Cinderella For A Night

Jonathan thanked the man for his information, then returned to the waiting area. Betsy Morgan gazed at him with hopeful eyes.

“That was the police,” he said. “They’ve located the poison and now the doctors will have a clear idea about what to do for an antidote.”

“Thank you for telling me.” She looked at him as if seeing him for the first time. “You must be exhausted,” she said. “You don’t have to stay here with us.”

He glanced from her to her three kids, huddled together, united by fear of losing their older sister. He might not be much, but from what he could tell, he was all they had.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he told Betsy. “Not until Cynthia is out of danger.

They all gathered around Cynthia’s bed and waited. Even Detective Stryker lingered in the hallway. It was Monday afternoon. Cynthia had been unconscious for thirty-six hours, although in the past few hours she’d showed signs of coming to.

Jonathan stayed near the back of the room. He felt like an interloper at this very private family event. But every time he tried to leave, Betsy dragged him back.

“Don’t even think about it,” she said when he once again inched toward the door. “You stuck with us through the last couple of days. The least we can do is let you be here when she wakes up.”

“Mommy, look!”

One of the twins cried out as Cynthia tossed her head and muttered under her breath.

Betsy was at her side in an instant. She took her daughter’s hand. “Come on, honey. Wake up. You have us all worried and we just want to make sure that you’re feeling better. Then you can sleep some more. Come on, Cynthia. Wake up.”

Jenny and the two boys stood pressed against one side of the bed while Betsy stood guard on the other. Jonathan leaned against the wall by the door and Stryker made calls on his cell phone from the hallway.

“Mom?”

He looked up in time to see Cynthia’s eyelids flutter then open. Betsy beamed at her oldest, tears pouring down her cheeks.

“Why are you crying?” Cynthia asked, then turned to her right and saw Jenny and the boys. “Hey, what are you three doing here?” She blinked. “What am I doing here?”

“You’ve been sick,” her mother said as she stroked her daughter’s face. “But you’re going to be fine and that’s what matters.”

Cynthia shifted slightly on the bed. “Sick? I guess I don’t feel great, but it’s not so bad. My stomach hurts, though. I remember…” Her voice trailed off. “I was at the party and talking to Jonathan Steele. His brother died. I wanted to make sure he was all right before I came home and…”

Her gaze moved around the room and settled on him. Her eyes widened. “Is that really you?”

He pushed away from the wall and leaned against the foot of her bed. “Last time I checked.”

She gave him a weak smile. “What are you doing here?”

He jerked his head toward her family. “They’ve been really worried about you. I stayed because I thought maybe you really were trying to turn into a pumpkin.”

His joke earned him a faint giggle.

He stepped back to let the others have more time with her. Now that she was awake and obviously feeling better he told himself it was time to leave. After all, she would want to be with her family, not some stranger she’d just met.

But it was more difficult to go than he’d thought. Something about the people clustered together around the bed called to him. He wanted to stand close and be a part of the moment. Which was ten kinds of crazy. He didn’t need them. He didn’t need anyone.

He glanced once more at the bed, taking in Jenny’s big smile and Cynthia’s delicate features. She was a little pale, but otherwise as pretty as she’d been the night he’d met her. A lot had happened since then.

“Everybody happy?” Stryker asked from the doorway.

“Looks that way.” Jonathan stepped out into the hall to join the detective. “She’s awake, which Dr. Howell said was the next step in her recovery. He’ll check on her tonight. She might be released in the morning.”

“Then we’re down to the final details,” Stryker told him. “You’ll be hearing from protective services this evening. They’ll want to get things going as quickly as possible.”

Jonathan stared at the man. “What are you talking about?”

“The baby.”

Jonathan heard the word, but it didn’t make any sense. “What baby?”

“David and Lisa’s son. Your nephew.”

Stryker kept talking but Jonathan wasn’t listening. A baby? He vaguely remembered David talking about Lisa being pregnant. He’d received a notification of the birth, along with a letter requesting a gift, but nothing else. He and David didn’t spend much time together so he’d never actually seen his nephew.

“He’s been in a temporary foster home for the last couple of days,” the detective was saying, “but you’re welcome to take custody anytime you’d like. As far as we can tell, you’re his only living relative.”

“There has to be someone else,” Jonathan said forcefully. “I don’t know anything about babies.”

“Then you’d better learn, Jonathan, because you’re his new legal guardian.”

Chapter 4

“They’re very beautiful,” Betsy said as she fussed over the huge bouquet that had been delivered to her daughter’s room late that afternoon.

Cynthia leaned back in her hospital bed and gazed at the exotic flowers. “I agree.” She grinned. “I don’t even know what half of them are. I recognize starburst lilies and the roses, but what are those little waxy things? And all that purple puffy stuff?”

Betsy smiled at her. “Purple puffy stuff? Is that the official Latin name?”

“I guess it is for us.”

Her mother moved to the side of her bed and patted her hand. “You seemed to have made an impression on Jonathan Steele.”

“You think?” Cynthia asked, not meeting Betsy’s gaze.

Thirty-six hours of unconsciousness had left her brain a little foggy. Certain events leading up to her passing out after drinking the poison weren’t as clear as they could be. She remembered going to the ball and then meeting and dancing with Jonathan. She definitely remembered their kiss…perhaps in more detail than she should. But she didn’t recall much more than stomach cramps, then waking up to find her entire family and Jonathan waiting in her hospital room.

“He stayed here the whole time you were unconscious,” Betsy told her. She sighed and touched her daughter’s cheek. “For a while they weren’t sure you were going to make it and I didn’t see how I could survive that. I was closer to falling apart than I would like to admit and your Mr. Steele was very supportive.”

Cynthia felt a flare of heat on her cheeks. “He’s not my anything.”

“Then why the flowers?”

Cynthia returned her gaze to the beautiful display. “I guess he’s just a nice man.”

Her mother took her hand in hers and squeezed it slightly. “I’d have to agree with you on that.”

Jenny, Brad and Brett returned from their trip to the hospital cafeteria for dessert. The boys gave their mother an elaborate description of the piece of pie they’d each had. Jenny was quieter, hanging back until Cynthia patted the edge of her mattress and urged her to sit down.

“I’m fine,” she said quietly when the thirteen-year-old settled gingerly next to her. “I know it was scary, especially when no one knew what was wrong, but I’m okay now.”

Big blue eyes stared at her face. Jenny flashed a quick smile, showing a mouthful of braces. “I know you’re better, but for a while it was awful.” She glanced at their mother. “If Mr. Steele hadn’t been here, I think Mom would have lost it. But he stuck around and made sure we all ate and stuff.” Jenny flicked her long blond hair behind her shoulders.

Despite the age difference, she and Jenny were close. Cynthia had missed her terribly the year she’d been working in Chicago. Since Frank’s death three years ago, Cynthia had been living in Grand Springs, giving her and Jenny a chance to renew their special relationship.

“I’ll be home in the morning,” she reminded her sister. “Life will be back to normal and you won’t have an excuse to miss school.”

“I’m glad you mentioned that,” Betsy said as she ruffled Brett’s short blond hair. “Visiting hours are about over and we need to get going. These three need a good night’s sleep so they can be alert for classes tomorrow.”

“Ah, Mom,” Brad said. He puffed out his lower lip in an effort to show his mother how much the news distressed him, but she wasn’t the least bit impressed.

“No ‘ah Mom’s’ from you, young man.” But her warm hug belied the stern tone of her voice. Both freckle-faced boys clung to her for a brief embrace before turning to their oldest sister.

“See you tomorrow, Cyn,” Brad said. Brett leaned down and hugged her.

She squeezed the twin boys, then gave them each a smile. “I’ll be home by the time you get back from school. Everything is going to be fine. You’ll see.”

It took a couple of minutes for the Morgan family to finish their goodbyes, but just before the end of visiting hours, Cynthia finally found herself alone. She sank back against her pillow and sighed with contentment. Despite the potential tragedy of what had happened to her, everything had turned out well. She was nearly recovered from the poison and Dr. Howell had assured her there would be no long-term effects. Her body felt a little achy and her stomach would take a few days to settle down, but they were minor complaints.

As she pulled the sheet and blanket up to her chin, Cynthia turned her attention to the extravagant display of flowers by the window. They had arrived that afternoon with a handwritten note from Jonathan Steele. He’d ducked out that morning, shortly after she’d regained consciousness. Now, after everyone was gone, she was willing to admit that she’d been hoping he might stop by and see her before she left in the morning. But that wasn’t likely. Jonathan had a very busy life. They were practically strangers. He’d already been so kind to her family.

But all those reasons weren’t enough to ease her faint sense of disappointment. She’d wanted to see him again. Mostly because she knew she would never have another chance. They’d lived their entire lives in the same town and had never run into each other before. That wasn’t about to change.

“Oh well,” she said softly and closed her eyes. “Obviously I should have left my shoe at the ball or something.”

She waited for sleep to claim her. She’d nearly drifted off when she heard her door open quietly, followed by the sound of footsteps on the linoleum.

She opened her eyes and blinked at her visitor. Jonathan Steele—tall, darkly handsome and carrying a large stuffed bear—stood at the foot of her bed.

“I couldn’t tell if you were really asleep or just pretending,” he teased, then glanced over his shoulder toward the door. “I’m here after hours over the protest of your nurse. She made me promise to stay no more than ten minutes. If I violate that, she’s threatening bodily harm. Have you seen her? I think she could take me.”

Cynthia found herself giggling even as her entire body tingled with delight. “Thank you for visiting me.” Then she remembered her hospital gown, her lack of makeup and the fact that her hair must look like a visual “ode to a rat’s nest.”

“I’m a mess,” she said, trying to smooth her bangs.

Jonathan pulled a chair up close to the bed and sat down. “Neither of us think you’re anything but very lovely,” he said, handing her the stuffed bear. “This is Alfie. He was put into one of those programs that release animals back into the wild, but he decided he would rather live with an attractive blond woman who works with children. I instantly thought of you. I hope you don’t mind.”

She wrapped her arms around the cuddly bear. “I don’t mind at all. Thank you for him. And for the flowers. They’re beautiful.” She eyed the bouquet. “I’m not sure they’ll fit in the car.”

“I can rent you a truck if you need it.”

“Gee, thanks.” She pushed the control panel and raised her bed so that she was nearly in a sitting position. “And thank you for all your help with my family. Everyone says you were terrific. My mom says she was on the verge of falling apart and you helped her keep it all together.”

Jonathan dismissed the comment with a flick of his hand. “No problem. All I did was go for coffee and keep the kids fed.”

She shook her head. “You stayed. We’re strangers to you and yet you stayed. That means a lot.”

He leaned back in his plastic chair. During the time he’d been away he’d changed from his tux and had showered and shaved. Now a white shirt emphasized the width of his shoulders, while worn jeans outlined narrow hips and strong thighs. She wouldn’t have thought of a rich powerful guy like him wearing jeans, but she had to admit he could easily have modeled them on billboards across the country. Men might not be impressed but most women would have slowed to take a second look.

But it wasn’t just his body that got her attention. He wore his short, dark hair in layers. The hints of silver at the temple gave him a distinguished air. She found herself wondering if it was possible to get lost in his gray-blue eyes. She would have thought the color could be cold and distant, but on him it was warm and welcoming.

“I don’t think my actions qualify me for sainthood,” he said, “but thank you for the compliment.”

“I’m impressed you weren’t overwhelmed by my family.” She smiled. “The boys, especially. Most people have trouble telling them apart and when they decide to get into trouble, there’s no stopping them.”

“They were on their best behavior. I think you had them scared.”

“I guess you’re right.” She relaxed against her pillow. “When I was little, I was an only child. I was so happy when my mom had Jenny and then the boys. We’re a close family.”

His expression hardened. She couldn’t read what he was thinking, but she knew that she’d reminded him of something unpleasant.

“I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “That made you think of your brother. You’re still in shock about his death.”

“Among other things,” he admitted. He hesitated, then leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “David and Lisa have a son. Colton. He’s three or four months old. Apparently I’m his only relative, and therefore his guardian.”

Cynthia beamed at him. “How wonderful! Oh, Jonathan, this is great. You’re going to have a piece of your brother in your life. As Colton grows up you’ll be able to see parts of David in him. You must be so relieved to know you’re going to have your nephew living with you.”

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