A Gift For Baby

“Of course,” he whispered to himself. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be watching her, now would I?”

He’d almost reached the back porch when something visceral struck him and he spun, staring at the cloud of dust behind Jen’s car as her taillights disappeared around the bend. The picture Jen’s companion had made replayed itself in his brain. Short, dark hair, a staff uniform…

“And the longest damn legs this side of the Great Divide,” he muttered savagely. It had been Hailey Kingston, hadn’t it? Hailey in disguise and running away from her bodyguards. What was the matter with him? How could he have missed such an obvious ploy?

“Damn it,” he snarled to himself, starting toward his truck at a run. “Get your mind straight and do your job!”

The dust had settled by the time he reached the main road and he had to make a choice. Right or left? He thought he remembered that Jen lived in the foothills, so he turned toward them and was rewarded in a few moments by the sight of her taillights ahead. Slowing, he followed until they turned into a small community and pulled up in front of an apartment building. Driving on past, he parked half a block away and waited, engine and lights turned off. His instincts told him it would only be a few moments before they would be out again, and once more he was right. They’d shed their uniforms and were dressed in bright skirts and big sleeves.

“What are they doing, going square dancing?” he asked himself as he eased his car out behind theirs again.

Sure enough, Jen drove up in front of a long, low building about two miles from her apartment. Mustang Café, the sign said. Music poured out the door. Mitch watched as Jen and the woman he was now sure was Hailey got out of the car and hurried toward the entrance. Heaving a sigh, he tilted his head back and asked himself just how much square dancing music he could stand. Not much. And there didn’t really seem much point to it, anyway. He might as well head for home. She wasn’t going to be doing anything relevant here.

He’d already pulled the car onto the highway when he saw a familiar face in a car going the other way. It took a minute to register the identity of the man, but as he watched him turn into the dance club, it came back to him. Pauly McVern. That was who it was. He ran a small private detective agency out of Palm Springs, catering mostly to strip club owners and gambling interests. What the hell was he doing here?

So much for a quick ride home. Mitch heaved another sigh as he turned the truck and headed back for the parking lot. If Pauly was sniffing around, he’d better go in and see if he could figure out what was up. There was just no way to avoid it.

“Hee-haw and howdy,” he muttered. “Here we come.”

Three

Hailey stepped inside the Western dance club and looked from one side to the other. Energy washed over her in a wave that was almost physical—the noise, the laughter, the music, the smoke, the color of the lights, the heat from a lot of people in a very small space. For just a moment, she hesitated in the doorway. She’d been bored, she’d been climbing the walls, and she’d wanted so badly to get away from those two bumpkin bodyguards and go out and do something. But was this really what she’d had in mind?

Not exactly. But what did she want, anyway? What had she come here for? This was a dance club where people got together to have fun, or to pick up a quick date, or to find the man of their dreams. She wasn’t expecting the last two. All she’d bargained for was the first. Fun. That was it. So here she was in a silly black wig, looking for fun.

“Come on,” Jen was saying impatiently, gesturing for her to come along into the lively room. “I’ll show you around this place. It’s so neat.”

Neat, was it? Hailey hid a smile as she followed her friend. The difference in their ages was a stark reality at times. Jen’s eyes were wide with the excitement of being here, and Hailey was wondering why she’d come. She’d been to places like this before—maybe too often.

“The bar is around that way,” Jen said, pointing out a long area where cocktail waitresses in tiny cowgirl outfits held trays high above the crowd. “The restaurant is in through that doorway, and then, out here in back…” She led Hailey through an opening into a courtyard where an arbor of tangled red roses circled a wishing well. “Lovers’ walk,” she said, gazing with wistful admiration at the romantic setting, lights muted, roses blooming around a shimmering wishing well. “Isn’t it adorable?”

“I suppose so,” Hailey said doubtfully. “If you go in for that sort of thing.”

“Oh, you.” Jen scoffed at her playfully. “You put on this big old front, but if the right guy came along, you’d give him a tumble, just like any of us. Wouldn’t you?”

Hailey smiled at her. She wanted to say no, because that was what the answer was, but she hated to be so cynical when Jen was so full of joyful wonder. “Sure,” she said instead. “You’re probably right.”

“Of course I am.” It was evident Jen couldn’t conceive of a woman who didn’t need a man in her life. “Well, I doubt if you’re going to find your kind of male in this place. It’s full of cowboys and guys like that. But you can have some fun.”

Hailey nodded brightly. “That’s what I came for.”

“Good.” Her face grew more serious. “Just remember, if we see anyone from the ranch, we have to leave right away. Okay? We can’t risk them recognizing us.”

Hailey frowned. They hadn’t really explored the possibility of being found out before. “Jen, what would happen if we get caught? To you, I mean.”

The younger woman shrugged. “I’d probably get fired.” Reaching out, she grabbed Hailey’s hand as she saw the horrified expression spreading across her face. “Oh, don’t worry. Please don’t. Don’t even think about it. We’re here to have fun.”

Hailey had questioned her own judgment in coming here from the beginning, and now she was absolutely disgusted with herself. Why hadn’t she thought this thing through and realized the jeopardy she was putting Jen in? “You’re the generic rich girl,” her unhelpful cowboy had accused her that very afternoon, and she’d denied it. But here she was, acting as though that were exactly the case.

“Jen, let’s get out of here right now,” she said earnestly. “I hadn’t realized-”

“Are you kidding?” Jen pulled back and turned toward the music. “Not on your life. I’m going to dance! Come on.”

Hailey shook her head ruefully. “You go ahead,” she said. “I’ll be along in a few minutes.”

“Okay,” Jen responded happily. “But if I get lucky right away, you’ll find me on the dance floor.”

“Okay.” She watched Jen hurry toward the crowd and sighed. Well, here she was, having fun. Funny. It didn’t feel very different from being bored.

“You’re just a spoiled rich girl,” she chided herself, thinking of the cowboy again. “Never satisfied.” And for just a moment, she had to wonder if the man wasn’t right.

Mitch pulled the truck into a parking place and got out. Pauly was already out of sight. Striding quickly, he found his way inside the roadhouse. The room was a kaleidoscope of lights and sound. The music provided the beat, the dancers provided the swirling skirts and stomping boots. The place was packed and everyone seemed to be having a real good time.

Pushing his Stetson down as low as he could without blocking off vision altogether, he scanned the room for Pauly and found him lingering in the fringes, glancing at something in his hand.

That was all the information Mitch needed to make a quick diagnosis of the situation. Pauly was very possibly looking for Hailey. And the last thing Mitch wanted was for the sleazy detective to find her.

At least he was using a photograph for identification. That meant he’d never seen her face-to-face. It also meant he might not recognize her in the disguise. But he didn’t like to count on luck.

Moving quickly, he searched through the crowd, glancing at each feminine face. Where the heck was she? And, for that matter, what was he going to do when he found her? Bundle her up and carry her back to the ranch?

Hardly that. He didn’t want to come face-to-face with her, in fact. If he did, it would blow his cover. No, he had to think of some way to keep her out of Pauly’s clutches without revealing himself. This was going to be tricky.

He scanned the length of the bar, but she wasn’t there. Looking back, he saw Pauly coming in behind him, and he melted into the crowd. He’d never spoken to the man and he didn’t think he would be recognized, but he couldn’t be too careful.

Making his way among the dancers, he gazed at each face but didn’t find what he was looking for. He saw Jen, but Hailey wasn’t with her. Where had she gone? The rest room was a possibility, but he couldn’t follow her in there. Still he could get close.

He turned down the hall to the telephones, and suddenly there she was, coming toward him. Adrenaline pumped as he turned, looking for an escape, but a crowd of laughing women had come into the hallway behind him and were about to carry him along in their wave of raucous celebration. He glanced back down the hall. Hailey was headed straight at him. No time to duck out. Her eyes met his and widened.

Yes, he thought to himself, resignedly. We have recognition. Now what? She’d seen him. They were going to have to speak. He was going to have to think fast, find a cover story, something….

Working on pure instinct, he stopped, looked down at her and smiled as the laughing women swarmed around them and moved on. Meanwhile, he was thinking to himself, Here goes nothing—playboy act number one, sticking to basics.

“Hi,” he said aloud, letting his eyes do his flirting for him, as though she were the cutest thing he’d ever seen, and what’s more, someone he’d never seen before. This had to have all the earmarks of a spontaneous pick up. And it had to be very convincing. He tilted his chin and gave her a rakish look from beneath the brim of his hat. “Where’ve you been all my life?”

Her mouth dropped open and she merely stared. She’d seen him too late to make her own getaway, and her heart had fallen. Her first thought was that she’d been caught, and not only was she going to be in big trouble, so was Jen. But now he was acting as though he didn’t realize who she was. Could it be? No. She couldn’t be that lucky. “Uh…” She could manage no more on such short notice.

“You from around here?” he asked, still in flirt mode, his blue eyes holding her gaze. “Because if you are, and we haven’t met before, something is definitely wrong with the system.”

Her pretty brows drew together and she searched his eyes. Was it possible that he really didn’t recognize her? And if so, how could she make sure she didn’t do anything to set him off?

“Uh…” she murmured again, afraid to speak for fear of giving herself away. She blinked at him, feeling like a halfwit, and then looked down at where her fingers were twisting together painfully. He knew who she was, surely. How could he not? They’d just been talking together that afternoon. Though as she remembered it, he hadn’t smiled at her once. Now he was all smiles. She swallowed hard. He was waiting for an answer.

“I…I’m just visiting,” she said softly, then stared at his eyes, waiting for awareness to light a spark there.

But it didn’t seem to happen.

“That’s a shame,” he said with a wicked grin. “Then we’ll have to work fast. We have so little time to get to know each other.”

Now she was amused. He really didn’t know who she was. He was giving her what she could only assume was his standard come-on line of bull. And that was interesting—the cowboy she’d met this afternoon hadn’t been interested in striking up a relationship. The wig made all the difference, it seemed. Her hand rose involuntarily and she touched it lightly. It made her look different. It made her act differently. Why wouldn’t it make her talk differently? Yes.

She took a deep breath, wondering if she could really pull this off. Determinedly she squared her shoulders and thought country.

“I’m afraid you’re wrong there,” she told him pertly, managing to change her voice into something that seemed to fit the mood of the place. She made it a little higher and put on a bit of a country drawl. That was the key. She would put on an accent. “We don’t have any time at all. Sorry, mister, but I don’t know you from Adam.”

She waited, breathless, to see how he would react to that, but he merely grinned again.

“Of course not,” he said smoothly, though he thought, Whoa, the old voice trick, as he looked down at her. “You’re just visiting. Remember?” he said aloud. “How could you know me?” His gaze took on a significant slant. “But we’re going to have to remedy that situation right away.”

She blinked up at him and took another deep breath. It was okay. Even the voice hadn’t tipped him off. She just might get away with this after all. Looking past him, she began to edge away.

“No thanks,” she said crisply. “I’m afraid I’m busy.”

He shifted his weight just enough to block her escape route. Glancing back into the dance club, he didn’t catch sight of Pauly, but he knew the detective had to be out there somewhere. It was very likely Pauly would be fooled by the wig, but he didn’t want to take chances. Much as he hated to admit it, he was going to have to stick with her for a while. And that meant he was going to have to take her out on the dance floor. Not his favorite thing to do, but he didn’t have much choice. He looked back down at her with a shadowed gaze.

“Let’s put it this way. Would you like to dance?”

She gazed up at him blankly. “Dance?” she echoed. Dance with the cowboy who’d treated her with sarcasm and scorn just hours before? He had to be joking.

He shrugged and gestured toward the large open room behind him. “Isn’t that what you came for?”

She had to admit, he had her there. “I can’t,” she said, unable to come up with a good excuse on the spur of the moment, though what she wanted most of all was to find a way to lose this man and not see him again tonight. “I mean, I really shouldn’t….”

Mitch’s habit was to cut to the chase. “Do you have a date waiting for you?” he asked, not sure at that point what her answer would be. For all he knew, this entire escapade was set up for her to meet someone. For all he knew, she’d done it before.

She hesitated, biting her lip. “What if I do?” she asked.

He shrugged and let a warm, comical look fill his eyes. “Then point him out and I’ll ask his permission.”

Despite everything, she had to laugh. “My, aren’t you old-fashioned.”

It was his turn to drawl. “It’s just the old cowboy code.” He tipped his hat with his forefinger to the brim. “We all have our standards.”

“Right. Like honor among thieves.”

He gave her a pained look. “Such cynicism from such a pretty lady. And all I did was ask her to dance.”

She was losing ground and she knew it. It didn’t look as if she were going to be able to get away without a turn around the dance floor. The thought of it made her heart beat a little faster. It would be dangerous to be so close for so long. Suppose he noticed something? Suppose the truth finally dawned on him? But at the same time, to keep turning him down would be odd in itself. After all, he was right. She’d come to dance. Why not with him? She was going to have to bite the bullet.

“Well, all right,” she said grudgingly, remembering to give her voice a country twang. “Just one dance.”

He turned and gestured with a flourish for her to precede him. As they entered the larger room, he managed to look casual as he quickly surveyed the landscape. He caught a glimpse of Pauly heading for the back of the building where a space had been set aside for pool tables and video games and he breathed a sigh of relief. Pauly was going to check out the area and then maybe he would give up and leave.

Well, that did change things. Maybe he could get out of this dancing stuff after all. He’d never been much for dancing, and now that he was facing the music, he began to search about for an excuse to avoid it.

“You know, it’s kind of hot in here,” he began as a new idea occurred to him. Maybe he could get her to go out and walk in the courtyard with him instead of dancing. “I thought maybe…”

But he was too late. Now that they were out in the main room, the lively music was infecting her with the mood of the moment.

“The music is starting,” she said, lifting her chin. “Let’s go.” She hooked her arm through his and smiled at him, anticipation dancing in her green eyes.

He was stuck. Looking around at the dancers, he began to realize there was no way he was going to get away with slow-dancing here. “I don’t know. I’m not sure I know this dance.”

“Oh, it’s just line dancing.” She tugged on his arm. “Anybody can do it. Here. I’ll show you.”

The next thing he knew, he was two-stepping across the floor, his thumbs hooked into his wide belt, and she was laughing up into his face. It felt awkward at first. He wasn’t much of a dancer. But she was right—it was easy. And she looked good in her flouncy skirt, whirling in front of him. In a few moments, he was having almost as much fun as she seemed to be having.

The tempo changed and she slid into his arms as naturally as though they were old friends.

“‘Cowboys Never Fall in Love,’” she murmured, naming the song that was playing. “Do you believe that?”

He grinned. “I live it,” he said lightly.

She laughed, but at that moment he saw Pauly come back into the room and he pulled Hailey closer to him. She swayed with him, her head nestling into the hollow of his shoulder, while he maneuvered her around so that she was always with her back to the detective. But Pauly kept moving, and it was hard to keep up.

“What are you so nervous about?” Hailey asked suddenly, pulling her head back so she could look into his face.

“Me? I’m not nervous.” He gave her a smile that was all innocence.

“You keep looking over your shoulder.” She frowned, peering past him. “Have you got somebody following you?”

If he’d been a little less experienced, he might have blushed. Her guess was just too close to the mark for comfort.

“Why do you say that?” he asked instead.

She searched his gaze, then shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. I thought maybe your ex-wife was having you tailed or something.”

He gazed at her quizzically. “What gives you the idea that I have an ex-wife?”

Her green eyes clouded. Did he really need an explanation? He was a man. He must know what men were like.

“A lot of men like you have ex-wives lurking in the shadows,” she said, trying for a flippant tone, “or hiding in a closet somewhere, ready to leap out and yell boo when you least expect it.”

“I see.” He frowned, not liking the sound of that. What had happened to this woman? It was pretty obvious there was pain behind those beautiful eyes. Funny. It was hard to picture anyone this attractive with a broken heart. But broken hearts did come in all shapes and sizes.

“You sound like someone who’s had a bit of experience with this leaping and yelling stuff,” he said softly. It was not part of his nature to inquire into things like this, but he wanted to find out more about her, what made her tick—at least that was what he told himself.

She managed a small smile. “The leaping and yelling may be a bit of an exaggeration,” she admitted. No, there hadn’t been much leaping and yelling, but there had been enough lying and hiding of true feelings to last her a lifetime. Why was it that men seemed to think beautiful women were trophies, that they didn’t have any value other than as prizes to be won and bragged about? She’d had her share of heartache over that sort of thing when she was very young and it had taught her life’s lessons early. You couldn’t believe what a man said, especially when he said he loved you. The word love was a tool he used to get what he wanted. The word no was a tool she used to make sure he didn’t reach his goal.

“Anyway, I don’t worry about things like that any longer,” she said airily. “I leave that to others.”

“But not you.”

“No, not me.” Her eyes were guileless. “I’m very careful.”

He cocked one dark eyebrow. “How’s that?”

“I don’t date unless I am absolutely certain…” She paused and bit her lip, wondering how to explain it in terms he might understand.

“Until you’re absolutely certain he’s crazy about you?” he asked idly.

She looked at him, amused at how far off the mark he was. “No. Until I’m absolutely certain there is no romantic feeling between us. I only date men who don’t fall for me. It’s the only way to be sure.”

He shook his head, not sure he’d heard right. “Wait a minute. That’s crazy,” he said.

The music had stopped and they were standing at the edge of the crowd, still together but not touching, not doing anything that might commit them as a couple. They were both being very careful of that.

“That really doesn’t make any sense,” he stated flatly, ready to go on.

But before he had a chance to launch into his reasons for bewilderment, a handsome, clean-cut young man broke from a nearby group and smiled at Hailey. “Are you… would you like to dance?” he asked her shyly before he noticed Mitch.

Hailey smiled at the young man and began to shake her head. At the same time, as he glanced over her black wig, Mitch could see Pauly disappearing out the front door of the establishment. Pauly was gone, and the reason for dogging her every move left with him. He looked down at her. It had been fun, but it was over now.

“She’d love to,” he told the startled youth. Giving Hailey a wink, he began to turn away. “Listen, you came to dance and to have some fun. I guess I ought to let you do that.”

“Oh, but—” She put out a hand, as though she were about to reach for him, and then drew it back quickly. His abrupt change of plan was startling. Men rarely turned and ran from her. She was going to need a moment or two to adjust to shifting sands.

“Here you go.” He practically handed her off to the other man, but before he left, he gave her a bittersweet smile. “Treat her gently,” he told the young man. “She’s a special lady.”

Hailey watched him turn on his heel and melt into the crowd. A part of her resented him saying that. And another part was glowing in response. What on earth had made him leave her so suddenly? Had he recognized her? But no, if he’d recognized her, he would have said something. He was a strange man. But she couldn’t say she was sorry they’d met tonight.

Still, this was ridiculous. She didn’t act like this. She didn’t ever let a man get to her. And she wasn’t about to start now.

“Excuse me. Miss?”

“Oh.” Turning, she smiled at the young man she’d forgotten about. “Sorry. Let’s dance, shall we?” Taking his hand, she joined him as the fiddles began a wild country song.

She did a lot of dancing after that. She danced to slow tunes, she danced to fast tunes, and she spent most of the time hopping around to protect her feet. She danced with a college boy who’d had too much to drink and a truck driver who told dirty jokes and a cop who talked in a very gruff voice and a large, very handsome man who held her too close and wanted to take her out to see the moon, and a short, funny man who tried to trick her into revealing her telephone number. And every once in a while, she caught sight of Mitch standing along the edge of the crowd, watching her.

That was strange. Why didn’t he dance? Was he trying to figure out who she was and where he’d seen her before? No, she didn’t think that was it.

That wasn’t the look she saw in his eyes. Just what that look was, she couldn’t quite pin down. But she knew it wasn’t puzzled inquiry. No, that wasn’t it.

He was certainly a different man here than the cowboy she’d had the run-in with that afternoon. She’d felt she knew him, after their confrontation and then all the sketching she’d done of him. She knew his face, knew his long, muscular body, but she obviously didn’t know him at all. And as he watched her but refused to come close, her curiosity grew.