Silence fell. Thad looked increasingly conflicted. Michelle’s heart went out to him. This was a very tough situation.
“One way or another, I am sure William will find a very good home with loving parents.” She would see to it.
Thad nodded, his handsome face a mask of sheer male determination. “Initially, I was going to try to track down Candace Wright by phone. Now, I’m thinking our conversation should be done face-to-face.”
“I agree,” Michelle said. “And you should probably take William—and someone else with you—to witness the events. Just in case there are any questions later about what was said and by whom. It also might be a good idea to get Candace to give you a copy of her original surrogate contract, as well as an affidavit relinquishing any claim to custody, under the current conditions of William’s abandonment, if that is still her desire.”
“We couldn’t just use the letter she left on my front porch?” Thad asked hopefully.
“We’ll produce it as evidence of course, but a judge is going to want to see more than that.”
“It’ll have to go to court?”
“Eventually, yes, because we’re talking about a change in whatever custody agreement was put in place prior to William’s birth.”
Thad exhaled. “This is getting complicated.”
Michelle offered a sympathetic smile. “Surrogate arrangements always are.” People were rarely prepared for the complexities involved.
“I’m beginning to think I should take legal counsel with us.”
Michelle felt another give in the lock. Almost there.
“It’s not a bad idea.”
From the other room, they heard a whimper, then a full-throated cry. Thad disappeared. When he returned, William was snuggled against his chest, quietly looking around. Michelle could see Thad was already getting his hopes up that the baby would end up staying a member of his family. She didn’t want to see him disappointed.
“Will you go with us?” Thad asked.
Aside from Michelle’s law partner, Glenn York, there was only one family-law attorney in Summit. Tucker James was a good guy, but not one inclined to work weekends or take on matters that were unusually complex. If this situation turned out to be as messed up as it appeared, Michelle knew Thad was going to need a top-notch attorney experienced in surrogate arrangements. That would be Glenn. Unfortunately Glenn was already working all weekend on a messy divorce-and-property-settlement case that would be in deposition next week. Reluctantly Michelle volunteered. “I can help you out temporarily.”
Thad smiled his relief, putting far too much stock in her abilities. “That would be great!”
“One thing, though,” Michelle cautioned.
He waited, sandy eyebrows raised.
“No more kissing,” she said firmly.
“Agreed.” He grinned. “Unless you change your mind.”
Oh, how she wanted to, Michelle thought. It had been so long since she had felt so wanted. So long since her body had hummed with distinctly female satisfaction.
But Thad did not need to know that, she schooled herself sternly.
She looked him in the eye. “I won’t.”
He went very still. Looking disappointed, but no less determined, she noted.
“Because…?” His low voice sent shivers over her body.
Once again Michelle pushed away the desire welling up inside her. She called on her cool-as-ice courtroom demeanor. “We’re neighbors and we need to stay on good terms.”
He searched her eyes with daunting intimacy. “And you think we wouldn’t if we kissed again?”
I think I’d be devastated if I turned out to be one of your three-dates-and-it’s-over women. Hence, better safe than sorry, Michelle thought, as she gave the lock one more nudge. It opened with a click. She lifted the lid. Inside were several insurance policies on expensive camera equipment Russell Garner owned, an old driver’s license of his and a Summit High School class ring. There were no legal documents of any kind. Certainly nothing pertaining to a surrogate arrangement.
“I don’t know where else to look,” Thad said in frustration.
Michelle knew it wasn’t the end of the road for getting the information he needed. Far from it. “The attorney who prepared the documents will have copies. Maybe we can find out who that is tomorrow,” Michelle said.
Aware her reason for sticking around was gone, she stood. It was as difficult as she’d suspected it would be to leave the baby she had cared for all day. She forced herself to suppress her own deep longing for a child and look at Thad.
“What time did you want to leave tomorrow?” she asked casually.
“Seven in the morning okay with you?”
Michelle held Thad’s gaze a moment longer, then touched William’s cheek gently. “I’ll see you both then.”
* * *
MICHELLE HAD JUST changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed when the phone rang. Seeing it was Thad, she picked up the receiver and heard the loud, angry wails of an unhappy newborn.
“What’s going on?” she asked, aware William hadn’t cried that way when she’d been in charge.
More loud crying. “Help,” Thad said over the din.
Michelle was already reaching for her slippers. “I’ll be right there.”
Grabbing her light raincoat, she slipped it on against the chill of the spring evening and headed across the street. Thad was waiting for her, the wailing baby in his arms.
“What’s the matter?” Michelle asked, stepping inside.
The moment she spoke, the crying dimmed.
“You poor baby,” she soothed.
The wailing stopped altogether.
William studied her with his long-lashed, baby-blue eyes.
“Is it possible he just wanted to hear your voice?” Thad said.
Michelle scoffed and shook her head. “I only wish I were that wonderful. So what’s going on?”
“I was trying to give him his formula.” Thad pointed to the full bottle on the table next to the sofa.
Michelle walked over and picked it up. She frowned. “It’s cold, Thad.”
He looked even more clueless. “Yeah, so?”
“You’re supposed to heat it.”
He held up a hand in expert fashion. “Actually that’s an old wives’ tale. Infants are perfectly capable of taking their formula cold.”
Michelle narrowed her eyes at Thad. “Did they teach you that in medical school?”
“As a matter of fact,” he told her smugly, “they did.”
Unfortunately, Michelle thought, babies had individual quirks and preferences, just like adults. “Well, maybe that would be okay if he’d had it cold from the beginning. But he hasn’t. I gave him warm formula all day. The bottle you gave him earlier this evening was warmed, too.”
Thad appeared to think that over, but in the end refused to give ground. “Maybe he just missed you and wants you to give him his bottle again.”
Michelle’s ego liked the idea of that. Her maternal side had other ideas. “And maybe he just wants it warm.”
Thad shrugged. “One way to find out.” He handed William to Michelle.
She sat down in a chair, her raincoat still on.
His mouth quirked in barely suppressed amusement. “You can take off your coat and stay a while.”
No way, she thought. She was in her pj’s. No underwear. “I’m fine.” Michelle settled William in her arms and offered him the nipple. He looked at her with absolute trust, started to suck, then got a taste of the cold formula. He pushed it out with his tongue and kept looking at Michelle.
“He’s not crying,” Thad noted.
That was because he was busy snuggling against the softness of her breasts, the way he had all day. Michelle continued making eye contact with the little cutie. It was odd how much she had missed him, so quickly. It wasn’t as if he were her baby.
Perhaps she should remember that.
Aware Thad was still holding on to his med-sc
hool theory about not needing to warm baby formula, Michelle told him wryly, “The only reason he’s not crying over cold milk is he’s probably wondering how I got so dumb so fast. Right, little fella?”
William’s tiny mouth opened slightly. He looked as if he wanted to talk, wanted to tell her what was on his mind, but just couldn’t figure out how.
Michelle smiled, utterly besotted.
“Try the bottle again,” Thad said.
Knowing a point had to be made here, Michelle did.
William took a taste, then again pushed the bottle away with his lips and tongue. Michelle tried once more. William once more refused it. “I think we should warm it,” she reiterated.
“One problem.” Thad walked toward the rear of the house. She followed with William and the bottle. Unlike her kitchen, his hadn’t been upgraded in many years. The cabinets were painted white, and the walls were covered with a yellow-orange-and-brown-plaid wallpaper. A yellow-laminate-topped breakfast set with padded vinyl chairs were so retro they were back in fashion. The appliances were similarly dated. Even the faded yellow curtain above the sink looked like it had been there since his mother was alive. The only new items in the kitchen were a toaster and a matching coffeemaker.
“I don’t know how to warm a bottle,” Thad continued.
“Let me guess. You’ve never done any babysitting, either.”
“I’ve been around kids.”
“Not the same thing.”
“Apparently not,” he conceded.
The silence was contentious. And veering dangerously toward flirtation again. It made her nervous. “Are you paying attention?” she asked.
“Close attention.”
Okay, so he still desired her as much as she desired him. It didn’t mean they were going to act on it. She gave him the bottle. Their fingers brushed. She felt the heat of his body all the way to her toes. Swallowed. “Actually, maybe you should do this,” she told him. “That way it will be easier for you to remember.”
All business now, he said, “Okay.”
“They make bottle warmers, but we don’t have one, so we’re going to do it the old-fashioned way. There was a pretty bowl here earlier…”
“That belongs to Violet Hunter.”
Why was Michelle not surprised?
“She brought me some chili in it earlier in the week and I keep forgetting to take it back. She called after you left, offering to come by and get it tonight, but I told her I’d bring it to her at the hospital. Now, if you want me to go out to my car and get it…”
Michelle shook her head. Best he return the bowl to the lovesick nurse as soon as possible. “Where do you keep your bowls?”
He opened a cupboard, revealing a mismatched assortment of dishes, and handed one over.
Michelle shook her head. “That’s a cereal bowl. It’s way too shallow.” She paused. “Surely you’ve got mixing bowls.”
Thad gave her the blank look of a man who did not know his way around a kitchen. Michelle tried a simpler approach. “Where do you keep your pots and pans?”
This he knew. He pointed to a lower cabinet.
Michelle handed William to Thad and knelt to see what was there. Plenty, as it turned out, although again, everything there was at least thirty years old. She took out a saucepan, carried it to the sink and filled it with very warm tap water. She set the bottle in the pan, so the water covered the contents.
Thad leaned in, over her shoulder. “And now?”
“We wait.”
Thad edged closer, smiling down at the baby. “How will we know when the bottle’s the right temperature?” he asked as he and the baby made goo-goo eyes at each other.
“We’ll keep testing it. It should only take a few minutes.”
“Hear that, William?” Thad gently caressed the little one’s cheek. “Your dinner will be ready shortly.”
Three minutes later, the formula was the right temperature. They returned to the living room.
Thad sat down to give William his bottle. William made a face and pushed the nipple right back out.
“Now what’s wrong?” Thad asked.
Michelle could only guess. “Maybe William senses you’re uncertain.”
Thad didn’t deny that could be the problem. “Maybe you should give it a try again,” he said.
Figuring the little one had waited long enough for his feeding, Michelle sat down next to Thad on the sofa. He handed the baby to her. She shifted William so he was in a semi-upright position, resting in the crook of her arm. “We know you’re hungry,” she said, putting the nipple to his lips. William just stared at her, still refusing to drink. “You’re not going to be able to go back to sleep until you take this bottle,” Michelle said softly, gently rubbing the nipple back and forth across his lips. “So give it a try, little guy.”
Still watching her, William opened his mouth, took the nipple and began to suck. Twenty minutes and two burps later, William had downed all three ounces.
“I guess he was hungry,” Thad mused.
Reluctantly Michelle handed the baby back to him. She knew she shouldn’t be getting this involved in something that was essentially not her problem, but she really wished she could stay right here with the two of them, or better yet, take William home with her.
Reminding herself that was not an option, Michelle stood. “He should be good for three hours,” she said.
“Sure you don’t want to stay the night? We could have a slumber party.”
The image of Thad in his pj’s was all she needed to throw her overheated senses into overdrive. She quickened her pace. “Nice try.”
William in his arms, he followed her into the foyer. “What should I do if he starts crying again?”
Michelle paused, her hand on the doorknob. “Generally speaking, if William is unhappy, it’s one of four things—he’s wet, hungry, sleepy or in need of comfort and reassurance. Just go down the list, and if all else fails, just talk to him.”
Thad said, a tender note in his tone, “He likes your voice.”
And I like yours, Michelle thought, realizing how easily she could get used to being around Thad.
She smiled. “He’ll like yours, too, if he hears it often enough.”
“Thanks for coming over.” Thad shot her a look full of gratitude. “For helping. For everything.”
Unwillingly Michelle flashed back to another man, another time, and gratitude that had been mistaken for something else. She hardened her defenses, knowing she had to be careful. “Try to get some sleep.” She opened the door.
“Can I call you in an emergency?” he asked as Michelle swept into the darkness of the cloudy spring night.
She nodded, throwing the words over her shoulder. “But only if it’s an emergency.”
* * *
MICHELLE HALF EXPECTED Thad to call her every three hours through the night. He didn’t. Several times she got up and went to the window and looked across the street to his home. At eleven, two and five, the lights were on, and the rest of the time the house was dark. Which probably meant, she thought, that William was sleeping between feedings.
Telling herself that was good—Thad could easily handle parenting William on his own, after all—Michelle forced herself to go back to bed each time and try to get some sleep.
When the alarm went off at six, it was a relief. She skipped her usual morning run and headed for the shower. At seven, Thad and William were at her door.
Soon after, they were off, Michelle and Thad sitting in the front of his BMW SUV, William sleeping contentedly in the middle of the rear seat.
“So how was your night?” Michelle asked, opening up her briefcase. If she was going to protect her heart, she needed to stay in business mode.
“Fine, as soon as William and I reached an understanding.”
Michelle heard the smile in Thad’s voice. “And that was?”
“There was only one place he was going to sleep more than ten minutes.”
She sent him a
sidelong glance. “You held him all night?”
Thad nodded, looking as content as she had felt after spending all day holding William. “I slept in the reading chair and ottoman in the study, and he slept on my chest.”
Michelle could imagine that was a very warm and snuggly place to sleep. She cast a look back at William, but couldn’t see a lot, because the infant seat was facing backward. “I’m surprised he’s been content in his car seat for as long as he has.”
“It’s probably the motion,” Thad theorized.
As it turned out, he was probably right. William slept all the way to Big Spring, and continued sleeping as they followed the MapQuest directions to the address listed for Candace Wright.
The surrogate mother lived in a small yellow bungalow with a sparse lawn and overgrown shrubbery. “Think one of us should ring the bell and see if she’s home first?” Michelle asked.
Before Thad could reply, the front door opened and a slightly pudgy young woman stepped out. Arms crossed in front of her, her long dishwater-blond hair whipping around in the spring breeze, she stalked over to the car. Took a glance at the infant seat in back. Sighed. “Let’s not do this on the street,” she said, motioning at the bungalow.
* * *
THAD WASN’T SURE what he expected the surrogate mother’s home to be like. Certainly not a wall-to-wall artist’s studio, with beautiful landscapes stacked against every surface, and an easel with a half-finished canvas front and center in the room.
“I’m sorry I had to leave the baby like that,” Candace Wright said as soon as introductions had been made, “but I was afraid you’d be like everyone else in this mess and refuse to take him.”
“You’re sure Brice and Beatrix Johnson don’t want him, either?” Michelle asked.
“Apparently not.” Clearly confused about the situation, Candace shrugged. “I’m as surprised as you are. They were thrilled about the baby until a couple of days before William was born. Then they started acting a little weird, almost like they were having second thoughts.”
“Did you ask them about that?” Thad interrupted.
The Texas Rancher's Vow: The Texas Rancher's VowFound: One Baby Page 22
