Wanted: Father for Her Baby: Keeping Baby Secret / Five Brothers and a Baby / Expecting Brand's Baby
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“Kate, I wish…well, I know you must be thinking about Mary Kate and wondering why I’m getting my son back so quickly and your little girl has been missing for eleven years.”
Kate shrugged. “Life’s a mystery. Why I haven’t found Mary Kate after over a decade of searching and why your Andrew is being returned to you only days after losing him is one of those mysteries.” Kate patted Leenie’s hand. “Somehow, someway, someday, I’ll find out what happened to my daughter. But for now, for tonight, you just concentrate on celebrating Andrew’s return.”
Frank hadn’t had a clue that he’d go ga-ga over a two-month-old kid. But the minute Dr. Tomlin’s nurse put Andrew in his arms, Frank had melted like ice in the July sun. His little boy had looked at him with Leenie’s big blue eyes and he’d been a goner on the spot.
“Is this Andrew Patton?” Dante Moran had asked, pointing to the child Dr. Tomlin’s nurse held.
“We’ve matched his footprint to Andrew Patton’s footprint taken at birth and they’re a perfect match,” Dr. Tomlin had said. “This young man is definitely Andrew.”
Yes, he certainly was. Andrew. His son. Frank had inspected the kid from top to bottom and seen himself or Leenie in every feature. Odd how he loved the child instantly, and not just because Andrew was his, but because Andrew was Leenie’s.
Glancing in the rearview mirror of the rental car he was driving, Frank caught a shadowy glimpse of his son asleep in the carseat Dr. Tomlin had provided. Poor little guy, Frank thought. He’d worn himself out bellowing. Apparently Andrew hadn’t inherited Leenie’s sunny disposition. Of course, Andrew had been through a traumatic experience, being snatched away from the security of his mother’s arms and the loving care of Debra Schmale.
“It’s okay, kid,” Frank said to the sleeping child, “I’m taking you home to your mama. We should be there in a few minutes. And as for your inheriting my grumpy disposition, don’t worry about it. Women seem to go for surly, brooding men.”
When Leenie’s house came into view, Frank’s gut tightened. Because of the bad weather—rain mixed with sleet—he’d driven much slower than his usual speed, so it had taken longer than it should have to make the drive from Memphis to Maysville. But he didn’t want to take any chances with Andrew onboard. From now on, his top priority was going to be keeping his son safe. He didn’t want Leenie to ever again have to endure the anguish she’d suffered these past few days.
The minute he pulled into the driveway, the front door flew open and Leenie ran outside, off the porch and into the yard. By the time he stopped the car, she was yanking on the back door handle. Frank unlocked the doors, undid his seat belt and got out, but before he could even say hello, Leenie was removing a sleeping Andrew from the carseat. She wrapped him in the blanket she’d brought with her and took him out of the car. She turned to Frank then and smiled as tears streamed down her cheeks. He put his hand on the small of her back and together they hurried into the house. Kate stood just inside the foyer, a warm smile on her face.
Suddenly Andrew let out a loud yowl. Leenie flung the damp blanket to the floor and crushed her baby to her chest. That one yowl turned into a screaming fit. Leenie held him away from her and looked at him, then spoke to him softly, a mother’s tender rambling words to soothe her fretful child. Andrew didn’t respond immediately, but Leenie kept talking to him and caressing him. Within minutes his crying diminished and soon stopped altogether. He focused his big blue eyes on his mother.
“Hello, my darling,” Leenie said, then covered his little face with kisses.
Andrew whimpered, then cooed.
Frank thought he’d lose it right then and there. Hell, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d cried. After his father’s funeral? Yeah, that had been the last time. When he’d been alone. But seeing his son safe in Leenie’s arms was enough to bring a grown man to his knees. She had a magic touch, the ability to soothe Andrew’s surly Latimer disposition. Why should that surprise him? Hadn’t she been able to work that same magic on him?
“I’m so happy that everything turned out this way,” Kate said. “I’m going to make myself scarce so y’all can have this time alone with your son.”
Cuddling Andrew close, Leenie said, “No, Kate, you don’t have to—”
“This is family time—mother, father and baby time.” Kate headed toward the guest bedroom. “I’ll see y’all in the morning.”
Frank followed Leenie into the living room and sat down beside her on the sofa. He lifted his arm and put it around her shoulders, encompassing her in his embrace as she did Andrew. They sat there together, the three of them, Andrew secure in his mother’s arms. Frank couldn’t remember ever feeling so good.
“You brought him home to me, just the way you said you would.” Leenie kissed the top of Andrew’s head. The baby’s eyelids drooped.
“He’s a beautiful child,” Frank told her. “Just perfect. And that’s amazing considering I’m his father.”
Leenie laughed. And dear God, how strongly her laughter affected him. He’d never heard a sweeter sound.
“Has he been fed? Did you give him a bottle or—”
“I’ve changed his diaper twice and given him a bottle. Dr. Tomlin, the pediatrician the FBI used in Memphis, gave me three bottles of formula.”
“I breast-fed him, you know. I’d just weaned him onto a bottle when the wreck happened and he was taken…” Leenie gulped down a sob.
Frank hugged her closer. “He’s home. He’s safe. The nightmare is over.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever let him out of my sight again as long as I live.”
Frank chuckled. “Yeah, I know the feeling, but I think Andrew will object when you start going out on his dates with him.”
“He’s not even three months old and you’re already talking about him dating.”
“Hey, if he takes after his old man, he’ll have a girlfriend in kindergarten. Actually, he’ll have half a dozen girlfriends.”
“I will not allow my son to be a ladies’ man.” Leenie tore her gaze away from Andrew to look at Frank. “But I won’t mind if he takes after you in other ways. You, Frank Latimer, are quite a man and I’m glad you’re my son’s father.”
An embarrassing flush warmed Frank’s face. No one had ever told him anything that affected him so strongly. His masculine pride doubled instantly. He leaned over and kissed Leenie, a gentle, fleeting kiss. “He’s the luckiest kid in the world having you for a mother.”
Chapter Nine
Frank locked up and set the security alarm after Leenie went to her bedroom, a fast-asleep Andrew cradled in her arms. These past few days had been the longest, most grueling days of his life, and he knew they’d been even worse for Leenie. He loved watching her with Andrew, the way she touched their child, the way the sound of her voice soothed him. For all her sexy, sophisticated, career-woman exterior, Leenie was a mother at heart. Of course, one was not exclusive of the other. He figured Dr. Lurleen Patton was what people might call a multifaceted woman. And he sure as hell had never known anyone like her. She wasn’t anything like his mother, who’d never done a selfless thing in her life, who had put her own needs above her son’s and daughter’s needs time and again. And Leenie bore no resemblance to his former wife. What had he ever seen in Rita, beyond her flashy good looks?
Listen to yourself, Latimer, you sound like a man in love. No way! Even if he did like Leenie, even care about her deeply, he wasn’t fool enough to fall in love. Never again. Once had been one time too many. Okay, so Leenie was as different from Rita as night is from day. It didn’t matter. Love was no guarantee of happiness. And what could start out as a wonderful relationship—like he’d thought his marriage to Rita was—could turn out to be very wrong. There were too many unknowns between two people. He had seen a lot of promising relationships end up in the gutter, a couple battling it out in the divorce courts. He and Leenie were too smart to make forever promises, to risk not only messing up their lives, but Andrew’s too. Wasn’t the kid better off with two parents who liked and respected each other and shared the responsibilities of raising him than parents who’d been madly in love and ended up fighting over who was going to get custody of him when they split?
Frank turned out all the lights, except the one lamp in the corner of the living room. He removed his cell phone from his pocket and dialed Sawyer Mac-Namara’s private number. He could easily wait until morning to call his boss, but now that he’d made his decision to keep things friendly but not committed between Leenie and him, he wanted to forge ahead with his plans to become acquainted with his son. He needed some time off, some time to spend with Andrew. And during that time, he and Leenie could figure out how they wanted to handle their joint parenthood. Right now, with Andrew a baby, he probably needed Leenie more than he needed Frank. But as he grew older, he might need Frank more. He could suggest to Leenie that they take things a year at a time and see how things worked out as their son matured.
Sawyer answered his phone on the third ring. “Mc-Namara here.”
“Yeah, it’s Frank Latimer.”
“I spoke to Moran earlier and then to Kate. I’m glad to know everything worked out and you were able to take the baby home to his mother. Kate tells me that the child is well.”
“Andrew is fine, now that he’s with his mother.” Frank paused for a moment, then made his request. “I need some time off. A week, maybe ten days. Leenie…Dr. Patton and I have some things to work out about Andrew. And I’d like a chance to get to know my son before I head back to Atlanta and go out on another case.”
“A week, even two, can be arranged,” Sawyer said. “And if you need more time—”
“Ten days, tops.”
“Good thing I hired Geoff Monday. He can pick up some of the slack and fill in for you and Kate until you’re both back on the job.”
“Kate’s taking time off, too? Why? I thought she’d be flying back to Atlanta tomorrow.”
“She asked for a leave of absence for personal reasons. I figured she might have told you what those reasons were.”
“She hasn’t said a word to me.”
“Okay. So, we’ll see you back at the office in a couple of weeks.”
“A week to ten days,” Frank corrected.
“Fine. A week to ten days. Good luck, Frank. I hope you and Dr. Patton can come to an amicable agreement about your son.”
“Thanks. I see no reason why we can’t. Leenie is a reasonable woman. And being a psychiatrist, she knows how important it is for a child to have two parents who have an amicable relationship.”
“Sounds like you’ve got it all worked out, at least from your point of view.”
“Yeah. I do.”
After he finished talking to Sawyer, doubts started creeping into his mind. Maybe Leenie wouldn’t be cooperative, maybe she wouldn’t like the idea of sharing Andrew. After all, she hadn’t let him know she was pregnant, hadn’t informed him after Andrew was born that he had a son. If Andrew hadn’t been kidnapped, would she have ever told him about his child’s existence?
Rubbing the back of his neck as he stretched, Frank groaned. He was tired and sleepy. And confused. He needed a good night’s sleep. Then in the morning, he’d be able to think straight.
As he walked down the hall, he noticed Leenie’s bedroom door stood open. He couldn’t resist peeking in on her and Andrew. He stopped in the doorway. His gut clenched when he saw Leenie, in her pink silk gown, lying in bed, her long hair fanned out on her pillow, and Andrew, in his blue terrycloth pajamas, cuddled against Leenie’s chest. Mother and child.
His son.
His woman!
Damn, why couldn’t he stop thinking of Leenie as his. These past few days he’d become much too possessive of her. How could they build separate lives if he kept laying claim to her?
Face the facts, he told himself. Eventually Leenie was going to start dating again. There would be other men in her life. Other men in Andrew’s life, whether he liked it or not. No! He didn’t want other men parading in and out of his son’s life. But who was to say that Leenie wouldn’t find one special guy and get married. It could happen. And then Andrew would have a stepfather.
He had to stop doing this to himself. Don’t start making decisions based on what ifs, he told himself.
As he watched Leenie and Andrew sleeping, he was so drawn to them that he couldn’t resist the temptation to be near them. It wasn’t as if he was invading her privacy. She’d left the door open, hadn’t she? She’d probably expected him to check on them before he turned in for the night. Leaving the door open the way she had was an invitation, wasn’t it?
Frank walked quietly into the room, not stopping until he reached the bed. What would it hurt if he stayed here with them? Just for tonight. After all, it was Andrew’s homecoming. But if he lay down beside them, he might waken Leenie and God knew she needed her rest after all she’d been through. But he could not bring himself to leave. Glancing around the semidark room, he noticed the comfy overstuffed chair in the corner. He could rest comfortably there without disturbing Leenie and Andrew and at the same time, he could be with them, keep watch over them.
Frank made his way to the chair, sat, adjusted his body until he was fairly comfortable, then dragged the knitted lavender afghan from the back of the chair and spread it out over him. A tad short for his long frame, it covered him from shoulders to knees.
For quite a while he sat there, his gaze glued to the woman and infant in the bed. But finally exhaustion overcame him and his eyelids drooped. He yawned, then closed his eyes and gave in to sleep.
Andrew was crying.
It’s all right, baby. Mother’s here. You’re safe.
Leenie woke with a start. When she found Andrew wriggling against her, his little nose and mouth rooting at her breast, she sighed contentedly. Thank you, God. Thank you for keeping my baby safe and bringing him home to me.
“Hush, my darling,” Leenie whispered. “Mommy will get you a bottle. It won’t take a minute.”
She got out of bed, then reached down and lifted a whimpering Andrew up and into her arms. Just as she turned around, she noticed Frank in the chair in the corner. She gasped. When had he come into her bedroom? He roused groggily from sleep and stood.
“Is he all right?” Frank asked, his voice husky.
Leenie had left the door to her room open, hoping Frank would come to her—come to her and Andrew and be a part of Andrew’s homecoming. Apparently she’d fallen asleep before he’d joined them.
“He’s fine. Just hungry.” How was it that a man who needed a haircut and a shave and whose clothes always looked as if he slept in them could be so damned attractive? she wondered. And in the middle of the night, no less. “I have several bottles in the refrigerator. I’m taking Andrew with me to get one and warm it in the microwave.”
“You stay here,” Frank told her. “Let me get Andrew’s bottle.”
“All right. Thank you.” Leenie began walking the floor with her whiny little boy. “But hurry, will you? Your son won’t be patient for long. He wants what he wants when he wants it.”
“Not unlike his father.” Frank grinned. “By the way, how long do I heat the bottle in the microwave?”
“About forty-five seconds, then test it on the inside of your wrist. It should be warm, but not hot.”
When Frank disappeared out into the hall, Leenie paced the floor, crooning to Andrew. How wonderful to hold him again. She kissed his little head. Ah, she loved his sweet smell.
By the time Frank returned—in three minutes flat—Andrew’s whimpers had grown louder.
Her son had a big appetite and little patience.
“Here you go.” Frank held out the bottle to her.
“Would you like to feed him?”
“Me?”
“You’ve already fed him once, right? You’re an old pro now.”
“Yeah, sure. I—”
“Sit back down in the chair and I’ll hand him to you.”
Frank did as she’d instructed. Then she placed Andrew in his arms. At first Andrew cried, apparently not happy about leaving his mother’s arms. But when Frank stuck the nipple in his mouth, Andrew latched on and began sucking. Frank looked up at Leenie and smiled triumphantly.
“You’re a natural,” she told him.
“Am I?”
Her heart did a crazy rat-a-tat-tat. She wanted to wrap her arms around Frank and hug the life out of him. Didn’t he have any idea how wonderful he was? Couldn’t the big lug figure out that he was meant to be a family man? He was gentle, kind, loving and had so much to give to a woman and child. If only he wasn’t so scarred from bad experiences with a selfish mother and an unfaithful wife. If only the two most important women in his life hadn’t crippled him emotionally.
“The way you are with Andrew, a person would think you had vast experience with babies,” Leenie said.
“I have zero experience with babies. It’s Andrew. The way I feel about him makes it so easy to just—” Frank lifted his gaze from his son to Leenie. “I want to be a part of his life from now on.”
She nodded. Emotion welled up inside her. Why hadn’t she called Frank and told him the minute she found out she was pregnant?
“I called my boss at Dundee and asked for some time off. A week. I thought…that is if it’s okay with you, I’d like to stay and get to know my son.”
“Of course it’s okay with me. I want you to be a part of Andrew’s life.”
“You won’t have to put up with me permanently. Just for the next week or so.” Frank looked down at Andrew. “I know a baby needs his mother, but when I’m between assignments, I’d like to come for visits. And maybe when Andrew is older, you might let him visit me in Atlanta.”
Leenie clenched her teeth, then forced a smile, even though her heart was breaking. What had she expected? Not some confession of undying love. Not from Frank Latimer. He might love his son, but by God, he wasn’t going to ever trust his heart to another woman, not even his son’s mother. Not even to a woman who loved him so damn much that she could hardly stand it.
Smiling like an idiot, Leenie nodded and willed herself not to cry. She swallowed hard, then said, “Absolutely. You’ll be welcome here any time. I want you to be a father to Andrew.”
“Thanks, Slim.” With Andrew nestled against him, Frank held the bottle securely in place while he leaned down and kissed his son’s forehead.
Kate answered her cell phone on the first ring. She’d been waiting all night for this call.
“Hello.”
“Kate?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to get back to you, but I’ve had a lot going on here in Memphis. I guess Frank told you something about—”
“Frank doesn’t really care about the FBI’s great success,” Kate said. “Andrew is all that matters to him.”
“Yes, of course. That’s understandable.” Dante Moran hesitated for several moments. “I’m afraid I’m puzzled as to why you left me a message to call you. Is there some information Dundee needs in order to close out the case?”
“This wasn’t an official Dundee case. This was a personal matter for Frank. Sawyer McNamara sent me along because…well, to be honest with you, Sawyer thought I might have a special interest in Andrew Patton’s kidnapping.”
“You’ve lost me. I don’t understand why—”
“Eleven years ago my daughter was kidnapped and to this day I don’t know what happened to her. I’ve searched for her for over a decade without any success. What I want to know is this—did y’all confiscate any files on the abducted children? Things like where they were born. State? Town? And dates. Dates of births? Dates they were adopted? Who adopted them?”
“You’re asking me to divulge official FBI business,” Moran said.
“All you have to say is yes or no.”
“Yes.”
Kate sucked in her breath. “How far back do those files go?”
“Rephrase that so I can give you a yes or no reply.”
“Do they go back eleven years?”
“Yes.”
Kate’s heart lurched to her throat and for a moment she couldn’t breathe. “Is there any way I can get a look at those files?”
“No.”
“What if Sawyer McNamara—”
“No.”
“You don’t understand.” Kate didn’t mind begging. She’d gladly get down on her hands and knees and plead with him if she thought it would get her what she wanted. “Please. If there’s even the slightest chance that my daughter was taken by the same abduction ring that stole Andrew—”
“I can’t promise you anything. But I’ll pull the files from ten years ago and take a look. I can’t give you permission to see the files, but if you’ll give me all the information on your daughter—”
“Mary Kate Winston. She was two months old. Blonde. Brown-eyed. Kidnapped from Prospect, Alabama. I can fax you all the details.”
“You do that.”
“How long—?”
“It could take days to find something…if there’s anything to find.”
“I’m coming to Memphis,” Kate told him. “I’ll give you the details of Mary Kate’s abduction when I get there.”
“I’ll be expecting you.”
“Moran?”
“Huh?”
“Thanks.”
“Don’t thank me. I haven’t done anything.”
“Oh yes you have. You’ve given me just a tiny bit of hope. I’m not sure why you’re doing this for me. I don’t think it’s because you’re such a nice guy, is it?”
“Hell no. Anybody who knows me will tell you I’m a real hard-ass.”
“Then why?”
“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”
“I’ll leave for Memphis as soon as I can get packed.”
Leenie and Frank stood in the doorway, Andrew in Leenie’s arms, and waved goodbye to Kate as she walked toward Frank’s rental car parked in the driveway.
“Be careful driving in this rain,” Leenie cautioned. “The roads are probably still slippery from last night’s sleet.”
“I’ll be very careful,” Kate called back as she opened the car door.
“Call us when you get to Memphis,” Frank said.
“Becoming a father has certainly turned you into the paternal type, hasn’t it,” Kate said jokingly, then slammed the door and started the car.
As soon as Kate backed out of the drive, Frank closed the door and turned to Leenie. “She’ll be all right. I’m sure the roads are mostly clear by now. It’s nearly ten o’clock.”
“I’m not as concerned about her arriving safely to Memphis as I am about what she’ll find out while she’s there. If there is no information about her daughter in those files the FBI confiscated, she’ll be heartbroken. She’s been searching for her little girl for eleven years.”
Frank slipped his arm around Leenie’s shoulder, then tickled Andrew under his chin. “Everybody at Dundee knew there was something tragic in her past and some even speculated it had to do with a child, but none of us knew exactly what had happened.”
“I can’t imagine how she’s stayed sane all these years,” Leenie said. “And not only stayed sane, but actually functioned, kept a job, lived a fairly normal life and all. If I’d lost Andrew that way—”
“You didn’t. He’s right here, safe in your arms.” Frank hugged her and their son to him. She slipped her free arm around Frank, trapping Andrew between them.
When Frank leaned over and kissed her on the mouth and then kissed Andrew on the top of his head, Andrew fussed loudly.
“I think we’re crowding him,” Frank said, a wide grin on his face. “So, Mama, what’s the next thing on the agenda for today? Andrew’s had his morning bottle and a diaper change, so what’s next?”
“A bath. Want to give Andrew his bath?”
“Me?”
“Yes, you.”
“Sure. No problem. How hard can it be to give a two-month-old a bath?”
Leenie smiled. Frank had a great deal to learn about babies.
Chapter Ten
Leenie prepared Andrew’s bath, placing everything Frank would need in easy reach. Then she handed her son over to his father. Frank grinned confidently and laid Andrew on the changing table in the corner of the bathroom. Although Andrew whined softly, Frank managed to remove his son’s sleeper and diaper before Andrew bellowed loudly.