His Brother's Baby. Laurie Campbell
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minimum wage.” Which she could justify accepting, because he’d have to pay anyone else the same amount. “And free rent.” Which was harder to justify, except… “I could make more money somewhere else, because weekday-lunch people don’t tip much. But I’d still have to find a sitter for Emma.”
“You know Gram would love to take care of her,” Shawna offered, nodding at the patio where her grandmother was showing the baby a bright ribboned wreath. “She’s said that all along.”
That was true, and it was a relief to know Emma would be in good hands once she started waitressing full-time again. “I know,” Lucy agreed, glancing out the window at her daughter and Gram, “and I’ll plan on that in five more weeks.”
Five weeks is too long!
The thought startled her with its desperate intensity, but she recognized the raw truth of it. She couldn’t spend another five weeks working in the same house, living in the same house, with Conner Tarkington.
Who had delighted her yesterday with that first glimmer of an easy camaraderie between them. Whose powerful hands and searing mouth had invaded her dreams last night. Who had promised she’d never need to worry about him touching her again.
“I have to get out of there,” she blurted, and saw from Shawna’s startled glance that there must have been a note of panic in her voice.
“Well, then,” her friend advised, reaching for the bowl of popcorn, “just tell him you’re moving out. You’ve almost got enough saved up, right?”
Not enough for the trailer park where she could feel safe letting Emma play outside. Even with what Conner was paying her, the electricity and security deposits there would take another month. But the sooner she moved out, Lucy knew, the sooner she could put the memory of that kiss behind her.
And while it would be wretchedly irresponsible to abandon free rent until she had at least another three hundred dollars saved, she needed to earn the money fast.
“I need an extra job,” she announced, feeling a rush of relief at hearing the words aloud. Even making such a declaration was already a step toward independence, toward regaining control of her life. “Maybe something on weekends.”
“I know we’re looking for more catering people at Joseph’s,” Shawna offered, sliding a piece of popcorn onto her chain. “All those holiday parties up in Carefree and Paradise Valley, and you don’t have to drive there yourself. You just get to Joseph’s, and the van takes everybody.”
She could manage that easily enough, and she still had the traditional white shirt and black slacks she’d worn for catering jobs in the past. “But Emma—”
“Gram would be happy to baby-sit, remember? You know you can call her anytime.”
“All right, then,” Lucy decided, closing her eyes for a moment against the memory of Conner’s promise never to touch her again. “Because I can’t keep wanting him like this. I’ve got to get out of there—fast.”
Chapter Three
He had to get over this fast, Conner warned himself as he rounded a curve on the Scottsdale Greenbelt running trail. He had no business coveting Lucy. After all, he couldn’t keep a promise of love any better than Kenny could. But it was taking far too long for him to get this craving out of his system.
She kissed you back, remember?
Which made things worse. If she’d flinched or slapped his face, it would be a lot easier to put the whole afternoon out of his mind. But Lucy had responded with the same genuine passion she showed for everything else in life…with the dazzling enthusiasm that had intrigued him from the first night they met…with the same unabashed honesty that enabled her to explain a moment later that Kenny was the man she loved.
She hadn’t lingered over the vast differences between a man who offered nonstop excitement and a man who offered stolid responsibility. She hadn’t needed to. Because she’d made it clear that wanting Con was a mistake—
So forget it.
Running should help, Conner knew. This was the fourth day he’d taken off at lunchtime to run the nearby greenbelt. At least that afternoon of Frisbee had shown him how badly he needed the distraction of movement, but it was ludicrous that in four days of carefully cheerful companionship, he hadn’t quite been able to get Lucy Velardi out of his mind.
The way she’d closed the lid of his computer and insisted he come to the park.
The way her entire body had stilled as she whispered, “I loved him.”
The way she’d smiled when he helped Emma with that balloon—a balloon the baby had enjoyed so much that Con intended to replace it the next chance he got. Emma was a cute kid, he’d noticed over the past few days, always fun to watch while he waited for his pages from the printer. And watching her was a lot safer than watching her mom. This morning he’d enjoyed letting the baby grip his finger until Lucy whisked her off for a feeding.
And damn it, he was thinking about Lucy again!
Hell, anybody would think he loved her. But he knew better than to believe that, Con acknowledged as he caught sight of the splashing fountain ahead. Conner Tarkington might be capable of any number of things, but wholehearted love wasn’t one of them.
He’d learned that two years ago, when Bryan…
No, he wasn’t thinking about Bryan now. It was pointless. He was already atoning as best he could, and he didn’t need those agonizing memories of the holiday season two years ago to know he was incapable of loving anyone the way they deserved.
Which meant he needed to get this longing for Lucy out of his system before he forgot what the mother of Kenny’s child meant to him—a family responsibility, nothing more.
Con splashed a handful of water across his face and picked up his pace, vowing to keep his mind on the well-worn track of caring for Tarkingtons. As long as he stayed focused on the foundation, he could make it through the next five weeks. Bryan’s memorial was what mattered, his responsibility was what mattered, and he was never going to neglect a responsibility again.
Especially to a child.
Which was why he’d tracked Kenny down in Hong Kong a few days ago. His brother would check in on Thursday, the hotel had announced, so Con was planning to call him tonight while Lucy put Emma to bed. There was no sense confronting her with the possibility that Kenny could have forgotten her name.
“Lucy Velardi?” his brother repeated blankly when Conner reached him that evening. “Who—oh, yeah. You’re in Scottsdale now, right? Did she, uh…”
“She had your baby,” Con told him. “A girl, named Emma.” Lucy was bathing her in the kitchen sink right now, while he used the phone in the hall to keep his conversation private. “So it’s time to start taking some responsibility.”
“Yeah, well, last spring I sent her a check,” Kenny offered. “I know I said I’d marry her, but—”
But instead he’d walked out? Con felt his entire body tighten with fury. “You what?”
“It wouldn’t have worked! She was okay with that,” his brother added defensively. “I just didn’t think she’d keep the baby…. Look, I’ll pay a settlement or something, but it’s not like I really wanted a kid in the first place. And things are kind of tight right now, so… How much does she want?”
Right to the bottom line, Conner observed. For all his freewheeling charm, Kenny was still a Tarkington at heart. “She doesn’t know I’m calling.”
“What?” His brother sounded incredulous. “You just decided to… Whose side are you on?”
He had always sided with Kenny, even while dealing with half a dozen disappointed women whose dreams of marrying money had never materialized. But none of them had ever borne Kenny’s child, and Lucy wasn’t