Instant Dad

But she was having none of it. Shaking her head, she smiled at him again. “No, absolutely not. No snowstorm. Spring is here.”

She walked over to her window and gestured out into her backyard where birds were chirping in the trees. “Look at all those birds. Would they be here if snow was coming?”

He followed her, then stood by her side, looking down. There were birds all right. Flocks of them. “You think birds have an inside track on the weather?” he grumbled.

“No, not really.” She frowned, considering, and he noticed her delicate eyebrows. She didn’t pluck them. She didn’t have to. They were perfect.

“But are you trying to tell me there’s no order in the universe?” she asked him, sighing softly. “That it’s all anarchy?” Her eyes clouded.

He felt a twinge of remorse. It was pretty obvious she needed order to feel secure. There was no reason to be so churlish, he supposed. She hadn’t done anything to him. Not yet, anyway.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” he admitted gruffly. “But I don’t think birds know all that much more than we do about it.”

She was still staring at him as though she were hoping to find some kind of answer in his eyes, and he moved uncomfortably, trying to avoid her gaze but unable to look away himself.

“They have instincts,” she said as though she’d just thought of it.

He shrugged. Why did this seem to be so important to her? “So do we,” he muttered, tearing his gaze away and scowling out the window.

She laughed softly, turning away, as well. “You’re right I’m sorry. I get carried away with these things sometimes.”

Afraid that she’d embarrassed him by getting a little too familiar, she glanced back. He was still frowning. His face, the set of his shoulders, everything said don’t tread on me, and she suppressed a smile. He was a good-looking man in his way, though she hadn’t noticed at first. Probably because of the long hair. But he was certainly a strong-looking man, his hands square and chiseled, his shoulders wide and western. He could have been a cowboy riding into Denver a hundred years ago, or a miner coming in off the high country with a sack of gold in his belt.

A throwback, she thought to herself. In this hightech age you didn’t see many like him any longer.

“Never mind,” she said quickly, hoping to put him at ease. “I’ll get going.”

She headed for the door, her handmade leather shoes sinking into the plush carpeting. “I’ll leave you to your measuring and your plans. Please let me see what you’ve worked out when you’re finished. I’ll be downstairs.”

“Sure will,” he said, watching her go, but she didn’t turn or smile or anything. She just kept going, and then she was gone.

He swore softly to himself. He hadn’t figured her out yet and he’d thought it was going to be easy. From what Jenny had told him, he’d expected to find a cold fish with rigid views, a sort of wicked witch of the Rockies. He’d been prepared to despise her. Obviously the judgment wasn’t that simple. Still, there was time. There was plenty of time. From what he’d been able to find out, Jenny’s baby wasn’t due for another week or so. He would have to make a decision by then.

Meanwhile, he had some woodworking to do.

Two

Sara glanced upstairs. She could hear the carpenter moving something in the baby’s room and she hesitated, tempted to run up and see what was going on. But she thought better of it. Let him finish his work. She had things of her own to accomplish.

The baby shower was only a little over a week away and the planning was as meticulous as though she were leading an army into battle. She’d made lists and set timers and ordered things, but the work was never ending. At the moment, she’d changed into slacks and a sweater and she was checking items off the latest list.

“Windows. The window washer came this morning. That’s done. The chimney sweep came last Saturday. The gardener still needs to put in the pansies and petunias. The painter says he’s coming tomorrow to touch up the trim on the house.”

There were still so many things to fix or clean or renovate before next week. One thing was that darn pool. She’d had the gardener take the cover off for her, and the pool man had said he would be here by noon. That was five hours ago. He obviously wasn’t coming.

Glancing out at it, she frowned. The gardener had gone home and there was the pool, starting to collect leaves on its surface. She couldn’t just leave the cover there. It looked so ugly. Besides, there was a breeze and she was afraid things would blow into the pool during the night. Better to get it covered again.

She looked toward the stairs, knowing she could get the carpenter to come help her with the cover. But he was busy, and the cover was a simple affair. She should be able to do it herself.

Armed with all her self-confidence, she marched out through her sliding glass doors and onto the pool deck. The air was brisk on her skin and she rubbed her arms, wishing she’d put on a jacket. But this should be quick. The cover was made of plastic bubble sheeting and it was actually quite light. Grasping one edge, she began to pull it over the pool water.

It went easily at first, sliding along so well she looked back, pleased. But just as she did, the cover caught on the stair railing and gave a sudden snap of resistance, throwing her off balance. With a cry, she took a bad step and the next thing she knew, she was falling into the water.

The water was cold, so cold it might have been just one level below ice. It seemed to crash around her like a wave in the ocean, hard and awful, stunning her, knocking her breath away. She tried to cry out again, but her mouth was full of water, and her eyes were full of water, and the cover seemed to be looming up above her, over the water, and she seemed to be closing her eyes.

But only for a second or two. Suddenly, strong hands were gripping her arms and she was shooting back up through the icy water, up into what was left of the sunshine.

She gasped for air, her system in cold shock, hardly realizing that Drey had pulled her up into his arms and was striding quickly into the house, with water spilling off her in every direction.

“Oh,” she gasped. “Oh, that was so cold!”

“Hang on,” he said as he carried her up the stairs. “We’ll get you warm again.”

The next thing she knew, she was in her spacious bathroom and he was turning on the water for the shower in the bathtub. She wanted to ask what he was doing, but her teeth were chattering so hard she couldn’t get the words out. Her clothes hung on her like sodden armor, heavy and cold. Drey turned from the bathtub and began to remove them.

“No!” she cried, or tried to, but he didn’t listen.

“Don’t be stupid,” he said bluntly, taking a grip on her sweater and beginning to tug it up over her head the way he might have done with a child. “You’ve got to get warm and you’ve got to do it now.”

She knew he was right, and in the state she was in at the moment, she wasn’t sure she was capable of taking care of this on her own. So she bit back her protests and closed her eyes.

He stripped her quickly, dropping the wet clothes to the floor, and turned to test the water coming out of the shower nozzle, then led her into the enclosure, helping her over the side of the tub.

“Stand under the water until you get enough in the tub to sit in,” he ordered her. “Then sit. You’ve got to soak warmth back into your body.”

The warm water stung at first. She gasped again, turning under it, hardly feeling modest about the fact that she was standing there naked in front of this stranger. The cold was more important than her dignity right now. Besides, there was nothing in his eyes that even hinted at a sensual response of any kind. He was as grim faced as a medical worker at the scene of the accident, no emotion in sight. As that realization hit her, she wasn’t sure if she was grateful or insulted. As he turned to leave the room, she looked after him.

“Where are you going?” she asked, almost anxious. After all, he’d saved her, hadn’t he?

“Who’s your doctor?” he asked, turning at the doorway. “I’ll call him.”

“No,” she said quickly. “No, don’t call a doctor. I’m fine. Really.”

And she was beginning to feel like herself again, enough so that she pulled the glass door of the shower almost closed as a shield to hide behind. For the first time, she looked at him and really saw him.

“You’re soaking wet,” she cried, looking at his dripping clothes. “Did you actually jump in after me?”

He shook his head and gave her a faint lopsided grin. “No, you really hadn’t gone that far under. I reached down and pulled you up out of the water from the side.”

“But you’re so wet.”

He looked down and confirmed her diagnosis. “That was all water you brought up with you,” he said cheerfully. “I guess I ought to get into some dry clothes, though. Could I borrow something of your husband’s?”

“My husband’s?” She gazed at him blankly.

“Your husband’s. I thought you had one of those.”

“Oh. Of course I do.” She laughed shortly. “Yes, just go down the hall to the bedroom on your right, next to the baby’s room. There’s a closet in there that should be full of stuff.”

He disappeared and she shivered, getting back under the spray, letting the delightful warmth spread throughout her body. And then she choked back a surge of hysteria. Good grief! She’d fallen into the pool and this incredibly handsome man had pulled her out and stripped her naked! Nothing quite this exciting had ever happened to her before and she was acting as though it were routine. And now he was going to be dressing in her husband’s clothes. Her husband. What a laugh. It had been a while since she’d actually had one. But that was something no one else was to know about.

Craig had made a wonderful husband, at least in theory. Tall, handsome, distinguished looking, with credentials from the finest schools and most exclusive business firms, everyone had said they made a perfect couple when they got married.

Everyone, of course, didn’t know what went on behind closed doors, which wasn’t much as it turned out. But they had gotten along just fine for a few years. They were still good friends.

Though they had had their marriage annulled over a year ago, they hadn’t told anyone. No one knew. Craig had agreed to that when Sara had asked for the favor. He knew her well enough to know how hard it would be for her to admit defeat to the world. And it meant nothing to him, really. Sometimes it was convenient to have a wife hanging around in the background.

He was in China on business at the moment, but he’d agreed to come home for the baby shower, to stand around and be her husband one more time, and she was grateful to him for that. This baby shower was going to be her showcase, her way of presenting herself and her life to all her old friends. She wanted everything to be just right, and that meant she really had to have a husband. Otherwise, it just wouldn’t feel right.

Life had been too muddled lately. She needed a return to clarity. Having Craig here when she celebrated adopting the baby would help do that. Things would be back to normal. Almost.

Drey found the room and the closet, but the clothes weren’t his style. He hesitated, then chose a polo shirt that was a size too small. His jeans were damp, but they would have to do. He couldn’t see himself in the plaid slacks he found hanging among Sara’s husband’s things.

Walking out into the hallway, he listened. The water was still running. He turned toward the stairs and made his way down, searching until he found the den. Pulling out drawers in the desk, he uncovered an address book and quickly paged through it, calling the first doctor’s name he could find there.

“Tell the doctor it’s Sara Parker,” he told the nurse who answered. “She’s fallen into icy water and I think a doctor should take a look to make sure she’s okay.”

“Sara Parker?” The nurse sounded concerned. “Is this Mr. Parker?”

Drey caught back a smile. “No, it’s not,” he said, leaving the rest to the woman’s imagination.

“I’m sure Dr. Bracken will want to stop by on his way home. Mrs. Parker is a close friend. He’s leaving shortly and since he lives just a block away from Mrs. Parker…”

So that was settled. Drey hung up the telephone and sat for a moment, staring at the glass-enclosed bookshelves. Nice work. Everything in this house was firstclass.

Even, he thought with a sudden grin, the woman.

She’d looked good in the pink cashmere suit and she’d looked even better without it. For a split second he allowed himself to think of her chilled skin, her long, molded legs, her round breasts, their nipples pulled into tight, dark buttons that made him…

No, he wasn’t going to think that way. Quickly and resolutely, he shoved the picture of Sara’s lovely naked body out of his mind. It wasn’t fair to her to think about it and he wasn’t going to do it.

Rising, he paced the room for a moment. What now? Every instinct in him told him to get out while the getting was good, to get as far away from this house and this woman as he could. But he hadn’t completed the task he’d come for yet. His whole purpose in being here was to find out more about Sara Parker, to see what made her tick, to see what kind of a mother she was going to make for Jenny’s baby. He was a long way from being able to make that sort of judgment. He couldn’t leave for good until that determination was made.

Sara came down the stairs with a firm step. Her hair clung damply to her neck and there was still some part of her, deep inside, that was shaken by the accident. But she wasn’t going to let that stop her. She had to find her helpful carpenter and face him right away, before the memory of what had just occurred, what he’d just done for her, started to eat into her self-confidence.

It took her breath away when she thought about it. There she’d been, stark naked in front of a strange and rather attractive man. What if he’d…?

Well, it didn’t help to think about what might have happened if he hadn’t turned out to be a decent guy. Which he seemed to be. She was just lucky he’d been around to pull her out of the pool. Her nakedness was inconsequential compared to that.

But if she didn’t find him, didn’t talk about what had happened, laugh about it, she knew it would stay there inside her, like a worm in an apple and she couldn’t let that happen.

She found him pacing the floor of her den and favored him with a bright smile meant to wipe away any nagging memories he might have of her unprotected body parts. “I want to thank you for what you did,” she said, reaching out to take his hand in hers and gazing up at him earnestly.

He looked uncomfortable. “There’s nothing to thank me for,” he said gruffly.

There. She could see it in his eyes, in the set of his mouth. He was thinking about her naked. This was impossible, and if she didn’t stop thinking about it herself, she was going to blush. She never blushed. She refused to blush. She had to get his mind on other things.

She hoped her laugh didn’t sound as forced to his ears as it did to her own. “Are you kidding?” she said gaily. “You may have saved my life.”

He looked startled to have her say such a thing. “I didn’t save your life. You would have jumped out on your own in a few seconds.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” she told him. “Feel this.”

She tossed her hair back and leaned her head to the side, guiding his hand to the area of her scalp where a huge goose egg was throbbing. It was strange to be inviting a perfect stranger to feel her head, but this was a strange situation, and be had probably saved her. That in itself was a fairly intimate act, wasn’t it? And intimate acts tended to form bonds. Consider one formed, she told herself soothingly. This man is now a close personal friend.

“Ouch,” he said, wincing for her as his fingers found the injury. “You hit your head, all right. You don’t remember doing it?”

She shrugged. “I guess I missed it. There was a lot going on at the time.” She shook her hair back and a slight frown formed between her brows. “I did feel like I was passing out at one point, though,” she reflected.

He nodded, watching the way her hair fell into place in crisp waves. Damp like this, it still looked blond. Interesting. He supposed that meant it wasn’t dyed but naturally light. The color of her eyebrows confirmed it. They were silky and light as the down on a peach.

She’d put on another sweater, this one a fuzzy soft baby blue. He glanced down. Sure enough, she’d put on baby blue socks to match. Concussion or not, she wasn’t going to get sloppy. Maybe he was getting to know all about her after all.

“That’s a nasty bump you’ve got,” he told her with a direct look. “It’s a good thing the doctor is on his way.”

Her eyes widened. She hadn’t wanted that. “What? You called the doctor?”

“Yes, I did.”

She stared at him, resentful of his high-handed attitude. This carpenter she’d hired didn’t seem to remember who the boss was. “I told you not to,” she reminded him.

“Sorry about that.” His dark eyes were coolly unrepentant and he went on, telling her the truth. “I very seldom do what I’m told.”

She wasn’t sure if she was angry or just amused. “What are you,” she asked him bluntly. “Some sort of control freak?”

His mouth twisted into something that could almost be called a smile. “I like to call it being forceful and farsighted.”

She was about to tell him what she called it when the doorbell chimed and she turned instead. “Oh drat, that will be the doctor.”

“I’ll get it,” he said, starting for the door. “You sit down on the couch.”

Outrage stiffened her back. It was pretty obvious this man was ready to take over everything if she let him. Cutting him off at the pass with an end run around the counter, she stood in his way, eyes narrowed.

“Excuse me,” she said icily. “I believe this is my house. I’ll get the door, thank you just the same.”

He shrugged, unconcerned, looking down at her without rancor. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked.

What was he trying to say, that he’d only been looking out for her welfare? She threw him a skeptical look and didn’t bother to answer, striding quickly into the foyer with Drey right behind her.

She opened the door to find Dr. Bracken looking in anxiously, his huge gray eyes doleful as usual.

“Sara, my dear,” he said, coming forward and taking her hand. “What happened?”

She smiled and glanced at Drey. “Nothing much, Matthew. I fell into the pool.”

His kindly face registered extreme shock and alarm. “Oh, my God.”

“No, don’t get excited. There was water in it. Very cold water. And I bumped my head, which left a lump but not much else.” She gave Drey a defiant look. “I didn’t want you bothered with this. I’m perfectly fine.”

“Well, that’s to be determined, isn’t it?” Dr. Bracken bustled in, shaking his head. “Come, my dear, you must sit down,” he urged, leading her to a seat on a damask-covered chair in the parlor. “Let me take a look at you.”

She did as he told her, displaying her goose egg bump one more time and submitting to the tiny light he shone into her eyes and to a reading of her heart rate. Matthew Bracken had been a friend and golfing partner of her ex-husband’s ever since they’d moved to Denver three years before. Though she’d never taken him up on offers to get closer to his wife, she did like him.

“Craig still in China?” he asked as he studied her eyes.

“Yes,” Sara replied.

“You know, I suddenly realized as I was driving over here that I haven’t seen him for over a year. He and I used to get together for a game of golf about once a month, weather permitting, but it has been since the fall before last that we’ve played, How does the time getaway from you like that?”

“Isn’t that the truth?” Sara said evasively. “Maybe you can get him to play when he’s here next week. We’re having a lot of old friends from out of town to a baby shower and he promised to help me with it.”

The doctor drew back and stared at her doubtfully. “So you’re going through with this adoption scheme of yours?”

“Yes.” She nodded, her eyes shining. “Yes, definitely.”

He shook his head as though he didn’t approve at all. “I don’t know, Sara. I guess I said my piece when you called me a few months ago and asked my advice. I say there’s no earthly reason you and Craig can’t have a child of your own. You’re both healthy and young enough. I’ve helped other couples, you know. There are ways. You never came in to see about—”

“Believe me, Matthew, we explored all the possibilities,” she said hastily, glancing at Drey and hoping to stop the flow of the doctor’s chatter. “We both decided. This is the best way. It’s right for us.”

“Well, that’s neither here nor there,” he muttered to himself as he began to put away his instruments. “You’ll have to do what you think is right. But you’ll need someone to watch you tonight. Better call in one of your friends.”

Sara looked up at him, startled. “Why?”

He glanced at Drey. “Because I don’t like the look of that knot on your head, and I’m not too sure about that pulse rate. It’s up. I just want you watched, that’s all. You might have a concussion.” He hesitated. “Is there someone you can call? Someone who would come and stay with you?”

Sara shook her head slowly. She didn’t even have to think it over. “There’s no one. Matthew, you know I haven’t made many women friends here in Denver. I’ve been too busy setting up the business.”

“Oh, come now. There must be someone. Women always have friends all over the place.”

Sara shook her head, dismissing the entire issue. She didn’t want to bother Jenny, who had trouble getting around at this stage in her pregnancy. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

The doctor frowned down at her. “But I do worry about you, Sara. Tell you what. I’ll send Peggy, my wife, over. She’d be glad to—”

“No.” Sara’s voice had a note of final command. Having the sweet but talkative Peggy in her hair would drive her nuts. “I couldn’t do that to your wife. Absolutely not.”

“Now, Sara. Be reasonable. If not Peggy, there must be someone—”

“There’s me.”

They both turned and stared at Drey. Up to now, he’d been quietly standing in the background. The doctor had acknowledged his existence with a slight nod when he’d first come in, but other than that, he might as well have been invisible. And now he was offering to stay.

Sara was speechless. This was the carpenter who’d come to put up some shelves. It was all very well that he’d pulled her out of a freezing pool, but that was no reason he should move in with her. The man had shown his high-handed attitude a few moments before. He had some nerve. But before she could bring those considerations to light, the doctor spoke.

“Drey Angeli, isn’t it?” Dr. Bracken said, squinting at him. “You were a friend of my daughter Terry’s, weren’t you?”

Drey nodded. “That was a long time ago,” he noted. “Way back in high school.”

“Ah yes. High school.” The doctor gave a crunching laugh that shook his sturdy frame. “Terry was a wild one in those days. She’s settled down now, you know. Got herself a degree in psychology and she’s giving tests to employees at one of the mining companies. Lives in Aspen. Skis her heart out.”

Drey’s stern demeanor softened into a slight smile. “Great. She always did love the snow.”

“That she did.” The doctor studied Drey for a moment, taking in his untamed hair and casual appearance, then glanced at Sara, his forehead scrunched in a puzzled look. Suddenly his eyebrows rose as though he’d realized something, and he cleared his throat.

“Well. Well now, okay, Sara. Drey is going to keep his eye on you. That ought to do the trick. I guess I’ll stop by tomorrow and see how you’re doing.”

He started toward the foyer and Sara didn’t budge. She sat right where she was, watching him go and wondering why she wasn’t saying anything, why she wasn’t telling him Drey was not a friend, or whatever it was he assumed Drey was, that he was here to do a job and was not going to be staying. She knew she should tell him, that the situation cried out for her to say the words. But she also knew, if she told him that, it would start an argument. He would have Peggy over here in a flash. She decided to leave well enough alone and let him think what he wanted to think.