His Hired Baby

by Jacqueline Diamond

  “I’m not sure.” The girl ducked her head, but not before Kate glimpsed a bruise on her cheek. If she was being abused, the police ought to be called, but that might frighten her away. Intuition warned that it was important to establish a connection first.

  “My name’s Kate,” she went on. “I’m pretty good friends with some of the staff. What can we do to help you?”

  “I didn’t come here for some silly makeover,” the young woman blurted.

  “I’m sure you didn’t.” Kate waited while the girl fidgeted. “Someone hurt you, huh?”

  A shrug. “My boyfriend’s in jail, like he deserves.”

  “Are you considering giving up your baby?”

  “No!” The girl’s chin came up fiercely. “I want to keep my baby, not give it away.” Her gaze fixed on Kate’s abdomen. “I guess you’d understand.”

  Thank goodness she didn’t know about the surrogacy. Kate disliked deceiving the girl, but she had to make the most of this rapport. “I think it’s great that you plan to raise your baby. What’s your name?”

  “Eve.”

  The girl held on to the back of a couch as if taking strength from its bulk. “You seriously think these people will help me?”

  “Yes. I’ll walk over with you, if you like.”

  After a moment, the girl said, “Okay.”

  Kate introduced her to Tony and Samantha, and learned her full name: Eve Benedict.

  On hearing the girl’s circumstances, the pediatrician shifted gears. Where she’d railed at the superficial demands of the other girls, she took Eve under her wing, sympathetically collecting background information and promising to meet with her the next morning.

  Tony drew Kate aside. “That was sweet of you.”

  “I didn’t do much.” Impulsively, she added, “But I’d like to. Do you suppose they could use my help at the clinic?”

  He studied her thoughtfully. “You’d make a wonderful peer counselor.”

  “Really?” She hadn’t expected to do more than handle paperwork. “Without a degree or anything?”

  “That’s what a peer counselor is,” he explained. “Someone whose life experience helps them relate to the client.”

  “I’d like that.”

  After Eve left, Samantha seized on the suggestion. “Any chance you could come by tomorrow around 10 a.m.? I’d like you to help me work with Eve. She seems to trust you.”

  “I’d love to.”

  Dr. Rayburn was calling for Tony.

  “Have a seat,” he told Kate. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Unless you’d rather I meet you in class—what’s left of it.”

  She had no desire to practice breathing. “I’ll wait here.”

  Perched on a chair, Kate watched order restored to the lobby as girls and reporters drifted away. Peer counselor. That sounded exciting and rewarding. Plus, she’d been worried that her fellow nursing students might be far ahead of her in their studies. A volunteer post like this could be quite a confidence builder and looked good on her application.

  Finally, Tony returned. “We’re squared away for tonight,” he said. “What can I do to make up for missing class?”

  Give me a backrub. Hold me close. Do all the things a husband does when his wife is carrying a baby.

  Alarmed at her response, she pushed those thoughts aside. “It’s not as if you chose to stage Cinderella’s ball in the lobby.”

  His appreciative grin sent tingles through her. Kate wished she could stay and talk, but she needed to release the sitter. “Walk you to your car?” he asked. “Sure.”

  Taking her hand, Tony tucked it through the crook of his arm. “I wouldn’t want to risk you falling in the dark.”

  People might talk. But right now, Kate didn’t care.

  They exited toward the garage. Outside, bright street-lamps pierced the darkness. The October breeze felt refreshing rather than chilly, probably because Kate’s pregnant body radiated heat.

  “I’m glad I can help at the clinic,” she said as they walked. “I’m a little intimidated about starting back to college next semester after being out of school for so long. This might ease the transition.”

  “What’re you planning to study?” He matched his pace to her slow gait.

  “I thought I mentioned I’m going to nursing school.”

  He ducked his head ruefully. “You did. It slipped my mind. Are you sure you want to work in a madhouse like this?”

  “I love the hospital. Plus, I’ve always enjoyed nurturing people.” She’d be proud to have R.N. after her name.

  “Nurses work incredibly hard.” Tony helped her down the front steps.

  “I understand it isn’t all taking pulses and plumping pillows.” She’d done her research. “You have to learn about everything from pharmaceuticals to trauma. But you’re also the patient’s first line of defense in getting proper care. I think good nursing is essential to healing.”

  “There isn’t much glory,” Tony warned. “As for the financial side, it’s barely adequate.”

  In other words, her career would pale next to Esther’s, Kate reflected. “I’m not in it for the glory.”

  “What about the money?”

  “As long as I can pay my bills, I’m happy.”

  “I see.”

  Embarrassed, she realized how lame that must sound after he’d spent the weekend with his wife. Probably Esther had dazzled him with stories about the glamorous world of Washington and the earthshaking cases she was handling. So far, he hadn’t mentioned a reconciliation, but he’d made it clear he wanted one.

  “How did… I mean, did things go well last weekend?” Not wanting to seem nosy, she added, “Did Esther say anything about the baby?”

  “She’s glad it’s a girl.” He frowned at a burned-out light near the garage entrance and muttered, “Have to get that fixed. Can’t have people falling in the dark.”

  Kate drew the subject back to his wife. “You mean she plans to stay involved?”

  “With the baby? Not that she mentioned.”

  “Then why is she glad it’s a girl?”

  “I’m not sure.” They stopped at Kate’s battered car. “This is yours?”

  “It’s old but it runs.” More often than not.

  “Practically a classic.” After that polite response, Tony waited while she keyed open the lock.

  “Twenty years doesn’t qualify it as a classic, I’m afraid.” Besides, this particular model lacked any distinction. “My husband liked tinkering with jalopies.”

  “It has a certain raffish charm,” he volunteered gamely.

  “You’re a bad liar, but a good diplomat.” Well, it was getting late, and the babysitter had school tomorrow. “Thanks for seeing me off.”

  “You aren’t off yet,” Tony reminded her, and stepped back. “I’ll wait till you get it started.”

  “This beast may be decrepit, but it’s reliable.” Now why had she said that? Pride, Kate supposed.

  And pride, as she should have remembered, goeth before a fall. Or, in this case, it wenteth before a dead ignition.

  Because when she turned the key, all she got was a click.

  Chapter Six

  A dead car. Hey, great, Tony thought. Something I can fix.

  Well, not literally. He lacked her late husband’s automotive skills. But he could arrange to get this fixed, unlike almost every other aspect of his world.

  Last weekend, his attempts to talk Esther into marital counseling had scored a big zero. Caught up in her usual headlong rush, she’d wanted the divorce concluded yesterday, or the day before if possible.

  “By next spring, we’ll both be single again,” she’d assured him.

  “I’m not sure that’s doable.” He’d meant that it shouldn’t be doable. What about trying to save their commitment and the nearly five years they’d spent together?

  But he’d signed the papers she thrust at him. As strongly as Tony believed in marriage, and despite his concern about his wife’s dramati
c change in plans, he couldn’t sustain a relationship by himself.

  Nor, it seemed, could he make much sense of events at the hospital. Hordes of pregnant teens demanding beauty makeovers? What on earth did that have to do with medical care or the law?

  Then, despite his resolve, he’d missed the childbirth class. Much as he appreciated Kate’s reassurances, he’d let her down. Worse, he’d let Tara down.

  He was beginning to question how well he’d handle being a single dad. An infant couldn’t breeze into the hospital lobby and ask about the reasons for his delay. She couldn’t wait until his schedule cleared to receive the attention she needed. He had to get a grip on this fatherhood business. In the meantime, here, at least, was a tangible problem that ought to be fixable.

  Tony peered under the hood. He hoped Kate didn’t guess that, unless he stumbled upon a possum gnawing on the battery, he had no idea how to diagnose the problem.

  No possums. No obvious loose wires, either. Still, he didn’t carry jumper cables in his trunk for nothing.

  “Let’s get it started,” he told her as he retrieved the cables. “I’ll follow you to my mechanic’s place down the street. And don’t worry about the bill. I’ll take care of it.”

  “I’ll pay,” Kate protested.

  “You came here to attend a childbirth class, remember?”

  “Yes, but my car had problems long before tonight.”

  “You haven’t used my offer of handyman services, so let me help this way,” he countered. “I’ll follow you to the garage and drive you home. Do you need a rental car tomorrow? I can set that up.”

  His rapid-fire offers seemed to catch her off guard. Or perhaps she was mentally reviewing tomorrow’s schedule. In any event, Kate considered for a moment before responding.

  “I can walk Brady to school, and there’s a bus that runs from there to the hospital,” she said. “I’m meeting Eve at the clinic, remember?”

  “That’s right.” He enjoyed the fact that she’d be volunteering at the clinic down the hall from his office. “But you shouldn’t have to ride the bus to do a good deed.”

  She held up her hands. “I can’t keep accepting favors. It feels like I’m taking advantage of you.”

  “If you insist on repayment…you don’t happen to have any more cookies, do you?” he asked with a flare of anticipation.

  She laughed, a wonderful, free sound that echoed through the nearly empty garage. “I’m afraid not, but I have another idea.”

  “You don’t have to repay me.”

  “Hush.” Kate laid a gentle finger over his lips. “Quit arguing, you stubborn man.” Looking embarrassed, she moved her hand away. “That was cheeky of me.”

  His skin hummed from the contact. “I don’t mind.”

  While she got behind the wheel, Tony attached the cables. In a moment, the car was revved and ready to go.

  He gave her directions to the garage, and followed. They dropped the key and a note, including both their phone numbers, through the slot. Tony had done the same with his own car more than once when it developed a problem at night or on a weekend, and Phil always came through.

  Although Tony understood the adrenaline rush that Esther must get from living in a city like D.C., he much preferred Safe Harbor. Small towns were wonderful.

  When they arrived at Kate’s cheery lemon-and-cream-colored bungalow, a teenage girl in braces met them at the door. “He finally dozed off,” she informed Kate. “Any problems?”

  The girl shook her head. “No. He’s a sweetheart, as always.”

  Tony stifled his impulse to insist on paying, since Kate had said she didn’t want to keep accepting gifts. As he watched her handle the transaction, he had to admit he’d given little thought to the arrangements she had to make for Brady’s care,

  How cavalierly he’d requested she provide daddy training. Man, he did have a lot to learn.

  After the sitter left for her house down the block, Kate went to peek into her son’s room. Over her shoulder, Tony saw a little figure snuggled beneath the covers, only his blond head visible against the pillow.

  Kate’s shoulders relaxed as she released a small sigh. Was she always so tense when she was out of her son’s sight? That constant awareness of another person depending on you—that was going to be his responsibility soon, too.

  For the next twenty years.

  If she could handle this, so could he, Tony told himself. All the same, fatherhood was shaping up to be a much bigger challenge than he’d expected.

  In the kitchen, Kate closed the hall door as well as the swinging door to the dining room. “Is this favor noisy?” Tony still didn’t have a clue what she intended to do.

  “Slightly.” From a drawer, she retrieved a pair of electric clippers. “You, sir, need a haircut.”

  He felt the top of his head. The bush that sprang back testified to the weeks, or perhaps months, that had passed since he’d visited a barber.

  “You don’t have to….” he began.

  “Down! Here.” She indicated a chair. “Wait. First take a couple of phone books from the counter to sit on, so I don’t have to bend over.”

  Amused by her unaccustomed bossiness, Tony complied. “I feel like a kid,” he said as he took a position atop the thick books.

  “Afraid I don’t have a proper chair at home.” Kate produced a barber’s cape, which she fastened around his neck. “Don’t worry. I’m used to cutting Brady’s hair this way.”

  “I wasn’t worried.” Except about the excitement that stirred as she deftly ran a comb through his hair. Up and down, over and over, with brisk, practiced movements that tugged lightly at his scalp.

  The pressure of her fingers…the intimacy of the contact…her heated feminine scent…far too arousing. Tony thanked goodness for the concealing cape.

  When the clippers buzzed, he shut his eyes and gave in to the gentle sensations as Kate worked upward from his neck. If he had to yield control to her, he might as well enjoy it.

  HIS HAIR was thicker and wirier than Quinn’s had been, with cowlicks that challenged Kate to trim them. She focused on treating Tony like any other person whose hair she’d cut over the years.

  But he wasn’t.

  Tonight, when Tony relieved her of the burden of dealing with that recalcitrant clunker, his concern had soothed her like a caress. On the ride over here, she’d felt an inappropriate urge to nestle against him.

  Since losing her husband, Kate had steadfastly taken charge of all the details of life that she used to share with Quinn. Paying the bills. Planning for Brady’s future. Maintaining the house and car. Tony’s insistence on sharing her burden, even a small one like a dead ignition, made her feel safe and cared for again.

  When she’d decided to cut his hair, Kate had intended simply to repay a debt and maintain the balance between them. Some balance. She loved the feel of his hair and the grainy masculine skin of his neck. Moving about, she couldn’t avoid brushing her bulge against him, and that reminded her of what lay inside.

  Their daughter. His baby.

  She pictured the little girl curled in her arms in the delivery room, with Daddy smiling down at them. And Tony retrieving her from the hospital, strapping Tara into an infant seat and taking Kate home.

  This was crazy. Even though their worlds had intersected because of the surrogacy, Kate mustn’t lose sight of reality. Tony’s type of woman was an ambitious attorney like Esther, not a hairdresser. A woman who wore power suits and radiated importance, not a scruffy mom who wasn’t sure she’d survive her first semester in nursing school.

  After Tara’s birth, he was free to break off all contact, and probably would. The most Kate dared aim for was to walk away with enough money to make things easier for her and Brady, and with her dignity, and her heart, intact.

  Carefully, she snipped around Tony’s ears, following their well-shaped curve. Along the back of his neck, she crafted a smooth line. Last step: check his head from all angles for any hairs she’d mi
ssed. Oops. Thanks to a cowlick, one section needed extra attention from the front.

  Intent on her work, she didn’t notice how close her pregnancy-enlarged breasts came to Tony’s face until she heard his sharp intake of breath. Cheeks flaming, Kate moved away quickly.

  Let’s both pretend that didn’t happen.

  “Done?” he asked when she switched off the clippers.

  “See what you think.” She handed him a mirror.

  He angled it several ways. “Excellent.”

  Kate whisked off the cape. “I can clean up later.”

  “No way. Where’s the vacuum?”

  She showed him. Tony insisted she sit down and rest while he restored the kitchen to order, painstakingly cleaning corners and, after unplugging the machine, removing hair from the brush.

  “You act like you’ve done that before,” she said as he tucked the accessories into the vacuum. “Surprised?”

  “Well, yes,” she conceded.

  He regarded her steadily. “I’ll admit, my family used a cleaning service. Dad was a personal-injury attorney, so we weren’t poor. But Mom had her hands full taking care of Tara, and I helped where I could. Which included spot-cleaning.”

  “Difficulties can bring families closer.” She and Mary Beth had forged a stronger bond since their mother’s heart attack.

  He returned the machine to the closet. “Dad kept busy with work, maybe busier than he had to. He expected perfection of everyone, including himself. I’m not sure he ever adjusted to having a handicapped child.”

  “How sad.” Her heart went out to the little girl who must have felt her father’s distance keenly.

  “As a big brother, I tried to make up for him.” Tony washed his hands in the sink. “Not that I was around all that much, either. Dad expected me to get top grades and be the star of the debate club.”

  “My sister was the high achiever in our family when we were younger,” Kate admitted. “Not that our parents pushed us.” Her father had sold furniture for a department store until it went out of business, and her mother had worked as a sales clerk. They’d taken pride in Mary Beth’s college degree, but had also admired Kate’s skill as a beautician.