Found: One Baby
Cathy Gillen Thacker
Lost: Two HeartsIt’s no surprise to see a package on Thad Garner’s porch. Women are always leaving tempting offerings for the sexy doctor. But when Michelle hears a baby’s cry, she realises this is no ordinary delivery… Thad opens his door to find his gorgeous neighbour cradling an infant.It seems as if the coolly professional lawyer is also a natural mum. When Thad finds out baby William is a relation, he sets out to adopt him. But how does he tell Michelle he doesn’t just want her for her legal skills – but also as a wife and mother!
“I’ve loved this child from the beginning. But you and I are not in love with each other, Thad.”
“We could be,” he said, “given a little more time.”
Michelle looked up at him as William curled his fist around her little finger and held on tight. “What if what we feel now is as far as it gets…what if we never do fall head over heels for each other?”
“What if we don’t?” Thad’s voice dropped to a soft murmur. “We’re sexually compatible. We both want to be married and have kids. And William needs us now.”
He was beginning to make far too much sense.
“The answer is yes.” She held up a palm before he could interrupt. “But there are some stipulations.”
“OK.”
“We have to do a trial run.”
Cathy Gillen Thacker is married and a mother of three. She and her husband spent eighteen years in Texas, and now reside in North Carolina. Her mysteries, romantic comedies and heartwarming family stories have made numerous appearances on bestseller lists, but her best reward, she says, is knowing one of her books made someone’s day a little brighter. A popular author for many years, she loves telling passionate stories with happy endings, and thinks nothing beats a good romance and a hot cup of tea! You can visit Cathy’s website at www.cathygillenthacker.com for more information on her upcoming and previously published books, recipes and a list of her favourite things.
Found: One Baby
by
Cathy Gillen Thacker
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk/)
This book is dedicated to sweet and patient
Gwyneth May Thacker—aka the best present
the Easter Bunny ever brought.
Chapter One
It wasn’t the first time Michelle Anderson had noticed a “gift” left on Thad Garner’s front porch. In the three months she had lived across the street from the sexy E.R. doc, a parade of hopeful single women had presented the most eligible bachelor in Summit, Texas, with everything from baked goods and homemade casseroles to gift baskets and balloons. But this was the first time she’d seen an infant car seat, diaper bag and a Moses basket left there.
Aware the latest offerings hadn’t been there when she’d left the house for her early-morning run, Michelle wondered if the baby gear was supposed to be some sort of message.
If so, it was an interesting one, given that Thad Garner had the reputation of a player and the attention span of a gnat when it came to women.
The handsome thirty-three-year-old doc said he wanted a wife and kids. Sooner, rather than later.
But he rarely dated a woman more than two or three times before ducking out of her life as genially as he had eased in.
“The chemistry just isn’t there—I’m hoping we can be friends” was what he reportedly said more often than not.
But that wasn’t what the women of Summit wanted.
They wanted the passion Thad declared lacking from his side of the equation.
They also wanted, Michelle thought with a sigh, what she wanted—when the time and the man were finally right. Marriage, a fulfilling life together, kids. As well as a career. Realistically, she didn’t know if it was ever going to happen for her.
Professionally and financially, everything was in place. She was thirty-two. Partner in a law practice. Had her own home. She was even considering adopting a baby on her own and—
Is that the sound of a baby crying?
It couldn’t be, Michelle thought as the high-pitched sound sputtered, stopped and then resumed, now a frantic, all-out wail.
She scanned Thad’s porch and yard, as well as the street. At seven on a Saturday morning, the area was usually quiet. Not today. Not with the unmistakable sound of a crying infant.
Heart pounding, Michelle jogged across the street and onto Thad’s lawn. She hurried up the steps to the covered front porch of his Craftsman-style home.
Sure enough, an infant, red-faced and upset, lay in the elaborately decked-out Moses basket. He—Michelle assumed it was a boy because he was swaddled in blue—couldn’t have been more than a few days old.
Heart going out to the tiny thing, Michelle knelt down on the porch. She removed the soft blanket covering the squalling child and lifted him out of the portable baby bed and into her arms.
And it was at that moment the front door jerked open.
Her too-sexy-for-his-own-good neighbor stared down at her.
And Michelle’s heart took another giant leap.
THAD RUBBED HIS FACE with the palm of his hand and tried to blink himself all the way awake. “What’s going on?” he demanded, sure now he had to be fantasizing. Otherwise, his gorgeous, ice princess of a neighbor would not be standing on his doorstep with a baby in her arms. “And why were you ringing the doorbell like there’s a house on fire?” he asked gruffly. He’d thought he dreamed it, and had gone back to sleep—until he heard the infant crying.
Michelle Anderson’s glance trailed over his bare chest and low-slung pajama pants before returning to his face. A warm flush—at odds with the cool mountain air—spread across her pretty cheeks. “I didn’t ring the bell,” she said.
Thad had no idea how long ago it had been when he heard the bell. Five minutes? Fifteen? It still felt like a dream. Except for the flesh-and-blood woman and tiny newborn in front of him. “You’re sure standing here next to it,” he observed wryly.
“Only because I wanted to ask you what was going on,” she shot back.
Aware he probably should have grabbed a T-shirt before bounding outside, Thad studied Michelle and the newborn in her arms. He didn’t know why, but she seemed to be accusing him of something nefarious. “You’re the one with the baby,” he pointed out.
Michelle patted the baby snuggled against her. The protective note in her sweetly feminine voice deepened. “True, but I’m not the one who left said baby on your front porch.”
She sounded like a lawyer. “What are you talking about?”
She pointed to the infant paraphernalia next to her feet. “Someone left a baby on your doorstep.”
Single women in Summit had done a lot of crazy things to get his attention, but this topped everything. “Someone should have told you it’s way too late for an April Fools’ joke,” Thad scoffed.
“I’m well aware today is April sixth,” Michelle replied coolly, “and if this is a ploy to get your attention, Dr. Garner, I assure you, it’s not mine.”
Thad looked into Michelle’s face. He rubbed the last of the sleep from his eyes. “Why would anyone leave an infant with me?”
Michelle motioned at the piece of white paper wedged between the side of the baby bed and the mattress in the bottom of it. “Perhaps that envelope will tell you.”
Thad knelt down to get it. His name was scrawled across the front, all right.
He tore into it and read.
Dear Thad,
Brice and Beatrix may have changed their minds about becoming parents—I haven’t. It’s up to your brother, Russell, to decide what to do about William, since William is his kid.
I’m sorry it didn’t work out, but again, it’s not my problem. I did what I signed on to do. And that’s all I’m going to do.
Sincerely,
Candace
P.S. I hope you have better luck tracking down Russell than I did.
“What the…?” Thad muttered, scanning the letter once again.
Still trying to make sense of what it said, he held it out so Michelle could read it, too. “Who are Brice and Beatrix?” she asked with a frown.
Aware the baby looked blissfully happy snuggled against his neighbor’s soft breasts, Thad said, “No clue.”
Michelle pulled the blanket closer around the baby’s tiny body. “Candace?”
Thad shrugged and studied the wisp of dark, curling hair escaping from beneath the crocheted blue-and-white knit cap. The baby’s clothes looked expensive. “Also no idea.”
“But Russell…?”
“Is most definitely my brother and my only living relation,” Thad replied, taking in the baby’s cherubic features and fair skin. Was that his imagination or did William have the Garner nose? And Garner eyebrows? And chin?
He knew his older brother prided himself on his vagabond lifestyle, but could Russell really have turned his back on his own son? Or did he not know about him? Had the mother of this obviously unwanted child decided Russell was a bad bet as a father and put their baby up for adoption without consulting Russell? Only to have the adoptive parents back out at the last moment?
Michelle stared down at the baby as if he were the most adorable infant ever to grace the earth. Thad knew how she felt—the kid was certainly cute enough to grace a baby-food ad.
Michelle looked up at Thad. “Do you think your brother even knows he’s a father?”
Thad exhaled. “Hard to say.”
Irritably he scooped up the diaper bag, infant car seat and Moses basket and set them in his foyer. “Please come in,” he said gruffly.
Michelle did so, albeit hesitantly, warily.
Not that she had ever been particularly friendly with him, Thad thought.
Since moving to Summit some three months earlier to take over the law practice of a retiring local barrister, she’d barely had the time of day for him. He wasn’t sure why she was so aloof, at least where he was concerned. He’d never been anything but cordial to the attractive attorney.
Of course they hadn’t encountered each other all that often. She worked from nine to six Monday through Friday. His shifts were generally twelve hours and varied according to the demands of the Summit, Texas, emergency room.
Nevertheless, he’d had a hard time keeping his eyes off the willowy strawberry blonde.
Michelle Anderson carried herself with the self-confident grace of an accomplished career woman. On workdays she could usually be seen in sophisticated business suits and heels. On weekends and evenings, she was much more casual.
This morning, she was wearing a pair of navy running shorts that made the most of her long, shapely legs, a hot-pink-and-navy T-shirt that paid similar homage to her breasts. Her running shoes and socks were white. Her hair was caught up in a ponytail on the back of her head, and the few escaped tendrils were attractively mussed. Her peaches-and-cream complexion had a healthy glow, while her emerald-green eyes held the skepticism of a woman who had seen and heard way too much in the course of her profession.
But then, Thad thought, walking over to snag a navy-blue T-shirt off the back of the sofa and pull it on, so had he…
“Well?” Michelle asked, bouncing slightly to comfort the now squirming newborn, as Thad slid on a pair of moccasins and came back to stand beside her. “Does that letter make any sense at all to you?” she demanded.
Thad watched the baby root around as if looking for a nipple. “Unfortunately, yes,” he admitted reluctantly, not proud of this part of his family heritage. Spying a baby bottle in the pocket of the infant seat, he plucked it out and unscrewed the lid.
The formula smelled fresh. He screwed the top back on and handed it to her. “My brother is as reckless and shortsighted as they come.”
“Meaning?” Michelle offered the bottle to William and smiled when he latched on immediately.
Thad frowned. “It’s possible Russell’s gotten himself in a mess and left me to clean up.” And that was all Thad was prepared to say until he had talked to his only sibling.
AT THAD’S INVITATION, Michelle sat down on the sofa and gave William his bottle while Thad went off to make some phone calls.
When he returned some thirty minutes later, he was dressed as if for work, his broad shoulders and impossibly masculine chest covered by a starched green shirt and tie, his trim waist, hips and long, sinewy legs draped in khaki dress slacks. His custom-made leather boots were buffed to a soft sheen.
He smelled…so good. Like the forest after a drenching spring rain. And he looked great, too—his square jaw newly shaven, his golden-brown eyes alert with interest. “I left messages for Russell everywhere,” he reported grimly.
Trying not to notice how the early-morning sunlight streaming in through the windows glimmered in his short, sandy-brown hair, Michelle shifted William to her shoulder to burp him. Up close, she couldn’t help but notice—once again—how ruggedly handsome Thad was. No wonder all the women in town were wild about him. When she tore her gaze from his chiseled jaw and sensual lips, it was only to meet the warm intimacy of his amber eyes.
Finally she found her voice. “Any idea how long it will take for your brother to get back to you?” she asked, surprised at how casual and unaffected she sounded.
Thad looked unhappy. “No telling.” He clipped a pager and cell phone to his belt, searched around for his keys. “Russell could be in any time zone. He’s a photojournalist for a wire news service, always off on assignment somewhere, but he checks his messages every day, unless he’s in a war zone. Then, of course, it can be harder to get in touch with him.”
Michelle was rubbing William’s back gently. “What are you going to do?”
Thad eyed her reluctantly. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” He sat down next to her and smiled tenderly at the baby, who was looking back at him with sleepy blue eyes. “I’m due at the E.R. in twenty minutes. I’m trying to get someone to cover my shift for me. Meanwhile, I need someone to watch William.” He offered his index finger to the baby and grinned when William instinctively wrapped his tiny fist around it and held on tight.
Anxiously, Thad looked back at Michelle. “You know any babysitters I could call on short notice?”
Michelle knew what he was really asking. “You can’t take him with you to the hospital?”
Thad shook his head. “It’d be a bad idea. Too many germs in the E.R.”
He had a point there. She looked down at her tiny charge. It didn’t matter what she thought of Thad. This child needed tender loving care. “How old do you think he is?” she asked softly, smiling when William finally let out a healthy-sounding burp.
Thad chuckled, too. “A few days. Maybe.”
And already abandoned. Michelle felt tears welling in her eyes. “That’s what I thought, too,” she murmured thickly. She wished she could simply take William to her place and give him the home he deserved. But life was never that simple. Wishes were never granted that easily. She would not get the baby she wanted in her life this way.
“So back to the babysitter dilemma,” Thad persisted, oblivious to the yearning nature of her thoughts. “Any idea who I could call?”
“Besides any of your legion of female admirers?” she quipped, offering the last of the bottle to William.
“I’m serious.”
So was she. Michelle tested the waters with an idea. “Violet Hunter knows a lot about kids.”
“We dated a couple times, when I first came to town.”
So Michelle had heard. The pretty single mom had been one of Thad’s most persistent admirers.
“It was about six months after her husband died,” Thad continued cryptically. “It didn’t work out. From what I can tell, although it’s been about two years now, she’s still pretty vulnerable.”
Michelle had met the twenty-nine-year-old nurse—and her two little girls—at a charity fund-raiser the previous summer. She was very nice. And very much in the market for another husband.
She looked at him, waiting.
“I don’t want to give Violet the wrong idea,” Thad said finally.
Michelle studied him. Close up, he didn’t appear to be the kind of guy who enjoyed stringing women along. In fact, the opposite. Life had taught her that appearances could be deceptive. She did better relying on facts in her personal life, just as she did in her practice of the law.
“And the wrong idea would be?” she probed.
Thad regarded her with the patient cool of an expert witness. “That something might be possible when it’s not.” Regret turned down the corners of his mouth. “And if I call Violet—or someone else I’ve dated—and tell them I need help with the baby I suddenly have on my hands…”
“You’d probably be getting more than chicken enchilada casserole on your front porch,” Michelle said wryly.
“Exactly.”
“Whereas if you were to put me in charge…”
He suddenly seemed defensive. “It’s pretty clear where you stand regarding dating me.”
“But you’ve never asked me out, so I’ve never had the opportunity to turn you down.”
“But you would,” Thad countered.
True. If only because she didn’t want to end up wasting her time again on something that was never going to happen. Only this time, given Thad’s rep with the local ladies, she would know that going in. Deciding, since they were neighbors, it was best simply to be honest, she shrugged. “I don’t date players.”
His lips tightened. “I’m not a player.”
Michelle kept her eyes off the sinewy lines of his shoulders and chest. She did not need to remember how he looked clad only in a low-slung cotton pajama bottom, or be thinking about the crisp, dark hair arrowing straight down the goody line. She closed her mind to any further licentious thoughts. “Right.”
“I’m just honest about whether or not I see a future with a woman.”
Doing her best to slow her racing pulse, she got a hold of her out-of-control fantasies and retorted, “And you usually don’t.”
“Usually isn’t always,” he replied cryptically.
Which meant what? Michelle wondered. He’d had his heart broken, too?
Disconcerted—because that would give them something in common—she returned her gaze to the newborn nestled in her arms.
If William were her baby…
But he wasn’t, Michelle reminded herself firmly.
Still, the little guy was here now. He needed someone to watch over him until this mess could be sorted out. Someone who wouldn’t leave him on Thad Garner’s doorstep all by himself.
“Believe me,” Thad said, sounding as protective toward this tiny baby as she was, “if I had any other job, I’d stay and take care of the little fella myself. But I can’t leave the E.R. short-staffed. We’ve got the only trauma center in the entire county.”
Lives depended on Thad.
Just as William, it seemed, was momentarily depending on her.
Before Michelle could stop herself, she was pushing aside every self-protective instinct she had and volunteering. “Fine. I’ll do it.”
Thad’s eyebrows lifted in amazement. “You sure?” he said finally, standing. “It’s going to be twelve hours, unless I’m able to find someone to cover the rest of my shift for me.”
Forcing herself to shove aside the memory of another child, another time, Michelle stood, too. There would be no such heartbreak this time because she wouldn’t allow herself to get that involved with William or Thad.
Loving the way the now sleeping William snuggled against her, she brushed off Thad’s concern. “I didn’t have much planned for today, anyway,” she fibbed. Her flower beds could wait.
Thad breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks. I really appreciate it.”
Michelle had a few stipulations of her own. “I want to watch him at my house, though.” The less she knew about Thad, the less time spent in his abode, the better.
“Of course.” Thad gently brushed his fingertips across William’s velvety cheek.
The air between the three of them reverberated with tenderness.
With apparent effort, Thad dropped his hand, stepped back and looked over at the baby gear in the foyer. “I hope everything you’re going to need is here.”
Michelle lowered her face to William and smelled…spit-up. Knowing that was something that could easily be taken care of, she said quietly, “If you’ll carry the stuff across the street, I’ll sort through it.”
“No problem.” He plucked up the items and followed her out the front door. “I owe you big-time for this,” he told her solemnly, falling into step beside her.
“Yes,” Michelle agreed. “You do.”
WHERE TO START? Michelle wondered as soon as the door shut behind Thad, and she and William were alone. She supposed it best to change William’s diaper.
She slung the diaper bag over her shoulder and carried him upstairs to her bedroom. His eyes were open again as she laid him gently down on the soft cotton quilt on her bed. “You know, we hear about things like this all the time,” she told him as she pulled a diaper and a packet of wipes from the bag. “Babies being left in the strangest places. I just want you to know that you shouldn’t take it personally. Candace was only doing what she thought best, taking you to your uncle Thad’s house.”
Although why Candace had simply left him in the Moses basket on the front porch was anyone’s guess. “But I don’t want you to worry,” Michelle continued reassuringly. “Because we are going to find your parents and get this all straightened out.”
One way or another, they would find a great home for William. Even if it meant calling the police and social services.
“In the meantime, I’m going to take care of you today, and then your uncle Thad is going to look after you. And before you know it, this little blip in your existence will be over. And it’ll all be good.”
All she had to do, Michelle thought as she went about getting everything she needed out of the diaper bag, was not get emotionally involved in a situation that was ultimately a win-lose proposition for her.
Winning, because she got to spend time with the most adorable baby she had ever seen.
And losing, because she was going to have to let him go.
Just as she’d had to let Jared and his son, Jimmy, go.
And that was as painful an event as ever, Michelle mused, unsnapping the legs of William’s designer duds.
Before she could get the diaper off, her phone rang.
Seeing Thad Garner’s name flash on the caller-ID screen, she grabbed the portable off the bedside table.
“How are things going?” he asked.
It was ridiculous how glad she was to hear his voice. She hit the speaker button on the receiver and set it on the bed. Doing her best to play it cool, she said, “You just left him five minutes ago!”
“More like seven.” Thad paused. “It sounds quiet.”
Talk about overprotective! “He seems happy enough,” Michelle allowed.
“He’s awake?”
“Yes. I’m in the process of changing his diaper.”
“While we talk?”
“Believe it or not, I can multitask.” She used a baby wipe on William.
“How does the diaper area look? Everything okay?”
William turned his head slightly toward the sound of Thad’s voice.
Michelle smiled. “As far as I can tell. It looks like he had a circumcision.”
“Did they leave any antibiotic ointment for the stitches?”
“Yes.” Figuring he would know, she asked, “How often are you supposed to apply it?”
“A very thin layer three times a day.”
Michelle made a note of that. “Since we don’t know when it was done last, should I go ahead and do that now? Or wait till later?”
“Go ahead and put some on now just to be on the safe side.”
Michelle did as directed.
Thad paused. “Is there a pharmacy label on the ointment?”
Once again, they were of one mind. Had there been a label, there would have been a patient last name and a prescribing physician and hospital or pharmacy name, as well. “No. It may have been on the box the ointment came in—but that’s not with his belongings.” She confirmed this with a second look through the bag.
“Too bad. It would have helped to have more to go on than first names.”
Michelle agreed wholeheartedly. Right now, of the four people ostensibly involved in this fiasco, they only knew how to contact one, and he might be out of the country! “Did you hear from your brother?” she asked, hoping that might have been the real reason for the call.
“Not yet.” Thad sighed his frustration.
As long as she had “the doctor” on the line, Michelle asked, “Would it be okay if I gave William a sponge bath? He smells a little like spit-up.”
“How’s his umbilical cord?”
She checked it out. “Kind of, um, brown. Still hanging on.”
“Not infected?”
“No.”
“I think a sponge bath would be okay,” Thad said in that thoughtful voice doctors used when tending to patients. “Just make sure the water temperature is lukewarm. And don’t get the cord wet—keep that area dry.”
Michelle resnapped the onesie and tucked the blanket in around William to keep him warm. “I’ll go to Dr. Greene’s Web site on the Internet and read up on the proper procedure before I start, just to make sure I do everything correctly.”
Another pause. “You know about that?”
Michelle tried not to take offense at the surprise in Thad’s voice. “All my friends back in Dallas have babies. All of them use that Web site as their primary reference.”
“No wonder you seem so at ease with a newborn,” he said.
That wasn’t why.
But Michelle didn’t want to tell him about the year she had spent taking care of another infant, only to lose him—and his father—in the end.
“Anything else you need?” Thad asked helpfully.
Michelle studied the contents of the diaper bag. “As far as I can tell, there appear to be enough diapers, clothing and formula to last a couple of days.” She wondered if Thad would even have the baby that long. She knew better than anyone that the situation could change in an instant, that Brice and Beatrix or Candace or even Russell could show up to claim the baby. Which again was why she needed not to become too attached or overly involved in this situation.
Oblivious to her concerns, Thad continued, “If you need anything else, let me know. I’ll pick it up on the way back.”
This was suddenly getting way too cozy for comfort.
Reminded of the last time she’d had her heart broken, Michelle picked up William and held him. “Aren’t you supposed to be at work?” Michelle asked impatiently, beginning to see why women fell so hard for the notoriously sexy doctor.
“In two minutes.” Thad paused. “I just wanted to check with you before I actually went into the hospital and let you know how to page me in case anything else comes up.” Thad gave her the number. “Call me if you need me. Otherwise, I’ll check in with you later,” he promised before he hung up.
With a sigh, Michelle turned back to the fragile bundle in her arms. “Looks like it’s just you and me, little guy,” she said. She smiled, realizing he was already fast asleep. “At least until your uncle Thad returns.”
Chapter Two
Thad expected to have half-a-dozen calls from Michelle Anderson during the day.
There were no phone calls.
And the two times he did call her, just to check in, she had sounded a little exasperated.
He guessed he couldn’t blame her.
She probably thought he didn’t trust her to take care of William in his absence. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Like animals, children knew instinctively whom they could trust and draw comfort from. William had recognized Michelle for the maternal soul she was from the moment she picked him up and cradled him gently in her arms.
Still, the moment his shift was up, Thad headed out the door and drove the short distance home. He parked in his driveway, then headed across the street.
As he approached the front porch of her Arts and Crafts-style home, he noticed the windows were open. Mounting the front steps, he heard Michelle singing softly. He glanced through the window. She was sitting in an old-fashioned rocking chair he hadn’t seen earlier, William in her arms.
Thad couldn’t tell if the baby was awake or asleep—he couldn’t see William’s face—but the moment was so tender and loving it stopped him in his tracks. This, he thought, was what parenthood should be about. This was the kind of life he and his brother should have had as kids, even after their mother died.
But they hadn’t. And there was no going back. Only forward. To the family he wanted to create.
All he needed was a woman to love.
He rapped on the screen.
The lovely vocal rendition of “Brahms’ Lullaby” stopped. Michelle rose slowly and walked over to open the door and let him in. She had changed into vintage jeans and a pale blue knit shirt that clung to her curves. Her apparently just-shampooed hair had dried in a tangle of soft, strawberry-blond curls. He had never seen her wear it that way, but he liked it as much as the sleek, straight style she usually wore.
“William looks…happy,” Thad noted. And so did she.
A pretty pink blush lit Michelle’s cheeks. “He’s very happy,” she said, meeting Thad’s eyes, “as long as he’s being held.” She frowned in concern. “Every time I get him to sleep and put him down, he wakes up after about ten minutes and completely freaks out.”
“Probably remembering…”
“Waking up alone on your front porch?” Michelle asked. “That’s what I was thinking.”
Thad shook his head. His brother was very much like their father had been while he was alive. Neither held much regard for familial responsibility or blood ties. Their lives were all about the latest career challenge.
Thad shoved his hands through his hair in frustration. “Damn Russell,” he muttered.
Michelle exhaled softly. “Haven’t heard from him, I take it?”
“No. And I’ve left several messages.” Thad felt the vibration of his phone. He took it off his belt clip, looked at the caller ID. Speak of the devil. “Finally!” Scowling, Thad put the phone to his ear. “Where are you?” he barked.
“I’m on assignment in Thailand. What’s the emergency?” Russell demanded, sounding equally irritated.
“A baby was left on my porch this morning.” Briefly, Thad explained.
Russell swore like a sailor who’d just found out his shore leave was canceled. But typically, he offered no explanation or apology.
Thad pressed on. “Did you know you were having a baby with Candace when you left the country?”
“I assumed she was pregnant,” Russell retorted, surprisingly matter-of-fact. “I didn’t know for sure.”
And obviously hadn’t bothered to find out, Thad thought irritably. “Why didn’t you mention it to me?” he demanded.
“Because her pregnancy wasn’t relevant to my life,” Russell grumbled.
Figuring he was going to need legal advice sooner rather than later, Thad activated the speaker on his phone and motioned Michelle closer, so she could listen in on the conversation.
“What do you mean Candace’s pregnancy wasn’t relevant to your life?” Thad asked.
Russell exhaled. “It was a surrogate arrangement. I donated sperm for a couple of friends.”
Okay. That made slightly more sense. Thad withdrew the pen and notepad he habitually carried in his shirt pocket. He wrote “Help me out here” on a slip of paper and handed it to Michelle.
She edged closer, concern on her face. “According to the note left with baby William, Brice and Beatrix changed their minds about becoming parents,” Thad told his brother.
“You’ll have to ask Candace Wright about that,” Russell insisted.
Thad jotted down the last name of William’s birth mother. “Do you have a phone number?”
Another disgruntled sigh. “She lives in Big Spring. That’s all I know.”
“What about Brice and Beatrix, the adoptive couple?”
“The Johnsons live in San Angelo. Listen, I can’t do anything from here—you’re going to have to straighten it all out.”
“How?” Thad shot back, aggrieved his brother could be so cold. “I don’t have paternity.”
“Neither do I. I signed away all my rights at the fertility clinic before the surrogate was even impregnated.”
“We’re going to need a copy of those papers ASAP,” Michelle told Thad, switching into lawyer mode.
“Who is that?” Russell demanded.
“Michelle Anderson,” she introduced herself. “I’m a neighbor of your brother’s—I found the baby.”
“She’s also an attorney,” Thad interjected.
Michelle asked Russell, “Is there any way we can look at those papers you signed?”
Russell harrumphed. “They’re in one of the boxes I left in Thad’s attic. If you can find them, you can have ’em. Aside from that, I don’t want anything to do with this. Like Candace Wright, I’ve done my part.”
It wasn’t that simple, Thad knew. “If what Candace said is true…if Brice and Beatrix have changed their minds about taking William into their family…Genetically, the child is half yours.”
“Not to my way of thinking,” Russell snapped.
“He’s a Garner.” And that, Thad thought, should mean something.
Russell scoffed. “What would I do with a kid? I don’t have a home and I don’t want one.”
Every fiber of Thad’s being told him it would be a mistake just to walk away. Anger rising, he said, “You can’t just stand by and do nothing while this child you had a hand in creating is abandoned.”
“Sure I can,” Russell replied. “And you know why? Because it would be best. The kid doesn’t need a father like the one we had. And that’s what I am. However, if you think you can do better, if you want to jump in, Thad, be my guest. Just leave me out of it.”
The connection ended with a decisive click.
Thad locked gazes with Michelle, not sure whether he was sorry or glad she had heard all that. He swore. “What a mess.”
YES, MICHELLE THOUGHT. It was one heck of a mess.
Deciding it was time to try again, she carried the sleeping William over to the elaborately lined Moses basket, and set him down gently on his back. She tucked a blanket around him to keep him warm. Relieved he still appeared to be asleep, at least for the moment, she walked over to the window where Thad was standing. “I’m not sure I should be involved in this situation.”
Thad looked surprised, then confused. “You’re a lawyer.”
Her pulse picked up as she pointed out, “I’m not your lawyer.”
Thad tilted his head. “You could be.”
She kept her expression impassive. “This is a family-law case.”
He raised an eyebrow. “And you have a background in family law. A pretty good one, from what I’ve heard.”
That was then, Michelle thought. This was now. And she knew better these days. She lifted her hands in a vague gesture of dissatisfaction and stepped away. “I did so much of it the first five years out of law school that I burned out on it. My current practice focuses on the needs of small business, wills and estate planning, real estate and consumer law. My law partner—Glenn York—does all the divorce, custody and adoption cases for our firm.”
“I know his reputation. He’s very good.” Thad paused. He glanced over at the sleeping William, then back to Michelle. “I’d still prefer you handle it.”
His was not an uncommon reaction. People with legal trouble often latched on to the first person who appeared able to help them out of it, without bothering to verify credentials or search out expertise in that specific area of the law. “You don’t even know me,” she said.
“You’ve handled the situation well so far.”
That wasn’t the only reason, Michelle decided. “You’re embarrassed by your brother’s attitude, aren’t you?”
A muscle worked in Thad’s jaw. “Wouldn’t you be?”
Michelle tried not to think how easy it was to be here with Thad like this. She shrugged. “I learned a long time ago not to judge people by the messes they get themselves into.” She had always been trained to look at both sides of every issue. “Besides, it sounds as if your brother was trying to do a good deed for someone. It just didn’t turn out the way he expected.”
Thad sobered. “I hadn’t thought about it that way.”
Michelle called upon even more of her law-school training. “Your brother may change his mind about the child.”
Thad’s mouth took on a downward slant. “No. He won’t.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because of the way we grew up.” Thad’s mood turned reflective. “Our mom was really great—loving and fun, smart and kind—but she died from an aneurysm when Russell and I were in elementary school. We barely knew our dad—he was a geologist for an oil company. I’ve no doubt he loved us in his way, but he wasn’t interested in being a hands-on parent. Nevertheless, he left the project he was working on in South America and came back to Summit to take care of us.” He exhaled. “For the next ten years or so, he worked assignments around the state. When we hit our teens and were old enough to stay alone, he went back to the more exciting gigs in South and Central America. From that point on, until he died five years ago, we rarely saw him because he was just never home.”
Michelle touched Thad’s arm gently. “That sounds lonely.”
Thad glanced at her hand, then said, “Summit’s a closeknit community. We had a lot of people looking out for us. Plenty to eat. And the house across the street to live in.”
But, Michelle speculated, not what he had obviously wanted most—a loving, emotionally engaged and interested parent on the premises.
“What was your childhood like?” Thad asked, his rumbling drawl sending shivers over her skin.
She figured she might as well be honest, too. “I grew up in a well-to-do suburban enclave of Dallas. I was an only child of two very loving but ambitious people.” She paused. “So let’s just say, for me, failure in any venue was not an option.”
Thad chuckled sympathetically. “You’re giving me new appreciation for my laissez-faire teens.”
Michelle sighed. The understanding look on his face soon had her confiding further in him. “Don’t get me wrong. I had plenty of attention and everything I needed to succeed. Including special tutors and private coaches when necessary.”
Thad seemed to know instinctively there was more. “But…?”
“There were times when I felt as if I had been born on a treadmill set at high speed with no way to get off.” Times when she had felt she would never please her folks no matter how much she accomplished. Michelle forced herself to go on. “My parents were both tenured university professors and department chairs. When they weren’t hovering over me, urging me to greater heights, they worked all the time.”
William stirred and began to whimper again. She went over to pick him up before he began to wail in earnest. Soothing him with a cuddle and a kiss, Michelle walked back to Thad.
“That sounds rough,” he said.
Michelle nodded and handed the baby to him. “Too much so for my folks,” she admitted, watching with pleasure as William snuggled up to Thad every bit as easily as he had snuggled up to her. Then she frowned. “My mom and dad both died of stress-related illnesses a few years ago. Their health problems spurred me to reevaluate my own life. I decided I didn’t want to continue to live in the big city, so I began saving money and looking around for a place to live a quieter life.”
“I know what you mean. I went to medical school and did my E.R. residency in Houston. By the time I’d finished, I’d had enough of rush-hour traffic and crowds. When there was an opening at the Summit hospital, I jumped at it.”
William’s lashes shut. His breathing grew deep and even once again.
“But we digress,” Michelle said.
Thad cast a loving glance at the infant in his arms. “Yes,” he said softly. “We do.”
Forcing herself to pull back emotionally, before she got in way over her head, Michelle said, “You need to get this situation with William sorted out as soon as possible.”
Before either of them fell even more in love with this abandoned little boy.
THE FIRST ORDER of business, they both decided, after they had resettled the sleeping William in his bed, was to get the addresses and phone numbers of the people involved. That turned out to be easy enough. An Internet search quickly gave them contact information for Candace Wright, as well as Brice and Beatrix Johnson.
Aware he was so far out of his depth it wasn’t funny, Thad asked, “Any advice on how I should handle this?”
Michelle glanced sideways at him, reminding him, “I’m not going to represent you.”
Thad wondered if she had any idea how beautiful she looked in the soft light of her elegantly decorated living room, feet propped up on the coffee table, laptop computer settled on her jean-clad thighs. He propped up his feet on the coffee table, too, next to hers. “You could still advise me as a friend.”
Her eyes remained on the screen as she studied the information there. She typed in the print command. “Are we friends?”
Somewhere in the too-quiet depths of her house, he heard a laser printer start up. “I think we’re getting there.” As she put her laptop aside and moved to stand, he inhaled the orange-blossom fragrance of her shampoo.
He stood, too. “Why? Does that bother you?”
He followed her down the hall to the kitchen. A home-office space had been built into one wall, with floor-to-ceiling kitchen cabinets on either side. The printer was on the shelf above the desk. She plucked several pages out of the tray and gave him a look of lawyerly calm. “These are highly unusual circumstances.”
No argument there. Thad shrugged, aware he hadn’t been this affected by a woman in a long time. If ever. “What better way to get to know each other?”
Her lips curved cynically. “I hope you’re not hitting on me.”
Was he? “Wouldn’t think of it.” Thad matched her semiamused tone.
Silence fell between them. Knowing this would all go a lot easier if Michelle were there to help him and their tiny charge, Thad walked back to the living room with her. “Just help me get through the rest of the weekend,” he proposed.
In his bed, William pushed out his lower lip in indignation and began to whimper once again.
“Then if I need to hire someone, I’ll do it on Monday morning.” He picked up William and cradled him in his arms. The little guy couldn’t have weighed more than eight pounds and still had the faint redness of skin all newborns had. Yet he already had so much personality. “I don’t want to screw this up. This little guy has already been through enough.” Thad fought the unexpected tightness in his throat, continued in a voice that sounded rusty, even to him. “And since my brother is not acting responsibly…”
Michelle turned away, but not before Thad thought he saw a glint of empathetic tears in her green eyes. She cleared her throat. “Speaking of Russell, maybe you should try to find whatever it is he signed and make sure those papers state what he thinks they do.”
“Good point.” Legal jargon could be as confusing as medical terminology. “You want to come over with us, help me search?”
Surprise mingled briefly with disappointment in her eyes. “You’re taking the baby tonight, then?”
“I figured I’d keep William at my place tonight since you had him all day.” Thad gazed at Michelle. She looked like she’d just lost her best friend. “You can stay over, too.” The invitation was out before he could think.
She took it completely the wrong way. The droll expression was back on her face. “Uh, thanks, but…no.”
He held up one palm. “I’ll be the perfect gentleman.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m sure you would be.”
She fit the crocheted cap on William’s head and helped Thad bundle him up in a blanket. When that was done, she picked up the diaper bag and Moses basket, while he held the door for both of them.
Together, they strolled down the front walk and across the street. Thad led the way up his front porch, wishing he’d thought to turn on the lights before he’d gone over to Michelle’s home.
“So, my rep is that bad?” Thad shifted William to one arm while he unlocked the door and hit the lights.
“Or good.” Michelle preceded Thad inside in another drift of orange blossom. For the first time he realized how disorderly his home was.
“Excuse me?” he asked in confusion.
“It all depends on how you look at it,” she explained.
Thad switched on more lamps, wishing he’d thought to vacuum or dust in the past month, instead of sitting around reading medical journals and working out at the hospital fitness center in his spare time.
“Please continue,” he prodded her.
She looked him straight in the eye. “You’ve got a reputation for dating around, not sleeping around.”
“Good to know,” he said.
The sparkle was back in her eyes. “Isn’t it?”
Thad figured it wouldn’t hurt to flirt. Especially since she’d started it. “As long as we’re on the subject, want to know what your rep in the community is?”
DID SHE WANT to know?
His goading look was all the provocation she needed. “Well, I guess now I have to know.”
Thad put William over his shoulder and gently patted his back, then turned his attention back to her. “Ice princess.”
Okay, that hurt. A little. Especially since she’d done nothing to deserve it.
She made her eyes go wide. “Really?”
“Mm-hm.” Thad stepped closer, still patting William on the back. “Word is, you’ve been asked out by at least twenty guys—”
“I think that’s a small exaggeration,” she said.
“—and said no to every single one,” Thad finished smugly, leaving no doubt that he’d been investigating the details of her romantic life, or lack thereof, too.
She shrugged, aware her pulse was racing, and defended herself. “Well, that’s because I won’t go out with someone if I don’t see hope of anything…happening.”
A smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, he leaned down so they were practically nose to nose. “How can you know if you don’t go out with them?”
“I just do.”
He let his gaze drift over her slowly, before returning to her eyes. “See, I don’t buy that,” he told her with lazy male confidence. “I don’t think you can begin to know someone unless you spend one-on-one time together. You’ve got to take a risk—”
Michelle smirked. “Well, I hear you’ve done plenty of that.”
“—to reap rewards.” He sneaked a peek at the baby on his shoulder. He grinned when he realized that William was sound asleep again. He walked over to the Moses basket and gently laid the baby down, covering him with a blanket.
Trying not to notice how naturally Thad had taken to being a daddy figure to the abandoned little boy, Michelle rocked forward on her toes.
The thought of Thad reaping rewards with any other woman bothered her more than it should. Marshaling all her defenses, she asked sweetly, “How’s that method working out for you so far?”
“I haven’t hit pay dirt yet.” His gaze slid past the delicate hollow of her throat, to her lips and then her eyes. “I will.”
She took a deep breath, dropped her gaze. Then found herself remembering the way he’d looked, shirtless and just out of bed, that morning. Flushing, she tore her eyes from the masculine contours of his chest. “Sure you will.”
“Make fun all you like,” he said. He stepped closer. “You need to take more risks.”
His words hit a chord. She’d heard the same from others, too. “Just see if you can find the papers,” she instructed irritably, deciding Dr. Thad Garner was the last man she would ever get involved with.
Thad sighed. “Wish me luck. That attic is a mess.”
“IT’S NOT THERE,” Thad reported in frustration a short time later.
He’d only been up in the attic twenty minutes, Michelle thought. She removed the bottle she’d been heating from the bowl of warm water. “Are you sure?”
Thad looked at William, who was lying patiently in his Moses basket, eyes wide open, trying awkwardly to get his thumb to his mouth. “I checked through the most recent boxes.”
Which meant Thad hadn’t checked through everything belonging to his brother, Michelle deduced. “Maybe it’s in an older box,” she suggested, wiping the outside of the bottle dry. “Do you want me to go up and look?”
Thad glanced at her clothes. “It’s kind of grimy up there,” he warned.
Michelle tested the bottle on the inside of her wrist. “Not a problem. You’ll have to feed William, though.”
“He’s ready to eat again?”
“Yes, he is.” Michelle handed Thad the bottle of formula.
Thad smiled, as if he relished his first chance to give William a bottle.
“You know, we could probably just wait and ask Candace Wright.”
“That’s assuming we can find her and she’ll talk to us. She may not. In any case, it’s best to be as prepared as you can be before you walk into a situation like this.” She sighed. “So if Russell thinks the papers he signed are in the attic, I think we need to do everything possible to find them. Because if we can find them, then we will know what attorney he used to prepare them.”
“What if they didn’t use an attorney? What if they just went online and printed out some do-it-yourself forms and signed those?”
Michelle exhaled. “Then none of what they’ve done may be legal. But again, we’re getting ahead of ourselves.” She held up a staying hand. “How do I get to the attic?”
Thad picked up William and the bottle. “We’ll walk you up there.”
Thad motioned her up the stairs. Past the master bedroom, with its heavy mahogany furniture and big, comfortable-looking bed. There was a stack of books and what looked like medical journals on both nightstands. Baskets of what looked like clean, unfolded laundry, and an overflowing hamper. On down the hall, past another bath and bedroom, decorated in teenage-boy motif, with a big sign on the door that read: Russell’s Room—No One Else Allowed. Next to that was a study, with a desk and cozy leather armchair and ottoman. Along one wall was a stack of gift boxes, reminding Michelle of all the women in town who were chasing him. Before she could stop herself, she blurted, “What’s this? The trophy room?”
“I’m planning to donate it all. I just can’t do it anywhere in town. ’Cause someone will know and then I’ll hurt somebody’s feelings…and I don’t want to do that.”
She could see he was serious. “It must be hard to be you,” she said dryly.
He returned her droll look and opened a door leading to the third floor. “Up there.”
Michelle hit the switch next to the door. Light flooded the third floor and spilled down the rough wooden stairs. “Thanks.”
Thad wandered back in the direction they’d come. “William, let’s go into the master bedroom and have ourselves a bottle, shall we?”
Shaking her head, Michelle headed up the stairs. Thad was right. It was a mess. And a pretty big one. Most of it seemed to be Russell’s, judging by the name scrawled in black Magic Marker on the sides of boxes.
She began looking. And looking. And looking. Finally, thirty minutes later, she hit the jackpot. Or at least she hoped she had. She found a metal lockbox, the kind where people tended to store their important papers. Only problem was, she noted, it was locked.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs. Thad came up to stand beside her. “Any luck?”
She waved her find. “This could be it.”
Thad towered over her, six feet two inches of attractive single male. “I didn’t know he had that up here,” he murmured in a low, sexy voice.
Once again, Michelle forced herself to set her attraction to the handsome doctor aside. She moved past him and headed briskly down the stairs. “Where’s William?”
Thad followed laconically. “In his Moses basket, asleep.”
Which meant she now had Thad’s undivided attention, at least for the next ten minutes or so, until William awakened again. She ignored the tingling in her midriff and forced herself to stay focused on the task. “You don’t happen to have a key for this?”
He shook his head.
“How about a paper clip?”
“In my study.”
They peeked in the master bedroom, where William was sleeping, then ducked into the study, opened a desk drawer and rummaged around. Finally he produced a paper clip and handed it over.
She could feel him watching her as she sat on the edge of the desk and began to work on the lock.
She looked up. The intent, appreciative, all-male look in his eyes made her catch her breath. “What are you thinking?” she demanded.
Thad tucked a finger beneath her chin, moved in closer. “This.”
Chapter Three
Michelle had plenty of time to duck her head and step away—if she wanted to avoid the kiss.
She didn’t.
Maybe because kissing him was all she’d been thinking about since he’d answered the door that morning, fresh out of bed.
Actually, she reminded herself sagely, the zing of awareness had happened a lot sooner than that. He’d caught her attention as soon as she realized who was living across the street from her.
The parade of women making their way to his front door—plus his reputation as a love-’em-and-leave-’em type—had kept her from acting on that purely physical attraction.
But coming face-to-face with him this morning, being close enough to touch that powerful, masculine body, had forced her to see him in a new light.
Not just as a neighbor or a guy she was too wary of to befriend.
But as a man who conjured up the kind of romantic day-dreams and pure, physical lust she didn’t know she possessed. And seeing him with William, knowing how deeply he cared about family, even when it seemed that the only family he had left didn’t care all that much about him, had added another dimension to the mystery that was Thad.
So when Thad angled his head and his face drifted slowly, inevitably closer to hers, Michelle gave in to the curiosity that had plagued her for months now and let it happen.
She opened her mouth slightly and let his warm, sensual lips make contact with hers. And then suddenly his arms were around her, dragging her closer, so that every inch of her was pressed against every inch of him. Hardness to softness, heat pressed to heat, she was wrapped in a cage of hard male muscle and passionate determination. Her heart beat wildly and she tilted her head back in open surrender. His tongue swept into her mouth, blazing a path that was as tender as it was fiery. She stroked her tongue against the potent pressure of his, knowing she hadn’t made out like this…since…Had she ever made out like this? Had her insides ever sizzled from just a kiss?
Michelle didn’t think so. Which was why, she realized abruptly, she couldn’t let it continue. She’d be in way over her head.
She flattened her hands on the hard wall of his chest and tore her lips from his. “Stop!”
Just that swiftly, Thad did.
He drew back, loosening his hold on her, not letting go completely. “What’s wrong?”
She lifted her brow. “You even have to ask?”
This time, he did release her.
He stepped back and settled on the edge of his desk. Long legs stretched out in front of him, hands braced casually on either side of him, he met her gaze. “I have to admit…I’m confused,” he murmured, making no effort to hide his continuing desire, “since I thought we were getting along like a house on fire.”
They had been. She hitched in a breath and qualified, “For all the wrong reasons.”
His brow furrowed.
She held up her hands in a gesture that warded off further intimacy. “It’s not you and me, Thad. It’s the situation. Our emotions are heightened. Finding William this morning…well, it upset our whole world. So naturally we have a lot of extra adrenaline and emotional energy to burn off, and we did that by ending up in each other’s arms.”
The look he gave her was skeptical. One corner of his just-kissed mouth quirked up, reminding her of how great he tasted. “That all sounds very reasonable—except for one thing. I work in a hospital trauma center, Michelle. I’m used to a hell of a lot more upset and stress.”
She flushed with an embarrassment she could not contain. Held his eyes with effort. “So maybe I’m the only one with an excess of adrenaline and emotion.”
He sobered immediately. “Well, maybe—but we still haven’t figured out how we’re going to handle this situation with William.”
Trying hard not to focus on the we in his approach, Michelle decided more physical distance between them was needed. She sat down on the leather reading chair in the corner and went back to working on the lock. “First of all, William was left in your care, so it’s really your call how you want to proceed.”
He settled more comfortably on the edge of his desk. “I want your professional advice.”
Michelle slipped into the much more comfortable lawyer mode. “I suggest you speak to Candace Wright first—since she is the person who apparently left William in your care, and Beatrix and Brice Johnson next. Find out what went wrong with the surrogate arrangement and if the Johnsons really have changed their mind, or if this is all some sort of big misunderstanding.”
Thad paused, looking none too happy about the possibility someone might want William back. “You think it’s possible the surrogate and the Johnsons somehow got their signals crossed?”
Michelle had stepped into far worse adoption quagmires. She shrugged, admitting, “It happens.”
Another pause. “Does Candace Wright have any legal rights to William?”
Good question, Michelle thought. “Only if she is the egg donor, as well, and that’s not the case in ninety-eight percent of the surrogate arrangements these days.” Thad gave her a quizzical look, prompting her to continue explaining. “When the surrogate is also the biological mother, it’s literally her child, too, in a purely physical sense, and that mutual DNA complicates how she feels about giving the baby up at birth. So these days, a donor egg, as well as donor sperm, is generally used—the surrogate is simply a host. That makes it a lot easier for the surrogate to surrender the baby at birth.”
Thad took that in. “So if that was the arrangement…” he said eventually.
“Then Candace Wright has no legal right or responsibility to the child. The egg donor would also have terminated her legal rights to the baby before implantation, just as your brother did. However, she could be in a position now to reverse that and make a claim on William if no one else wants him.” Michelle sighed. “And right now we have no idea who the egg-donor-slash-William’s-biological-mother is. But either the Johnsons or Candace Wright will probably know that.”
“How do you know so much about surrogate arrangements?”
“Two reasons.” Michelle felt a give in the lock she was still trying to undo. “It’s now an essential part of family law. And I handled a contract for a client.”
Thad’s eyes lit with renewed interest. “Did it turn out all right?”
Michelle nodded. “That one went without a hitch. But it was a different situation. The surrogate was the wife’s sister. A medical condition prevented the wife from carrying a pregnancy to term, but they were able to use the egg and sperm of the husband and wife, so it was all pretty clear.”
Silence fell. Thad looked increasingly conflicted. Michelle’s heart went out to him. This was a very tough situation.
“One way or another, I am sure William will find a very good home with loving parents.” She would see to it.
Thad nodded, his handsome face a mask of sheer male determination. “Initially, I was going to try to track down Candace Wright by phone. Now, I’m thinking our conversation should be done face-to-face.”
“I agree,” Michelle said. “And you should probably take William—and someone else with you—to witness the events. Just in case there are any questions later about what was said and by whom. It also might be a good idea to get Candace to give you a copy of her original surrogate contract, as well as an affidavit relinquishing any claim to custody, under the current conditions of William’s abandonment, if that is still her desire.”
“We couldn’t just use the letter she left on my front porch?” Thad asked hopefully.
“We’ll produce it as evidence of course, but a judge is going to want to see more than that.”
“It’ll have to go to court?”
“Eventually, yes, because we’re talking about a change in whatever custody agreement was put in place prior to William’s birth.”
Thad exhaled. “This is getting complicated.”
Michelle offered a sympathetic smile. “Surrogate arrangements always are.” People were rarely prepared for the complexities involved.
“I’m beginning to think I should take legal counsel with us.”
Michelle felt another give in the lock. Almost there.
“It’s not a bad idea.”
From the other room, they heard a whimper, then a full-throated cry. Thad disappeared. When he returned, William was snuggled against his chest, quietly looking around. Michelle could see Thad was already getting his hopes up that the baby would end up staying a member of his family. She didn’t want to see him disappointed.
“Will you go with us?” Thad asked.
Aside from Michelle’s law partner, Glenn York, there was only one family-law attorney in Summit. Tucker James was a good guy, but not one inclined to work weekends or take on matters that were unusually complex. If this situation turned out to be as messed up as it appeared, Michelle knew Thad was going to need a top-notch attorney experienced in surrogate arrangements. That would be Glenn. Unfortunately Glenn was already working all weekend on a messy divorce-and-property-settlement case that would be in deposition next week. Reluctantly Michelle volunteered. “I can help you out temporarily.”
Thad smiled his relief, putting far too much stock in her abilities. “That would be great!”
“One thing, though,” Michelle cautioned.
He waited, sandy eyebrows raised.
“No more kissing,” she said firmly.
“Agreed.” He grinned. “Unless you change your mind.”
Oh, how she wanted to, Michelle thought. It had been so long since she had felt so wanted. So long since her body had hummed with distinctly female satisfaction.
But Thad did not need to know that, she schooled herself sternly.
She looked him in the eye. “I won’t.”
He went very still. Looking disappointed, but no less determined, she noted.
“Because…?” His low voice sent shivers over her body.
Once again Michelle pushed away the desire welling up inside her. She called on her cool-as-ice courtroom demeanor. “We’re neighbors and we need to stay on good terms.”
He searched her eyes with daunting intimacy. “And you think we wouldn’t if we kissed again?”
I think I’d be devastated if I turned out to be one of your three-dates-and-it’s-over women. Hence, better safe than sorry, Michelle thought, as she gave the lock one more nudge. It opened with a click. She lifted the lid. Inside were several insurance policies on expensive camera equipment Russell Garner owned, an old driver’s license of his and a Summit High School class ring. There were no legal documents of any kind. Certainly nothing pertaining to a surrogate arrangement.
“I don’t know where else to look,” Thad said in frustration.
Michelle knew it wasn’t the end of the road for getting the information he needed. Far from it. “The attorney who prepared the documents will have copies. Maybe we can find out who that is tomorrow,” Michelle said.
Aware her reason for sticking around was gone, she stood. It was as difficult as she’d suspected it would be to leave the baby she had cared for all day. She forced herself to suppress her own deep longing for a child and look at Thad.
“What time did you want to leave tomorrow?” she asked casually.
“Seven in the morning okay with you?”
Michelle held Thad’s gaze a moment longer, then touched William’s cheek gently. “I’ll see you both then.”
MICHELLE HAD JUST changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed when the phone rang. Seeing it was Thad, she picked up the receiver and heard the loud, angry wails of an unhappy newborn.
“What’s going on?” she asked, aware William hadn’t cried that way when she’d been in charge.
More loud crying. “Help,” Thad said over the din.
Michelle was already reaching for her slippers. “I’ll be right there.”
Grabbing her light raincoat, she slipped it on against the chill of the spring evening and headed across the street. Thad was waiting for her, the wailing baby in his arms.
“What’s the matter?” Michelle asked, stepping inside.
The moment she spoke, the crying dimmed.
“You poor baby,” she soothed.
The wailing stopped altogether.
William studied her with his long-lashed, baby-blue eyes.
“Is it possible he just wanted to hear your voice?” Thad said.
Michelle scoffed and shook her head. “I only wish I were that wonderful. So what’s going on?”
“I was trying to give him his formula.” Thad pointed to the full bottle on the table next to the sofa.
Michelle walked over and picked it up. She frowned. “It’s cold, Thad.”
He looked even more clueless. “Yeah, so?”
“You’re supposed to heat it.”
He held up a hand in expert fashion. “Actually that’s an old wives’ tale. Infants are perfectly capable of taking their formula cold.”
Michelle narrowed her eyes at Thad. “Did they teach you that in medical school?”
“As a matter of fact,” he told her smugly, “they did.”
Unfortunately, Michelle thought, babies had individual quirks and preferences, just like adults. “Well, maybe that would be okay if he’d had it cold from the beginning. But he hasn’t. I gave him warm formula all day. The bottle you gave him earlier this evening was warmed, too.”
Thad appeared to think that over, but in the end refused to give ground. “Maybe he just missed you and wants you to give him his bottle again.”
Michelle’s ego liked the idea of that. Her maternal side had other ideas. “And maybe he just wants it warm.”
Thad shrugged. “One way to find out.” He handed William to Michelle.
She sat down in a chair, her raincoat still on.
His mouth quirked in barely suppressed amusement. “You can take off your coat and stay a while.”
No way, she thought. She was in her pj’s. No underwear. “I’m fine.” Michelle settled William in her arms and offered him the nipple. He looked at her with absolute trust, started to suck, then got a taste of the cold formula. He pushed it out with his tongue and kept looking at Michelle.
“He’s not crying,” Thad noted.
That was because he was busy snuggling against the softness of her breasts, the way he had all day. Michelle continued making eye contact with the little cutie. It was odd how much she had missed him, so quickly. It wasn’t as if he were her baby.
Perhaps she should remember that.
Aware Thad was still holding on to his med-school theory about not needing to warm baby formula, Michelle told him wryly, “The only reason he’s not crying over cold milk is he’s probably wondering how I got so dumb so fast. Right, little fella?”
William’s tiny mouth opened slightly. He looked as if he wanted to talk, wanted to tell her what was on his mind, but just couldn’t figure out how.
Michelle smiled, utterly besotted.
“Try the bottle again,” Thad said.
Knowing a point had to be made here, Michelle did.
William took a taste, then again pushed the bottle away with his lips and tongue. Michelle tried once more. William once more refused it. “I think we should warm it,” she reiterated.
“One problem.” Thad walked toward the rear of the house. She followed with William and the bottle. Unlike her kitchen, his hadn’t been upgraded in many years. The cabinets were painted white, and the walls were covered with a yellow-orange-and-brown-plaid wallpaper. A yellow-laminate-topped breakfast set with padded vinyl chairs were so retro they were back in fashion. The appliances were similarly dated. Even the faded yellow curtain above the sink looked like it had been there since his mother was alive. The only new items in the kitchen were a toaster and a matching coffeemaker.
“I don’t know how to warm a bottle,” Thad continued.
“Let me guess. You’ve never done any babysitting, either.”
“I’ve been around kids.”
“Not the same thing.”
“Apparently not,” he conceded.
The silence was contentious. And veering dangerously toward flirtation again. It made her nervous. “Are you paying attention?” she asked.
“Close attention.”
Okay, so he still desired her as much as she desired him. It didn’t mean they were going to act on it. She gave him the bottle. Their fingers brushed. She felt the heat of his body all the way to her toes. Swallowed. “Actually, maybe you should do this,” she told him. “That way it will be easier for you to remember.”
All business now, he said, “Okay.”
“They make bottle warmers, but we don’t have one, so we’re going to do it the old-fashioned way. There was a pretty bowl here earlier…”
“That belongs to Violet Hunter.”
Why was Michelle not surprised?
“She brought me some chili in it earlier in the week and I keep forgetting to take it back. She called after you left, offering to come by and get it tonight, but I told her I’d bring it to her at the hospital. Now, if you want me to go out to my car and get it…”
Michelle shook her head. Best he return the bowl to the lovesick nurse as soon as possible. “Where do you keep your bowls?”
He opened a cupboard, revealing a mismatched assortment of dishes, and handed one over.
Michelle shook her head. “That’s a cereal bowl. It’s way too shallow.” She paused. “Surely you’ve got mixing bowls.”
Thad gave her the blank look of a man who did not know his way around a kitchen. Michelle tried a simpler approach. “Where do you keep your pots and pans?”
This he knew. He pointed to a lower cabinet.
Michelle handed William to Thad and knelt to see what was there. Plenty, as it turned out, although again, everything there was at least thirty years old. She took out a saucepan, carried it to the sink and filled it with very warm tap water. She set the bottle in the pan, so the water covered the contents.
Thad leaned in, over her shoulder. “And now?”
“We wait.”
Thad edged closer, smiling down at the baby. “How will we know when the bottle’s the right temperature?” he asked as he and the baby made goo-goo eyes at each other.
“We’ll keep testing it. It should only take a few minutes.”
“Hear that, William?” Thad gently caressed the little one’s cheek. “Your dinner will be ready shortly.”
Three minutes later, the formula was the right temperature. They returned to the living room.
Thad sat down to give William his bottle. William made a face and pushed the nipple right back out.
“Now what’s wrong?” Thad asked.
Michelle could only guess. “Maybe William senses you’re uncertain.”
Thad didn’t deny that could be the problem. “Maybe you should give it a try again,” he said.
Figuring the little one had waited long enough for his feeding, Michelle sat down next to Thad on the sofa. He handed the baby to her. She shifted William so he was in a semi-upright position, resting in the crook of her arm. “We know you’re hungry,” she said, putting the nipple to his lips. William just stared at her, still refusing to drink. “You’re not going to be able to go back to sleep until you take this bottle,” Michelle said softly, gently rubbing the nipple back and forth across his lips. “So give it a try, little guy.”
Still watching her, William opened his mouth, took the nipple and began to suck. Twenty minutes and two burps later, William had downed all three ounces.
“I guess he was hungry,” Thad mused.
Reluctantly Michelle handed the baby back to him. She knew she shouldn’t be getting this involved in something that was essentially not her problem, but she really wished she could stay right here with the two of them, or better yet, take William home with her.
Reminding herself that was not an option, Michelle stood. “He should be good for three hours,” she said.
“Sure you don’t want to stay the night? We could have a slumber party.”
The image of Thad in his pj’s was all she needed to throw her overheated senses into overdrive. She quickened her pace. “Nice try.”
William in his arms, he followed her into the foyer. “What should I do if he starts crying again?”
Michelle paused, her hand on the doorknob. “Generally speaking, if William is unhappy, it’s one of four things—he’s wet, hungry, sleepy or in need of comfort and reassurance. Just go down the list, and if all else fails, just talk to him.”
Thad said, a tender note in his tone, “He likes your voice.”
And I like yours, Michelle thought, realizing how easily she could get used to being around Thad.
She smiled. “He’ll like yours, too, if he hears it often enough.”
“Thanks for coming over.” Thad shot her a look full of gratitude. “For helping. For everything.”
Unwillingly Michelle flashed back to another man, another time, and gratitude that had been mistaken for something else. She hardened her defenses, knowing she had to be careful. “Try to get some sleep.” She opened the door.
“Can I call you in an emergency?” he asked as Michelle swept into the darkness of the cloudy spring night.
She nodded, throwing the words over her shoulder. “But only if it’s an emergency.”
MICHELLE HALF EXPECTED Thad to call her every three hours through the night. He didn’t. Several times she got up and went to the window and looked across the street to his home. At eleven, two and five, the lights were on, and the rest of the time the house was dark. Which probably meant, she thought, that William was sleeping between feedings.
Telling herself that was good—Thad could easily handle parenting William on his own, after all—Michelle forced herself to go back to bed each time and try to get some sleep.
When the alarm went off at six, it was a relief. She skipped her usual morning run and headed for the shower. At seven, Thad and William were at her door.
Soon after, they were off, Michelle and Thad sitting in the front of his BMW SUV, William sleeping contentedly in the middle of the rear seat.
“So how was your night?” Michelle asked, opening up her briefcase. If she was going to protect her heart, she needed to stay in business mode.
“Fine, as soon as William and I reached an understanding.”
Michelle heard the smile in Thad’s voice. “And that was?”
“There was only one place he was going to sleep more than ten minutes.”
She sent him a sidelong glance. “You held him all night?”
Thad nodded, looking as content as she had felt after spending all day holding William. “I slept in the reading chair and ottoman in the study, and he slept on my chest.”
Michelle could imagine that was a very warm and snuggly place to sleep. She cast a look back at William, but couldn’t see a lot, because the infant seat was facing backward. “I’m surprised he’s been content in his car seat for as long as he has.”
“It’s probably the motion,” Thad theorized.
As it turned out, he was probably right. William slept all the way to Big Spring, and continued sleeping as they followed the MapQuest directions to the address listed for Candace Wright.
The surrogate mother lived in a small yellow bungalow with a sparse lawn and overgrown shrubbery. “Think one of us should ring the bell and see if she’s home first?” Michelle asked.
Before Thad could reply, the front door opened and a slightly pudgy young woman stepped out. Arms crossed in front of her, her long dishwater-blond hair whipping around in the spring breeze, she stalked over to the car. Took a glance at the infant seat in back. Sighed. “Let’s not do this on the street,” she said, motioning at the bungalow.
THAD WASN’T SURE what he expected the surrogate mother’s home to be like. Certainly not a wall-to-wall artist’s studio, with beautiful landscapes stacked against every surface, and an easel with a half-finished canvas front and center in the room.
“I’m sorry I had to leave the baby like that,” Candace Wright said as soon as introductions had been made, “but I was afraid you’d be like everyone else in this mess and refuse to take him.”
“You’re sure Brice and Beatrix Johnson don’t want him, either?” Michelle asked.
“Apparently not.” Clearly confused about the situation, Candace shrugged. “I’m as surprised as you are. They were thrilled about the baby until a couple of days before William was born. Then they started acting a little weird, almost like they were having second thoughts.”
“Did you ask them about that?” Thad interrupted.
Candace shook her head. “I told myself they were just nervous about becoming parents. Happens to a lot of people, from what I’ve seen. Anyway, they came to the hospital and were there when William was born. As soon as they held him they seemed really happy again. We signed the papers. They took him home. Everything was great. A day later, Beatrix shows up at my door with the baby, completely distraught, and just hands him to me.”
Thad and Michelle both did a double take, but it was Michelle who asked the question first. “With no explanation?”
Candace lifted her hands in helpless frustration. “Beatrix said a lot of things, but none of it made any sense, she was crying so hard. All I got out of her was that she couldn’t do this right now…and maybe not ever…and that because I was his mom I had to take care of baby William…there was no one else. By then he was crying, too. Beatrix really started sobbing.” Candace sighed and shoved a hand through her hair. “Beatrix mumbled something about her husband needing her, then she ran back to the car, jumped in and drove off, still crying her eyes out. I didn’t know what was going on, so I called the lady lawyer who handled the legal stuff for the surrogate arrangement—”
“Do you have her card?”
Candace nodded and went to retrieve it. “She sounded as stunned as I was when I told her what had just happened, but she wouldn’t do anything, or even talk about the situation with me.”
“She really couldn’t until she had spoken to her clients,” Michelle explained.
“That doesn’t make sense!” Candace complained.
“It’s complicated,” Michelle admitted. “But her first duty, as the Johnsons’ legal counsel, is to them. Whatever is said to her is privileged and can’t be shared with anyone else without their express permission. Otherwise, she could be disbarred.”
“Whatever!” Candace scowled. “Anyway, she said she’d have to investigate and get back to me. I asked her to come and get the baby. She said not until she spoke to her clients. And then she asked me to sit tight and take care of the baby until other arrangements could be made.” The young woman threw up her hands in exasperation. “I’ve got a showing in Houston next month. I’m already way behind in what I need to have ready, and I don’t have time for this! So then I remembered that Russell had said he had a brother who was a doctor in Summit, Texas. I looked you up on the Internet, got your address and dropped William off and ran before you could tell me you didn’t want the responsibility for him, either. Not that any of this was supposed to be my problem, anyway. I only agreed to be a surrogate so I could afford to stay home for a year and concentrate on my art! I never wanted to become a parent. I still
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