by Robin Wells
Distance was the only defense she had against Nick Delaney, but her job denied her that luxury.
Her job, and the sleeping baby on the back porch—a baby who was starting to pose just as big a threat to her heart.
Chapter Five
Nick glanced at Rachel as he steered his Acura into the Barrington parking lot early the next morning. She was sitting rigidly beside him, her hands neatly folded in her lap, her eyes fixed straight ahead. Conversation between them during the brief ride from his house to the office had been as stiff as Rachel’s posture.
She was the very picture of professionalism. Her hair was pulled away from her face in a no-nonsense ponytail low on the nape of her neck, her white blouse was buttoned to the neck and her gray jacket hid any hint of female curves. It was hard to reconcile this all-business, buttoned-down professional with the fun-loving, water-squirting, hot-kissing woman of yesterday.
A pang of guilt shot through him. He’d been out of line, kissing her like that. He never should have touched her. Hell, he probably shouldn’t have looked at her, once she peeled off her T-shirt. Just the thought of how she’d looked in that slinky red swimsuit was enough to get him hot and bothered all over again. Even more disturbing was the memory of how she’d responded.
She’d been as aroused as he was. Her lips had clung to his, and her arms had clutched at his back. He felt a fresh stirring of desire at the memory.
Hell’s bells. What he needed to remember, he told himself sternly, was how she’d broken away and fled into the house. Regardless of how much she’d seemed to enjoy the kiss at the time, the fact remained that Rachel didn’t want to get involved with him again any more than he wanted to get involved with her.
He’d tried to apologize to her yesterday afternoon, but Rachel had cut him off. “Look, I think we can both agree it was a mistake.”
Nick had nodded uneasily. “That’s why I wanted to apologize.”
Rachel had dismissively waved her hand. “We just fell into an old habit, and old habits die hard.”
“Old habit?” Her choice of words had irritated him. “Like biting your fingernails?”
Rachel had nodded. “You and I have a habit of responding to each other physically.”
Old habit. Heck. She made it sound like they were a couple of old ballplayers trying to stop spitting in public.
“I know how you hate having what you call ‘relationship discussions—’” Rachel had carved quotation marks in the air with her fingers “—so let’s just agree it won’t happen again.”
She was right; Nick hated talking about relationships. The topic always turned to commitment, and when it did, he inevitably found himself in a no-win situation.
“So what do you say?” she’d asked.
“Fine,” he’d managed.
“Good. Let’s just go on as if it never happened.”
But, dammit, it wasn’t fine. It had happened, and he’d been able to think of little else ever since. It had evidently weighed heavily on Rachel’s mind, too, judging from how she’d gone out of her way to avoid him the rest of yesterday afternoon. She’d focused all of her energy on the baby, barely bothering to give him a glance. And after they’d put Jenny to bed for the night, Rachel had promptly retired to her room and stayed there the whole evening.
His jaw clenched, Nick steered the vehicle into his personalized parking space and killed the engine.
“Well, here we are,” he said unnecessarily.
Rachel turned and smiled at the baby. “Ready to come out of your car seat, Pumpkin?”
It was amazing, the way Rachel’s face lit up and softened when she spoke to the baby. He remembered when she used to look at him that way. The thought sent a pang of something akin to longing coursing through him.
Put a lid on it, Delaney. Unfastening his seat belt, he hit the button on the dashboard that opened the car’s trunk.
“I’ll come around and get your door.”
“Oh, don’t bother. You have your hands full, getting Jenny’s equipment out of the trunk.”
Her refusal rankled. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, he was a man and she was a woman, and there were certain courtesies to be observed.
Ignoring her remark, he circled the car and jerked her door open. “No lady ever opens her own door in my car.” He reached out his hand and gave her a challenging smile. “It’s another of my old habits.”
Rachel hesitated, then put her hand in his. Sure enough, the contact sent enough electricity racing through him to illuminate all of Phoenix. Judging from the way her hand trembled, she felt it, too. He knew it was irrational, but a burst of triumph shot through him.
He turned and opened the back door by Jenny’s car seat. “That applies to even the smallest of ladies.” He smiled at the baby, who was giving him a worried frown. “Don’t worry, Peanut. I won’t try to pick you up. I’ll let Rachel do that while I get your stroller.”
They made quite a spectacle, entering the building a few minutes later. Rachel pushed Jenny in the pink floral stroller, a frilly pink diaper bag slung over the shoulder of her tailored gray suit. Nick staggered under the burden of a collapsible playpen, a mesh bag of toys, a backpack full of blankets and diapers, and a sack containing Jenny’s snacks and lunch.
They made their way across the lobby to the elevators amid the curious stares of their co-workers. Nick was relieved when the elevator doors closed behind them, only to reopen in the accounting department. Here, at least, he was on his own turf.
He followed Rachel into her office, set the bags on the floor and unfolded the playpen across from her desk. He glanced at his watch, then looked up at Rachel. “I have a meeting with Rex and the executive committee in ten minutes. It’s supposed to take all morning. But I’ll be back here at noon to help you feed Jenny lunch.”
His voice sounded tight and pressured. It was no wonder, she thought sympathetically. It was his first day in his new position, and she knew he wanted to make a good impression.
“Good luck with your new job,” she said softly.
“Thanks.” He gave her a warm smile, and the awkwardness between them seemed to evaporate. “I hope you have a good morning, too.” Nick turned to Jenny, who was still in her stroller. He reached out his hand, as if he wanted to touch her, then evidently thought better of it and drew it back. “See you later, Peanut Try not to give Rachel too hard a time.”
Rachel drew a deep breath of relief as Nick left her office. Ever since that kiss, the strain of being alone with him had stretched her nerves to the breaking point
She leaned over the stroller and grinned at Jenny. “It’s just you and me, sweetheart. Ready to come out of there?”
She unfastened the safety belt and lifted the baby into her arms just as Patricia and four of her other friends came traipsing into the office.
“Oh, this must be the baby you called me about!” Olivia made a beeline for Jenny, her pregnant belly preceding her into the room by about six inches. “Did you take her to Dr. Jackson? Is she all right?”
“Yes, and she’s fine. Thanks for the referral.”
“She’s adorable!” Newly married and expecting her first child in four months, Olivia reached for the child. “Can I hold her?”
Jenny turned her face against Rachel’s shoulder and immediately started to whine.
“She’s very bashful with strangers,” Rachel explained.
“That’s right, Olivia. Don’t take it personally,” Patricia piped up. “The baby treated me like a fire-breathing dragon. The only person she seems to like is Rachel. She took to her like a fish to water.”
“I hear the baby isn’t the only one who’s taken with Rachel,” said Cindy slyly. A personal assistant who worked in the New Products Division, the green-eyed brunette was recently engaged to marry the vice president of her department. In fact, it was at Cindy’s engagement party that Rachel had spilled the beans about Nick, confessing to her friends that she’d hoped he’d been about to propose when he’d a
bruptly left town two years ago.
Rachel fidgeted now, fearing she was about to regret her uncharacteristic confession.
Her fears proved to be founded. “Is it true?” Molly asked excitedly. “Is the man you wanted to marry back in town?”
Rachel cringed.
“Not only back in town, but heading up Barrington’s Accounting Division,” Patricia confirmed.
“And this is his baby?” Molly’s hazel eyes were as large and round as dinner plates.
“It’s his niece,” Rachel explained. “His brother and wife were killed in an accident, and Nick is now the child’s guardian.”
“Oh, how noble!” Molly exclaimed, her hands clasped to her bosom. “He sounds like a knight in shining armor!”
Rachel gave a weak grin as Cindy rolled her eyes. An advertising department copywriter, Molly could make acid rain sound romantic.
Sophia stepped forward, her hands on her hips. The blue-eyed blonde had just been named assistant to the new incoming executive vice president. “So where were you all weekend?” she demanded. “I called and called, hoping to find out if your new boss has any news about my new boss. All I got was your answering machine.”
“Me, too,” Patricia chimed in. “I was dying to know how things went with Nick on Friday. Where were you?”
It was pointless to try to hide the truth. “I was with Nick.”
Sophia’s eyes flew wide. “All weekend?”
Rachel nodded. As her friends exchanged knowing glances, she hastened to explain. “No! I mean, yes. I was with him, but...”
“Which is it? Yes or no?” Cindy demanded.
“It’s not like you think,” Rachel said quickly. “He called me early Saturday morning because the baby wouldn’t stop crying. I thought Jenny needed to be checked by a pediatrician, so I called Olivia for a recommendation.”
“That’s right. She did,” Olivia confirmed.
“The doctor said she’s grieving the loss of her parents.” Rachel briefly filled them in on the doctor’s recommendations.
“So you’ve moved in?” Cindy asked incredulously.
“Well, yes, but just for the week. And it’s purely platonic.”
Rachel looked around at her friends’ grinning faces and patted Jenny’s back.
“It is!” she insisted.
“Right,” Cindy said with a knowing wink at the other women.
“Yeah, sure,” Olivia intoned wryly.
“Whatever you say.” Sophia chimed in.
Patricia’s eyebrows knit in worry as she looked at Rachel. “I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“I won’t. There’s nothing between Nick and me anymore.”
Patricia arched an eyebrow. “I saw the way you two looked at each other Friday afternoon.”
“It was just the surprise of seeing each other again,” Rachel hedged.
“Did Nick explain why he left so suddenly?” Sophia asked.
Rachel nodded.
“And?”
“He said we were getting too involved, that it wasn’t fair to me. He doesn’t want to get tied down, and he knows I want marriage and family.”
“Oh, that’s so romantic!” Molly clasped her hands together. “He must have really cared for you.”
Rachel shifted Jenny to her other shoulder. “Look, this is all ancient history. There’s nothing between Nick and me now. Can we please change the subject?”
But her friends weren’t ready to let it go.
“So nothing happened all weekend?” Cindy eyed her closely. “No long, lingering looks? No kisses? Nothing at all?”
To her chagrin, Rachel felt her face flame before she could form an answer.
“I knew it!” Cindy exclaimed. She perched on the edge of Rachel’s desk and leaned forward. “So tell! We want to know everything.”
“There’s nothing to tell. Nothing’s going on. I’m simply helping him out with the baby.” Rachel looked at her friends challengingly, wanting desperately to convince them. “I’d do the same thing to help any of you.”
Olivia placed her hand on her pregnant belly and smiled. “I’ll remind you of that when Junior here arrives.”
Patricia suddenly glanced at her watch. “Speaking of arriving, I’ve got four job applicants coming in this morning. I’d better get back to my office.”
Sophia checked her wristwatch, too. “I’ve got to run, too. I’m supposed to take notes at the executive committee meeting.”
“We’d all better get to work,” Cindy said.
Amid murmured agreement, the women headed toward the door.
Sophia turned, grinned and gave Rachel a thumbs-up sign. “You go, girl.”
“I’ve seen Nick, and I don’t blame you a bit,” Cindy said with a wink.
Patricia lingered behind. “Be careful, honey,” she whispered.
Rachel stared glumly at the door as her friends filed out. None of them believed her. All of them were convinced something was going on.
Rachel hugged Jenny as she walked toward the playpen. It bothered her that her friends had so little faith in her ability to put the past behind her and treat Nick merely as an old friend.
But most bothersome of all were the doubts she harbored herself.
“Okay, Jenny—here it comes!” Squatting beside the stroller, Nick waved the rice cereal and mashed banana-laden baby spoon as if it were an aircraft. “Open the hangar—here comes the plane!”
Jenny stubbornly turned her head, her lips sealed as tightly as a Ziploc storage bag, her chin defiantly tucked against her pink terry-cloth bib.
Nick sighed and lowered the spoon into the bowl on his lap. “She still won’t let me feed her.”
“But you’re” making progress.” Rachel reassured him. ”She smiled when you walked in the door. And she’s letting you get a lot closer than yesterday.”
Which is more than I can say for you, Nick thought disheartenedly. Ever since that unwise kiss, Rachel had been keeping her distance as if he had terminal halitosis.
“I got your memo about the departmental staff meeting this afternoon,” Rachel remarked.
Nick nodded. “We have our work cut out for us. Rex wants every property in the chain to conduct an internal audit.”
“I guess he wants to make sure everything is shipshape before he turns the reins of the company over to his son.”
Nick nodded. “That’s what he said.”
Rachel eyed him curiously. “Have you ever met Rex the Third?”
Nick shook his head. “No one in Barrington seems to have met him. I understand that he’s been in Europe, getting training from the ground up with a similar company.”
“My friend Sophia has been appointed his assistant. She’s wondering what he’s like.”
“Well, she’s not alone. We’re all wondering about him.” Nick reloaded the spoon and held it out. “Come on, Jenny girl. Let’s give it one more try. Open wide!”
Jenny again stubbornly turned her head.
“It’s no use.” Sighing, Nick withdrew the spoon. “I’d better let you take over feeding duty.” He started to rise. Just then, Jenny’s tiny hand shot out and grabbed the bowl. Before he could get out of the way, she’d dumped rice cereal and mashed banana all down the crotch of his pants.
“Oh, no!” Nick moaned.
“Oh, dear!” Rachel gasped.
Jenny’s cheeks puffed out in a merry laugh.
Rachel hurried forward, a napkin in her hand, then froze, the napkin suspended in midair above his groin.
“You’d better let me do that,” Nick said dryly, looking down at his pants.
Rachel silently handed him the napkin, her cheeks turning scarlet.
Jenny clumsily clapped her hands and giggled merrily. Nick cocked an eyebrow in the baby’s direction as he gingerly wiped himself off. “I wish I could find a way of making you smile that didn’t involve spilling food all over my clothes.”
He heard a noise that sounded suspiciously like a snicker. He looked u
p to see Rachel trying to suppress a smile, her hand over her mouth.
Nick rubbed at the enormous glob. All he seemed to be doing was spreading the slime. As he tried to wipe it up, the napkin disintegrated, adding paper fuzz to the mess.
“Do you have any water in here?” he asked.
Rachel handed him a bottle of mineral water off her desk.
“Thanks.” Nick poured some on the goo, which had the approximate consistency of paste. It ran down his leg, adding a dark, wet stain to the existing mess.
Nick stifled an oath. “Great,” he said in disgust. “It’s my first day as vice president, I’m holding my first meeting with my staff in an hour and I look like I’ve just wet my britches.”
Rachel burst into laughter.
“I’m glad you find this situation amusing,” he said dryly.
“I can’t help it,” she said, struggling not to laugh. “You look like a poster boy for Depends.”
In spite of the situation, Nick found himself smiling back at her. “Oh, good. That’s just the image I was hoping to project.”
Rachel’s peals of laughter were almost worth the impending embarrassment he was about to suffer. It was funny, he mused, but she could make him feel better about nearly any situation.
“If you’ll take your slacks off, I’ll clean them for you in the ladies’ mom,” she offered. “There’s a hand dryer in there I can use on them.”
Nick gazed ruefully at his slacks. His options were pretty limited. His own attempts to fix the dilemma were only making it worse.
“It should only take about ten minutes,” Rachel added. “You can stay in here with the door closed and watch Jenny until I get back.”
What the hell His boxer shorts probably revealed less than the swim trunks he’d worn yesterday. “All right.” Nick reached for his belt buckle.
Rachel abruptly turned around, her face aflame, and bent over the stroller.
“I’ll put Jenny in her playpen and give her some crackers and juice. That ought to tide her over until I can get back and feed her.” Rachel knew she was babbling, but she couldn’t seem to help it. The sound of a zipper being undone and the soft rustle of wool made her breath come in hard, rapid puffs. Keeping her eyes averted, she settled the baby in the playpen.