Surprise Package. Joanna Wayne
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the soft mewing purrs of contentment as warm milk filled her stomach.
His own problems slipped to the back of his mind as the image seared its way into his consciousness. Ashley Garrett on his bed, bottle-feeding a tiny, helpless baby. The sight of it made him feel funny, like watching a sad movie and pretending not to be affected.
He wasn’t sure what it was all about, but he had the sneaking suspicion that it couldn’t be good.
* * *
“SHE’S ASLEEP,” Ashley whispered. “Throw back the spread so that I can lay her on the sheet.”
He did as he was told, and Ashley put the infant down slowly, right in the middle of his king-size bed. She wiggled a little but didn’t open her eyes. So far, so good.
Ashley eased from the bed and started toward the door.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“To get the baby’s blanket from the basket. It’s softer than yours.”
“Just so you don’t think you’re sneaking out of here.”
“No way.”
“Good.”
“I don’t sneak.”
He flashed her a less than authentic smile as she sashayed out of the room. By the time she returned, he’d kicked off his shoes, settled back on the pillow and closed his eyes.
“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