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“Yep. Most of the women on the mountain have Granny come to their house.” Martha chuckled at his disapproving frown. “Now, don’t go gettin’ your shorts in a bunch, Doc. She’s a licensed midwife and when she runs into trouble, she always gives us a holler.”
Ty didn’t have time to respond to Martha’s explanation when Alexis moaned and voluntarily lifted her feet to brace them in the stirrups. As he positioned himself at the end of the bed, his gaze locked with hers. Limp from perspiration, her golden brown hair had been pulled back with some type of clip, drawing his attention to the exhaustion marring her beautiful face. His chest tightened at the tears filling her emerald eyes, the trembling of her perfect lips, and the bright spots of color staining her creamy cheeks. She was extremely tired, in tremendous pain and understandably frightened. She needed the baby’s father at her side, lending his strength, letting her know he was there for her when she needed him most.
“You’re doing great, Lexi,” he encouraged. “I can see the baby’s head.”
She nodded and squeezed her eyes shut. “It really hurts, Ty.”
He felt her pain all the way to his soul. On impulse, he reached out, took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. “It won’t be much longer. I promise.”
The simple act of reassurance quickly had his insides churning with emotions he didn’t have the time, nor the inclination, to sort through. Another contraction demanded their attention.
Supporting the baby’s emerging head, he automatically urged, “I need you to give me one more big push and it will all be over.”
As Alexis pushed with all her might, first one shoulder, then the other slipped free and the baby slid into Ty’s waiting hands. Quickly suctioning the mucus and blood from the baby’s mouth and nose, he watched the infant stare at him bleary-eyed for a moment, scrunch its little face, open its mouth and wail at the top of its tiny lungs.
The kid had the temper of a Chicago cab driver and enough volume to put a banshee to shame.
Ty smiled. “Martha, mark the time of birth,” he said, clamping the umbilical cord in two places.
“It’s a boy, Lexi!” Martha said happily, recording the numbers.
Alexis laughed. “Are you sure? I just knew I’d have a girl.”
“Unless little girls have started comin’ with extra plumbing, that’s a boy,” Martha said, chuckling. “What are you gonna name him?”
“Matthew.”
Ty barely heard the two women as a crushing tightness filled his chest. No matter how many times he witnessed the miracle of birth, it never failed to fill him with a humbling sense of wonder, as well as a twinge of regret. Since he didn’t intend to have children, he’d never have a moment like this to call his own.
Fred the Cream Puff was one hell of a lucky man. And the wimpy little jerk wasn’t even here to realize it.
A mist clouding his eyes, Ty examined the squirming infant. Ten fingers. Ten toes. He grinned. An impressive sprinkler system.
But as Ty looked more closely at the baby, his smile faded and he felt the blood drain from his face. A tiny dimple dented the infant’s chin, an inch of black hair covered his head and a small cowlick at his forehead caused his hair to part on one side.
Ty thought back to that night in Chicago. The one and only night he and Alexis had—
He stared in awe at the miracle he held, his gut clenching painfully as realization slammed into him with the force of a physical blow. The resemblance was more than just coincidental. It was undeniable. And that telltale little cowlick proved it. It had been a family trait for generations.
Tyler Braden had just delivered his own son.
Two
Ty handed Lexi her son, and while he dealt with the usual postpartum procedures, she focused her attention on the squirming infant in her arms. Matthew Hatfield’s tiny fists flailed the air like a frustrated prizefighter, and his displeasure with the whole business of being born was written all over his little red face.
Love like she’d never known surged through her.
With a full head of black hair, a tiny dimple in his chin and a cowlick at the edge of his forehead, he was the most beautiful baby she’d ever seen—and the spitting image of his father.
The realization caused Lexi to glance up at the man who had unwittingly helped create the infant she held. How could fate be so cruel? Of all the hundreds of thousands of licensed physicians in the world, why did Tyler Braden have to be the one to take over the Dixie Ridge Health Clinic while Doc Fletcher had his knee replacement surgery?
Ty was an experienced trauma specialist, for heaven’s sake. One of the best in his field. Why wasn’t he in some huge hospital, taking care of real emergencies? Why wasn’t he seven hundred miles away—in Chicago—where he belonged?
A mixture of fear and apprehension filled Lexi to the depths of her soul as she watched Ty. Was he aware the miracle he’d participated in just happened to be the birth of his own son? And if he did realize the baby she held had been the result of their only night together, how would he react? Would he even care?
He hadn’t said anything, but that did little to alleviate her fears. She didn’t know him well enough to know how he’d react. He might be the type of man who could be a seething caldron of rage on the inside, yet appear to be the epitome of calm. She just didn’t know.
When Ty reached over to lift the now sleeping infant and place him into Martha’s outstretched arms, Lexi tensed. “Where are you taking my son?” She’d tried to keep her voice steady, but exhaustion and panic sharpened her tone.
“Don’t worry, Lexi,” Martha reassured. She hefted the baby onto her ample bosom and headed for the door. “I’m just gonna give this little man his first bath. Then, after Doc checks him over, I’ll bring him in for you to nurse.”
Lexi quietly watched Ty take her blood pressure and listen to her heart, when what she really wanted to do was jump out of bed, grab her son and put as much distance as possible between them and the clinic. Draping the stethoscope around his neck, Ty reached down to place his fingers on her wrist. Her skin tingled at the contact and her breathing became shallow.
Dear heavens, had she lost her mind? She’d just had a baby and her body felt as if she’d pushed a bowling ball through a keyhole. That should be enough to make her swear off men for life. The very last thing she should be feeling was any kind of awareness.
But whether she should or not, there was no denying its presence, or its cause. Ty had always had that effect on her. She could still remember the first time he’d spoken to her in the elevator of their apartment building. It had been the day he’d moved in. When he’d said, “Hi. I’m your new neighbor,” his smooth baritone had surrounded her like a soft velvet cape. And it had taken her a good fifteen minutes to get her pulse back down to normal.
After that they’d rarely seen each other. Until the night she’d lost her job and—
No. She wouldn’t—couldn’t—think about that now. If she did, panic would set in and she might give away her secret. At the moment, she was at his mercy and there wasn’t any way she could get away from him.
“When will the baby and I be able to go home?” she asked cautiously.
Ty ignored her question as he fought the turmoil raging within. He gritted his teeth and tried to ignore the feel of her soft skin beneath his fingers, the heated current traveling the length of his arm and exploding in his gut. How could he feel anything but contempt for Alexis after what she’d done? The shock of finding that he was the father of her child had damn near brought him to his knees only minutes ago.
“Everything appears to be fine with you and the baby,” he finally managed to say. “Looks like the two of you will be going home in a couple of days.” He hurriedly scribbled notations on her chart, snapped it shut and headed for the door. He had to get away from her before his cool facade cracked and his tangled emotions spilled out with the force of a raging river. “I’ll be in to check on you later.”
Knees that threatened to buckle carried him from the room, down the hall and into his office. Closing the door behind him, Ty leaned heavily against it.
He wanted answers and he wanted them now, but reason won out. Alexis needed to rest, and an upsetting confrontation at this point would be counterproductive. Besides, he wasn’t sure he could talk to her without a serious breach of his professionalism.
A light tap on the door signaled that Martha had finished bathing the baby.
“He’s ready for your examination, Doc,” Martha called from the other side. “We’ll be in exam room one.”
Ty tossed the chart on the desk, then sank down in the chair behind it. “Bring him in here, Martha.”
“While you get acquainted with our newest patient, I’m gonna run over to the Blue Bird Cafe and tell Freddie that everything went just fine,” Martha said as she entered the room and handed Ty the precious bundle she carried. She paused for a moment, watching him cradle the infant to his chest. “I know this sounds like I ain’t got the brains God gave a squirrel, but that baby sorta looks like you.”
Ty couldn’t have responded if his life depended on it. When Martha quietly closed the door behind her as she left, he barely noticed. A lump the size of his fist clogged his throat, and the moisture suddenly misting his eyes was dangerously close to spilling down his cheeks. When the baby wrapped tiny fingers around one of his own, the lump in Ty’s throat felt as if it grew to the size of a basketball.
Love, so fierce it was almost debilitating, raced through him as he stared down at his son. Ty had never allowed himself to believe a moment like this would be his to treasure. Never let himself entertain the thought of having a child of his own.
But no matter what reasons Alexis had for keeping her pregnancy a secret, Tyler Braden did have a son. And he’d be damned before he sat idly by and watched another man take his place in raising the boy.
For all he cared, the very squeamish, thoroughly inadequate Fred Hatfield could take a short leap off a tall cliff.
As long as it was in his power to prevent it, history would not repeat itself. Unlike Ty, Matthew was going to know his father and never feel the social inferiority that Ty had always felt.
He placed a kiss on the baby’s forehead and made a solemn promise to himself and his son. “You’re going to know I love you and that I’ll always be there for you.” He hugged the baby close. “And I’ll walk through hell before I let Fred Hatfield or your mother stand in my way.”
Lexi woke with a start, her heart pounding. She sat up and frantically searched the dimly lit room for the wicker bassinet Martha had placed Matthew in after he finished nursing.
It was nowhere in sight.
Panic tearing at her insides, Lexi reached for the call button, but her hands trembled so badly she couldn’t engage the switch. Tossing it aside, she threw back the sheet and tried to get out of bed.
Her sore body protested the rapid movement and her knees threatened to give way when she stood, but she ignored the warnings. She had to find her baby.
By the time she crossed the room and made it down the long corridor to the deserted reception area, her flagging strength was all but spent and she had to lean against the wall for support.
“Martha—”
“Lexi, what in the name of all that’s holy are you doin’ out of bed?” Martha sent her swivel chair skating backward as she rose and hurried to Lexi’s side. “I told you the first time you got up, I had to be there in case you needed help.”
The room began a sickening swirl and Lexi felt herself start to sag. “Where’s…my baby?”
“Doc, get out here,” Martha yelled when Lexi leaned heavily against her. “Now!”
Just before Lexi lost her battle with the dark curtain closing around her, strong arms scooped her up and lifted her to a wide chest. Her nostrils filled with the essence of the man holding her. He smelled of spice cologne and…baby powder.
He must have been holding the baby when Martha called for help. The thought instantly cleared her fog-filled head.
Strength flowed from Ty’s body to hers as he cradled her to him, and Lexi squeezed her eyes shut against the wave of emotion welling up inside her.
“Please, put me down.”
“No.”
“I can walk,” she insisted.
“Yeah, right.” Ty laughed, but the sound held little humor. “Trying to walk is what damned near had you kissing the floor.”
Without another word, he carried her down the corridor to her room and tucked her into bed. At the loss of contact, Lexi suddenly felt cold and abandoned. It was a ridiculous feeling, considering the circumstances, but it was still very real.
With calm efficiency, Ty wrapped a blood pressure cuff around her upper arm, pumped air into it, then slowly released the valve as he listened with his stethoscope. Apparently satisfied with the reading, he took her pulse, recorded the numbers on her chart, then folded his arms across his chest to stare down at her.
“It isn’t called labor for nothing, Alexis,” he said, his voice stern. “Your body had to work very hard and use a lot of energy in order for you to give birth. And although I don’t advise a patient staying in bed more than a few hours following a routine delivery, I do expect her to listen to orders.”
Lexi ground her teeth to keep from screaming that it was his fault she’d gotten up, that she’d had a terrible nightmare in which he’d taken her baby. But caution forced her to remain silent. In no way did she want to arouse Ty’s suspicions.
“As you recently found out, feeling faint is not uncommon the first time a woman tries to walk after giving birth,” Ty continued to lecture. “That’s why you were told to wait for Martha’s assistance.”
Lexi glared at him. “Are you quite finished, Dr. Braden?” When he gave her a slight nod, she asked the question foremost on her mind. “Where’s my son?”
“He’s right here,” Martha said, wheeling the bassinet to the side of Lexi’s bed. “He’s been visitin’ with Doc while you took a nap.” Turning to Ty, she asked, “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?”
“Go ahead, Martha,” Ty said, nodding. “I can handle things from here.”
“Doc Fletcher always wanted me to be here when we had an overnight patient,” she said, clearly miffed.
Ty shrugged. “Dr. Fletcher had a wife to go home to. I don’t. Besides, I’ll be here anyway. I have to get caught up on some paperwork and it’ll take most of the night to get it done.”
Hoping Martha proved to be as stubborn as always, Lexi’s heart sank when she saw Martha hesitate. “Are you sure?”
“I promise I’ll take good care of them,” Ty said, smiling. “Now go home and get some rest.”
Lexi watched with growing horror as Martha finally nodded and walked toward the door. “If you need me, you’ve got the number,” Martha said, waving goodbye.
The very last thing Lexi wanted was to be left alone with Ty. In fact, she didn’t want to be anywhere near him. The more time they spent together, the bigger the chance he’d realize he was Matthew’s father.
As if to draw attention to that very fact, the baby let loose with a lusty cry.
“It appears somebody wants his dinner,” Ty said. He picked the infant up, but seemed in no hurry to place him in Lexi’s outstretched arms. “You said his name is Matthew?”
“Yes.” Her apprehension intensified as Ty smiled fondly at the angry baby he continued to hold.
“Have you and Fred picked out a middle name?” he asked without looking at her.
Watching him stare down at the baby, Lexi frowned. “Did you meet Freddie this afternoon?”
“No.” Ty chuckled when Matthew tried to find nourishment from the tip of his little finger. “I was with a patient. Maybe Fred and I will have the chance to get acquainted when he comes to take you and the baby home.”
“Maybe,” Lexi agreed.
All she had to do was keep the two from meeting. It shouldn’t be hard, Lexi decided. She was quite confident that Freddie would be more than happy to wait outside the clinic.
“So, does this little guy have a middle name?” Ty asked again, interrupting Lexi’s thoughts.
She searched his face, but his expression gave no indication of what he might be thinking. “Scott,” she answered cautiously. “Why do you want to know?”
Ty finally handed the baby to her when Matthew found Ty’s finger to be less than satisfying. “I need his full name for the birth certificate.”
Relieved, Lexi managed a weak smile as she held her son close. “His name is Matthew Scott Hatfield.”
“Of course,” Ty agreed. Then, to her immense relief, he turned and left the room.
His son cradled to his chest, Ty sat in the darkened room, his eyes fixed on the sleeping woman in front of him. The months since she’d left Chicago had done nothing to lessen the effect she had on him. From the first time he’d laid eyes on her that day in the elevator, Alexis had taken his breath away with her beauty, had made his heart skip a beat when she spoke. She still did.
And earlier, when he’d carried her back to bed, the bittersweet memories of their night together had been overwhelming. The feel of her softness against him, the sweet smell of her honeysuckle-scented hair where it brushed his cheek, had made him feel as if he’d go up in flames.
But Alexis was off-limits now, married to another man. A man she was trying to pass off as Matthew’s father. His jaw tightened involuntarily. Ty didn’t think he’d ever forgive her for that.
He gazed down at the baby he held. Alexis may have replaced him with someone else, but Ty would never stand by and watch his son call another man “Daddy.”
He smiled as his tension eased. He fully intended to let Alexis know he was aware of the truth.
And Ty knew exactly how to go about telling her.
