Pacing again, he wandered with determined footfalls to the other side of the room, to a painting of an Alaskan forest. He was no art aficionado, but he appreciated the vivid colors and strong brushstrokes that seemed to capture so perfectly the nuance of light in early springtime.
Some of the family had gone with Glenna’s sister-in-law to the store to get supplies for the baby. Other members were in the kitchen putting together food for the adults, as the evening threatened to stretch beyond the hours allotted for the party. His father and his father’s fiancée, a word Broderick still had to get used to associating with Jeannie, had given Glenna and Broderick the chance to speak privately. Here, in this room, where he was waiting and pacing.
Raking his hand through his hair, he let out a sigh at the exact moment he heard the door click open.
Spinning around, he saw Glenna, baby in tow.
Damn.
Glenna was always stunning. For as long as he had known her, her slender frame and bright eyes had drawn him in. As did her intelligence and generosity. All the layers that made her Glenna were undeniably attractive.
But seeing her with the baby sent his heart pounding. This was a softer side of Glenna he’d never glimpsed up close before. A tender, nurturing side that made him...damn. He didn’t know. He’d never been with a woman who looked like that.
In his gut, he felt a stirring. He wanted to protect his potential child.
And Glenna.
Her smooth voice interrupted his staring. “Fleur’s calmer now, and I imagine once she eats she’ll sleep for the night.”
Sitting in a plush padded rocking chair, she settled herself with the baby. A heavy sigh slid from Glenna’s lips as she gave him a weary but valiant smile.
Broderick crossed to the sofa adjacent to her, his leg brushing hers. Even with the barrier of his jeans and her wool slacks, he could still remember the feel of her skin. A hint of her almond scent teased his senses and threatened to distract him, making him want to lean closer and inhale.
And now wasn’t that distracting as hell?
He gathered his thoughts and sat. “I think we’re all in agreement that you and I need to talk.” He glanced at his boots, the leather still damp from his ride earlier. The world had gone haywire in less time than it took water to evaporate. “As awkward as this is, we need to know what we’re facing, depending on whose child this is.”
The weight of those words hit Broderick as he fully realized how awful this had to be for Glenna. He’d been so wrapped up in his own shock, he hadn’t thought about how hurtful this had to be for her. “God, Glenna. I’m sorry. This has to be painful for you. I assume since you haven’t shut this paternity question down altogether, there’s a possibility the baby is Gage’s?”
Her brow furrowing, she shook her head, a whisper of blond hair escaping her loose topknot and grazing her cheek. “I don’t know for sure. We were having a...rough patch. It’s not...impossible that she could be his. But I have no knowledge of her and he certainly never mentioned any pregnancy.”
Her eyes looked past him, drifting to the painting of the Alaskan forest. A moment of weariness flashed over her face, but he watched her quickly gather her composure, a skill developed in boardroom meetings. Her attention returned to the baby. Smiling again, she rocked the tiny girl gently.
“I’m sorry about the problems you and your husband had.” And he was. If this was indeed Gage’s child...
“Me, too. But you can tuck away your pity for me and save it for Fleur.” Glenna looked up from the baby. “And you? You didn’t shout ‘hell no, not my kid.’”
“It’s possible.” He had to admit it. “I met Deborah Wilson when she came up here to do a series of articles on the likelihood of us pursuing a pipeline. She and I went out. It wasn’t serious. But there is a possibility. Not probable, since I was only with her once and we, um, used protection. But then nothing’s one hundred percent except abstinence.”
“Then she could be yours.” Glenna bobbed her head up and down, her loose topknot glimmering in the warm light.
He gave her a sidelong glance, weighing his words, but knowing he needed to share what was on his mind. “We went out a few times, but I ended it when she broke down in tears telling me she was involved with a married man.”
There were some lines he did not cross. He might not want marriage for himself, but he still believed firmly in the sanctity of the union. Even when dating, he stayed monogamous for the duration of that relationship.
Glenna inhaled sharply. “You believe that married man was my husband.”
“I didn’t say that.” He reached across to touch her elbow, to comfort her. “I’m only saying this baby is here, and there’s a chance she’s family.”
Family to one of them. That alone was enough.
His touch lingered, and he found himself unable to pull away.
“And we have to watch over her until we know...” Glenna rocked gently. “If Fleur is my husband’s child and Deborah Wilson has given up her rights, then I could be a potential guardian, legally. Right? Because if he had lived, this would be my stepchild.” The pronouncement was filled with logic, acceptance and generosity. Everything that made her so damn attractive to him. But he knew they needed to slow this down.
“That’s a complicated issue, Glenna, with a lot of ifs—”
“But possible.” Her interjection betrayed her determination. Looking back at the baby, she leaned forward to kiss the tiny pink forehead and smooth the whispery hair.
And just like that, the tender gesture made him feel as if he had walked in on a private moment. As if he was seeing a side of Glenna no one but him had ever witnessed—one she perhaps would not want him to see.
He cleared his throat. “The word of the night. Possible. She could be my child and I will operate from that perspective starting now. I won’t have her ever thinking I wasn’t her champion.” He and Glenna would figure this out. But if this was his child, he would be there for his daughter.
“I’m not sure I trust you to mix formula.”
A smile twitched his lips. He raised his brows high. “I can do fractions.”
“Can you burp a baby and change diapers?”
He shrugged. “I can find a sitter.”
“Or we can work together.” Her eyes were glassy in the muted light, but still fierce. The question of paternity meant neither of them would relinquish the child.
The idea settled in him, the rightness of the solution. Working with her to care for Fleur would only further his goal of pursuing Glenna. Yet even as he thought of the advantages, he forced himself to keep things light so as not to scare her off.
“Are you propositioning me?” he teased.
Snorting on a laugh, she shifted in the rocking chair, lightly patting the baby’s bottom. “With baby puke on my shoulder?” She winked, her mouth smiling but her eyes still holding a hint of hurt, fear. “Sure.”
“Damn, you’re making me remember why I liked you.”
“I’m sure I can make you forget just as quickly.”
He knelt beside her, avoiding her challenge and truly studying the baby for the first time. How was it he didn’t know somehow if this was his child?
Regardless, he felt protective toward the innocent life. “She will have the full weight of my protection.”
Glenna’s face knotted briefly in surprise. But as soon as their eyes met, a cord tightened between them. He felt it in his stomach, knew that he had to have her, convince her. Even amid all these complications...
There was something tangible between them.
His cell phone chimed, a loud ding that knocked his gaze away.
Broderick bit back a hiss of frustration and pulled out his phone. “That’s my dad. They’ve got formula for the baby, a nurse practitioner...and an attorney, my sister Naomi, who’s speaking with the police.”
* * *
As the early Alaska dark settled, Glenna realized she and Broderick had unexpectedly joined forces.
They had both positioned chairs by the new portable crib. Fleur snoozed with a full stomach, oblivious to the massive changes going on around her.
The house was stocked with baby gear and food. The nurse had checked the baby over and she appeared healthy. The police had determined there were no missing child alerts that matched Fleur. The birth certificate had been registered, and an APB on Deborah Wilson’s car had turned up that she had indeed crossed into Canada. Beyond that, she’d disappeared.
Which left Glenna and Broderick as this baby’s only possible family.
Broderick’s sister Naomi was a fierce lawyer. Sure, she had a brilliant legal mind, but she was also a bit ruthless and certainly didn’t sugarcoat a thing.
Naomi’s eyes narrowed as she spoke to them. “Let me talk to a friend of mine in child services. There are so many children in the system... Given that you’re willing to admit possible paternity, we’ll try for a temporary guardianship until the matter can be settled with DNA tests. If you’re amenable. Glenna, the lab can use something of your husband’s, like an old hairbrush, or perhaps his mother once saved his baby teeth...”
Glenna’s already overloaded mind balked at Naomi taking over in such a complete fashion. Suspicion inched up Glenna’s spine. Her mom might trust the Steele family, but that didn’t mean Glenna was on board with letting a former business rival make choices for her life. Naomi was a well-known shark and her loyalty would be to her own family. “Temporary guardianship? For which one of us?”
“Just what it sounds like. While you two were talking, I chatted with Dad and Jeannie. And since none of us could envision either of you two backing down, we thought it would be best for the two of you to take care of the baby together until we sort this out—paternity and legalities.”
Broderick bristled. “That leaves the baby and all of us open to more gossip at a time when there’s already enough going on.”
Glenna turned to stare him down, her softer feelings toward him starting to evaporate. So much for unity. “You’re really worrying about the company right now? This has nothing to do with business.”
Broderick held up a hand. “The way I see it, the less negative gossip about our families the better for Fleur if this goes to some kind of custody battle.”
Warning bells sounded in Glenna’s mind. She knew the Steele family was a force to be reckoned with. But they could stuff their take-charge attitude. This baby could well be tied to her. It could be a tie to her husband—a reminder that their marriage had been troubled, yes, but also an answer to her prayers for a child she could love as her own. She wasn’t giving up even a few days with the baby. “I’m not leaving. I won’t be pushed out of Fleur’s life—”
Broderick touched her elbow again in that comforting way that also launched butterflies in her stomach. “What if we care for her together, somewhere outside of the Steele or Mikkelson backyards, so the baby isn’t a distraction from the merger?”
Naomi nodded curtly. “I have to agree with my pigheaded brother on this. Speaking as a part of this family-company-merger mess, I think getting away is best for the two of you, as well. You’ll have the quiet you’ll need to sort out the financial side of blending our businesses, to figure out what to present to the board. It benefits all of us if the two of you mend personal fences.”
All eyes focused on them with a new intensity.
Glenna raised her eyebrows. “Personal fences? You can’t possibly expect us to fix the family feud.”
“Don’t play coy with us. I’m not talking about the Steele-Mikkelson battle. Neither one of you is fooling me.” This must be that famous courtroom face that Naomi wore to win her most difficult cases. “I went to the same college and was only a couple of years behind you. I heard. I know.”
Broderick straightened his spine. “Naomi. Stand down. This most certainly isn’t the time or place and it definitely isn’t any of your business.”
She flicked her long brown hair over her shoulder, not in the least intimidated. “I’m not a gossip. But I am smart and I see the wisdom of getting the hell out of Dodge. The wisest thing for you two to do now? Make the most of the window of time I can get you with a temporary custody order while DNA tests are run and a search is made for the child’s mother. Use that time to figure out how to get along and settle our companies’ business. Take your own advice, Broderick, and lie low.”
The words sank in. Hard. And Glenna couldn’t ignore the wisdom of Naomi’s plan.
Which meant she would be stuck playing house, alone with this baby she already loved...and Broderick.
Six
Cold light reflected on the pristine shore of the Steele family compound an hour outside of Anchorage. The rays bounced up at Broderick in an unforgiving manner. Reaching for his sunglasses tucked into his shirt pocket, he breathed in the crisp air, enjoying the frigid burst against his lungs.
For his whole life, he’d been taught the importance of family. As he surveyed the distant snowcapped peaks from his spot on the runway behind the family compound, his desire to protect this place—and what might be his infant daughter—filled him.
With a bag slung over his back, he made his way to the seaplane bobbing alongside the dock. Two pontoons kept it afloat. Last year, they’d invested in the modified amphibious aircraft version that could take off and land on either water or runways. That choice made sense for flexibility, and was a benefit now, with Glenna and the baby, if an emergency arose.
The blue of the water intensified next to the piercing white of the plane, looking more like a painting than reality. The rustic mansion on the hill seemed to demand that he act now to save his family’s legacy. He gave a cursory glance to a smaller, pale yellow aircraft peeking out of the hangar. He preferred that twin engine plane, but the floatplane was more practical for where he and Glenna were headed.
Together. With a baby.
They would be staying at a Steele family cabin along a secluded bay on Prince William Sound in the Gulf of Alaska. The two-bedroom A-frame with a sizable loft had served as a welcome retreat anytime one of his family members needed to recharge.
He flipped up the collar on his coat, the wind pulling so hard today he’d opted for a cap rather than his Stetson. Hopefully the crosswinds would ease up soon so he could fly the aircraft out on schedule.
He and Glenna would be alone together, plotting the financial future of their families’ combined companies and caring for a tiny baby. And yes, the thought of taking care of that infant made him nervous. He didn’t know a damn thing about babies. Still, he knew he needed to learn, especially if this child turned out to be his.
A possibility that still stole his breath.
Hoisting an oversize suitcase onto the seaplane, he felt his muscles strain. They had packed formula and baby supplies, all collected within two hours of the baby’s arrival. These next few days would be challenging.
From the corner of his eye, Broderick saw his father help Glenna into the plane, then hand her the baby carrier. Not that he’d ever been a gambler, but this scene was not one he’d ever thought he’d witness.
A whip of Alaskan wind tore across the dock, ruffling the pale pink blanket draped over the carrier. Next, his father hoisted Kota’s crate up into the plane. Kota’s intense blue eyes regarded every movement with curiosity. Broderick’s brother Marshall checked the instruments, making sure the plane would get to the cabin safely.
Broderick clapped his father on the shoulder as Marshall left the craft, stepping onto the dock beside them. “Thank you for your help finishing up here. And pass along my thanks for all the shopping and packing up of supplies.”
Marshall passed along a travel mug of coffee. “No worries, brother. The plane’s fueled and everything checks out. I even t
ook her up for a spin this morning.”
“I appreciate that.”
Jack shifted his weight, straightening his puffed insulated jacket. “I called the service. The cabin has been aired out and stocked with food. The heat’s been turned on.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
A full smile pushed up his father’s mustache. “Anything the three of you need, just let me know. We’ll send it up.”
“I need you to let me know if you and Jeannie change your minds. You’re sending me off to review our company’s financials with our biggest business rival. And to be fair, Jeannie Mikkelson is asking Glenna to do the same. Be one hundred percent certain this is what you want.”
“Son, we have to stay united and strong. Otherwise, our competition will gain traction during this time of transition. We’re all family now. I’m certain this is what I want.” Jack hauled Broderick in for a back-thumping hug before stepping away. “Now get to work.”
“Yes, sir.” He’d been given his marching orders in clear terms. And to be frank, he was looking forward to this time with Glenna. Maybe he could figure out this tenacious attraction between them. Maybe they could put their feelings to rest, find peace. The baby only made the stakes higher. They needed to find common ground so they could move forward as a blended Steele and Mikkelson company—and family.
Broderick stepped onto the plane, his eyes immediately finding Glenna. Somehow, she managed to look radiant strapped in the backseat, attentively bent over Fleur, cooing reassurances. The smells of cold air, pine and salt drifted into the cabin on a gust of wind. This might be a turbulent ride.
Kota let out a quiet whine beside Glenna from the secured crate, tail wagging in hopes of some attention.
She looked natural, sitting between a baby and a puppy, her hair pulled back into a loose bun. She seemed to notice Broderick’s gaze, because her blue eyes met his. He gave her a curt nod and smile, then continued to the front of the plane to check the equipment himself in spite of his brother’s assurances. Safety was too important.
The Baby Claim Page 6
