Diagnosis: Daddy

She was more than a little anxious herself.

As she had promised him, she had not changed her mind about her reckless offer during the three days that had passed since she’d made it. Even though her parents had expressed concerns about her decision. Even though Natalie had asked her flatly if she had lost her mind. Even though she knew the gossips would have a field day with her moving in with Connor, despite her stated reasons for doing so. Even though she was occasionally overwhelmed with the reality of what she was doing, of how much responsibility she was taking on.

Just don’t let me mess this up, she prayed silently as she had quite a few times during the past few days. She hoped she was up to the challenge she had given herself.

The doorbell finally rang at 5:05 p.m. Stopping mid-pace, Connor took a moment to smooth his hair before moving toward the door, a gesture Mia found touching. He wanted to look nice when his daughter saw him for the first time. He was clean-shaven and dressed in a nice green shirt and neatly pressed khakis.

She, too, had freshened up after work, brushing her shoulder-length brown hair into a shiny curtain and donning a fresh pink top and gray slacks. Curious, she moved to stand behind him as he opened the door.

Patricia Caple was a tall, thin, bleached blonde with full breasts pushed upward into a black, scoop-necked sweater. Her high-heeled boots looked very expensive, as did her diamond earrings and the rings that glittered on her hands. It didn’t look to Mia as if money was her reason for declining to raise her niece.

“You’re Connor Hayes?” Patricia asked, giving him a long once-over.

He nodded, his gaze already going to the child half-hidden behind Patricia’s left leg. “Yes. You must be Patricia.”

Mia knew he’d already spoken to the woman by phone a couple of times and had expressed his sympathy at the loss of her mother and her sister. He’d told Mia afterward that whatever Patricia felt about those losses, she hadn’t shared her feelings with him. From what she saw now, Mia suspected Patricia kept her emotions locked tightly inside her carefully smoothed and perfectly made-up face.

“Yes. And this is Alexis. Say hello to your daddy, Lex.”

Patricia pulled the little girl forward as she spoke, and Mia was struck by her first sight of the child. She was a beauty. Her hair was still childhood-blond, although it looked as if it would darken with age. Her eyes, like Connor’s, were large and very dark blue, framed in long, dark lashes. Her little face was flushed, and the dimpled chin a bit unsteady when she gazed up at the father she didn’t know.

“Hello,” she whispered, obeying her aunt’s instructions.

Connor’s voice was husky when he responded. “Hello, Alexis. I’m very glad to meet you.”

She didn’t respond as she continued to look at him with searching eyes.

“This is Mia Doyle,” he said, including both the child and her aunt in the introduction. “My very good friend.”

Patricia gave Mia the same comprehensive assessment with which she’d greeted Connor. “You’re the nanny?”

“In a manner of speaking,” Mia agreed, knowing Connor had given the woman a brief explanation of the arrangements he’d made for his child’s care.

“She’s a good kid,” Patricia said somewhat off-handedly. “My mother raised her right. I guess she learned from the mistakes she made with Brandy.”

Mia didn’t know what to say to that.

Patricia turned toward her car. “I’ll get her bags.”

“Let me help you,” Connor said, moving forward. “Alexis, you can stay here and get to know Mia, okay?”

The child nodded, her somber eyes focused on Mia now. Mia held out a hand to the little girl. “Come into the living room, Alexis. We can get comfortable.”

Once again, the child obeyed without protest, sliding one cold little hand into Mia’s. Only then did Mia notice the somewhat grubby stuffed cat clutched in a death grip in Alexis’s other arm. “What’s your cat’s name?”

“Pete,” Alexis said quietly. “My mama gave him to me when I was little.”

“Did she?” She wondered how much contact Alexis had actually had with her mother. Or did she refer to the grandmother who had raised her? “I like the name Pete.”

Alexis nodded, her fine hair swaying around her face. “Me, too.”

“Are you hungry? I’m making spaghetti for dinner.”

“I’m a little hungry. And I like spaghetti.”

Most children did, which was why Mia had chosen to make that particular dish that evening. She’d made brownies for dessert, another popular treat for her nieces and nephews.

“We’ll eat soon,” she promised, sitting on the couch and drawing Alexis down beside her. “I’m sure you must be tired after your long drive. Did you have a good trip?”

“Aunt Patricia plays the radio kind of loud. But we had hamburgers.”

Mia suspected that Patricia had played the radio as an excuse to avoid making conversation with a six-year-old for four hours. Patricia didn’t seem antagonistic or particularly unkind toward Alexis; it was more that she seemed detached. Almost indifferent.

“I like an occasional hamburger myself,” she assured the child.

Connor and Patricia returned then, each carrying one bag that presumably contained the child’s clothes. Connor had a pink backpack in his other hand, and Patricia bore a bag that might have held toys. It wasn’t a lot of stuff considering it was everything the little girl owned.

“Okay,” Patricia said, both physically and metaphorically brushing off her hands after setting down her load. “I guess I’ll be on my way.”

“You’re not driving back to Springfield tonight, are you?” Connor asked with a frown. “You’re welcome to stay here. I’m sure we can make room.”

“Thank you, but no. I have plans tomorrow.” She held out a hand to him. “Goodbye, Connor. It was nice to finally meet you.”

Giving her hand a quick shake, he replied courteously, “It was nice to meet you, too. If you’re ever in the neighborhood, feel free to—”

“Thank you,” she said, already turning toward Mia.

They shook hands briefly, murmuring platitudes.

Patricia looked down at Alexis then, and for just a moment, Mia thought she might have seen a glimmer of emotion in the woman’s eyes. She couldn’t interpret what she’d seen, but she thought it might have been just a hint of regret. Sorrow, perhaps?

“You be good for your daddy and Ms. Doyle,” she instructed, no emotion in her voice.

The child nodded and said quietly, “Yes, ma’am.”

Patricia leaned over to give her a quick, careful hug. “Goodbye, Lex.”

“’Bye, Aunt Tricia.”

Patricia turned without another look at any of them and let herself out of the house. Her posture made it clear that she didn’t want any of them to try and detain her.

Mia and Connor shared a quizzical look over Alexis’s head. And then Connor swallowed visibly and turned to his daughter.

To bring himself closer to her eye level, he sat on the edge of a chair, his forearms resting on his thighs. “So your aunt told you that I’m your father.”

The child nodded. “You knew my mama before I was born.”

“Do you remember your mama?”

“She used to come visit us in Springfield. She gave me Pete,” she added, holding up the stuffed gray cat. “And she told me I would meet my daddy someday.”

Connor looked startled. Even though she wasn’t a big believer in such things, Mia wondered if Brandy had had some sort of premonition of her untimely death. Or maybe she had intended to contact Connor herself had she lived longer.

“My grandma went to heaven to be with my mama,” Alexis added. “Aunt Tricia said they’re together now.”

His eyes grave, Connor nodded. “Yes, I’m sure they are.”

“She said I was going to live with you now. She said I’ll like living here.”

Her throat tight, Mia watched Connor moisten his lips before replying, “I hope you will. I’m very glad you’ve come to live with me, Alexis. I’m sorry I haven’t seen you before, but I didn’t know about you.”

“I know. Aunt Tricia told me.”

Mia couldn’t help wondering about the child’s composure, which seemed rather advanced for her years. Had she learned that skill from her aunt? Was she masking the fears and insecurities that would have been only natural under these circumstances? After all, her whole world had just been turned upside down. Yet she seemed to accept her new situation as easily as if she’d just changed clothes.

Mia worried a little that such repression couldn’t be good for a little girl. It had been traumatic enough for Connor and her to make these huge changes.

Mia had spent all day yesterday moving into one of the two spare bedrooms in Connor’s small frame house. The room had been unfurnished, so he’d helped her carry her own bedroom furniture in. The room was plenty large enough for her queen-size bed, dresser and chest, as well as a small bookcase to hold the books she had wanted to have with her there. There was a nice-size closet for her clothes. She had brought only the necessities for now, stashing her extra furniture and possessions in an inexpensive storage unit close by.

Alexis would sleep in an identical bedroom next door to Mia’s. Connor had already furnished that room as a guest room, with a bed, a dresser, a small writing desk and a bookcase, all furniture he said had belonged to his mother. The beddings were a plain navy blue and there were few decorations in the room. It hardly looked like a little girl’s room, but they’d agreed that they would remedy that after Alexis arrived, letting her help them decorate the room to her taste. They’d hoped that would make her feel more at home.

The small house had only one bathroom, but it was a nice-size one, and they figured they could come up with a schedule that would make it all work out. The bathroom was located in the back hallway with Connor’s room on one end and the two smaller rooms on the other side.

Both of them had braced themselves for a more difficult arrival. Mia had warned Connor that Alexis might cry or try to cling to her aunt when she was dropped off with two strangers. She suspected that Connor was as surprised as she was that the transition had been so easy.

Alexis looked around at Mia. “I’m still a little hungry.”

Mia smiled. “I’ll put the finishing touches on the spaghetti. Your dad can show you your bedroom.”

“Okay.”

Connor rose and picked up as many of the bags as he could carry in one trip. “You can bring your backpack, can’t you, Alexis?”

“Sure.” She slung the strap over her shoulder and followed as he led her out of the living room.

Still concerned that this was all going a bit too easily, Mia watched them leave the room. And then she turned toward the kitchen.

Sipping a glass of iced tea, Connor studied his daughter over the rim of his glass, trying to be surreptitious as he stared at her from across the table.

His daughter. When would those words stop sounding so foreign to him? When would it feel natural to have her here, to know that he was now responsible for everything concerning her?

She was a funny little thing. Maybe she’d spent too much time with adults. She seemed oddly mature for her age, occasionally using big words that sounded strange in her little-girl lisp. She’d been slightly pale when she arrived, and he’d thought he detected a bit of uncertainty in her eyes when she’d first looked up at him, but since then she’d been composed and seemingly satisfied with her new home.

He’d apologized for the lack of color in her bedroom, and she’d looked intrigued when he’d told her that Mia was going to take her shopping for new bedding and decorations. She’d seemed especially pleased that Mia would be sleeping just next door. He’d pointed out his own room to her as well. She’d spared only a glance in that direction.

“There’s a backyard you can play in,” he’d told her as they headed back to rejoin Mia for dinner. “It’s not very big, but it has a fence and a little patio with a table and chairs. There’s room for a swing set; I’ll get one for you, if you like.”

“I like to swing,” she had answered agreeably. “I had a swing set at my grandma’s house.”

“Then you’ll have one here,” he assured her, hoping he could find a good deal on a set. He could already tell that raising a child was going to be expensive. He’d been studying his finances ever since he’d learned that he would be doing so.

Haskell, the attorney, had informed him that Alexis had been the beneficiary of her grandmother’s insurance policy, so there was an account set up in the child’s name to help with expenses. Connor had wondered how Patricia had felt about that, but Patricia hadn’t seemed to hold any resentment when she’d given him the paperwork outside at the car. The envelope had also held Alexis’s birth certificate, Social Security card and immunization records, information he would need to enroll her in school.

The insurance policy had been for a hundred thousand dollars, he’d discovered somewhat to his surprise. That would go a long way in helping him out, but he had made a vow to himself not to touch it unless it became absolutely necessary. That money would be for Alexis’s future, for her college education. He could support his own daughter in the meantime—even if it was on medical school loan money that he would have to repay once he’d finally earned his M.D.

At least he didn’t have to worry about paying a mortgage. This house was small and located in an aging, working-class neighborhood, but it belonged to him. It had been a gift from his dad after Connor’s mother died. Connor’s father, Duncan Hayes, had sold the larger house where he’d lived with his wife for more than thirty years, saying he didn’t need a place that big just for himself, especially because he still traveled so much in his job.

Duncan had purchased a tidy condo for himself and had insisted on buying a place for Connor, who’d still been recovering from the expensive divorce. Knowing that Connor had been preparing medical school applications then, Duncan had called the house an inheritance from his late wife, who would be so proud of her son for finally pursuing his dreams. Put that way, Connor had been unable to refuse the generous gift, although he’d worried about whether his dad had put enough aside to fund his retirement. Duncan had brushed those concerns aside, saying his future was taken care of, and now it was time for Connor to concentrate on his own.

Of course, neither of them had known at the time that Connor would soon become fully responsible for someone other than himself.

“How’s your spaghetti, Alexis?” Mia asked to keep the conversation moving when Connor found himself with little to say.

“It’s good. I like the meatballs.”

Mia smiled. “I’m glad. They’re my mother’s recipe.”

“Is your mother in heaven, too?”

“No, sweetie. My mother lives in Hot Springs. That’s a little over an hour’s drive from here.”

“Oh. What about your daddy?” the child asked with a quick glance at Connor.

“He lives there, too. And I have a brother named Paul who lives near them with his wife, Carla. He has two children, an eight-year-old boy named Nicklaus and a nine-year-old girl named Caroline.”

“I’d like to meet them sometime.”

“I’m sure they would love to meet you, too,” Mia assured her. “I’ll take you to Hot Springs sometime soon. It’s an interesting town.”

“Okay.”

Connor realized that in the years he’d known Mia, he’d never met any of her family. Now he wondered why that was. Had she deliberately kept her friendship with him separate from her family life? Their mutual friends were all associated with their jobs—well, his former job—as teachers.

He wondered what she had told her family about her current living arrangements. How they had felt about what she’d done. He’d been so caught up in his own problems during the weekend that he hadn’t even thought to ask her.

“Tomorrow,” Mia said, still talking to Alexis, “I’m taking a day off my job as a teacher, and you and I will work in your room. Your dad has classes to attend in the morning, and then tomorrow afternoon he’s going to take you to enroll in school. You’d like to get back into school and start making some new friends, wouldn’t you?”

Alexis nodded. “I’m in the first grade. I can read a little. And I’m good at math.”

“I can already tell you’re a very bright girl,” Mia said approvingly.

“My teacher’s name was Miss Albertson. She said I was a very good student.”

Connor heard a touch of wistfulness in Alexis’s voice when she mentioned her teacher. She was probably going to miss her school and her friends there more than she wanted them to know. He hoped she would settle in quickly to her new school, and that she would make new friends there.

Mia looked at him, as though wondering why he’d grown so quiet and so somber. He forced a smile and tried to think of something worthwhile to contribute. “I’m in school, too, Alexis,” he said. “Did your aunt tell you that? I’m studying to become a doctor.”

Tilting her head, the child eyed him questioningly. “You’re kind of old to be in school,” she said after a moment.

He winced. “Well—”

Looking suddenly stricken, she added quickly, “You’re not too old, though. Probably everyone’s like you in doctor school.”

“It’s okay,” he assured her with a laugh. “You didn’t hurt my feelings. It’s sort of cool that we’re both going to school, isn’t it? And Mia’s a teacher, so we’ll all be at school every day.”

Reassured that she hadn’t said anything wrong, Alexis relaxed and took another big bite of her spaghetti. Connor concentrated on finishing his own meal. So far, he wasn’t exactly proving to be a natural at this. If he could barely carry on a mealtime conversation with the kid, how was he going to handle all the other millions of responsibilities that came with this job?

He thanked his lucky stars that he had Mia to help him.

Chapter Three

Mia helped Alexis unpack her bags after dinner while Connor studied in the living room. The child had brought a functional wardrobe of knits and jeans, plenty of new-looking underwear and socks and two nice dresses that still had price tags dangling. “Did your aunt take you shopping before you came?”

Alexis nodded. “She said I needed some new clothes. She bought me these sneakers, too. And the pretty black shoes for dress up.”

“That was nice of her.” Mia wondered if Patricia would miss her niece. If it had been at all difficult for her to give her up. It had been so hard to tell what the other woman was thinking.

Alexis unpacked the bag of toys, mostly dolls and accessories. She arranged them neatly on the shelves of the small bookcase, amusingly particular about their placement.

“You like dolls?”

Alexis nodded again. “I like to play school with them. I’m the teacher. That’s what I want to be when I grow up. Like you.”

“I’m sure you’ll be a wonderful teacher.”

The child yawned and rubbed her eyes. She’d had a very long day, Mia thought sympathetically. Quite an emotional upheaval as well, although she seemed to be handling it amazingly well. “You must be getting tired after your long day. Would you like to take a bath and put on your pajamas? I can read you a bedtime story, if you like.”

“My grandma always read to me.” Alexis unzipped her pink backpack and pulled out a handful of children’s books. “These are my favorites. We couldn’t bring them all because Aunt Tricia said there wasn’t room, but she let me bring these.”

Mia thought she’d have found a way to transport every one of the little girl’s personal possessions, but she kept the opinion to herself. She supposed Patricia had done the best she could for her niece. “Then we’ll read one of your favorites tonight.”

Half an hour later, Alexis was bathed and dressed in soft pink pajamas. She looked small and fragile with her little bare feet peeking out from beneath the hems of the slightly too-long pajama bottoms, her freshly washed-and-dried, blond-streaked hair waving around her rosy face. Looking at the child, Mia was struck by another wave of self-doubt. She had waded into all this responsibility on a generous impulse. Had she really done the right thing? For Alexis? For herself?

She cleared her throat, reminding herself that it was too late to deal with those issues now. Alexis was here and Mia had volunteered to care for her. This was no time to change her mind.

“Let’s go say good night to your daddy,” she suggested, “and then I’ll read you a story and tuck you in.”

“Okay.” Clutching Pete in her other arm, Alexis slipped her hand into Mia’s.

Wrapping her fingers around the little girl’s, Mia led her out of the bedroom.

Connor was immersed in his books in a familiar pose, and Mia hoped he would be able to pull himself out of his studies long enough to say a coherent good night to his daughter. She cleared her throat rather loudly as they entered the room. “Alexis wants to tell you good night.”

His hair disheveled, his jaw covered with an evening shadow, his eyes a little unfocused, Connor looked up from his notes. Mia’s heart tripped as the pure masculine appeal of him hit her, and she chided herself silently for reacting that way. First Alexis and now Connor had elicited very strong responses from her within the last ten minutes. She needed to settle down and remind herself why she was here.

The nanny, Patricia had called her, and while the term wasn’t exactly accurate, it was close enough. She needed to think of herself that way—not a part of this little family, but someone here to help them out.

Connor made a visible effort to concentrate on something other than his studies. “Is there anything you need before you turn in, Alexis?”

“No, thank you. Mia’s going to read me a story.”

“Yeah? That’s nice of her.” He gave Mia a quick smile of gratitude before looking at his daughter again. “You let us know if there’s anything you need tonight, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Good night, Alexis.”

“’Night.” She didn’t add “Daddy.” Mia realized the child had yet to refer to Connor by that term. Not so odd, of course. After all, he was still basically a stranger to her.

“Maybe you’d like to give her a good-night kiss?” she prodded, thinking they needed to get past this awkward, reserved stage quickly if Alexis was going to feel safe and secure in her new home.

“Oh, yeah, sure.”

Alexis glanced up a bit uncertainly at Mia. Smiling encouragingly down at her, Mia led her to the couch. Connor leaned over to brush a light kiss on Alexis’s cheek. “Good night.”

“’Night,” she said again.

It was a start, Mia figured. With a little nod to Connor, she turned and walked with Alexis out of the room.

Alexis looked even smaller in the big bed with the dark linens around her. They were definitely going to have to lighten things up in here, Mia decided, thinking a shopping trip was in order at the earliest opportunity. “Which book would you like to hear tonight?”

Without even stopping to consider, Alexis replied, “Green Eggs and Ham.”

“That sounds good.” Mia plucked the book from the stack and stretched out beside the girl. Alexis rested her head trustingly against Mia’s arm as she began to read, holding the book so Alexis could see the pictures. She read in a quiet, soothing tone, and Alexis was almost asleep by the time the story ended.

Sliding off the bed, Mia tucked the covers snugly around the child and her treasured stuffed cat. “I’ll be sleeping right next door if you need anything tonight,” she reminded her. “Just call out or come get me.”

“Okay.”

“Do you want me to leave the night-light on?” She’d brought the night-light herself, a whimsical little glass unicorn that plugged into an outlet and glowed a soothing blue. It had been a gift from one of her students last year and she’d thought a child would appreciate the soft illumination in a strange place.

“Yes, please. And could you leave the door open so you can hear me if I call you?”