A Match Made by Baby
Karen Rose Smith
FAMILY IN TRAINING?Only an emergency could bring paediatrician Kaitlyn Foster to Adam Preston’s house. But the man who opens the door – with a crying infant – is a world away from the globe-trotting bachelor whose kisses still burn in her memory. And he desperately needs her baby expertise!Adam can’t believe she’s the gorgeous blonde who’s been haunting his fantasies. She couldn’t have come at a better time: the environmental scientist isn’t used to acting as stand-in father to his two-month-old niece. Is Adam finally ready to settle down with the woman who’s carved a permanent place in his heart?
“Have you ever thought about a night with me, with no responsibilities, no agenda and no time restrictions?”
The idea of a night with Adam stopped Kaitlyn cold. She couldn’t even think straight. That was why she didn’t know what to say.
“Why didn’t you just call this morning? You could have given me this information over the phone or in an e-mail.”
Standing this close, she could still feel everything male about him—his scent, his strength, his determination. She said weakly, “I wanted to check on Erica.”
He narrowed his eyes and came so close, she could feel his breath on her cheek. “Tell the truth.”
She only hesitated a moment. “I like you.”
He broke into a grin. Then he kissed her—really, really hard. After he broke away, stared into her eyes for a moment, he kissed her again, this time with such coaxing passion, she wrapped her arms around his neck.
* * *
A Match Made by Baby
Karen Rose Smith
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
USA TODAY bestselling author KAREN ROSE SMITH’s plots are all about emotion. She began writing in her early teens, when she listened to music and created stories to accompany the songs. An only child, she spent a lot of time in her imagination and with books—Nancy Drew, Zane Grey, The Black Stallion and Anne of Green Gables. She dreamed of brothers and sisters and a big family such as the ones her mother and father came from. This is the root of her plotlines, which include small communities and family relationships as part of everyday living. Residing in Pennsylvania with her husband and three cats, she welcomes interaction with readers on Facebook, on Twitter, @karenrosesmith (http://www.twitter.com/karenrosesmith), and through her website, www.karenrosesmith.com (http://www.karenrosesmith.com), where they can sign up for her newsletter.
To Suzanne—a terrific single mom and my BFF.
I’m grateful to have you in my life.
Contents
Cover (#u02af7ab5-67a3-58d0-9851-13f4b299daf0)
Introduction (#u95832305-48be-5990-8083-7be3f684e66c)
Title Page (#u7160018e-a8b0-5a12-9b26-736e916bffb7)
About the Author (#u25bcdac4-2bf4-58b7-b831-fb488bde10f7)
Dedication (#u8327c8fd-15f6-515f-b8ef-5098527cc7cb)
Chapter One (#ulink_9da56303-dff2-5f8b-8aed-08cb1b2f11e6)
Chapter Two (#ulink_1b55c6fe-7a57-51c4-bdf1-17e7ce7fd866)
Chapter Three (#ulink_736009a8-7b16-56d7-987c-6bed7b8f421a)
Chapter Four (#ulink_76e9b6ad-ae72-5389-b8bb-4c985087c27a)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One (#ulink_fa14e16a-70b5-592d-a8b0-dbc1a6ba0ba1)
Why had she been on call for The Mommy Club today?
Kaitlyn Foster couldn’t imagine Adam Preston in this situation to begin with. His own words from a year ago played in her ears. I’m out of the country more than I’m in it.
So why could she hear a baby crying on the other side of the door?
He didn’t know she was the one coming to help.
Could there be two Adam Prestons in Fawn Grove, California? Hope sprung eternal. Maybe she wouldn’t be humiliated from the top of her blond head down to her white sandals.
The baby’s crying seemed to reach even higher decibels. Would he even hear the doorbell?
She pressed the button and held it down.
When Adam opened the door—and it was Adam—Kaitlyn found a very different Adam Preston this September morning than the debonair world traveler she’d met and almost made love with last year. This Adam’s thick dark brown hair was mussed, and worry lines creased his forehead. His polo shirt looked as if it had seen a baby hiccup or two. The baby on his shoulder, who was wailing at the top of her lungs, shook the image of the expensive-suited bachelor, whose kisses had almost convinced her to sleep with a man she didn’t know!
“Kaitlyn?” His intense green eyes were trying to absorb the fact she was standing at his door.
The Mommy Club was an organization that helped parents in need. “I was on call today—” She attempted to explain, but gave up and reached for the infant, who looked to be about two months old.
But instead of letting her take the baby, he took a step away. “I never imagined you worked with The Mommy Club.” He patted the baby’s back as if that would quiet her.
“A woman of many talents,” she joked, then wished she hadn’t. Adam really knew little about her except the fact she was a pediatrician. She knew little about him except for the fact that he didn’t date the same woman twice. After all, she had looked him up on Google. And found more than she’d wanted to know.
* * *
Adam had a sister who needed his help. What else could he do but give it?
He backed away from the beautiful doctor who’d made his blood race from the moment he’d met her almost a year ago. At a wine tasting, no less. Over the past year, he’d thought about her. But he’d been in a remote part of Africa...without internet...without any connection to home except for a brief few days of R & R in Cape Town. But emailing her hadn’t seemed quite right.
He sighed.
He’d emailed Tina instead, and she hadn’t even told him she was pregnant.
Erica kept screaming and he cemented his focus on his niece instead of the pediatrician, who looked like a model.
Kaitlyn gave him a quick once-over, from his disheveled hair and beard stubble to his worn sneakers. The last time she’d seen him, he’d been wearing a tux, at least part of the time. “Would you like me to take her?” she asked.
The pink shirt Erica wore must have been a giveaway. She sure didn’t have much hair.
Although Erica had shaken up his world, had spit up on him and generally frazzled him, he was nevertheless protective. The thought of handing her over made him uncomfortable. Kaitlyn must have seen that. “You did call for help, right? May I come in?”
The Mommy Club gave all kinds of help—a doctor on call, babysitting recommendations, financial assistance. He didn’t need the financial assistance and he wasn’t sure exactly what help he did need.
Injured pride set in. “I did call. But I didn’t expect...a doctor. You.”
She let the “you” comment pass and glanced around again.
He understood exactly what she saw—a monumental mess. Tina had dropped the baby into his arms yesterday with a diaper bag. While he was still in shock, his sister had returned to her car and carried in a giant package of diapers, two boxes of powdered formula and a pile of one-piece outfits that he’d practically gone through already.
So dirty baby clothes were strewn from here to there. Bottles he’d washed over and over again to make sure they were clean were stationed on every tabletop. Dish towels that were spread across the sofa and chair had mopped up spills when he’d tried to burp the baby.
“Forget you know me,” Kaitlyn said. “Let me see if I can quiet her. After all, I do have experience handling babies.” Somehow she made herself heard over Erica’s din and held out her hands.
Reluctantly he transferred the baby. But in the transfer, his hands brushed Kaitlyn’s midriff and memories of the night they’d lingered in one of the winery’s offices played much too vividly. Including the moment she’d bolted.
Maybe it was Kaitlyn’s gentle smile. Maybe it was the way she held his niece so tenderly. Maybe it was simply the fact Kaitlyn Foster was a woman. But Erica’s crying decreased a decibel.
Adam felt a kick in his gut. In a matter of minutes, with the doc walking and cooing, totally concentrating on the little being in her arms, Erica’s cries died to whimpers.
Adam didn’t know whether to swear or cheer! “How did you do that? She’s been crying practically nonstop since my sister brought her here.”
“It’s a pediatrician’s magic touch,” Kaitlyn joked. She’d joked and bantered with him that night at the winery, and he remembered thinking afterward he’d liked her sense of humor.
He glanced at Erica again and saw how much more contented she seemed. “Don’t all docs learn the magic touch in med school?”
“Not exactly.” She studied Erica’s tiny face and ran her hand down over her little body in an assessing way. “When did she eat last?”
“About an hour ago. But she wouldn’t take much.” He didn’t know exactly how much babies were supposed to eat. He hadn’t even had time to look it up on his phone. He just wished his sister had given him more information before she’d walked out.
“And before that?”
“Probably an hour before that. When she cries, I don’t know what else to do. I feed her.”
“Just like a new parent.”
“Oh, no! I’m not a new parent.”
Kaitlyn eyed him piercingly with that quick denial. “When was she changed last?”
“After I tried to feed her,” he answered a bit tersely, feeling as if Kaitlyn was interrogating him.
All at once, he realized exactly what Kaitlyn was doing. With a scientific eye—he had one, too—she was sizing up the circumstances to see if they jibed with what he’d told The Mommy Club representative. She was looking over Erica as any physician would to determine if there was a medical condition underlying the crying...or something else.
Kaitlyn kept walking, seeming to take in everything again. Not simply the room and his appearance, but the overall mood, too.
He was straight with her. “I called The Mommy Club because I’m acquainted with Jase.”
“He introduced us,” Kaitlyn reminded him, though he needed no reminder. Although Jase Cramer was now the general manager of Raintree Winery, he was also a photojournalist Adam had met on his work travels.
“I’d read his series about The Mommy Club online this summer while I had some R & R in Cape Town and could access a computer. I called the contact number today because I didn’t want to bring in anyone official.”
Kaitlyn’s gaze met his and the room went soundless. Even Erica was silent.
“Do you have a crib or bassinet?” Kaitlyn asked.
“Her car seat is all I have to use for a bed. I was afraid she’d fall if I put her anywhere else.”
A bit of a smile turned up Kaitlyn’s lips, right before she sank down on the couch, holding Erica as if she was used to holding a baby. The sight made his gut tighten. That was simply because he hadn’t eaten for a while, he told himself reasonably.
“Why don’t you tell me why you’re taking care of a baby?”
“That sounds like a social worker asking. I just wanted a little help with laundry and feeding and—”
She cut in. “You wanted a nanny?”
“Maybe. I just don’t know how long my sister, Tina, will be gone, and I’ve never taken care of a baby before,” he explained with exasperation.
As an environmental geologist, he was used to managing crews and research labs all over the world. He was not used to coaxing a baby to sleep.
“I’m not a social worker, Adam, but The Mommy Club is a responsible organization. We assess needs before we try to satisfy them.”
Her gaze met his again, and he felt unsettled in a man-woman way. Awareness. That’s what it was. And he was fairly certain she felt it, too. Or else she wouldn’t have responded to him the way she had when he’d kissed her. If he was honest with himself, the question of why she’d stopped him before they’d both found satisfaction had plagued him for the past year.
“Adam? Tell me how Erica ended up in your care.”
There was no way around it. He’d have to give her at least some of the story.
“I have a sister...a stepsister. I don’t see her much now. I may have told you when we met...” He trailed off, then continued. “Most of the year I’m on a job site in a foreign country. Tina and I were close once, but—” He stopped. Kaitlyn didn’t need that much background. “Anyway, I just returned from Africa a week ago. That’s when I found out Tina had had a baby.”
“How was your sister coping a week ago?” Kaitlyn obviously wanted to get to the heart of the matter.
“She seemed frazzled. She lives in Sacramento, and we’d made plans to get together. If only I’d realized what was going on with her—”
Kaitlyn jumped right in. “What would have been different? Would you have given up your job and come home?”
Tough questions. Would he have done that? Or would he have tried to get her help some other way?
Erica stirred again and gave a little cry. After Kaitlyn readjusted the baby in her arms, she quieted.
“Would you like some coffee?” Adam asked, wanting to take charge again in some way. Besides, he needed the caffeine. Staying awake was all-important with a baby around.
“Coffee would be great,” Kaitlyn admitted with a smile that sparked a longing inside Adam. One he didn’t understand. Then she added, “I’d like to hear more about Tina.”
Fine. She wanted the whole story—he’d give it to her.
* * *
Although Kaitlyn made home visits with The Mommy Club occasionally, she did not become personally involved...for lots of very good reasons. She hadn’t confided any of her background to Adam. The chemistry between them had just seemed to trump everything else. The night they’d met she hadn’t quite been herself and had acted in a way that was out of character for her. Way out of character.
As Adam prepared coffee, she took another good look at the condo. Yep, a baby had taken over his world. But underneath that surface mess, she saw a bachelor pad. Chrome and glass and shiny black leather sent the message that a cleaning service might see the inside of Adam’s living room more often than he did. She noticed the lack of photographs.
Peeking into the kitchen, her tummy did a little somersault when she stared at his broad shoulders, his dark brown mussed hair, his tall lean frame.
Erica stirred again. With a baby in her arms, Kaitlyn was transported back to a time when her own dreams were still a possibility. She slid her finger along the infant’s cheek. The little girl was almost asleep. To put her down or let her nap in her arms?
Adam solved that dilemma. As he entered the living room with two mugs in hand, he said, “Maybe she’ll sleep in her car seat now,” in a low voice, as if afraid to bring Erica’s crying to life again.
The fact that his sister had brought the baby in in her car seat was at least a sign she had Erica’s welfare at heart. “Let’s give it a try. We can set it right here on the floor as we talk.”
His frown told her talking wasn’t high on his priority list. Because sharing made him uncomfortable? Or because he had something to hide?
Adam set her mug on the glass table beside the sofa. “Do you need milk or sugar? I’m not sure I have sugar—”
“Black is fine. Caffeine is a daily necessity. I’m a doctor, remember?”
“Oh, I remember,” he said as he crossed to the kitchen.
When he returned, he set the car seat on the floor between them. Kaitlyn easily transferred Erica to it then let her finger trail down the infant’s cheek once more.
“Babies can burrow a tunnel straight into your heart, and you don’t even know they’ve done it,” she murmured. Her practice had taught her that.
The silence in the living room with Erica quiet and their conversation at a standstill brought her gaze to Adam’s.
His serious green eyes seemed to see too much, but then he said, “I wouldn’t know. This is the first I’ve been around one.”
A bit flustered, she quickly picked up her coffee mug. The brew was almost black—the way she liked it.
“Weren’t you around your sister when she was a baby?” He’d given her a lead in to his background, so she took it.
“As I said, Tina’s my stepsister, and you’re going to poke around until you learn all about us, aren’t you?” He certainly wasn’t happy about it.
“Why does that bother you?”
“Because I like to keep my private life private.”
“So do I.”
He must have seen the truth behind that declaration because his defensively tense broad shoulders relaxed. “This is just your job,” he reminded himself.
“I like to think of it as a vocation.” She stared down at Erica, remembering her own pregnancy and the baby she lost. Giving herself a mental shake, she said, “Tell me when Tina came into your life.”
A myriad of memories seemed to pass through Adam Preston’s eyes, and she realized this was a man who could feel...if he’d let himself.
He took a few swallows of coffee as if to fortify himself. “This isn’t easy,” he told Kaitlyn.
“Isn’t easy, because it’s painful to remember?” she guessed.
“Not painful. It was just a rough time. Tina and I never talk about it.”
Erica began to wake up, and he said, “Maybe this should wait.”
“I can’t give you any help if this waits. Do you have a bottle? Let’s try to feed her. Maybe this time she’ll eat.”
“And if she doesn’t?”
“Then we’ll figure out the next best thing to do.”
Scooping Erica from her car seat, Kaitlyn stood, and Adam moved close to her. So close her gaze went to his lips and she swallowed hard.
“I’ll take her,” he said, and that surprised Kaitlyn.
“Are you sure?”
“I fed her all through the night, and tried this morning. I’ve got to succeed at something about this.”
So Adam Preston wasn’t a man who accepted failure. She recognized the same quality in herself. He’d either seen too much of it in his life, or not enough.
The exchange of the baby was awkward. His hand slid close to Kaitlyn’s breast. If she could have thought of it as merely a clinical move, it wouldn’t have bothered her at all. But everything about this situation seemed personal.
It’s not personal, she chastised herself.
Adam slid his arm around the baby. But when he brought Erica close, his shoulder rubbed Kaitlyn’s. At that point, their gazes met.
The room developed a certain buzz, but then Kaitlyn hadn’t had any breakfast this morning. A half cup of dark, rich coffee, with lots of caffeine streaming through her veins would be enough to make her feel a little unnerved.
After the baby successfully found Adam’s arms again, he brought her up to his face and cooed to her. None of this was contrived. Adam must have figured out Erica liked that last night.
“So you want me to warm the bottle?” Kaitlyn asked, feeling disconcerted. How could a bachelor who serial dated be good at holding a baby? “She seems pretty satisfied right now.”
“You don’t mind?”
“I did come to help,” she said with a wink, knowing this was the kind of help he’d expected.
A few minutes later, Kaitlyn returned with the bottle. “If she doesn’t take the formula, we might have to change it.”
“I have to go to the store,” he admitted. “She needs a lot of things, and a crib’s one of them.”
“Let’s get her basic needs settled first, then we can take care of that.”
Kaitlyn saw his brows go up when she said “we,” but she meant The Mommy Club—the community of parents who wanted to help “we,” the all-inclusive “we.” Not a her-and-Adam “we.” The idea of her and Adam together in any way gave her goose bumps.
“I’m going to have to get a rocker,” he decided. “I think she’d like that while she’s eating or falling asleep.”
While Erica sucked on the bottle, Kaitlyn said, “You were going to tell me about when you met Tina.”
He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Then he revealed, “I was fourteen and she was three. My dad was a widower. He met this waitress where he often had breakfast and they ended up getting married. She was a lot younger than my mom.”
“And that made you uncomfortable?”
“It made me realize Dad was going to put all of his attention toward his second family—his young wife and a three-year-old who was as cute as a button.”
“So how did you feel about her?” Resentment would have been natural.
But Adam gave her a wry smile. “Tina had these big gray eyes and straight blond hair. When she looked up at you, your heart just melted. I felt like a big brother instantly, very protective. Especially protective when my dad and Jade divorced. Tina was only eight and didn’t understand anything that was happening. She’d come to me and cry and cry and cry. That year I’d graduated and I was off to college. I kept in touch with Tina, though. We emailed regularly. She came to visit me now and then with her mom. She had a really tough time again two years ago while Jade battled ovarian cancer. So Tina’s been through a lot.”
“It sounds as if you were there to help.”
“When I wasn’t there physically, I still tried to support her. There were lots of nights we instant messaged when her mom was dying. Fortunately then I was in a part of Alaska that wasn’t too remote.”
“Do you think all of that’s caught up with Tina?”
“Possibly. She has a good heart, Kaitlyn. But she’s twenty-two...and still young. From what she’s told me, Erica’s father has left for parts unknown. She’s feeling overwhelmed. I’ve got to find her, bring her back here and get her help.”
“Have you thought about the possibility that she won’t be coming back?”
“No.” His firm denial said he’d make sure she came back, one way or another.
“Adam.” She had to put this as gently as possible. “If your sister doesn’t want to be a mother, you can’t force her to be.”
His determination was evident in his expression. “I can’t force her to be, but I can set things up to make it easier for her to be a mother. Apparently, I haven’t done enough, and I intend to remedy that. But right now I have a baby to take care of.”
He took the bottle from the baby’s mouth and raised her to his shoulder to burp her, but she didn’t burp. She spit up and started crying.
If Adam thought he could learn to be a substitute dad in twenty-four hours or even a few days, he was sadly mistaken.
Chapter Two (#ulink_0df27a4c-7708-529f-b127-d42c0de3a083)
A half hour later, Kaitlyn walked beside Adam through the department store. She’d offered to come along because even the best parents sometimes had difficulty juggling a baby and shopping. However, whenever she got within a foot of him, chemistry seemed to snap, crackle and pop between them.
Just like that night at Raintree Winery.
Jase and Adam had been talking. She’d been on her way to speak to Jase’s wife, Sara, when Jase had called to her and introduced Adam.
When she’d lifted her gaze to Adam’s—
Something had happened that had made the air buzz between them. Maybe that buzz had drowned out her good sense. Or maybe since her divorce had just become final, she’d had something to prove—that she was still attractive and desirable.
They’d talked for a half hour while they tasted one Raintree wine after another. Yes, she had to admit she’d flirted with him. What breathing woman wouldn’t have? He was Mr. Tall, Dark and So-o-o Sexy.
The event had become more crowded and they found it hard to hear each other, so they’d wandered down the hall and settled in an office with a long burgundy leather couch. Adam had closed the door so they’d have privacy...to talk.
They had talked. Mostly about sites Adam had seen in his travels as an environmental geologist...how she’d been homeschooled before it had become more common because she’d been academically ahead of all her peers, gone to college at sixteen and fought her way through med school because she was younger than everyone else. But her determination and dedication paid off. And then—
Adam had said, “I never expected to meet a woman like you tonight.”
In her professional life, she was confident. But her divorce had shaken her personal confidence in so many ways. And to hear that from Adam’s deep voice—
“You’re beautiful, sexy and dedicated to what you do.”
Her ex-husband had considered that dedication a flaw, especially at the end of their marriage. “Thank you,” she’d murmured, never taking her gaze from his.
That’s when he’d kissed her, and she’d responded as if her life had depended on it.
The kiss expanded, catching both of them in its web. They kissed again and again. She’d hardly noticed Adam unfastening her blouse. His hand on her breast had been so arousing. She’d unbuttoned his shirt, felt his hot skin and springy brown hair. When his hand ventured between her thighs and cupped her, she’d reached for his belt.
But then she’d heard voices in the hall. Gazing up at Adam, she’d glimpsed the hungry desire in his eyes.
“What’s wrong?” he’d asked.
She’d panicked. She was almost naked, lying under a man she didn’t even know!
She’d slid away from him, scrambled to a sitting position, avoided his gaze and buttoned her blouse. “I can’t do this. I should never have let this happen!”
And then she’d bolted, leaving Adam sitting there. She’d rushed out of the winery, wondering what in blazes had gotten into her, wondering why she’d been reckless when she’d never done anything like that before.
Now Kaitlyn hurried to keep up with Adam’s long strides to the baby department. In the year since she’d met him at the winery, she’d thought about him. But she hadn’t had any means of contacting him in a remote location.
When Erica made a noise, Adam stopped and looked down at her as if...as if he cared.
Could this bad boy—after all, she’d researched him after their “encounter”—who traveled the world, really care about an infant? An infant who wasn’t even his?
Glancing up at her, seeing that she was watching him, Adam looked disconcerted. Then his expression changed, and he didn’t look disconcerted as much as he looked determined. “We should talk about what happened the last time we were together.”
Uh-oh. Maybe his mind had been wandering in the same direction. “This isn’t a good place,” she said calmly. Her heart sped up, and she knew she didn’t want to have that discussion at all, let alone here.
His jaw set and his gaze was just a little too penetrating. “That’s an excuse—I’ll settle for it for now, at least until we get everything we need for Erica.... What do we need?”
At the baby section now, Kaitlyn pointed to a big box on the lower shelf. “You need a swing.”
He looked at her as if she were crazy.
“Really,” she assured him. “Erica fell asleep in the car. That means she likes motion. So if you want any peace, you should give her motion.” She pointed to the picture on the box.
Adam crouched down to look at it more closely. The overhead lights glimmered on russet strands in his hair, thick dark hair she’d run her fingers through. His shoulders were wider than the box he was studying. Those shoulders had felt tautly muscled under her hands. He was so long-waisted, with a runner’s legs. He’d told her he jogged wherever he happened to be. She remembered the pressure of his lower body on top of hers. His jeans fit him too well. Although his shirt was loose, as he crouched down like that, examining the box, it molded to his back.
Although it had been over a year, she hadn’t been able to dismiss the picture of the two of them entwined in each other’s arms. It had haunted her dreams.
He grabbed one of the boxes, easily lifted it, and stowed it on the bottom of their cart. “It doesn’t look too complicated. In fact, it makes me wonder if the company should make them for adults.”
She couldn’t help but smile at the wryness in his tone. “I’ve often thought I’d like a swing on my front porch. That’s if I ever have a front porch.”
“Where do you live now?”
“I rent a town house—no maintenance, no upkeep, no porch.”
He studied her as if he were searching for meaning under her words. “I suppose you’re not home much.”
“If I’m not at my office, I’m doing volunteer work for The Mommy Club. That doesn’t leave spare time to plant a garden.”
“I know what you mean,” Adam said. “But sometimes I wonder what normal life would be like.”
“Normal?”
“Yeah, you know. A nine-to-five job, leisure time in the evenings, regular weekends. If I had a normal life...if I hadn’t been out of the country...” He motioned to Erica. “Maybe I would have seen what was happening with Tina.”
The work he did for a private consulting firm out of Sacramento sounded important. The night they’d met, he’d explained that he traveled the world doing research helping countries put in water systems. Before...before they’d ended up in each other’s arms on that couch.
Pushing that memory aside once more, she took this opportunity to get firsthand knowledge of his life. “You come and go as you please. You travel to exotic places. That would be hard to give up.”
“Yes, it would,” he admitted. “I don’t like to feel trapped, tied down, tethered to one place. That brings back memories of—” He stopped, and she could see he wasn’t going to go on.
What did he run from in his mind? What kept him on the move? Searching for something that would satisfy him? She knew what would satisfy her, yet it seemed impossible and out of her reach.
Gazing down at Erica, she suddenly wondered if she should adopt a child. Why not forget about relationships and the marriage part.
The silence between them grew awkward, and Kaitlyn reached for a contraption hanging on a hook. “This is something else you need.”
“I’m afraid to ask what it is,” he said in a wry tone.
She looked at Erica and saw that her eyes were wide-open. “It’s as good a time as any to try this out.” She gave it to Adam and said, “Hang this part around your neck.”
Adam did as she suggested, looking wary.
Scooping Erica from her car seat, Kaitlyn placed her in the sling, close to Adam’s chest. She had to touch his chest and that reminded her of touching it once before. When her fingers brushed against him, the look in his eyes said he remembered, too.
“I can get it,” he decided, taking a step away from her. “Now that I think about it, I’ve seen women wearing these.”
“Daddies, too,” she assured him. “That keeps Erica close to your body heat, and she feels more secure.”
Their eyes met. She remembered his body heat, feeling secure, but so much more, too.
“Kaitlyn!” She was never so glad to hear her name called.
She knew the voice, and it was a welcome relief, interrupting the too-knowing moment between her and Adam. She turned and saw her friend Marissa Lopez strolling down the aisle, her one-year-old sitting in the basket kicking his legs.
She gave them both a wide smile. “Hi, Marissa.” She went over to Jordan and tickled his tummy. “And how are you, big boy?”
He grinned at her and stuck a finger in his mouth. Kaitlyn had babysat Jordan many times. “What are you doing here?”
“I needed diapers again,” Marissa added, brushing her black curls away from her face.
Kaitlyn introduced Adam and said, “Marissa works at Raintree Winery.”
“Jase is your boss?” Adam asked.
Marissa nodded with a wide smile. “Yes. More than that, really. He and Sara have become good friends.”
“I met Jase when we crossed paths in Africa a few years ago.”
“That’s when he was photographing children in refugee camps?” Kaitlyn asked.
Adam nodded. “I was in the area with a humanitarian group that was trying to bring safe water to some of the villages.”
Erica gave a little cry, and Marissa came over to her. “What a sweetie. Is she about two months old?”
“About,” Adam confirmed. “She’s my sister’s baby. I’m taking care of her for a while. The Mommy Club sent Kaitlyn to give me a few instructions.”
That was one way of putting it, Kaitlyn supposed.
“The Mommy Club’s been a lifesaver for me, too,” Marissa told him. “I’m a single mom and they’ve been a great help. We all try to give back when we can. Sara is watching Jordan while I volunteer at Thrifty Solutions, The Mommy Club thrift store, tomorrow night.”
“I’m there on Monday evening,” Kaitlyn said.
Adam eyed Jordan. “Is he walking yet?”
“Oh, yes, and running. He helps me get my exercise every day.”
They all laughed and Adam shook his head. “I’ve learned respect for all new moms.”
Marissa checked her watch. “I have to get going. I had the morning off because I worked some long hours last week. But now I have to take Jordan to day care and get to the winery.” She studied Adam and Erica. “Good luck. If you have Kaitlyn advising you, you will be okay.”
After a hug for Kaitlyn, she wheeled her cart away.
“So she’s a single mom?” Adam asked reflectively as they watched Marissa walk away. He was trying to put himself in his sister’s place, trying to imagine what she’d been thinking and feeling before she’d left.
“Yes, she is.”
“And you became friends because of The Mommy Club?” He’d imagined The Mommy Club was mostly a group of women looking out for each other. It was a nice concept really.
“We did.”
“I don’t see how you have time for it all.”
“I think we all make time for what we want to do.”
He wondered if The Mommy Club filled a need Kaitlyn had to help and nurture. What did that need come from? He found he was awfully curious about her and wanted to know.
He pointed to a portable crib. “I guess I’ll get one of those, too. I can donate it to The Mommy Club when Tina returns. I’m sure she’ll be back before the week’s out.”
Kaitlyn stood a little closer so their conversation was private. “It could be longer than a week. If your sister is in the throes of postpartum depression, she might need a doctor’s help to emerge from it.”
Adam’s brow furrowed. “How am I going to get her help when she won’t answer my calls?”
“All you can do is hope that she contacts you soon.”
“I have to do more than hope. I’m supposed to be on a plane to Thailand in a month.”
Erica started crying, and Adam’s arms went around her with a protective gesture, but it didn’t help.
“If you’re tense and upset, it can affect her. Babies pick up moods.”
He exhaled, took Erica out of the sling and laid her in her car seat. “Maybe she’s hungry again. Let’s get what we need and head back to the condo.”
Taking care of Erica was complicated enough. Tackling the vibrations between him and Kaitlyn added to the unnerving situation.
Once he had everything he needed for his niece, Kaitlyn would be out of his life once more.
* * *
Back at Adam’s condo, Kaitlyn watched Adam as he held and walked Erica and readied a bottle with the new formula she’d chosen. Four hands were better than two in this kind of situation.
She asked, “Would you like me to feed her?”
He shook his head. “No. I have to learn how to do this and do it right.” He took the bottle from Kaitlyn, their fingers brushing. They avoided each other’s gazes, and he went to the living room, this time sitting in the armchair.
And to her dismay, he was still as sexy as could be—a six-foot-two, broad-shouldered, handsome man feeding a baby intently. Her heart gave a little trip. Erica was greedily sucking on the nipple, and Adam looked as if he’d conquered the world.
“If this formula is better suited to her, she might start sleeping for you,” Kaitlyn assured him.
“That’s an awfully big ‘if’ and ‘might.’”
“There are never any guarantees with babies.”
“How come you don’t have a slew of your own? You seem to really love children.”
The stark sincerity in his question took her breath away. Usually sure of herself, right now, she didn’t know how to answer him.
He must have realized something was wrong, because he looked up from the baby, and his gaze met hers. “Kaitlyn?”
Their evening together and what had almost happened between them flashed before her eyes again. It seemed to require some kind of honesty, though she didn’t know why. But she couldn’t be honest with this man. She didn’t really know him.
So she fell back on the usual excuse. “I work so many hours—”
Suddenly, a beeping came from Adam’s hip. It was his phone. “That could be Tina,” he said with some desperation in his voice.
Kaitlyn stood immediately and scooped Erica from his arms. Her hand brushed against his chest, and she could feel his hardness under the material of his shirt. She knew there was springy, dark brown hair there. But she concentrated on the baby and the bottle and settling on the sofa with Erica to feed her some more while he took his call.
He checked the screen. “Not Tina. It’s my father. He might know where she is.”
“Hello, Dad,” he said with a little more distance than Kaitlyn would expect between father and son.
She unabashedly listened, curious about Adam’s family connections.
“Where are you?” Adam asked.
He paused for an obvious few moments of explanation.
“So you’re in Ireland, but you plan to fly to England tomorrow?”
His father must have agreed that was the plan because Adam asked, “Have you heard from Tina at all?”
A short answer there, most likely no.
“Something’s happened, Dad. She’s not herself. I think she ran off and left Erica with me because she’s depressed and needs help.”
His father must have said something.
“I was out of the country. Didn’t find out she’d had a baby until I got home. I need to find her, and maybe instead of taking a jaunt to England, you should come home.”
Another pause. “I know you promised Iris you’d take her to Ireland and Scotland and everything in between, but this is a family emergency. Our family emergency. Jade’s gone and Tina has no one else. You and I, in the past few years, have practically deserted her. Of course she feels like she doesn’t have any support. You’re out of the country. I was out of the country. How often do we call her? How often does she call us? And what kind of example are either of us setting for her? You’ve been married four times—”
He stopped abruptly and glanced at Kaitlyn. His father must have made some retort because Adam shook his head and clenched his jaw. “I might be a serial dater, but you’re a serial groom. If you hear from Tina, day or night, anytime, call me. This is important, Dad. I have a group of people here who will help her.”
His father must have asked him a question.
Adam answered, “I’m leaving for Thailand in a month. I have no choice. This is a contracted commitment. If that means you have to come back and babysit for a while, that’s what it means.”
Adam just kept shaking his head at the rest of the conversation.
After he ended the call, he slowly slipped the phone back into the holster on his belt, looking as if he’d gone far away.
“It didn’t go well?”
Adam gave a mirthless laugh. “No, it didn’t. But that’s not unusual with Dad. He’s always been more concerned about his most recent marriage to Tiffany or Anna Mae or whoever comes next. But Tina and I—we were pretty much on our own. We never understood why he and Jade divorced. They never told us.”
“It seems you watched over Tina a lot when you were younger. Didn’t you mind having a tagalong? That had to cramp your style given the big age difference.”
“I didn’t have a style. I studied mostly. I ran track, but only so I could get a scholarship.”
Adam’s pride was almost as big as he was. The stiffness in his voice concealed his true feelings. She imagined they would have been sorrow, loneliness and regret. However, just as she hadn’t confided in him, she could tell he wasn’t going to confide in her. She knew about the arrest he’d had when he was twenty-one...that his younger years hadn’t been all studies and sports, even though that’s what he wanted her to think. He’d been involved in a serious accident that had been his fault.
However, she didn’t push further. She didn’t want to get more involved than she already was. “So your dad didn’t know Tina was pregnant?”
“No. I called and left a message for him yesterday after Tina left Erica with me. We’re a pair, the two of us.”
“But not alike. You haven’t been married four times.”
Adam gave her a penetrating stare. “No, I haven’t been married four times. But I also haven’t had a serious relationship with a woman for more than a couple of months. Make that one month. I guess I come from a gene pool that can’t commit.”
“You think it’s in the genes?”
“I think it’s in the genes, and I think you have to grow up in the right atmosphere. I batted zilch on both.”
“I don’t agree.”
When he studied her at her remark, she knew he’d never expected her to contradict him.
“Just what don’t you agree with?” he asked. “You don’t know what my childhood was like.”
“No, I don’t. But I do know we do what we want to do—when we’re kids and when we’re adults. Granted, it’s easier if someone teaches us how to get along with other people. But basically, I think if we want a friend, we make a friend. If we want a mate, we look for the possibilities—which could be anything from a one-night stand to a lasting commitment. But we have to want it, Adam.”
“How do you know what I want? Seems to me, you didn’t stick around to find out.” He sounded regretful about that and she wondered why. After all, he’d just admitted he didn’t date anyone longer than a month!
“I knew what you wanted that night, just as you knew what you wanted. But I—”
“You chickened out, and I’d like to know why.”
Oh, there it was. The conversation that she didn’t want to have.
Taking the bottle away from the baby, she said calmly, “I have to burp her. Do you want to learn how?”
“Kaitlyn, you’re cutting it off again.”
“I’m not here to discuss what happened a year ago. I’m here to figure out what’s best for this baby. Do you want to learn to burp her?”
Adam’s brow furrowed, his jaw set, and she saw the storms in his eyes. He was used to being in control. He was used to being in charge. And right now, he wasn’t.
“Show me what to do, and you won’t have to show me how to do it again.”
Well, those lines were drawn.
Kaitlyn lifted Erica and took her over to Adam. She said, “Sit up straight. You can burp a baby on your shoulder, but you said that wasn’t working for you. So we’ll try something else. I’m going to sit her on your knee.”
Kaitlyn knelt down beside Adam so she could more easily help. “Support her back like I’m doing.”
When Adam transferred his hand to Erica’s back, Kaitlyn’s was still there. She slipped hers away, but not without feeling the warmth of his long fingers.
“Now you’re going to put your other hand in front of Erica and let her weight rest against your palm.” Kaitlyn was almost between Adam’s knees now, and it was uncomfortable and awkward, yet also an exciting place to be, if she was honest with herself.
If he brushed his cheek against hers from this vantage point, she’d feel his stubble. She could remember the feel of his lips on hers, the tempting mastery of his tongue, the passion he’d evoked that had almost swept her away.
Inhaling a deep breath, and along with it his musky scent, she believed this was the worst assignment she’d ever had from The Mommy Club. When she’d learned the person who needed help was Adam Preston, she should have called one of the other docs to help.
Crazy, but she was feeling a little crazy right now. So close to Adam, yet emotionally removed. At least she was trying to be.
“Let her lean into your palm, and just rub her back. That’s all you have to do. You can pat it a little, too, but—”
Erica gave a loud burp, and the formula stayed down.
Kaitlyn gave a little smile then moved away, now that she felt Adam was more confident in what he was doing.
They were still too close. She realized the best thing she could do was leave.
She rose to her feet. “I’d better be going. I have to check on a patient at the hospital in Sacramento.”
“Leave?” he asked with a pointed look. He nodded toward the boxed swing and the crib. “I suppose I could put those together while she sleeps, if she sleeps. What have you decided about the situation here? Can you send somebody out to help?”
Actually, The Mommy Club was shorthanded right now. There were several members of the community who needed help. One young mother had had surgery. Another was undergoing chemo for breast cancer, and several women were helping take care of her children and bring in food. Sometimes it seemed like The Mommy Club had a score of volunteers. But when it came down to the nitty-gritty, daily help was hard to find.
Adam must have seen something in her face. “What? No one’s available? Or are you just going to call a social worker and say I’m not fit to take care of Erica?”
“That wouldn’t be the truth. But I really don’t know the answer yet. I’ll check back with you tomorrow. You’ll be fine. I know you will.”
“I’ll be fine,” he agreed. “But I don’t think you’re fine, Kaitlyn, because you’re running. I don’t know why, and you obviously don’t want to tell me, but you’re running. Think about that while you’re driving to Sacramento.”
Kaitlyn knew she’d think about nothing else.
Chapter Three (#ulink_cab69074-27f8-55ac-859a-fdd60a58825d)
In the Sacramento hospital, Kaitlyn kept her attention focused on her four-year-old patient who was doing much better. She was grateful for that. The little girl had been mighty sick, and Kaitlyn hadn’t let that worry show to the parents.
But now as she read Mary Lou’s chart on her electronic tablet, she was hopeful her patient would be going home soon.
She’d just turned away from the nurses’ desk when she heard her name called. Valerie Tremont waved from the sitting area. She had a cup of coffee beside her and Kaitlyn guessed she was taking a break. A nurse here, Val had been keeping to herself lately, and Kaitlyn suspected why. A divorce. Kaitlyn knew firsthand how that could tear up a person’s life.
Glad for any distraction from Adam and his niece, Kaitlyn approached Val with a smile. “How are you?”
“Surviving,” she said with an attempt at cheerfulness.
“Are Chrissy and Craig okay?”
“We’re all adjusting. It’s not as if David had been home the past few years.”
Her husband, David, had been a medic in the marines and deployed several times. Over a year ago, he’d decided to walk away from his marriage. Although Val lived in Fawn Grove, she worked at the hospital in Sacramento because the pay and benefits were better than anything she could find locally.
“Do you see David?”
Val shook her head. “After that last deployment, his discharge and the divorce, he said he just needed time for himself. The last I heard, he was taking a hostel trip through Spain. I think he just saw too much in his service, and he’s trying to escape the memories.”
Kaitlyn sat down beside her. “How’s the apartment working out?”
“The Mommy Club did a great job recommending one. It’s on the first floor of an old house. I still don’t have an upstairs neighbor, which is nice because the kids have the run of the yard anytime they want it. And I can’t believe how reasonable the rent is. I think my next goal is to find a job nursing in Fawn Grove so I don’t have to commute. Mom and Dad need a life, too, outside of babysitting.”
“I’ll keep my ears open.”
“Thank you. How are you?”
Today she was a bit disconcerted, but other than that... “I’m good.”
“Are you going to The Mommy Club fund-raiser at Raintree Winery next week?”
Kaitlyn had to smile. “The bachelor auction? I don’t know. I’ll help Sara and Jase get the word out, but the event itself isn’t quite my cup of tea.”
Because the thought of a dinner date threw her into a tizzy? She’d never been much of a dater, not with her med school workload and meeting Tom. When she looked back at her marriage, she wondered if she and Tom had settled for each other because it had been convenient, because they’d both wanted a family. But her miscarriage and the reason behind it had ended that possibility in Tom’s mind.
“Are you going to the fund-raiser?” Kaitlyn asked with a twinkle in her eye.
“No,” Val returned with a firm shake of her head. “I don’t know when I’ll be able to think about dating again.”
“You need more time.”
“And a fairy godmother,” Val said with a laugh.
Did all women really have dreams of finding Prince Charming? On that score, Kaitlyn’s dreams had dissolved into something much more practical—a thriving practice where she could help the kids she saw every day. She didn’t need anything else.
However, as Kaitlyn was driving back to Fawn Grove, she felt an inexorable pull toward Adam’s condo to see how he was faring with his niece. After all, she’d told him she’d check in on him. She told herself that picking up some Chinese on the way was mostly for her sustenance. She’d skipped lunch. She’d also told herself as she rang the doorbell, chemistry and a doctor’s busy lifestyle simply didn’t mix.
That maxim held water until Adam opened the door. This time he was wearing the baby sling with Erica in it, but his niece was wailing again.
Adam seemed unreasonably glad to see Kaitlyn, yet unsettled, too. Was he pleased she was here to help? Or because...
Or because he couldn’t forget about their kisses, either?
Without preamble, he said, “A mother wearing this contraption and me wearing this contraption are entirely two different things.”
“Do you want me to come in, or do you want me to leave with my Moo Goo Gai Pan?”
* * *
“Moo Goo Gai Pan?” The thought of hot food was the one thing that might bring him a little pleasure. Well, maybe there was more than one thing that would, but they’d concentrate on the food.
“Sweet and sour chicken, too,” she added.
He had to wonder why she was doing this. After all, she’d run away before. “So now The Mommy Club delivers takeout?”
“So now a pediatrician with The Mommy Club was hungry and thought you might be, too. I didn’t see much food in your refrigerator.”
He didn’t have a comeback to that remark because it was true. He simply crossed into his living room where the swing stood, leaving her to close the door behind her. “The swing worked for about fifteen minutes.” As he transferred Erica from the sling to the swing, his gaze found Kaitlyn’s.
Darn if the room didn’t tilt again. Mini earthquake?
Although the aroma from the food was making his mouth water, he couldn’t take his eyes from Kaitlyn’s. Whenever she was around, his head practically spun. Or maybe that was just a lack of sleep.
With a mental shake, he settled Erica in the padded seat and cooed a bit to her as he wound up the mechanism so the swing would swing. For some reason his niece seemed to like cooing and gooing. Babies were as tough to read as women.
“I hope you brought your magic touch with you,” he suddenly said, “or that food’s going to get cold. I’m paying you, by the way.”
She looked startled, as if she hadn’t expected the offer. “You can pay me if you get the chance to eat any of it. We can split the cost.”
That made him straighten from his crouch and study her carefully. “You’re one complicated woman.”
Her eyes widened a bit. “And you’re an open book? One thing I’m not, Mr. Preston, is gullible.”
“Mr. Preston,” he scoffed. “After what we almost did, first name basis should be a given. So don’t try to put even more distance than the past year between us.”
Kaitlyn looked away, obviously not wanting to have that discussion now. But he did. If not now, then soon. He had to know what had made her bolt like a scared rabbit.
Erica seemed to be quieting with each pass of the swing.
“If we only have fifteen minutes, we should take advantage of it,” he decided. “I’ll find dishes. Some of each?”
She raised her hand in a “sure, why not” gesture. As she followed him into the kitchen, she asked, “Did you get the crib put together?”
“Who do you think I am? Superman?”
The way she studied him made him wonder if she was imagining him in that superhero getup.
* * *
A short while later, they were sitting on the sofa quietly eating their supper, the swing rocking back and forth, easing Erica into sleep, when Kaitlyn asked Adam what was foremost on her mind. “Did you try to call Tina again?”
He put down his fork. “Three times. I don’t even know if she’s getting my messages. I try not to sound panicked. I try to sound reasonable. But I’m worried about her.”
“I know you are.”
It was obvious to see, though she wondered how much of it was worry that he’d be stuck with Erica. She was afraid that’s the way he looked at it. She couldn’t tell yet if Adam was bonding with the baby, or just caring for her. There was a difference.
As they ate in silence for another few minutes, Kaitlyn took a deep breath. Having dinner with Adam wasn’t as easy as she’d thought it would be. That sizzle in the air...the way he looked at her sometimes...
“I’m going to drive to Tina’s apartment tomorrow,” he said, breaking the silence. “Maybe I’ll find a clue as to where she’s gone.”
“You’re taking Erica?”
“What choice do I have? Besides, I have to learn to handle her in and out of the condo. I can’t be stuck here twenty-four hours a day. No wonder new moms get cabin fever.”
“There’s no reason why Erica can’t go where you go. You just have to remember to take along everything you need.”
“Bottles, diapers and the kitchen sink.”
At least he was keeping his sense of humor. That could be tough in this situation. She’d liked his sense of humor that night—
“Kaitlyn, why did you run out on me that night at the winery?”
Back to that. “Because we didn’t know each other. Because we’d just met.”
“Did I read the signals wrong? You were flirting back. When I kissed you, you responded.”
She’d more than responded. Somehow, he’d lit the wick of passion that had been extinguished for two years. Her divorce had become final the week before.
Yes, she’d realized that Tom would never forgive her for losing their baby. She’d had no doubt the marriage was over. The night she’d gone to the wine tasting, she’d been trying to resurrect her own self-confidence. Whatever her goal that night, she hadn’t expected to meet Adam. She hadn’t expected that kind of chemistry. She hadn’t expected to go up in flames when he touched her.
But now she could see why he wanted to have this conversation. A dented male ego, maybe, but something deeper, too. He was afraid he’d taken advantage of her.
“You didn’t read the signals wrong, Adam. I thought I could flirt and have a good time. I didn’t expect everything that happened when you kissed me. After we ended up undressing and I realized what we were doing, I knew I wasn’t ready.”
Of course, that’s the word he latched on to. “Ready?”
“That’s all I really want to say about it. You didn’t take advantage of me. I never should have let you kiss me the second time.”
He cocked his head and studied her hard. “You don’t go to many parties, do you?”
“No.”
“You don’t usually flirt with men.”
“No.”
“So why that night? Why me?”
Wasn’t that a very good question? She knew why she’d done it that night, but why she’d done it with Adam was still a puzzle.
“Maybe it was because Jase introduced us. I’m not sure.”
“Something happened,” he guessed.
“Adam, that’s enough. I don’t want to talk about it. If I could have gotten another doctor to come this morning, I would have.”
“To avoid an awkward situation.” He was trying out that statement to see if it sounded true.
“Yes.”
“Or...to avoid the idea you might still be attracted to me if you saw me again.”
“No.”
“You answered that one much too quickly. Maybe you need to think about it a little more.”
She pushed her food around on her plate. “I don’t need to think about it at all. I’m not looking for a relationship. And if I were, it wouldn’t be with someone like you,” she said honestly.
“Someone like me, meaning what?”
“Someone who’s never around. You said yourself you don’t believe in commitment, that family life isn’t something you even know. We’d be incompatible, from start to finish.”
“It depends on what we’d be starting, and what we’d be finishing.”
His words on their own weren’t seductive, but they made her blush, because the underlying message was clear. He was thinking about sex.
“Tell me your fondest dream for five years from now,” he suggested.
She never thought that far ahead anymore, not in her personal life. “I don’t have that dream worked out.”
“I think you do. Close your eyes.”
“Adam.”
“Do as I say. Close your eyes.”
So she did.
“Five years from now, where are you living?”
That stopped her for a few seconds, and then she realized this was a dream. “Somewhere outside of town where I’d have some open space. I want a fireplace for cold nights that I can sit in front of with someone I love, and a porch that would be large enough for a very nice swing that my kids could enjoy, too.”
“How can that ever happen if you’re too busy with your practice and The Mommy Club doesn’t leave much time for parties or a social life?”
Her eyes popped open.
“Your goals are divided. On one hand you want to save the world, on the other you want to find somebody to love.”
“Adam, you don’t know me. We had...what? A half-hour conversation?”
“And a half-hour make-out session. Do you think I can’t tell from that how a woman feels, what she might find important? We did talk, Kaitlyn. It wasn’t earth-shatteringly personal. But we talked. And believe it or not, I listened. You enjoy being part of a group practice, not only because you’re not always on call, but because you have camaraderie.”
He had been listening. He didn’t stop there. “Jase introduced us because he said you and his wife were good friends. He pointed to the wine you liked best and said I might like to try it, too. When we tasted it together, you said you like visiting Raintree, walking through the vineyards—”
She held up her hand, like the stop sign it was meant to be. “All right. You proved you listen.”
“Did you?” he asked.
Uh-oh. Her mind had been filled with regrets and recriminations that night, wanting to prove herself in a way she hadn’t in a long time. Just how much did she remember from before their kiss?
“Jase mentioned you met him in Kenya, that the famine wasn’t the only problem, that the water in the refugee camp was tainted and the children were getting sick from that, too. You were trying to find a good water supply and convinced the villagers that your team could engineer it.”
“Score one for you,” Adam said, as if he expected no less.
“You also said you were on layover for two weeks, and you didn’t mention you had a sister.”
“I had dinner with Tina on that trip back here, but it wasn’t high on my mind that night.”
“You weren’t wearing a ring.”
“You weren’t, either, but you had worn one at one time. The skin on that finger was lighter. It had been a wide gold band.”
Kaitlyn suddenly pushed her dish away. “I think we should stop with the questions now. If you want to get the crib put together, now’s probably a good time. I can watch Erica if she wakes up.”
“You’re running again,” he said.
“And you’re being too nosy. Just because I came to help you, doesn’t mean—”
“It doesn’t mean that you’ll kiss me,” Adam filled in, with a twinkle in his eye. Then he pushed his plate away, too. “You’re right. I’d better take advantage of the quiet time and get that crib put together. We can only hope that someone with a Ph.D. can figure it out.”
Thirty minutes later, the crib was assembled. Adam had seemed skilled at putting it together even though he’d never done it before. Kaitlyn helped by fitting the sheet onto the mattress. Then Adam laid Erica on it.
“Are we sure she’s okay?” Adam asked her.
“She’s just as worn-out as you are.”
“If she sleeps this much now, she’s going to be awake at midnight, isn’t she?”
Kaitlyn gave a small laugh. “Now you’re catching on.”
“I’m a quick study. I’ll have to make sure I set more than one alarm at intervals so I wake up to check on her. Maybe I should buy one of those baby monitors the next time I go shopping.”
“Are you going to wheel her into the bedroom?”
They both looked in that direction and then at each other.
“Would you like to see how I don’t have it decorated?” he asked, with his brows lifting and lowering.
She laughed. “Not unless you need help pushing the crib in.”
He shook his head. “No, I’ll crash on the sofa tonight. I want to be near the bottles and formula, the diapers and anything else she’ll need.”
He was putting the baby’s comfort before his, and Kaitlyn admired that. She thought again about her responsibilities with The Mommy Club—her responsibility to make sure Erica got the care she needed, and Adam got the help he needed. That his sister did, too, for that matter. Families were what The Mommy Club was all about.
She had office hours tomorrow morning and a meeting at the hospital in the afternoon. She’d already be in Sacramento. The question was—did she want to get more involved or didn’t she? Adam could still have a rough night with the baby and that wouldn’t make tomorrow any easier for him.
“I’m going to try to call Tina again,” he said. “It’s almost nine. Maybe she’ll pick up.”
“You think her guard will be down because it’s later in the day?”
“Maybe.” He took his phone from his belt and left another message for his sister.
That call, and the expression on Adam’s face—as if bracing for a storm—had Kaitlyn say, “If you’d like, I’ll go with you to Tina’s apartment tomorrow.”
He came around the side of the crib to where she was standing. “You want to see where Tina lives in case she comes back?”
“That’s partly my reason.”
He was closer now, towering above her, sex appeal oozing from him. “What’s the other part?”
“It’s not as if you’re a complete stranger, Adam. I care about what happens to you.”
“Well, that’s an admission. Did you think about me this past year?”
Oh, no. She wasn’t going to admit that. “I really should be going, and you should catch a nap if you can while Erica is still sleeping. You might need it later.”
He narrowed his eyes and studied her. “You know, when Jase first introduced me to you, you seemed cool and hid behind a polite reserve. But once we started talking and laughing and joking, Kaitlyn, I saw what was underneath it, and you know I did.”
“You’re not what you seem to be, either, Adam. I looked you up on Google. I found photos of you with beautiful women on your arm at community and charity functions. I knew about that track scholarship to UC Davis. But I also discovered you were in an accident when you were in college and you were charged with reckless driving. The girl in the car with you was pretty seriously hurt. The custom-made suit and the boy-next-door flirting hid all that.”
She thought Adam might defend himself, that he might tell her what had happened because she knew as well as anyone there was never just one side. But he didn’t. His jaw tightened, the nerve in it worked and he stayed silent.
Finally, he broke the stalemate. “So that’s why you don’t think I’m fit to take care of Erica.”
“I want to make sure your care is the right care.”
“And if you don’t think it is, you’ll call in someone more official.”
She was a doctor. She’d have no choice.
“Fine,” he snapped. “Do you want to meet me there or do you want me to pick you up?”
She retrieved her purse. “I have office hours in the morning and a meeting at the hospital in Sacramento in the afternoon, so I can meet you at your sister’s apartment around three if you give me the address.”
Without a comment, he went to the table by the sofa where a cordless phone sat along with a pad of paper. He jotted down an address and tore the paper from the pad with a swift jerking movement that told Kaitlyn he was angry. He handed it to her.
Kaitlyn went to the door but he didn’t follow her. He stood at Erica’s crib looking down at her.
Kaitlyn let herself out.
Chapter Four (#ulink_48dcca97-ce58-5a44-8742-b9320409d192)
The tension between Adam and Kaitlyn was obvious as he carried Erica’s car seat into Tina’s apartment in Sacramento and Kaitlyn followed. He didn’t know why her opinion of him mattered, but it did. Glancing at her, he thought about their conversation before she’d left last night. He’d almost explained exactly what had happened that night when he’d been twenty-one, stupid and in love. However, he considered the possibility that Kaitlyn might not even believe him.
He’d shaken off the bad-boy rep after one of his science profs had truly captured his attention. He’d become interested in earning a graduate degree in something that mattered and a life that could take him away from Fawn Grove, from a broken family, from an accident that had changed his life more than his girlfriend’s. Sherry hadn’t hesitated one instant when he’d stepped up and said he’d been driving. A career in law had been her sole goal. That’s why he’d accepted the blame. So she wouldn’t lose her dream.
Adam had paid a fine, done community service and worked hard to make sure every hospital bill was paid, missing a semester of college. His father had made sure Sherry had received the best care. She’d come out of the whole thing without a spleen, with a broken leg and the aftereffects of a concussion.
Before the police and paramedics arrived, she’d promised Adam she’d never drink and drive again. He knew he’d never let anyone drink and drive again if he could help it. But the whole true story had never come out. He’d taken the blame. His reputation hadn’t been a big deal. Hers had.
But telling all that to Kaitlyn...
It just seemed a waste.
He set Erica’s carrier on the kitchen table in Tina’s cramped apartment as they looked around. This apartment didn’t look much different than his condo had yesterday. There was a pile of laundry on the sofa that looked clean, one next to it that looked dirty. Dishes and mugs were strewn about as well as a few baby bottles. There was one bedroom and he and Kaitlyn both peeked into it, their shoulders brushing.
Kaitlyn’s gaze met his, and he thought he saw regret there. Regret that she’d told him she knew his background?
He moved back toward his niece.
“This looks as if she left impulsively,” Kaitlyn said.
He understood why she’d say that. The bed was unmade. Tina’s clothes were scattered here and there along with more of the baby’s. There wasn’t an inch of the apartment that didn’t look like bedlam. The way the inside of Tina’s mind was working?
“This isn’t her. She’s not like this. Tina’s as neat as a pin. I used to kid her, because even when she was little, she kept her clothes color-coordinated in her closet. When she came to see me at college, she packed her suitcase the same way.”
“Adam, you’ve experienced firsthand how a baby can turn your life upside down. That obviously happened to Tina. One day she had a life without a child. The next day, she was a mom with twenty-four-hour responsibility...a lifelong responsibility. That can be scary and earth-shattering, and altogether overwhelming.”
When Adam didn’t respond, she asked, “What does Tina do? For work, I mean.”
“She’s a paralegal. She told me her boss was giving her three months maternity leave. Apparently she had enough money saved between what Jade left her and my father’s gifts.”
“So she has to find day care she can trust.”
“Yes.”
“Do you know if she has a best friend, if she’s friends with anyone at work?”
“When she graduated and got this job, she mentioned it was a small law firm and everyone else was older. I think she lost contact with most of her high school friends. Many of them went on to four-year colleges.”
“Has she lived here since her mother died?”
“She and Jade shared an apartment. My dad subsidized it until Tina got a job, then she insisted she wanted to be on her own. She wouldn’t take my help, either. She’s a responsible young adult, Kaitlyn. That’s why none of this makes any sense.”
Kaitlyn gently touched his arm. He felt that touch in every fiber of his being.
“It does make sense,” she explained. “In a world of hormones and after-pregnancy feelings. But she has to want help for you to be able to give it.”
“Or for The Mommy Club to give it,” he muttered. “Can you watch Erica for a few minutes while I search through Tina’s desk in her bedroom? Maybe I can find a clue as to where she’s gone.”
“Sure, I can. Or if you need help, I can just bring her in.”
“I’ve got this,” he said with that determined note Kaitlyn recognized. He didn’t want to need anyone else.
She wandered about Tina’s apartment, very different from Adam’s. There were lots of pictures standing about, mostly of Tina and of a woman who Kaitlyn guessed was her mom. There were also photos of Tina and a younger Adam, photos of Tina and Adam with a man whom Kaitlyn assumed might be his father and Tina’s stepfather.
There was already a photo of a newborn Erica propped beside the TV. Some hospitals provided those photos, but Tina had gone to the trouble of framing it and setting it in a prominent place. Not something an uncaring mom would do.
When Erica began fussing a little, Kaitlyn scooped her from the pink leopard lining of the car seat and carried her into the kitchen. She couldn’t resist holding a baby. Doing it was always bittersweet. Yet she looked forward to the day when she might have her own child in her arms.
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