by Judy Duarte
From what Leah had heard, Emily had been buried alive during the tornado. But unlike Javier, she’d come out without any serious injuries.
Leah studied the baby in her arms. “She’s precious. And while she’s still small, she’s a lot bigger than when she was in the neonatal intensive care unit.”
“She’s hungry all the time,” Emily added. “I have a feeling she’ll be outgrowing her preemie clothes in no time at all.”
Leah reached for the child’s small foot, felt her little toes inside the pretty pink sleeper. She’d worked in the NICU briefly after she’d graduated from nursing school, so she’d handled preemies. But this was different. Mary Anne was healthy and thriving.
“You look good with a baby in your arms,” Emily said. “If Javier saw you like that, he’d be in awe—and undoubtedly thinking about the future.”
Leah cocked her head slightly. “What do you mean?”
“Rumor has it that there might be another Mendoza wedding one of these days.”
Seriously? Was Emily talking about Javier?
And Leah?
What did she mean by “rumor”? Where would anyone get an idea like that? After all, Leah wasn’t even sure what she and Javier were dancing around.
“I can’t imagine how a rumor like that might get started,” Leah finally said. “It’s way too early in our friendship to even think about something so far off as marriage. Besides, Javier has lived the life of a happy bachelor for years. I’m not so sure he’ll ever want to settle down.”
“I don’t know about that,” Emily said. “I’ve always been career focused, even when I was a freshman in high school. But being in a tornado, fearing for my life, has made me reevaluate a lot of things.”
Leah could see where a near-death experience could open a person’s eyes. Is that what was going on with Javier? Was he actually reexamining his life and planning to make some changes, too?
She hoped so.
Mary Anne began to squirm, to scrunch up her tiny face and fuss.
“What’s the matter?” Leah asked. “Do you think she’s hungry?”
“Actually, Wendy just fed her a few minutes ago. Maybe she needs to burp.”
As Mary Anne continued to cry, Leah put her up on her shoulder and began to pat her back to no avail.
“Let me give it a try,” Emily said, taking the baby from Leah. She paced the nursery floor, patting the child’s back lightly.
Moments later, as a burp sounded, Mary Anne stopped her fussing and settled down. Once she was quiet and still, Emily handed her back to Leah, taking time to stroke her little cheek, to look at her with love and longing.
“I imagine being around this precious baby makes a woman wish she could get married and start a family of her own,” Leah said.
“Yes, I’ll admit that it makes motherhood appealing. But I’m not thinking about marriage. I’ve given up waiting for Mr. Right to come along. What I really want is to have a baby.”
Leah liked the idea, too. But she’d nearly given up on having a child, on becoming a mother.
“My brother, Blake, inspired me to come up with a plan to make it happen,” Emily said.
“A plan?”
“Yes, and it’s a good one. I compiled a spreadsheet of fertility clinics with their success rate percentages, as well as a list of exclusive sperm banks that use only Ivy League, Mensa and Nobel Prize–winning donors. I also have the names of several well-recommended adoption attorneys who promise fast results.”
Leah didn’t know what to say about that. Talk about coming up with a family plan and seeing it to fruition....
Still, as much as Leah might like to have a little one of her own, she’d rather conceive a baby the old-fashioned way.
With that thought came a vision of her and Javier, stretched out in bed together, naked and kissing and stroking…
Whoa. Talk about inappropriate times and places.
Leah quickly squelched the amazing, blood-stirring thought and returned her attention to the baby in her arms.
“Emily?” Marcos called from the doorway. When both women looked up, he said, “Wendy would like your help with something in the kitchen.”
“I’ll be right there.” Emily reached down and caressed the baby’s head, running her hand along the soft tufts of dark hair. Then she excused herself, leaving Leah alone with the baby.
Emily hadn’t been gone long when Leah sensed someone watching her. When she glanced up, she spotted Javier in the doorway, a wistful smile on his face.
For a moment, something bound them together—a thought, a look, an unspoken dream.
Or had searching his expression while she held a baby in her arms set her imagination off on a tangent, seeking a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow that didn’t exist?
Leah tamped down her musing, which was probably a result of the “rumors” Emily had mentioned. But that didn’t mean she could ignore the fact that Javier stood in the doorway, looking at her in a way that touched her very core.
Javier had been so blown away by the sight of Leah holding a baby, so amazed to see the maternal side of her that he’d stood in the doorway, unable to move or to speak.
“Have you met your niece yet?” she asked.
“No, but I’d like to.” Still, it took him a moment to make that first step, to cross the carpeted nursery floor with his cane in hand. But once he did, he peered at his brother’s firstborn baby, nearly dumbstruck with awe.
“Do you want to hold her?” Leah asked.
“No, I’ll just look at her. She’s so tiny. And I’m not very good on my feet yet. I’d hate to drop her.”
“You can have my chair.”
“Please don’t get up.”
Leah looked so good like that, rocking a sleeping newborn. She was going to make one heck of a mother; he was sure of it.
When the doorbell rang and voices sounded in the living room, Javier realized that the other guests had begun to arrive.
“Looks like the open house is finally getting under way,” he said.
“Then I’d better take Mary Anne to her mommy and daddy.” Leah carefully got to her feet. “I need to let someone else hold her for a while.”
Javier took a step back, even though he hated to see Leah leave the nursery. Seeing her with a child in her arms—so serene, so loving—was enough to make him wonder what she’d look like holding a baby of her own.
His baby.
But Javier wouldn’t allow himself to have those kinds of thoughts before he could comfortably walk the floor with a fussy baby, take a toddler to the park or show a boy how to ride a bike or hit a baseball.
A boy?
Somehow, that didn’t seem to matter. If he were to have a daughter, he’d teach her how to do those things, too.
With Leah on her feet, he took the time to get a closer look at his brother’s newborn, the tiny angel who’d come to bless their lives.
“I can see a lot of Wendy in her,” he said. “But she’s got my brother’s eyes. She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”
“Absolutely.”
As they reached the doorway, Javier let Leah and the baby go first, then he followed them into the living room, where the Atlanta Fortunes had gathered.
He greeted Wendy’s brother Blake and his fiancée, Katie Wallace, first. Then he took the time to introduce the couple to Leah.
Blake, who was the head of marketing for FortuneSouth Enterprises, and Katie had been childhood friends. She’d been in love with him for years, and the two had recently become engaged.
Javier’s mother, if she were still alive, would have announced that love was in the air. And maybe she would have been right, because next in line for introductions was Wendy’s brother Scott and hi
s fiancée, Christina Hastings.
Scott, the vice president of FourtuneSouth Enterprises, had been trapped with Christina during the tornado. And within the first few weeks in January, he and the pretty waitress had fallen in love.
Leah, who’d met the couple while Javier had been in the hospital, greeted them.
By the time Javier got around to introducing Wendy’s parents, Virginia Alice and John Michael, everyone had gathered around Leah, who still held Mary Anne.
“I think it’s time for her grandmother to take her,” Leah said, handing over the baby to the silver-haired woman.
Virginia Alice beamed as she took the child, clearly thrilled to see her newest grandbaby again, this time without all the NICU monitors attached.
Leah took a step back, getting out of the way of the crowd, and Javier couldn’t blame her for that. There were a lot of people in the room, and even more would be passing through the door this evening.
Still, she’d handled it well, greeting each of them with grace and style. But he’d make an excuse to leave pretty soon. Once they’d had a drink and eaten a couple of the appetizers Wendy had made, Javier would tell everyone he was tired. Then he and Leah could escape.
Just the thought of having her to himself again brought a smile to his face.
As the women continued to coo over the baby, Javier turned to John Michael, the patriarch of the Atlanta Fortunes. “When did you get in?”
“Just a few hours ago. Scott picked us up at the airport, then drove us to his and Christina’s place.”
Marcos had mentioned that Scott and Christina had a seven-bedroom home, so there had to be plenty of room for guests.
“Would anyone like a drink?” Marcos asked his guests. “I have a bar set up in the patio.”
“I’ll take you up on that.” John Michael patted his son-in-law on the back, then followed him out of the living room.
At six feet four inches and with salt-and-pepper hair, John Michael was not only distinguished, but imposing as well. Javier suspected a lot of that had to do with the fact that he’d created FortuneSouth Enterprises, a huge telecommunications company, and had become a millionaire by the time he was thirty.
He was sixty-two now and had only refined his blunt, aggressive approach to both business and life.
He and his wife had been married for nearly forty years, although Javier suspected she deserved a lot of credit for holding down the home front while he commandeered the business.
Virginia Alice was the epitome of a genteel, Southern woman—an authentic steel magnolia. She was also as soft-spoken as her husband was blunt.
From what Marcos had told Javier, the woman had raised their six children single-handedly and didn’t believe in nannies.
Jordana, Wendy’s sister, was the last to step through the threshold, and when Javier tried to introduce the two women, Leah said, “We met one day at the hospital. It’s good to see you again, Jordana.”
“Yes, it is.”
“The last time we talked,” Leah said, “you were getting ready to fly back to Atlanta.”
“And now I’m back.” Jordana smiled. “I couldn’t miss this party—and a chance to see my niece again.”
Jordana Fortune, the assistant director of research and development for FortuneSouth Enterprises, was a bright woman with blond hair and brown eyes. She also had a shy demeanor.
Javier shot a glance at Leah, saw that she was holding her own with the ladies, so he said, “I’ll be back shortly. Can I bring you a drink?”
“A diet soda, if they have one.”
Javier nodded, then followed the men out to the patio. He was looking forward to having a quick drink with his friends and family. Then he would take Leah back home, where he planned to kiss her one more time.
And maybe take things a little further than that…
Leah doubted that she’d be able to keep all the Fortunes straight, but at least she knew Javier’s family from having seen them regularly at the hospital.
Luis had been the first Mendoza to arrive, followed by Rafe and Melina.
Apparently Isabella had an art show of some kind today. From what Leah had been told, Isabella and J.R. would definitely attend the open house, but they’d be arriving late.
After taking time to chat with Javier’s father and siblings, Leah scanned the small but cozy living room and found herself envying the close-knit group. Javier might complain about his siblings at times, but it was clear that they all loved and supported each other.
The Fortunes, too, for better or worse, seemed closely involved in one another’s lives. And for a moment, Leah tried to imagine having a family like that.
And having a husband like Javier.
She’d seen him with the baby, watched him with his friends and siblings. Had she been wrong about him being a Casanova?
There was so much she had yet to learn about the man, so much she wanted to learn.
Before she knew it, he was at her side.
“Are you ready to go?”
She wouldn’t mind staying a while longer or leaving, but she suspected he was getting tired. So she said, “I’m ready whenever you are.”
“I think we’ve stayed long enough.”
Leah stood, then said her goodbyes to the hosts, as well as the people she’d met. Everyone seemed glad that she’d come with Javier and sorry that they had to leave, but they understood.
What they didn’t realize—and Leah did—was that she was actually looking forward to the drive home and spending some quiet time with Javier. She might even invite him into her house for a cup of coffee or whatever else he might want.
Her thoughts took another sexual turn, and she tried to shake them off. It’s not as though their relationship had progressed beyond a good-night kiss.
As Leah and Javier left the house, they spotted Jordana Fortune standing just off the porch, looking a little green around the gills.
“Are you okay?” Leah asked.
The woman nodded. “Yes, I’m fine. It was just a little warm and crowded in there.”
“You don’t look fine,” Javier said. “Maybe you should go inside and lie down.”
“No, I don’t want to go back in the house.”
“Maybe you should let Leah look at you,” Javier said, as he leaned against his cane. “You might need to see a doctor.”
“I’m fine,” Jordana said. “Really.” Her gaze quickly sought Leah’s. “It’s nothing contagious. And it’ll pass soon.”
It didn’t take much of a leap for Leah to realize that Jordana might be pregnant.
“Would you like me to get you some saltines? Or maybe some ginger ale?”
“That might help. But please don’t mention that it’s for me. Or that you saw me out here, okay?”
Realizing that her assumption might prove to be right, Leah nodded. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned how to do since becoming a nurse, it’s to be discreet. This will be our little secret.”
Leah glanced at Javier, indicating that he was in on the secret, too. And while she didn’t think he’d come to the same conclusion she had, he nodded in agreement.
Moments later, Leah returned outside with the soft drink and crackers, only to find Javier out near the street, talking to J.R. and Isabella, who’d just arrived.
Jordana had moved, too. Now she stood near the tree at the side of the house, talking to someone on her cell phone.
Leah wasn’t sure if she should stand back, giving the woman her privacy, or let her know she’d returned. As it was, she drew closer, only to catch a bit of conversation.
“What do you mean I’m not the only one with unfinished business in Red Rock?” Jordana asked.
Leah’s steps froze. Surely this was
a conversation she wasn’t meant to hear. So she turned to walk away, just as Jordana said, “How do you plan to make things right, Victoria?” She paused. “Okay. Then I’ll wait in Red Rock until you fly in.”
As Leah reached the porch, Javier returned with J.R. and Isabella. The couples greeted each other, making the typical small talk, then the Fortunes entered the house.
Javier looked at the drink and crackers in Leah’s hand. “Where’s Jordana?”
“She’s over there.” Leah nodded toward the tree.
“What’s she doing?”
“She’s on her cell phone, talking with someone named Victoria.”
“Her cousin?”
“I suppose so. As soon as she hangs up, I’ll give her the soda and crackers. Then we can go home.”
Moments later, Jordana returned to the porch, looking just as pale and nauseous as she’d been before—maybe even more so.
Something told Leah the conversation with Victoria had upset Jordana, but she wasn’t about to pry into someone else’s business. Besides, Javier had been on his feet long enough today. And she was eager to go home, where the two of them would be alone.
And where she might kiss him again.
Chapter Ten
It was almost eight o’clock when Leah and Javier finally left the party and headed back to her house.
After parking in the driveway, Javier opened the driver’s door.
“You don’t have to get out,” Leah said. “Unless you want to. I know how tired you must be. It’s been a busy day for you.”
“I’m fine.”
They climbed from his SUV and made their way to the front door, the porch light illuminating their path along the sidewalk.
Leah had been fighting a growing attraction to Javier ever since she’d first laid eyes on him in his hospital bed. As long as he’d been on the third floor and under her care, she’d refused to even consider becoming romantically involved with a patient, which was a matter of ethics. But now that he’d been discharged, that was no longer a reason to hold back.
