The implications worried Luke far beyond the loss of a stuffed animal. “You don’t suppose she would hurt the baby, do you?”
“I can’t be sure,” Maryam said. “Since she’s too young to fully understand the consequences of her actions, I’ve been careful not to leave them alone.”
Heavyhearted, Luke greeted the girls and took them home. He supposed he ought to scold Zoey, but that might make her resent the baby even more.
Mentally, he ran through the steps he would advise a patient to take in such a situation. Although he wasn’t a pediatrician, women sometimes asked his advice on family matters.
First, consult a counselor. He’d been planning to do that, to help Zoey deal with her reaction to Pauline’s remarriage. But for all its merits, counseling wasn’t a magic cure-all.
Second, spend time with each girl alone. How exactly did a single parent manage that on a daily basis?
Third, resolve any underlying issues of your own. As far as Luke knew, his only problem was getting custody of Zoey, which might be resolved now anyway. Okay, there was also his relationship with Jane, but she’d been helping with the girls, not hindering.
His spirits sank at the prospect that loomed ahead. Yet in light of his concerns for Tina’s safety, what choice did he have but to find her a new, permanent home? He’d have to discuss the matter with Ms. Lincoln.
After dinner, both girls seemed subdued. Zoey kept shooting sideways glances at him, apparently expecting a reaction to her destructive behavior. She must have seen him with the bagged remnants of Tina’s bunny.
At bedtime, after he read to her, Zoey climbed into his lap and hugged him. “I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you, too, pumpkin.” He tried in vain to hide the sadness in his voice.
She kept checking his face anxiously as she climbed back into bed. He yearned to reassure her, but his emotions refused to settle.
He turned out the lights and went in to see Tina. The baby sat in the crib, hugging her favorite bear.
“Da-da!” she greeted him.
Luke’s heart expanded. Was she calling him Daddy?
He couldn’t resist picking her up. With a happy coo, Tina threw her arms around his neck, her hair tickling his ear. The sensation sent Luke’s mind back to the delivery room, when his first glimpse of Annie’s baby had been her little head pushing into view with a tuft of hair plastered to the scalp.
Minutes later, cradling the baby, the new mom had regarded him with wonder. “I never did anything worthwhile in my whole life,” she’d said. “Until now.”
When he’d visited her hospital room the next day, she’d said, “I’d give my life for this baby. That’s not like me! How could I change so fast?”
“You’ve become a mother,” he’d told her.
“Guess that must be it,” Annie had said. “And I’m going to be a good one.”
She’d kept her word. Despite living completely in the moment, she’d looked far enough ahead to make out a will that safeguarded her daughter.
She wasn’t around any longer to protect her little girl, Luke thought. He had to do it for her—and he would.
The sight of the plastic bag of bunny remnants banished his misgivings. He only hoped it wouldn’t take too long to identify a family he could recommend to Ms. Lincoln.
MORE THAN ONCE over the years, Jane had experienced a strong desire to wring Luke’s neck. There’d been, for example, the postmidnight study session when, while all around him quizzed each other about metabolic disorders, he’d fallen asleep and snored loudly. The next day, he’d received the highest test score of any of them.
That, of course, was mere annoyance compared to how she’d felt at his cavalier declaration, after they made love last week, that he was determined to move on after Sean’s return. Still, at least he’d simply been running true to type.
But on Wednesday, Jane got so mad she couldn’t even speak to her partner. She’d just returned from lunch when he stopped by her office to say that he’d made an appointment to talk to attorney Tess Phipps to discuss finding an adoptive family for Tina. He hadn’t wanted to bother Jane, he said, but she read the truth in his eyes. He’d settled on a course of action and hadn’t asked her opinion because he already knew she disapproved. For heaven’s sake, only yesterday he’d said the girls were getting along.
She didn’t want to confront him at work. She was far too angry to be rational, anyway. If he had resolved to give up the baby, he ought to let her adopt. Had the thought even occurred to him? Well, if it hadn’t, she’d make her case…once she calmed down.
As for Bart’s proposal, her rational mind had been warring with her emotions since Saturday. She needed friendly advice to help her put things into perspective. To that end, she fired off an e-mail inviting Brooke and Renée to a council of war but didn’t specify the topic.
Mystified but supportive, they arrived at her house at seven o’clock that night, Renée carrying a bottle of wine and Brooke toting Marlene and a portable crib. “Oliver’s out showing real estate,” the young mother explained.
“Let’s set that up in the corner.” Jane bustled around with the crib.
“What’s going on?” Renée sprawled in an armchair with a glass of red wine, apparently unconcerned about spilling any on her tailored slacks and silk shirt.
“You said it was urgent.” Brooke smoothed her embroidered blouse over the baggy jeans that accommodated her full, postbaby figure.
They were the perfect advisers, Jane decided: Renée cool and independent, Brooke impulsive and loving. If these women couldn’t help her, no one could.
“It’s about Luke,” she said.
“I figured.” Renée sipped her wine. “That man’s trouble. In a totally smokin’ way.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Jane collected her thoughts. “It’s about what he’s planning to do with Tina.”
That got their attention. She proceeded to outline the story so far, omitting only the lovemaking, which she still hadn’t mentioned to anyone. When she came to Bart’s proposal, Brooke’s eyes widened. “I never pictured him as a romantic.”
“He’s more the slow-burning type,” Jane conceded. “But I got the feeling there are strong emotions underneath that cool surface.”
“What about sex?” Renée asked.
“What about it?”
“Have you slept with him?”
Jane was trying to decide how much to reveal about her night with Luke, when she registered that her friend meant Bart. “Not everybody jumps between the sheets before they get married,” she said defensively. “Hey, I’m confused about this. That’s why I need your input.”
“Take him for a test drive,” Renée advised.
“He’s not a car!”
“More of a utility vehicle, if you ask me. In the nicest sense,” the hairdresser observed.
Brooke glanced over from where she knelt dangling a toy to amuse Marly. “I think this engagement is a good idea.”
“You do?” Jane refrained from pointing out that she and Bart weren’t actually engaged…yet.
Renée propped her feet atop the ottoman. “Why on earth?”
“It might kick-start Luke into figuring out how much he’s throwing away,” Brooke explained. “He’s obviously crazy about Jane.”
“I’ve noticed that, too.” Renée took another sip.
The observation gave Jane pause. Then she reflected that her friends didn’t know the man the way she did.
“I’m not interested in pushing him into anything,” she said. “Luke and I want fundamentally different things from life.” Seeing their skeptical expressions, she added, “He’s already trying to figure out which major medical center he’ll join for his next staff position. He’s only sticking around here to do Sean a favor.”
“That isn’t a fundamentally different thing,” Renée said. “That’s a job change. Why can’t you work at a major medical center, too?”
Much as she loved Harmony Circle, Jane
knew she’d leave if the right circumstances presented themselves. “If we were committed to each other, I’m sure we’d work something out,” she conceded. “But I’ve seen no indication he wants that.”
“Call him,” Renée said. “Go over there.”
“And say what?”
“Tell him you’re planning to marry Bart. That ought to shake him out of his complacency.”
“I haven’t made any such decision. And I refuse to manipulate him,” Jane declared.
“Quit worrying about strategy,” Brooke put in. “Your goal is to get Tina, right? Lay your cards on the table. What’ve you got to lose?”
Renée nodded. “You have our backing in whatever you do, one hundred percent.”
Jane regarded them dubiously. She had asked for their advice. But what exactly was she going to say to Luke? “Maybe after the kids are asleep.”
“Go now or you’ll chicken out,” Renée commanded.
“But the girls…”
“I’ll take the baby to my house,” Brooke volunteered. “She and Marly will have a ball.”
Renée jumped right in. “What are friends for if not to babysit? I can style Zoey’s hair. She’ll love it.”
“You’re right.” Jane got to her feet. If she didn’t say something to Luke now, she might lose her chance. “Let’s do it.”
She stuck her feet in her pumps, grabbed her purse while Brooke scooped up Marly, and led her friends out the door.
Chapter Fourteen
After work on Wednesday, Luke was pleased to learn from Maryam that Zoey had shown no further signs of aggression toward the baby. “They were both on the quiet side today,” she told him.
“Good.” He’d scheduled the first available appointment—next week—for himself and Zoey with a highly recommended family counselor. Still, that marked only a first step toward helping his daughter adjust.
He also had a meeting with the attorney on Monday, which he wasn’t looking forward to. The whole process dismayed him, especially since he had such profoundly mixed feelings about parting with Tina. But he had to make sure, before he talked to Ms. Lincoln, that he knew what his legal rights were.
After a light supper, he put on a kiddy exercise DVD and rolled around on the floor with the girls. Tina giggled and Zoey laughed right back, taking care not to be rough with the baby. Still, after that incident with the scissors, Luke didn’t dare let down his guard.
The DVD had just ended when from outside came the tap of footsteps and the murmur of female voices. “It’s Jane!” Zoey cried and ran to the door.
What a varied group of friends, Luke mused as he regarded the trio on his doorstep. Earth-mother Brooke; tall, willowy Renée; and Jane, the most beautiful of the three, with fire snapping from her eyes.
He hadn’t missed her furious expression when he broke the news earlier today of seeing a lawyer about Tina. But surely Jane didn’t think that bringing reinforcements would change his decision.
“Renée’s offered to style Zoey’s hair,” she announced without preamble. “So you and I can talk.”
Zoey jumped up and down. “Yay! Can we start now?”
“You bet, sweetie,” the hairdresser said.
“Is it okay, Daddy?”
Luke nodded warily. At least he’d have a chance to explain about the scissors incident.
“I can take Tina with me, if that’s all right. She’ll enjoy Marlene’s play mats,” Brooke said.
“Thanks, both of you.” To Zoey, Luke added, “We can delay bedtime if we skip reading a book tonight.”
“Okay!”
She ran to put on her shoes and, within minutes, the girls were whisked away. “Thanks for arranging this.” Luke gestured toward a chair, but Jane remained standing.
“About Tina,” she began.
“It’s for her own safety,” Luke said, and described the incident at Maryam’s. “I’ve set up a counseling appointment, but I’m afraid to delay much longer. Tina has a right to a secure home.”
“I won’t argue about that.” Jane relaxed enough to sit down. “But there’s no need to go parent-hunting. Let me adopt her.”
He should have seen that coming, Luke reflected as he settled on the couch. “I’ll give it some thought.”
“I deserve more than ‘some thought.’” Jane pressed. “I’m great with Tina, and she can grow up in this neighborhood, surrounded by friends and caring neighbors. Plus, while you’re here, you can see her as often as you like.”
It would be a simple solution. No searching for the perfect couple. No background checks or tough choices.
But now that he’d reached this point, Luke refused to take the easy way out. Even at the risk of hurting someone he cared about deeply.
“Jane, first, there’s the fact that you work the same kind of long hours that I do.” When she started to protest, Luke raised his hand to halt her. “Second, I have a chance to find an ideal situation for Tina, and to me that means two parents. You grew up with a largely absentee dad. Can you honestly say that’s the best thing for her?”
She drummed her fingers on the arm of the chair. “Let me be sure I’m clear about this. You prefer to place Tina with a stable married couple, right?”
That summed it up. “I’d prefer to keep her myself, but since I can’t, yes.”
“But other than that, you think I’d make a great mom for her.”
“Well, of course.”
“Good.” She shot to her feet as if overcome by restlessness. “Bart Ryan asked me to marry him and I’m going to accept. He’s as fond of Tina as I am.”
“What?” Luke didn’t believe this. Jane didn’t love Bart; she wasn’t the sort of woman to sleep with one man when she was involved with another. “You can’t marry him just to adopt a child.”
“You’re the one who pointed out he has feelings for me. He may be shy, but…”
“What about your feelings for him?” Standing up, Luke faced her sternly. “I haven’t even seen you two out on a date, and I can’t imagine you’ve had—what we shared.” His voice trailed off.
“That’s irrelevant,” she snapped.
“A marriage of convenience isn’t stable. It’s absurd.”
“You’re hardly a good judge of what makes a stable marriage!”
He scowled. “That’s a low blow.”
Jane bit back whatever she’d been about to say. “You’re right. I apologize. But seriously, Luke, I’m not like you. My career isn’t enough to make me happy. I want more.”
“And that means marrying some guy who helps you haul compost?” He might be landing a low blow himself, Luke conceded, but he had to prevent this travesty. “You’re letting your maternal instincts warp your good sense.”
To his dismay, tears dimmed her brown eyes. “I can’t force you to give me custody. But I will marry Bart, and we’ll have children, regardless of your lousy opinion of us.”
“That’s the last thing I have.” He reached to gather Jane into a hug. More than anything, he yearned to have her relax against him and forget this nonsense. “Don’t do this. Don’t throw everything away.”
She drew back from him. “Throw what away? Believe it or not, Luke, I have dreams that don’t revolve around you.” She turned and marched to the door. He felt too angry and confused to go after her. What the hell just happened?
He’d told her not to marry a man she obviously didn’t love. Why did she refuse to listen?
And why couldn’t he bear the thought that she intended to go ahead with this stupid plan anyway?
JANE STOMPED into the house and nearly tripped over Stopgap. The spaniel peered at her sorrowfully.
“I don’t mean to take this out on you, but jeez!” She grabbed the wine bottle and glasses her friends had left in the living room and carried them into the kitchen. “That man’s as wrapped up in himself as a…as a fried taco.”
Okay, that sounded ridiculous. Still…
“I’ve never asked him for anything. Not once in all these y
ears. But the one time I do, he treats me like an irresponsible idiot.” Jane plunked the glasses in the sink, thrust the wine into the fridge and yanked open the freezer to reveal the remaining half gallon of praline pecan. Thanks to Luke, she was going to gain fifty pounds. She’d look like a beached whale waddling to the altar in her tentlike wedding gown, and it would be entirely his fault.
“All right, that was a childish thought.” She stuck a spoon into the carton. “See what that man has reduced me to?”
The dog whined. In sympathy, Jane presumed.
Her wedding gown. The prospect sobered her.
Was she really going to pick out the dress of her dreams for a man who didn’t keep her awake at night shivering with excitement? How could she find joy in planning the most important day of her life for a man she merely liked?
Jane dropped into a chair. She visualized Bart’s craggy face, but only for an instant before she saw Luke again, violet-gray eyes shining. There was a man that a woman could love with all her heart.
If she didn’t kill him first.
As for Bart, he deserved a woman who raved about his terrific qualities, not someone who announced their engagement to another man before she’d even said “yes” to him.
Jane jabbed the spoon repeatedly into the ice cream until she realized she was mutilating it. Disgusted, she stuck the carton back in the freezer.
She couldn’t reach any conclusions tonight. Not while she was still seething.
ALTHOUGH OTHER STAFF MEMBERS went about their tasks with their normal briskness on Thursday, to Luke a dark cloud hung over the medical office. Whenever Jane spotted him, her mouth formed a hard, thin line, and her manner became coldly professional.
He’d have liked to smooth things over, but he refused to let her and Bart adopt Tina when their marriage seemed like a sham. Plus, he was irked at her for his own sake.
Becoming lovers again had meant a lot to Luke. Then, for the second time, she’d backed off in a big hurry.
He could understand her reluctance in medical school, when both of them faced difficult decisions about their careers. And he had to admit he’d been emotionally unreliable back then.
Medical Single Plus Bonus Novella / Doctor Daddy / Single Doctor, Single Dad! Page 14
