Found: One Baby

Which meant Thad hadn’t checked through everything belonging to his brother, Michelle deduced. “Maybe it’s in an older box,” she suggested, wiping the outside of the bottle dry. “Do you want me to go up and look?”

Thad glanced at her clothes. “It’s kind of grimy up there,” he warned.

Michelle tested the bottle on the inside of her wrist. “Not a problem. You’ll have to feed William, though.”

“He’s ready to eat again?”

“Yes, he is.” Michelle handed Thad the bottle of formula.

Thad smiled, as if he relished his first chance to give William a bottle.

“You know, we could probably just wait and ask Candace Wright.”

“That’s assuming we can find her and she’ll talk to us. She may not. In any case, it’s best to be as prepared as you can be before you walk into a situation like this.” She sighed. “So if Russell thinks the papers he signed are in the attic, I think we need to do everything possible to find them. Because if we can find them, then we will know what attorney he used to prepare them.”

“What if they didn’t use an attorney? What if they just went online and printed out some do-it-yourself forms and signed those?”

Michelle exhaled. “Then none of what they’ve done may be legal. But again, we’re getting ahead of ourselves.” She held up a staying hand. “How do I get to the attic?”

Thad picked up William and the bottle. “We’ll walk you up there.”

Thad motioned her up the stairs. Past the master bedroom, with its heavy mahogany furniture and big, comfortable-looking bed. There was a stack of books and what looked like medical journals on both nightstands. Baskets of what looked like clean, unfolded laundry, and an overflowing hamper. On down the hall, past another bath and bedroom, decorated in teenage-boy motif, with a big sign on the door that read: Russell’s Room—No One Else Allowed. Next to that was a study, with a desk and cozy leather armchair and ottoman. Along one wall was a stack of gift boxes, reminding Michelle of all the women in town who were chasing him. Before she could stop herself, she blurted, “What’s this? The trophy room?”

“I’m planning to donate it all. I just can’t do it anywhere in town. ’Cause someone will know and then I’ll hurt somebody’s feelings…and I don’t want to do that.”

She could see he was serious. “It must be hard to be you,” she said dryly.

He returned her droll look and opened a door leading to the third floor. “Up there.”

Michelle hit the switch next to the door. Light flooded the third floor and spilled down the rough wooden stairs. “Thanks.”

Thad wandered back in the direction they’d come. “William, let’s go into the master bedroom and have ourselves a bottle, shall we?”

Shaking her head, Michelle headed up the stairs. Thad was right. It was a mess. And a pretty big one. Most of it seemed to be Russell’s, judging by the name scrawled in black Magic Marker on the sides of boxes.

She began looking. And looking. And looking. Finally, thirty minutes later, she hit the jackpot. Or at least she hoped she had. She found a metal lockbox, the kind where people tended to store their important papers. Only problem was, she noted, it was locked.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs. Thad came up to stand beside her. “Any luck?”

She waved her find. “This could be it.”

Thad towered over her, six feet two inches of attractive single male. “I didn’t know he had that up here,” he murmured in a low, sexy voice.

Once again, Michelle forced herself to set her attraction to the handsome doctor aside. She moved past him and headed briskly down the stairs. “Where’s William?”

Thad followed laconically. “In his Moses basket, asleep.”

Which meant she now had Thad’s undivided attention, at least for the next ten minutes or so, until William awakened again. She ignored the tingling in her midriff and forced herself to stay focused on the task. “You don’t happen to have a key for this?”

He shook his head.

“How about a paper clip?”

“In my study.”

They peeked in the master bedroom, where William was sleeping, then ducked into the study, opened a desk drawer and rummaged around. Finally he produced a paper clip and handed it over.

She could feel him watching her as she sat on the edge of the desk and began to work on the lock.

She looked up. The intent, appreciative, all-male look in his eyes made her catch her breath. “What are you thinking?” she demanded.

Thad tucked a finger beneath her chin, moved in closer. “This.”

Chapter Three

Michelle had plenty of time to duck her head and step away—if she wanted to avoid the kiss.

She didn’t.

Maybe because kissing him was all she’d been thinking about since he’d answered the door that morning, fresh out of bed.

Actually, she reminded herself sagely, the zing of awareness had happened a lot sooner than that. He’d caught her attention as soon as she realized who was living across the street from her.

The parade of women making their way to his front door—plus his reputation as a love-’em-and-leave-’em type—had kept her from acting on that purely physical attraction.

But coming face-to-face with him this morning, being close enough to touch that powerful, masculine body, had forced her to see him in a new light.

Not just as a neighbor or a guy she was too wary of to befriend.

But as a man who conjured up the kind of romantic day-dreams and pure, physical lust she didn’t know she possessed. And seeing him with William, knowing how deeply he cared about family, even when it seemed that the only family he had left didn’t care all that much about him, had added another dimension to the mystery that was Thad.

So when Thad angled his head and his face drifted slowly, inevitably closer to hers, Michelle gave in to the curiosity that had plagued her for months now and let it happen.

She opened her mouth slightly and let his warm, sensual lips make contact with hers. And then suddenly his arms were around her, dragging her closer, so that every inch of her was pressed against every inch of him. Hardness to softness, heat pressed to heat, she was wrapped in a cage of hard male muscle and passionate determination. Her heart beat wildly and she tilted her head back in open surrender. His tongue swept into her mouth, blazing a path that was as tender as it was fiery. She stroked her tongue against the potent pressure of his, knowing she hadn’t made out like this…since…Had she ever made out like this? Had her insides ever sizzled from just a kiss?

Michelle didn’t think so. Which was why, she realized abruptly, she couldn’t let it continue. She’d be in way over her head.

She flattened her hands on the hard wall of his chest and tore her lips from his. “Stop!”

Just that swiftly, Thad did.

He drew back, loosening his hold on her, not letting go completely. “What’s wrong?”

She lifted her brow. “You even have to ask?”

This time, he did release her.

He stepped back and settled on the edge of his desk. Long legs stretched out in front of him, hands braced casually on either side of him, he met her gaze. “I have to admit…I’m confused,” he murmured, making no effort to hide his continuing desire, “since I thought we were getting along like a house on fire.”

They had been. She hitched in a breath and qualified, “For all the wrong reasons.”

His brow furrowed.

She held up her hands in a gesture that warded off further intimacy. “It’s not you and me, Thad. It’s the situation. Our emotions are heightened. Finding William this morning…well, it upset our whole world. So naturally we have a lot of extra adrenaline and emotional energy to burn off, and we did that by ending up in each other’s arms.”

The look he gave her was skeptical. One corner of his just-kissed mouth quirked up, reminding her of how great he tasted. “That all sounds very reasonable—except for one thing. I work in a hospital trauma center, Michelle. I’m used to a hell of a lot more upset and stress.”

She flushed with an embarrassment she could not contain. Held his eyes with effort. “So maybe I’m the only one with an excess of adrenaline and emotion.”

He sobered immediately. “Well, maybe—but we still haven’t figured out how we’re going to handle this situation with William.”

Trying hard not to focus on the we in his approach, Michelle decided more physical distance between them was needed. She sat down on the leather reading chair in the corner and went back to working on the lock. “First of all, William was left in your care, so it’s really your call how you want to proceed.”

He settled more comfortably on the edge of his desk. “I want your professional advice.”

Michelle slipped into the much more comfortable lawyer mode. “I suggest you speak to Candace Wright first—since she is the person who apparently left William in your care, and Beatrix and Brice Johnson next. Find out what went wrong with the surrogate arrangement and if the Johnsons really have changed their mind, or if this is all some sort of big misunderstanding.”

Thad paused, looking none too happy about the possibility someone might want William back. “You think it’s possible the surrogate and the Johnsons somehow got their signals crossed?”

Michelle had stepped into far worse adoption quagmires. She shrugged, admitting, “It happens.”

Another pause. “Does Candace Wright have any legal rights to William?”

Good question, Michelle thought. “Only if she is the egg donor, as well, and that’s not the case in ninety-eight percent of the surrogate arrangements these days.” Thad gave her a quizzical look, prompting her to continue explaining. “When the surrogate is also the biological mother, it’s literally her child, too, in a purely physical sense, and that mutual DNA complicates how she feels about giving the baby up at birth. So these days, a donor egg, as well as donor sperm, is generally used—the surrogate is simply a host. That makes it a lot easier for the surrogate to surrender the baby at birth.”

Thad took that in. “So if that was the arrangement…” he said eventually.

“Then Candace Wright has no legal right or responsibility to the child. The egg donor would also have terminated her legal rights to the baby before implantation, just as your brother did. However, she could be in a position now to reverse that and make a claim on William if no one else wants him.” Michelle sighed. “And right now we have no idea who the egg-donor-slash-William’s-biological-mother is. But either the Johnsons or Candace Wright will probably know that.”

“How do you know so much about surrogate arrangements?”

“Two reasons.” Michelle felt a give in the lock she was still trying to undo. “It’s now an essential part of family law. And I handled a contract for a client.”

Thad’s eyes lit with renewed interest. “Did it turn out all right?”

Michelle nodded. “That one went without a hitch. But it was a different situation. The surrogate was the wife’s sister. A medical condition prevented the wife from carrying a pregnancy to term, but they were able to use the egg and sperm of the husband and wife, so it was all pretty clear.”

Silence fell. Thad looked increasingly conflicted. Michelle’s heart went out to him. This was a very tough situation.

“One way or another, I am sure William will find a very good home with loving parents.” She would see to it.

Thad nodded, his handsome face a mask of sheer male determination. “Initially, I was going to try to track down Candace Wright by phone. Now, I’m thinking our conversation should be done face-to-face.”

“I agree,” Michelle said. “And you should probably take William—and someone else with you—to witness the events. Just in case there are any questions later about what was said and by whom. It also might be a good idea to get Candace to give you a copy of her original surrogate contract, as well as an affidavit relinquishing any claim to custody, under the current conditions of William’s abandonment, if that is still her desire.”

“We couldn’t just use the letter she left on my front porch?” Thad asked hopefully.

“We’ll produce it as evidence of course, but a judge is going to want to see more than that.”

“It’ll have to go to court?”

“Eventually, yes, because we’re talking about a change in whatever custody agreement was put in place prior to William’s birth.”

Thad exhaled. “This is getting complicated.”

Michelle offered a sympathetic smile. “Surrogate arrangements always are.” People were rarely prepared for the complexities involved.

“I’m beginning to think I should take legal counsel with us.”

Michelle felt another give in the lock. Almost there.

“It’s not a bad idea.”

From the other room, they heard a whimper, then a full-throated cry. Thad disappeared. When he returned, William was snuggled against his chest, quietly looking around. Michelle could see Thad was already getting his hopes up that the baby would end up staying a member of his family. She didn’t want to see him disappointed.

“Will you go with us?” Thad asked.

Aside from Michelle’s law partner, Glenn York, there was only one family-law attorney in Summit. Tucker James was a good guy, but not one inclined to work weekends or take on matters that were unusually complex. If this situation turned out to be as messed up as it appeared, Michelle knew Thad was going to need a top-notch attorney experienced in surrogate arrangements. That would be Glenn. Unfortunately Glenn was already working all weekend on a messy divorce-and-property-settlement case that would be in deposition next week. Reluctantly Michelle volunteered. “I can help you out temporarily.”

Thad smiled his relief, putting far too much stock in her abilities. “That would be great!”

“One thing, though,” Michelle cautioned.

He waited, sandy eyebrows raised.

“No more kissing,” she said firmly.

“Agreed.” He grinned. “Unless you change your mind.”

Oh, how she wanted to, Michelle thought. It had been so long since she had felt so wanted. So long since her body had hummed with distinctly female satisfaction.

But Thad did not need to know that, she schooled herself sternly.

She looked him in the eye. “I won’t.”

He went very still. Looking disappointed, but no less determined, she noted.

“Because…?” His low voice sent shivers over her body.

Once again Michelle pushed away the desire welling up inside her. She called on her cool-as-ice courtroom demeanor. “We’re neighbors and we need to stay on good terms.”

He searched her eyes with daunting intimacy. “And you think we wouldn’t if we kissed again?”

I think I’d be devastated if I turned out to be one of your three-dates-and-it’s-over women. Hence, better safe than sorry, Michelle thought, as she gave the lock one more nudge. It opened with a click. She lifted the lid. Inside were several insurance policies on expensive camera equipment Russell Garner owned, an old driver’s license of his and a Summit High School class ring. There were no legal documents of any kind. Certainly nothing pertaining to a surrogate arrangement.

“I don’t know where else to look,” Thad said in frustration.

Michelle knew it wasn’t the end of the road for getting the information he needed. Far from it. “The attorney who prepared the documents will have copies. Maybe we can find out who that is tomorrow,” Michelle said.

Aware her reason for sticking around was gone, she stood. It was as difficult as she’d suspected it would be to leave the baby she had cared for all day. She forced herself to suppress her own deep longing for a child and look at Thad.

“What time did you want to leave tomorrow?” she asked casually.

“Seven in the morning okay with you?”

Michelle held Thad’s gaze a moment longer, then touched William’s cheek gently. “I’ll see you both then.”

MICHELLE HAD JUST changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed when the phone rang. Seeing it was Thad, she picked up the receiver and heard the loud, angry wails of an unhappy newborn.

“What’s going on?” she asked, aware William hadn’t cried that way when she’d been in charge.

More loud crying. “Help,” Thad said over the din.

Michelle was already reaching for her slippers. “I’ll be right there.”

Grabbing her light raincoat, she slipped it on against the chill of the spring evening and headed across the street. Thad was waiting for her, the wailing baby in his arms.

“What’s the matter?” Michelle asked, stepping inside.

The moment she spoke, the crying dimmed.

“You poor baby,” she soothed.

The wailing stopped altogether.

William studied her with his long-lashed, baby-blue eyes.

“Is it possible he just wanted to hear your voice?” Thad said.

Michelle scoffed and shook her head. “I only wish I were that wonderful. So what’s going on?”

“I was trying to give him his formula.” Thad pointed to the full bottle on the table next to the sofa.

Michelle walked over and picked it up. She frowned. “It’s cold, Thad.”

He looked even more clueless. “Yeah, so?”

“You’re supposed to heat it.”

He held up a hand in expert fashion. “Actually that’s an old wives’ tale. Infants are perfectly capable of taking their formula cold.”

Michelle narrowed her eyes at Thad. “Did they teach you that in medical school?”

“As a matter of fact,” he told her smugly, “they did.”

Unfortunately, Michelle thought, babies had individual quirks and preferences, just like adults. “Well, maybe that would be okay if he’d had it cold from the beginning. But he hasn’t. I gave him warm formula all day. The bottle you gave him earlier this evening was warmed, too.”

Thad appeared to think that over, but in the end refused to give ground. “Maybe he just missed you and wants you to give him his bottle again.”

Michelle’s ego liked the idea of that. Her maternal side had other ideas. “And maybe he just wants it warm.”

Thad shrugged. “One way to find out.” He handed William to Michelle.

She sat down in a chair, her raincoat still on.

His mouth quirked in barely suppressed amusement. “You can take off your coat and stay a while.”

No way, she thought. She was in her pj’s. No underwear. “I’m fine.” Michelle settled William in her arms and offered him the nipple. He looked at her with absolute trust, started to suck, then got a taste of the cold formula. He pushed it out with his tongue and kept looking at Michelle.

“He’s not crying,” Thad noted.

That was because he was busy snuggling against the softness of her breasts, the way he had all day. Michelle continued making eye contact with the little cutie. It was odd how much she had missed him, so quickly. It wasn’t as if he were her baby.

Perhaps she should remember that.

Aware Thad was still holding on to his med-school theory about not needing to warm baby formula, Michelle told him wryly, “The only reason he’s not crying over cold milk is he’s probably wondering how I got so dumb so fast. Right, little fella?”

William’s tiny mouth opened slightly. He looked as if he wanted to talk, wanted to tell her what was on his mind, but just couldn’t figure out how.

Michelle smiled, utterly besotted.

“Try the bottle again,” Thad said.

Knowing a point had to be made here, Michelle did.

William took a taste, then again pushed the bottle away with his lips and tongue. Michelle tried once more. William once more refused it. “I think we should warm it,” she reiterated.

“One problem.” Thad walked toward the rear of the house. She followed with William and the bottle. Unlike her kitchen, his hadn’t been upgraded in many years. The cabinets were painted white, and the walls were covered with a yellow-orange-and-brown-plaid wallpaper. A yellow-laminate-topped breakfast set with padded vinyl chairs were so retro they were back in fashion. The appliances were similarly dated. Even the faded yellow curtain above the sink looked like it had been there since his mother was alive. The only new items in the kitchen were a toaster and a matching coffeemaker.

“I don’t know how to warm a bottle,” Thad continued.

“Let me guess. You’ve never done any babysitting, either.”

“I’ve been around kids.”

“Not the same thing.”

“Apparently not,” he conceded.

The silence was contentious. And veering dangerously toward flirtation again. It made her nervous. “Are you paying attention?” she asked.

“Close attention.”

Okay, so he still desired her as much as she desired him. It didn’t mean they were going to act on it. She gave him the bottle. Their fingers brushed. She felt the heat of his body all the way to her toes. Swallowed. “Actually, maybe you should do this,” she told him. “That way it will be easier for you to remember.”

All business now, he said, “Okay.”

“They make bottle warmers, but we don’t have one, so we’re going to do it the old-fashioned way. There was a pretty bowl here earlier…”

“That belongs to Violet Hunter.”

Why was Michelle not surprised?

“She brought me some chili in it earlier in the week and I keep forgetting to take it back. She called after you left, offering to come by and get it tonight, but I told her I’d bring it to her at the hospital. Now, if you want me to go out to my car and get it…”

Michelle shook her head. Best he return the bowl to the lovesick nurse as soon as possible. “Where do you keep your bowls?”

He opened a cupboard, revealing a mismatched assortment of dishes, and handed one over.

Michelle shook her head. “That’s a cereal bowl. It’s way too shallow.” She paused. “Surely you’ve got mixing bowls.”

Thad gave her the blank look of a man who did not know his way around a kitchen. Michelle tried a simpler approach. “Where do you keep your pots and pans?”

This he knew. He pointed to a lower cabinet.

Michelle handed William to Thad and knelt to see what was there. Plenty, as it turned out, although again, everything there was at least thirty years old. She took out a saucepan, carried it to the sink and filled it with very warm tap water. She set the bottle in the pan, so the water covered the contents.

Thad leaned in, over her shoulder. “And now?”

“We wait.”

Thad edged closer, smiling down at the baby. “How will we know when the bottle’s the right temperature?” he asked as he and the baby made goo-goo eyes at each other.

“We’ll keep testing it. It should only take a few minutes.”

“Hear that, William?” Thad gently caressed the little one’s cheek. “Your dinner will be ready shortly.”

Three minutes later, the formula was the right temperature. They returned to the living room.

Thad sat down to give William his bottle. William made a face and pushed the nipple right back out.

“Now what’s wrong?” Thad asked.

Michelle could only guess. “Maybe William senses you’re uncertain.”

Thad didn’t deny that could be the problem. “Maybe you should give it a try again,” he said.

Figuring the little one had waited long enough for his feeding, Michelle sat down next to Thad on the sofa. He handed the baby to her. She shifted William so he was in a semi-upright position, resting in the crook of her arm. “We know you’re hungry,” she said, putting the nipple to his lips. William just stared at her, still refusing to drink. “You’re not going to be able to go back to sleep until you take this bottle,” Michelle said softly, gently rubbing the nipple back and forth across his lips. “So give it a try, little guy.”

Still watching her, William opened his mouth, took the nipple and began to suck. Twenty minutes and two burps later, William had downed all three ounces.

“I guess he was hungry,” Thad mused.