Brought Together by Baby

by Carolyne Aarsen

  He also said he didn’t have time to bring over the information he had gotten on the charitable organization that he was researching for LaReese, said he had something else he was looking into. She wanted to believe him, but she couldn’t.

  And when she had connected to her computer at the Foundation this afternoon, she’d noticed that someone else had logged on to the office computer. Someone knew her password.

  She let out a sigh, reluctant to tell Eli, yet needing to talk to someone. When Anita still worked for the Foundation, Rachel would confide in her. Lorna simply didn’t inspire the same trust.

  “Is there someone you can talk to?” Eli asked.

  Rachel pulled into the visitor parking stall of LaReese’s condo, parked the car and turned to Eli, pleased at the concern in his voice. “I would normally talk to my father about this, but he’s too busy with Mom and I don’t want to bother him.”

  “How about the board of the Foundation?”

  Rachel shook her head. “No. This is internal. I need to find a way to deal with it on my own.”

  “You don’t have to do everything on your own,” Eli said.

  Rachel didn’t reply as she got out of the car, slipping the strap of her briefcase over her shoulder. “Lately, it seems like I do everything on my own,” she said with a light laugh.

  Eli was already unbuckling Gracie by the time Rachel came around to her side of the car. He handed Rachel the diaper bag, and shut the door.

  They looked just like a little family, Rachel thought as they walked up the stairs to the entrance of LaReese’s town house. Dad holding the baby, Mom holding the diaper bag. As she pushed the bell for LaReese’s apartment she let the fleeting thought settle for a moment.

  What would it be like to be married? To have a family?

  She pulled herself up short, stopping the direction of her thoughts. Marriage was a word she hadn’t used since Keith.

  The memory of his name made her feel a touch of regret, followed by a niggle of disloyalty. Keith was the only one she had woven such daydreams around. There hadn’t been anyone else before, or after.

  Gracie was babbling to herself in a singsong voice that only added to the tension Rachel felt. She should have left her at home.

  With whom? Eli?

  Rachel was about to ring the bell again, when the door opened as if by itself. Rachel walked into a large entrance and was immediately greeted by a woman wearing a crisp blue dress. “Ms. Binet is waiting for you on the deck at the back.” She turned and led them through another door, then across another open expanse that looked like a living room, to large French doors.

  She leaned closer to Eli and whispered. “Don’t let Gracie get away on you. I’m seeing visions of sticky hand-prints dancing all over the glass.”

  Eli chuckled as they were led out onto a large curved deck that was bordered by a stone handrail. Beyond the deck was a profusion of flowers, surrounded on two sides by a brick wall. The end of the garden overlooked the lush green of Winchester Park. LaReese had been sitting at a glass table shaded by a large umbrella and got up to greet them.

  “Hello, Rachel, welcome again,” she said with a polite smile for Rachel and an obviously brighter one for Gracie. Or maybe it was Eli.

  “And I see you brought a friend,” she simpered, batting her lashes.

  It was definitely Eli.

  “Eli Cavanaugh is Gracie’s pediatrician. I have been taking care of my sister Gracie since our mother fell and broke her leg ten days ago.” Rachel turned to Eli and made the proper introductions. Gracie cuddled closer to Eli when LaReese tried to talk to her, but Rachel was relieved to see that the child gave the older woman a bright smile anyway.

  “What an adorable child. I had heard that your parents adopted a little girl. She has cerebral palsy, doesn’t she?”

  “Yes, she does,” Rachel said.

  “I thought they had lost their minds, adopting a special needs baby, but I can see why they were smitten with her in spite of her handicap.” LaReese indicated the chairs across the table from her. “Sit down. Can I get you anything? Coffee? Sweet tea? Some juice for the little girl?”

  “I’ll have a sweet tea and Gracie would enjoy some apple or orange juice if you have it,” Rachel said as she sat down. Eli declined both. LaReese made a barely perceptible motion to the woman behind her, who gave a curt nod and then left.

  I need one of those, thought Rachel, fighting the urge to unzip her briefcase and get down to business. A wonderful person who anticipates my needs, then fulfills them. She smiled at LaReese, and asked after her health and how her nephew was doing in his new business venture. They chatted until the nameless woman returned with their refreshments.

  Rachel was about to take Gracie from Eli, but he shook his head and gave her the apple juice himself. She smiled her thanks, and then looked back at LaReese, who had been watching them with a gentle smile on her face.

  Rachel felt a flush creep up her neck, realizing how the situation must look to her. But she was here for business. She took a quick sip of her tea, then dove into her briefcase for the papers she had taken along.

  “Rachel said your name is Cavanaugh. Is your family from here?” LaReese was asking Eli.

  “My adoptive parents used to live here, Peggy and Tyrone Cavanaugh. My adoptive brother, Ben, still does,” Eli said, setting Gracie’s cup down on the table. He wiped her mouth with a napkin, looking like a seasoned father.

  “You said adoptive. You weren’t born a Cavanaugh?”

  Eli shook his head. “No. My biological parents’ names were Fulton. Darlene and Zeke Fulton.”

  LaReese thought for a moment, then shook her head. “Never heard of either family. How did you get adopted, then?”

  “My brother, Ben, and I were both adopted through the Tiny Blessings agency.”

  LaReese glanced at Rachel. “Your parents used Tiny Blessings, didn’t they? To adopt the girl?”

  “Gracie was adopted through the agency, as well,” Rachel agreed, giving “the girl” a name.

  LaReese sat back, absently playing with her earrings. Her various rings glowed in the lowering sunlight as she looked past them to the park.

  “Barnaby Harcourt started that agency, didn’t he?” LaReese asked with a light frown.

  “He was founder and director until he died.” Rachel had known Barnaby through her work at the Foundation, but had never been comfortable around him. He had a barely definable air of greed that always made Rachel feel uneasy. She enjoyed working with Kelly Young, the current director, much better.

  “Dale and I talked about adopting at one time but Dale was uneasy about it,” LaReese said quietly. A sad expression twisted her face. “We didn’t have any children of our own. Not now, anyway.”

  Rachel picked up the vague reference and stilled her own restlessness. “Did you have a child once?”

  LaReese nodded, her eyes drifting past Rachel as if to another time. “He was only three years old. Just a little older than this one,” she said, angling her chin at Gracie.

  “What happened?” Rachel asked, pitching her voice low, encouraging LaReese’s trust.

  LaReese pressed her lips together as if holding back her sorrow. “It was a long time ago. A long time.” She looked over at Rachel with a sad smile. “He had some unpronounceable illness, very rare. He died. The doctor said our chances were one in two that we would have another child with the same disease. So we decided not to have any more. I could not put myself through that again.”

  “I understand,” Rachel said. And she did. She could see in LaReese’s eyes an echo of her own pain. Of her own decision. Better to keep yourself free from attachments than to face the chance of that pain again.

  But even as she thought that, she was fully aware of Eli sitting beside her. Eli who, lately, had been occupying more and more of her thoughts. Eli, who brought out emotions in her that she had tried to fight.

  “I think it was a mistake, though,” LaReese continued, twisting a ring
around her finger. “I think we should have tried again. Loving someone is always a chance. You open yourself up to the possibility of losing them. But the pleasure, the joy that comes with it is worth the potential of pain.” She glanced at Gracie, and Rachel’s eyes followed her gaze. Only her gaze was caught by Eli’s. He was watching her with an enigmatic smile on his face. Again she felt that connection. A yearning. And her heart went all quivery with the idea that maybe, just maybe…

  “Anyway, that is in the past,” LaReese said, placing her hands on the table, her rings thunking on the glass. “I’m sure you didn’t come here to discuss that.” She looked back at Rachel, all business now. “I have to confess I’m a little confused as to what the Foundation has been doing for me. Or trying to do for me,” she said primly. “You are here today. Last week it was that young person from your office with another man. I am not sure who I am supposed to be dealing with.”

  Rachel suddenly stilled at LaReese’s words. She carefully banked her anger with Reuben. She had distinctly told him that she would deal with LaReese personally. “What did he tell you?”

  LaReese frowned at her. “Oh, it was the young lady that did all the talking. Something about an organization that brings Christmas gifts to children of people in jail. I like the idea that these children are taken care of.”

  “There are some very good organizations that do this kind of work,” Rachel said carefully, sensing the hesitancy in LaReese, as well. “Some more prominent than others. Do you remember the name?”

  LaReese gave it to her and Rachel felt a cold chill travel down her spine. She had heard of this group all right, a scam from the word go. If Reuben was pushing LaReese to give money to this group, then it only stood to reason that he would gain from it, as well. No wonder he had been so elusive lately. “This group was never vetted by me,” she said, her anger growing.

  “What do you mean?” LaReese looked genuinely puzzled now.

  “We do an extensive background search on any and all nonprofit organizations that apply to us for funding or for assistance with their fund-raising. We make sure they are on the up-and-up and that they do not charge extensive administration costs. There are some nonprofit organizations out there who charge up to eighty percent administration costs, leaving very little to the actual group they are supposed to be taking care of.” Rachel caught herself, forced herself to slow down. She tended to get quite emotional where some of the more sleazy operations were concerned. And knowing that Reuben was involved made it even worse. “Please tell me you didn’t sign anything with them.”

  “I didn’t. I wanted to talk to you.”

  Rachel felt herself go slack with relief. “I’m glad you did. I want you to know that I would never recommend any organization to you that I have not personally vetted. And this one is just a huge money pit. I can’t believe Reuben did this.”

  LaReese frowned. “Reuben was the young man with you the last time you came here, wasn’t he?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, this wasn’t Reuben. This was someone named Lorna.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Rachel sat back in stunned surprise. “Lorna? Lorna Kirkpatrick?”

  LaReese nodded, clearly confused. “She works for you, doesn’t she?”

  “She’s my assistant.” Or maybe “was.” Rachel took in a long breath and rubbed the tips of her fingers over her temples. She felt cold inside as little things suddenly came together. How Lorna had shifted Rachel’s suspicions to Reuben. The other day, when she could see that someone had tried to get into her computer, Reuben had been gone that day. The only person around was Lorna.

  How could she have done this? Rachel had trusted her, had believed her over Reuben. She leaned back against her chair, feeling slightly nauseated at the thought of Lorna’s betrayal.

  She glanced at Eli. Gracie still sat contentedly on his lap, but his attention was on Rachel, a frown of concern on his face. She gave him a careful smile, then turned back to LaReese, struggling to pull herself together. In the past few minutes her perceptions and trusts had been twisted and rearranged. It was difficult to orient herself, but she had to. This was her job. LaReese was her focus.

  She gave LaReese a smile that held more confidence than Rachel felt. But she knew one thing from moving in the circles of the wealthy. Confidence bred confidence. If she wanted LaReese on board, she had to project emotions she wasn’t feeling right now.

  It would be easier to do it in her usual suit, with her hair worn up, rather than the soft t-shirt and khaki pants she had slipped on.

  “Okay, there’s no harm done so far.” At least, not where LaReese was concerned. Rachel kept her tone brisk to cover her hurt at Lorna’s deception. “I am so thankful you didn’t do anything rash.”

  “Well, to tell you the truth, the project wasn’t something I was really excited about. I like the idea of doing something with children.” She looked over at Gracie, who was scribbling with Eli’s pen on a napkin. “I don’t mind the idea of Tiny Blessings, though I never did like that snake who founded it, Barnaby Harcourt.” She sniffed, then, as an afterthought, added, “Bless his departed soul.”

  Her comment about the late Mr. Harcourt made Rachel think of LaReese’s story of her son. And in that moment, Rachel knew that her own instincts about what would interest LaReese had been right.

  “Tiny Blessings is a good cause, as well. But I don’t think it is as good a match as what I had in mind. I would like you to think of the pediatric ward of the Richmond hospital,” Rachel said, gently pushing a brochure across the table to LaReese. And in the slight narrowing of LaReese’s eyes and the way she started to lean forward, Rachel caught the beginnings of interest.

  Gracie was growing restless and Rachel glanced at her as LaReese perused the brochure Rachel had brought along.

  Eli got up, bent over Rachel and said quietly, “I’ll just let her walk in the yard for a bit.”

  His breath was warm against her ear, intimate. Rachel angled her head just so, and his face was only inches from hers. She could see the soft green of his eyes, how the sun gilded his eyelashes.

  She swallowed, then nodded, and felt a faint tingle all the way down to her toes when his smile crinkled his cheeks.

  “Do you mind, Ms. Binet?” Eli asked, his head still close to Rachel’s.

  LaReese’s maternal expression made Rachel even more self-conscious about Eli’s presence. “Of course not, Dr. Cavanaugh. You go ahead.”

  As Eli left with Gracie toddling unevenly alongside him, LaReese’s smile faded away.

  “That poor little girl,” LaReese said. “What kind of life will she have?”

  Rachel heard an echo of her own concern for Gracie in LaReese’s voice, and she glanced back over her shoulder at Eli, who towered over the toddler, projecting protectiveness and strength. “I think she will have a life as full and rich as she wants,” Rachel said quietly. “She has a whole team devoted to her care and support.” Rachel turned back to LaReese, seeing another opportunity to encourage her giving. “The hospital has a variety of clinics that she attends that will help her with her walking and, later on, with other life skills. She is a bright, intelligent child. She has people who love her and help her along the way.”

  “Like you and Dr. Cavanaugh.”

  Rachel almost blushed at the linking of their names, but she carried on. “And, more importantly, my parents.” Rachel turned back to the brochure. “I know that giving to the hospital isn’t as romantic and exciting as an individual cause is, but I want to let you know what your money can do.”

  But even as Rachel explained to LaReese how her donation would be used, she found she had to work extra hard to maintain her focus on her client.

  And not on the appealing man walking in the garden with her little sister.

  Rachel set Gracie’s diaper bag on the change table of her darkened room while Eli gently laid the little girl in her bed. He pulled the quilt around Gracie and tucked her in, then smoothed a stray curl b
ack from her head.

  Rachel felt a peculiar sensation in her midsection at the sight of the tall man being so gentle with Gracie. He would make a wonderful father.

  The errant thought hovered a moment, making her wonder what his children would look like.

  She followed him out through the hallway and down the stairs to the front entrance, where his motorcycle helmet still sat on the floor. The restlessness she had felt all evening would not be stilled even though she had accomplished something important with LaReese. She wanted to blame her edginess on her discovery of Lorna’s disloyalty, but she knew that was only a small part.

  A larger part consisted of her changing feelings toward this handsome and kind man who carried himself with such self-assurance. Who had a gentle strength that called to her.

  Now, she didn’t want him to leave yet. She wanted to find out more about him. What he liked to do. What his childhood was like. What made him happy, sad.

  “By the way, thanks so much for coming along,” Rachel said as he bent over to retrieve his helmet.

  He gave her a crooked smile. “Someone had to baby-sit.”

  She laughed at that. “Gracie is pretty relaxed around you.”

  “And you seem more relaxed around her.”

  “As long as she stays healthy, I feel like I have a handle on her care.” She gave a short laugh. “One of the few things it seems I have a handle on lately.”

  “I’m guessing you’re talking about your assistant.”

  Rachel felt again a low pull of embarrassment that her employee’s defection had been unveiled in front of him. Bad enough that LaReese had to be the one to let her know. That Eli had to see how poor a judge of character she was somehow hurt even more. “I feel…violated.” She hugged herself, as if warding off the inevitable problems she would have to face tomorrow.

  Eli took a step closer and laid his hand on her shoulder. “It’s not your fault. She obviously knew what she was doing.”

  “And she was very good at it,” Rachel said with a sigh.