Though he considered it morbid to think about his own death, that’s exactly what he’d been doing for the better part of a year. He supposed it was a sign that he was getting old, for him to be having such thoughts—although he didn’t consider forty-two all that old. But death was a fact of life, the same as living, and he was aware, especially with an estate the size of his, that he should have a will in place, no matter what his age or state of health. Having one drawn one up was easy enough. All he had to do was call his lawyer. What kept him from making the call was his lack of an heir. Most men named their wives or kids as their beneficiaries, or a combination of the two. But Mack didn’t have a wife or children…at least, none that were living.
He’d lost his wife and son in a senseless car wreck twelve years before and had never remarried. For the first couple of years following their deaths, he’d found it hard enough to breathe, much less think about marrying again. But even after the pain of losing them had dulled somewhat, he still hadn’t been able to work up the enthusiasm to ask a woman out on a date.
When asked, he claimed it was because he’d never met one that caught his eye. But the truth was, he’d never looked. Losing his wife and son had changed him, stripping him of the desire to develop attachments with anyone, especially a woman. As a result, he’d reached the ripe old age of forty-two with no family, other than his half brother, to name in a will.
He scowled at the reminder of Ty. Hell, if he left his estate to his half brother, everything Mack and Mack’s father before him had worked and struggled to build would be lost in less than a year’s time. Ty had the business acumen of a jackass and the attention span of a two-year-old. He looked at everything in terms of what he could turn it for and the fun it would buy him when he did.
No, he wouldn’t leave his estate to Ty.
Mack focused his gaze on the baby again, wondering if the child could be the answer to his problem. He could adopt him, he told himself. Raise the boy as his own, ingrain in him the morals and integrity that the child would never learn if left up to Ty.
Ty didn’t care about the kid, Mack told himself. If he did, he’d be here right now, instead of playing an adult version of hide and seek. If he’d felt any sense of responsibility at all, Ty would’ve been the one holding Addy’s hand while the baby was born, not Mack. And it would’ve been Ty, not Mack, who the doctor had passed the scissors to and allowed to cut the umbilical cord, signifying the baby’s official entry into the world.
The way Mack looked at it, his willingness to adopt the baby was the perfect solution to everyone’s problems. The child would have a father, Ty would be off the hook, and Mack would have an heir.
There was only one problem…the baby’s mother.
In spite of the bond Mack and Addy had forged during the last fourteen-plus hours, he doubted she would embrace the idea if he were to suggest him adopting her baby. In fact, she’d probably think he’d lost his mind.
“Mack?”
He jumped at the sound of Addy’s voice and glanced up to find her peering at him curiously.
“Is something wrong?” she asked in concern.
Fearing she would somehow read his thoughts and know what he’d been thinking, he dropped his gaze and tucked the blanket more snugly at the baby’s chin. “No. He looked like he was going to start fussing, and I thought if I held him awhile, it would give you the chance to sleep a little longer.”
Her smile tender, she eased herself to a sitting position and held out her arms. “Here. Give him to me. I’ll bet he’s hungry.”
Rising, Mack carried the baby to the bed and settled the infant in her arms.
As if sensing his nearness to his milk supply, the baby twisted his head toward her breast, his mouth open like a baby’s birds.
Addy placed a finger against the infant’s lips and laughed when he began to suck. “See?” she said, and began to rearrange her nightgown. “He is hungry.”
She stopped and glanced up at Mack, her cheeks stained a deep rose, as if she’d just realized the intimacy of what she was preparing to do.
He immediately took a step back. “I’ll wait outside,” he said, and turned for the door.
“No! Wait.”
He glanced over his shoulder, surprised by the panic in her voice.
Dropping her gaze, she fluttered a hand. “Just turn your back until I get him situated.”
Mack did as instructed and waited until he heard her signal of “ready” before turning around. Finding her and the baby modestly covered by the blue blanket, he reached behind him to drag his chair closer to the bed.
“Its amazing how a baby instinctively knows how to nurse,” he said softly, awed by the sight.
Her gaze on the infant, she smiled. “Yes, it is.”
Moments passed in silence, both absorbed by the baby’s movements.
“Mack?”
His attention focused on the nursing infant, he mumbled a distracted, “Yeah?”
“I’m sorry.”
He angled his head to peer at her in puzzlement. “For what?”
“For all the mean things I said to you while I was in labor.”
He waved away the apology. “I knew you didn’t mean any of that stuff. That was the pain talking.”
“Just the same, I’m sorry. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”
He choked out a laugh. “Heck, I had the easy part. You were the one who was doing all the work.”
She looked down at the baby and smiled. “And look what I got for my trouble. A beautiful, healthy baby. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
“He’s a keeper, all right.”
The door opened and Marjorie sailed in, trailing a balloon bouquet in her wake. Without so much as a how-do-you-do to Mack or Addy, she headed straight for the bed, her gaze on the baby.
“Oh, let me see that little tiger,” she said eagerly, as she tethered the streamers of the balloon bouquet at the head of the bed.
Addy deftly separated the baby from her breast, rearranged her nightgown, then folded back the blanket, for Marjorie to see. “Isn’t he beautiful?”
“Gorgeous,” Marjorie agreed, then tipped her face up to Addy’s. “Have you named him yet?”
Addy shook her head. “No. I had a girl’s name picked out, but I hadn’t settled on one for a boy.”
“I thought you were going to use your father’s name?” Marjorie said.
“Only his first name.” She shrugged. “I haven’t been able to come up with anything that sounds right with Antonio.”
Marjorie pursed her lips thoughtfully, then swung her gaze to Mack. “What’s your full name?”
Caught off-guard, Mack blinked, then stammered, “Uh, Jonathan Michael McGruder.”
“What about Antonio Michael Rocci?” Marjorie suggested to Addy.
Frowning, Addy shook her head. “I want to use Antonio as his middle name.”
“Then name him Jonathan Antonio Rocci. You could call him Johnny.”
“Jonathan Antonio Rocci,” Addy repeated, as if testing the sound of the name, then nodded. “It’s a mouthful, but I like it.” She glanced at Mack, her expression hopeful. “Would you mind if I gave my baby your name?”
Mind? Mack thought. Hell, he was hoping he could persuade her to give the baby his last name, as well. “I’d be honored.”
The pager in Marjorie’s pocket beeped and she pulled it out to check the display. “Those imbeciles,” she muttered crossly. “You’d think they could run the ER for ten minutes without me.” She slid the pager back into her pocket and offered Addy an apologetic smile. “Sorry, hon, but I’ve got to scoot. I’ll try to come back later, when I’m on my dinner break.”
“Call first,” Addy warned. “I’m hoping I can persuade Dr. Wharton to release me.”
Marjorie wagged a finger at her nose. “You listen to me, young lady. You’ve just had a baby. You have no business going home to an empty house. You stay right here where the nursing staff can take care of yo
u and the baby.”
Addy jutted her chin. “I can take care of myself.”
“But—”
“No, Marjorie,” she said, cutting her friend off. “I’m going home.”
With a huff of disgust, Marjorie turned to leave. “You try talking some sense into that thick head of hers,” she said to Mack. “She won’t listen to me.”
Mack had remained quiet during the exchange, absorbing the conversation and considering how he could use the situation to his own advantage. He knew the idea to adopt the baby was a crazy one and liable to send Addy into an apoplectic fit. But the more he thought about it, the more he was convinced it was the best solution to all their problems, both his and Addy’s.
Now he just had to convince her of that.
He waited until the door closed behind Marjorie, then said quietly, “She’s right, you know. It doesn’t make sense for you to go home, when you have all the help you need right here.”
Her lips pursed in annoyance, Addy bundled the sleeping baby back up into the blanket. “Marjorie’s a buttinsky. She’s forever sticking her nose in other people’s business.”
When he saw that she intended to carry the baby back to his bassinet, Mack stood. “Here. I’ll take him.” He took the baby from her and crossed to the bassinet. “She’s only thinking of what’s best for you,” he said, refocusing the conversation on Marjorie’s suggestion.
Addy folded her arms stubbornly across her chest. “I can take care of myself.”
Mack glanced over his shoulder. “Like you were last night when I found you?”
She opened her mouth, then closed it, the blood slowly draining from her face.
Mack knew what he’d said was mean, even cruel, but he felt it was necessary, if he was going to convince Addy that she needed his help.
He crossed to sit beside the bed again. “Once you’re able to return to work, what happens if you get sick? Who’ll look after the baby then?”
She nervously wet her lips. “I…I’ll manage.”
“How, Addy?” he persisted. “Your mother certainly won’t come to your rescue. I’ve talked to her. In fact, her last words to me were, ‘she’s the one who got herself into this mess, and she’ll have to see it to its end.’”
She dropped her gaze, but not before he saw the tears that brimmed in her eyes.
He reached out a hand and laid it on her arm. “I’m not trying to hurt you, Addy,” he said quietly. “I’m only trying to make you see that you can’t do this alone.”
She dragged a hand beneath her nose. “Like I have a choice.”
It was the opening Mack had hoped for, needed. “I’d be willing to help you.”
She snapped her gaze to his. “You? Why would you want to help me? You don’t even know me.”
He kept his gaze fixed on hers. “I know more than you might think.”
When her forehead pleated in confusion, he decided it was time to tell all. “I know that the father of your baby isn’t going to be around to take care of you and the baby.”
Her jaw dropped, then closed with an angry click of teeth. “You don’t know any such thing.”
“Yes, I do,” he replied calmly. “If his past actions are any indication, you’ll never hear from Ty Bodean again.”
Her eyes shot wide. “You…you know Ty?”
“He’s my half brother.”
“He’s your…” She gulped, swallowed. “You mean, you knew about me and the baby, before…”
“Yes. The letters you sent to Ty in care of the postmaster of Lampasas were delivered to my house.”
If possible, her eyes widened even more. “You read them?”
“Yes,” he admitted. “Though not at first. It wasn’t until the third letter arrived that I decided I should open them, so I could find out what kind of trouble Ty had gotten himself into.” He shook his head sadly. “You aren’t the first person whose attempts to track Ty down have led to me. I had to read your letters so I’d know what I was dealing with.”
She dropped her face to her hands. “Oh, my God,” she moaned.
Mack laid a hand on her arm. “I’m not telling you this to embarrass you.”
She snapped her head up to glare at him. “Then why are you? I may be slow, but I’m not stupid. I’d figured out that Ty was never coming back.” She snatched her arm from beneath his hand. “You didn’t need to drive all the way to Dallas to tell me that.”
Sighing, Mack slowly drew his hand back to rest it on his thigh. “That’s not why I went to your house. I went there to offer you money.”
Steam all but came out of her ears. “Well, you can tell Ty Bodean to keep his damn money. I don’t want it.”
“The money’s not Ty’s. It’s mine.”
“Well, I don’t want your money, either,” she snapped. She pointed a stiff finger at the door. “Get out. And don’t bother coming back. I never want to see you again. Ever.”
Three
Mack figured he’d pretty much blown his chances of convincing Addy to allow him to adopt her baby…but that didn’t mean he was ready to throw in the towel. It wasn’t in his nature to concede defeat, not without first putting up a damn good fight.
And as far as Mack was concerned, the battle had only just begun.
In retrospect, he could see his mistakes…and he’d made some doozies. The first was blindsiding Addy with the news that he was Ty’s half brother. Considering how she must feel toward Ty after he’d abandoned her, Mack should have suspected that she would want nothing to do with anyone even remotely related to his half brother.
His second mistake was in telling her he’d gone to her home to offer her money. In the less than twenty-four hours he’d known Addy, he had seen evidence of a strong pride, as well as a pretty wide stubborn streak. Offering a payoff to a woman like her would be an insult, a slap on the face. She wouldn’t care about money or the lack thereof. A woman like her was ruled by her heart. She’d willingly sacrifice anything for those she loved…and she’d accept nothing as a replacement for it, not even money. How Mack knew that about her, he wasn’t sure, but he’d bet his ranch that he’d pegged her right.
Since he was certain he’d destroyed whatever level of trust he’d managed to establish with her over the past twenty-four hours, he figured he would need some help winning it back, and that was going to require some fancy two-stepping. But Mack was prepared to wear out the soles of his boots, if that’s what it took.
After checking into a hotel near the hospital, he made several phone calls, the first to his lawyer. He explained the situation and told his lawyer what he needed from him. Then he placed calls to his pastor, his banker and lastly to his best friend, who also happened to be a highly respected and well-known pediatrician in Mack’s hometown.
After obtaining their assurance that they would do all they could to assist him, he then called Addy’s doctor, knowing he would need the support and backing of people she knew and respected. The last call he made was to Marjorie. He quickly outlined his plan to Addy’s friend and was relieved when she promised to do everything within her power to convince Addy to go along with it.
Satisfied that he’d done all that he could to ensure a positive outcome for the meeting he had arranged for the next morning, Mack fell into bed, exhausted, not realizing until the moment his head hit the pillow that he hadn’t slept in more than forty-eight hours.
Addy checked the room one last time to make sure that she hadn’t forgotten anything. Since her stay at the hospital had been brief and so few people had known about it, there wasn’t much for her to worry about. Thanks to Marjorie, who had dropped by Addy’s house the evening before and picked up a few of her things, she’d had a clean set of clothes to put on that morning and an outfit for the baby to wear home. Other than herself, the baby and a small overnight bag, the only personal items in the room were the balloon bouquet Marjorie had given her, a vase of long-stemmed roses from the hospital staff and a huge basket filled with baby gifts from her co-work
ers in the ER. Now all she needed was for Dr. Wharton to make his morning rounds and sign her release, and she could call a taxi and go home.
She glanced at her wristwatch and frowned, wondering what was taking her doctor so long. Normally he was finished with his rounds by eight, and it was already ten after. Impatient to be on her way, she checked the baby to make sure he was still sleeping, then headed for the door to peek into the hall to see if her doctor was still on the floor.
Before she reached it, the door opened and Dr. Wharton stepped inside.
Her smile sheepish, she lifted her hands, then dropped them to her sides. “I was just on my way to look for you. I was afraid you’d forgotten about me.”
He slung an arm around her shoulders and walked with her toward the bassinet. “Forget about my favorite patient?” he teased. “No way.” He dropped his arm from around her and stooped to peer down at the baby. “And how’s our little man doing this morning?” he asked.
“Perfect. He only woke me up once last night for a feeding.”
He nodded his approval. “Then your milk must be satisfying him.”
“Seems like.”
The door opened behind her, and Addy glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes shot wide open, when she saw it was Mack, then narrowed dangerously.
“What are you doing here?” she said from between clenched teeth.
Ignoring her, he glanced toward Dr. Wharton and nodded. “Tom,” he said, by way of greeting. “I appreciate you arranging your schedule so that you could meet with us this morning.”
Addy was so stunned by Mack’s casual usage of her doctor’s first name that it took her a moment to absorb what else he’d said.
“What meeting?” she demanded to know.
“The one I arranged,” Mack replied.
The door opened again and Marjorie came in.
Addy turned to glare at Mack. “Did you ask her to attend this meeting, too?”
“Yes. I thought you’d want her input.”
“Input on what?” Addy asked in growing frustration.
“On how best to resolve your problems.”
A Piece of Texas Trilogy Page 18