It was good for Case to have someone to bicker with, Prudy decided as she caught the frustrated glint in his midnight blue eyes. If anyone was Case's equal in strength and forcefulness, it was Morgan Paxton.
It had been Morgan's idea to buy Chloe a jungle gym as a "prebaby" present. Partly to keep Case calm, and partly to please the soon-to-be older sister. He'd been reading about sibling jealousy, he'd explained to Case as they'd ripped open the huge box.
"Nine months ago I never thought of Case as a particularly patient man," Prudy said, watching the muscles ripple in his broad back as he held a heavy pipe aloft while Morgan tightened a bolt at one end. "Now I think he deserves sainthood."
Raine's gaze followed hers. Prudy wondered if her friend realized how much happier she seemed since Morgan had shouldered his way into her life again. Even Case had mentioned the change in their newest neighbor.
"Case is a good man," Raine said softly.
"A better one I think than he knows." Prudy inhaled slowly. The cramp in her belly was getting worse. "Speaking of better men, how are things at your house?"
Raine looked thoughtful. "Surreal," she said finally. "Definitely surreal."
"That good, huh?"
Raine turned to look at her, astonishment bright in her eyes. "Are you always such a Pollyanna?" she groused.
Prudy nodded. "Comes from being wildly in love with my husband. I can't help wanting those I care about to be as happy as I am."
"I suppose you know that Morgan has decided to become a househusband. He has a cleaning schedule, divided into fifteen-minute segments. He's thinking of tackling ironing next."
Prudy laughed. "Sounds heavenly."
Raine let her gaze rest on her husband's broad back. "At the moment, he's still perfecting his cooking skills. He surprised me with a four-course spaghetti dinner last night."
Prudy nodded. "He borrowed some oregano from me. Said your spice cabinet was pathetic."
Raine snorted. "He bought every cookbook in my store. Read them all in a weekend."
Prudy was impressed and let it show. "So how was the meal?"
"The sauce was watery and the pasta was way overcooked." Raine's expression softened. "In other words, it was wonderful."
Prudy laughed, then drew in a breath as a sharp pain stabbed her lower back. "He's spoiling you."
"He's also going to leave me after the babies are born. Maybe before."
"What? How do you know?"
Raine shrugged, ignoring the curl of dread that always wound around her when she thought about the next few weeks. "I recognize the signs."
"What signs?"
"Restlessness. Preoccupation. Phone calls from New York that he takes in the den. A sour temper when he comes out again."
"You said he promised to work things out. Maybe that's what he's doing."
Raine glanced down at the cat all but glued to her thighs. Buttercup was the daughter of the MacAuleys' cat, Sunshine, and a true lap kitty. Maybe she should get a pet after Morgan was gone. She touched BC's soft ear and smiled sadly as the cat opened one eye to glare at her before settling again.
"How many phone calls does it take to say 'I quit'?" she asked softly.
"Raine, don't take this wrong, but it seems to me you're asking an awful lot of the man."
Raine felt a flare of anger. "Why, because he's the great 'Morgan Paxton'?"
"No, because he's spent half his life fighting to get where he is. It's only a guess, but I suspect a great deal of his self-worth is tied up in that career of his. Men are like that, you know. I know I can't imagine Case ever leaving the force. Without it…" Prudy broke off to glance at the men bending over the slide portion of the set, then lowered her voice even more. "Surely there must be a way to meet Morgan halfway. Maybe spend part of the year overseas where he could get home more often?"
"Is that what you would do, Prudy? Haul two kids back and forth over the ocean like baggage? Subject them to different food, different germs, no stability?" Raine shook her head. "What kind of a mother would that make me?"
"In other words, you're willing to give up a life with Morgan in order to live up to some idealized vision of the perfect mother?"
Raine frowned and started to answer, only to be interrupted when Case let out a sudden curse.
"Dammit, Pax, I told you to use a shorter bolt on step four."
Both women turned to look at the two large, well-muscled men glaring at one another over the top of the slide.
"I used the screw that was on the schematic," Morgan said in a low, even tone that seemed all the more dangerous for its lack of volume.
"Oh, yeah? How come we need a two-inch bolt to finish the job and all we have left is this piddling one-incher?"
Case didn't bother to keep his voice down. Raine thought he looked impatient and harried and definitely on edge. Morgan looked insulted as he raked his hand through his hair twice before making a fist that ended up jammed against one hip.
"How the hell should I know? Maybe the damn company shorted us on bolts."
Raine looked at Prudy whose mouth was forming a small, shocked O. "I don't believe this," Raine muttered, her mouth twitching. "Two grown men squabbling like little boys over a bolt."
"Too bad Boyd isn't home to referee."
Prudy grinned. "If I didn't know better, I'd figure he'd planned it that way."
Raine looked thoughtful. "Morgan did ask to borrow his tools before they left."
"Hey, you two," Prudy called. "One more word out of either of you and I'll have to send you to your rooms for a time-out."
Morgan looked puzzled. "What the hell is she talking about?" he asked Case in a low voice.
"It's a politically correct form of disciplining one's children. Supposed to be better for 'em than a swat on the butt." Case turned to grin in Prudy's direction. "Right, Mom?"
"Oh, shut up," Prudy called back, grinning. "I'm… Oh my goodness!"
Case froze. "What's wrong? Is it the baby?"
Prudy pressed her hand to her stomach and nodded. "I think so," she said with a nervous little laugh.
"You're sure?" Case demanded, hurrying to kneel at her side. "Maybe it's just a cramp."
Prudy took his hand and placed it where hers had been. "Feel that?"
He shook his head, then snapped his chin up. "Holy hell," he exclaimed, his frown dissolving into pure panic. "We have to go now. Right? To the hospital?"
Prudy nodded. "I think that's a good idea."
"Okay. Okay. Everyone stay calm." Case ran his hand through his hair, then spun around to spear Morgan with a beseeching look. "The car keys are on the dresser in our room. Grab my wallet, too. And Prue's suitcase is in the closet."
"No, by the door," Prudy corrected, beaming at her husband.
"I'll get it," Raine said, lifting the still-sleeping cat into her arms.
"No, you stay here with Prudy and … and hold her hand or something," Morgan ordered, sprinting past her.
"But—"
"He's right," Case interrupted, his gaze fixed on his wife's now-radiant face. Raine felt a pang of envy and fought it down. Morgan had promised to be with her. Perhaps this time he meant it. At least he'll have a good idea of what to expect.
"Someone should call Luke," Prudy reminded them.
Raine all but flung Buttercup onto the chair she'd just vacated. "I'll call him. I have the number memorized."
"Don't forget Chloe," Prudy said, laughing.
"Oh, Lord," Case muttered. "I have to get a grip here."
Raine patted his shoulder before hurrying after Morgan. They nearly collided at the door. "Where are you going?" he demanded, his face pasty.
"To call Luke and wake Chloe," she said calmly before edging past him.
Five minutes later she returned with a sleepy Chloe perched on her hip and found Morgan and Case hovering while Prudy smiled up at them serenely.
"All set," Raine called, hurrying toward them.
Morgan spun around to frown at her. "Here,
let me take her. You shouldn't—"
"I'm fine," she protested but Morgan had already swung the little girl into his arms. Startled, Chloe started to cry.
"You scared her," Raine chided, patting the little girl on the back.
"It's okay, tootles," Prudy soothed, trying to get up.
"Don't move," Case ordered, lifting her into his arms. "Damn, I knew I should have arranged for a motorcycle escort."
Prudy started to laugh, only to gasp as another contraction rippled through her. Case turned white. Morgan looked green around the gills.
Raine glanced impatiently from one to the other, then sighed. "Let's go. I'll drive." She picked up Prudy's suitcase and marched down the walk toward the carport.
She heard Prudy's muffled laughter behind her, followed by two ripe male curses.
Raine turned to catch Prudy's eye.
"At last," she said in a disgusted tone. "They've found something to agree about."
Chapter 15
« ^ »
The maternity wing of Portland General Hospital turned out to be a surprisingly cheerful place. Raine had only visited that part of the huge complex once before, early in her pregnancy. It had been a quick trip only, to inspect the facilities where she expected to give birth. At the time all but one of the suites had been empty. Tonight, however, all six were bustling with activity.
According to the motherly, apple-cheeked nurse who'd settled Prudy into the last suite on the left, Luke had two other patients in labor. Prudy, of course, had been amazingly calm in spite of the pains that ripped through her at ever-decreasing intervals.
"I'll be fine," she'd promised as she'd gripped Raine's hand one last time. "Don't let Chloe get too rambunctious while her daddy's busy."
"Not to worry," Raine had assured her.
It had been easier promised than accomplished.
Despite an initial wariness at finding herself in the strange surroundings of a hospital waiting room, Chloe had adjusted with amazing speed. After that, she'd been a bundle of energy, eager to explore every nook and cranny of this big, new playground. To keep her occupied, Raine had read to her from the children's storybooks stacked on a corner table.
When the sparse selection of books had been exhausted, Morgan had taken her for a stroll to the canteen at the other end of the corridor. He'd returned a half hour later looking frazzled, Chloe's tiny hand firmly clasped in his.
Raine was surprised to see that he was now wearing a faded blue scrub shirt over his bare chest, apparently scrounged from an obliging member of the staff. He hadn't changed his shorts, however, and the tools in the pocket jangled as he walked.
"Chloe have choclit milk," the little dickens chortled with a dimpled grin when she caught sight of Raine still sitting in the same place on the hard blue couch.
"They were out of the regular," Morgan muttered as he sat down next to Raine and lifted Chloe onto his knee.
"A likely story," Raine muttered, returning Chloe's grin.
Chloe's eyes sparkled. "Stowy?"
Raine laughed. "Okay. How about The Cat in the Hat one more time?"
Twenty minutes later Chloe was curled against Morgan's shoulder, sound asleep, with her thumb tucked securely in her mouth and her face sweetly relaxed. Only Prudy's wish that Chloe be nearby to see her sister as soon as possible kept Raine from taking the little girl home to her own bed.
The birth of this baby was to be a family affair.
Telling herself not to draw parallels between her situation and Prudy's, she shifted on the uncomfortable seat and tried to ignore the ache in her back. What she wouldn't give to be curled up on Morgan's lap like Chloe, with her head pillowed on that broad shoulder and the heat of his big body soothing her.
Closing her eyes, she tried to snatch a few moments of rest, but random thoughts and stray images from the past kept shooting through her mind. Try as she might to filter those images, she found her thoughts returning again and again to Mike's last hours.
He'd looked so terribly small in the big bed, with all the equipment beeping and pulsing around him. She'd read to him for hours when he was awake. Sometimes she'd sung lullabies and songs from his favorite TV shows. Anything to keep the terror from darkening his eyes.
At least he's not in pain, someone had said to her during one of her rare absences from his side. She couldn't remember who'd actually uttered the words. The remark had been meant to comfort, but she'd exploded in fury.
Of course, he was in pain, she screeched like a madwoman. His damaged heart was slowly failing. He was going to die, and he knew it. She'd seen the knowledge in his eyes whenever he'd looked up at her.
"Raine? Are you okay?"
Morgan's voice was quiet and lashed with concern. Opening her eyes, she forced a smile. "Just a little tired."
He didn't look convinced. "Why don't you ask the nurse if there's someplace where you can stretch out? Or better yet, take a cab back to the house and get some rest. I'll call you when the baby comes."
"No, I'd rather wait here." She forced a smile that felt stiff on her lips. From the concern in his eyes, she had a feeling it looked just as artificial.
Time passed, though slowly, with each wrapped in their own thoughts.
The shift was changing, and the activity beyond the waiting room walls seemed to have become more frantic. Twice someone came in, only to glance around and walk out.
The second time that happened, Morgan scowled at the clock on the waiting room wall before shifting his gaze to Raine.
"Isn't it taking too long?"
She, too, had been watching the clock. It had been over five hours since they arrived at the hospital. A full forty-five minutes since Case had come out of the birthing suite to tell them that the baby was being stubborn. His voice had been calm, but she'd seen the dark overlay of worry clouding his deep blue eyes.
"Babies tend to keep their own schedules," she said quietly.
He furrowed his brow. "According to the experts, second babies tend to come much more quickly."
Because she was feeling more and more uneasy, she felt a need to lash out. "Those 'so-called' experts can be wrong."
He scowled. "Is that right?"
Raine stifled a sigh. "Morgan, you didn't even know Prudy Randolph existed a month ago."
"So?"
"So how come you're behaving like a stereotypical expectant father all of a sudden?"
He narrowed his gaze. "You think I'm … putting on some kind of show?"
She heard the silky note in his voice and knew they were in danger of sliding into a sticky situation. In the past she'd always avoided any kind of confrontation with Morgan. Their time together had been too precious. Peace at any cost had been her philosophy, the same philosophy practiced by her mother whenever her father became overbearing.
Things were different now, she reminded herself. Yes, she wanted Morgan back in her life, but on her terms this time. And her terms included honesty between them.
"I think you're overreacting, yes," she told him with quiet conviction. "But not deliberately. More like a projection of some other emotion."
He lifted a brow. "Sounds to me like I'm not the only one who reads books written by so-called experts."
Raine felt her backbone stiffen. "I minored in psychology at Bradenton. And my mother was a practicing psychotherapist for years before her death."
"Impeccable credentials, compared to mine, certainly."
For a reason she couldn't fathom, the dry humor in his voice fired her temper. Her precarious emotional state made her careless.
"I know enough to recognize a guilty conscience when I see one," she said in a tight, angry voice that sounded as though it had come from someone else.
He went very still. "Meaning mine, I suppose?"
"You told me once you hated hospitals. That you never wanted to see another bare white wall as long as you lived."
Something flickered in the deep blackness of his pupils. "Go on."
Raine was sudd
enly exhausted. "Let's forget it," she murmured, her voice devoid of texture. "I'm so tired, I don't know what I'm saying."
He studied her for a moment, then let out a controlled sigh. "Suppose I say it for you, then."
Raine suddenly realized she'd made a mistake. She'd never heard that tone of voice from Morgan before. Gone was the lazy drawl, and the mountain twang had taken on an ominous flat quality.
"No," she said quickly. "This isn't the time or place."
"You're thinking I lied when I told you I didn't hear about Mike's accident until it was too late, aren't you? That I hid behind some half-assed excuse while you had to go through hell alone?"
Surprise at his remarkable insight had her staring at him a split second too long. "No," she said, but it was too late. Morgan had seen the truth in her, just as he'd seen it in so many others during his years of playing hardball in the viciously brutal arena of global politics.
"Hey, don't look so stricken," he said, one side of his mouth kicking up. "You haven't told me anything I hadn't already suspected."
She swallowed, suddenly ashamed. "Morgan, it's not that I don't understand. I mean, you were in that army hospital a long time. From the few things you said, I gather you watched a lot of your buddies die, so it makes perfect sense that you would want to avoid seeing…" She couldn't go on. Instead, she took a deep breath, her hand automatically cupping the swell of her belly where a little foot was lodged.
"Raine, it's okay," he said gently. "I understand. You're not the only one who thinks I'm a self-centered, shallow bastard who'd sell out his own kin for a scoop."
His grin flashed. The cocky, reckless smile that dazzled and reassured at the same time transformed his face—all but his eyes. "Hell, maybe it's true. I've done a lot of other things in my life I'm not all that proud to admit to."
Raine didn't know what to think, what to say. She was appalled at her lack of tact. Her unwitting cruelty. He had every right to be furious with her. Instead, he seemed distantly amused.
She went cold inside. "Morgan, please listen to me. I didn't mean—"
Case's exuberant voice cut across hers. "Hey, you guys, guess what? We have another little girl! Seven pounds, four ounces. Jarrod swears she's a shoe-in for Miss America in about eighteen years."
Baby by Design Page 18
