Sydney reached for the baby and April squealed, her arms shooting forth at the invitation. Good girl, Daniel thought. She was making his job a lot easier.
“So, what’s with the chair in front of the door?” he asked, nodding toward the living room. “I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how unsafe that is.”
“I got spooked. We had a sort of…incident today.”
He frowned, wondering what her ex had done this time. Because he didn’t doubt for a second that whatever it was, the mayor was probably responsible. “What sort of incident?”
She told him about the handyman, and the mayor’s total lack of regard for his daughter’s safety. Daniel wasn’t surprised. In his line of work, he’d seen ex-husbands and wives do a lot worse to each other.
“What did you say the guy’s name is?” he asked, pulling out his cell phone.
“Fred McWilliams.”
“Age?”
She shrugged. “Mid-twenties, maybe.”
He dialed the sheriff’s office and Margie answered.
“Sheriff Montgomery’s not in,” she told him.
“I called to talk to you. I need a favor. Could you run a name for me?”
“Sure, honey. What is it?”
He gave her the information, and the McWilliams guy was in the system.
“He was collared last year for a drunk and disorderly, and he’s got a DUI from three years ago. You want me to dig deeper?”
“Nope, that was all I needed. Thanks.” He disconnected. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about, Sydney. His only vice seems to be a tendency to drink, but he’s never hurt anyone.”
Sydney looked relieved. “I still wish the locksmith could have come tonight, but I’m not as worried.”
“A trick I learned, if you can put a drop of super glue in the key hole, it’s impossible to get a key in. But only do it if you’re sure the locksmith is coming, or you won’t be able to leave the house.”
“Thanks, Daniel. I really appreciate your help.” April let out an earsplitting squeal and Sydney sat her on the table top in front of her. “So, what’s the problem with you tonight, little girl?”
Daniel gave Sydney the baffled I’m-an-incompetent-moron look he’d been practicing. “She just won’t go to sleep. I even started her on that formula you suggested.”
“Is that true?” Sydney cooed, standing April in her lap. April screeched and bounced up and down on her chubby little legs.
“She sure does like you,” he said.
“We girls have to stick together, don’t we, April?” April let out another high-pitched squeal and latched on to a lock of Sydney’s hair with a sticky fist. Sydney laughed and tugged it loose. “Did she sleep much for you today?”
“Most of the afternoon, but tonight she just fussed when I put her to bed.” Actually, he hadn’t tried all that hard to get her to sleep, but Sydney didn’t have to know that part. She just had to think he didn’t know what he was doing, which he didn’t.
“You wouldn’t want to go to bed at night, either, if you slept all day.” She nuzzled April’s nose with her own and the baby gurgled.
“I guess not.” He just frowned and tried to look confused, scratching the stubble on his chin.
“Growing a beard?” she asked, glancing in his direction.
“Me?” He rubbed his rough cheek. “Nah, I just didn’t feel like shaving today.”
“Today?”
“Okay,” he conceded. “This week.”
“You might want to consider it.”
“Growing a beard?”
“No, shaving.”
He sat back and folded his arms across his chest. “Why? You don’t like hairy men?”
He could swear she blushed a little.
“I was thinking it probably feels like steel wool against April’s skin.” She tickled April’s chin. “What do you think, honey? Does he need to shave off those icky whiskers?”
“You know, I never even thought of that.” She did get really squirmy when he held her sometimes. Maybe he was hurting her and didn’t know it. This parenting gig could be really complicated.
“Any luck finding a nanny today?” she asked.
He sat a bit straighter in his chair. “Why? Are you interested?”
She blinked rapidly. “N-no, of course not, I just…I was only curious.”
Did she think he was angry that she’d asked? She was a tough one to figure out. One minute she was completely at ease, then bam, she wouldn’t even look him in the eye. Maybe it was the badge, and her previous run-ins with the mayor’s posse. Maybe she thought he was on her ex’s payroll.
If he had any hope of persuading her to work for him, he was going to have to set the record straight.
“I make you nervous.” he said.
“Why would you think that?” she asked, but she wouldn’t meet his eye.
“Just a hunch. And considering your recent experiences with the local law, I can’t say I blame you. But let me make myself clear. I think your ex is an ass.”
She finally looked at him, but her eyes were wary. “I’d like to believe that.”
He couldn’t blame her for her apprehension. Which made the idea of tricking her into wanting to work for him feel downright sleazy.
“The truth is, I didn’t come over here because I needed help with April. I just wanted you to think I was incompetent, so you might take pity on me and agree to be my nanny.”
Her eyes widened. “You want me to be your nanny?”
“Only temporarily. I thought, since you’re between jobs, it would be the ideal situation for us both. Until I either find someone permanent, or I locate April’s family.”
“Deputy Valenzia—”
“Daniel.”
“Daniel, I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors—”
“I told you, your ex is an ass. I’m not inclined to believe anything he says.”
“I appreciate that you trust me, but hiring me is tantamount to painting a target on your back.”
“The mayor doesn’t scare me. And like I said before, if I don’t find someone soon, I’m going to be out of a job. I’m desperate, Sydney.”
She frowned, looking conflicted. “I don’t know…”
“Don’t make me beg.”
“Can you give me a night to think about it?”
He nearly sighed with relief. That was a start. “Of course.”
April pulled at the buttons on Sydney’s shirt and let out a wail of frustration when they wouldn’t come loose. Sydney cradled her against her chest, but she still squirmed and fussed. “I think she’s getting tired.”
“I should try feeding her and putting her down again.” He stood and reached for April. “Thanks for your help.”
“I didn’t do much.”
He glanced over at the chair in front of the door. “Have you got a pen and paper?”
“Sure.” She got them from a kitchen drawer.
He wrote down his cell number. “Here’s my number. If you get scared for any reason or just need to hear a friendly voice, give me a call. I’m usually up well past midnight.”
She smiled. “Thank you.”
“Don’t hesitate to call. Anytime.”
She walked him to the side door and pulled it open. “Good luck with April tonight.”
“Thanks. And you try not to worry, okay? I’m right next door if you need me.” He paused at the door and added, “I’ll talk to you tomorrow?”
She nodded and smiled, and he had the strangest urge to lean in and press his lips to hers. Or maybe it wasn’t strange. Maybe the fact that she was so different from the type of woman he was normally attracted to was what intrigued him. Or maybe it was just that she was attractive and available, and he’d been in a month-long dry spell. Maybe if the circumstances were different, he might indulge in a short fling.
But if Sydney did agree to work for him, she was off limits.
DANIEL ROLLED ONTO HIS BACK and stretched, slowly waking from the dee
pest sleep he’d had in weeks. The steady drum of a spring rain beating against the window registered through a groggy haze. Opening his eyes, he shifted up onto his elbow to read the display on the digital clock on the night table.
Eight forty-five.
Eight forty-five? He shot straight up in bed. He’d put April to bed at midnight. She should have been awake hours ago!
Frantically he kicked off the blankets. Something was wrong. She’d never slept more than a three-or four-hour stretch at night. A million different horrific images shot through his brain. He ran for the door, tripping over his tennis shoes and tumbling into the hall. He skidded to a stop outside April’s door, fear growing in the pit of his stomach.
What would he find on the other side?
Poised with his hand on the knob, heart lodged in his throat, he heard a noise. A soft, playful babbling. A surge of relief coursed through him, and his legs threatened to buckle.
As quietly as he could manage, he eased the door open a crack, peeking into the dim room. April had rolled from her side to her stomach and turned one hundred and eighty degrees, scooting herself to the foot of the crib, grasping at the bumper pads, speaking in baby talk to the colorful images of farm animals. He wrestled with the urge to scoop her up out of the crib and hug her. She seemed so content playing, he hated to disturb her.
A grin spread across his face. She was a cute little runt, despite all the trouble she’d caused. And he felt guilty that he couldn’t keep her, couldn’t honor Reanne’s wishes. The best he could do was find her real family. She would be better off with them.
The low rumble of thunder made the window above the crib vibrate and a brilliant flash of lightning lit the room. April turned her head and blinked several times—not frightened, just inquisitive—then she saw Daniel leaning in the doorway and squealed, kicking her little legs.
“G’morning, munchkin.” He crossed the room and picked her up, lifting her high over his head until she giggled excitedly, then he drew her into his arms and hugged her tight. She was so soft and warm, so sweet. He’d always loved kids. He’d even been something of a surrogate father to his nephew, but never before had he felt this urge to nurture and protect.
“You scared Uncle Danny half to death,” he told her. Uncle Danny. Somehow that just didn’t sound right, but neither did plain old Danny or Daniel. Daddy definitely wasn’t right, either. He hated to slap a label on their situation when he wasn’t sure how long she would be around. He’d called Joe yesterday to check if there were any leads in finding April’s family, but so far nothing. If her real father wanted her, assuming he even knew she existed, wouldn’t he have come forward by now?
All Daniel could do for now was just wait and see.
SHE WAS GOING to do it.
It had taken her one long, sleepless night to make the decision, but now Sydney was sure. She was going to be April’s nanny.
Temporarily.
Deputy Val—Daniel—needed her help. And now that she was out of a job, what else would she do with her time? She could overlook the fact that he was a cop because he hated Jeff and his cronies, and the fact that he trusted her despite the rumors earned him some pretty major brownie points. His sizzling good looks…okay, those might be a little harder to overlook. But knowing his reputation, he would never be interested in a woman with so much baggage anyway.
“It’s the right thing to do,” she rationalized.
She looked out the kitchen window and saw that his truck was in the driveway. The earlier heavy rain had eased off but it was still the kind of dreary, depressing drizzle that would likely last all day.
What the heck, it was only a couple hundred feet to his porch. A little rain wouldn’t kill her. Opening the side door, she started out. She’d made it to the edge of her property when a bolt of lightning zigzagged across the sky and a simultaneous crack of thunder shook the ground beneath her feet. The sky opened up again and icy rain came down in a torrent. She ran the rest of the way to Daniel’s porch, drenched to the skin by the time she made it under the overhang. She banged on his door and it swung open almost immediately.
“Jeez, what happened to you?” Daniel said, looking her over from head to toe.
“Can I come in?” she asked. “Before I drown?”
He held the door open, looking out. “It’s really pouring out there.”
“You think?” The minute she crossed the threshold into the air-conditioned room, she started to shiver.
“You don’t have an umbrella?”
“When I left the house it was only sprinkling.” She tried to rub warmth into her sodden arms. “Do you maybe have a towel I could use?”
“Of course, sorry.”
He dashed to the kitchen, and while she waited a noise behind the sofa caught her attention. She craned her neck to see over the back where April lay in a playpen, swinging her hands at the play set hanging over her head. She batted a black-and-white-striped triangle and gurgled happily.
What was it about babies that made Sydney feel all mushy inside? Though it didn’t used to be that way. She had always sworn she would never have kids. And after she got pregnant with Lacey, at first, she had been devastated. But the first time she heard Lacey’s heartbeat in the doctor’s office, she fell hopelessly in love.
Even though she was dripping on Daniel’s floor, Sydney tiptoed around the couch and peeked into the playpen.
April saw her and broke into a wide smile.
“Hi, sweetheart. Are you playing?”
April kicked her legs and squealed.
Suddenly Sydney was enveloped in something soft and warm.
“I had a load finishing up in the dryer,” Daniel said, tucking the thick bath towel around her shoulders from behind. “It should warm you up.” He dropped a smaller towel on the floor to soak up the puddle she’d made. “Take off your shoes.”
She slipped out of them and stepped on to the towel. She should have stayed by the door. “Sorry about your floor.”
Taking her by the shoulders and turning her to face him, he rubbed her arms through the towel. He still hadn’t shaved, and his stubble was becoming a full-blown beard. “I don’t care about the floor. I just didn’t want you to slip and break your neck. I found out the hard way how slippery this hardwood can be. I was walking from the shower to the laundry room this morning and my feet flew right out from under me.” He grimaced and rubbed his backside. “I’m still not sitting quite right.”
She envisioned him with only a towel loosely fastened about his waist, his olive skin glistening and dewy.
Oh, boy. Definitely not the kind of thoughts she should be having. And that would be much easier if he stopped standing so close. And stopped touching her.
He stepped back and gestured to the couch. “Sit down.”
She did, and he sat on the chair across from her. “So, did you get your locks changed this morning?”
“I did. I hardly slept at all last night. I was afraid that if I tried your glue trick something would happen and the locksmith wouldn’t be able to make it for days.”
“Tell me you at least moved the chair.”
She looked down at her hands.
“Should I tell you about the bodies I’ve seen pulled out of burning buildings—”
“Ew, no! Please don’t. I won’t do it again.”
There was genuine concern in his eyes. “I’ll hold you to that.”
She wondered what he would think of the chair she’d hooked under the side door, but figured it wasn’t worth mentioning. “So, I’ve given your offer a lot of thought.”
“And?” he said, looking anxious.
“And I’ll do it.”
He slumped with relief. “Thank God.”
“However,” she added, “I need to know what the situation is. Whose baby she is. If some woman shows up at the door saying April is hers, I need to know what to do.”
“April’s mother won’t be showing up. She’s dead.”
CHAPTER FIVE
/> SYDNEY SUCKED IN a quiet breath. “How did she die?”
“Cancer,” Daniel told her. “According to the social worker, she was diagnosed when she was pregnant. And knowing it could hurt the baby, she refused treatment until after April was born. But by then, I guess, it was too late.”
“That’s so sad. You were good friends with her?”
“That’s the really strange thing. I hardly knew her. We had a brief affair. She wasn’t in town long enough for me to get to know her very well. She was something of a drifter. No permanent home. She told me she grew up in the foster care system, so she probably didn’t want April to end up there. I guess that’s why she put my name on the birth certificate.”
“You’re sure you’re not her father?”
“Not unless Reanne was pregnant for fifteen months.”
“You mentioned trying to find April’s family.”
“I figure there has to be someone. At least, I’m hoping there is.”
“You don’t want to keep her?”
“What do I know about raising kids? I never even planned to have any.” After watching his parents’ marriage crash and burn, and seeing the way it affected his sisters, he’d decided never to marry. Sure, it could get lonely at times, but living in a tourist town, he never ran out of available women to date.
“It would be a huge responsibility for a single guy,” she said.
“I don’t exactly lead a lifestyle conducive to raising a kid. I’m a cop. Even though we don’t get a lot of violent crimes in Prospect, it’s still a dangerous line of work. If I were killed, what would happen to April then?”
“Foster care,” Sydney said.
“Exactly. Which I’m assuming is what Reanne didn’t want.”
“Have you considered adoption?”
“If I can’t find her biological family, that will be my only other option.” Sydney looked troubled, so he asked, “You think I’m a bad person for giving her up?”
Her expression softened. “No, of course not. I was just thinking how tough it will be for her at first, being bounced around. But kids are resilient. And it’s obvious you’ve taken good care of her. I take you didn’t already have the baby furniture and toys and bottles. Or the house.”
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