The Baby Invasion (Destiny Bay-Baby Dreams)

by Conrad, Helen

  “He won’t see me,” Barnaby said, eyes alight with excitement. “I’ll be too fast for him.”

  Scott hid a smile. “Great. You wait until he’s not looking, then you sneak out and go to the office. My sister should be there. Ask her to send for the police. You got that?”

  He nodded. “Yeah.”

  Scott touched his shoulder. “You’ll be the hero, Barnaby. You’ll be the one to save us all from this man.”

  The boy’s eyes shone. He blinked rapidly.

  “I could. I could do it.”

  “You bet you could. I’m going to go over and distract him. You just wait and make sure he’s looking the other way, and then you slip right out.”

  Barnaby looked at Scott and nodded, his little face serious.

  “Okay,” he said, his small body tense. “Go.”

  Scott went. He approached the two walkers and looked the cowboy in the face.

  “Hey there, Mr. Robby Crockett,” he said pleasantly. “Are you the father of these little babies?”

  Cathy stood very still, holding her breath, one hand to her mouth.

  Robby stopped and glared down at Scott. “What’s it to you?” he demanded.

  Scott shrugged. “Just curious, that’s all. I thought I saw a definite resemblance there. In the baby boy, I mean.”

  Robby held out the baby he was carrying carefully and looked at him. Scott noted the faint sound of a door closing behind him.

  “This here’s a boy?” Robby asked gruffly.

  “It’s a boy all right. We call him Blue. But I hear his real name is Robert.”

  Robby frowned, staring hard at the squirming baby.

  “Robert,” he repeated softly.

  “Now, you see what I mean, don’t you?” Scott went on. “Right there, around the eyes? Spitting image of you, I’d say. What do you think, Cathy?”

  Cathy came closer, looking from man to baby and back again. “You know, you’re right,” she said a bit breathlessly. “He looks just like his dad. That is, if you are his dad.”

  Robby stared at the baby a bit longer and the corners of his mouth turned up just a bit. He pressed the baby back against his shoulder, this time looking much more comfortable with the procedure.

  “They are cuddly little things, aren’t they?”

  “Sure,” Cathy said, hiding her smile. “And you notice how he stopped crying once you started walking him? He knows you’re his dad.”

  “You think so?” Awe sounded in his voice. “You think they can tell? I don’t know. I haven’t ever held a baby before.”

  He let his cheek touch the top of the downy head.

  “I never did get this close to one before.” He frowned, wonderingly. “You know, I thought they smelled bad. But this little tyke...” He took a whiff right off the top of the tiny head. “Oh man, this little one smells almost as good as April does.”

  Cathy’s smile was radiant. “Of course. You keep them clean, use a lot of baby powder and lotion and they smell great.”

  “What do you know?” Robby started pacing again, his face taking on a decidedly happy look. “Hey, little baby. This here’s your old man,” he murmured softly as he walked.

  Scott came next to Cathy and slipped an arm around her shoulders. She turned and met his gaze, and they smiled.

  “You’re a miracle worker, lady,” he whispered in her ear.

  She was, wasn’t she? But her smile turned ragged when she realized she hadn’t been able to work that same miracle with Scott.

  The door was opening again and she felt a twinge of annoyance. It was getting to be Grand Central Station around here.

  She turned and gave out a cry of relief.

  “April!”

  Everyone stopped and stared at the woman in the doorway. Barnaby was with her. He looked at Scott and said, “I went, but then I saw April, so I brought her first.”

  His little face was anxious. “Is that okay?”

  Scott grinned and gave him a thumbs up. “Mission accomplished, kid,” he said gruffly. “You did great.”

  Barnaby’s face filled with pride and he sidled up to Scott, obviously prepared to stand by him in case of further need.

  Cathy and Robby and April were all talking at once and no one could understand a thing anyone else was saying.

  Scott didn’t say a word. He just lounged against the connecting door, enjoying the confusion.

  Finally, April took charge. Putting two fingers to her lips, she let go with an ear-piercing whistle.

  “You,” she said, pointing at Robby, “shut up. I want to see my babies.”

  She sat down in a chair and Cathy handed her Pink, then got Daffodil from Beth and put her in April’s lap as well. April looked up at Robby. “Do I get my little boy or not?” she demanded.

  He frowned at her. “You got two of ‘em. I’ll hold this little fellow until you’ve got room on your lap. We don’t want to squish ‘em, do we?”

  April gaped at his indignant tone and turned to Cathy.

  “I never,” she said, shaking her head. Then she hugged her two little girls to her. “Oh, my babies, my babies, how I’ve missed you!”

  “Some devoted mother,” Robby was grumbling. “Just going off gallivanting, leaving your kids to some stranger.”

  April’s head shot up. “I was not gallivanting. And I left them with the finest babysitter I could find.” She looked at Cathy. “I’m sorry, Cathy. I know I did a rotten thing to you. But I was desperate. I couldn’t find work down in Destiny Bay.”

  She sighed. “Trying to go looking for a job with three little babies needing me every minute was driving me crazy. But I knew the people who run the Wild Horses and I thought if I could just come up here without the kids and have some time to really go for a job here, I might have a chance. The trouble was, this one.”

  She pointed at the man.

  “I knew I couldn’t let him know where I was or he’d come following me, just like he did do, didn’t he?”

  She glared at him.

  “He wanted me to give up the babies and come back to work for him at his club. Which I swore I would never, never do, of course.”

  “You could have told me.” Robby was still grumbling. “You could have let me know.”

  “Hah.” She gave Cathy an exasperated look. “I didn’t dare let him know. I didn’t know what he’d do. That’s why I didn’t tell you where I was going.” She sighed. “Cathy, I’m so sorry I did that. But I felt I had to. And I knew you could handle it. But when I tried calling you last night and no one was home...!”

  “We were up here already, looking for you. But people at Wild Horses claimed they’d never heard of you.”

  She nodded. “I’d asked them to do that, just in case Robby came looking for me. But when I went in this morning, they told me you were in town. They even knew the address.” She hugged her babies tightly. “Which works out real well, after all. Now I don’t have to run down to Destiny Bay to get them.”

  “What do you mean?” Robby was being a little slow on the uptake. “You’re not coming back to Destiny Bay?”

  She looked up at him. “I’ve got a job, Robby. I’m moving up here for good. It’s the only place where I’ve been able to find work that will pay well enough to take care of me and my three little babies.”

  Robby’s response was to pout. “Yeah, well what about me?”

  She rolled her eyes. “What about you?”

  He couldn’t seem to believe she didn’t understand the crisis here. “I’m all alone down there.”

  “Isn’t that the way you said you wanted it? You didn’t want to be a part of our lives. You said no babies. Babies mess things up. Well, I’ve got babies, Robby. So you just stay where you are and let me get on with my life.”

  Robby sauntered through the room, Blue still in his arms.

  “Oh yeah?” he sputtered. “Well, it seems to me you’re going to need some help. I mean, what kind of a role model are you going to have for this little boy of your
s without me around?”

  April’s eyes glittered and a strange, smug look came over her face. “We really should go and leave these nice people alone,” she said, gathering the babies up.

  “You didn’t answer me,” Robby claimed petulantly.

  She rose. “Come on, Robby. We can discuss that in the car.”

  He began to help gather things. Cathy stowed diapers into a bag, which she put in Robby’s arms. Then she handed baby clothes to Scott to carry out.

  All the while, Robby was still grumbling. “And those little girls. Who’s going to watch out that no guys take advantage of them when they start to date?”

  Ready to go, April looked at them all with a triumphant smile. “We’ll discuss it in the car.”

  He walked out, still muttering to himself. April stopped at the door and turned back to speak to Cathy.

  “Thank you. I owe you big bucks. I know that. But I can’t pay you right now. Can you wait until I sell my house in Destiny Bay? Then I can pay you.”

  Cathy didn’t care much about the money any longer. It was over. Finally, the crushing responsibility of hauling the triplets all over the place was over. She felt only relief.

  Smiling wearily, she waved April off.

  “You just go and see if you can make Robby Crockett into Father of the Year,” she advised her knowingly. “Call me and let me know how things turn out.”

  April grinned. “Right. And Cathy, thanks again.”

  They were gone. Scott and Cathy and the three children rattled around the two connecting rooms and looked at one another.

  “It seems kind of quiet around here, doesn’t it?” Scott said at last.

  “It sure does.” Cathy looked at him and they both began to laugh.

  He put his arms around her, and a moment later, Beth joined their hug, and then Beanie.

  Cathy looked toward the bed where Barnaby was standing. She gestured with a nod of her head. He hesitated, glancing at Scott. Scott noticed and gave him a welcoming smile.

  Joy leaped in Barnaby’s face. Opening his arms wide, he came running toward the group and they all toppled like bowling pins, landing in a mass of bodies on the floor. A new spirit of community pervaded their little family.

  “We’ve been through the wars together, gang,” Scott told them all from his position at the bottom of the pile. “I think we all deserve to reward ourselves. How about a boat ride on the lake? Who wants to go?”

  That got three little bodies off his as they all jumped up to yell, “Me! Me! Take me!” He grinned at Cathy. “How about you?”

  She nodded, laughing.

  “Take me, too,” she whispered, and he did.

  For the next two days, the five of them went on vacation, hiking, swimming, boating. Margy watched the kids while Scott and Cathy spent an evening casino-hopping. They laughed in the sun. They loved under the moon. And Scott was wonderful with the children. But behind it all, Cathy knew they were merely biding time.

  Nothing was said, the future was not a topic. And Scott never took back all the things he’d said about not wanting to get involved with children ever again.

  Now and then she would catch him watching her, his face dark and brooding. She knew what he was thinking. She could feel that he wanted her beside him, wanted her lovemaking, wanted her warmth—but that he felt trapped by it, too. In a way, he was selling his soul to the devil. And despite all the wonderful times they had, he was not a totally happy man.

  On the third day, Margy asked him to go to Reno with her to see the rest of his family. He agreed, but the look on his face was that of a man who’d heard the bell toll.

  “You could come along, too,” Margy told Cathy. “They’d all love to meet you.”

  Cathy shook her head. “No. I don’t think Scott needs us along for this. It’s going to be an emotional experience for him. I don’t want to dilute it in any way.”

  Margy hugged her. “You are so good for him,” she said again, as she’d said so many times. “I couldn’t have picked a better match myself.”

  Scott was shaving when Cathy came in. She leaned against the door, watching him in the mirror. He looked back at her, his eyes troubled.

  “Don’t worry,” she said softly. “They’re going to love you.”

  He stared at her for a moment, then shrugged. “Maybe. But will I love them?”

  He kissed her before he left, kissed her long and hard, and then turned and walked to Margy’s car without a word. She watched them drive away, and then she went back into the room and began to pack. From the time they’d arrived, she’d known she would have to do this. Now the time had come.

  The van was packed in less than an hour. The children were in the car seats. She looked back at the lake and tears rimmed her eyes. They’d had a wonderful time. But it was over.

  She left Scott a note, telling him she would be fine driving back in the van with only her own three, thanking him for helping her with the babies, saying that she knew he could get a free flight down with almost any airline so he wasn’t stranded.

  “Thanks again,” she ended it. “It’s been fun.”

  She left a check to cover the motel expenses, even though Margy had told her not to pay, and she left a little hostess gift for Scott’s sister as well. And then she got into the van and drove off.

  They made good time driving down. She broke into tears only once when they passed the Mammoth Lakes cutoff. And soon they were back in their apartment, snug in their own beds.

  Their lives quickly returned to the routine they’d left when they’d gone to take care of April’s triplets that weekend. Within days it was as though they’d never been away. Cathy was typing up insurance forms. The twins were learning to read. And Beanie was busy getting into everything.

  Cathy thought about Scott every hour of the day. She saw his face in her mirror, she felt his touch in her dreams. And for the next week, every time the phone rang, she was sure it was going to be him.

  But it never was. She finally had to face it. He wasn’t going to call.

  She told herself that was good. It was never meant to be. Better to cut it off quickly than to have their romance die a lingering death.

  “Better to have loved and lost,” she kept telling herself. But she didn’t really believe it.

  And deep inside, she felt an aching emptiness. A part of her had been so sure… Hadn’t there been love in his eyes? Hadn’t he been getting better and better with the children? Hadn’t he held her as though he loved her?

  But no. He had never pretended he wanted a real relationship. Was this the end of any hope for a real life with a real man she could love? Was this the end of any hope of having a father for her children?

  Hopelessness washed over her and she hung her head and cried.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN:

  Aga Daddy

  Scott was back in town and so lonely, he spent most of his evenings at Mickey’s on the Bay for almost a week, as though somehow that was going to soothe his tortured soul for him.

  It didn’t.

  But he enjoyed talking over old times with various old friends and Mickey made sure he got a good meal in him at least once a day. She also kept him up on the latest with the family.

  “Who is that beautiful woman Rick’s got on his arm?” he asked her as he saw his cousin enter and stop at a front table.

  “That’s Terry,” she said. “I don’t know if you ever spent any time out at Mar Vista in the old days, but her father was the butler for your great uncle Calvin. His name was Yardley. Last year Calvin hired him back, and then he had some sort of injury, and Terry stepped in to act as butler for the family.”

  “Crazy.”

  “You can say that, but she did a terrific job.” Mickey grinned. “So terrific, Rick married her to keep her in the family.”

  Scott laughed. “I meant ‘crazy’ in a good way.”

  “I know.” Mickey sighed. “The problem is, she’s been trying and trying to get pregnant, but so far, it’s a no
go. He already had two kids from a first marriage and they are a lovely bunch together. But Terry is aching for a baby of her own. Poor thing.”

  Scott grimaced. Problems. Always problems. It came with the territory, didn’t it?

  “Shelley and Tanner are down in Nueva Bahia,” she told him at one point. “Trying to save your great uncle John, the Colonel, from a gold digger who’s after him.”

  Scott frowned thoughtfully. “Maybe I ought to go down there and help them,” he noted. “It would be just like the old days. The three amigos, together again.”

  But they both knew he wasn’t going to do it. Mickey didn’t know what had broken his heart, but she knew he was a long way from healing. Scott was just barely finding his sea legs after his latest romance, as far as she could see.

  And he would have been the first to agree with her. He was trying. Still, memories of Cathy got in the way of moving on with his life. Every time he thought of her, that old empty, lonely feeling would fill him and he’d just feel desolation again.

  He had a good time getting to know Tag, the Carrington who had married Mickey, and teasing Amity, Mickey’s new employee. She had a wry sense of humor that meshed well with his, but she invariably shied away from any talk about her life or where she came from.

  “So what’s the story on your girl Amity?” he asked Mickey one afternoon. “Is it just my wild imagination, or does she look a little….” He raised an eyebrow.

  Mickey smiled. “Yes, she’s pregnant. More than a little.”

  “No husband in sight?”

  Mickey hesitated, then shook her head with a world weary smile. “That’s something I’m in the dark about. I’ve got some ideas on the subject, but it’s really none of my business. You’re going to have to ask her about that one.”

  “Are you kidding? That’ll be the day.”

  His first instinct was to stay far away from questions like that, but then he began to remember what she’d said the first time he’d met her, about how she’d been doing a study of Carrington faces. That was an odd thing to say. What had she meant? And if she was pregnant with no man in the picture….