The Texas Rancher's Vow: The Texas Rancher's VowFound: One Baby

by Cathy Gillen Thacker

  “Yes.” Figuring he would know, she asked, “How often are you supposed to apply it?”

  “A very thin layer three times a day.”

  Michelle made a note of that. “Since we don’t know when it was done last, should I go ahead and do that now? Or wait till later?”

  “Go ahead and put some on now just to be on the safe side.”

  Michelle did as directed.

  Thad paused. “Is there a pharmacy label on the ointment?”

  Once again, they were of one mind. Had there been a label, there would have been a patient last name and a prescribing physician and hospital or pharmacy name, as well. “No. It may have been on the box the ointment came in—but that’s not with his belongings.” She confirmed this with a second look through the bag.

  “Too bad. It would have helped to have more to go on than first names.”

  Michelle agreed wholeheartedly. Right now, of the four people ostensibly involved in this fiasco, they only knew how to contact one, and he might be out of the country! “Did you hear from your brother?” she asked, hoping that might have been the real reason for the call.

  “Not yet.” Thad sighed his frustration.

  As long as she had “the doctor” on the line, Michelle asked, “Would it be okay if I gave William a sponge bath? He smells a little like spit-up.”

  “How’s his umbilical cord?”

  She checked it out. “Kind of, um, brown. Still hanging on.”

  “Not infected?”

  “No.”

  “I think a sponge bath would be okay,” Thad said in that thoughtful voice doctors used when tending to patients. “Just make sure the water temperature is lukewarm. And don’t get the cord wet—keep that area dry.”

  Michelle resnapped the Onesie and tucked the blanket in around William to keep him warm. “I’ll go to Dr. Greene’s website on the internet and read up on the proper procedure before I start, just to make sure I do everything correctly.”

  Another pause. “You know about that?”

  Michelle tried not to take offense at the surprise in Thad’s voice. “All my friends back in Dallas have babies. All of them use that website as their primary reference.”

  “No wonder you seem so at ease with a newborn,” he said.

  That wasn’t why.

  But Michelle didn’t want to tell him about the year she had spent taking care of another infant, only to lose him—and his father—in the end.

  “Anything else you need?” Thad asked helpfully.

  Michelle studied the contents of the diaper bag. “As far as I can tell, there appear to be enough diapers, clothing and formula to last a couple of days.” She wondered if Thad would even have the baby that long. She knew better than anyone that the situation could change in an instant, that Brice and Beatrix or Candace or even Russell could show up to claim the baby. Which again was why she needed not to become too attached or overly involved in this situation.

  Oblivious to her concerns, Thad continued, “If you need anything else, let me know. I’ll pick it up on the way back.”

  This was suddenly getting way too cozy for comfort.

  Reminded of the last time she’d had her heart broken, Michelle picked up William and held him. “Aren’t you supposed to be at work?” Michelle asked impatiently, beginning to see why women fell so hard for the notoriously sexy doctor.

  “In two minutes.” Thad paused. “I just wanted to check with you before I actually went into the hospital and let you know how to page me in case anything else comes up.” Thad gave her the number. “Call me if you need me. Otherwise, I’ll check in with you later,” he promised before he hung up.

  With a sigh, Michelle turned back to the fragile bundle in her arms. “Looks like it’s just you and me, little guy,” she said. She smiled, realizing he was already fast asleep. “At least until your uncle Thad returns.”

  Chapter Two

  Thad expected to have half-a-dozen calls from Michelle Anderson during the day.

  There were no phone calls.

  And the two times he did call her, just to check in, she had sounded a little exasperated.

  He guessed he couldn’t blame her.

  She probably thought he didn’t trust her to take care of William in his absence. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Like animals, children knew instinctively whom they could trust and draw comfort from. William had recognized Michelle for the maternal soul she was from the moment she picked him up and cradled him gently in her arms.

  Still, the moment his shift was up, Thad headed out the door and drove the short distance home. He parked in his driveway, then headed across the street.

  As he approached the front porch of her Arts and Crafts–style home, he noticed the windows were open. Mounting the front steps, he heard Michelle singing softly. He glanced through the window. She was sitting in an old-fashioned rocking chair he hadn’t seen earlier, William in her arms.

  Thad couldn’t tell if the baby was awake or asleep—he couldn’t see William’s face—but the moment was so tender and loving it stopped him in his tracks. This, he thought, was what parenthood should be about. This was the kind of life he and his brother should have had as kids, even after their mother died.

  But they hadn’t. And there was no going back. Only forward. To the family he wanted to create.

  All he needed was a woman to love.

  He rapped on the screen.

  The lovely vocal rendition of “Brahms’ Lullaby” stopped. Michelle rose slowly and walked over to open the door and let him in. She had changed into vintage jeans and a pale blue knit shirt that clung to her curves. Her apparently just-shampooed hair had dried in a tangle of soft, strawberry-blond curls. He had never seen her wear it that way, but he liked it as much as the sleek, straight style she usually wore.

  “William looks…happy,” Thad noted. And so did she.

  A pretty pink blush lit Michelle’s cheeks. “He’s very happy,” she said, meeting Thad’s eyes, “as long as he’s being held.” She frowned in concern. “Every time I get him to sleep and put him down, he wakes up after about ten minutes and completely freaks out.”

  “Probably remembering…”

  “Waking up alone on your front porch?” Michelle asked. “That’s what I was thinking.”

  Thad shook his head. His brother was very much like their father had been while he was alive. Neither held much regard for familial responsibility or blood ties. Their lives were all about the latest career challenge.

  Thad shoved his hands through his hair in frustration. “Damn Russell,” he muttered.

  Michelle exhaled softly. “Haven’t heard from him, I take it?”

  “No. And I’ve left several messages.” Thad felt the vibration of his phone. He took it off his belt clip, looked at the caller ID. Speak of the devil. “Finally!” Scowling, Thad put the phone to his ear. “Where are you?” he barked.

  “I’m on assignment in Thailand. What’s the emergency?” Russell demanded, sounding equally irritated.

  “A baby was left on my porch this morning.” Briefly, Thad explained.

  Russell swore like a sailor who’d just found out his shore leave was canceled. But typically, he offered no explanation or apology.

  Thad pressed on. “Did you know you were having a baby with Candace when you left the country?”

  “I assumed she was pregnant,” Russell retorted, surprisingly matter-of-fact. “I didn’t know for sure.”

  And obviously hadn’t bothered to find out, Thad thought irritably. “Why didn’t you mention it to me?” he demanded.

  “Because her pregnancy wasn’t relevant to my life,” Russell grumbled.

  Figuring he was going to need legal advice sooner rather than later, Thad activated the speaker on his phone and motioned Michelle closer, so she could listen in on the conversation.

  “What do you mean Candace’s pregnancy wasn’t relevant to your life?” Thad asked.

  Russell exhaled. “It was a
surrogate arrangement. I donated sperm for a couple of friends.”

  Okay. That made slightly more sense. Thad withdrew the pen and notepad he habitually carried in his shirt pocket. He wrote “Help me out here” on a slip of paper and handed it to Michelle.

  She edged closer, concern on her face. “According to the note left with baby William, Brice and Beatrix changed their minds about becoming parents,” Thad told his brother.

  “You’ll have to ask Candace Wright about that,” Russell insisted.

  Thad jotted down the last name of William’s birth mother. “Do you have a phone number?”

  Another disgruntled sigh. “She lives in Big Spring. That’s all I know.”

  “What about Brice and Beatrix, the adoptive couple?”

  “The Johnsons live in San Angelo. Listen, I can’t do anything from here—you’re going to have to straighten it all out.”

  “How?” Thad shot back, aggrieved his brother could be so cold. “I don’t have paternity.”

  “Neither do I. I signed away all my rights at the fertility clinic before the surrogate was even impregnated.”

  “We’re going to need a copy of those papers ASAP,” Michelle told Thad, switching into lawyer mode.

  “Who is that?” Russell demanded.

  “Michelle Anderson,” she introduced herself. “I’m a neighbor of your brother’s—I found the baby.”

  “She’s also an attorney,” Thad interjected.

  Michelle asked Russell, “Is there any way we can look at those papers you signed?”

  Russell harrumphed. “They’re in one of the boxes I left in Thad’s attic. If you can find them, you can have ’em. Aside from that, I don’t want anything to do with this. Like Candace Wright, I’ve done my part.”

  It wasn’t that simple, Thad knew. “If what Candace said is true…if Brice and Beatrix have changed their minds about taking William into their family… Genetically, the child is half yours.”

  “Not to my way of thinking,” Russell snapped.

  “He’s a Garner.” And that, Thad thought, should mean something.

  Russell scoffed. “What would I do with a kid? I don’t have a home and I don’t want one.”

  Every fiber of Thad’s being told him it would be a mistake just to walk away. Anger rising, he said, “You can’t just stand by and do nothing while this child you had a hand in creating is abandoned.”

  “Sure I can,” Russell replied. “And you know why? Because it would be best. The kid doesn’t need a father like the one we had. And that’s what I am. However, if you think you can do better, if you want to jump in, Thad, be my guest. Just leave me out of it.”

  The connection ended with a decisive click.

  Thad locked gazes with Michelle, not sure whether he was sorry or glad she had heard all that. He swore. “What a mess.”

  * * *

  YES, MICHELLE THOUGHT. It was one heck of a mess.

  Deciding it was time to try again, she carried the sleeping William over to the elaborately lined Moses basket, and set him down gently on his back. She tucked a blanket around him to keep him warm. Relieved he still appeared to be asleep, at least for the moment, she walked over to the window where Thad was standing. “I’m not sure I should be involved in this situation.”

  Thad looked surprised, then confused. “You’re a lawyer.”

  Her pulse picked up as she pointed out, “I’m not your lawyer.”

  Thad tilted his head. “You could be.”

  She kept her expression impassive. “This is a family-law case.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “And you have a background in family law. A pretty good one, from what I’ve heard.”

  That was then, Michelle thought. This was now. And she knew better these days. She lifted her hands in a vague gesture of dissatisfaction and stepped away. “I did so much of it the first five years out of law school that I burned out on it. My current practice focuses on the needs of small business, wills and estate planning, real estate and consumer law. My law partner—Glenn York—does all the divorce, custody and adoption cases for our firm.”

  “I know his reputation. He’s very good.” Thad paused. He glanced over at the sleeping William, then back to Michelle. “I’d still prefer you handle it.”

  His was not an uncommon reaction. People with legal trouble often latched on to the first person who appeared able to help them out of it, without bothering to verify credentials or search out expertise in that specific area of the law. “You don’t even know me,” she said.

  “You’ve handled the situation well so far.”

  That wasn’t the only reason, Michelle decided. “You’re embarrassed by your brother’s attitude, aren’t you?”

  A muscle worked in Thad’s jaw. “Wouldn’t you be?”

  Michelle tried not to think how easy it was to be here with Thad like this. She shrugged. “I learned a long time ago not to judge people by the messes they get themselves into.” She had always been trained to look at both sides of every issue. “Besides, it sounds as if your brother was trying to do a good deed for someone. It just didn’t turn out the way he expected.”

  Thad sobered. “I hadn’t thought about it that way.”

  Michelle called upon even more of her law-school training. “Your brother may change his mind about the child.”

  Thad’s mouth took on a downward slant. “No. He won’t.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Because of the way we grew up.” Thad’s mood turned reflective. “Our mom was really great—loving and fun, smart and kind—but she died from an aneurysm when Russell and I were in elementary school. We barely knew our dad—he was a geologist for an oil company. I’ve no doubt he loved us in his way, but he wasn’t interested in being a hands-on parent. Nevertheless, he left the project he was working on in South America and came back to Summit to take care of us.” He exhaled. “For the next ten years or so, he worked assignments around the state. When we hit our teens and were old enough to stay alone, he went back to the more exciting gigs in South and Central America. From that point on, until he died five years ago, we rarely saw him because he was just never home.”

  Michelle touched Thad’s arm gently. “That sounds lonely.”

  Thad glanced at her hand, then said, “Summit’s a close-knit community. We had a lot of people looking out for us. Plenty to eat. And the house across the street to live in.”

  But, Michelle speculated, not what he had obviously wanted most—a loving, emotionally engaged and interested parent on the premises.

  “What was your childhood like?” Thad asked, his rumbling drawl sending shivers over her skin.

  She figured she might as well be honest, too. “I grew up in a well-to-do suburban enclave of Dallas. I was an only child of two very loving but ambitious people.” She paused. “So let’s just say, for me, failure in any venue was not an option.”

  Thad chuckled sympathetically. “You’re giving me new appreciation for my laissez-faire teens.”

  Michelle sighed. The understanding look on his face soon had her confiding further in him. “Don’t get me wrong. I had plenty of attention and everything I needed to succeed. Including special tutors and private coaches when necessary.”

  Thad seemed to know instinctively there was more. “But…?”

  “There were times when I felt as if I had been born on a treadmill set at high speed with no way to get off.” Times when she had felt she would never please her folks no matter how much she accomplished. Michelle forced herself to go on. “My parents were both tenured university professors and department chairs. When they weren’t hovering over me, urging me to greater heights, they worked all the time.”

  William stirred and began to whimper again. She went over to pick him up before he began to wail in earnest. Soothing him with a cuddle and a kiss, Michelle walked back to Thad.

  “That sounds rough,” he said.

  Michelle nodded and handed the baby to him. “Too much so for my fo
lks,” she admitted, watching with pleasure as William snuggled up to Thad every bit as easily as he had snuggled up to her. Then she frowned. “My mom and dad both died of stress-related illnesses a few years ago. Their health problems spurred me to reevaluate my own life. I decided I didn’t want to continue to live in the big city, so I began saving money and looking around for a place to live a quieter life.”

  “I know what you mean. I went to medical school and did my E.R. residency in Houston. By the time I’d finished, I’d had enough of rush-hour traffic and crowds. When there was an opening at the Summit hospital, I jumped at it.”

  William’s lashes shut. His breathing grew deep and even once again.

  “But we digress,” Michelle said.

  Thad cast a loving glance at the infant in his arms. “Yes,” he said softly. “We do.”

  Forcing herself to pull back emotionally, before she got in way over her head, Michelle said, “You need to get this situation with William sorted out as soon as possible.”

  Before either of them fell even more in love with this abandoned little boy.

  * * *

  THE FIRST ORDER of business, they both decided, after they had resettled the sleeping William in his bed, was to get the addresses and phone numbers of the people involved. That turned out to be easy enough. An internet search quickly gave them contact information for Candace Wright, as well as Brice and Beatrix Johnson.

  Aware he was so far out of his depth it wasn’t funny, Thad asked, “Any advice on how I should handle this?”

  Michelle glanced sideways at him, reminding him, “I’m not going to represent you.”

  Thad wondered if she had any idea how beautiful she looked in the soft light of her elegantly decorated living room, feet propped up on the coffee table, laptop computer settled on her jean-clad thighs. He propped up his feet on the coffee table, too, next to hers. “You could still advise me as a friend.”

  Her eyes remained on the screen as she studied the information there. She typed in the print command. “Are we friends?”

  Somewhere in the too-quiet depths of her house, he heard a laser printer start up. “I think we’re getting there.” As she put her laptop aside and moved to stand, he inhaled the orange-blossom fragrance of her shampoo.