Of course, he knew exactly where she lived, Amanda realized with a smirk. She suspected he hadn’t even needed her general directions. He’d probably asked someone in town. Still irritated with him for snooping into her business, she gazed out the passenger’s side window.
Moments later, Sam pulled into Amanda’s driveway. “We’re here,” he said.
“I’m cold, Daddy,” Caroline said.
Amanda glanced down at Sara and Caroline, and saw that Sara was squirming in her seat. “I still gotta go, Daddy,” the child said. Opening the passenger door, Amanda jumped to the ground, then rushed toward her front door to unlock it. She had it wide open by the time Sam, Caroline and Sara reached her. Flicking on several light switches, she said, “The bathroom is down the hall to your left.”
“Caroline, stay here with Amanda,” Sam instructed, quickly taking Sara by the hand and leading her down the hall. “We’ll be right back.”
“I’m thirsty, Daddy,” Caroline said.
Amanda smiled. “We’ll be in the kitchen getting her some water,” Amanda replied, slipping her hand into Caroline’s and leading her toward the kitchen.
The child followed so trustingly that it touched something deep within Amanda. Something that was vulnerable and raw, even after all these years of knowing she could never have children of her own. At one point she had entertained thoughts of adopting. But by then, her career was in full swing and she had convinced herself it would be enough in the long run to make her happy. And for her own good, she had never allowed herself to examine that decision too closely. Until now. Until she felt the warmth of Caroline’s small hand tucked in hers. Now she wondered if she had made the right decision.
A couple of minutes later Sara came rushing into the kitchen ahead of her father.
Suddenly, Amanda got the crazy idea to make hot cocoa for the girls—and, of course, for their father, too. Crazy, because it wasn’t something she would normally do. Other than a few charitable functions, she kept pretty much to herself. She didn’t feel the need to be social. Her career kept her too busy for that. Oh, sure, she did get lonely at times. Nothing, not even professional success, came without a price. But tonight, she wanted to make an exception. Tonight, she felt like having company for a while. She was enjoying Sam’s children so much. And, as much as she hated to admit it, a part of herself that she’d thought long dead came alive when Sam was near.
“Caroline. Sara. How would you like a cup of cocoa before going home?”
Widening their eyes, Caroline and Sara glanced at their father who was now standing in the doorway. “Can we, Daddy?” Sara asked.
“Please, Daddy?” Caroline pleaded half a second later.
Glancing his way, Amanda held her breath and waited for his answer.
“No, not tonight, girls,” Sam replied, shaking his head. Then, after rubbing the back of his neck, he glanced at Amanda and added, “It’s getting past their bedtime.”
“Oh, please, Daddy,” his girls said in unison.
“We never go anywhere,” Caroline added.
“It’s instant cocoa. It won’t take but a minute,” Amanda chimed in on their behalf.
Finally, after gazing at Amanda in a way that suggested he could have strangled her bare-handed for extending such an offer in the first place, Sam said, “Oh, all right. But we’ll have to make it quick.” Turning his complete attention to Amanda, he added, “Look, are you sure about this? My girls are great, but sometimes—especially when they’re tired—they can be quite a handful.”
Amanda bent down between his daughters, placed her arms around their waists and hugged them against her. Sara leaned her small head against Amanda’s. The little girls seemed open to her affection and that was all that mattered to her for now. “I’m sure,” she said. She hugged his girls one more time and then stood to prepare the cocoa.
By now, Sam was leaning one shoulder against the door frame, his arms crossed over his chest. He watched, at first in amusement, as his young daughters attempted to help Amanda prepare the cocoa, and he was amazed by the camaraderie already existing among the three of them. A camaraderie he wasn’t sure he liked. He didn’t know what Amanda Lucas’s game was, but if it included more than a friendly cup of cocoa, he wasn’t interested. His kids were his world, and the last thing he wanted for them was a stepmother like the self-centered, uncaring one he and his brother had had. It hadn’t taken them long to learn that when in her presence, they were to behave like well-disciplined children. In other words, seen but never heard. His girls had already been through enough in the past year, losing their mother and then having to put up with a full-time dad who was doing his best to fill the void left by her death. They didn’t need a stepmother. To his way of thinking, the odds were too great that Amanda would only add to their problems. Thanks, but no thanks. He was all his girls would ever need. And they were all he was ever going to need. End of story.
Besides, being a full-time father didn’t exactly give him much time for any kind of social life. He was so focused on raising his two girls that he hadn’t touched a woman—let alone thought about sex—in such a long time he’d almost forgotten what it was like.
Almost.
But not quite.
The problem was, for some cockamamy reason, being around Amanda was making him remember.
Not that she seemed to have much of a social life. From what he’d seen so far of her house, it was barren of anything resembling a relationship with family, or even close friends. If there was one thing the good folks of Mason’s Grove had consistently said about their baby doctor’s personal life, it was that she was a loner. And from what he’d seen of her so far, he was inclined to believe them.
Pushing himself away from the door frame, he strolled to where Amanda stood at the counter with her back to him. “Almost done?” he said, stopping right behind her.
“Almost,” she replied, obviously startled by his nearness.
“Smells good,” he said, deliberately leaning over her shoulder in order to see what she was doing. He also liked smelling her perfume. “Is there anything I can do to help? I don’t want the girls and me to be a burden.”
By now, Amanda’s insides were going nuts. Sam’s face was right next to hers. She hadn’t been this close to a man in... well... years. It was intoxicating. Her knees were as weak as a newborn calfs.
Suddenly, Sam placed his hand at the small of her back.
And that was her undoing. A pressure began to build in her, and at any given moment she felt certain she was going to explode.
Lucky for Amanda, she didn’t explode. Instead, she suffered a meltdown. But no matter how she looked at it, having a meltdown was better than having an explosion. It was so much quieter and less messy, and she was able to keep it to herself. Gathering her composure, she walked to the cabinet, took out four yellow mugs and poured the cocoa mixture into them.
“Okay, girls,” Sam said, turning his attention away from Amanda and concentrating on his two daughters. “It’s already past your bedtime. So drink up, okay?” Then he pulled out a bar stool and sat down across from them.
“Amanda, sit wight here,” Sara said, patting the top of the empty stool between herself and Caroline. “We saved it for you.”
Amanda was so touched by the gesture, a lump swelled in her throat. “Thank you,” she replied. “I would be delighted.”
A moment later Amanda beamed as she took her special place at the breakfast bar. Caroline began to tell her about her day at school. The little girl grew excited when she talked about playtime and the picture she had colored of a big Tom Turkey. It reminded both Sam and Amanda that Thanksgiving was fast approaching and gave them a topic of discussion.
“Are you going someplace special for Thanksgiving Day?” he asked.
“No. I usually take calls.”
“You’re kidding. Every year?” he asked.
“That’s right,” Amanda replied.
“Don’t you have any family?”
> “No. I was an only child and my parents are dead.”
“How about friends?”
“Of course, I have friends,” she said defensively. “But that doesn’t mean I have to spend Thanksgiving Day with them, does it?”
“Come to our house,” Caroline piped in. “Daddy’s going to cook us a big turkey. Huh, Daddy?”
Sam stood and cleared his throat. It was obvious to Amanda that he was trying to get away without addressing Caroline’s invitation. A moment later, he said, “Let’s go, girls.”
Just like that.
Suddenly, he couldn’t wait to get away from her.
The girls looked thoroughly disappointed.
Amanda was crushed. Of course, she would never allow him to see that she was.
That was what she hated about letting herself get involved with other people. The chance of getting hurt was always there.
But could she have stopped herself this time?
She glanced at Caroline and Sara—and then at their father.
Unfortunately, the answer was no.
“Can I come back to your house?” Caroline asked.
“Of course, if your dad says it’s okay,” Amanda replied, her heart in her throat. In spite of it, she reached out and stroked Caroline’s hair.
“Can I come back, too?” Sara asked.
Glancing at Sam, Amanda held his gaze. “I’d like that very much, Sara, but again, it’s up to your dad.”
Sam cleared his throat. “Okay, girls, that’s enough,” he said, helping them put on their coats and then hurrying them toward the door. “There’s something you need to understand. Dr. Lucas is a very busy lady.”
That, she is, Amanda thought to herself. And until this very moment, she had convinced herself that she liked it just fine that way. Only now she found that she would have liked nothing more than to spend time with Sam’s daughters. And yet, there was something very critical in all of this that she had to remember. Sam made the rules where his girls were concerned, and he obviously was very careful about who he allowed them to spend time with. Still, how could she turn her back on them when she knew they had lost their mother?
Squaring her shoulders, she gazed up at Sam. “Look,” she said. “I am very busy. But maybe I can set aside some time soon for the girls to come over for a visit.”
“I’d rather you didn’t make any promises to my kids that you don’t plan to keep,” Sam said rather gruffly.
“I—I would never do such a thing,” she exclaimed indignantly.
“My girls have already had more than their share of disappointments in the past year.”
“I know what they’re going through. I lost my mother when I was young.”
“Yeah, well, don’t get too close, Doc. They’re not some charity case, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“That wasn’t what I was thinking at all,” she said, shocked.
“Don’t think I haven’t noticed something about your house. I haven’t seen a single picture anywhere. Why is that, Doc? Are you too busy to have people in your life?”
Amanda drew in a sudden breath. Now, that had hurt. But she would be damned before she would let him know it. “That’s none of your business.”
His hands went to his hips. “In fact, if you like kids so much, why aren’t you married with some of your own?”
Now that really, really hurt.
The man had no idea what he was asking. Once it had been her life’s dream. Nowadays, it was simply her deepest heartache. “My career is my life,” she said in self-defense, and the truth of the statement saddened her.
“Exactly my point. I know you mean well, but please don’t make any promises to my kids. Understood?”
Amanda returned the heated glare he was giving her. After a moment, she bent down and gave both his daughters a big hug. “Bye now, girls,” she said, swallowing back the sudden lump in her throat. But after what their father had just said to her, she wasn’t about to show her emotions.
Unfortunately, she didn’t completely succeed.
Sam couldn’t help but notice the way Amanda was gazing at his girls. She had that same pained, faraway look in her eyes that she’d had earlier that day, right after she had delivered Lucy’s baby safely into the world. It was a look of total vulnerability... almost as if she had suffered her own share of misery at some point in her life. Somehow, he was touched by it.
“Thank you for the cocoa,” Caroline said politely, and the sound of his daughter’s soft voice jarred Sam back into the moment.
“Me, too,” Sara replied with a grin. Then, glancing at her father, she added, “Daddy, can Amanda come to my birthday pawty?”
Taken by surprise, Sam was at a complete loss for words. “Uh...we’ll-have to talk about it later, honey.”
Sara frowned, but she didn’t say anything.
After taking a deep breath, Amanda leveled her eyes on Sam. “Look, in spite of things, thanks for helping me tonight,” she said.
He shrugged nonchalantly. “Don’t mention it. I’d have done the same for anyone.”
Amanda didn’t have any delusions about that. “Yes, I’m sure you would have,” she said stiffly.
A few moments later Sam helped his kids into his truck, climbed in himself and drove away, leaving Amanda standing at the door, feeling angry and somewhat confused as to what had just happened between them. One minute the guy was practically all over her at the kitchen stove, and the next he was practically accusing her of being an insensitive human being.
Just who in the hell did he think he was, anyway?
Stepping inside her house, Amanda shut the door and locked it. Well, she had known all along—hadn’t she?—that Sam Arquette was going to be nothing but trouble. But had that stopped her from inviting him into her home? Oh, no, not her. Well, from now on, she planned to keep her distance from him at all costs. The hard part about that was knowing she would have to keep her distance from Caroline and Sara, as well.
But what choice did she have? Because if ever she sensed a heartbreak waiting to happen, she need look no further than Sam Arquette.
Sam called Josie Wentworth as soon as he got the girls to bed that night. She sounded surprised to be hearing from him so soon.
“You’ve got something, Sam?” she asked excitedly, getting right to the point.
“Unfortunately, no. At least, nothing concrete.”
“Did you talk to the doctor?”
“Yes. I went to see her personally.”
“And...”
“And she refuses to tell me anything about Sabrina Jensen. Apparently, she believes strongly in the doctor-patient confidentiality doctrine. She wouldn’t budge an inch.”
“Mmm...” Josie uttered. “Why didn’t you use some ol’ special forces technique on her?”
“I keep asking myself the same question,” Sam replied. “I guess ’cause I was trying to be a nice guy.”
Josie laughed lightly. “That’s a first.”
“All right, now, Josie. Be nice.”
Josie sighed deeply into the receiver. “You know, don’t you, Sam, that we’re getting nowhere fast in our search for Sabrina Jensen.”
“I know. But we’ll get a break soon. You’ll see.”
“I hope for Jack’s sake, we do. I know he would want us to find her.”
“I know he would, too,” Sam replied with a heaviness in his chest. “I really miss the guy, you know. He was my best friend. We went through a lot together.”
“I know,” Josie replied, a catch in her voice. “Sam, if you were in my shoes, what would you do next to try to find Sabrina?”
Sam grew thoughtful. Finally, he said, “I guess I would contact the authorities and ask them to put out an APB on her throughout the state. If you have a photo of her, it would be even more helpful.”
“There was a snapshot among Jack’s effects,” Josie said, hope in her voice. “I’ll check into things. In the meantime, if you happen to meet up with that doctor again, tell her I
said no hard feelings about Sabrina. She has her own loyalties. I have to respect that.”
“Yeah,” Sam said gruffly. “I guess we do. How’s Max?”
“Oh, Sam, he’s wonderful.”
“Sounds like you’re in love. I’m happy for you, Josie.”
“I know you are,” she replied.
They spoke awhile longer, hanging up only after Josie promised to keep Sam updated on any new developments.
Finally, Sam was ready to turn in for the night. But soon he realized that he wasn’t going to just drop off to sleep as he had planned. Much to his regret, he kept thinking about Amanda...about how she could infuriate him at a moment’s notice. And yet, something about her simply wouldn’t let go of him. It was crazy...insane...mind-boggling.
Not that he was really interested in Amanda Lucas. It was just that she had a way of messing with his head. Not to mention his libido. It was that alluring voice of hers. It was driving him plumb mad.
So, okay. He was an idiot.
What he needed to do was get out of bed and go for a long, grueling jog.
But he didn’t get out of bed. It was late, and he was tired. Besides, the girls were asleep, and he never left them alone inside the house. Eventually, he fell asleep, only to dream of Amanda. And the details of his dream were so erotic that when he awakened finally, he discovered he’d broken out in a sweat.
Much later, he dozed back off.
By the time morning arrived, Sam was determined to put Amanda completely out of his thoughts. He got Caroline off to school and then he and Sara went outside so he could do his farming chores. At lunchtime he fixed Sara a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and then put her down for a nap while he did some minor household cleaning. Sara woke up at three o’clock and soon afterward Caroline got off the school bus in front of their house. It wasn’t too long before Sam decided to call it a day. He prepared a light supper for them and then cleaned up the kitchen. The problem was, the moment he found himself idle, he also found himself thinking of Amanda and about how frustrated he’d become since meeting her.
Finally, he settled down for the evening in his recliner in the den. He always helped Caroline with her homework, and tonight Sara wanted his help to make a list of friends to invite to her fourth birthday party on Saturday. Most of them were from her Sunday school class.
The Daddy And The Baby Doctor Page 5
