The Doctor’s Baby

by Cindy Kirk

  Her heart rate skyrocketed and she whirled.

  David—not his sister—now stood behind her. And he wasn’t alone.

  “Hello, Rachel.” July smiled at the nurse. Just like Mary Karen, the nurse’s simple black dress accentuated her blond good looks. “You look lovely this evening.”

  “Thank you, July.” Rachel glanced down at the dress and gave a self-deprecating laugh. “This is quite a change for me.”

  At the hospital her hair had been pulled back. Tonight the honey blond curls fell loose to her shoulders. July wondered if David preferred blondes.

  “What were you looking at?” David peered over her shoulder.

  “A moonstone ring,” July shrugged. “Pretty, but way out of my price range.”

  “I have a friend whose husband gave her one,” Rachel said. “It’s supposed to represent both love and friendship.”

  “What should be at the core of most marriages,” David said lightly.

  “I’m sure someone will be happy to get it,” July said, feeling very much the third wheel. Then she noticed that although David stood next to the nurse, he wasn’t touching her.

  The dark cloud hanging over her head vanished. “Have either of you bid on anything?”

  “I put my number down on a couple items,” David said. “But it’s early. It’s hard to know if I’ll be the highest bidder or not.”

  “I was going to bid on a ski package—” Rachel paused. “Can you excuse me for a moment? I better do it now before I forget.”

  David started to follow but she waved him back. “Stay and talk to July. I won’t be long.”

  He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I guess you’re stuck with me.”

  “I guess I am.” July ducked her head and gazed down at her peep-toed shoes.

  “How’ve you been?”

  “Since this morning? Good.” She lifted her gaze. “How about you?”

  The silence lengthened and July cursed the awkwardness between them.

  “This isn’t a date,” David said, his eyes intense and very, very blue. “We came as colleagues, nothing more.”

  The electricity was back, snapping and lighting up the air between them. Was he aware how absolutely sensational he looked and smelled tonight? How could he not with all the women in the room casting admiring glances his way?

  “It doesn’t matter to me,” July said. “You’re free to date who you want.”

  “It’d matter to me if you were here with a date,” David said. “I’d hope if you were interested in dating, I’d be the one you’d think of first.”

  Was this the opening she’d been waiting for? Had her invitation this afternoon opened a door she thought had been slammed shut?

  “It might be nice to go out now and then.” July kept her tone offhand, determined to let David make the next move. “It probably would be easiest if it was with you. Since we already know each other and all.”

  “I’ll call you.” His eyes never left her face. “Set something up.”

  “If you want to,” she said. “If you don’t—”

  “I want to take you out on a real date.” He reached out for her arm. “I have since—”

  “I got the bid in,” Rachel called out happily and slipped past July to stand beside David.

  His hand dropped to his side.

  “I thought bidding stayed open until ten.” July took a step back.

  “It does,” Rachel confirmed. “But I didn’t want to space it off.”

  “I can understand that.” July kept her gaze focused on the nurse and avoided looking at David. “I’d better find Mary Karen. It looks like we’re going to be sitting down for dinner soon.”

  Even as she spoke the crowd began moving into a great hall filled with large round linen-clad tables.

  “You could sit with us,” Rachel offered. “That way David won’t have to sit alone when I’m on the stage.”

  “The stage?” July cocked her head. “Are you the emcee?”

  “Don’t laugh.” A hint of pink colored Rachel’s cheeks. “I’m one of the models.”

  July’s blank look must have alerted Rachel that more explanation was needed.

  “There’s a fashion show during dinner. The models are all hospital staff.” Rachel slanted a sideways glance at David. “They tried to get everyone to participate but David’s ‘no’ must have been a lot more convincing than mine.”

  “You should have done it.” July punched David playfully in the shoulder. “Support the hospital and all that.”

  “You’re absolutely right.” The dimple in David’s left cheek flashed. “What was I thinking?”

  “I’ll be expecting you up on that runway next year, mister,” July shot back then realized she wouldn’t be here for next year’s show. Heck, she wouldn’t even be here next month. Her smile faded.

  “There you are.” Mary Karen’s heels clacked across the hardwood. “Hello, David. Rachel.”

  “Why, little sister, I almost didn’t recognize you.” David took a step back and studied Mary Karen. “You look…lovely.”

  “Yes, she does.” Travis’s voice sounded from behind July.

  July stepped aside and he took a step forward.

  A smile of welcome lit David’s face. “I’d given up hope of seeing you tonight, Trav.”

  “Unexpected C-section.” Travis shrugged. “What else is new?”

  David glanced around. “Where’s your date?”

  “Let’s just say she didn’t appreciate being put on hold for another woman…even if that woman was big as a house and ready to deliver.”

  “I suppose you can sit with us,” Mary Karen said. “We don’t care that you’re a pathetic loser who can’t get, er, keep, a date.”

  Rachel gasped but Travis burst out laughing. “I don’t see you here with a date, M.K., so I wouldn’t talk.”

  “I have a date.” Mary Karen slipped her arm through July’s.

  Travis shook his head. “Doesn’t count.”

  July watched and smiled.

  “Children, there’ll be no arguing at the dinner table,” David said and July could hear the laughter in his tone.

  “Your sister said I was a pathetic loser,” Travis protested.

  “He intimated I can’t get a date,” Mary Karen said, though her eyes shone with good humor.

  “Stop.” David held up a hand. “After dinner you can argue all you want. Or better yet, you can kiss and make up.”

  The two exchanged a glance but didn’t respond. Still July noticed that when Travis took his seat at the table, he sat next to Mary Karen.

  July wondered if her friend was aware of his interest. Then she noticed the flush in Mary Karen’s cheeks and the sparkle in her eyes. She knew all right. July hid a smile.

  The waiter had just brought their drinks when Rachel excused herself to get changed for the fashion show. With Mary Karen and Travis fighting, er, flirting, that left July with David.

  “You should wear a tux more often,” July said. “You look good.”

  “I can’t wait to get it off.” David ran a finger around the inside of the starched collar. “Give me jeans and a flannel shirt any day.”

  “I know what you mean,” July said. “I can’t wait to take this off.”

  “As beautiful as you look in that dress.” David lowered his voice and leaned close. “You’d be even more beautiful out of it.”

  The dark flicker of want in his eyes told her he was remembering her naked. Just like that she was back in the hotel room. Even after all these months, that night was still so vivid. The image of him permanently seared into her brain. They’d left the lights on. And they’d taken their time looking, admiring, tasting and caressing.

  July’s nipples pressed against the bodice of her dress and an ache filled her belly. She forced her attention away from his lips. “Do you think I’m a bad mother because I left Adam home with a babysitter tonight?”

  A look of startled surprise skittered across his face. Whatever he�
��d expected her to say, it obviously wasn’t this.

  Instead of tossing out a glib answer, he took a sip of tea. Then he shook his head. “The way I see it, parents need to make time for themselves.”

  It made sense but July wanted more. “Let’s say the roles were reversed and you were a single father. There are some conservative ‘experts’ who say if you’re single, you shouldn’t date at all until the child is grown. Others say if you don’t take care of your own needs, you can’t be a good parent. Which viewpoint do you support?”

  Waiters in white dinner jackets swept into the room holding large silver trays. David waited until they’d placed the salads on the table and moved on to answer.

  “I fall somewhere in the middle.” He stabbed a piece of lettuce with his fork. “I think being so focused on your child that you don’t keep yourself open to adult experiences isn’t good for either of you. But to do whatever you want, without regard to your child’s needs is—in my estimation—wrong.”

  July thought for a moment. “Are you telling me that if you were a single parent, you’d see nothing wrong with an occasional date or a night out with friends?”

  His eyes softened. “Getting out once in a while is good for you and for my sister.”

  July followed his gaze. Mary Karen and Travis sat engaged in a heated debate. But Mary Karen’s flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes told July the woman enjoyed sparring with her old friend.

  “She deserves to have fun.” David slanted July a sideways glance. “And so do you.”

  “Even if it means leaving my baby?”

  “I doubt Adam even knows you’re gone.”

  July punched him in the arm before she noticed the teasing glint in his eyes. “I guess I should just shut up and concentrate on having a good time, huh?”

  To her surprise, David took her hand in his. “You’re a new mother, July. I’d be concerned if you weren’t missing your baby.”

  His thumb caressed her palm sending shivers of wanting throughout her body. And when he leaned close enough that she could see the flecks of gold in his blue eyes and inhale the tantalizing scent of his cologne, for one fleeting second the impossible occurred. July forgot that David was here with another woman…and that her baby was home with someone she didn’t know.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “It’s not easy being a parent,” July said with a sigh.

  “For some maybe.” David covered her hand with his and gave it a squeeze. “You’re a natural.”

  Unexpected tears flooded July’s eyes. “I love him so much.” Her voice broke despite her best efforts to control it. “I only want what’s best for him.”

  “Hey, I may be hassling M.K., but at least I don’t make her cry.” Travis’s tone might be light but there was a distinct undercurrent of concern to his words.

  Mary Karen leaned close. “Is everything okay?”

  “I’m fine.” July pulled her hand from David’s and swiped the tears from her face with a quick brush of her fingers. She forced a bright smile and pushed back her chair. “I’m going to get some air.”

  “I’ll come with you.” Mary Karen began to rise but July put a hand on her shoulder.

  “Stay.” July met her friend’s worried gaze. “I won’t be long.”

  Several people looked up as she wove her way through the tables. Somehow July managed to keep the smile on her lips.

  She pushed open the front door and headed down the winding drive. A couple of tears slipped down her cheeks. By the time she reached the golf course, several more had fallen. July leaned against a large shed, feeling as if she was teetering on a precipice ready to fall. She could blame the tears on postpartum hormones. But July knew it was stress.

  She wanted so much to tell David the truth but saying she was sorry to two-year-old Logan this morning had been incredibly difficult. Thankfully he’d just looked at her with those big blue eyes and said “I sorry” back to her. Then, he’d smiled.

  Yes, she was making progress but not as quickly as she’d like. Still, crying never changed anything, even if it did make her feel better. July straightened her shoulders and took a few deep breaths of crisp mountain air. The tightness gripping her chest slowly eased.

  “I know you said you wanted to be alone, but I was worried.”

  July’s heart fluttered and she turned. David stood silhouetted in the overhead light. His shoulders were broad and there was a strength to his face that said this was a man who could handle whatever life threw at him. A man that a woman—and a child—could count on.

  “Say the word and I’ll leave.” His gaze searched her eyes.

  “Stay.” Impulsively she took his hand. Although a familiar heat traveled up her arm, it was his strength and comfort that she needed now. “I’m sorry I got teary. Honestly, before I came to Jackson, I never cried. Lately it seems it’s all I do.”

  “No worries.” David’s fingers curled around hers. “It’s a new mother thing. And, yes, that’s a professional assessment.”

  He said it with such authority she couldn’t help but believe him. “That’s good to know.”

  “Mary Karen called and checked on the boys. They’re all doing fine, including Adam,” he said, his eyes never leaving hers.

  A feeling of relief washed over July. “I hated leaving him with someone I didn’t know.”

  “If it makes you feel better, I’ve known Esther for most of my life. I guarantee Adam is in good hands.”

  “That’s reassuring. I—” The sound of applause drifted from the clubhouse.

  David grinned. “Who knew fashion could be so entertaining?”

  July released his hand. “You should go.”

  David shoved his hands into his pockets, but made no move to leave. “Sick of me already?”

  “Not at all.” July smiled. “I just don’t want you to miss any more of the fashion show because of me.”

  “Your exit gave me a great excuse to leave.” He shot her a wink. “You realize if we’re not careful people may think our departure was staged.”

  “You mean they’ll think you…and me…”

  “Exactly.”

  To July’s surprise the thought didn’t bother her like it would have only a few days earlier.

  “If we go back now, it’ll be right in the middle of the show.” David rocked back on his heels. “People will really have something to talk about then.”

  July kept a straight face. “Can’t have that.”

  “I’ve got an idea.”

  She had to smile at his excitement. “Tell me.”

  “We don’t go back until just before it’s over.”

  “What about Rachel?”

  “Rachel is one of the stars. She’ll be modeling throughout the entire program.”

  David glanced at his watch. “If the show stays on schedule, we have a little over thirty minutes. More than enough time for a ride.”

  “A ride?” July glanced in the direction of the parking lot.

  “Not in a car.” David gestured to rows of carts lined up inside the open shed. “I’m proposing a moonlight tour of the golf course. Interested?”

  July hesitated. “Are you serious?”

  “I’ll take that as a yes.” Within a minute he’d rolled one of the carts onto the wide cement walkway. He held out a hand to her. “Madame, your chariot awaits.”

  A shiver of excitement traveled up her spine. She took his hand and stepped into the cart, carefully tucking the skirt of her dress beneath her, her earlier tears forgotten. She’d always loved adventures and this night was turning into one.

  July curved her fingers around the metal frame. While this was a far cry from a car, the cart was spacious and the padded vinyl seat surprisingly comfortable.

  David slipped behind the steering wheel then hit the gas. The vehicle lurched forward.

  He kept the cart on a concrete path for a considerable distance before taking off across the grass. The breeze picked up, ruffling her hair. July wrapped her arms around h
erself. She hadn’t noticed the chill when she was standing by the shed but she felt it now. Though the night was mild by Jackson standards, fifty degrees in a sleeveless dress was still cold.

  The cart slowed to a stop. David pulled off his jacket and handed it to her. “We can turn back—”

  “Not on your life.” July slid her arms into the jacket still warm with the heat of his body. “I love it out here.”

  Stars filled the clear sky and light from a full moon bathed the course in a golden light.

  “I’d heard how big the sky was in this part of the country but I never believed it.” She widened her eyes as David hit the accelerator and the cart made its way up an incline. It felt as if they were headed straight up into the heavens. “It…it surrounds you.”

  The cart eased to a stop at the top of the hill. Above—the sky. Below—perfectly manicured grounds. Light shimmered off the waters of a small pond.

  “This is one of the best laid out courses in the area.” David sat back in his seat. “When I was in high school I used to work here.”

  “You worked?”

  “Absolutely.” David’s tone turned teasing. “Don’t tell me you had me pegged as one of those guys who grew up with a silver spoon in my mouth?”

  July felt her cheeks warm and she was grateful for the dim light. “Maybe.”

  He laughed. “My father was a property administrator at Teton Village and my mother taught school. Hardly careers to craft a silver spoon.”

  A fondness for his parents was evident in his tone.

  “I guess I got the idea they had money because of the cruise,” July said. “I don’t know anyone who goes on a monthlong vacation.”

  “This is a first for them, as well,” David said. “The seventeen-day cruise was their anniversary present to each other. On the way back they decided to stop off in the D.C. area to do some sightseeing and visit old friends. Once they leave there they’ll stop in Omaha on the way back to visit my aunt. By next Saturday they should be back in town.”

  “Sounds like a wonderful time,” July said, fighting a stab of envy. “But I’m surprised a teacher could take so much time off during the school year.”

  “She couldn’t have done it if she was still teaching full time,” David said. “When Mary Karen’s husband left, she took an early retirement to help with the kids. Nothing is more important to her than her kids and grandchildren.”