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

  “I take it you’re going over there to look for Teddy’s dog?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll meet you there. What time?”

  “Half an hour.”

  “Roger,” Ted said, then replaced the receiver. He got to his feet. “Thank you, Officer MacAllister. I’m outta here.”

  A roped-off area of the mall parking lot was crowded with people walking down rows of boarded pens, wire carrying cases, bird cages and sundry other methods of containing a wide variety of animals.

  Ted managed to find Ryan, Deedee and Teddy in the throng.

  “Busy place,” Ted said.

  “That’s for sure,” Ryan said. “Well, let’s browse. Teddy isn’t going to be happy in that stroller for too long. He gets tired of looking at people’s kneecaps.”

  “I don’t blame him,” Ted said. “What kind of dog are you thinking of getting?”

  “Something medium-size,” Deedee said. “Big enough to hold its own with Teddy, but not so enormous it will knock him over just by wagging its tail. I think it should be fairly young, not set in its ways. Teddy and the dog can grow up together.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Ted said. “Let’s check it out.”

  They walked slowly down the first row, Teddy chattering happily in his stroller.

  “Hey, there we go,” Ryan said, smiling. “Rabbits. Want a rabbit, Ted?”

  “I won’t say in front of my godson what you can do with a rabbit, MacAllister. A dog, we want a dog.“

  Ryan whooped with laughter.

  Twenty minutes later, Deedee stopped in front of a wire cage.

  “Oh, look at that darling,” she said.

  “A beagle,” Ryan said. He leaned forward to read the card attached to the cage. “Female. Six months old. Good with children. Housebroken. Owners moved out of state. Shots up-to-date.”

  Ted hunkered down and looked at the dog. The beagle wiggled and whined, her tail wagging with excitement.

  “Would you like to hold her?” a woman said. “I’ll open the cage, but don’t let her run off. She’s a busy girl. Her name is Scooter, but she’s young enough to learn to answer to another name if you prefer.”

  “Yes, please open the cage,” Deedee said. “She’s so cute.”

  The woman unlatched the door and the dog bounded out. She whizzed passed Ted and went directly to the stroller. Planting her front paws on the stroller tray, she gave Teddy a sloppy kiss on the nose. The baby laughed in delight.

  “Sold,” Ted said, getting to his feet.

  “I’d say so,” Ryan said, chuckling. “We have instant rapport here. Deedee?”

  “She’s perfect, and I think the name Scooter is very appropriate.”

  The transaction was completed and the next stop was at a table selling collars and leashes. Scooter literally bounced along, causing Teddy to laugh and clap his tiny hands. A bag of food and two dishes were purchased.

  “Would you like to come back to the house, Ted?” Deedee said. “We’ve got to take some pictures of Ms. Scooter MacAllister.”

  “No, thanks,” Ted said. “I…um… I have some shopping to do.” He ruffled Teddy’s hair. “Enjoy your first dog, sport. She’s a beauty.”

  Farewells were exchanged and Ted watched as the MacAllister quartet disappeared from view. Once they were out of sight, he spun around and made a beeline for the third row of pets.

  Hannah massaged her aching lower back, then sat down on the sofa. She’d given four hours of private piano lessons to four wiggly young students that day, and her back was killing her.

  She’d had a sandwich and a bowl of soup as an early dinner and now had to decide how she wished to spend the evening. During the past few months, she’d spent every spare moment sorting through household items, then packing what she wished to move to her new home.

  Home, her mind echoed as she swept her gaze over the room. No, she wasn’t going to dwell on that theme again tonight. In time, the apartment would seem like home. It was just a matter of adjustment and attitude, she kept telling herself.

  With a decisive nod, she rested her hands on her stomach, smiled as she felt the baby move beneath her palms, then sighed.

  What should she do with the long hours of the evening that loomed before her? Read a book? Work on the bib she was embroidering for the baby? Watch television? Go to the video store and rent a movie? No, she didn’t have the energy for that. Forget renting a movie.

  “Oh, I know,” she said aloud.

  She’d reread one of the novels she owned written by Jillian Jones-Jenkins. It would be fun because she sort of knew Jillian now. Well, that was stretching it a tad. She knew Ted, who knew Jillian.

  Heavens, Jillian had given birth to triplet girls. She had three babies to tend to all at the same time. What an overwhelming and exhausting thought. Of course, Jillian no doubt could afford to hire help; a nanny, cleaning lady, maybe even a housekeeper who lived in and did the cooking as well as cleaning.

  “I’ll see my child now,” Hannah said, poking her nose in the air. “Do be certain his nappy is dry. I can’t abide a wet diaper.” She fluttered one hand in the air to dismiss the obedient servant.

  Laughing softly at her own silliness, Hannah shook her head, then stared into space.

  Ted had said the triplets were very pretty, she mused, and were walking all over the place, each in a different direction. Ted certainly seemed fond of all the MacAllister babies. For a bachelor, he was amazingly involved in the little ones’ lives.

  What had he said his official title was? Oh, yes, he was a Professional Uncle. In capital letters, if you please. Strange. If he liked children so much, why didn’t he get married and have a family of his own?

  Hannah thought Ted appeared to be in his early thirties. Surely the swinging singles’ life had lost some of its appeal by now. She’d hated that whole scenenot that she’d taken a very active part in it. Ted must still like it, though, or he would have opted out. He was so gorgeous, Hannah was sure he could have his pick of the multitude of available women out there on the loose.

  Ted Sharpe. Why on earth was she wasting her mental energy and time sitting here like a lump thinking about Officer Sharpe?

  Just then, a knock sounded at the door. Hannah was grateful for the intrusion, realizing she wouldn’t have to answer the question she’d just asked herself.

  She went to the door and peered through the peephole.

  “Ted,” she whispered, her eyes widening.

  Dear heaven, she’d made him materialize by thinking about him!

  Oh, Hannah, stop it, she admonished herself, undoing the safety chain. What a ridiculous thought.

  She opened the door.

  “Hi,” Ted said, smiling. “Here.” He pushed a cardboard box at her. It had handles at the top and a series of holes along the sides.

  “What,” Hannah started to say, taking the box. Ted lifted a large bag from the floor and moved past her into the living room.

  “May I come in?” he said. “Thanks. I’m in.” He turned and closed the door, snapping the lock into place. “I hope you weren’t busy.”

  “No, I wasn’t, but—”

  “Good. Okay, let’s unpack this stuff.”

  “Wait a minute,” she said. “Oh,” she gasped in the next instant, as a funny noise came from the box. “What’s in this thing?”

  Ted beamed at her. “Your kitten.”

  “My what?” She looked at the box, at Ted, then back at the box. “I don’t have a kitten.”

  “Sure you do. It’s in the box. Consider it a house-warming present. See, Teddy is really into throwing food on the floor when he’s in his high chair. So, Deedee said they should get a dog to vacuum up the debris.”

  “Oh, well,” Hannah said dryly, “that explains everything.”

  “Let me finish. I told Deedee and Ryan that a little kid getting his first dog is an important event, and as Teddy’s godfather I should be there when they picked it out.

  “An organization h
ad a deal going today in the parking lot of a mall and we went over there. Teddy has a beagle puppy named Scooter. Cute dog. Teddy loves it. Anyway, they had all kinds of pets…even rabbits… so I got you a kitten.”

  “But…”

  “Don’t worry about a thing.” Ted placed the sack on the sofa and began to pull things out. “You’re all set. Here’s a litter tray, a big box of litter, a scoop, a bunch of food and a ball with a bell inside.

  “Oh, and this certificate entitles you to the shots the kitten needs. You go to the vet whose name and address is on here. Okay?”

  “I can’t allow you to buy me all of this, Ted.”

  “I already did,” he said with a shrug. “When I was growing up, my mom baked a cake whenever new neighbors moved onto the block. She told me it was a way to say welcome. Believe me, Ms. Doodle, you would not want me to bake you a cake. So, I substituted a kitten instead.”

  “But—”

  “Just say, ‘Thanks, Ted.’”

  Hannah smiled. “Thank you, Ted. Thank you so much. I shouldn’t accept such a generous gift, but I’m going to. Oh, this is wonderful.”

  “Open the box.”

  Hannah set the carrying carton on the sofa and unlatched the cardboard handles. As she pulled the sides free, a furry, sandy-colored head popped up.

  “Oh, how sweet,” she said, picking up the kitten. She held the tiny bundle to her cheek. “It’s so soft, so small.”

  “She’s six weeks old. She. It’s a girl. Cute, huh? I like her feet. All four feet are white, like she’s wearing socks. Great tail, too. It’s as long as her body. What are you going to name her?”

  “Thank you.”

  Ted frowned. “Weird name.”

  “No, no, I just feel as though I should say thank you a hundred times,” she said, smiling. She cuddled the kitten beneath her chin.

  “Your eyes are sparkling,” Ted said quietly. “I wouldn’t have thought that eyes as dark as yours could sparkle, but they really are. You look…I don’t know, Hannah…happy. Yeah, you look happy, and that’s nice, really great.”

  “I…” Hannah stopped speaking as she shook her head, her eyes filling with tears. “Oh, dear, ignore me. I’m a classic case of a pregnant woman who cries at the slightest provocation.

  “It’s just that I can’t remember when anyone has done such a thoughtful thing for me. Not since my gran.” Two tears slid down her cheeks. “Oh, drat.”

  Ted smiled at her warmly, then framed her face in his hands and wiped the tears away with his thumbs in a soft, gentle motion.

  A flutter of heat whispered along Hannah’s spine.

  “If you get weepy over a tiny little kitten,” Ted said, “I’d hate to see what would happen if someone gave you a big horse. You’d probably flood the place.”

  Hannah managed to produce a trembling smile, but in the next instant it faded as she continued to look directly into the blue depths of Ted’s eyes. His hands cradling her face stilled, but remained in place as he met her gaze.

  A cameo, his mind hummed. So lovely. There Hannah stood, tears glistening in her incredible eyes, a tiny kitten tucked beneath her chin. She looked so young, vulnerable, so beautiful.

  He wanted to wrap her up in a cocoon, protect her, take care of her, assure her that she wasn’t alone. She had so much to deal with, so much to face, but she wasn’t alone because he was there.

  Sharpe, he ordered himself, get a grip.

  Abruptly, he dropped his hands from her face and cleared his throat.

  “So, Ms. Doodle,” he said, looking at the paraphernalia spread out on the sofa, “let’s get set up here. Where do you want the litter box?”

  Damn it, he fumed, the heat low in his body was taking its sweet time to cool down. He ached for Hannah Johnson. He wanted her, wanted to make slow, gentle love to her for hours. What in the hell was this woman doing to him?

  No, now wait. Ted cautioned himself. He was overreacting, panicking for no reason. She pushed his sexual buttons, but that was understandable because she was a lovely, desirable woman. The fact that she was volleyball-size pregnant didn’t seem to enter into his sensual attraction to her, and it certainly didn’t diminish it in any way.

  As for his never-before-experienced emotions of protectiveness, of momentarily seeing himself as the one who would ease her burdens… well, that was understandable, too.

  He was a cop who cared, a compassionate man who spent his life in the role of the knight to the rescue. He shielded the good from the bad, took care of those who couldn’t fend for themselves.

  Therefore, he mentally rambled on, it stood to reason that Hannah’s plight would touch a chord, cause his police officer, protector-of-the-people instincts to rise to the fore.

  Yes, sir, he had it all figured out.

  There wasn’t a thing to worry about in regard to his reactions to Hannah Johnson.

  “What do you think?” Hannah said.

  “What?” he said. “I’m sorry, I was daydreaming for a minute there.”

  “I said, I thought I’d put the litter box in the corner of the bathroom so it will be on a tile floor. That will be easier to clean if she tracks any of the litter.”

  Ted nodded. “Good plan.” He picked up the tray and box. “Let’s do it now, in case Her Highness gets a call of nature.”

  They tended to the litter box, then Hannah put a plastic place mat on the floor in the kitchen next to the refrigerator. She filled one bowl with food, another with water and put the kitten in front of it. She then offered Ted a soft drink.

  “Sure,” he said. “Thanks.”

  They settled onto opposite ends of the sofa with their drinks. The kitten finished eating, wandered back into the living room and crawled up on the sofa. She looked at Hannah, then climbed onto Ted’s thigh, curled into a ball and went to sleep.

  Hannah laughed. “Well, she definitely prefers men over women.”

  “She’s missing a bet. I’m certain that your leg is much softer than mine and would make a nicer pillow.” He ran one fingertip over the sleeping kitten’s head. “Cute. I like her. She does need a name, though, Hannah.”

  “Daisy. I’m going to call her Daisy.”

  Ted nodded. “That works for me. It’s very…girly.”

  “Well, it means more than that to me. It’s a symbolic name.”

  Ted shifted his gaze from Daisy to Hannah. “Oh?”

  “You see,” she started, then hesitated, giving Ted the impression she was deciding whether or not to continue to say what had prompted her to name the kitten Daisy.

  “I’m listening, Hannah.”

  “Yes, you are, aren’t you?” She cocked her head slightly to one side as she studied him for a long moment. “You really are.”

  She was so fragile, Ted thought. She moved so tentatively, as though afraid the next step she took might hurt her in some way. Man, the guy she’d been married to must have been a scum from the word go.

  “Well, you see,” Hannah said, “I was raised by my grandmother, my gran, from the time I was three. My parents were killed in an automobile accident. My gran was a wonderful, warm, loving and wise person. I loved her very, very much.”

  “Loved? Past tense?”

  “She died when I was twenty. I still miss her, and I think of her every day. When I was growing up, she’d tell me that whenever I had a bad day, a gloomy day, with problems or troubles of any kind, I should remember that tomorrow would be sunny and would bring me daffodils and daisies.”

  “Nice,” Ted said. “Very nice.”

  “I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve reached for that. Something upsetting would happen and I’d tell myself, Tomorrow will be sunny. I’ll have daffodils and daisies.’ It sounds silly, I suppose, but it has gotten me through some rough moments.”

  “Daffodils and daisies,” Ted repeated, nodding.

  “The kitten was such a wonderful surprise, such a thoughtful gift. She is going to help me feel this is my home now. She deserves the name
Daisy, the way my gran taught it to me.”

  “I think I would have liked your gran.”

  “And she would have liked you, Ted.”

  Once again, time stopped as they looked into each other’s eyes. Once again, the maddening heat coiled tight and low in Ted’s body. Once again, Hannah felt the strange flutter dance along her spine.

  Enough, Ted thought. Damn it, enough was enough.

  He tore his gaze from Hannah’s, then lifted the kitten from his thigh with both hands and set her gently on the sofa next to him. He got to his feet.

  “I’d better shove off,” he said, starting toward the door.

  Hannah pushed herself from the soft cushion and followed him.

  “Thank you again, Ted.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek.

  “Sure,” he said, then hurried out the door.

  Hannah locked it behind him, slid the safety chain into place and returned to the sofa. She cradled the sleeping kitten in both hands and lifted her to eye level.

  “Welcome home, Daisy,” she said, smiling.

  Chapter Four

  On Monday afternoon, dark clouds began to build in the sky and thunder rumbled in the distance. Ted and Ryan were parked in the patrol car in plain view at the side of an elementary school.

  The boisterous children were getting out for the day and the street was lined with yellow buses and parents in cars. The silent presence of the police kept traffic at the proper speed.

  “Man, those kids have a lot of energy,” Ted said. “We should be that good after a day’s work.”

  “Feeling your age today, Sharpe?” Ryan said, chuckling. “I’ve tried to warn you that the party life would catch up with you, but you weren’t having any of my worldly wisdom. Big weekend, huh?”

  Ted shot a glare at his partner, then redirected his attention to the slow-moving, congested traffic in front of the school.

  “No, MacAllister,” he said. “I did not have a big weekend.”

  “Why not?”