all the reasons he has to live each day to the fullest. I intend to be around for a long long time.”
“I hope so,” Margaret said, smiling at him warmly. “I know so.”
Robert sighed before frowning. “Well, the time has come, hasn’t it? We need to discuss what happened at the party. More precisely, we need to discuss the subject of Andrew Malone and his claim that he’s my son.”
Kara got to her feet. “I’ll leave you two alone. Please don’t get overtired, Uncle Robert.”
“No, Kara, don’t go,” Robert said. “You’re part of the MacAllister family, and everyone has a right to know the truth. You might as well hear this now. Is that all right with you, Margaret?”
“Yes. Yes, of course,” Margaret said, her gaze riveted on her husband. “But you don’t have to do this tonight, Robert.”
“Yes, I do,” he said. “I truly do. This is a great burden on your mind, my Margaret, I know it is. You’ve been through enough, worrying about whether I was going to live or die, without this situation with Andrew Malone hanging over your head, too.”
Kara sat back down and clutched her hands tightly in her lap. Robert lifted his right hand and stared at a thin white scar that ran across his knuckles.
“That scar,” he said, allowing his hand to fall heavily onto the blanket, “is from punching a tree out of hurt and frustration when Sally Malone broke my immature teenage heart.”
“When?” Margaret said, hardly above a whisper. “When were you involved with Sally Malone, Robert?”
“A year before I met you, my darling,” Robert said. “Margaret, I have never been unfaithful to you. Never. I swear it.”
Margaret closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them again, tears were shimmering in her eyes. She smiled at her husband.
“Thank you for that,” she said. “I needed to hear you say it. I’m sorry, but I did. I should have had more faith in you.”
“No, there’s no reason to apologize. I mean, my God, a young man shows up out of the blue claiming to be my son and…you had every right to wonder when I was intimate with his mother, how old Andrew Malone is. If the situation was reversed, I would need the same assurances I’m giving you, Margaret.”
Margaret dashed an errant tear from her cheek and nodded.
“I’ve spoken with Andrew Malone,” she said, her voice not quite steady, “seen him up close. He is your son. He has your eyes, the MacAllister eyes, and his features are yours.”
Robert nodded slowly. “So be it.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “The year before I met you, Margaret, the summer after I graduated from high school, I worked as a counselor at a youth camp up in the mountains. My father demanded that I do something entirely different before beginning the apprenticeship program at MacAllister Architects.
“He had insisted that Ralph do the same thing two years previously, and so off I went to ride herd on a bunch of rowdy kids, who were feeling their oats because they were away from home and their parents’ eagle eyes.
“Sally Malone was working at the camp as one of the kitchen staff. She was there with her older sister…oh, what was her name? Cleo? No, no, her sister’s name was Clara.”
“Are you sure you wouldn’t prefer that I leave?” Kara said.
“No, dear, stay,” Margaret said. “Please.”
Kara nodded.
“Well, it was a case of summer love or whatever,” Robert went on. “I fell head over heels for Sally. She was sweet, innocent, very wholesome, and…I was convinced I was in love for the first time in my life.” He shook his head. “Oh, I was such a foolish, lovestruck boy. I believed every word that Sally told me, was convinced that she loved me in return. And how very wrong I was.”
“What happened?” Margaret said, frowning.
“Sally Malone was not even close to being what she presented herself to be. She was using me for her own purposes. She was involved with an older man back home and decided that a relationship with me would provide her with the sexual experience she needed to please that man.
“There was nothing sweet, innocent and wholesome about Sally. She had an agenda, and I was the unsuspecting pawn in her diabolical game plan.”
“That’s a lie,” Andrew said, bursting into the room and striding to the edge of the bed. “That is a damn lie, MacAllister.”
Kara jumped to her feet. “Andrew! Don’t. You mustn’t upset Uncle Robert because…Don’t do this.”
Andrew’s head snapped around and he glared at Kara. “Don’t defend my mother’s memory, who she wa
s as a person, a woman? If your uncle feels physically strong enough to fabricate these lies, then, by God, he’s strong enough to take them back and tell the truth about what really happened that summer.
“I didn’t intend to do this,” Andrew said, “but I was in the hallway by the door, hoping to see you when you came out, Kara. I can’t, I won’t, stand silently by and listen to my mother’s name, her memory, being dragged through the mud, made filthy by lies.”
Andrew returned his furious gaze to Robert. “Damn you, MacAllister, how can you do this? You actually intend to pass off this story as the truth to your entire family, don’t you? What kind of man are you?”
Robert met Andrew’s angry gaze directly. “I’m telling the truth as I know it, Andrew.”
“Bull,” he said, raking a hand through his hair.
“All right,” Robert said. “Sally isn’t here to defend herself. According to what you said that night in the restaurant, she passed away when you were fifteen years old. You have every right to speak in her place.”
“Damn straight I do,” Andrew said, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “My mother loved you with all her heart. She gave you her most precious gift—her innocence. And then? When she told you she was pregnant with your baby, you abandoned her, walked away without a backward glance.”
Margaret gasped, then pressed her fingertips to her lips.
“Sally Malone wasn’t good enough for you, right, Robert?” Andrew went on, a steely bitter edge to his voice. “Oh, sure, she was fine for a romp in the hay during the boring summer. But did you actually intend to have a future with someone far below the MacAllister social status? Not a chance. You used her, played on her innocence, then walked away from her when she needed you the most, laughing at how gullible and easily duped she had been. Oh, yeah, I heard about how you laughed, you bastard.”
A rough bark of sound erupted from Andrew’s lips. “No, excuse me,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “You’re not the bastard, are you, Robert? That title belongs to me. I’m the bastard.
“I’m the one who was raised by an unmarried woman, who struggled for every penny she had, who was the most wonderful mother any child could ask for. But I didn’t have a father, because you didn’t give a damn that Sally was pregnant with your baby when you left her.
The Baby Bet: His Secret Son (The Baby Bet #5) Page 13