Daddy On The Run

by Carla Cassidy

  Table of Contents

  Cover Page

  Excerpt

  Dear Reader

  Title Page

  Books by Carla Cassidy

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Epilogue

  Copyright

  Where was her daughter?

  Before Julianne could move, the front door of the house flew open and a figure emerged. It was a tall, masculine figure, and her daughter was in his arms. As he moved closer, all sense of reality faded.

  Julianne decided this was all a dream. It had to be, because as the moon illuminated the features of the man, Julianne recognized that it was her husband, Sam, who carried Emily.

  “I…I thought you might be dead,” Julianne whispered, her voice barely audible above the piercing whine of approaching sirens.

  “Keep thinking I am,” he answered.

  Dear Reader,

  What’s a single FABULOUS FATHER to do when he discovers he has another daughter—a child he never knew about? Why, marry the secretive mom, of course! And that’s exactly what he proposes in Moyra Tarling’s Twice a Father. Don’t miss this wonderful story.

  This month, two authors celebrate the publication of their twenty-fifth Silhouette books! A Handy Man To Have Around is Elizabeth August’s twenty-fifth book—and part of her bestselling miniseries, SMYTHESHIRE, MASSACHUSETTS. In this delightful novel, a tall, dark and gorgeous hunk sure proves to be A Handy Man To Have Around when a small-town gal needs big-time help!

  Daddy on the Run is Carla Cassidy’s twenty-fifth book for Silhouette—and part of her intriguing miniseries THE BAKER BROOD. In this heartwarming tale, a married dad can finally come home—to his waiting wife and daughter.

  In Toni Collins’s Willfully Wed, a sexy private investigator learns who anonymously left a lovely lady a potful of money. But telling the truth could break both their hearts!

  Denied his child for years, a single dad wants his son—and the woman caring for the boy—in Substitute Mom by Maris Soule.

  And finally, there’s only one thing a bachelor cop with a baby on his hands can do: call for maternal backup in Cara Colter’s Baby in Blue.

  Six wonderful love stories by six talented authors—that’s what you’ll find this and every month in Silhouette Romance!

  Enjoy every one…

  Melissa Senate

  Senior Editor

  Please address questions and book requests to:

  Silhouette Reader Service

  U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269

  Canadian: P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie, Ont. L2A 5X3

  Daddy on The Run

  Carla Cassidy

  Books by Carla Cassidy

  Silhouette Romance

  Patchwork Family #818

  Whatever Alex Wants… #856

  Fire and Spice #884

  Homespun Hearts #905

  Golden Girl #924

  Something New #942

  Pixie Dust #958

  The Littlest Matchmaker #978

  The Marriage Scheme #996

  Anything for Danny #1048

  *Deputy Daddy #1141

  *Mom in the Making #1147

  *An Impromptu Proposal #1152

  *Daddy on the Run #1158

  Silhouette Desire

  A Fleeting Moment #784

  Under the Boardwalk #882

  Silhouette Shadows

  Swamp Secrets #4

  Heart of the Beast #11

  Silent Screams #25

  Mystery Child #61

  *The Baker Brood

  Silhouette Intimate Moments

  One of the Good Guys #531

  Try To Remember #560

  Fugitive Father #604

  Silhouette Books

  Silhouette Shadows Short Stories 1993

  “Devil and the Deep Blue Sea”

  The Loop

  Getting it Right: Jessica

  CARLA CASSIDY

  had her first Silhouette novel published in September of 1991. Patchwork Family was a Silhouette Romance and since that time Carla has written for four of the Silhouette lines.

  Daddy On The Run is Carla’s twenty-fifth book for Silhouette. She’s looking forward to writing many more books and bringing hours of pleasure to her readers.

  Chapter One

  “Ms. Baker, I feel confident we will be able to place you in a job very quickly.” The owner of Martin Employment Opportunities stood and held out his hand.

  Julianne Baker rose, her smile wavering slightly as his grasp on her hand lingered a fraction too long. “I appreciate your help, Mr. Martin.”

  “Bill. Please call me Bill.” He smiled widely, displaying a set of teeth too straight, too white to be his own. “As a matter of fact, what I’ll do is pull up a list of prospects and bring them by your place this evening.”

  “Oh, that’s very kind of you, but I wouldn’t want to bother—”

  “No bother,” he quickly interjected. “Your house is right on my way home and I pride myself on prompt, personal attention to my clients. I should be by about eight,” he said as he walked her to the office door. “I’ll see you then.”

  Julianne nodded and turned to leave. As she stepped outside into the crisp autumn air, she cursed herself for marking the single instead of the married box on the application. Unfortunately there hadn’t been a box for “husband missing, marriage in limbo.”

  It was crazy, but going to the employment agency had been the most difficult thing she’d ever done. She knew it was because it was the first official action she was taking to acknowledge that her husband, Sam, might never come home.

  She got into her car and leaned her forehead against the curve of the padded steering wheel, trying to shove thoughts of Sam away.

  Sam. His very name brought with it a painful ache and a piercing concern that ate at her soul.

  It had been a little over four months since Sam’s father had been found murdered in the offices of the family corporation. Sam had been seen running from the building and nobody had claimed to have seen or heard from him since. Four months of wondering if he were dead or alive, four months of doubts and fears.

  With a sigh, Julianne started the car and headed for her home in the Hamptons. She’d promised her daughter, Emily, pizza for dinner, which always meant at least two hours spent at Pizza Pizazz so Emily could play in the arcade and watch the mechanical puppet show.

  As Julianne thought of her five-year-old daughter, her concern for Sam erupted all over again. Why hadn’t he gotten in touch with her? Granted, things had not been wonderful between her and Sam in the months preceding the murder, but she’d never imagined their lives would suddenly be torn apart by such horrible circumstances. She’d thought they would separate, had even contemplated the possibility of a divorce, but she’d never dreamed Sam would disappear from her life as the prime suspect in a murder case.

  Wheeling into her long, tree-bedecked driveway, Julianne once again let thoughts of Sam fall away, leaving behind a weary depression and a familiar feeling of desperation.

  The house awaiting her was so beautiful, but it had never really felt like a home. It was a status symbol, a fitting place of residence for the eldest Baker heir, bought and paid for by Baker sweat, tears and blood.

  Sam had loved the house, but how long could she manage to hold on to it? Sam’s assets had been frozen by the police, leaving Julianne and Emily to depend on the mercy of friends and family and the charitable goodwill
of Baker Enterprises.

  “I need a job,” she murmured to herself as she turned off the engine. Even more, she wanted a job. She hoped Bill Martin had a long list of prospective employers for her. She had to secure some sort of future for Emily and, in any case, it would be good for her to work again, feel productive again.

  “Mommy!” As if conjured from Julianne’s thoughts, Emily flew out of the house as Julianne got out of the car. “You’re home,” she said, launching herself like a little rocket into her mother’s arms. “I missed you.”

  “And I missed you, my little bunny,” Julianne replied as she grinned at her daughter. “You’re missing a pigtail,” she observed. Half of Emily’s hair was caught up in a bright pink bow, the other half tumbled around her slender shoulders in dark disarray.

  “It fell out when I took my nap, and I wouldn’t let Susan fix it,” Emily explained as they walked to the house.

  “She says I pull.” Susan, the nineteen-year-old baby-sitter, greeted Julianne at the door with a friendly smile. “How did your appointment go?”

  Julianne shrugged. “All right I suppose.” She sank onto the sofa, smiling as Emily scrambled up on her lap. “The owner of the agency is bringing by a list of prospective employers this evening.” With deft fingers, she pulled Emily’s errant hair back into a rubber band as she spoke.

  “That sounds encouraging.”

  “Hmm, we’ll see,” Julianne said as she kicked off her high heels. “I don’t know how many jobs are available for somebody whose only talent is planning preschool parties and charity dinners.”

  “That’s not true,” Susan protested. “You do lots of things really well. You’re more organized than anyone I know, and my mom says you’re the best at getting people to donate to different causes.”

  “Yeah, Mommy,” Emily chimed in. “And you make the bestest cookies in the whole wide world.”

  “I make the best cookies in the whole wide world,” Julianne corrected her daughter with a smile.

  Emily frowned and jumped off her mother’s lap. “That’s what I said,” she replied, making both women laugh.

  “It seems to me I promised somebody a trip to Pizza Pizazz tonight, but I can’t remember who I promised,” Julianne said, frowning thoughtfully as she bent down and put her shoes back on.

  “Me, Mommy. You promised me,” Emily exclaimed.

  “By gosh, I think you’re right.” Julianne laughed as Emily danced around the room in excitement. “Want to come with us?” she asked Susan.

  “Better not,” the teenager answered as she walked with Julianne and Emily toward the front door. “I’ve got a biology test tomorrow and should use the time tonight to study.” She smiled. “Maybe next time.”

  “It’s a deal,” Julianne agreed.

  Waving goodbye, Susan walked down the side-walk toward her home three houses away. As Julianne watched her go, she thanked her lucky stars that she’d found such a terrific baby-sitter. Susan was the daughter of one of Julianne’s close friends. She was bright, energetic, and loved baby-sitting for extra pocket money. Besides, Emily adored Susan, and the feeling was mutual.

  “Mom, let’s go,” Emily called from the car, where she had already buckled herself into the passenger seat in anticipation of the trip to her favorite restaurant.

  “Okay. Pizza Pizazz, here we come.”

  They spent a little over two hours in the pizza place. Julianne sat at one of the tables and watched Emily as she climbed on the plastic jungle-gym equipment, rode the miniature carousel, and played a variety of arcade games. As she ran from game to game, her petite face wreathed in a smile, Julianne inwardly cried for her husband once again.

  Where are you, Sam? Why aren’t you here with us? You’re missing the very best days of Emily’s life. Four months. He’d missed more than four months of special moments and growing pains, magical days that were lost forever. Hot tears burned at her eyes, and she blinked rapidly to dispel them. She’d cried enough tears to fill an ocean in the last several months.

  She knew her husband well enough to know only the threat of danger could keep him away. Sam would never willingly choose to be so absent from their lives for so long.

  She looked at her watch, realizing it was almost seven. Time to get home. Emily’s cheeks were flushed pink, a sign of overtiredness, and Bill Martin would be stopping by around eight. Hopefully he would have something for her, a job that paid enough to at least cover their living expenses.

  Before she knew it, they were home.

  “I had fun,” Emily said a few minutes later as Julianne tucked her into bed. “I love Pizza Pizazz.”

  “I’m glad.” Julianne sat on the edge of the bed, smiling down at the little girl who had Sam’s dark hair and eyes, his strong chin and full lower lip. “Besides Pizza Pizazz, what else do you love?” she asked.

  Emily pretended to think long and hard, a teasing smile curving her lips. “Hmm…you!” She giggled and reached up to hug Julianne around, the neck.

  “Oh, sweetheart, I love you, too.” Julianne kissed her daughter on the impossibly sweet, soft skin of her neck. “Now, you go to sleep.” She spied Emily’s favorite stuffed bunny on top of the dresser. “Want me to give you Mr. Bunny?”

  “No. Daddy will give him to me when he tucks me in.”

  Julianne’s heart constricted as she pushed a strand of Emily’s hair away from her forehead. “Sweetheart, you know Daddy isn’t here right now.”

  “I know, Mommy. But Daddy comes down from heaven in the middle of the night to see me. He kisses me right here.” She pointed to her cheek.

  Julianne frowned, unsure how to handle Emily’s latest fantasy. She’d always been a fanciful child, and Julianne knew this new fabrication had found its roots in a little girl’s grief over her father’s prolonged absence.

  “I’ll go ahead and give you Mr. Bunny to-night,” she said. She got the stuffed animal from the top of the dresser and tucked it next to Emily beneath the blankets, deciding not to confront the issue of Sam tonight. “Good night, sweetpea,” she said, then turned off the light and left the room.

  Going back downstairs, she looked at her watch and realized it was nearly time for Bill Martin to stop by. She’d been told about his agency by several acquaintances who’d said he was a genius when it came to placing people in positions. It was going to take a genius to find her a job. She’d left college in her third year, without a degree, to marry Sam.

  Almost immediately she’d gotten pregnant with Emily, and both she and Sam agreed she would be a full-time wife and mother, at least until Emily started school. Now, with these new circum-stances, Julianne was moving up the timetable she and Sam had made together. Hopefully in the next couple of days she would be working again.

  Going into the kitchen, she decided to make a small pot of coffee. She wasn’t sure whether Bill would stay to go over the list of prospective jobs with her, or just drop it off at the door and be on his way. She hoped it was the latter. It had been a long day and she was exhausted.

  The coffee had just finished dripping through the machine when the doorbell rang. At the same moment the grandfather clock at the top of the stairs chimed eight times.

  At least he’s punctual, she thought as she hurried to the front door. “Mr. Martin, please come in,” she greeted him.

  “Bill.” He shook a finger at her playfully. “I told you to call me Bill.” He stepped into the foyer and looked around. “What a beautiful home you have here.”

  “Thank you.” She hesitated awkwardly. “Uh, please…come in.” She led him into the living room, indicating the sofa. “Would you like a cup of coffee?” she asked once he’d sat down.

  “That would be wonderful.” He smiled his perfect smile, a dimple flashing in one cheek. “I missed my afternoon coffee break today, so a shot of caffeine sounds terrific.”

  Julianne nodded and left the room, returning moments later with a serving tray. Setting it down on the coffee table, she joined him on the sofa as he pulled sev
eral sheets of paper out of his briefcase.

  “I’ve gone over your application carefully and noticed when you were going to college you took a lot of child development courses,” he said.

  Julianne nodded. “At one time I thought I might open my own preschool.”

  “I have several openings for preschool and nursery school workers.” He handed her a sheet of paper with a list of schools and positions available. “There’s always an enormous need for good, responsible help in this particular field.”

  She looked over the. list, uncomfortably aware of his dark gaze sweeping over the length of her in a distinctly unprofessional manner. Relief flooded her when his gaze finally went to the coffee mug he held in one hand.

  He took a drink of the coffee, then set the mug down and pulled out another paper. “I also made a list of several sales position jobs that are open.” He placed the paper on the coffee table.

  Julianne leaned forward to get a better look.

  “Hmm, you smell good,” he said in a tone that was distinctly unprofessional. “What is the name of that luscious perfume?”

  Julianne immediately sat back, away from him, irritated with herself for opening the door to allow him in and rankled with him for making her feel uncomfortable. More than anything, she was angry with herself for not seeing this coming, for being too weak to insist he not come by the house. She should have known better, should have insisted they conduct business at his office.

  She stood with a cool smile. “I’ll look over the material you’ve brought and get back to you if I’m interested in pursuing anything.”

  He got up slowly, as if reluctant to leave. “There’s something I’d definitely be interested in pursuing,” he said as he followed her into the foyer. “Why don’t you have dinner with me tomorrow night?” He leaned against the front door, making it impossible for her to open it.