“Daddy,” Sara said, looking up at him. “Can we invite Amanda? Pwease...”
Sam grimaced. For heaven’s sake, this whole Amanda Lucas thing was out of control. He’d spoken to the woman only twice in his life—his kids, only once—but now it seemed he couldn’t get her untangled from their lives.
Well, he wanted her untangled. Sara was too young to understand. He was only trying to protect her and her sister. The three of them didn’t need a woman in their lives. He might not have been there for them in the past, but he was here now. He wasn’t the perfect Mr. Mom, but he was getting pretty dam good at the job. Besides, he owed his wife. She had always said he spent too much time away from them. Unfortunately, it had taken her death to make him realize she was right.
Sam shook his head. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea, dumpling,” he said, gazing at Sara. “Remember, Dr. Lucas is a very busy lady. More than likely, she’ll be too busy to come.”
“Pwease, Daddy. She’ll come. I know she will,” Sara persisted.
Sam smiled gingerly at her. “But I don’t want you to be disappointed, Sara, if she doesn’t.”
“I won’t be,” the little girl replied. “Can’t we invite her?”
Sam glanced at Caroline who was sitting on the floor, her schoolbooks spread out around her. “She’ll come,” the child said, echoing her younger sister’s remark. “Amanda’s nice.”
The woman was infuriating—even when she wasn’t around, Sam thought. But he couldn’t very well say that to his young child. Instead, he sighed heavily. This conversation simply wasn’t going the way he had planned. It was time he gently busted Sara and Caroline’s bubble concerning Amanda.
Then why, he wondered, did he feel like the bad guy here when all he was really trying to do was protect his children from a woman who put her career above all else? A woman who, undoubtedly, would make a lousy wife and stepmother—if he was even looking for such a person. Which, of course, he wasn’t.
Glancing at his girls, he saw they were staring at him, waiting on his answer.
He sighed heavily. Ah, the heck with it. Why was he fighting them, anyway? He couldn’t always shelter them from the realities of life. They would see for themselves what kind of person Amanda Lucas really was when she didn’t show up for Sara’s party. But, even with that thought in mind, there was a part of him that secretly hoped she would prove him wrong about her. “Oh, all right,” he said. “Go ahead. Invite her. We’ll see what happens.”
“Yippy!” Sara cried out. “She’ll come, Daddy. You’ll see.”
But, despite his initial rejection, Sam found his blood was pulsing through his veins at the mere prospect of seeing Amanda again.
Maybe, he grumbled to himself, it wasn’t just his kids he was trying to protect, after all.
Late Tuesday afternoon, Amanda was sitting behind her desk, getting ready to leave her office to make evening rounds at the hospital when she noticed a small envelope that her receptionist had placed in an upright position against her telephone. The envelope was addressed to Dr. Amanda Lucas and marked personal on the left-hand corner. She opened it and began to read. Much to her surprise, it was an invitation to Sara Arquette’s birthday party on Saturday.
Amanda’s first thought was that it would be better for everyone concerned if she just didn’t go. After the disastrous other night, she wouldn’t feel comfortable in Sam’s company. For all she knew, it would be just like him to invite her to come to a party and then stand there and glare at her the whole time. Thanks, but no thanks. She would send Sara a present. That was the best she could do.
Amanda turned toward the trash can next to her desk and started to throw the invitation away. But she simply couldn’t bring herself to do it. Instead, she carefully slipped it back into its envelope and placed it back in an upright position against her telephone.
And the very last thing she did before leaving her office to make hospital rounds was to glance once again at the invitation. No, she wasn’t going. She simply wasn’t.
Chapter Four
But it wasn’t the end of the story for Amanda. For the next two days she continued to think about the invitation sitting on her desk. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe she should just forget about Sam’s attitude toward her and go to the party for Sara’s sake. She hated the thought of disappointing the child. Still, she had her pride. It was bad enough that Sam thought she was insensitive, but his behavior and his unguarded remark the other day about wanting to have a son were proof positive that a man like him would never want her. Why take the chance of getting hurt again? Without a doubt, it was in her own best interest to stay as far away as possible from him.
Which meant, of course, that she would have to stay away from his kids, too. Once again, she was at loggerheads.
I’m truly sorry, Sara, Amanda thought, a sudden heaviness settling at the center of her chest. But with the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays just around the corner, she didn’t need another painful reminder that, when it came right down to it, she was all alone in this old world.
On Saturday morning, the day of Sara’s birthday party, Amanda awoke with a start. Instantly realizing that she had been caught in the clutches of a recurring nightmare, she rolled over on her back and lay there momentarily, staring at the ceiling overhead. A lump swelled in her throat. The nightmare was the product of something that had happened to her over ten years ago. Even now, the memory of her ex-fiancé’s rejection when he’d discovered that she was infertile still could cause her pain.
Their wedding had been less than a month away and Amanda had been trying very hard to make sure every little detail was taken care of. She’d found that her fiancé was a stickler for perfection. One evening, after she’d arranged a doctor’s visit to go over the results of some tests she had taken during a comprehensive physical, she was to meet her fiancé at his office.
The test results turned out to be devastating. Her doctor told her that she had a severe case of endometriosis and that she would never be able to conceive children. Needing the comfort and support of her fiancé, she had rushed to his office with the tragic news. Instead of comfort, she had gotten his complete rejection.
“How could you keep something like this from me for all this time?” he had said angrily, as though her condition was something she had secretly planned to keep from him until now. Which, of course, wasn’t the case at all. She was heartbroken... shocked...in need of a shoulder to cry on.
“I—I didn’t keep this from you,” she had stammered. “I just found out today. I know it’s a shock, but I need you—”
“A shock,” he had retorted mockingly. “You have no idea just what a shock this is. My father is getting ready to make me a full partner in his law firm. Do you know what that means? Finally, I’ll have the office right next door to his.”
“That’s wonderful,” she had said, trying to make sense of what he was saying. She knew how much he wanted the office and the partnership his father was now offering him. But why wasn’t he taking her into his arms and telling her that everything was going to be all right?
The expression on his face was so hard...so cold.
“You know what that means, don’t you?” he had repeated. “It means that one day I’ll want to make my own son a partner.”
“We could always adopt,” she had said through her tears. She was still in shock, and just so bewildered at the change in him.
“That’s absurd,” he had stated. “My father will never accept a grandchild that isn’t his blood. I can’t marry you now. I have an obligation to my family.”
“But I thought you loved me,” Amanda had said.
“And I thought you could give me a son,” he had replied evenly, without even the slightest sound of remorse in his tone of voice.
“Is that the only reason you were marrying me?”
“I strive for perfection, Amanda. You know that.”
“And I’m not perfect anymore. Is that what you’re saying?”
/> “I’m saying that any man in my shoes would do the same thing. And if you don’t believe me, just ask around,” he had replied.
As if she would have ever done such a thing. Instead, she had created a cocoon of protection. To this day, she still lived in it.
Amanda finally got up from bed, dressed and headed for the hospital to make her morning rounds. Upon arriving, she poured herself a cup of coffee that smelled and looked as if it had been brewed hours ago. She took a sip and grimaced. She was right. It tasted awful. Turning, she threw the full cup in a nearby trash can and then selected a bottle of orange juice from the vending machine right next to the coffeepot.
Suddenly, without even the slightest warning, Sara and Caroline’s sweet little faces flashed through Amanda’s mind. The two little girls were probably awake by now and getting all excited about Sara’s birthday party later that day. And then Amanda pictured Sam in the kitchen baking Sara’s cake, and she couldn’t help herself. She had to smile. Because not even in her wildest dreams did that scene fit her image of him. Sam was too much a man’s man to be that domesticated. He was an ex-soldier, for heaven’s sake. He was simply too sexy. She could picture him out in his yard chopping wood, but not in his kitchen decorating a four-year-old’s birthday cake.
Realizing how easily Sam and his children had slipped into her thoughts, Amanda turned and started down the hall toward one of her patient’s rooms. Halfway there, she stopped short.
Oh, for heaven’s sake, she had forgotten to send Sara a birthday present as she’d planned. Thoroughly upset with herself, Amanda remained frozen for a long moment before she realized that she still had time to get a gift to the child before the party started. She walked straight to the doctor’s lounge where she knew there was a telephone. She looked up the number for the children’s clothing shop down on Main Street and dialed it. The store clerk who answered was very helpful and promised to take care of everything, including the delivery. After completing the call, Amanda went back to making her rounds, relieved that she had remembered in time. She would have been heartsick if she hadn’t.
After seeing her patients, Amanda headed straight for her office. Her desk was piled with business letters that needed tending to. Not only that, but she wanted to pull Sabrina Jensen’s file and review it. Who knew, maybe it held a clue to the young woman’s whereabouts.
Soon she was seated in the plush leather chair behind her desk, Sabrina’s file placed in front of her. She saw the invitation that Sara had sent to her still placed against her telephone. She didn’t reach for it, though. But then, she didn’t need to. She’d already read it so many times, she knew it by heart.
Right next to it was a note from Kathy reminding her once again about the puppies her niece was giving away. Kathy was convinced that Amanda needed a pet and had been leaving her notes to that effect for a couple of weeks now. However, with her odd hours, Amanda was just as convinced that a pet was the last thing she needed.
Taking a deep breath, she opened Sabrina Jensen’s file and began to study the paperwork inside. Amanda already knew that the only information in the file that wasn’t bogus was Sabrina’s name, and possibly her date of birth, and the fact that her last known mailing address was The Single C, a prominent spread in Muskogee County, owned by her cousin, Max Carter. But she dialed the telephone number Sabrina had given anyway, and waited to see what would happen. Sure enough, a recording came on, saying that the number had been disconnected.
Not for the first time, Amanda speculated about her patient’s suspicious disappearance. She knew, of course, that Sabrina was an expectant mother. And from her experience with other pregnant women—and, of course, from her own basic instincts—she knew that if Sabrina thought for a second that her unborn child was in some kind of jeopardy, from the Wentworths or whomever, she would do anything to protect him. Even if that meant running from the very people who said they wanted to help. In any case, Sabrina was undoubtedly frightened and alone, and Amanda was worried about her, both as a doctor and as a woman. But at the same time, even as she sat in the comfort and safety of her office, she knew she would trade places with Sabrina in a heartbeat. She thought again of her young patient carrying the child of the man she loved. As far as Amanda was concerned, nothing—absolutely nothing in life—could possibly ever equal that kind of joy.
Finally, after looking through Sabrina’s entire file, Amanda realized there were no clues to the young woman’s whereabouts. Apparently, Sabrina had been very careful not to leave behind a paper trail that could be followed. Closing the file, Amanda sat back in her leather chair and gave the matter some more thought. Eventually, she placed Sabrina’s file to the side and went to work on the pile of mail stacked on her desk.
Time passed. Amanda glanced at her wristwatch. Two o’clock. Instinctively she found herself thinking that Sara’s party would be starting in an hour. And no matter how hard she tried to rationalize the need to stay away, there was something deeply disturbing to her about missing it.
And then, like clockwork, Amanda’s thoughts of Sara naturally conjured up the child’s father.
The truth of the matter was, Sam was the only reason she wasn’t going to Sara’s birthday. He was arrogant and intimidating, and he made her feel so damned vulnerable. For years now she had fought so hard to deal with her feelings of inadequacy as a woman, only to have him come along and toss the truth right back in her face. And now she knew. She wasn’t dealing with her feelings. They were still there beneath the covering of her skin, lurking... hiding...threatening to shatter her confidence in herself without a moment’s warning.
No way could she continue to let that happen.
Amanda found it useless to try to sit in her office and open any more letters. She decided that she couldn’t take the turmoil going on inside her any longer. In one swift move she slammed the letter opener down on top of her desk and stood. Dammit, this was ridiculous. Deep down inside, she wanted to go to Sara’s birthday party. And, frankly, she would be a complete fool if she let fear stop her from doing so. To hell with Sam Arquette and the way he made her feel inside. She was going to that party because she wanted to—not because of him.
So now that she had made that decision, it seemed imperative that she do something special for Sara—and for Caroline, too. Something that would make Sam’s two little daughters remember her fondly. No doubt this would be her only chance to do something special for them. She had a feeling that Sam wasn’t likely to be inviting her back to his home anytime soon. Picking up Kathy’s note about the puppies, Amanda knew exactly what she was going to do. She called Kathy and made arrangements to pick up one within the hour. Then she rushed home to get ready, giving extra attention to her hair and makeup. After all, she was going to a party. She wanted to look her best.
For Sara’s and Caroline’s sakes, of course.
After all, all their friends would be there.
Within forty-five minutes she was heading out of town for the Arquette farm with a brand-new doghouse in her trunk and a six-week-old puppy asleep on her lap.
Amanda was going to her first birthday party in years, and she could hardly wait to get there.
Sam Arquette glanced at his wristwatch for the hundredth time. It was three-fifteen and Sara’s birthday party had started. It looked as though Amanda Lucas wasn’t going to come, after all. Somewhere deep inside he had known all along that she wouldn’t. Frankly, he could have cared less. He just hoped she was happy living her life as a loner. Sara and Caroline were going to be the ones disappointed when they realized that she wasn’t coming, and he hated to see that happen to them.
And, okay, if the truth be known, maybe he was a little disappointed, too.
But only a little.
And only because of his girls.
Actually, he had other, more immediate problems to worry about right now. Mrs. Cunningham was having back trouble again—a condition that had required strict bed rest several times in the past year that he’d known her�
��yet she had insisted on coming today to help him with Sara’s party, and he was trying to make sure she didn’t overwork herself.
Looking up, Sam saw Sara running across the yard toward him and groaned out loud. He already knew what she was planning to ask him. Unfortunately, his answer wasn’t going to be to her liking.
“Daddy,” she said breathlessly, coming to a stop right in front of him. “Is Amanda coming?”
Sam shook his head. “I don’t think so, dumplin’. She would’ve been here by now.”
Sara frowned. “Oh,” she said. The letdown showing on her face tore at Sam’s heart. Dropping her gaze, she turned and walked away.
“Damn you, Amanda,” Sam muttered to himself as he whirled around to go into the house. Instead, he ran smack dab into Mrs. Cunningham who was just coming out the door.
“Damn who?” she asked teasingly.
“Dr. Lucas, that’s who,” he replied.
“W-what did she do?” Mrs. Cunningham asked, furrowing her brow.
“The girls wanted me to invite her to come today, so I did. But she didn’t show—just like I knew she wouldn’t.”
“Maybe she’s delivering a baby,” Mrs. Cunningham said.
“Yeah, maybe,” Sam replied with a slight smirk. “But she could’ve called,” he added, before going inside the house to get what he needed from the kitchen. When he came back outside, he saw that Sara, Caroline and the other children at the party were all gathered around someone. A second later he saw who that someone was.
“Well, I’ll be,” he said under his breath. “She came after all.” Suddenly, something in his gut pulled hard. It was brief, but powerful. And that was when Sam first realized that where the good doctor was concerned, he just might be heading for more trouble than he could ever imagine. But, deciding to ignore such a thought, he strolled with a deliberate gait toward them.
The Daddy And The Baby Doctor Page 6
