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“Kyle, wake up and look at this.”
He opened his eyes a slit. Ashley was standing over him holding a doll. “Uh-huh. That’s good, Ashley. You can bring your dolly to bed with us if that makes you happy.”
“It’s not my doll. I found it in the basket when I pulled out the blanket. Apparently it had fallen beneath the covers.” Her voice rose excitedly.
“So, what’s the big deal? The kid’s mom probably wanted her to have a toy from home to play with.”
“This isn’t a baby’s toy. It’s porcelain, very delicate and easily broken.”
“What do you expect from a mom who leaves her daughter in my care? She probably never heard of toy safety.”
“Try to pay attention and follow me. This could be important. Since the doll is obviously not for the baby, it must represent something, be some kind of message to you. Why else would it be in the basket?”
“There are no messages in that basket for me. I am not the father.” But he reluctantly rose to his elbows. “Maybe it’s some kind of family heirloom and the mother wants the child to have it.”
“Possibly. Or maybe it’s something you gave the mother and she put it in the basket so you’d know who gave birth to your child. Are you sure you’ve never seen it before?”
“No. That’s my final answer. And to set the record straight again, this is not my baby.”
“Your baby or not, I think the doll represents something. It could be the woman’s way of crying out to be found. She could even be in danger.”
“And you could be suffering from lack of sleep or plain old delirium.”
“When I got off the elevator tonight, I ran into a young woman who looked frightened and nervous. I’ll bet anything she’s the one who dropped off this baby. I think she was Hispanic. She even had the same dark hair and eyes as the baby, and I know I’ve never seen her around here before.”
“Why didn’t you mention that before?”
“I didn’t think of it until I saw the doll. Something in the doll’s expression reminded me of the woman. Kyle, the baby was left at your door. That makes you morally responsible. You have to help that woman.”
“Hold on, Ashley. Your reasoning is faulty.” But the fear in her voice caught him off guard. Tending a baby for one night was one thing. Getting involved in the mystery of who she was and how she’d come to be left by his door was a different ball game altogether.
“Just give this a little time,” he said. “If it’s a joke, someone will show up any minute. If it’s a mistake, the mother will surely realize it soon and come back for the baby.”
“Can’t you at least consider the fact that this may be your child?”
“No.”
“Think about it. She’s not very old. She can’t sit up by herself, but she’s not a newborn, either.”
“Should this have some significance to me?”
She nodded. “If I had to make a guess, I’d say the baby’s three, maybe four months old. Who were you dating twelve or thirteen months ago?”
“Thirteen months ago, I was—” Damn. He blew out a slow stream of air, suddenly feeling as if he’d boarded a runaway train and they were approaching a cliff. His gaze went from Ashley to the sleeping baby in the center of the bed. Dark hair. Big, expressive eyes. Hispanic mother.
Ashley stepped closer, staring at him as if she could read his mind. “You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Worse.” The room closed in around him, making the air so stifling it seemed to cut off his breath. He rose and planted his feet squarely on the floor. “I need a breath of fresh air. If you need me, I’ll be on the balcony.”
“Don’t jump,” she said, her voice softer, gentler than it had been all evening. “It could be a lot worse.”
“Yeah. She could have been twins.”
* * *
ASHLEY EYED Kyle’s stooped shoulders as he walked from the room. Anxiety looked strange on him, destroyed the air of cocky self-confidence that before tonight she’d accepted as the sum total of who he was. Seeing this different side of him made her uncomfortable, made her fear that they would never go back to the impersonal level of playful sparring that had characterized their relationship.
They’d been neighbors for nearly a year, but she seldom ran into him in the apartment building. Most of their encounters had been at the health club. Something about sweating together two or three nights a week worked wonders at breaking down the barriers empty apartment halls raised.
She flirted, he teased. He tried to talk her into going out with him; she came back with witty put-downs. It was harmless fun for both of them, especially when she’d had no intention of ever letting the devastatingly handsome man into her life. Now she was in his apartment. In his bed. Fretting over a baby that might or might not be his, though the look on his face a few minutes ago made her think it was.
The baby squirmed in her sleep, lifting her hand to her mouth and inserting a chubby thumb. Poor darling, deserted by her mother—though Ashley had the distinct feeling the mother must have had a very good reason for what she’d done. Now everything was up to Kyle.
Like it or not, if he was the father, he’d have to take care of her and he definitely couldn’t depend on Ashley to play nursemaid. She had the biggest opportunity of her career staring her in the face. Tomorrow she’d be facing it with bags under her eyes from lack of sleep. She tugged a fallen slip strap into place and eased from the bed so as not to wake the baby. She’d fulfilled her part of the bargain and it was past time she went back to her own bed.
A few seconds later she stepped out the French doors and onto the balcony. Kyle was standing near the railing, staring into the moonless night. “The baby’s asleep, and I’m going now. You should be able to handle her the rest of the night on your own.”
He turned toward her, and even in the dim glow from the streetlights below them, she could see the strain that had settled into the muscles of his face. “I wish you wouldn’t go.”
“I don’t know what else I can do to help.”
“Suppose she wakes up crying.”
“Then you feed her. There’s enough formula left for a couple more bottles.”
“I can’t feed her. I can’t change her diapers.” He threw up his hands. “I have no idea how to care for her.”
“But you’re no longer insisting that she’s not yours.”
He shrugged his shoulders and ran his hands deep into his pockets. “I still don’t think I’m the father, but I could be. I was dating a woman named Tessa Ortiz about the time the baby would have been conceived.”
“You’re always dating a woman, Kyle. One after the other. You had to know something like this would happen sooner or later.”
“If she’s mine, I’ll take care of her—somehow.”
She was on solid ground with her accusations, but still the desperation in his voice weakened her resolve. At least he wasn’t screaming that it was the woman’s fault, or blindly denying his responsibility in the matter.
“You’ll need to have DNA testing done.”
“I will—when the time comes.”
“Why not now? It’s quick, simple and the only way you can be sure.”
“If I do, I’d be undergoing the tests to prove that she isn’t my daughter, not that she is. It just doesn’t seem right.”
“Right or not, the authorities will insist upon it.”
“Not if I don’t call them.”
“You said yourself you have no idea how to take care of a baby. Besides, it’s illegal to keep a baby that’s not yours.”
“Let’s not get into this tonight. If I don’t hear from the baby’s mother by morning, I’ll locate Tessa and find out what’s going on. If I can’t find her, I’ll take the baby and go in for DNA testing.”
She stared at him, amazed by his decision. Her expectations were that he would either call the authorities at once or have paternity testing done as soon as possible. But it seemed as if he really cared about what happened to this baby. He got to her, weakened her resolve.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but if you’re going to take care of the baby tonight, I’ll stay and help. I just need to go home and change into a sweatsuit.”
“Oh, no!” He grabbed her hand. “If you walk out that door, you’ll never come back.”
He had a point. “Then I’ll need to borrow a pair of pajamas.
His face finally split into a grin. “You’re on.”
He took her hand and led her back to the bedroom, and she had the strange feeling that she might have just been had. Still, a promise was a promise. “Remember, this is only for tonight, Kyle. After that, you’re on your own with this project.”
“One night at a time. That’s all I’m asking. There is one slight problem, though.”
“I’ll bite.”
“I don’t own any pajamas and I only have one bed.”
“Then I hope you have a very comfortable couch. Otherwise you may wake up with a stiff back.”
“If you want stiff, I can give you stiff. All you have to do is ask.”
“While you’re waiting, why don’t you hold your breath and count to infinity.”
He nodded. “I’ll take the couch.”
CHAPTER THREE
“NO, I’M NOT sick, Ellen. I just have a personal emergency that I have to tend to.” Ashley stared at the phone and wondered how she’d gotten herself into this mess. All the work she had waiting for her at the office, and here she was trying to explain to her secretary why she wouldn’t be in today. But there was no telling what would happen to that poor baby if she just walked off and left her in Kyle’s care.
“I hope there’s not anything wrong with your sister Lily’s pregnancy,” Ellen said.
“Lily’s fine. Just look at my calendar and see if there’s anything that can’t be postponed.”
“You have that shoot of the TV ad scheduled for ten. Do you want me to cancel it?”
“No, I called Mark Beall over in Media about that. He’s agreed to handle it for me.” And if he screwed it up, she’d kill him. “Remind him that if he has any concerns, no matter how small, he should page me. That’s one of my most persnickety clients.”
“I’ll tell him, Ashley. And what about Mr. McAllister?”
“What about him?”
“Should I give him your pager number if he calls here for you?”
“Give it to him if, and only if, he says it’s important that he talk to me today or if he pushes for it.” Yesterday she wouldn’t have hesitated to say yes. What a difference a day made—or in this case, a dinner for two. But the RA account was too important to risk getting him all worked up over minor technicalities.
“I’ll take care of everything, Ashley. I just hope there’s nothing seriously wrong.”
“Nothing that won’t be handled in one day. That, I can promise you. If you need me for anything, page me or call me on my cell phone. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll call you this afternoon to see how things are going.”
Once she’d hung up the phone, Ashley crossed her sunlit kitchen, walked to her coffeepot and poured another cup of the strong brew. She usually used cream and a sprinkling of sugar substitute, but this morning she needed a full-strength blast of caffeine. She’d slept very little, stirring with every movement of the baby sleeping beside her. Then she’d gotten up at five to give her another bottle.
In all fairness, Kyle had untangled himself from the sheets on the sofa and padded to the kitchen after her. She’d turned down his offer of help. Not so much that she didn’t need it, but it was incredibly awkward sharing early morning with him, especially with him in his boxers and her in an oversize cotton shirt that she’d confiscated from his closet.
Now she was missing a day of work. This wasn’t her problem, but how could she ignore the needs of a helpless baby? Tessa had to be desperate to leave her daughter with Kyle. Maybe she was dying of some horrible illness or perhaps she was in imminent danger.
Ashley took a long sip of the coffee and tried to remember the face of the woman she’d glimpsed at the elevator last night. She had looked upset. And she had the same dark hair and eyes as the baby. But if she was Tessa Ortiz, and if the baby was Kyle’s daughter, why had the woman waited until now to tell him?
Jumping at the sound of battering knuckles on her door, she set her coffee mug on the table with such force that the hot liquid sloshed from the cup. She grabbed a napkin and wiped the spill from the counter and from her fingers as the pounding started again, this time louder than before. No surprise that when she unlatched the door and swung it open, Kyle was standing outside with the baby in his arms.
“I told you I needed an hour to shower and dress. I have ten more minutes,” she announced.
He gave her a quick once-over. “You look dressed to me.”
“I haven’t put on my makeup.”
“Forget it. You look fine. Besides, we have a problem.”
“There you go with the ‘we’ again.”
“I think the baby is sick,” he said, ignoring her comment.
Ashley studied the baby, a sense of panic stewing inside her. “What makes you think so?”
“This.” Kyle pointed at a disgusting spot on the shoulder of his T-shirt. “She started crying, so I picked her up. I held her on my shoulder the way you did this morning, and she spit milk all over me. Stinky milk!”
“Good going, sweetie!”
“This isn’t funny, Ashley. I think we should take her to a doctor.”
Ashley doubted it, though in all honesty, she couldn’t be sure. What she knew about babies would make a book about as thick as one on Women Who Long to Be Poor and Ugly. “I’ll call my sister Lily. She’s pregnant. She’ll know if spitting up is normal or if it’s serious.”
“How much do you plan on telling her?”
“Just the basics. I won’t even mention that the baby in question came by special delivery. But you might want to tell her more.”
“Why would I?
“When she’s not about to have a baby, she and my brother Dylan operate Finders Keepers, a private detective agency that specializes in locating missing persons. They could help you find Tessa.”
“I’d prefer to handle the search myself.” He paced the floor, still holding the baby, his hair mussed and his chin darkened by whiskers. She couldn’t help but notice how appealing he looked, but then any man with a baby would effuse a certain amount of charm.
She turned away and dialed Lily’s number. Thankfully it was her sister and not her husband, Cole, who answered the phone. The fewer people Ashley had to talk to, the better it would be.
“Lily, how are you?”
