His Baby, Her Heart

Dena shivered.

She had never before understood the attraction between her half sister and Alex. But now she saw that, far from being a chilly Chandler, Alex radiated concern and kindness.

And his unexpected tenderness made her want to…want to…kiss him.

She tore her mind away from the thought. Alex didn’t care about her. He simply wanted this baby. She was merely the vessel.

Closing her eyes, Dena visualized a tiny baby implanting itself inside her. The baby had Alex’s chiseled good looks and a little lock of blond hair. She smiled at the idea of a mini-Alex growing inside her.

But suddenly she wasn’t visualizing baby Alex anymore and was instead thinking about his father. Making love to her.

Dena’s eyes popped open. She was having a romantic fantasy about arctic Alex Chandler?

She must be certifiable!

Dear Reader,

I’m dreaming of summer vacations—of sitting by the beach, dangling my feet in a lake, walking on a mountain or curling up in a hammock. And in each vision, I have a Silhouette Romance novel, and I’m happy. Why don’t you grab a couple and join me? And in each book take a look at our Silhouette Makes You a Star contest!

We’ve got some terrific titles in store for you this month. Longtime favorite author Cathie Linz has developed some delightful stories with U.S. Marine heroes and Stranded with the Sergeant is appealing and fun. Cara Colter has the second of her THE WEDDING LEGACY titles for you. The Heiress Takes a Husband features a rich young woman who’s struggling to prove herself—and the handsome attorney who lends a hand.

Arlene James has written over fifty titles for Silhouette Books, and her expertise shows. So Dear to My Heart is a tender, original story of a woman finding happiness again. And Karen Rose Smith—another popular veteran—brings us Doctor in Demand, about a wounded man who’s healed by the love of a woman and her child.

And two newer authors round out the list! Melissa McClone’s His Band of Gold is an emotional realization of the power of love, and Sue Swift debuts in Silhouette Romance with His Baby, Her Heart, in which a woman agrees to fulfill her late sister’s dream of children. It’s an unusual and powerful story that is part of our THE BABY’S SECRET series.

Enjoy these stories, and make time to appreciate yourselves in your hectic lives! Have a wonderful summer.

Happy reading!

Mary-Theresa Hussey

Senior Editor

His Baby, Her Heart

Sue Swift

www.millsandboon.co.uk

For my parents,

Sheila and Sheldon Swift,

two extraordinary people

SUE SWIFT

A criminal defense attorney for twenty years, Sue Swift always sensed a creative wellspring bubbling inside her, but didn’t find her niche until attending a writing class with master teacher Bud Gardner. Within a short time, Sue realized her creative outlet was romance fiction. Since she began writing her first novel in November 1996, she’s sold two books and two short stories.

The 2001 president of the Sacramento Chapter of the Romance Writers of America, Sue credits the RWA, its many wonderful programs and the help of its experienced writers for her new career as a romance novelist. She also lectures to women’s and writers’ groups on various topics relating to the craft of writing.

Her hobbies are hiking, bodysurfing and kenpo karate, in which she’s earned a second-degree black belt. Sue and her real-live hero of a husband maintain homes in northern California and Maui, Hawaii. You may write to Sue at P.O. Box 241, Citrus Heights, CA 95611-0241. Or, you can contact her by visiting the author area of our Web site at www.MillsandBoon.co.uk.

Dear Reader,

This letter is about milestones—milestones on the road of life.

I’ve been lucky. All my milestones have been joyous ones: school graduations; the beautiful afternoon in Hawaii when my husband asked me to marry him; our wedding day.

In terms of personal accomplishments, few milestones compare with the day my editor phoned to tell me Silhouette wanted this book for their Romance line. I was delighted to join the Mills & Boon/Silhouette “family” of writers.

Some manuscripts represent months, even years, of struggle. The book you hold in your hands was a pleasure to create. The first draft was written in two months. The birth of Alex and Dena’s story was one of the shortest, happiest labors in history. Certainly His Baby, Her Heart came into the world more easily than did baby Tami, their child.

This book is about a very special baby.

This book, my first for Silhouette, is a very special baby.

I worked hard on His Baby, Her Heart and hope you enjoy the fruit of my labor.

Best wishes,

Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Epilogue

Prologue

“I, Tamara Cohen Chandler, being of sound mind…”

Alex Chandler sat, numbed to the last ritual accompanying his wife’s death. The presence of other family members in the wood-paneled law office receded to the back of his mind. He heard traffic outside the building bustling down Alhambra Boulevard, but the Sacramento rush hour seemed a thousand miles away.

“It is my dearest wish that my husband, Alexander Chandler, and my beloved half sister, Dena Cohen Randolph, cease the animosity between them.”

To Alex’s right, he could see Dena Randolph vainly brush at several dog hairs marring the sleeve of her black jacket. Alex tried to repress his disdain. Why couldn’t the woman ever make herself presentable?

He’d tried to hide his dislike for his sister-in-law from Tamara. Evidently he’d failed.

“I request that Dena act as surrogate mother and carry to term one of my embryos, fertilized by Alexander Chandler.”

“What?” Shock cracked Alex’s leaden wall of grief.

Dena jerked upright, as though zapped with a live cattle prod. “As if I don’t have enough problems already,” she murmured.

Alex reluctantly sympathized. With four-year-old twins and their disappearing father, Dena’s plate was full.

Her green eyes widened with bewilderment. “Did you know this was coming, Alex?”

He shook his head. “Tamara changed her will shortly after she was diagnosed. At the time, I didn’t know what she did, and I didn’t care. I was focused on her chemo, hoping she’d recover.” Alex frowned. He’d worshiped his wife, but knew that sweet, well-meaning Tamara had also been manipulative and very, very smart. What on earth had she planned? Why?

“Well, I…I can’t.” Dena placed a hand on her stomach, as if caressing an imaginary pregnancy. “I know Tamara wanted a baby, but…I just can’t bear a child and then walk away. Not even for Tami. Maybe you can find someone else, Alex.”

He breathed deeply, striving for calmness in the face of sudden chaos. He’d do anything to make his wife’s dreams a reality, however distasteful Dena Randolph might be. Why didn’t she feel the same commitment to Tamara’s memory?

“Further,” the attorney continued, “I bequeath my one-half ownership of said embryos to Dena Randolph with the specific instruction that only Dena be implanted with them.”

Dena went white, pale cheeks contrasting with her Titian-red hair. Alex couldn’t blame her. He felt faint himself. What had Tamara done? She’d snared them both. Now he and Dena owned the precious embryos.

“For medical costs, Dena’s support during the pregnancy, and for the support of the baby, I hereby provide the sum of three hundred thousand dollars, to be managed by Alexander Chandler.”

Dena blinked. Then blinked again, trying to reconnect with reality. Interiors by Tamara, her sister’s business, must have been lucrative. But Dena’s world revolved around her kids, not money.

She’d opened her mouth to turn it down flat when the attorney said, “In addition, I hereby bequeath the sum of two hundred thousand dollars to be held by Dena for the benefit of Miriam and Jackson Randolph, my beloved niece and nephew.”

Dena sagged in her chair. Tamara had known Dena would dig ditches with her teeth for her children, if necessary. But she wouldn’t have to, not with this generous bequest. The funds would pay for cars and college, maybe even help buy them homes, luxuries her small landscaping business could never support.

Tamara had adored the kids, so no strings were attached to the trust. But Dena’s conscience wouldn’t let her rest if she didn’t ponder her sister’s last request. How could she repay such generosity with a refusal to grant Tami’s dying wish?

Could she resist the money, which would provide so much for her sweet darlings?

Dena sucked in a deep breath, then peeked at Alex Chandler. With every blond hair in place, he sat rigidly, as if a poker had been shoved up his…

Yes, she could resist. Dena didn’t want Alex, the android accountant, in her life. Eyeing him, she hesitated. “I won’t have to sleep with you, will I?” She’d rather snuggle with a cyborg.

A glimmer of a smile twitched Alex’s set lips. “I don’t think so. Our fertilized embryos are stored at her gynecologist’s office. He defrosts them, implants a couple, and away we go.” He gestured, exposing a perfectly starched French cuff secured by onyx links.

Dena dropped her head into her hands, digging her fingers through her hair. “I can’t believe it. What if one of us says no?”

“No baby, and Tamara loses her lifelong dream.”

“Oh, no,” Dena moaned. Tears burned behind lids already swollen from crying. She fumbled for a tissue. “Oh, Tami. Why me?”

Alex flicked imaginary lint from his immaculate, pinstriped sleeve. Not a shred of emotion showed on his too-handsome face. “You’re her half sister and, in her opinion, a great mother. She remarked often that she admired how easily you carried the twins.”

“That’s true. It was pretty easy, considering everything.” Considering that Dena had been dumped by her cheating ex-husband, for whom Lamaze was something a mouse ran through to get cheese. She winced. “But another child? I have my hands full already.”

“It wouldn’t be your child, Dena, but mine. Tamara trusted you to carry our baby to term and then give him up for me to raise.” Alex’s blue eyes gleamed, vivid and intense.

“I’m not a—a brood mare. I don’t know if I can have a child and give it up.” Dena couldn’t keep a tremble out of her voice.

“You have to,” Alex said. “This was your sister’s last wish. How can you say no?”

Chapter One

Six months later

On a chilly, bright March day, Alex sat in his attorney’s office, waiting for Dena Randolph. She was late—as usual. If Tamara hadn’t selected her half sister as their surrogate mother, Alex would have found someone more punctual.

Alex sipped stale coffee and tried to squelch his irritation. Had Dena shown up on time, the meeting would have concluded during his lunch hour. More than anything else, Alex wanted to go back to his office, bury himself in his work and forget how much he still missed Tamara.

Attorney Gary Kagan passed a sheaf of papers across his desk to Alex. “You can review the contract while we wait for Ms. Randolph.”

Alex skimmed the closely typed pages. He’d wanted a contract so Dena would understand her place in the scheme of things. Dena, interfering and bossy, had off-beat ideas about child-rearing.

And her kids…Alex grimaced. He loved his niece and nephew, but the four-year-olds always seemed to be sticky, dirty, lost or in trouble. They were hardly poster children for Dena’s parenting style.

Alex flipped through the pages. He saw everything he’d requested: the clauses stating what Dena had to do during the pregnancy, and what she couldn’t do after the baby was born—namely, have unsupervised contact with his child or control over it. Gary had taken several months to draft what looked like a complex document.

“What happens if she doesn’t sign it?” Alex asked.

Gary shrugged. “Both of you own the embryos, see? If she doesn’t sign it, you don’t cooperate. If you don’t cooperate, no baby, and Tamara’s dream dies right here.”

Alex frowned. “That’s rather blunt.”

“That’s life. Let me tell you—”

A loud pop interrupted Gary.

Alex’s body involuntarily jerked. “Hey, are there gangbangers around here?” he asked his attorney.

“Only at night.”

The chug of an overtaxed engine vibrated through the window. Alex cautiously scrambled over to the glass, then peeked through the pane.

Peering past a clipped hedge, he could see a battered yellow pickup, with fanciful vines and flowers painted on it in vivid rainbow colors. Dena’s Gardens was stenciled in purple on the door. Dena’s pickup backfired again as she reversed into a nearby parking space. Black smoke billowed from the muffler. Alex wondered if the pickup complied with California’s strict antismog laws. Probably not, knowing Dena.

He raised his brows. “Guess who.”

Gary joined Alex at the window. “She really ought to replace that old clunker pretty soon.”

“She’d better. I won’t have the mother of my child riding around in that piece of junk. It looks dangerous.”

The door of the truck squealed as Dena opened it. Hinges need oil or something, Alex thought. He kept some in the trunk of his car. He’d take care of that squeak before she left.

Alex watched Dena climb down from the cab of the truck. Her faded jeans had dirt ground into the knees. She wore heavy work boots. He winced.

Dena strode toward the building that housed the office of Alex’s attorney. The grind and clatter of her work boots on the pavement echoed her tripping heart.

She’d have this baby for her sister’s sake, but she wanted to avoid involvement with Alex Chandler. Unfortunately, the two goals were incompatible, thrusting her into a messy situation for at least nine months. More, actually, since after the baby’s birth, she couldn’t evade responsibility for the child and didn’t plan to try. She’d become an auntie, and in her mind, that implied a bond of love and trust that would tie everyone together…including Alex.

Dena sighed inwardly and wondered, for the umpteenth time, why her clever, talented sister had married Alex. Sure, he was good-looking, if you liked the icy, Nordic type. But Tamara, who’d been more beautiful than any Miss America, could have chosen anyone in the world for her mate.

Why Alex, the chilly Chandler? Lately he’d become even more remote, responding to phone calls curtly, if at all. Certain that he suffered over Tamara’s passing, Dena hadn’t pushed him out of his protective shell.

Dena yanked open the glass door of the brick-fronted building a little too hard. It whacked against a wall, but she ignored the bang in favor of her roiling thoughts.

What kind of a parent would Alex be? Unnerved, Dena stopped short in the middle of the carpeted lobby. She didn’t want her baby niece or nephew growing up into a Popsicle person like Alex.

She better make sure this kid had all the love every child deserved.

Dena straightened her shoulders, firmed her resolve and marched into Gary Kagan’s office. She forced a smile onto her face to disguise the determination in her heart.

When Dena entered, Alex, already irritated due to her lateness, couldn’t behave cordially to her no matter how hard he tried. Her messy red mop, carelessly pinned at the top of her head in a knot, had started to fall down. Tendrils of her hair framed her face in a manner Alex knew some men might find sexy, sensual. But not Alex. Dena Randolph wasn’t his type. She’d never be his type. Ever.

“Alex, Mr. Kagan,” she greeted them, sounding a little breathless.

“Gary, please.” His attorney puffed out his thin chest.

She gave him a dazzling, Rita Hayworth smile. “Gary.”

Was it Alex’s imagination, or did she add a sultry slur to the name? He hoped not. The mother of his child would have no business running around with other men. Alex expected Dena to live a quiet, safe life while she carried his baby.

He cleared his throat. “Good afternoon, Dena.”

“Hiya.” She plopped into a plush green chair in front of Gary’s desk and picked up the contract. “So, is this the dastardly document?”

Gary laughed, and Dena winked at him. Alex didn’t like her come-hither look. Hopefully his child wouldn’t flirt. If the baby was a girl, he’d keep her at home until she was thirty.

“I hope you don’t find it dastardly.” Gary resumed his seat behind the desk.

“So it’s an amiable agreement instead.” She grinned.

“We think it’s quite reasonable.” Alex sat in a chair next to hers, then immediately regretted his action. She didn’t smell like a person who’d labored that morning, but like a woman. A very sensual woman, with a fresh, flowery scent.

He sat back in his chair, hoping to escape her fragrant aura. He didn’t want to enjoy Dena’s aroma, her aura, or her anything. She was his wife’s sister. Her half sister, but still…Dena? Attractive? No. Never.

Raising an eyebrow, she flipped through the pages. She didn’t appear to read it at all. “Is this the usual kind of contract for this situation?”

“There really isn’t a usual kind of contract for this. Surrogate motherhood isn’t that common. There aren’t many standard contracts. Believe me, I looked.” Gary fiddled with a pen. “I drafted one from scratch.”

“Termination of all parental rights,” Dena read aloud. “What’s that?”

“In essence, Alex will raise the child and be financially responsible for him or her.” Gary nodded at Alex.

Alex tensed. The clause meant much more than that. If Dena signed, she’d be giving up the baby.

“That goes without saying.” Dena sighed. “I’d love more kids, but I can’t afford them.”

Alex relaxed. “If this surrogacy is successful, perhaps you will be able to manage another child. Tamara left the twins a substantial sum of money.”

Dena’s lips tightened. “This has nothing to do with money. The baby was my sister’s dying wish.”

“So it was,” Alex said in a smooth tone of voice. He wanted to soothe Dena’s unsettled feelings.

“What’s this? No unsupervised contact with the baby?” Dena glared at him, eyes glittering like shards of green glass. “Are you kidding? This is my flesh and blood we’re talking about.”

He exchanged a glance with Gary. Dena wasn’t going to be a pushover.

Alex kept his voice calm. “How many aunts have unsupervised time with nieces and nephews?”

“Plenty. Tamara often took my kids to the zoo and to the park, remember? I wasn’t there to supervise. ” Sarcasm sharpened her voice.

Alex sighed. Dena was right. Tamara had adored Jack and Miri. The twins had been a big part of her desire for children of her own.

“Besides, you’ll want me to help with the baby.”

Alex tried not to look superior. “I doubt that.”

She lost the angry sparkle in her eyes. “So you think you know it all, huh, Alex?” She started to laugh.

“I’m sure I can raise my child without your assistance. You handle two, don’t you? Why can’t I take care of one?”

Her giggles continuing, she groped in her pocket and pulled out a tissue. “Oh, no problem. You’ll have no problem at all. I’m sure you can raise this kid all by yourself. After all, you did so well with the twins.” She dabbed at the tears of laughter leaking from the corners of her eyes, visibly trying to control her mirth.

Alex felt himself reddening.

Gary looked interested. “What about the twins?”

“One time when Alex and Tamara took my son and daughter to Land Park, Tamara took Miriam to Fairy Tale Town and Alex had responsibility for Jack. When Alex wasn’t paying attention—”

“He sneaked out of the men’s room. I was…indisposed. And it was just for a few seconds! It could have happened to anyone.”

Dena grinned. “Jack found his way to the Land Park zoo and tried to climb onto the chimps’ cage. All the zookeepers said he was very charming. Apparently he entertained a large crowd of people, giving the chimps screeching lessons.”

Alex glowered. “My child won’t be like that.” Especially if I keep you away.

“Of course not.” Dena’s tone was patronizing. “Your baby will be a perfect paragon of all the virtues under your wise guidance.”

Gary laughed. Alex glared at his attorney, who was supposed to be on his side.

“And what about breast-feeding?” Dena asked.

“Breast-feeding?” Alex had never in his life given any thought to the subject. Breast-feeding. He stared at Dena’s chest. He envisioned his baby sucking from one of her breasts, which were now snugly clad in a worn yellow T-shirt with the purple Dena’s Gardens logo on the front.

He’d never checked out Dena’s breasts, but they were high, round breasts, perky and, well, touchable. They’d fit nicely in his hands.

He didn’t want this fantasy. Adjusting his trousers, he pushed the image away, quick. Hot, he inserted a finger into his too-tight collar and tugged it away from his throat.

“I won’t breast-feed with an audience.” Dena folded her arms across her chest. “Makes me nervous. If I’m nervous, it affects the flow. You want your baby to breast-feed, right? That’s very important.”

“She’s right. Breast-feeding is very important.” Gary gawked at Dena, hunger clear in his eyes.

Alex drew in a breath, then let it out slowly, trying to slow his galloping pulse. “Okay, you’re right. Cross it out.”

“Thank you.” With an air of triumph, Dena plucked the pen from Gary’s fingers and scribbled out the offending clause. She dropped the pen back onto the desk.

Struggling to ignore Alex’s disturbing presence, Dena lowered her gaze to the contract. From the first day they’d met, he’d ruffled her nerves, with his disapproving attitude and disparaging comments. She resolved not to let him get to her.

But that would be hard, very hard. Alex was a handsome man, if a little cold. But his recent experiences had cracked his corporate-clone shell, letting an appealing vulnerability show through. His blue eyes held a new maturity—

Cut this out, Dena! He’s not for you!

Alex waited, anxious, as Dena continued to read. She rested her chin on her palm. The light caught her cheekbone, emphasizing its elegant curve. So like Tamara’s. He gulped.

Tamara had been a slight sylph of a woman, a petite blonde with dainty features and hair like moonbeams. Tall, voluptuous Dena had always struck Alex as a larger, rougher version of his refined wife.

Now he found himself seeing Dena in a new way. The shape of her face. The tilt of her shimmering green eyes. In fact—

“Alex, this is very interesting.” Dena raised a confused gaze from the contract. “You want to be my La-maze partner?”

“Of course. Who else?”

“Mom went with me for the twins.”

“Where was Steve?” Alex asked before he remembered Dena’s husband had left her when he discovered she was pregnant with twins. Alex would rather have bitten off his tongue than remind Dena of that dark period in her life. “I’m sorry.”