“This is great, Sarah Ann,” Tucker said. “We’ll have a play date and a sleepover. ’Kay?”
Sarah Ann nodded slowly. “’Kay.”
Bless you, Tucker, Patty thought. And David? Hear me, please, somehow, somehow, hear me. Don’t worry about Sarah Ann because I’ll tend to her as though she were my own. I swear I will. Just be all right, David. Please, please, please, just be all right.
The next morning Patty sat at the large oak table in the huge sunny kitchen at her parents’ home. Her mother, Hannah, sat opposite her daughter, a frown on her face as she listened to Patty’s tale of David and Sarah Ann. Hannah Sharpe had the same coloring as Patty, with a few gray strands now visible in her dark hair.
“So, there you have it,” Patty said. “I called the hospital this morning to tell David that Sarah Ann was with me, safe and sound, but the nurse on his floor said he was in X-ray. Since I’m pretending to be his wife I couldn’t leave a message saying that Patty from the Fuzzy Bunny is tending to his daughter. So, I need to get to the hospital to put David’s mind at ease. Thank you for watching Tucker, Sarah Ann and Sophia while I go.”
“Oh, that’s no problem,” Hannah said. “Tucker and Sarah Ann are so cute together. With their dark hair they look enough alike to be brother and sister. And you know I adore getting my hands on Sophia Hannah.”
“I really appreciate this,” Patty said, getting to her feet. “Well, off I go. Good grief, I’m so nervous. How do you tell a man that you sort of kidnapped his daughter?”
“What you did was very caring, very thoughtful and loving,” Hannah said, rising.
“I hope David views it that way, but it was the only solution I could come up with.” Patty paused. “Where’s Dad?”
“Playing golf with your Uncle Ryan. Neither one of them is a threat to Tiger Woods but they have a very good time. Off you go. You’ve already said goodbye to the kiddos so just be on your way. David Montgomery must be sick with worry this morning over what happened to Sarah Ann when he didn’t arrive to pick her up last night.”
“You’re right. At least I can assure him that Sarah Ann is fine. But, oh, dear heaven, I am just so nervous.”
At Mercy Hospital, Patty was directed to the third floor and given the room number for David Montgomery. She stood outside the closed door and smoothed the hem of her red top over the waistband of her jeans, acutely aware that her hands were not quite steady.
Get it together, she ordered herself. She was being so ridiculous. It wasn’t as though she’d done an unforgivable thing by taking Sarah Ann home last night, and had to beg for David’s forgiveness or… Oh, stop thinking, Patty.
She knocked on the door and heard a muffled directive to come in.
Forget it. She didn’t want to come in, Patty thought. She was turning around and going home. She was… Darn it, enough of this nonsense.
She pushed the door open and entered the room.
“I…um…hello,” she said, as the door hushed closed behind her.
David Montgomery was propped up against the pillows on the bed, a bandage at the hairline above his right eye. His right leg was in a cast from below the knee to the tips of his toes and suspended above the bed by a complicated-looking apparatus. He was pale despite his tawny skin. He was also staring at her with wide eyes and his mouth had dropped open a tad.
A short man in his fifties, wearing a white coat and standing next to the bed, smiled and approached Patty.
“I’m Dr. Floyd Hill,” he said, his smile growing even bigger. “I’m assuming you’re Mrs. Montgomery, and I must say we are very glad to see you. This will solve a great many unanswered questions for us.”
“Oh, no, I’m not Mrs. Montgomery,” Patty said. “I’m not married to anyone. I’m Patty Clark and I have David’s daughter Sarah Ann.”
“I didn’t marry you?” David said, shifting up on one elbow. “You gave birth to my child and I didn’t marry you? What kind of bum am I?”
“Huh?” Patty said, totally confused.
“Oh, my head,” David said, easing back onto the pillow and pressing the heels of his hands to his temples. “It’s going to fall off and roll across the floor. Break it to me gently. Do you have any other kids I should know about?”
“Me? Well, yes,” Patty said. “Tucker is three years old and Sophia is three weeks old. Of course, Sarah Ann is three years old, too. We’re really into the number three at the moment.”
“Ohhh,” David moaned, closing his eyes. “I’m worse than a bum. I’m a sleazeball.”
“Dr. Hill? David? Somebody?” Patty said. “Would you please explain what is going on here? I feel as though I’ve stepped into the ‘Twilight Zone.’”
“Which is a rather accurate description of where your husband…excuse me…your…the father of your children is, himself, at the moment.”
“The who?” Patty said, her eyes widening.
“David,” the doctor said, “does the name Patty Clark ring any bells. Patty… Clark.”
David opened his eyes and looked at Patty again.
“No,” he said. “I have never heard that name, nor have I seen this woman before in my life.”
“Huh?” Patty said. “Now wait just a minute here.”
“David has retrograde amnesia from the blow he sustained to his head,” Dr. Hill said. “He doesn’t even remember his own name, which we were able to supply from credit cards and what have you in his wallet.”
“You’re kidding,” Patty said. A funny little bubble of laughter that held the edge of hysteria escaped from her lips. “No, you’re not kidding. How long is this amnesia thing going to last?”
“I have no idea,” the doctor said, shrugging. “Every case is different.”
“Well, isn’t this just dandy?” Patty said, then marched to the bed and gripped the top bar of the rail. “David, read my lips. You…have…a…daughter…named… Sarah Ann. She…is…three. She…is…cute. She…misses…her…daddy. That…is…you.”
“I don’t know any Sarah Ann,” David said, frowning. “She’s only three and she misses me and… This is terrible. Well, it could be worse, I guess. At least she’s with her mother. You. Patty.”
“No, no, no,” Patty said, shaking her head. “I’m not Sarah Ann’s mother. You didn’t list a name for her mother on the application blank.”
“What did I apply for?” David said. “To be a sperm donor? Are you the mother of Tucker and Sophia?”
“Yes, but…”
“I apparently didn’t marry Sarah Ann’s mother, but why didn’t I marry you? This Sophia baby is only three weeks old? I must say you look sensational for someone who just gave birth. At least I know I have good taste in women. You’re very pretty. Who do our children look like? You or me?”
“That’s it,” Patty said, throwing up her hands. “This isn’t a conversation, this is a ridiculous stringing together of words that are totally insane. Dr. Hill, I cannot talk to this man.”
“Let’s all just calm down and start over,” Dr. Hill said. “Please, Miss… Ms… Patty, sit down, won’t you?”
Patty sighed and sank heavily onto the chair next to the bed. The doctor pulled another chair over and sat next to her.
“Now then,” Dr. Hill said, “perhaps you would be so kind as to explain to us what your relationship is with David, his daughter Sarah Ann and, of course, there’s Tucker and Sophia.”
“Yes, all right,” Patty said, then looked directly at David. “But first I want to apologize for my behavior. I was just so stunned to discover you have amnesia that it threw me for a loop and I haven’t been very patient with your misconceptions. This must be terrifying for you, David, to wake up in a hospital and not even know who you are. On top of that, you’re obviously in pain. I’m sorry I was so rude.”
“Well, I haven’t exactly been a pleasant person, either,” he said, meeting her gaze. “I suppose I should say something macho, such as, ‘amnesia is no big deal and I’ll just hang around until my memory jump-sta
rts itself again.’ But…but the truth of the matter is, you’re right. This is terrifying, the most chilling experience I’ve ever been through. Thank you for understanding that, Patty.”
Patty nodded, then told herself with a very firm directive to stop gazing into the ocean-blue depths of David’s eyes. Mesmerizing eyes. Eyes that held a flicker of pain and fear and made her want to reach out and take David’s hand and assure him that everything was going to be fine, just fine.
But she couldn’t move, she thought frantically. He was pinning her in place with those eyes. Her heart was doing a funny little two-step number and a strange heat was swirling within her, low and hot and…
Good grief, she thought, finally switching her attention to the water jug on the side table by the bed, this man was lethally sensuous.
“Excuse me?” Dr. Hill said tentatively.
“What!” David said.
He was having a heart attack, he thought. On top of his other physical woes, he was now having a full-blown heart attack caused by gazing far too long into the beautiful, dark eyes of Patty Clark. Heat was coiling low in his body and… He was being consumed by desire for a woman he didn’t even know.
“Sorry,” he said. “What was it you were saying, Dr. Hill?”
“Patty is going to share what she knows about you, David. This could be important information.”
“Yes. Yes, of course,” David said. “You have the floor, Patty.”
“Well,” she said, lifting her chin. “That application I referred to earlier is the one you filled out at the Fuzzy Bunny Day Care Center to enroll Sarah Ann over a month ago. There was very little information on the form and you told the owner of the center that you’d get her the remainder of the data later.”
“Mmm,” Dr. Hill said, stroking his chin.
“All the caregivers at the center became immediately aware that you’re devoted to Sarah Ann, David,” Patty went on. “You didn’t really interact, smile or anything with those of us who worked there, but when you looked at your daughter, spoke to her, the love for her just radiated from your eyes, from the expression on your face. You’re a wonderful father.”
“Imagine that,” David said, his voice holding a hint of awe. He frowned in the next instant. “But I didn’t write down anything about Sarah Ann’s mother?”
“No. We assumed you were a single father who has custody of your daughter.”
“That would be unusual,” Dr. Hill said. “Perhaps you are a widower, David.”
“My wife died?” David said. “Wouldn’t I be aware of something that devastating?”
“There are no rules for amnesia,” the doctor said. “It varies from person to person. Go on, Patty.”
“You always pick Sarah Ann up at exactly five-forty-five,” she said. “Yesterday I was helping out at the center because they were short on caregivers. I no longer work there since I had Sophia. Anyway, you didn’t show up to get Sarah Ann last night, David.”
“Oh, God, my daughter must have been scared out of her mind. I don’t know what she looks like, or what kind of personality she has, but that has got to be a terrifying experience for any three-year-old. I’ve got to go get her and…”
“No, wait,” Patty said, raising one hand. “I took Sarah Ann home with me. She and my son Tucker are ‘bestis friends,’ as they put it. I told Sarah Ann that you had somewhere important you had to go and made the whole sleepover seem like an exciting adventure. The three kids are at my mother’s right now so I could come here. And for the record, you are not related to Tucker and Sophia. I’m divorced from their father. Oh, and Sarah Ann slept well and ate a big breakfast. She’s doing fine.”
“Thank you,” David said, then drew a shuddering breath. “Thank you so much for what you did for Sarah Ann.” He paused. “You have a son? And a new baby? And you’re alone, but you took on another child? My Sarah Ann?”
“Yes,” Patty said, shrugging. “I mean, goodness, what would you have had me do? I realize I have a lot on my plate but I can handle three children.”
“Amazing,” David said. “You’re a remarkable woman, Patty, and a natural-born mother, that’s for sure.”
Oh, yes, Patty thought. She got high scores for motherdom. Total zero for wifedom.
“Patty,” Dr. Hill said, “how was David dressed when he brought Sarah Ann to the day-care center? Suit and tie? Professional attire?”
“No, he wore jeans and a shirt.”
“But he doesn’t have calluses on his hands as a construction worker might,” the doctor said. “All right, let’s recap what we know. The driver’s license in your wallet, David, was a temporary one, indicating you probably moved recently and applied for a license with your change of address. The fact that we got your telephone number from the new listings operator strengthens that fact. But where you moved from, we don’t know.
“We can surmise that you relocated approximately a month or so ago because that’s when you enrolled your daughter in day care. Did you move across town? From somewhere else in California? Or from the other end of the country?”
“Damned if I know,” David said wearily.
“You left your previous employment,” Dr. Hill went on, “as evidenced by the lack of information on the day-care application and you saying you’d provide the data later. You’re either looking for work, or a position is being held for you somewhere here in Ventura.”
“But wouldn’t the company be attempting to find him?” Patty said.
“Not if he arrived in town early to get settled in,” Dr. Hill said. “The address on your driver’s license is for a very affluent part of town. Whatever you do is lucrative.”
“Maybe I’m a hitman,” David said, then his eyes began to drift closed.
“He’s exhausted,” Patty said. “I’d best be going.”
David’s eyes flew open. “No, wait. What about my daughter? What’s going to happen to Sarah Ann?”
“She’ll stay with me until you’re released from the hospital,” Patty said.
“I can’t ask you to do that.”
“Do you have a better idea?” Patty said. “You have to trust me, David, know that I’ll give Sarah Ann the very best of care. I’ll keep her home with us rather than take her to the Fuzzy Bunny so she can play with Tucker. I’ll tell her that you have a boo-boo and will see her as soon as you can. I repeat…do you have a better idea?”
“No,” David said quietly. “No, I don’t. I have to get out of this place. I have responsibilities. A child, a home, maybe a job I’m supposed to report to. Ah, hell, I hate this. I can’t live this way. Doc, fix me.”
Dr. Hill chuckled. “Patience, patient. Amnesia takes its own sweet time. Besides, we’re keeping that leg elevated for the next several days to be assured there’s no infection brewing before we fit you with a walking cast. You’re stuck in that bed for now, David.”
“And I’m tending to your daughter,” Patty said, getting to her feet. “Sarah Ann is going to need clothes, though. I’m a member of a huge extended family with oodles of kids. Someone surely has clothes to fit her.”
“No, that’s not necessary,” David said. “The keys that were in my now-totaled vehicle are in the drawer there. Go to my house and get Sarah Ann what she needs.”
“I wouldn’t be comfortable going into your home, David.”
“But maybe she has a favorite toy she’ll suddenly realize isn’t with her, or a blanket she usually sleeps with or something,” David said. “She needs her own things around her. She needs her father, too, but… Hell.”
“I agree with David,” Dr. Hill said. “Sarah Ann is caught up in the adventure of being at your house at the moment, but from what you’re saying she and David are very close. I think it would be best that she at least have clothes and toys that are familiar to her until she can be united with the person who is the center of her existence.”
“Well, all right,” Patty said. “I’ll go to the house and get her some things. I’ll call you here tomorrow, Da
vid, and see how you’re doing. Maybe I should have you talk to Sarah Ann on the phone.”
“Good idea,” Dr. Hill said. “She’s too young to be allowed to visit here in the hospital, but hearing her father’s voice might be reassuring.” He glanced at his watch. “I have an appointment. David, take a nap. Patty, it was a real pleasure meeting you. David and Sarah Ann are very fortunate to have you in their lives during this crisis.”
Dr. Hill hurried from the room.
A sudden and heavy silence fell over the room, and Patty became acutely and uncomfortably aware that she was alone with David Montgomery.
Not that David Montgomery knew that he was David Montgomery, per se, nor did he have a clue that he had made hearts go pitter-patter each morning when he’d brought Sarah Ann into the Fuzzy Bunny. Well, not her heart, of course, but Susan certainly worked herself into a dither when she saw him and…
“Patty?”
Patty jerked at the unexpected sound of David’s deep, rumbly voice.
“Hmm? Yes? What?” she said.
“I just wanted to say how grateful I am that you’re taking care of my daughter. There really aren’t words to express my gratitude.” David paused and frowned. “I wish I knew what Sarah Ann looks like so I could picture her in my mind. And where is her mother? Maybe Sarah Ann is with me because it’s my turn to have her according to a visitation schedule of a divorce.”
“Maybe,” Patty said, nodding slowly.
“Do you think it would be appropriate to ask a three-year-old about her mother? You know, ‘So, Sarah Ann, where’s your mom, honey?’”
“Well, sure,” Patty said. “If the opportunity presented itself so it could be done smoothly without Sarah Ann feeling as though she’s being grilled or something. I’ll try to do that but I can’t promise anything.”
“Fair enough,” David said, then yawned. “Excuse me. It’s not the company. I’m just wiped out.”
“Dr. Hill said you should take a nap,” Patty said. “I’ll be on my way.”
“The keys to the house are in that drawer there.”
“Oh, yes.” Patty opened the drawer and removed a key chain. “Vehicle, house,” she said, looking at the keys. “I remember your address so I’m all set.”
Accidental Family (The Baby Bet: MacAllisters Gifts #14) Page 3