Nine-Month Surprise

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The housekeeper sniffed the air.

Okay, so he’d shaved and applied lotion. After a hard day’s work, he didn’t want to appear slovenly.

“I knew it wouldn’t take long for the females in this town to discover you,” Eileen continued. “All the same, she must be pretty special for you to invite her home this fast.” He hadn’t even thought about dating any of his acquaintances in Austin.

However, the last thing Will needed was for word to spread about his private connection with Leah. Not that Eileen gossiped, but he preferred to keep certain matters private. “It’s a professional meeting,” he said without elaborating. “She’s doing me a favor by dropping by.”

“I see.” Eileen’s nose wrinkled ever so slightly. He shouldn’t have put on so much aftershave, Will thought. It was a dead giveaway. “We’ll leave it at that, then. I’ll be on my way.”

“Sleep well,” he said.

“Oh, I plan to.”

After she let herself out the back door, Will cast an assessing glance over the room. Mrs. McNulty had done a terrific job of setting up the household in only a few days, considering what little she’d had to work with.

The one-story house, which the physician-search committee had found for him to rent, lacked personality, and the modern furniture Allison had left for her family seemed more functional than aesthetic. One of these days, Will was going to buy his own place and hire a decorator with good taste. No hurry, though.

He went in to see the girls, who’d chosen to share a bedroom. They and their dolls crowded around when he sat on a bed, but instead of their usual story time, tonight they wanted to tell the tale of their first day of class.

“Go ahead,” Will told them. “I can’t wait to hear it.”

The girls spilled out their anecdotes. Miss Morris had told a funny story, Diane said, and recounted it. Miss Morris had visited Austin last summer. Could he believe that? added India. Miss Morris served healthy snacks and taught them about nutrition, Diane said. They both wanted to grow their hair longer so it could swing like Miss Morris’s.

Will stifled a groan. This was going to be a tough year, filled with stories of the one person in town he didn’t want to hear about. He only hoped the girls wouldn’t detect Miss Morris’s voice in the living room later or they’d come pelting out, and no doubt, tell the entire class about it tomorrow.

When they’d finished and he’d kissed them both, he said, “I have a colleague arriving in a while to discuss some business. I’m going to close the bedroom door and the hall door so we won’t disturb you, okay?”

The little girls nodded uncertainly.

“No fair interrupting,” he said. “You both need your sleep. If you stay up late, I might have to keep you home from school tomorrow.”

Horror showed on India’s face. Diane wrung her hands dramatically. “Oh, no, Daddy!”

He hadn’t expected his threat to cause such alarm. “Go to sleep. You’ll be fine in the morning.”

They dove under the covers. After stepping out, Will stood in the hallway listening and was amazed to hear none of the usual chortling and whispering. He wondered how many kids were afraid of being kept home. Only ones who loved their teachers, or who loved learning, as he had.

In the living room, he took out a stack of medical journals. The field of obstetrics changed rapidly.

When the bell rang at eight, Will gave a start. He hadn’t read a single word of the article in front of him. He’d been too busy rehearsing what to say to Leah.

The effort was a waste of time. As he hurried to answer, he discovered he’d forgotten every word he’d planned.

When he opened the door, Will simply stood for a moment, enjoying the sight of long, shiny black hair and velvet-smooth skin. He got a physical buzz even stronger than he’d experienced at the bar, because now he knew how delicious Leah’s lips would feel beneath his and how her body could tantalize him.

He took a tight grip on his musings, and got the impression she was doing the same. “Miss Morris,” he said. “How punctual.”

“We both want to get this over with, I presume,” she replied coolly.

Will ushered her into the living room. The hard contours of the room softened around her. “Care for a drink?”

“No, thanks.” Leah wore a light-blue dress, belted at the waist and covered with cornflowers that seemed to emit a delicate fragrance. “I brought you something. Are the girls around?” She reached for her handbag.

“They’re in bed. I told them I was expecting a colleague.” He nearly touched her waist to guide her toward a chair but stopped in time.

“Good. I don’t want them involved in…whatever we have to discuss. But I’m sure they’ll enjoy these.”

From her purse, she produced two photographs. One showed India and Nick proudly carrying trays of snacks to their classmates. In the other was Diane pushing the red-haired girl in a swing.

She’d captured both children in moments of uninhibited animation. From his own frustrating attempts with a camera, Will knew how much sensitivity that required.

“I take shots of all the children on their first day,” Leah said. “Usually, I give them out at parent conferences, but I printed yours early.”

“I’ll treasure these.” No exaggeration required. “I should have brought a camera with me this morning.”

After Eileen had started to work for him, she’d rescued the girls’ photos and drawings from assorted boxes and drawers and assembled them into a family scrapbook. Will planned to add to it regularly.

“It’s more important to experience life than to record it.” Leah remained standing, shaking her head when Will gestured toward the couch. “Some parents are so busy viewing everything through a lens that they become emotionally isolated.”

Will remembered the father with the video camera, but didn’t bother to mention him. Instead, hoping to break the ice, he said, “My housekeeper left a coffee cake in the fridge. Would you care for some?”

“No, thanks.”

“At least, sit down,” he blurted.

“We’re not going to pretend this is a social call, are we?” Leah regarded him skeptically. “We both know why I’m here.”

“So we can put this behind us.”

She folded her arms. “Yes, that would be nice, wouldn’t it?”

The sarcasm raised Will’s guard. “Nice? I should think it’s essential.”

“Convenient, in any case,” Leah muttered.

Irritably, he realized she didn’t intend to simply shake hands on an agreement to keep silent. Then he remembered that he hadn’t yet apologized. “You have a right to be angry. I acted like a jerk.”

“Yes, you did.” Her taut stance eased by a fraction. For heaven’s sake, how had he transformed the welcoming, delightful lady from the Wayward Drummer into this tightly wound challenger?

“I’m sorry. I tend to be self-protective,” Will conceded. “A man in my position…”

“Which, as I recall, was with your pants around your ankles,” Leah quipped tartly.

Amusing as it was, the remark stung. “That’s true. However, knowing practically nothing about you, I had reason to be cautious. Under the circumstances, I believed you might turn out to be unstable.”

A wing of dark hair fell across her temple, partially obscuring her face. “Don’t insult me. You summed up your conduct just fine a moment ago.” She was evidently referring to the comment about acting like a jerk.

“We both screwed up.” Will considered. “May I be blunt?”

“Certainly.” The air in the living room crackled with renewed tension.

Will wished they could sit down and talk, but Leah still showed no inclination to get comfortable, so he forged ahead. “I moved here for a fresh start.”

“That’s why I went to Austin. Ironic, isn’t it?”

He nodded. “My divorce became final this summer and believe me, that marriage was a huge mistake, except for my little girls. I’m not ready for another relationship and I know it. Okay, I acted selfishly. I took what I needed, and you gave it. You have my thanks for that, but you made your own choice for what I presume are your own reasons. You have no right to hold me responsible.”

Her chin lifted. Will wished he weren’t tempted to cup it with one hand and soothe away the tiny distress lines crinkling her eyes.

For a moment, he thought he glimpsed something else in those depths. Disappointment, perhaps. And resolve. He got the sense that he’d missed some subtext to the conversation, but then, he’d never been particularly good at reading people.

“So that’s the bottom line?” Leah said. “You can’t be held responsible for anything, and you don’t want me intruding on your privacy?”

He didn’t like the way that sounded. Maybe he ought to suggest a compromise—perhaps that was what she’d hoped for—but if he backtracked, he was likely to be drawn into an involvement for which neither he nor the girls were prepared.

For heaven’s sake, Will was only human. He’d love to get close to this woman again. But the repercussions could be devastating, especially in such a small town.

“That about sums it up,” he said, and felt like a heel. The worst part was that he liked her more than ever.

“I’ll hold you to that.” Despite the strain in her voice, Leah seemed relieved. What was going on with her?

Her willingness to withdraw so readily bothered him, for practical as well as intuitive reasons. Although accustomed to being an outsider, Will hoped things would be different in Downhome, for his daughters’ sake. He certainly didn’t mean to alienate their teacher. “As for India and Diane…”

“What’s between us has nothing to do with them,” she answered sharply. “They’re wonderful children. I enjoy having them in my class, and I’m glad to see that they’re already forming friendships.”

Will was pleased, because he didn’t relish the prospect of trying to find another school, possibly many miles away. And he knew he wouldn’t find a better teacher. “That’s fine. They love being in your class.”

Leah glanced around edgily. She’d shown courage in coming here, Will reflected. This meeting must be, at least, as hard on her as on him.

He reached out and touched her hand. When she didn’t object, he took it in his, noting how small and firm it was.

Will had a sudden, inexplicable urge to protect this woman, but against what? Or, more likely, whom, if not himself? “I’m sorry it came to this,” he said. “You seem like a decent person. I guess we both acted uncharacteristically.”

When she faced him, moisture glinted in her eyes. “Yes, well, it’s a real mess, isn’t it?”

“Not necessarily.” He didn’t see the problem, as long as both of them remained discreet and kept their emotions under guard.

She pulled away without making a fuss. “It’s important that we go our own ways and that nobody hears a breath about this. Not your housekeeper. Not anyone.”

“Okay.” Although he shared her viewpoint, he didn’t understand the urgency. The woman definitely had other matters on her mind, but they concerned her personal history. “Wait!”

She glanced at him inquisitively.

From an end table, Will fetched the marking pen he’d discovered in one of his pockets. “I borrowed this from your desk and forgot to put it back.”

Leah took it with a wry smile. “Always relieved to get one of these back. I buy writing utensils by the boxcar. Usually, it’s the kids who swipe them, though, not the parents.”

“A bad habit of mine, I’m afraid.” One of Will’s former colleagues had threatened to chain a pen around his neck so he’d stop taking hers.

Leah opened the front door. “Don’t show the photos to anyone for a while, including the girls. They might ask how you came by them.”

“Right.” He made a mental note to store them in his desk drawer. Mrs. McNulty took care not to poke around his home office in case he brought home confidential information.

Leah peered outside. “Looks like the coast’s clear. Good night, Dr. Rankin.”

“Good night, Miss Morris.” He watched her hurry down the walkway. Apparently, she’d parked around the corner, because she strode off until the darkness closed around her. A wise precaution, given the risk of gossip.

The men in this town must have cotton in their heads, Will mused as he went inside. A woman that appealing and intelligent should have her pick of boyfriends. Instead, for reasons he still didn’t comprehend, she’d gone to Texas and tried to capture something—love or excitement, maybe—with a stranger.

Too bad, she’d picked the wrong one.

For a painful beat, he wondered if he’d made a mistake. He’d always dreamed of marrying a soul mate, of sharing his life with someone who understood him in ways no one else did.

But if that kind of relationship existed, he doubted he’d ever find it. Nor, he supposed, did he really want to try. The fallout from his marriage had been too bitter.

Will paced through the house to look in on his girls. Wearing angelic expressions in sleep, each daughter curled to face her twin across the gap between their beds. Diane cradled her favorite doll, while India had piled so many stuffed animals on her bed that it was a wonder she found room to move.

As always, the sight of the twins restored his spirits. With them, as with no one else, he’d made a deeply human connection. It was all he needed.

Yet they couldn’t stay babies forever. Stealing another peek at the new photos, Will noticed that Leah had caught the twins at the very beginning stage of making new friends. One step at a time, they were separating from each other and, he supposed, from him.

A little disconcerted that it was Leah Morris who’d awakened him to this transition, Will went to put the photos in a safe place.

Chapter Five

Leah had decided to walk the half dozen blocks to Will’s house because she needed exercise, although she’d worried that she might be tired heading home. Instead, powered by fury, she practically burned a track down the sidewalk, scarcely noticing the cooking smells wafting from the tidy frame houses on either side.

So Dr. Stiffneck didn’t want to be held responsible for anything. Well, fine by her! She’d intended to set aside her pain and tell him about the pregnancy before anyone else learned of it, but after that little speech, absolutely not!

It was questionable whether he’d buy the artificial insemination story when it came out. But why shouldn’t he when it obviously suited his mind-set? True, he’d apologized, but it had been more of an I’m-sorry-I-got-caught response than one expressing real regret.

And that crack about her being unstable! If she were that volatile, she’d have responded by slapping him. He’d certainly deserved it.

Leah’s pace slowed as she considered how his cheek might have felt beneath her palm. He’d shaved after work, she could tell, and put on aftershave lotion. But what had that business been about offering her coffee cake, as if they were Lucy and Ethel?

Or two people who might become friends.

Friends! Impossible, yet she supposed she’d have to pretend something in front of others. He was Jenni’s coworker and the father of two of her students.

The ticklishness of the situation struck Leah afresh as she rounded the corner onto her street, Bennington Lane. Fortunately, Jenni and Ethan were taking only a brief honeymoon, so she wouldn’t have to rely on Will for treatment, but if she suffered any complications, bypassing him for a doctor in Mill Valley would be tricky.

No sense borrowing trouble that might never happen. As for the delivery, there had to be a way to arrange for another doctor to handle it.

Peering ahead through the dusk, Leah saw that she’d neglected to switch on her houselights. In the dimness, the cottage looked lonesome and a bit shabby, tucked between a two-story home and a vacant lot where her neighbor, Eunice, grew vegetables. With the best part of the season over, the aging cornstalks and sprawling tomato plants gave the yard an unkempt air.