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They fell silent when Jimmy returned with more drinks and sandwiches on silver trays. Another waiter helped him, and in minutes, the men were alone. As soon as each had what he wanted to drink and eat, David returned to their subject. “Let’s get back to business. Alex, go ahead with what you were saying.”
“I haven’t found anyone who remembers seeing her come into town. Not at the airport or the bus station. I don’t have a picture to show anyone. I can only give them a description, but so far nothing. I’m just beginning to work on that list of names and dates she had in the diaper bag. Since she’s malnourished, I’m guessing that the money hasn’t been in her possession long. Her clothes were bought off the rack. Her nails aren’t done professionally. If that money is hers, then she’s one of those eccentrics who stashes every penny, but she’s too young to accumulate that kind of money. My guess is that she’s on the run,” he said, and the others agreed.
“That means you need to continue to guard her if you can,” David added.
“I can help out when y’all need me. I can spell you at the hospital, Clint,” Ryan offered. He looked at Alex, whose thick brown hair was windblown. “I’ll help you, too, Alex, if you need me for anything.”
“Thanks,” Alex replied as Ryan’s gaze shifted to David.
“You’re on your own with the baby, though.”
“So I guessed,” David replied with resignation. “When are Travis and Darin getting back?”
“I don’t know, but we could certainly use their help,” Ryan answered. “I’ll get in touch with Travis and find out.”
“So where do we go from here?” Clint asked.
“I’ll keep trying to find out our mystery woman’s identity and who gave her that card. I can ask here at the club and everyone will keep things confidential,” Alex offered. “I put the money in the club safe and I’m staying in contact with the police chief.” His green eyes twinkled. “So, David, you’re our surrogate daddy. You just keep taking care of little Autumn. Looks as if she’s happy.”
“She is happy. She’s got a nanny coming soon.”
“Who’s the nanny?” Alex asked.
“Marissa Wilder.”
“I know her sister,” Ryan said.
“Karen Wilder,” Alex agreed. “I dated her once. She’s a hoot. I think she was more of a party girl than her little sister. Karen’s married now and has a passel of kids.”
“So my nanny has a good background?”
“You didn’t check?” Clint asked. “I can run a check on her background, but sounds like we’ve already got enough if you guys know her family. You didn’t check on her?” he repeated.
“Hell, no, I didn’t,” David snapped. “If you’d been up all night trying to get formula down and a diaper on a baby and stop her crying, you’d snap up the first nanny you could find, too. Marissa has a knack with babies.”
“Well, so might have Lucrezia Borgia,” Alex teased.
“You guys. Give me much flak and you can take this baby and then we’ll see who runs out and gets a nanny,” David answered, thinking about the night he’d just spent.
“Just keep it up, Dad. You’ll do fine,” Alex said. He rubbed his forehead. “Seems to me I remember Marissa Wilder being married.”
“She’s not married now,” David said. “I asked her.”
“Yeah, she was,” Clint broke in. “A guy who was a doctor. After his divorce from Marissa, he and his new wife moved to Midland.”
“I don’t care if she’s had five husbands,” David said firmly, and the others laughed.
“I’m going,” Clint said, standing and taking a last long drink of pop. Clint was as solemn as ever, looking worried and concerned. David was sorry Clint was mixed up in this because he didn’t need any more hurt in his life.
“Frankly, David,” Clint remarked, “you look like you had a rough night.”
David merely waved his hand at Clint as if shooing away a fly.
Ryan stood. “I’ll walk out with you, Clint.”
“I better go while she’s still sleeping,” David said. “If she wakes and is hungry, they’ll hear her all over this clubhouse.” David picked up the new diaper bag and the carrier with the sleeping baby. She jumped, her tiny fingers spreading, and then she became still again.
“Looks like you have a peaceful baby,” Alex said, falling into step with David. They walked out into bright sunshine. “I think we’ve got our hands full,” Alex continued. “I just wonder where Jane Doe got that blow to the head. And who is trying to take her baby and why. It could be the father. Or relatives. I have a lot of questions and so far, no answers. Too bad that baby can’t talk.”
“She’s vocal, just not into conversation.”
Alex smiled. “You’ll get the hang of it, and now you have help. From what I remember, the Wilders are a pretty good family. Her folks do some sort of charity work—I don’t recall, exactly.”
“She said they were out of the country. I think we know enough about the Wilders. Keep us posted, Alex.”
“I will. The minute I find out anything, I’ll let you and the others know. Jane Doe didn’t pop into Royal from a void. And somewhere in her background there’s someone from the club. I’ll keep asking. And you keep up the great baby care. This will make you an expert so when you marry and become a dad, you’ll know what to do.”
“Yeah, right.” David snorted. “Marriage has always been out for me—now I’m absolutely sure it’s out. Growing up without a mom and my dad away half the time, I don’t know anything about this family stuff.”
“You’re learning. You’ll let all that knowledge go to waste,” Alex teased. “What a shame.”
“Yeah, right.” David left his friend and hurried to his car.
“This car wasn’t even made for a baby,” David remarked to himself, struggling to get the new carrier buckled into the back seat. He looked down at the tiny baby, who still slept peacefully. He brushed her wispy hair with his fingers. “Darlin’, you’ve been an angel. Now I’ll live up to my promise and we’ll buy a rocking chair on our way home.”
As he closed the door carefully, he saw Clint approaching on his way out of the lot. David flagged Clint down, got the borrowed carrier and hurried to Clint’s car, to ask him to return the carrier to its rightful owner at the hospital.
As Clint drove away, David climbed into the front, starting the engine and glancing into the rearview mirror at Autumn. “Sleep, little one,” he said softly. “’Course, you’re probably resting up for tonight, but that’ll be between you and your new nanny. I’m going to hit the sack and pass out for twelve hours.”
To David’s relief Autumn continued to sleep through his purchase of a rocker and promise of delivery later that day.
Praying that she continued to sleep until he was home, he took the shortest route and sped home, finally turning from the county road onto his own ranch road. Iron gates were opened wide. Pipe-and-wire fencing ran up to two tall posts and a sign on one of the posts read TX S Ranch. He looked at the familiar TX S brand that made up the name. Stirring up a cloud of dust, he raced the car along the gravel drive.
He let out another sigh of relief when the sprawling house came into view. He loved the ranch. This was home, the happiest memories of his childhood had been here. In tight spots in far corners of the world, this was the place he dreamed about.
Made of sandstone, the house was built before the turn of the century in the late 1800s. David had often climbed up its shake-shingle roof, swung from the branches of the tall oaks that shaded the fenced yard and spent hours on the wraparound porch. Now the house was his haven from the world.
Beyond the house stood a barn, a bunkhouse, other outbuildings and a corral. In the distance several other houses could be glimpsed.
As he neared the four-car garage, a brown-and-black shaggy dog came tearing out of the shadows and ran to meet the car, jumping and wagging his tail, staying back a safe distance away from the car.
David parked and climbed out, idly scratching the dog’s head briefly. “Now, General, you scoot. We’ve got a sweet baby who has come to live with us, and she’s too little for you to play with.”
Just then Autumn stirred and blinked, and for a few moments, gazed at the world in silence.
“We’re home, little one. I’ll have you changed and fed in no time. I’m getting to be an old hand at this,” he said, hurrying into his house.
As he passed a rocker on his porch, he eyed it, and half an hour later he went back outside to pick it up and carry it into his spacious kitchen, which had a large living area at one end of the room. He picked Autumn up from her carrier and put her on his shoulder, patting her as he crossed to the counter to get her bottle he had just readied.
“Now, darlin’, your diaper has been changed. We can rock and you can eat and that ought to make you happy.” He sat down and shifted her carefully in his arms, holding the bottle for her as he had seen Marissa do. In seconds Autumn was happily sucking away and David rocked, marveling that he had a baby to care for.
“I’m getting the hang of it,” he said in amazement. “I’ll still be mighty glad to see your nanny arrive.” He glanced around the kitchen. His housekeeper, Gertie, had cleaned his disastrous kitchen from last night. Imported tile countertops were once again immaculate, as was the terra-cotta floor. He looked around the room. It had rich fruitwood cabinets with fruitwood covering the refrigerator. A workstation island separated the kitchen area from the living area, and one end of the room held a large stone fireplace with a sofa and two comfortable chairs. On the other side of that end of the room stood a fruitwood oval table and twelve chairs beside a wide bay window. Practical and comfortable with state-of-the-art equipment, the room was one of David’s favorite places. Now the rocker was in the center of the living area.
David looked at the baby in his arms. Could he have ever been this tiny? Before she died, in those early months, had his mother rocked him? There was a rocker at the Pine Valley house and it was old. He was certain his father had never rocked him. He couldn’t imagine his father dealing with a baby. His father had always hired someone to do that job.
He glanced at the clock. Five until four. Would Marissa be prompt? He didn’t care, as long as she just showed up. He had called home from the club and told Gertie to get a bedroom ready, that he had hired a nanny who was moving into the ranch house.
He heard an approaching car and sighed with relief. When the doorbell rang, David got up, careful to avoid disturbing Autumn, who was still busily drinking from her bottle. He carried the baby with him and swung open the front door, staring in amazement.
He wanted to ask, “Who are you?” Instead, he gazed into the same chocolate-brown eyes and saw the same delectable full lips.
Gone were the strange clothes and makeup. Before him stood a stunning woman who was all curves and long legs with a narrow waist. Shining dark blond hair fell in a silky curtain below her shoulders to frame her face.
Her skin was flawless, with only the faintest pink to her cheeks. She wore a simple blue cotton short-sleeve shirt that was tucked into a navy skirt. David reflected he’d be able to span her waist with his hands. He realized he was staring.
“You don’t look the same,” he blurted, and then wondered what had happened to his finesse.
She smiled, the same adorable, dimpled smile, only now it turned his insides to steam.
“No. I guess we never got around to discussing my clothing this morning. The store had a special sale going and they asked all the employees to dress as Mother Goose characters. I was Little Bo-Peep.”
“Bo-Peep?”
“You don’t know your nursery rhymes—Bo-Peep who lost her sheep?”
“No, I don’t.”
Marissa’s brows arched, but she kept her comments on his lack of knowledge of nursery rhymes to herself. She looked at the baby. “I see Autumn is doing just fine,” Marissa said, and David realized they were still standing at the door; he was still staring, and he had not invited Marissa inside.
Hastily, he stepped aside. “Come in. Are your things in your car?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll help you bring them in. Let me finish feeding Autumn and then I’ll show you around. I was in the kitchen feeding her. I carried a rocker in from the back porch,” he said, wondering at himself. He was babbling—a first in his life. His mind reeled. He had hired what he thought would be a competent nanny. Now he realized he had hired a very appealing woman. How was he going to live with her under his roof and ignore her?
With one hand he pulled the rocker near the fireplace. Between the oval breakfast table and the fireplace was a plaid-upholstered sofa. He motioned toward the sofa. “Have a seat.”
He sat as Marissa sat and crossed her long, shapely legs. He was in a sweat, and he realized he was staring again. He yanked his gaze up to meet her steady look.
“I bought a rocker on the way home today. It’ll be delivered this afternoon. This one belongs on the porch and, frankly, I forgot I had it.”
“Autumn looks more than halfway through that bottle. You might want to stop and burp her,” Marissa suggested.
“Do what?”
“Little babies get air bubbles in their tummies when they take a bottle. Here, I’ll show you. Where do you keep the kitchen towels?”
“In the third drawer by the fridge.”
With a sexy sway of her hips that he could watch all afternoon, Marissa crossed the room, found a towel and returned to stand in front of David. “Lean forward slightly, and I’ll put this over your shoulder.”
He did as instructed and was acutely aware of her bending down to place the towel across his shoulder. He felt her hands flutter over him, caught a whiff of an enticing perfume that smelled a little like roses, and saw silky strands of hair close in front of his face. Her skin was creamy smooth. Damnation, he didn’t want to be attracted to his nanny. That seemed bad business all the way around.
“Now, lean back and put her on your shoulder.”
“I hate to stop her.”
“She won’t mind for a little while and she’ll feel better. It might make her cry less if her tummy doesn’t hurt.”
He took the bottle from Autumn and set it on the floor beside the rocker. He carefully put the baby on his shoulder and she snuggled against him.
“That’s it,” Marissa said, watching him. “Now, pat her back gently.”
Marissa returned to the sofa to sit, and crossed her fabulous legs. He hadn’t noticed her legs in those striped stockings this morning. Now he had to struggle to keep from staring at them.
Autumn gave a little burp that startled him. “She burped.”
“Now you can go back to feeding her.”
“I wish I’d known that last night,” he said with a sigh.
“She probably wishes you’d known it, too,” Marissa told him with a smile.
“You said you’re not married, Marissa. I didn’t ask about a boyfriend.”
Her dimple flashed. “No boyfriends.”
“A friend of mine said you used to be married.”
Her expression didn’t change, but David sensed he had touched a sensitive subject. “I was,” she answered evenly. “To Reed Grambling. He’s remarried and moved to Midland now.”
“I knew him,” David said, recalling a guy who was on the basketball team. “He was a year behind me in school and I remember that he was a popular guy. Sorry it didn’t work out.”
“I fell for his looks and charm, and beneath all that was a man purely interested in himself. And women. After I put him through medical school, he walked. He was through with me. But that’s over, and I have my maiden name back,” she replied.
“You had a rotten deal.”
“I’m forgetting about it,” she stated firmly. “Did you go by the hospital before you came home?” she asked.
“No, I checked with Clint Andover and there was no point in going to the hospital. Clint said the mother is still in a coma. She’s listed as critical.”
“How awful! Oh, my goodness, that poor little baby!” Marissa exclaimed, biting her lip and staring at Autumn.
“We’ll all pray the mother pulls through this. In the meantime, Autumn is in good hands now.” He looked down at the baby. “She’s asleep. If you’d like, I can give you a tour of the house.”
“Sure,” Marissa said, standing when he did. “This is a beautiful kitchen.”
“Dad had it done over several years ago. I was away in the Gulf War, so I didn’t know until I came home. Some of the house has been remodeled and some of it is the original that was built when my great-great-grandpa Sorrenson settled here.”
