The Father of Her Child (The Baby Bet #3) Read online

  “A tiny baby cradle, complete with rungs. It’s tough, but very challenging. When I’m finished with it, the thing is supposed to rock back and forth like the tiny rocking chair I made. The rungs are a killer.”

  “I’d go nuts handling something that small,” Ryan said. “You’ve said it’s very relaxing, but I’d be a blithering idiot.”

  “Short trip, MacAllister,” Ted said. “Great coffee cake, Deedee. Are you going into Books and Books today?”

  “No, I’ll work tomorrow while Teddy plays with Noel and Matt. Then I’ll have the twins the next day so Andrea can put in some hours at MacAllister Architects. The triplets have the sniffles, so Jillian isn’t in the baby-sitting trade-off routine this week.”

  “Three little kids with runny noses,” Ted said, shaking his head. “They’re probably cranky. What a handful they must be. For Ms. Doodle’s sake, I hope she has one, only one, laid-back, easygoing type.”

  “Who?” Ryan said, placing another slice of coffee cake on his plate.

  “Ms. Doodle?” Deedee said. “You’ve met a mother-to-be whose last name is Doodle?”

  Ted chuckled. “No, her name is Johnson. Hannah Johnson. She moved into the apartment next to mine yesterday. I was dead tired and she woke me up playing ‘Yankee Doodle’ on the piano.”

  “Uh-oh,” Ryan said. “I can picture it clearly in my mind. You did not ask her politely and quietly to please lower the volume of the serenade.”

  “No-o-o, I didn’t, and I was informed that I was extremely rude. Oh, and she hoped for the sake of Mrs. Sharpe that there wasn’t a Mrs. Sharpe, because I was not a pleasant man.”

  Deedee laughed. “Good for Ms. Doodle. Ms. Is she married?”

  “Divorced,” Ted said. “She’s a music teacher on leave and has teacher friends, but no family.”

  “Oh, dear, that’s grim,” Deedee said. “Divorced, no family and pregnant. That’s a lot to handle. When is her baby due?”

  Ted shrugged. “I don’t know. She looks like she’s hiding a volleyball under her shirt. How many months pregnant is a volleyball?”

  “Oh, Lord,” Ryan said. “Even I know every woman does this number differently. Deedee got to about beachball size with Teddy. Jillian was more like a life raft with the triplets.”

  “Amazing,” Deedee said, shaking her head.

  “What is?” Ryan said.

  “That you’ve managed to stay alive as long as you have without being murdered, Ryan. Those are not flattering descriptions you’re dishing out there, mister. Ted, is Hannah nice? Is she pretty?”

  “Very nice, very pretty. Yeah, she’s lovely.”

  Ted averted his eyes from Deedee’s, and cut another slice of coffee cake. He lifted it onto his plate, then stared at it.

  “Hannah reminds me of a cameo,” he went on quietly. “She has dark hair and eyes, and very fair skin, like fine, porcelain china. Put that together with her old-fashioned name and…well, she’s like a cameo.” He cleared his throat. “Whatever. It’s not important.”

  Deedee and Ryan exchanged quick glances, Ryan raising his eyebrows slightly as he looked at his wife.

  “Uh-oh,” Teddy said merrily. “Uh-oh, uh-oh.”

  “Out of the mouths of babes,” Ryan said, grin ning.

  “What?” Ted said, looking over at him.

  “Nothing, buddy. Finish stuffing your face, then we’ll get to work.”

  “Okay.”

  “You’re welcome to stay for dinner tonight, Ted,” Deedee said. “We’re going to officially christen the deck by Ryan barbecuing some steaks. I should have invited you sooner, but with the long hours you guys put in over the holiday, I wasn’t certain you’d be doing the deck today.”

  “I appreciate the invitation,” Ted said, “but I…”

  “Have a date,” Deedee said, laughing. “I swear, Ted Sharpe, your little black book must be bulging at the seams. Is there an unattached woman in Ventura and beyond that you haven’t taken out?”

  Ms. Doodle, Ted thought, then instantly frowned in self-disgust. Where had that come from? He had no intention of seeing Hannah Johnson socially. No way.

  “There are a few left,” he said, smiling. He popped the last bite of coffee cake into his mouth, then drained his mug. “MacAllister, let’s do it. That deck is calling our names.”

  “Uh-oh,” Teddy said again, then flung a handful of cake crumbs onto the floor.

  “That settles it,” Deedee said. “We’ve got to get a dog, Ryan. I need a furry vacuum cleaner to stand ready by Teddy’s high chair.”

  “Good thought,” Ryan said, getting to his feet. “We’ll decide what kind of dog we want, then go to the pound or pet store.”

  “Let me know when you’re going,” Ted said, “and I’ll tag along. I want to have a voice in the choice of my godson’s first dog. It’s a momentous event.”

  “It is?” Deedee said. “Well, okay, if you say so, Uncle Ted.”

  “I say so,” he said firmly.

  Late that afternoon, Ted parked in his numbered slot at the apartment complex, got out of his Blazer and locked it. As he started toward the building, he heard a car door slam and automatically turned in the direction of the sound.

  Hannah was farther down the row of cars, juggling her purse and two large grocery sacks as she made her way slowly to the front of her car.

  “Hey,” Ted yelled, sprinting toward her. “Hold it right there.”

  Hannah stopped in surprise as Ted halted directly in front of her. In the next instant, he’d wrapped his arms around the sacks and snatched them from her grasp.

  “What”

  “These are heavy,” he said, shifting them against his chest. “You shouldn’t be carrying stuff like this.” He frowned. “Haven’t you read books about dos and don’ts, the rules about being pregnant, what you can and can’t do?”

  “Of course I have,” she said, matching his frown. “Those sacks aren’t too heavy for me. The biggest problem was trying to see my feet while I was carrying them.”

  “Well, you watch your feet. I’ll tote the groceries.” He started away. “Come on.”

  Hannah hurried after him. “I can’t decide if you’re being rude again, or if I should thank you for the help.”

  Ted chuckled and a funny flutter whispered down Hannah’s spine. She slid a glare at him from beneath her lashes.

  “When is your baby due?” Ted asked, as they walked along the sidewalk.

  “January first.”

  “A New Year’s baby, huh? Well, that settles that mystery. A volleyball means five months’ pregnant.”

  Hannah looked at her stomach, then back at Ted.

  “A volleyball?” she said. “I’m as big as a volleyball?”

  Ted nodded. “Yep. I was telling my partner, Ryan MacAllister, and his wife, Deedee, about you. You know, the fact that I had a new neighbor who is going to have a baby. Deedee wondered when your baby was due, and I said I hadn’t asked, but your stomach looked like a volleyball.”

  “You were discussing my stomach with strangers?” Hannah said, her voice rising.

  “No,” he said, an expression of pure innocence on his face, “not strangers. They’re like family to me. I’m the godfather of their son, who was named after me.”

  “You know what I meant.”

  “It just came up in conversation, that’s all. Say, if you need any pregnant advice or whatever, there are a whole slew of MacAllisters who can answer your questions. They’re good people, all of them. Not only that, they do babies one at a time, twins, even triplets. Jillian had three pretty little girls all in one pop.”

  “Goodness, what an overwhelming thought,” Hannah said. She paused. “Jillian? Triplet girls? That rings a bell. I remember seeing an article in the paper a year or so ago about a well-known author giving birth to triplets. Jillian Jones-Jenkins. Yes, that’s who it was. I’ve read several of her books. She’s an excellent writer.”

  “That’s Jillian. She’s married to Forrest Mac-Allister
, my partner’s older brother. The triplets were a year old a couple of weeks ago. They’re walking now. You should see them. They each pick a different direction and take off. They’re not into the buddy system of traveling together.”

  Hannah laughed as she opened the door to the building, then stepped back to allow Ted to enter.

  There was that tinkling-bell laughter, Ted thought, moving past her. And there was his body, going nuts again, with instant heat rocketing through him. Hannah looked so pretty. She was wearing dark slacks and a pink top that made her sort of…glow. Yeah, glow.

  “You certainly seem fond of babies,” Hannah said, bringing Ted from his thoughts.

  They crossed the lobby and arrived at the elevators. Hannah pressed the button.

  “Babies?” he said. “Yeah, I like the little critters. They’re fascinating. It amazes me the way they have opinions, likes and dislikes, from the moment they’re born. They’re people in small packages.”

  Hannah laughed again and Ted nearly groaned aloud as the heat within him coiled tighter and lower.

  “That’s an interesting way to put it,” she said. “But I guess you’re right.”

  “Noel and Matt are Andrea and John’s twins. Andrea is my partner’s sister. From day one, Matt made it clear he wanted to sleep on his back. Noel yelled her head off if she wasn’t put in the crib on her stomach. How in the heck do newborn babies know how they like to sleep?” Ted shook his head. “Amazing.”

  The doors to the elevator swished open and they entered, Hannah pushing the button for the fourth floor.

  “Yes, you’re definitely right,” she said. “Babies are people who know their own minds from the moment they’re born. I apparently haven’t gotten to that chapter in the book yet.” She sighed. “I have so much to learn before my baby is born.”

  “You’ll be a great mother, Ms. Doodle. Your natural maternal instincts will kick in, you’ll see. You’ll be able to tell what the problem is from the way the munchkin cries. You know…hungry, wet, mad as hell. Trust me here. It’s true.”

  “You’re quite an expert, Officer Sharpe. You sound like a man who would thoroughly enjoy being a father.”

  “Me? No, no, I’ll pass on that one. I’m a Professional Uncle. That’s my official title, in capital letters.”

  “Ah, I see,” she said, nodding. “I understand.”

  No, she didn’t, Ted thought. No one knew the truth, not even his best friend, Ryan. And no one ever would.

  At Hannah’s apartment, she unlocked the door, pushed it open, then turned to face Ted.

  “I’ll take those sacks now,” she said. “Thank you for carrying them up for me.”

  “I’ll put them on your kitchen counter. Lead the way, ma’am.”

  They entered the living room and Hannah closed the door. Ted stopped and swept his gaze over the room.

  “Very nice,” he said. “You really shaped up this place. No one would know that you moved in just yesterday.”

  “My friends were marvelous,” she said, starting toward the kitchen. “I only have a few small cartons left to unpack.”

  Ted followed her and set the groceries on the counter.

  “Your furniture matches,” he said, smiling. “Mine are leftovers from when my folks sold their house and retired to a smaller place in Arizona. I have one of these, one of those.” He shrugged. “It suits me fine. I must admit, though, your place is very homey.”

  Hannah looked up at him quickly. “Homey? Like a home?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh. Well, that’s good, very good. I—” She stopped speaking and shook her head. “Never mind.” She took a can of peas out of one of the bags.

  Ted removed the can from her hand, placed it on the counter, then gripping her shoulders gently, he turned her to face him.

  “What were you going to say, Hannah? You suddenly sounded sort of…I don’t know…sad.”

  “No, no, I…”

  “Hannah,” he said quietly. “Talk to me.”

  She took a step backward, forcing him to drop his hands to his sides.

  “I just have a lot of adjustments to make, that’s all,” she said. “Things happened very quickly and at times it seems that I was swept along, totally out of control. Now I’m here, in this apartment, and it doesn’t feel like it’s mine yet, my home. Does that make sense?”

  Ted nodded. “Sure.” He paused. “Do you know what you need? A kitten.”

  “A kitten? What for?”

  “To finish making this your home. You’ve got four months before the baby arrives. In the meantime, you need company, a kitten to greet you when you come in the door. You’ll feed it, take care of it, talk to it, share your home with it.”

  “Well, maybe a kitten would make a difference. You know, add a sense of permanence to this place.” She paused and frowned. “No, forget it. I could probably find a kitten in the For Free section of the newspaper, but I’d have to buy a litter box, food, that sandy stuff that goes in the box, take the kitten in for shots, all kinds of things. My budget is very tight and I have so much to get to be ready for the baby.”

  “Okay, try this. I’ll ask around the department, see if anyone has kitten equipment stashed in their garage. People get pets, something doesn’t work out for whatever reason, and they have doghouses, cat boxes, all kinds of jazz just taking up storage space.”

  “Well…”

  “No harm in asking. Right?”

  “Yes, all right. I’d appreciate that, Ted. Thank you. I seem to spend a lot of time thanking you for things.”

  “I’m just being neighborly.”

  “You’re a very nice man, Ted Sharpe,” she said softly.

  Their eyes met. Dark, dark eyes looked deeply into eyes as blue as a summer sky. Heartbeats quickened and time lost meaning.

  An invisible thread seemed to wrap itself around them, making it impossible to move or breathe. Heat thrummed in their bodies, and desire began to change the color of their eyes to smoky hues.

  Hannah forced herself to tear her gaze from Ted’s.

  “I…” She drew a steadying breath, then turned toward the counter. “I’d better put away these groceries.”

  Ted blinked, bringing himself back from a hazy, sensual place.

  “Hannah, I…” He stopped speaking as he heard the rasp of passion in his voice.

  “Thank you again, Ted,” Hannah said, not looking at him as she took items from the bag. “Would you mind seeing yourself out? There’s ice cream in here somewhere and it’s probably getting soupy.”

  Ted stared at her for a long moment. “I’ll be seeing you, Hannah,” he said finally, then moved past her.

  “Goodbye, Ted.”

  He hesitated, then kept going without looking at her again.

  As she heard the door shut behind him, Hannah closed her eyes and gripped the edge of the counter.

  Dear heaven, she thought. What had come over her?

  Hannah opened her eyes again and continued unpacking the groceries with jerky motions.

  She’d felt it, the heated pulse of desire deep within her as she’d been held immobile by Ted’s mesmerizing blue eyes.

  She was a pregnant woman, for mercy’s sake, and she’d been consumed by desire for a man she hardly knew. That was disgusting, wanton, tacky. It probably wasn’t even normal!

  Well, she was putting the entire incident out of her mind.

  And from now on, she was going to avoid any contact with Ted Sharpe. As far as she was concerned, the man did not exist.

  Ted entered his apartment, slouched onto the sofa, then was on his feet again in the next instant. He began to pace the floor with heavy strides.

  Get a grip, Sharpe, he ordered himself. Calm down. So, okay, he’d had a sexual reaction to Hannah. No problem. He was a healthy man, for crying out loud.

  But Hannah was pregnant!

  He’d wanted her, damn it, and the woman was pregnant. Was that sick? Shabby to the max? Hell, he didn’t know.

  Wh
at he was certain of was that from this very moment, he was going to cut a wide berth between himself and Ms. Doodle.

  He was steering clear of Hannah Johnson!

  Chapter Three

  Ted did not see Hannah for the remainder of the week. He thought he heard the quiet playing of the piano on one occasion, but by the time he moved close to the wall connecting Hannah’s apartment with his, there was no sound of music.

  His Wednesday-night date was so-so at best. He took an advertising executive to dinner, but she spent the evening expounding on the various ad campaigns she was working on. She related every minute detail of the wording, the colors used, the length of time and where the ads would run and the psychological impact the ads would have on consumers.

  While one of her dissertations would have been interesting, by the sixth one Ted was bored stiff and eager to take the chatty lady home.

  His Friday-night date canceled due to a cold and he realized he was relieved that his evening was free. He simply wasn’t in the mood to do the town. He’d dated the woman many times and knew she would expect him to spend the night in her bed. The fact that he wasn’t in the mood for that, either, led him to wonder if he was on the brink of a mid-life crisis.

  On Saturday morning, Ted was restless and edgy. He wandered around his apartment, rejected the idea of working on the miniature cradle, then vacuumed for lack of anything better to do, ignoring the fact that the cleaning service had been there the day before.

  When the telephone rang shortly after lunch, Ted snatched the receiver, more than ready to hear the voice of another human being.

  “Hello?” he said.

  “Were you sitting on the phone? It didn’t even do one full ring.”

  “Just happened to be standing right here, Ryan. What’s doing?”

  “There’s a deal going on in the mall on Kennedy. The Friends of Animals are setting up in the parking lot with all kinds of pets they need to find homes for.”

  “Oh, yeah?”

  “You make a donation, and you can also pay for a certificate for shots from a local vet. He’s giving a portion of the fees to the organization. It’s a good outfit. They take care of abandoned animals, and some people bring them litters of puppies and kittens that they can’t deal with…stuff like that.”