Whose Baby Is This?
Patricia Thayer
Fire burned bright in Tara MacNeal's eyes when she thrust her shocking news on Matt Landers: "You're my niece's father."But the handsome doctor quickly doused her heated accusation with his firm denial of paternity - and delivered a shocker of his own. Though the birth certificate named him as father, another man was responsible! For a revengeful schemer had stolen Matt's identity…and now an innocent baby - and her beautiful guardian - were at risk.To protect them, Matt kept "mother" and child within arm's reach…but his heart stayed miles away, where it was safe from the flickering warmth in Tara's touch. And though his name had been tarnished by an impostor, Matt would never trade his identity as "confirmed bachelor" for "husband and father"…would he?
“How many times do I have to tell you, she’s not my daughter?”
Tara’s back straightened. “Don’t worry, Dr. Landers, I already have custody of my niece and I plan to raise her like my own.” Her glare was heated with anger. “But it was my sister’s last request that you be told about your daughter.”
Matt glanced down at Tara’s ringless hand. Was she alone? He shook away the feelings of sympathy. She wasn’t his problem.
“For one last time, I never met your sister.”
Just then the baby stirred and began to cry. He wanted to soothe the infant…and her beautiful aunt, to take them in his arms and protect them from the world. None of this was their fault—or his!
He could not allow this little angel and her loving guardian to play with his feelings. And he would not be taken advantage of. But could he help them find the real father?
Whose child was Erin Landers…?
Dear Reader,
During the warm days of July, what better way to kick back and enjoy the best of summer reading than with six stellar stories from Special Edition as we continue to celebrate Silhouette’s 20th Anniversary all year long!
With The Pint-Sized Secret, Sherryl Woods continues to delight her readers with another winning installment of her popular miniseries AND BABY MAKES THREE: THE DELACOURTS OF TEXAS. Reader favorite Lindsay McKenna starts her new miniseries, MORGAN’S MERCENARIES: MAVERICK HEARTS, with Man of Passion, her fiftieth book. A stolen identity leads to true love in Patricia Thayer’s compelling Whose Baby Is This? And a marriage of convenience proves to be anything but in rising star Allison Leigh’s Married to a Stranger in her MEN OF THE DOUBLE-C RANCH miniseries. Rounding off the month is celebrated author Pat Warren’s Doctor and the Debutante, where the healthy dose of romance is just what the physician ordered, while for the heroine in Beth Henderson’s Maternal Instincts, a baby-sitting assignment turns into a practice run for motherhood—and marriage.
Hope you enjoy this book and the other unforgettable stories Special Edition is happy to bring you this month!
All the best,
Karen Taylor Richman,
Senior Editor
Whose Baby is This?
Patricia Thayer
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
To Jennifer Nauss, for all your hard work helping me find just the right story for Dr. Matt. It’s nice to have someone in your corner. And always, Steve.
PATRICIA THAYER
has been writing for fourteen years and has published over ten books with Silhouette. Her books have been nominated for the National Readers’ Choice Award, Virginia Romance Writers of America’s Holt Medallion, and a prestigious RITA Award. In 1997, Nothing Short of a Miracle won the Romantic Times Magazine Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Special Edition.
Thanks to the understanding men in her life—her husband of twenty-eight years, Steve, and her three sons—Pat has been able to fulfill her dream of writing romance. Another dream is to own a cabin in Colorado, where she can spend her days writing and her evenings with her favorite hero, Steve. She loves to hear from readers. You can write her at P.O. Box 6251, Anaheim, CA 92816-0251.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Epilogue
Chapter One
Did the man deserve to know he was a father?
Tara McNeal wasn’t so sure as she stood at the office door of Dr. Matthew Landers, pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon.
Had she done the right thing coming to Santa Cruz? Tara looked down at her tiny three-month-old niece, Erin Marie, strapped in the carrier against her chest. From the moment the precious little girl had been born, Tara had wanted nothing more than to shower her with everything, especially love.
But Tara had made her deceased sister, Briana, a promise. That meant Erin’s father, Matthew Landers, had to be told about his daughter. Tara doubted the man cared. Not when he’d walked out of Bri’s life long before he knew she’d gotten pregnant.
So why would Dr. Landers care now? But it still frightened Tara to think he might take Erin away from her, might want to raise his daughter.
Well, I’m not going to get any answers until I talk to the man, she thought.
Tara’s hand shook as she opened the door. Inside, the surgeon’s waiting room had been decorated in soft blue and gray. A comfortable-looking sofa and four barrel chairs were grouped at a coffee table with several books scattered along the top.
At the desk sat a receptionist, a woman in her forties with dark hair and half-glasses perched on her narrow nose. She pulled them off and smiled. “May I help you?” she asked.
“Yes, I need to see Dr. Landers.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
Tara cuddled Erin’s tiny body closer. “No, but it’s important. We’ve come all the way from Phoenix.”
The woman glanced at Erin and smiled. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Matt sat at his desk, going over the report on a child who had been brought into the hospital last week. No matter how many times he’d studied the X rays, it didn’t change the fact that the six-year-old boy needed corrective heart surgery.
But the million-dollar question was could the weakened child survive the procedure? And could Matt once again live up to his illustrious reputation and pull off another miracle? He sure as hell hoped so.
The phone rang and he picked it up. “What is it, Judy?”
“I know you’re busy, Doctor, but there’s a woman with her baby here who wants to see you.”
He sighed, knowing his secretary was a pushover. “I’m really busy. Can you make an appointment for her later in the week?”
Judy’s voice lowered. “I would, but she came from Phoenix and the baby is only a few months old.”
Matt’s heart tightened. He knew he couldn’t turn away any child, not if there was something he could do. “Okay, send them back.”
Matt stood and slipped on his physician’s coat, then opened the door just as Judy was escorting the young mother and baby down the hall.
Matt couldn’t help but admire the tall attractive woman with short chestnut hair and pale, creamy skin. Her large green eyes were wide-set and slightly tilted at the corners. He glanced at the infant she held so tenderly in her arms. “Hello, I’m Dr. Landers and you’re Mrs.…”
“Ms. Tara McNeal,” she corrected. “This is Erin.”
Matt motioned for her to go in his office as Judy mouthed a thank-you, then disappeared. “Well, Ms. McNeal,” he began as he shut the door. “Have a seat.”
She ignored him and looked around the office. After a few seconds, she finally turned her attention to him.
“Can you tell me why it was so imperative I see you?” Matt asked.
“It’s about my baby.”
“Did my secretary explain I only see patients by referral?” He looked at Erin, then sat behind his desk. “I can send you to an excellent pediatrician, Dr. Talbert.”
“No,” she blurted, then calmed. “I don’t need a pediatrician.”
“Then please tell me why you’re here.” Matt glanced at his watch. He had to talk with Ryan’s foster parents. “I have a consultation in a few minutes.”
Suddenly Tara wanted to run. She had no doubt she could raise Erin by herself…alone. There was nothing worse than a man who didn’t want to be in his child’s life.
But she had to keep her promise to Bri.
She stole a glance at the tall Dr. Landers, a good-looking man with a square jaw and a slight cleft in his chin. His wheat-colored hair was parted neatly to one side. Tara swallowed a sudden dryness in her throat when his deep-set coffee eyes settled on her. Oh, my, sis. You were way out of your league.
Tara straightened to her full five foot eight. Just think about Erin, she told herself as she saw that the man behind the glass and chrome desk was quickly becoming impatient.
“What was it you wanted to discuss with me, Ms. McNeal?” he asked.
She unfastened the carrier and cradled Erin in her arms. “It’s about my sister, Briana…Briana McNeal.”
He looked confused. “What about your sister?”
Tara was saddened that he didn’t even recognize the name. “She died three months ago. This is her daughter, Erin.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” he said. “So you’re Erin’s guardian now?”
Tara nodded, hoping desperately that would remain true.
“What is your niece’s condition?” He stepped around the desk, then reached out and stroked Erin’s head. “She looks healthy.” He smiled. “But looks can be deceiving, can’t they? I really need to see her medical records, though, before I can go any further.”
Tara blew out a long breath in frustration. She was tired of his game. “I’m not here because of a medical problem, Dr. Landers. You knew my sister, Briana. You spent time with her over a year ago.” She held his gaze. “Erin is your daughter.”
Matt Landers stood frozen. This had to be a joke. A bad joke.
“There’s been some mistake,” he said, trying to remain calm. “I’ve never met anyone named Briana.”
Tara McNeal gave him a knowing look, as if she’d expected him to say exactly that. “Well, according to my sister, you’re her daughter’s father.”
Just the thought of this precious child being his caused a familiar ache in his chest. But there wasn’t the remotest possibility of this accusation being true. He shook away the thought and wiped his face of any expression.
“Look, Ms. McNeal, I don’t know what kind of scam you’re pulling, but I’ve never met your sister,” he insisted.
“Why would my sister lie about this? She was dying.” Tara McNeal lowered her tear-glazed eyes.
Matt tried not to notice her tears. “Maybe knowing she was dying, she wanted to make sure her daughter was taken care of.”
“I’m taking care of Erin. Besides, I have proof.” She maneuvered a large bag off her shoulder, opened it, then took out an envelope. “Explain this,” she said, handing it to him.
Matt knew he shouldn’t give this woman’s claim any credence. All he had to do was show her the door. Or call security. He’d been sought after before. Doctors often had to deal with deluded people. It was the nature of the profession. The price he paid for the acclaim he’d received as a heart surgeon.
But he found himself reaching for the envelope and taking out a birth certificate for Erin Marie Landers. Born March twenty-ninth in Phoenix, Arizona. Mother: Briana McNeal. Father: Dr. Matthew Landers. Suddenly it felt like something was sitting on Matt’s chest, and he couldn’t breath. He knew it couldn’t possibly be true, but to see it on paper… He looked at the rosy-cheeked baby in the woman’s arms, and his yearning grew worse.
“Do you still deny you’re her father?”
His gaze met Tara McNeal’s, but he could not think of anything to say. Then the anger started to build inside his chest as he remembered the years of pain, the anguish he’d gone through…. He shook away the memory. He had to get to the bottom of this. “Your niece is a beautiful child, but she’s not mine.”
The young woman closed her eyes and drew a long breath.
“Look, Ms. McNeal, I’m sorry, but you have to believe me when I say I never met anyone named Briana McNeal. If I had, why didn’t she contact me when she discovered she was pregnant?”
“She did,” the redhead insisted. “You talked several times, but then your calls stopped. Then, when she tried to get in touch with you again, your cellular phone conveniently was disconnected.”
Whoever the father was, the guy was a real jerk, Matt thought. “Then why didn’t she call me here at the hospital? You didn’t have any trouble finding me.”
Once again he got her icy green-eyed stare. “She figured you didn’t want her around. But in the hospital when she became so sick…” Tara paused. “She told me that Erin had a right to know her father.”
Matt rubbed his forehead. Damn. How could this be happening to him? “Did your sister say where she met me? Was it here in Santa Cruz? Did anyone see us together?”
The baby started to fuss, and Tara shifted Erin to her shoulder. “According to Briana, the two of you met in Mexico nine months before Erin’s birth. She’s three months old. That’s pretty close to a year ago. Can you tell me that you haven’t been to Mexico?”
No, he couldn’t. He’d gone to Mexico several times on consultations.
“Of course, I’ve been there,” he said. “I go down to Mexico City for a few weeks every year to perform surgery.” He raked his hand through his hair. “But I never leave the hospital except to go to my hotel and sleep.”
There was another flash of pain in Tara McNeal’s eyes as she shook her head. “Okay, I tried. I’ve come to see you and fulfilled my promise to my sister. But I can’t make you want to be a part of your daughter’s life,” she said, wrapping her arms around the baby protectively. “But don’t worry, Dr. Landers, this child won’t lack for love. She’s got family. Me.” Tara began gathering her bag. “Sorry I bothered you.”
Matt drew a long breath. “How many times do I have to tell you, she’s not my daughter? So if you’re looking for money, you’ve come to the wrong place—”
Her back straightened. “I didn’t come here for your money, Dr. Landers. I already have custody of my niece and I plan to raise her like my own. That means taking full financial responsibility. We’re family, and someday she’ll have brothers and sisters.” Her glare was heated with anger. “But it was Bri’s last request that you be told about your daughter.”
Matt glanced at Tara’s ringless hand. Was she alone? He shook away the feeling of sympathy. She wasn’t his problem.
“But you haven’t fulfilled your promise, because she’s not my child,” he said, the words nearly sticking in his throat.
Matt was a man who had always honored his obligations. But this little girl wasn’t his. Damn. Damn. Why wouldn’t she believe him and leave? “For one last time, I never met your sister.”
Just then the baby stirred again and began to cry. He found he wanted to soothe the infant. None of this was her fault, or his. But if Ms. McNeal decided to take this to Riverhaven Hospital’s chief of staff, Harry Douglas, it could cause a lot of problems. He’d worked hard to build a career. And what was to keep her from returning years later and doing this again? Whose child was Erin Landers? Surely someone wouldn’t go so low as to pretend to be him?
Suddenly a revelation hit him—the key to this mystery. “Wait! Ms. McNeal, I believe I know what happened.” He reached for her just as she started for the door. “Please, you can’t leave yet.”
She jerked out of his grasp. “You finally found your conscience, Doctor?”
“No. Well, yes. Please let me explain. I think I may have some answers for you.” He started to speak, but the phone rang. He picked it up. It was Dr. Talbert wondering where he was. He apologized and hung up.
“Look, Ms. McNeal. I have to leave for about thirty minutes. I have an important consultation with a patient. But I’ll be back. Please, will you wait?”
“I don’t know. Erin needs to be fed.”
“Stay here and use my office,” he insisted. “Judy can get you whatever you need. Heat the bottle or whatever. Just give me a chance to explain.”
She rocked the baby and eyed him suspiciously. “Okay, I’ll stay. But only for a short time.”
Matt grabbed the folder from his desk and rushed out the door. “Just give me thirty minutes.”
Tara watched the man leave. Was this another ploy? She hoped not, but she’d feel better when she and Erin were on their way back to Phoenix. This had been an expensive trip, one she couldn’t afford. Now she may have to go home without any answers.
This wasn’t the way she’d planned to start her vacation. As a teacher, Tara had the summer off, and she was planning on taking this opportunity to enjoy being a full-time mother. The last few months, she had to ask her neighbor, Mrs. Lynch, to watch Erin while she taught school.
Tara carried her niece to the sofa and opened the diaper bag. She located the bottle she’d prepared at the motel, pulled off the cap, positioned Erin against her and guided the nipple to her tiny mouth.
Tara sat back and tried to relax, but the nagging headache she’d had since last night hadn’t gone away. The long drive from Phoenix had been tedious, and they hadn’t arrived until late. But it had been thoughts of Bri that had kept Tara awake all night.
Was there more she could have done? Was she the one who had made her sister want to leave home? So many questions, and Tara had no answers, not for herself or for Erin.
Three months ago Tara had gotten a phone call from her younger sister, Briana. It had been nearly three years since their mother’s death, when Bri moved out of the family’s small rented house in Phoenix. She was only twenty at the time and eager to be on her own.
Many times over the years, she and Bri had argued about her escapades, including the day she left for Los Angeles. Eventually Bri always ended up back home. Not this time, though. Months had gone by before Tara had any idea as to her sister’s whereabouts. Then, this past March, she’d gotten a call from Bri announcing she was about to have a baby and needed her.
Without hesitation, Tara had driven the six hours to the shabby apartment in Los Angeles where her sister lived. Shocked at Bri’s weak condition, Tara rushed her to a clinic just as her labor began.
It was a difficult birth, but finally the doctor delivered a healthy baby girl by cesarean section. Bri, still weak, developed a strep infection. Complications set in, and…she died three days later.
Tara blinked away tears. No. She couldn’t give in to her emotions. Not now. She had to get through this, to make up for not being there when Bri really needed her.
She looked at the baby asleep in her arms. Now Erin needed her. Tara smiled as she raised her niece to her shoulder and began gently patting her back. A few minutes later, Tara lay her down on the sofa and changed her diaper. Through it all, the baby slept like an angel.
“I promise, I won’t leave you,” she whispered and covered the sleeping child with a blanket. Tara stood and walked around the spacious ivory-colored room, her shoes sinking into the plush slate gray carpet. Oak file cabinets lined one wall, and a state-of-the-art computer system took up another. The glass and chrome desk was the focal point of the room, placed dramatically in front of the huge picture window. The doctor had done well for himself. Tara remembered reading about the famous pediatric heart surgeon, Dr. Landers, on the Internet. She knew all about him.
At the young age of thirty-eight, Matthew Landers was already one of the top surgeons in the country. He was single, blond, brown-eyed and six feet two inches tall. He loved the beach and golf.
Tara made her way to the window and looked from the third floor on the beautiful California coastline. She drew a breath. “It looks like you have it all, Dr. Landers. Too bad you can’t share it with your child.”
Suddenly the door to the office opened. The man she’d been thinking about had returned.
Matt came face to face with the attractive Ms. McNeal. Since their meeting, she’d used the baby like a shield, and it was a pleasant surprise to get a look at her attractive slim body. Tall and long-limbed, Tara McNeal didn’t lack for curves. She had on a white short-sleeve sweater and a calf-length print skirt, allowing him a glimpse of shapely legs.
Realizing where he was headed, he shook off his wandering thoughts. Just forget it—the woman can cause you major trouble. Somehow he was going to convince her that he would never father a child, then abandon her.
Matt glanced toward the sofa. The baby was asleep. “I take it this morning wore her out?” he said as he placed some files on a side table.
“It’s her nap time,” Tara said. “She should be out for a while.”
“Good, that will give us a chance to talk.” He motioned to the chair in front of the desk. “Sit down, Tara. May I call you Tara?”
Nodding, she came around the desk and took a seat.
He sat in the chair next to her. “I have an idea as to why my name appears on the birth certificate as Erin’s father.”
He watched as she folded her arms across her chest. Great, she was already resistant to hearing him out.
“For the past fifteen months,” he began, “my life has been turned into chaos because of someone who broke into the surgeon’s lounge and stole my wallet from my locker. Not only did he take money and personal pictures—he used my credit card and my identity.”
“What does this have to do with my sister?”
He raised his hand. “Just give me a minute. Like I was saying, this person was acquiring credit cards in my name. I was getting calls about overdue payments, and the hospital administrator received complaints.” Matt remembered when it started. Harry Douglas had tried to be understanding about the situation, but the administrator’s concern was for the hospital’s reputation. They couldn’t have their top surgeon in financial trouble.
“Believe me, Ms. McNeal, I thought I had straightened out the situation. I’ve always had an impeccable credit rating, but it’s a mess now. I couldn’t buy a thing. It’s still shaky. But I’ve worked with the police and hired an investigator to catch this guy. Lately things began to quiet down. I thought maybe he had moved on,” he said, nodding toward the child. “Until today.”
Tara shrugged her shoulders. “And what connection does this have to Erin?”
“I think the same person who used my name to purchase things also…seduced your sister.”
Her eyes widened. “If you expect me to believe… That’s the craziest story I’ve ever heard.” She tried to stand, and he reached for her hand and stopped her.
Matt paused, feeling Tara’s warmth, her softness. Something he hadn’t felt in a while. And by the reaction of his body, he realized it had been a long while. He released her and leaned back in the chair to refocus. “I know it sounds crazy, but just think about it.”
“There’s nothing to think about, Dr. Landers. You don’t want to be Erin’s father. Hey, don’t worry about it. Not all men are cut out to be parents. Believe me, my sister and I knew firsthand about an absent dad. And I won’t allow Erin to go through the same thing. No father is better than one who’s there then disappears.”
Matt had had enough. “If I fathered that child, believe me, I would definitely claim her.”
“Sure. I can see that.”
His frustration grew along with his temper. He got to his feet. “Dammit, woman. I would never abandon a child, because I know exactly what it feels like.”
Tara couldn’t move, couldn’t breath. She wanted so badly not to believe him. But the look in his dark eyes, the loneliness that showed in the depths of his gaze told her he understood what it was like not to be wanted.
She started to speak, but Matt held up his hand. “Sorry. I guess we need to step back here.” He did as he suggested and took a calming breath. “I can see my word isn’t going to convince you of anything.”
Tara pulled a piece of note paper from her purse and handed it to him. “This is the motel where we’re staying. I’m going to be in town until tomorrow. If you decide that you want to be a part of Erin’s life, call me.” She went to the sofa and carefully bundled up her sleeping niece, then gathered her things. She walked out the door wishing that Matt Landers would stop her but also praying that he wouldn’t so she could get on with her life. Her life with Erin.
A few seconds later Matt heard the outer office door close. This was a continuing nightmare. He turned to the large window behind his desk. Before him was an incredible view of the Pacific Ocean. Usually after a rough eight-hour surgery or a consultation with parents when he had to tell them bad news, he could find peace and solace in the mesmerizing waves, lose himself in the sound of the rolling surf. None of it helped him now.
The day his damn wallet had been stolen his entire life turned upside down. Matthew James Landers’s credit had been shot to hell, and there was next to nothing he could do about it. Damn. It hadn’t been enough that the thief used his credit cards, but taking over his identity was worse. Now the man had fathered a child in his name. Matt clenched his fists, fighting anger and…a twinge of envy. He pounded the window frame.
“Hell, is this mess ever going to end?” he asked. Today had been the last straw. And to torment him with a child. That went beyond cruel.
Again his thoughts turned to the pretty woman, Tara McNeal, who’d stood in his office not thirty seconds ago. Damn. Forget her…forget the baby.
Call your lawyer, Matt told himself. Let him handle it. But something in those green eyes of hers told him that she was as much a victim as he was. The ironic thing was that Tara McNeal was offering him his heart’s desire. The one thing he’d wanted and couldn’t have.
A child.
Later that afternoon, Matt heard voices coming from the outer office. He got up and opened the door to find his friend Nick Malone coming down the hall.
“Hey, what brings you here?” Matt asked, grinning.
The dark-haired computer software genius smiled back. “I wanted to see if you were available for golf Wednesday.”
Matt was eager for any distraction. “You know I’m always ready for a game, but since when are you? I believe your exact words were, ‘I don’t have time to chase around a little white ball.’”
Nick dropped into the chair across from Matt’s desk. “I hear the balls come in different colors now.”
“Yeah, sure. What’s the real reason?”
“It’s Cari’s idea. She wants me to cut back on my hours at the plant. Take more downtime for myself.”
Matt knew Cari Malone well. Before she’d married Nick and given birth to two beautiful children, she had been a nurse on the pediatric floor. One of the best. “So, she still hasn’t given up on changing you.”
There was a glint in Nick’s gray eyes. “And I hope she never does. She and the kids make everything so…perfect.”
Matt knew his friend’s life had been far from perfect before Cari walked into it and offered her love to Nick and his son, Danny. Love and kids. Something Matt had avoided over the years. His relationships had always been guarded, avoiding anything permanent. Besides, his demanding career made it nearly impossible for him to have a personal life. At thirty-eight, he wished things could be different. A picture of a perky redhead holding a baby flashed in his head. He blinked away the fantasy.
Matt tried to smile but couldn’t quite make it, and Nick spotted something amiss right away.
“What’s wrong, friend?”
Matt shrugged. “Just a rough day. A new patient, a little boy who has a rough road ahead.”
Nick’s gaze locked with his. “If anyone can pull it off, you can. You gave Danny a normal life.”
Nick’s eight-year-old son had had a heart transplant six years ago and had been under Matt’s care.
“A lot of factors entered into Danny’s recovery and continued good health, including having parents who love him.” Matt thought about the baby girl who had been in his office. A child who needed him to be a father. It was too bad that…
Nick’s words interrupted his thoughts. “Hey, pal. You sure there isn’t anything else on your mind?”
Matt sighed. “This morning I was told I was a father.”
Chapter Two
That evening Tara leaned over the portable baby crib in the corner of the small motel room. Erin had been fed, changed and dressed in her pajamas, and she was finally asleep.
Tara placed a kiss on the baby’s rosy cheek, then went to the double bed and sat down. If Erin would sleep a few hours, she could get some rest, too. But Tara doubted she could sleep. Not after what had happened this afternoon. Not after Matthew Landers had denied ever knowing Bri.
Tara rubbed her temples. The headache she’d woken up with still plagued her. She checked her watch. It was getting late, and the good doctor hadn’t called. So he didn’t care about his own child.
She went into the small kitchenette and located the bottle of aspirin, poured a glass of water and swallowed two tablets.
Tara had had firsthand experience with waiting for a father. Her father hadn’t hung around, not for long, anyway. Having a wife and two daughters had been too much for Sean McNeal. He was busy chasing the next big deal. Nothing was going to keep him from what he wanted, not even the responsibility of a family. Sean was going to be rich, he’d told everyone. Even his small daughters had gotten caught up in his crazy dreams until they found out the man was nothing but a fake.
By the time Tara turned fourteen, her dad had disappeared from their lives for good. For months her mother cried, leaving Tara wishing she could help. When her mother had to take on another job to keep the family together, her eldest daughter had been put in charge of watching eight-year-old Briana.
Regret filled Tara. Maybe if she’d done a better job, her baby sister would be alive today. But Bri had always been headstrong. From an early age, she’d had a wild streak. Unlike Tara, she ran after life, and after men, looking for the love their father had denied them.
“I should have been there for you,” Tara whispered, believing that Briana left Phoenix because she felt smothered. “I should have gone to visit you. We were family.”
Tara had been busy with college and her job, but she could have found time. If only Briana had wanted to see her. Tears stung her eyes. At least in the end, she’d been with Bri. And now that Matt Landers had denied paternity she was going to be Erin’s family.
She walked to the crib and gazed at the beautiful baby. She already looked like Briana. The shape of her face and her large eyes were Bri’s, although their color was dark brown, like her father’s. The wisps of hair that covered her small head were blond. Again like her father. A father who wasn’t going to be around.
“I wanted so much for you, sweetie,” she whispered, emotion lacing her voice. “But it looks like it’s just you and me, Erin Marie. I promise I won’t let you down.” She took hold of Erin’s tiny finger just like she had so many times with Bri. “I double pinky swear. We’ll be a family.”
There was a soft knock on the door. Wiping away any traces of tears, Tara checked the peephole. Her pulse started to race when she saw Matt Landers. He’d come. She said a quick little prayer and opened the door.
“Can we talk?” he asked.
Tara swallowed. “That depends on what you have to say.”
“I believe it’s obvious what we have to talk about. The baby. We need to come to a decision that will be the best for all of us.”
“You mean that will be best for you,” she murmured.
After a few seconds, Tara stepped aside and Matt walked into the small room. He glanced around the standard chain motel surroundings. The double bed with the colorful bedspread. The desk with the menu and coupons from the local restaurant. Then he turned his attention to the baby crib in the corner, and a protective feeling tugged at him.
“Do my accommodations meet with your approval?”
Matt turned to Tara. Faded jeans covered her long, slender legs and accented her narrow waist. A short white T-shirt draped her delicate shoulders and nicely rounded breasts. Her short rust-colored hair was pulled behind her ears. He raised his gaze to her weary green eyes.
“I’m not concerned with your accommodations, Ms. McNeal, just your accusations.”
His lawyer, Ed Podesta, had told him he’d handle everything and advised his client to stay away from Tara McNeal and the baby. Even though Matt knew he couldn’t possibly be Erin’s father, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. Her sweet face, her pink cheeks and rosebud mouth. He tended children daily. Many were infants. But he’d never been called a father before. That made little Erin different.
The baby was the innocent one in all this. But was Tara McNeal innocent? “I’m here because there’s a child involved. She’s the one we have to worry about. Needless to say, you caught me off guard when you came to the office today.”
He watched Tara cross her arms.
“I don’t want to be the enemy here,” Matt continued. “There are some steps we need to take.”
“Just what steps are those, Dr. Landers?”
“A blood test.”
Early the next day, Tara carried Erin across the medical laboratory parking lot. Matthew Landers was there waiting for her.
The man looked far too good first thing in the morning. He wore a snowy white shirt with dove-gray pleated slacks and expensive black loafers. His hair was perfect, not a strand out of place. Tara found she wanted to mess it up. She quickly pushed away the crazy thought.
He pulled off his dark glasses and squinted into the summer sun. “Good morning, Ms. McNeal,” he said.
Tara absently brushed her hair behind her ears, wishing she’d taken time to apply a little makeup. No easy task when she had a baby to care for. “Morning, doctor,” she answered.
“Okay, this is a simple test. It could have been done in my office, but…”
Tara straightened. “I know, you want to keep this quiet.” She glanced at the small medical building.
She was right, Matt was worried about the gossip that might arise from the test. He didn’t want Harry Douglas finding out about this. The hospital grapevine had already built him an impressive reputation as a playboy even though he’d been extremely careful to have kept his personal life private.
“Yes, I’m concerned. I want this matter cleared up. Quickly.”
“Why, are you married?”
Matt was surprised by her question. “No, I’m not. But I am a respected doctor in this community.” He wouldn’t be for long if her accusation became public. He could lose everything he’d worked for. “Are you?”
“Am I what?”
“Married.”
“No, but I plan to be someday.” She smiled at the baby. “And I’ll give Erin brothers and sisters.” Matt held open the door to the small medical building, and Tara stepped inside.
Matt wasn’t surprised by her answer. Most women, even those with active careers, wanted a family. Something he couldn’t offer a wife. “This way,” he said, directing her down the hall and into the elevator.
They were alone in the small space. He pressed the button for the second floor. As much as he tried not to, he couldn’t help but look at the baby. She was awake and alert. Little Erin’s arms were waving in the air as her big dark eyes took in her new surroundings. He smiled. She hadn’t asked for all this trouble.
He stole a glance at Ms. McNeal. She, on the other hand, was asking for a lot of trouble. If she thought she could come here and bat those big emerald eyes at him… Well, he wasn’t going to let her get to him. No matter how soft and touchable her auburn hair looked. He inhaled her soft fragrance, and his stomach tightened.
A chime sounded and the doors opened. He allowed her out first, then directed her down another hall to the lab. Jerry, a golfing buddy and a trusted confidant, was working the early shift and knew they would be coming in. With luck this could be done quickly and privately. In a few hours they’d have the results, and Matt could go on with his life.
He opened the door and stepped aside so Tara could enter, then walked to the deserted counter and rang the bell. The glass window opened, and a middle-aged man with brown hair and a ready smile appeared. “Hey, Matt, nice to see you.”
They shook hands. “Jerry. This is Tara McNeal and Erin.”
“Come back to the office,” Jerry directed. “We’ll do this as quickly as possible.”
Matt stood aside as Tara passed through another door, then paused.
“So how long have you and Jerry been friends?” she asked.
Matt bit back his anger. “If you’re insinuating that I’m trying to falsify the blood test, you can forget it. I have a sterling reputation. Or I had, until some bastard stole everything. I want to clear this up more than you know, Ms. McNeal. You have no idea what it’s like to have lost this kind of control of your life. I know Erin is not my child, but I’m determined to convince you.”
She looked at him for a long moment, then nodded. “Let’s do the test.”
Two hours later, Tara was in Matt Landers’s office, changing Erin’s diaper. Crooning to her niece, she was soon rewarded with a smile.
“You were such a good girl,” Tara whispered, then placed a kiss on the baby’s soft cheek as she managed to get her kicking legs into the stretch suit. Tara took the recently warmed bottle, lifted Erin in her arms, found a spot on the sofa and began feeding her.
She hated hanging around, but the results of the test weren’t supposed to take very long. And waiting here was as good as anywhere else. Dr. Landers had given up his office, saying he had a busy schedule of hospital rounds. The receptionist, Judy Shaw, had gone out of her way to be kind, making sure Tara and Erin were comfortable.
All Tara had to do was wait for the test results. Then what? What if Matt Landers had been telling her the truth? What if he wasn’t Erin’s father? But Bri had sworn she’d only been with one man, Dr. Matt Landers, head of pediatric cardiac surgery at Riverhaven Hospital.
Her sister’s last words echoed in her head. You’ve got to find Erin’s father. I want him to be a part of her life.
“Oh, Bri, you always were a dreamer. Just because he fathered a child doesn’t mean he wants to be a daddy. Didn’t we both learn that the hard way?”
Tara looked at the baby in her arms. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. Aunt Tara will always be here for you.”
The door opened, and Matt Landers walked in. He wore a white lab coat open over his still snowy white shirt and perfectly pressed trousers. “Jerry faxed me the test results. Do you happen to know your sister’s blood type?”
Tara’s heart began to pound as she removed the bottle from Erin’s mouth, placed the baby against her shoulder and began to gently pat her back. She stood up. “Yes, she’s the same as mine, A positive. What are the test results?”
“Inconclusive. It shows I’m O positive. I already knew that, but wanted to redo the test for you. And Erin’s results show…she’s also O positive.”
Tara wasn’t sure whether she was happy or not. “So you are her father.”
Matt Landers didn’t show any emotion. “No, I’m afraid that only suggests I could be the father. O positive is the most common blood type.”
Tara had had enough. If this man didn’t want to claim his daughter, she couldn’t make him want to be a father. Sorry, Bri. I tried. But she was relieved. She could keep sole custody of the baby. “Thank you for your time, Doctor.” She walked to the sofa and began gathering her things. The sooner she got out of here the better.
“Where are you going?”
“Back to Phoenix.”
“You’re not going to try to find Erin’s father?”
Tara looked up. “I thought I had found him, but you don’t want her.”
Matt went to her. “And I told you, I never met your sister, Briana.”
“So you keep saying.” Tara placed Erin in her carrier.
“But you still don’t believe me.”
She sighed tiredly. “I don’t know what to believe anymore.” That much was true. “I’m only doing what I think is best for Erin.”
“If you want to do what’s best for your niece, stay and help me find the man who’s hurt both our lives.”
He wanted her to stay? “But what can I do? Bri was the one who knew you…or whoever you say was masquerading as you.”
“Please, just stay and talk to the private investigator I’ve hired.”
The phone interrupted him. After a few minutes Matt hung up. “Sorry, that was Harry Douglas, the hospital administrator, reminding me about the big fund-raiser at the end of the month.” His dark eyes bore into hers. “That’s another reason I want to clear this up. I don’t want any bad press coming to Riverhaven.”
He sounded so convincing. “I understand that. And I’m not going to make any trouble. I only came to fulfill a promise to my sister.” She started to get up. “Now we can all get on with our lives.”
He held out a hand to stop her. “But you won’t believe me unless we find the thief. Please, you have to stay.”
“I can’t just hang around in a motel room while you try to come up with another story.”
“I told you there isn’t another story,” he argued. “But this isn’t finished. I don’t want you coming back in a few years and starting this up again.”
“You think I’d do that?”
His eyes searched hers. “I’m not sure. I’m not sure of anything anymore.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “Look, you don’t understand. Riverhaven is a research hospital. We rely heavily on grants and people’s generosity. My career started here. I’ve made a name for myself as a cardiothoracic surgeon. I don’t need any scandal.”
Matt walked to the window and looked out. Damn. He hated losing control. And he wasn’t about to lose the success he’d worked so hard for. It was unfair. And not just to him, but to the baby. He swung around and stared at Tara. “Look, we’ve got to resolve this.”
There was a knock on the door, and a middle-aged man walked in. He was dressed in a pinstripe suit. He had black wavy hair and wore wire-rimmed glasses. His smile was almost a sneer. “Well, Matt, aren’t you going to introduce us?”
“Tara McNeal, this is Ed Podesta…my lawyer.”
“Hello, Ms. McNeal.”
Tara tossed a hurt look at Matt, and he suddenly felt he’d done something wrong.
“Mr. Podesta,” she said.
Ed dropped his briefcase on the desk and picked up a file. “These the blood tests?”
Matt nodded. “They’re inconclusive.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Tara said. “Dr. Landers doesn’t want to be Erin’s father. And I’m leaving.”
“Wait, Tara,” Matt called to her. “If you don’t stay, you’ll always wonder about the truth.” He looked at his lawyer for some help.
“And Dr. Landers doesn’t need the threat of you showing up later on, claiming paternity.”
Tara shook her head. “I told him I wouldn’t do that.”
“Then extend your stay to allow for one more test.”
She frowned. “What test?”
Matt spoke. “There’s one test that will prove I couldn’t possibly have fathered the child. A DNA test.”
Tara blinked. “That’s what you’re looking for, isn’t it? A way to get out of accepting the fact that you’re Erin’s father.”
“I’m not—”
“He’s not.” Ed Podesta interrupted. “Let me handle this, Matt.” The lawyer turned to Tara. “It looks as if Dr. Landers’s word isn’t good enough for you. And for the future, a DNA test will protect everyone involved.”
Tara glanced at Matt. “Don’t DNA tests cost a lot?”
“I’ll pay.”
“But…”
“Look, Ms. McNeal,” Podesta began, “Dr. Landers wants to find out who Erin’s father is nearly as much as you do. And when the test eliminates him, then perhaps we can find the man who’s managed to disrupt several lives.”
Tara turned to Matt. Suddenly this all seemed so sordid, so clinical. But there was a baby involved. She had no choice.
“Are you with me?” Matt asked.
She nodded. “Do we need to go back to the lab?”
Matt turned to Ed. “DNA testing has to be done at a larger facility.” He glanced away. “There’s another catch. It’s going to take awhile to get the results.”
“How long?”
“It could take four weeks.”
Tara didn’t like that. She hoped everything would be straightened out so she could head home. “Okay, we’ll do the test and then we’ll have to go back to Phoenix. You can call me when the results come back.”
“I’d like you and Erin to stay here,” Matt said.
Her mouth gaped open. She didn’t have the money to stay in Santa Cruz. “There’s no way I can afford it. Besides, I don’t want to keep Erin in a motel room.” She shook her head. “No, it just isn’t possible.”
Matt nodded. “I understand. But you agree to the test, right?”
“I think it’s a good idea.”
“And will you talk with the private investigator?” Matt asked.
Tara shrugged. “All right, but I don’t think I’ll know anything that will help.” Good heavens! She was beginning to sound as if she believed his story.
He smiled. “You might be surprised at what you know. Anything your sister told you about the man she knew could possibly help us.”
Tara stared at Matt Landers, wondering what he was up to. “Maybe this will all backfire on you.”
He glared at her. “Things can’t get any worse than they are now.”
Tara had agreed to meet in the coffee shop next to the motel that evening with Matt and his private investigator, Jim Sloan. She had fed Erin, and the baby was sleeping peacefully in the carrier beside her in the booth. But for how long? She checked her watch. It was after eight o’clock. Glancing toward the door of the restaurant, she began to think this was a crazy idea.
At a larger, state-of-the-art lab that afternoon, they’d taken blood and saliva samples for the DNA test. Matt had asked that they meet later with Sloan. He wanted to know if she knew anything.
It looked like Dr. Landers wasn’t going to show up. She glanced at her watch again. Of course, what did she expect? Since the moment they’d met, he had her jumping through hoops. Well, no more. She wasn’t going to wait around for his convenience. She dug through her purse to get some money for her coffee and a tip when she saw him coming toward her.
His steps were hurried as he made his way across the crowded restaurant. Dressed in the same gray slacks and white shirt, he’d added a lightweight jacket to ward off the cool ocean air. He looked slightly rumpled, but that only added to his appeal. The women in the room quickly took notice of the good-looking doctor.
Stop it! she told herself. This man had left her sister without a backward glance. Now he was shirking his responsibility with his daughter.
“I’m sorry, Tara,” he said, sounding a little breathless. “I had an emergency.”
“I wish you’d called.” She nodded toward the baby. “Erin needs to go to bed. It’s been a long day.”
“I know,” he said. “I couldn’t get to a phone.”
Before Tara could say anything more, the waitress appeared.
“I’ll have coffee, please,” Matt said, then he turned on his killer smile, and the young waitress nearly swooned. Flashes of another charming man came to Tara’s mind. Her father. She swiftly pushed away the thought.
“Look,” she said, “it’s late, and I don’t want Erin to wake up in the middle of your investigator asking me questions.”
“I know, and I apologize for keeping you both here, especially since Jim Sloan is still in Los Angeles following up on a lead.” He glanced around. “But there is someone else who might convince you that my story isn’t crazy.”
Tara didn’t care if he was about to introduce her to the president, she wasn’t going to hang around. She felt that was all she’d been doing the past forty-eight hours. “Why don’t you let me return to Phoenix? I promise I’ll never contact you again.”
His eyes narrowed, but he kept silent until the waitress brought his coffee and left. He leaned forward. “And you’ll always wonder if I’m the baby’s father. What are you going to tell her when she grows up? That her father, Dr. Matt Landers, didn’t want her? No, I’m through being a pawn for this other guy.”
Tara saw an anger in his eyes she hadn’t seen before. Not that she was afraid, but she suspected he was a dangerous man to cross. She raised her chin. “Then what do you want from me?”
Matt’s gaze went to the door, then he suddenly stood. “I’ll be right back.” He walked to a middle-aged man in a dark suit and shook his hand. Together they came to the table. Matt slid into the booth, and the man followed.
“Tara, this is Detective Tom Warren with the Santa Cruz Police Department. Tom, this is Tara McNeal.” He pointed to the carrier and the sleeping child. “Her niece, Erin.”
Detective Warren reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small leather folder containing a badge. “Ms. McNeal. Nice to meet you.” He smiled, and lines crinkled around his kind hazel eyes. “Cute baby.”
A little nervous, Tara examined the silver shield. “Why are you here, Detective?”
“Dr. Landers called today and asked me to talk with you.”
“About what?”
“I was the one who answered the call at Riverhaven Hospital when a robbery took place in the doctor’s lounge. Dr. Landers’s locker had been broken into. The thief got away with his watch and wallet. Then the doctor and I met again a few months later. He came into the station after he discovered someone was using his name on credit applications. He filed a fraud complaint.
“Since then, I’ve been putting in extra time trying to catch this guy. Whoever he is, he’s been pretty slick so far. I can’t decide if the guy is just brazen, or if he’s got a vendetta against the doctor.”
“Dr. Landers is lucky to have inspired your dedication.”
Tom Warren smiled. “The whole department is trying their best. A few years back, Dr. Landers operated on my partner’s little boy. My godchild. We take care of our own here in Santa Cruz.”
Tara looked at Matt. Was he really everything that he seemed to be? Could a man who’d spent his career saving children abandon his own? She wanted to think no.
“But until this last year,” the detective continued, “there weren’t any laws to protect against this crime. Believe me, when this guy is caught, we’re going to throw the book at him. Sorry to say, we’ve had leads but nothing has panned out.” The officer drew in a long breath and relaxed against the back of the booth. “I’m sorry, Ms. McNeal, I know you want this man for purely different reasons, but if you have any information that might help us we’d be anxious to hear it.”
“All my sister told me about the man was his name… Dr. Matthew Landers.”
“If you can think of anything else please stop by the station.” He pulled out a business card. “I’m usually there during the day.” He slid out of the booth.
“I’ll be leaving tomorrow, Detective.” There was no reason for her to stay. She doubted that even the sainted Matt Landers could get the police to lie for him.
He wasn’t Erin’s father.
“Well, I’ve got to go,” the detective said.
“Thanks for coming by, Tom,” Matt said. He stood and shook the officer’s hand.
“No problem.” He nodded to Tara and left.
Tara started gathering her things. She hated to be wrong, but the facts were pretty daunting. “I guess that means I’m heading back to Phoenix. I’m sorry I disrupted your life, Doctor.”
“My life was a mess long before you came,” he said. “But you can actually help me. We can still help each other.”
“I doubt that,” she said skeptically.
“No, really. This could be an opportunity to find the man who’s destroying my life, and more importantly, who ran out on your sister.”
She closed her eyes and sighed. “I told you I’ve taken responsibility for Erin, and I will raise her.”
“So you believe me? You finally believe that I never knew your sister—that I’m not Erin’s father?”
She almost wished he were. Now she had to deal with the fact that her niece’s father was not only a jerk, but a thief, too. “I believe you.”
He smiled, reached across the table and took her hand. “Then stay and we’ll work together to find him.”
She was weakening and she hated that. But she had promised Bri. “What about the DNA test? It’s costing you a lot of money.”
He shook his head. “It’s worth it. And it doesn’t hurt to have the proof, anyway.”
Tara knew that he was talking about her. She stood and picked up the carrier. “Well, Doctor, I hope everything works out for you.”
He stood, too. “So you are leaving?”
“I’ve got to get home.” She didn’t have money to throw away on motels and restaurant food.
“But I still need your help. Can’t you stay just a few more days and talk with Jim Sloan?”
“Look, this trip has been expensive—”
“Then let me take care of things for the next few days,” he offered.
She shook her head. No handouts. “That won’t be necessary.” She started across the room. Matt tossed some bills on the table and followed her out the door.
He silently walked with her across the parking lot to the motel. Finally he spoke. “Look, I know these last few months have been hard on you. Your sister’s death had to be a shock, and taking care of a baby has to be difficult for a single mother.”
She stopped suddenly, and he nearly ran into her. “What are you getting at, Doctor? Are you trying to say I can’t care for my own flesh and blood?”
“No, of course not. But what are you going to do in years to come when little Erin starts asking questions? What are you going to tell her about her father? And what about Briana? You said it was her dying wish that you find her daughter’s father.”
Tara closed her eyes. “I tried, but you’re not…him.”
“So you’re going to quit?” He stepped closer, his eyes dark and compelling. “Stay, Tara, and together we can find this man. I can put a stop to the trouble he’s causing me, and you can fulfill your promise to your sister. Then move on and be Erin’s mother.”
Tara sighed. She was having a hard time telling this man no. She couldn’t think of a logical argument to his suggestion. “Okay, I’ll stay—just until I’ve talked to the private investigator.”
Chapter Three
Late the next afternoon, Matt checked his rearview mirror to see Tara’s white compact following him. It took a lot of convincing, but she’d finally agreed to speak with the PI.
Matt settled in his seat as he drove through town. He liked this long, peaceful drive home. Heading up the Coast Highway, he caught a glimpse of the magnificent sunset over the Pacific Ocean. Only in California could you get such a beautiful view.
After medical school he’d applied to hospitals on the west coast. He ended up doing his internship and surgical residency at the University of San Francisco Hospital. He had been raised in Ohio and had been immediately seduced by the warmer year-round climate, but the ocean was his true love. After paying off his school loans and accepting a job at Riverhaven, he bought a condo with an ocean view. A few years back, he decided he wanted a house. His own private strip of beach. A home that would be far away from his demanding career—a place where he could find peace and solitude.
But there’d been very little peace for the past two days.
Just twenty-four hours ago he and little Erin had given blood and saliva samples. It wasn’t going to help. Of course, his lawyer had advised that a little insurance was imperative to keep him out of a paternity suit.
Matt recalled Tara’s words from last night. “I’ll never contact you again,” she’d said convincingly. But Matt knew he was in a vulnerable position. Just the fact of his being a much publicized surgeon in the community made him an easy target.
But he’d gotten a reprieve when Tara agreed to stay in town awhile. Matt wasn’t completely confident that she wouldn’t cause trouble. And now Tara and Erin were going to be closer than ever, invading his private territory, coming to his home.
Checking in his rearview mirror, he saw that Tara was still in his sights. He put on his turn signal and pulled off the highway onto a narrow winding road. He passed a few of his neighbors, their homes secluded from view of the road by trees and overgrown shrubs and vines. That was the reason people bought here—the solitude.
He reached the end of the road and the wrought-iron gate with the fuchsia-colored bougainvillea woven through the bars, nearly hiding the one-story brick and stucco structure behind it. He pressed the button overhead, and the electronic gate opened. Driving up the brick driveway, he hit another button. The garage door raised, and he parked his car in one of the three spots.
Matt climbed out, and the compact pulled up in the driveway. He waited as Tara got out, then went to help her with the baby. Their hands touched accidentally as he reached for the diaper bag, and she jumped. His skin tingled.
“Sorry, I wanted to help.”
“Thank you. I’m used to doing for myself.”
He couldn’t help but sense her uneasiness. He didn’t blame her. She must feel like she was being kidnapped. But he had to clear his name.
After she gathered the baby, Matt escorted her through the garage and into the house. They went through a spacious utility room, then continued into the large kitchen. The cabinets were whitewashed and the tiled countertops were Wedgwood blue. The spicy aroma of enchiladas baking in the oven teased his nose and made him smile. Juanita had made his favorite. His housekeeper for the past three years probably had gone all out when he’d called her earlier and announced he was bringing home a female guest for dinner.
“Juanita,” he summoned. “Where are you?”
“Just hold your horses,” the housekeeper exclaimed as she entered the kitchen. “So, you finally made it.”
Matt smiled at the woman in her late fifties. She had salt and pepper hair pulled into a bun. Still trim, she wore dark slacks and a white blouse.
Juanita only had eyes for the guests. “Welcome.” She went to Tara and shook her hand, then glanced at the baby. “Oh, my goodness, isn’t she adorable?” As if she understood, Erin began kicking her legs, waving her arms and making cooing sounds.
Tara set the carrier on the kitchen table and allowed the two to get to know each other.
“If you’d like, Juanita can watch Erin while you talk with the investigator.”
Tara’s green eyes darted from the baby to him. She was unable to hide her apprehension.
Matt went to the table and picked up the carrier. “Erin can go with us. Juanita, you can spoil her later.” Matt handed the carrier to Tara.
After a moment’s hesitation, Tara set Erin on the table. “I’m sorry, I guess I’m a little overprotective.”
“You can’t be too careful these days,” the housekeeper announced. “I have three grandchildren myself. I worry all the time.”
“Just don’t spoil her too much,” Tara warned.
The older woman grinned brightly. Matt knew the request would be ignored.
“Come with me, please,” he said.
Tara nodded and wondered what had possessed her to agree to come here. Despite Dr. Landers’s glowing reputation at the hospital, she didn’t really know the man. One thing was for sure, they both needed answers to this puzzle. Maybe together they could locate the mystery man who had taken over Dr. Matthew Landers’s name…and fathered Erin.
Tara followed Matt into a large dining room. The walls were painted light cream, and the sand-colored plush carpeting was soft under her feet, a beautiful contrast to the mahogany table and chairs polished to a high gloss. A hutch with cut-glass doors was filled with china and crystal. She glanced toward the living-room area. A sectional sofa sat in front of the fireplace along with a glass-topped coffee table on which expensive-looking figurines rested. But it didn’t look like anyone spent much time in here. What a shame not to enjoy the incredible view of the ocean through the huge picture window.
Tara turned to Matt. His piercing brown gaze was on her. His unspeaking eyes prolonged the moment just enough to spark an awareness. Finally she looked away and drew a breath. When she turned back, Matt had started down the hall. She hurried and caught up with him at a set of double doors. He pulled them open and walked into the den.
Tara’s gaze moved to the bookcases that took up one wall. Besides tons of medical books, there was a high-tech stereo system that probably required a degree in electronics to operate. Next to the bookcase sat a camel-colored leather sofa. On the opposite wall was a huge stone fireplace with a pair of very old golf clubs mounted on the face.
She walked to a set of French doors that led outside to a weathered deck and the backyard. Beyond a rise she could hear the ocean surf.
“You have a beautiful home.”
He stepped behind the desk. “Thank you. I spend most of my time in this room when I’m home.”
“I can understand why,” she said, imagining a blazing fire on a cold evening, soft music in the background and Matt sipping a glass of wine.
The doorbell rang, and Matt went to answer it.
Tara looked through the French doors. The lawn was a lush green and well cared for. About fifty yards across the grass toward the ocean, perched close to the bluff, was a pewter-colored cottage with burgundy trim. She smiled. It looked like a little gingerbread house.
She wandered to the mantel and glanced at the photographs, one of an elderly couple and a blond-haired boy. The towheaded Matt Landers looked to be about fourteen. He was tall and gangly and wore glasses. Who would have thought he’d turn out to be so handsome? Tara quickly turned her focus to other pictures of Dr. Landers and children. Who were they? Nieces, nephews, maybe patients?
She heard voices and returned to the sofa as a man followed Matt into the room.
“Tara, this is Jim Sloan, the investigator I told you about,” Matt said.
The investigator was in his mid-thirties and dressed in a sport shirt and dark trousers. He had brown hair that was a little long but neatly combed.
“Hello, Mr. Sloan,” Tara said.
“Please call me Jim. And may I call you Tara?” he asked as he pulled a chair toward the sofa. “I want to apologize for not being here sooner. I was delayed down south.”
She nodded.
“Well, Tara, as the doctor must have told you, I need to ask you some questions. So the sooner we get on with this, the faster we may be able to find this man.” He pulled a notebook from his pocket. “Can you tell me where your sister, Briana, met her Dr. Landers?”
Tara exchanged a nervous glance with Matt. “She just said she met him in Mexico when she went there on vacation with a friend.”
“Did she call the man she met by name?”
“She told me his name was Matt Landers and he was a heart surgeon.”
Jim took some notes. “What friend went with her?”
Tara shrugged. “I’m not sure. Bri and I hadn’t been in touch much the past year. I didn’t know she was pregnant until she called two days before she delivered Erin. No one else came to visit Bri in the hospital.”
Matt watched sadness veil Tara’s features and knew this situation had to be hard on her. “Maybe the friend moved away,” he said.
“L.A. is a big city,” Jim said. “A person could get lost there. Do you have any idea who this friend is?”
“I can only tell you she moved to L.A. with Cathy Guthrie. I remember Bri telling me that Cathy got married to a Marine her first year here in Los Angeles. Then she and her husband moved to San Diego.”
“Do you think she and your sister kept in touch?”
“I don’t know.”
Matt watched as Tara brushed wisps of auburn bangs from her forehead, her eyes showing deep concentration. He knew she was trying hard to remember.
“What about in your sister’s apartment?” Jim continued writing. “Did she have anything belonging to Matt Landers?”
Tara didn’t want to go through this—airing private family matters in front of strangers. She and Bri hadn’t had the best relationship over the years, and it hurt to share how badly she’d failed her sister. “I didn’t find much, just her clothes, a little jewelry…” She suddenly remembered something. “Wait, there was a ring. Bri wore an emerald ring. It was rather pretty, but she kept twisting it around her finger whenever she talked about Matt.”
Matt’s expression never wavered.
“Did she say where she’d gotten it?” the investigator asked.
Tara shrugged. “No, but when packing up her things, I found a velvet box. I saved it…for Erin.” She wanted to give her something of her mother’s.
“Was there a name on the box?”
She sighed. “I’m not sure. Why is this important?” She looked at Matt. His dark eyes were intense. One brow was arched.
“Because, Tara, if we have the jeweler’s name maybe he’ll remember who bought the ring and what the person looked like. It’s a long shot, but it’s all we have right now.”
She nodded. “My neighbor has my house key. I could have her look for me.”
Matt rewarded her with a smile, and an odd feeling gripped Tara’s stomach. “That would be great,” he said.
“Could she look for an address book, too?” Sloan said. “Maybe this Cathy Guthrie is in there, or other friends who might have gone with her to Mexico.”
“Okay. Anything else?” She wanted the interrogation over.
“What was your sister’s last address?”
It had been nothing more than a small room in a house in a graffiti-filled neighborhood, but Tara gave it to him. “But Bri had lived other places. She must have moved there when she had to quit working because of complications with the pregnancy. She had to stay in bed the last three months.”
“Why didn’t she go home to Phoenix?” Jim asked.
Guilt and shame filled Tara. Her throat tightened, making it difficult to speak. “Bri and I hadn’t been close…in a long time, not since our mother died….” She looked away, not wanting to see a judgmental look.
“How long did Bri live in L.A.?”
“Over three years.”
“So you didn’t know about her life? Her job…the men…”
“Look, my sister and I may not have seen eye to eye on everything, but I loved her. And pregnant or not, Bri was family. And when she told me Matt Landers was Erin’s father, I took it as the truth.” She could feel the tears building, but she wouldn’t cry in front of strangers. That she’d do in private.
Matt reached out and covered her hand with his. “I’m sorry, Tara.” He glared at Sloan. “We have no right—”
No matter how comforting his touch was, she pulled away. “That’s right, you don’t.”
Jim wasn’t apologetic at all. He forged ahead. “Okay. I have one more question, then we’ll stop. When was Bri in Mexico?”
“Bri said she went to Acapulco the last week of May a year ago. She met a man named Matt Landers the next day by the hotel pool.” Tara tried to control the heat creeping up her neck, recalling her sister’s all-too-vivid description of the good doctor and their heated sexual affair.
She studied Matt. Although he hadn’t been her sister’s lover, Tara couldn’t stop the images of this man’s probable sexual prowess. She jerked her head toward Jim. “They had a two-week affair that was supposed to continue after returning home.”
“How old was your sister?”
“Twenty-three.”
“My God, that would make me fifteen years her senior.” Matt’s expression became angry as he stood and paced. “She was hardly more than a child.”
“Bri could make herself look a lot older,” Tara said, remembering in high school how Bri and her friends would dress up. With her shapely body, people couldn’t believe she was only seventeen.
“Do you have a picture?” the investigator asked.
Tara opened her purse and pulled out her wallet. She flipped through the photos until she came up with the last one Bri sent their mother. “It’s one of those glamour shots. My sister was naturally pretty, though.”
Matt took the picture and examined the striking blue-eyed blonde closely.
“Bri was given the looks in the family. She’s the image of our mother,” Tara said.
“She’s beautiful,” Matt said, then glanced at Tara. “You look alike. Only your coloring is different.”
Tara blushed, knowing there had been several differences. Body type, for one. Bri was shapely where Tara was thin. Bri’s eyes were sparkling blue to Tara’s hazel green. Bri was outgoing and could draw any man’s attention. Tara was shy and wasn’t comfortable in crowds.
Matt handed the picture back to Tara. “I might have been in Mexico City during that time, but I never met this woman.”
Jim Sloan studied his notes, then turned to Matt. “I’m beginning to think this is personal, that this guy is out to intentionally ruin you and your reputation.”
Matt sat in the den and stared out the window at the roaring surf. He took a drink from his long-neck bottle of beer. He’d made an attempt to eat, but after Tara refused to stay he didn’t feel much like food. Not even Juanita’s enchiladas.
“Dammit. Why does everything have to be so complicated?”
“If you’re talking about a woman, it comes with the territory.”
Matt swung around to find Nick Malone standing in the doorway. “Nick.” Matt walked across the room to welcome his friend. They shook hands.
“Juanita let us in.” He held up a beer. “She’s even taken care of us with a selection from the bar.”
“Us?”
Nick’s wife, Cari, peeked in. “You guys talking about me?” she asked with a smile that lit up her bright blue eyes.
Matt smiled as the petite blond woman came over and hugged him. Dressed in jeans and an ivory sweater, she looked about sixteen.
“This is a pleasant surprise,” he said.
“Sure. Everyone loves people to just drop in,” she said.
Matt never minded the Malones dropping by. He’d always considered Nick and Cari close friends. Nick knew nearly everything about him, from his childhood to his disastrous relationship with his ex-fiancée. And Cari had worked for him at the hospital for a short while until she found Nick. Matt had watched the two fall in love, had even helped the relationship a little.
“What’s the occasion that’s brought you two out of the house without the kids?” Matt asked.
Nick took a drink of his beer, then said, “I thought my wife needed a night out. I kidnapped her for a quiet dinner at the Sandy Cove Restaurant down the road. But if we’d known Juanita was making her enchiladas, we would have come here instead.”
“You know you don’t need an invitation.”
“Even when you have a woman over?” Nick said as he came up behind his wife, slipped his arms around her waist and locked his fingers together. After being married for nearly five years, they still couldn’t keep their hands off each other.
Matt felt the heat rise in his face. “I take it Juanita just happened to mention Tara to you.”
“Well, not all the details,” Cari said, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. “I was hoping you would fill us in.” She held up her hand. “Or you can just tell us that it’s none of our business.”
Matt saw the eager look on Cari’s face and had to smile. He knew for certain that whatever he said to them would never go any further.
“Is this the same woman who’s accused you of being her niece’s father?” Nick asked.
Matt had no doubt that his friend would have told his wife the whole story. “Her name is Tara McNeal, and now thanks to Detective Warren, she finally believes that I never had an affair with her sister. This afternoon we met with Jim Sloan, the investigator I’ve had working on this case.”
“Could she help with any information?” Nick asked.
“Some. But it seems like the guy who’s doing this knows my every move. He was in Mexico seducing Briana McNeal when I was there teaching my surgical procedures.”
The Malones exchanged a look, then Cari spoke. “Maybe there’s someone who wants to cause you trouble.”
“I can’t imagine who,” Matt said, trying to think of anyone he’d alienated enough to want to destroy his life.
Nick and Cari sat on the edge of the sofa, and Cari looked up expectantly. “It’s hard to believe that someone fathered a child just to get back at you.”
Matt had to agree with her. “I think this guy just found it convenient to seduce a woman using my name.”
“Can we do anything?” Cari asked. “I could tell Tara all your good qualities.”
Nick stood. “No, Matt should stay clear of the woman and let his lawyer handle it.”
Matt didn’t say anything. He didn’t want to tell them that he’d already ignored his lawyer’s advice. “I can’t. Tara might be able to help me find the man impersonating me.”
“All this has got to be hard on her, too,” Cari said, “Especially after losing her sister so recently and now having the responsibility of a baby.”
A pain tore at Matt’s chest. No one ever thought about how this affected the child. “The baby isn’t mine.”
Cari smiled. “I know you would never walk away from your child, Matt. I take it you’re running a blood test?”
Matt nodded again. “Since we’re both O positive, my lawyer suggested a DNA test, just for insurance.” He sighed tiredly, thinking about the hospital administrator. “If Harry finds out he won’t be too happy about the news.”
“No, he won’t,” Cari agreed. “Especially with the hospital’s charity auction coming up in a month.” Surprisingly, she laughed. “It would be fun just to see his face when he heard about—”
“No!” Matt almost shouted. “I don’t want any of this to get out. It’s bad enough my credit is in a shambles. My career is too important to me.” It was the only thing he had in his life.
Nick stepped in. “Hey, you don’t have to worry about Harry and your job at Riverhaven. Hell, Dad’s money nearly built the heart wing, and I can just as easily stop any future donations.”
Cari patted her husband’s arm. “Don’t worry, honey, Harry isn’t going to do anything crazy. He needs Matt more than Matt needs him.”
Right now, Matt had more to worry about than his own skin. “We have to think about the innocent baby in all this. She’s the one who’ll be hurt. Damn this jerk for causing these problems.” And for causing him to long for something he could never have.
“Then just sit tight for awhile,” Nick said. “You’ll be cleared of everything. And your life can get back to normal.”
Matt didn’t know if he wanted his life normal again. The memory of Tara McNeal’s face wasn’t going to go away easily, nor was the thought of having a child. Forgetting them might take a lifetime.
It was nearly ten o’clock when Matt knocked on Tara’s motel room door. He knew it was late, but he couldn’t take the chance and wait until tomorrow. She could be gone by then.
“Who is it?” Her voice was muffled through the door.
“It’s Matt…Matt Landers.”
The door opened slightly, and Tara’s face appeared, her short hair mussed. She was wearing an oversize T-shirt. Damn, she’d been asleep. He blinked away the picture of her curled up in bed.
“May I come inside and talk to you?”
Tara opened the door, and he stepped inside.
The first thing he saw was the bed. The sheets were rumpled, and the pillow had an imprint where Tara had lain her head.
“I’m sorry I woke you.” He turned to look at her. A big mistake. Her T-shirt might have been oversize, but there was plenty of leg revealed. Long, gorgeous leg. “But I…I wanted to make sure I saw you before you left. I wanted to thank you for talking with Jim Sloan.” He glanced around nervously. “And I was hoping to give it one more shot and try to convince you to stay.”
Having Matt in her room made Tara nervous. She grabbed her cotton robe from the end of the bed and slipped it on. “I told you earlier, I can’t. It’s best that I take Erin back to Phoenix.”
“And what? Wait?” he asked. “I thought you wanted to find her father.” He went to the baby’s bed and glanced at Erin. She was asleep on her side, her little mouth moving occasionally in a sucking motion. He moved away from the crib.
“She’s a beautiful child,” he said.
Tara nodded. She was confused by this man. He seemed to have everything. A successful career, money, a beautiful home. But she’d caught a twinge of loneliness in his eyes that mirrored hers. “You would think any man would want her.” Tara hadn’t realized she’d spoken until she saw Matt tense.
“Then don’t give up on finding her father.”
“I’m not giving up. I loved my sister,” she whispered tersely as she fought the tears flooding her eyes. “I would have done anything for her, and I’ll do anything for Erin. But I don’t have the time or the money to run around the country.”
“Stay in Santa Cruz, and we’ll find out the truth together,” he challenged.
She didn’t want to argue with this man, not anymore. Not to mention she was half-dressed. Nervously she tucked her hair behind her ear. “I can’t—”
“Yes, you can. What’s to stop you?”
Tara turned away. “I have a home, a job and a life, Dr. Landers. I can’t just drop everything.” Her biggest problem was the good-looking man standing too close. Making her want things that she only dreamed about. She couldn’t let herself depend on him, lean on him. He could hurt her and Erin with his good looks and easy charm. The type of man who made her feel things… She pushed away the thought. No, she was safer back home.
The phone rang, and Tara hurried to pick it up before it woke the baby. “Hello.”
“Tara.” The familiar voice of her Phoenix neighbor came across the line.
“Mrs. Lynch. Is there something wrong?” Tara asked as she turned away from Matt.
“No, child,” the sixty-year-old woman said. “I wanted to let you know that I sent off the things you asked for. Your sister’s things, the black address book and jewelry box.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Lynch. You’ve helped so much.”
“Well, I want to help. I know this has been a rough time for you and the little one. Just don’t worry about the house, I’ll take care of things here.”
Tara smiled at the woman’s kindness. The small, two-bedroom house Tara rented was the same stucco structure she and Briana had lived in all their lives. And Mrs. Lynch had been her neighbor all that time. “I appreciate that so much. Erin and I will be home in a few days.”
She heard a deep sigh on the line. “Well, that is good news. I sure miss that little girl. How is she doing? I bet she’s grown.”
“I’ll let you measure her when we get back.” She glanced at Matt. “I better go. Thank you for all your help. Goodbye.” She hung up the phone.
She rose and crossed the room to where Matt was waiting. “That was my neighbor in Phoenix. She found the address book and jewelry box. She sent them off today. You should have them in a couple of days.”
“Good. After Jim goes over them, I’ll make sure he returns your property. Just give me your address.” He cocked an eyebrow. “Unless you’re going to take me up on my offer to stay until either we get this thing solved or you have to start back for the new school year.”
She studied him for awhile and fought taking him up on the offer. She shook her head. “I can’t.”
His look of disappointment surprised her. Tara knew she should just go home and call him with the information, but she had to admit she was curious, and that was dangerous. “Why do you want us to stay?”
Matt shrugged. “First, I want to find the man who stole my name. And you might remember something your sister told you that could help us. So, if you think I’m grasping at straws, maybe I am. I’m grasping at anything to get my life back.” He shot a glance at the crib. The longing in his eyes gripped her heart. “And for the baby’s sake, too. I know what it’s like to be abandoned.”
All the way home in the car, Matt cursed himself for revealing so much. Tara McNeal didn’t need to know about his past. No one did.
He’d always been a private person. He’d grown up an only child, adopted by an older couple who’d waited years for a baby. So he’d been on display all the time, something he hated. He’d been a shy kid, had trouble making friends. In high school, he tried sports but was growing so fast his coordination was almost nonexistent. So he spent his evenings at the library, studying. He strove to excel, to be as good as he could be. To be awarded a scholarship to a prestigious college and medical school.
But in the back of his mind, what had always driven him was the fact that his birth mother had rejected him. A familiar tremor surged through him, making him feel isolated and vulnerable. He’d never forget the questions that had haunted him as a child. What had been the imperfection in him that made his mother discard her newborn son in a bus station rest room? Matt gripped the steering wheel tighter and cursed. Why was he thinking about this now? He had come to terms with his past long ago. Immediately a picture of little Erin came into his head.
And along with the baby came the beautiful aunt. Was that the reason he wanted Tara McNeal to stay?
He groaned. He was doing exactly what Ed Podesta advised him not to do. Was he insane? Or just so lonely that he wanted to spend time with the woman? But why Tara McNeal? She wasn’t even his type. What was his type? Any woman who didn’t get too close or want a permanent relationship.
Matt’s demanding career always came first, and that didn’t leave him much time for a personal life, he thought as he drove his car off the highway onto the narrow road. That had been the choice he’d made years ago.
He thought back to when he’d been accepted as a surgical resident at San Francisco University Hospital, his first time on the West Coast and the first time he’d ever fallen in love.
Matt drove through the gate and parked in the garage. He got out but instead of going inside walked around to the back of the house. The cool breeze was refreshing but didn’t wash away the memories. Memories he’d pushed aside for years while he built his career as one of the best pediatric heart surgeons on the coast.
But after meeting Tara and Erin, he realized how vulnerable he was to his past…and to his own human flaws.
Would his life have taken a different turn if Julie, the woman he’d fallen in love with in medical residency, hadn’t left him?
He crossed the lawn to the bluff. The cool evening breeze brushed against his skin as he looked down the five-foot drop to the surf. The crashing waves were loud, but the rhythmic movement had always been soothing to him.
Matt shut his eyes and thought about the baby he’d seen in the crib tonight. Every time he picked up a child, held one, performed delicate surgery on their precious bodies, his pain only grew. The pain and loneliness in his heart never went away. He knew that being adopted added to his emotional inadequacies. The constant desire to know where he’d come from…and the knowledge that he would never leave a part of himself behind in a child.
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