by Arlene James
“No fear on that score,” Kendra assured him. “Parker’s good with her, and he’s learned a lot these last couple of weeks. He’s read a couple of baby-care books I’ve brought him, too.”
“Besides,” Parker said, “she’s just a phone call away if I need advice, and that ought to count for something.”
Edward nodded. “Sounds like we’ve got all the bases covered, then. Parker, I’d get right on remodeling the house, if I were you. You might want to consider moving into Nathan’s place while the work’s being done, though.”
Parker shook his head. “I’d rather not—too many memories for my peace of mine. Besides, that cracker box offends my aesthetic sensibilities.” He chuckled, adding, “Hey, I have a professional reputation to maintain, especially if I’m going to support myself in the life-style to which I’ve become accustomed, financially speaking, of course.”
“Of course,” Ed agreed dryly, getting to his feet. “You might as well face it, old buddy, the good times are over for you.”
Parker shook his head. “There’s more than one kind of good time, Ed, and I like my life just fine right now.”
Ed looked mournful. “I was afraid you’d say that.”
Kendra rolled her eyes. “He’s talking about the baby, sap.”
“Is he?” Edward asked, gazing down at her. “If that’s so, just be sure you don’t admit it to anyone else.”
“If she did,” Parker said, “I would very convincingly make a liar of her.”
They both looked at him, neither doubting him but for very different reasons. Kendra knew to what lengths he would go to keep Darla now. He had for all intents and purposes scuttled his partnership in one of the finest, most renowned architectural firms in the southwestern United States so that he could be home with her. He was attending church, remaking his life, about to remodel his house. Kendra did not doubt that he’d make her appear a liar if it suited his purposes and protected his niece. She did not seriously consider that he might be regretting the temporary nature of their marriage. She would not dream that he was coming to view her as a very large, very pleasant part of his life. She could not fathom that he might be coming to love her. Edward could not believe anything else.
When Edward was gone, Parker got up and went to the bedroom to check on the baby. He came back shaking his head.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” he said. “I’ve been reading about this SIDS stuff and about whether or not the baby’s sleeping position has anything to do with it. The British, they’re saying to sleep a baby on its back, but for years now, American doctors have been saying to sleep them on their stomachs, so lately—and Candace mentioned this to me—the prevalent recommendation is a compromise, sleeping the baby on its side.”
Kendra nodded, pulling the pins from her hair and combing her fingers through it. “You’re absolutely right,” she told him. “So what did you want to ask me?”
He leaned forward over the back of the couch and ran his fingers lightly through the hair at her temple. “Well, whether or not you’ve been putting her down on her side or some other way.”
She cocked her head. “I always put her down on her side. Why?”
“You do it that way this time?”
“Yes.”
“Well, she’s lying on her back in there.”
Kendra smiled and pulled her feet up beneath her. “Really?”
He nodded. “And this morning when I got her up to go to the sitter’s, she was sleeping on her stomach.”
“Is that right?”
“Uh-huh. Do you suppose that means something?”
She grinned at him. “It means that she’s learned how to turn over, Parker.”
He looked purely surprised. “Oh, I hadn’t thought of that.”
“I can see that you hadn’t,” she told him, trying not to be too amused.
He straightened and hooked his thumbs in the rear pockets of his jeans. “She’s kind of young for it, isn’t she?”
“A little, maybe.”
He nodded. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. She’s a fast learner. You can tell, the way she mimics your facial expressions and everything, the sparkle in those big eyes.”
Kendra couldn’t help it; she had to laugh. He glowered at her.
“What’s so funny?”
“You are,” she told him. “Who would ever have thought it? Parker Sugarman as proud papa.”
He colored slightly, two spots of ruddy pink high on his cheekbones. “It’s not that,” he said. “It’s just that she’s special, you know.”
Kendra nodded. “I know. She’s very special.”
He smiled, and the conversation just seemed to die a natural death. Kendra took a deep breath and pulled herself up off the couch.
“Well, I’m going to bed,” she said. “Tomorrow’s another day.”
“You wouldn’t be off tomorrow, would you?” he asked suddenly.
“Ha. I wish.”
“You’re working, then?”
“Afraid so, and I’ve got to go in early, too.”
“Well, that’s not so bad,” he said, sounding unusually eager. “I mean, if you’re going to be off in time, maybe you’d like to take in a movie or something.”
“A movie?” Now that was a thought. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d actually gone to a movie. Then reality set in. “But what about the baby?”
He scratched an ear. “I think I know where we can find a sitter. Your dad called this evening to complain that he hadn’t yet gotten to see much of his almost-granddaughter. I suggested tomorrow evening might be a good time, and he said it sounded good to him. Kate will be there, so he wouldn’t have to handle it all on his own.”
Kate. Kendra felt an automatic surge of resentment. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea,” she grumbled. “Kate isn’t exactly the motherly type.”
Parker brought his hands to his waist and just stared at her. That look was so knowing, it made her uncomfortable.
“What?” she snapped, and he shook his head.
“Dan said you’d make some kind of protest.”
She grimaced and pushed a hand through her haair. “He knows I don’t like her.”
“Anybody who’s ever seen the two of you in the same room together knows that. What I don’t understand is why. She’s a nice woman, attractive, intelligent and it’s obvious that your father is crazy about her.”
“Crazy is the operative word there,” she declared.
“I still don’t get it. It looks pretty mutual to me. Heck, they can hardly keep their hands off one another, from what I saw.”
“That’s just it,” Kendra said testily. “He was never like that with my mother.”
Parker ran his eyes over her face. “Was your mother like that with him?”
Miserably, Kendra shook her head. “No.”
“Well, then, maybe that’s the way she wanted it.”
Kendra wrapped her hair into a knot at the base of her neck and let it fall free again. “It doesn’t really matter, and I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I’m tired.” She turned and started toward the bedroom, but he caught her by the wrist and pulled her around to face him.
“I think you need a night out on the town,” he said. “Let’s go out tomorrow night. Your dad can watch the baby. If you don’t want to see a movie, we’ll do something else. We’ll go dancing. Want to go dancing?”
Dancing. She smiled at the thought of it, slow dancing in a dimly lit room filled with music. Dangerous. She shook her head. “We really ought to make it an early night. We have to get up for church on Sunday morning.”
He shrugged. “Okay, a movie, then. Maybe we can work the dancing in later.”
“Later,” she said, and he smiled.
“Then it’s a date.”
A date. Ludicrous thought. They were married—sort of. So what could it hurt. “It’s a date,” she said, pulling away. “Good night.”
He just stood there smiling and watc
hed her walk out of the room.
Chapter Nine
She wore a simple sweater dress of jade green with a wide collar that clung to her shoulders and showed off the pretty bones that came together in a small V at the base of her throat. She left her hair down, pulling it back on one side with a heavy, tortoiseshell comb, and wore long, dangling earrings made of multicolored beads. She fitted a pair of suede, sling-back heels to her feet, and clipped a heavy gold bracelet on her wrist. Parker whistled when she stepped out onto the gallery. She blushed, more pleased than she wanted him to know, and tossed him her black wool coat. He caught it and held it open for her to slip into. She did so, ignoring the way his hands seemed to linger at her shoulders. They went in together to get the baby and attendant paraphernalia.
Kendra was amused to see that Parker had dressed Darla in her frilliest pajamas, a strawberry pink jumper with rows of soft white lace sewn around an appliqué of a teddy-bear ballerina. He had combed her hair forward, framing her cherubic face with delicate wisps of hair that was gradually turning from inky black to dark, dark chocolate. He had slipped a softly gathered satin band around her head, leaving the flowered pink bow resting at a saucy angle above her left eye. She was the cutest thing breathing, and with that indefinable sense all females seemed to possess, she knew it. Her big black eyes sparkled with the knowledge. The wisps of her eyebrows rode up and down on it, inviting every observer to agree with her personal assessment. Kendra certainly couldn’t resist. She picked her up and dandled her in the air, telling her how wonderful and pretty she was. Darla preened and smiled, her chubby little fists pushed up her chin in the classic pose of innocence. Kendra’s heart contracted and abruptly expanded with love.
She was shocked, momentarily overwhelmed by feelings she had never before known. A lump rose in her throat. Tears misted her eyes. A sense of rightness and homecoming seized her simultaneously with one of fear. This was not her child. This would never be her child, unless by some miracle... But she dared not think of that. She dared not let gratitude and lust mislead her into believing in love, not with Parker Sugarman.
She handed the baby to Parker and busied herself gathering up the diaper bag, blankets, toys, the baby seat and various other items for baby care. While she was doing that, Parker zipped Darla into a heavy blanket sleeper that would keep her warm on the trip, then they all trooped out to the car, settled in and were off.
Dan opened the door of his house even before the car came to a complete stop before it. He was obviously so eager to see them that Kendra felt a pang of guilt. She looked at Parker with apology in her eyes.
“Maybe we should skip the movie and stay here.”
He reached across the car to tap the end of her nose with a forefinger. “No way. You need this night out. I need this night out. We playboy kings don’t reform without a few lapses, you know.”
She tried to smile, to share his humor, but she was feeling shaky in a way she couldn’t quite describe even to herself. Her smile was tremulous at best, and it did not help when he cupped her face with his palm and looked questioningly into her eyes. “I—I guess I’m just tired,” she offered halfheartedly.
“You’ll feel better after you relax a couple hours. Come on. Let’s not keep him waiting, hmm?”
They got out of the car, gathered up the equipment and the baby and hurried into the house. Dan greeted them with bear hugs and hearty words of welcome. Kate hovered in the background, an intrusive, unwelcome shadow. After a perfunctory greeting, Kendra simply tried to ignore her as she explained the intricacies of infant care to her father, who laughingly reminded her that he’d had a bit of experience in that area, albeit nearly three decades past. To her surprise, he didn’t even give them a chance to sit down and chat but hurried them on their way, saying they didn’t want to be late for the movie. Kendra noticed that as he closed the door behind them, he winked at Parker, who merely chuckled when she sent a suspicious look his way.
“Subtlety is not your father’s long suit,” he said. “All right, I confess. I called him and asked if they’d like to babysit so I could have you to myself for a while.”
“Why?” she demanded, and he looked utterly dumfounded.
“Why? Because you’re my wife, my best friend, my closest adult companion. You speak in real words, think in complete thoughts and you attempt to laugh at my jokes. Much as I love my darling niece, she’s not my idea of good company—yet.”
Kendra found that answer appropriately soothing. She relaxed a bit. “Okay, so what movie are we going to see?”
He smiled. “You like foreign films, don’t you? There are a couple playing at that great old theater over on Inwood. I thought we’d go there. They’ve got a cozy little bar next door where we can wait until the movie starts, if you want.”
She shrugged. “Sounds fine.”
Something about his smile sent little shivers of alarm through her, but she pushed them away. She was overreacting again. What could happen? He draped his arm about her shoulders and turned her toward the car. Her footsteps dragged only slightly as they approached.
A half hour later, their movie tickets in his pocket, they sat side by side at a table the size of a dinner plate. They were sipping bourbon and cola when Dennis Scherer and his date walked in. Any hope that they might escape his notice was instantly banished. Indeed, his gaze seemed literally drawn to their particular corner, and to make matters worse, Parker raised a hand high in the air and waved. Dennis and his date made a beeline for their table, pausing only to steal chairs for themselves.
“Well, well, if it isn’t the newlyweds!” Dennis exclaimed, placing his chair across from Kendra. “Ah, allow me to introduce my date. Mandy, meet Mrs. and Mrs. Parker Sugarman.”
Parker had gotten to his feet as soon as they’d drawn near, and he now stepped around the table to hold Mandy’s chair. “Nice to meet you, Mandy. This is my wife, Kendra.” Just before he seated himself once more at Kendra’s side, Parker shook hands with Dennis. “Good to see you again, Dennis. How’s it going?”
Dennis sat down and dropped his elbows onto the table, eyeing them both pointedly. “It’s okay,” he said. “We’ve all been missing Nathan and Candace, of course. Man, I can’t tell you how bad I feel about that.”
Parker inclined his head and wrapped his arm around Kendra’s shoulders. “Thanks. I still can’t quite believe it, you know. If it wasn’t for Kendra, I’m not sure what I’d do.”
Dennis nodded pensively. “Yeah, I can see that, but talk about a shock, man. You two really kept the lid on this thing. You could’ve knocked me over with a feather when I first heard you’d tied the knot.”
Kendra cringed inwardly. Now that the moment to lie had again arrived, she wasn’t sure if she could go through with it, but Parker evidently had no such scruples. He tightened his embrace and turned a look on her that all but virtually shouted love. His mouth curved upward in a gentle smile.
“I don’t think we knew it ourselves,” he said to Dennis. “It just sort of blindsided us. At least it did me.” He leaned close and pressed a kiss into the hollow of her temple.
Kendra dropped her gaze, unable to look either Dennis or Mandy in the eye. Her hands were clasped tightly together beneath the table. Parker’s free hand covered them, then gently pried them apart. With his thumb, he began to stroke her palm and the inside of her wrist. The soft, languid movements quickly became the focus of her attention. Her heartbeat began to slow and a sensuous warmth spread through her. Soon she felt utterly relaxed and yet was pleasantly tingling in various places. He neither slowed nor sped the rhythm of his stroke but kept it a gentle, constant physical caress, all the while speaking with Dennis and his date in a calm, measured tone of voice. Kendra didn’t even bother to try to follow the conversation, just sat within the clasp of his arm and allowed him to stroke away her worries and embarrassment and doubts.
When Dennis and Mandy rose to leave, Kendra realized she’d laid her head upon Parker’s shoulder. It felt heavy a
s lead when she lifted it and smiled a farewell. Dennis leaned across the table and kissed her in the middle of her forehead.
“I’m so happy for you,” he said. “Try not to overdo it. Kiss the baby for me. I’ll see you soon.”
She nodded, wondering what she’d missed, and pulled a deep, cleansing breath of air. Parker’s hand was clasped firmly over her wrist. She felt limp as a dishcloth. She turned to him with a bemused expression. “I guess I’m more tired than I realized.”
He smiled and nuzzled the hair over her ear with his nose, saying softly, “We can skip the movie if you want, just go home and put our feet up, put on some music.”
The heat of his breath was causing her skin to tighten and tingle. She thought of sitting next to him on the sofa in the living room, the lights turned down low, music playing softly in the background, him touching her this way. Her breasts began to ache, her legs to tremble. She gulped.
“We’ve already b-bought our movie tickets.”
He didn’t argue, just smiled and rose from his chair, pulling her up with him. He draped her coat over her shoulders, wrapped his arm around her and steered her toward the exit.
The theater was packed, but they found two seats near the back and slipped into them. If Dennis and his date were attending the same movie, Kendra saw no sign of them before the lights went down and the previews for coming movies began. As before, Parker draped his arm about her and took her hand in his.
Soon she was caught up in the action and subtitles, the scenery and the interesting camera angles of a superb French drama set in a former century. When the hero and the vulnerable, unsuspecting heroine finally came together in a rare moment of privacy fraught with sexual tension, Parker began to stroke her palm and wrist again, but this time his touch journeyed far up the inside of her arm, invading the hem of her sleeve to stroke almost as high as her elbow, while his other hand gripped the top of her shoulder, his fingertips sliding beneath the collar of her dress to rest provocatively against the delicate bones there. When the big-screen hero finally worked himself into a position to kiss the reluctant object of his desires, Kendra closed her eyes, feeling that kiss all the way down to her toes, but it was not the actor whose face she saw on the other end of that kiss. It was Parker. It was her husband, and that realization did nothing for her peace of mind.
