by Donna Hill
He checked his watch. Frowned. It was almost four. Jessie had been asleep for hours. He pushed up from the couch and walked down the short hallway from the living room to Jessie’s bedroom and stepped inside. Quietly, he went to her bed and sat on the side.
“Jess, Jessie,” he said softly. She sighed. Her long, black lashes fluttered, but she didn’t wake up. He gently brushed stray strands of hair away from her face. She felt warm as buttered toast. He adjusted her covers to give her a little more air, kissed her forehead and tiptoed out. She’d had a major adventure. He was sure she was exhausted. He knew he was. But the terror that he’d felt when he woke up and found her gone was enough to keep him sleepless for a very long time. The idea that he could wake up and Jessie would be gone....
He went into the kitchen to get dinner started. He knew when Jessie woke up she would be hungry. He checked the refrigerator and found a package of chicken that he decided would go along with baked potatoes. He knew Jessie hated green peas but she would eat string beans. As he walked by the kitchen stool, he inadvertently knocked over the jacket that he’d tossed there when they’d returned from that sexy doctor’s house. He bent to pick it up and he wasn’t sure if it was his imagination or if the soft scent of her was really filling the room. He drew the jacket up to his face and the scent of her filled him. For an instant, his eyes drifted closed and he was standing in front of her in the kitchen, inches away from her very kissable lips and eyes that were as warm as heated chestnuts.
With a half smile, he hung the jacket on the back of the chair. It had been a while since a woman had made him think about her more than once. Since his divorce from Crystal, relationships had been put on the back burner. He filled his time with work and building his career, making sure that he was too tired at night to think about the empty space in his bed.
There’d been women, of course, from time to time if he needed a date for a big event or when the loneliness got to be too much, but it never lasted. He drew in a long, slow breath. He wasn’t going to let the good Dr. Randall get in his head or under his skin. He’d already failed in a relationship at close quarters and he knew that long-distance wasn’t his thing because he had no intention of giving up his Manhattan life or lifestyle.
His cell phone vibrated against his thigh. He reached in his pocket and pulled it out.
“Linc. How are you?”
“The question is how are you? I was out all day and I got back to hear that Jessie went missing?”
Anthony put the phone on speaker, turned back to the fridge and took out a bag of red potatoes. “Yeah, man. It was crazy. She must have gotten up just at daybreak and went out the back door. She said she was following a squirrel. Can you believe that?”
Lincoln bit back a chuckle. “With Jessie, yeah, I can believe it. I hope you put an extra padlock on the door and set the alarm. Just think, Tony, if she can slip out at four years old, imagine what she’ll do when she’s a teen.”
“Thanks for the words of encouragement.”
“I’m just saying,” he teased. “Hey, the only thing that’s important is that she’s back and she’s safe. Desi said that Dr. Randall found her.”
“Yeah, she’d wandered all the way over there and hid under her house when it started raining.”
“Man, you must have been going out of your mind. I don’t know what I would have done. Thank goodness it was Kai and not some perv.”
“Don’t I know it.” He turned on the water and rinsed the potatoes, lathered the skin with butter, and wrapped them in aluminum foil. “So, uh, how long has Dr. Randall been around?”
“Hmm, couple of years, I’d guess.”
“So you know her pretty well.”
“I wouldn’t say know her. I’ve seen her at parties, run into her in town. She’s pretty good friends with Melanie Harte, and Desi definitely knows her better than I do.” He paused a moment. “Why?”
“Just asking. I want to know what kind of woman took care of my daughter. That’s all,” he added.
“Yeah. Okay. Well, since me and you go way back, and even though you didn’t ask I’m sure you want to know...she’s single. And from what Desi has mentioned a couple of times, Mel has been trying to find her Mr. Right, but Kai isn’t interested.”
“And you worked that all out in your head and figured I’d want to know.”
“Of course. I got skilz, my brother. And I didn’t need paper nor pencil,” he said, miming the late Richard Pryor.
The two men broke out into laughter.
“Yeah, okay,” Anthony was finally able to manage.
“But on a serious note, Jessie is fine. She’s safe, and from everything that I know about Dr. Randall, she’s a good person and not bad to look at either.”
Anthony had to agree with him on that point. He could spend a lot of hours looking at the very sexy doctor with the warm throaty voice, who looked at him as if she would cut him a new one for letting his daughter get away from him. “Yeah, well, even if I was interested—which I’m not—I won’t be around long enough to put any real time in.”
“That’s true, and with you planning on running for D.A....” Lincoln let the unspoken words speak for themselves. “And since you’re only going to be here for what...two weeks, we have to make some time to hang out.”
“I’ll have to work something out—a sitter for Jessie.”
“No need for all that. We can hang at my place. Desiree loves kids.”
Anthony heard the faint hitch in Lincoln’s voice. He knew it was the one thing missing from his marriage. But Lincoln had known going in that Desiree wouldn’t be able to have children. It didn’t matter to him.
“We can have dinner, a few beers and catch up.”
“Sounds like a plan. Let’s make that happen.”
“Cool. I’ll check with Desi’s schedule and get back to you.”
“Thanks for calling, man.”
“Talk to ya.”
Anthony disconnected the call. He and Lincoln were frat brothers, both of them having attended Howard University, but on a deeper note, Lincoln Davenport was the brother that Anthony never had. Anthony didn’t share parts of himself with many people, not even Crystal, which was on their list of marital woes, but he did share his life with Lincoln. Lincoln knew all about Anthony’s devastating childhood, his personal struggles and his triumphs, and he never judged. They’d been there for each other. And it was good to be close again, like the old days, even if it was only for two weeks.
A crash of thunder seemed to shake the very foundation of the house. Its aftermath vibrated like the shockwaves following an earthquake. The lights blinked then focused themselves. At least he’d been smart enough to invest in a generator. This part of the Sound was notorious for losing power during bad storms. A brilliant flash of lightning lit up the sky, making it look like daytime.
He finished cleaning and seasoning the chicken, put it in a pan and popped it in the oven, then went to check on Jessie. He’d been sure that he would have heard her feet pounding down the hallway after that last blast of thunder.
He opened her door. This time he turned on the light and walked to her bedside. Immediately he knew something was wrong. Her saffron-toned skin was flushed red. Damp tendrils of hair clung to her forehead.
Anthony reached out to touch her and could feel the heat wafting up from her body before he put a hand on her. His insides tightened.
“Jess...Jessie, sweetheart, wake up, baby.” He put his hand on her forehead and alarms went off. She was burning up.
Jessie whimpered softly. “Don’t feel good,” she managed.
“I know, sweetie. I know.”
“Cold,” she whispered.
Anthony pulled the covers up to her chin. Cold, she was burning up. His thoughts raced. What to do? The last time he was around Jessie and she was sick
, she was an infant. “Be right back, baby.” He darted off to the bathroom to check the medicine cabinet and was greeted with shave cream, deodorant and dental floss. Maybe Crystal had put a first-aid kit or something in Jessie’s bag and he hadn’t noticed.
He quickly returned to Jessie’s room and took her suitcase out of the closet and checked all the zippers and pockets. Nothing. He tossed it back in and shut the door. Now what? Clearly he needed some medication for the fever and clearly there wasn’t any in the house. Another roll of thunder moved over the roof of the house. Rain banged against the window, demanding to get away from the wrath of the thunder and lightning.
“Daddy,” Jessie croaked.
He returned to her bedside. “Yes, baby?”
“Thirsty.”
“Okay. I’ll get you something to drink.” He kissed her forehead and felt the damp heat.
He hurried down the short hallway to the kitchen and remembered the food in the oven. He reduced the heat in the oven and then went to the fridge for some juice. He poured, stood for a moment and stared at the contents. Maybe water would be better. He reached for the bottle of water and then grabbed the orange juice, too. He poured a glass of each and turned to go back to Jessie’s room when the jacket that hung on the back of the chair caught his attention.
He put the glasses down on the counter, picked up the jacket and pulled out Dr. Randall’s business card. He returned to Jessie’s room with the glasses and the card.
“Water or juice, sweetie?”
“Water.”
He helped her to sit up and brought the glass to her lips. Jessie took a few sips and pushed the glass away.
“Try to take a little more.”
She shook her head and burrowed under the covers.
Anthony placed the glasses on the nightstand and took his cell phone out of his pocket. He walked to the doorway of the bedroom and punched in the numbers.
The phone rang as if it was struggling to make the connection.
“Dr. Randall...”
The sound of her voice sent a shot of heat running through him. His insides shifted. He cleared his throat. “Dr. Randall, I’m sorry to bother you. This is Anthony Weston, Jessie’s dad.”
“Yes, yes. Is anything wrong?”
“Actually, there is. Jessie is burning up.”
“I see. How high is her fever?”
“I don’t know. But it’s got to be pretty high. I can feel the heat coming off her.”
A clap of thunder boomed in the heavens.
He could hear her dog barking in the background and then silence.
“Hello. Hello.” He looked at the face of the phone. The call had been disconnected. He tried dialing her again and got an error message that the call failed.
“Dammit.” He tried again with the same result. And then his phone rang in his hand. It was a number that he didn’t recognize. “Hello?”
“Mr. Weston, it’s Dr. Randall. I’m on my landline. Cell phone service gets kind of sketchy in bad weather.”
“Thank you for calling back.”
“Of course.”
“So what should I do?”
“Is she taking in any fluids?”
“Barely.”
He heard her soft exhale on the other end of the phone and irrationally wondered if he could make her sigh like that. He shook his head to clear his runaway thoughts. Jessie was what was important.
“Give me your address.”
“I couldn’t ask you to come out in this weather.”
“I’m used to it. I’m a doctor that makes house calls. A dying breed.”
He heard the laughter in her voice.
“I’m sure it’s nothing major, but I want to check her out for myself. You can’t be too careful with a fever.”
“If you’re sure.”
“Very.”
He gave her the address.
“Hmm, give me about twenty minutes.”
“Thanks, Dr. Randall.”
“See you soon. Don’t keep her too warm if she’s hot. A light blanket should be fine. And try to see if you can get her to drink juice, water, whatever she likes.”
“Okay. I will. And thank you.”
The call disconnected.
Anthony stood there with the phone in his hand.
Chapter 7
Kai’s heart thumped against her chest as she quickly moved through her office and collected her medical bag. What she should do was call Andrew. He was the pediatrician, not her. But Anthony Weston hadn’t called Andrew; he’d called her.
Her cheeks flooded with heat. All afternoon she’d replayed the moment that he’d come into her line of sight, the sound of his voice, the feel of his hand in hers, the smell of him, the way his body moved with the grace of a panther. The man she’d thought she’d never see was real, and he’d been standing in her kitchen.
She hadn’t been able to shake the effects of seeing him up close and personal. Now she would see him again. In his home.
This was business, she reminded herself as she slipped on her raincoat with the hood. Lightning slashed across the sky and the lights dimmed. She was going to do what she was trained to do—heal the sick. That was it. And, as Tiffany said, there was certainly a baby’s mama around somewhere.
Jasper ran circles around her legs.
“Not now, boy.” She reached down and scratched him behind his ears. The lights flickered again. She hesitated a moment, then darted to the back room and got his carry bag. Jasper jumped up and down like a show dog. “Take it easy,” she gently warned and picked him up, then tucked him in his bag. She grabbed her medical bag, car keys and headed for the door, just as the lights went out.
When she stepped outside it was like stepping into the abyss. All of the lights along the roads were out, along with houselights. The entire town was enveloped in pitch-blackness. The only light was the intermittent flash of lightning.
Kai ran to her Explorer and was drenched by the time she got behind the wheel. The frigid rain seeped straight to her bones. Jasper whimpered. She wanted to whimper, too, but instead she turned on the car and put the heat on blast and then flicked on her high beams. She could see about ten feet in front of her. The rain was falling crossways and the wipers, though working overtime, did little to help with visibility.
“Okay, Jasper. Hang on, here we go.” She shook off a chill, crept her car out of her driveway and, driving at a crawl, she headed in the direction of Anthony’s house on the edge of Azurest.
The ten-minute ride, which she’d estimated would be twice as long today, took nearly forty minutes of slow and cautious driving. Not only did she have to maneuver around fallen tree limbs, but she had to take several detours because of flooded roads. The last thing she needed was to get stuck in a ditch.
Finally, she made it out to his house up ahead, or at least what she hoped was his house. It was one of the few homes on the lane that had lights. Her pulse kicked up a notch. She eased the car up the driveway and as close to the front door as possible. She turned off the car, grabbed her bag and Jasper, and darted for the front door.
No sooner had she put her foot on the last step than the door was pulled open. The light from inside the house outlined his long, lean frame. Air from her lungs knotted in a ball and stuck in her throat. She felt as if the world has suddenly come to a standstill as his gaze held hers and his devastating smile cinched the corners of his dark eyes.
He stuck out his hand and pulled her to shore. At least that’s the way it felt.
“Come in. Come in. Thank you so much for coming.”
Jasper yipped from the confines of his bag. “Sorry, I didn’t want to leave him.”
“Not a problem.” He grinned and a dimple flashed in his right cheek.
Kai crossed the threshold and the door closed behind her.
“You’re soaked. Let me take your coat.”
She put her bags on the floor and he helped her out of her wet coat. His hands grazed her shoulders and the chill that she’d felt for nearly an hour simmered away.
“Where’s our patient?”
“Right down this hall.” He led the way.
“I haven’t seen it this bad in a while,” she said, as she tried to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other and not stare at the way the soft gray sweatpants hung low on his hips. “You’re lucky you have power. My lights went out just as I was leaving.”
Anthony glanced over his shoulder. “Melanie advised me to get a generator when I bought the place. I’m glad I did.”
“You know Melanie?” she said, her voice lifting in surprise.
“Doesn’t everyone?” he said, tongue in cheek.
Kai smirked. “True.”
“Right here.” He opened the door to Jessie’s room. “Hey, sweetie,” he said, approaching his daughter. “Look who’s here to see you.”
“Hey, Jessie.” Kai came to the side of the bed and placed her hand on Jessie’s forehead. A slight frown creased her brow. She sat down on the side of the bed and opened her medical bag. “Looks like you’re not feeling too well,” she said. “I want to take your temperature. Can you open your mouth for me?”
Jessie did as she was asked and Kai slipped the thermometer beneath her tongue while she took her pulse.
She turned to Anthony. “Can you turn on the light?”
Anthony clicked on the overhead light from the wall switch.
The digital thermometer beeped almost immediately. Kai checked the reading. “103.2,” she said, looking up at Anthony, whose expression was tight as a drum. She searched through her bag and took out a bottle of liquid children’s Tylenol, poured it into the measuring cup and helped Jessie to sit up. “Here, sweetie, I want you to drink this. It will help you to feel better.”
Jessie sipped down the amber liquid.
“Good girl.”
