SOON TO BE BRIDES

The Marrying MacAllister

JOAN ELLIOTT PICKART

That Blackhawk Bride

BARBARA MCCAULEY

www.millsandboon.co.uk

The Marrying MacAllister

JOAN ELLIOTT PICKART

JOAN ELLIOTT PICKART

When she isn’t writing, Joan enjoys reading, gardening and attending craft shows with her young daughter, Autumn. Joan has three grown-up daughters and three fantastic grandchildren.

Dear Reader,

You are about to go on a trip to the enchanting land of China and you don’t even have to worry about attempting to pack everything into one suitcase.

I hope you enjoy reading Matt and Caitlin’s story as much as I did writing it. It gave me the opportunity to relive all the wonderful memories of my own trip to Hong Kong, Nanjing and Guangzhou when I adopted my three-month-old daughter Autumn in 1995.

As writers we sometimes wiggle facts around a bit to enable our characters to have their dreams come true. I wish to make it clear that Elizabeth’s solution to Caitlin and Matt’s dilemma and Henry’s agreeing to take part in it would never have taken place.

But this book is fiction, where fairy tales are allowed to come true.

So sit back, put your feet up and travel the sometimes bumpy road to eternal love with Caitlin, Matt and two little China dolls who will hopefully steal your heart.

Warmest regards,

Joan Elliott Pickart

For my nifty niece

ALIDA ELIZABETH HUNT

Chapter One

“I warned you, MacAllister, but you refused to listen. Now? I’m going to punch your ticket.”

Matt MacAllister glared at his longtime friend, Bud Mathis, who sat behind the desk in a masculinely decorated office. Matt was opposite the desk in a comfortable chair, one ankle propped on his other knee.

“Come on, Bud. Give me a break. Cut me some slack here.”

“It’s Dr. Mathis to you at the moment,” Bud said, crossing his arms over his chest. “I already gave you a second chance. I told you a month ago that I’d hold off on faxing my report on your yearly physical to the board of directors at the hospital for thirty days to give you an opportunity to quit working such long hours, get proper rest, eat decently and on the list goes.

“Did you utilize that month to your advantage? Nope. You still have high blood pressure that is the cause of your frequent headaches, you’re suffering from exhaustion and your ulcer is on the warpath.”

“Being the public-relations director at Mercy Hospital is not a lightweight position, Bud,” Matt said, dropping his foot to the floor. “Situations occur that simply can’t be postponed because my doctor says I need to go home and take a nap.”

“I heard this spiel a month ago. So cork it. I’m not giving you a clean bill of health so you can continue as you are. I am, in fact, going to inform the board that you’re to take a medical leave for a minimum of a month and perhaps even longer.”

Matt lunged to his feet. “Now wait just a damn minute.”

“Sit,” Bud said, meeting Matt glare for glare.

Matt muttered an earthy expletive, then slouched back onto the chair, his eyebrows knitted in a frown.

“I’ll give you one week,” Bud went on, “to bring the attorney the hospital keeps on retainer up to date on pending files, and you can use those same days to find a replacement to attend the fund-raising events that you said are scheduled on your calendar. After that, you’re not to put one foot inside the hospital until you’ve cleared it through me.”

“Ah, man,” Matt said, dragging one hand through his thick, auburn hair. “Some friend you are. I’ll go nuts just sitting around. And if you tell me to go fishing or take up bridge I’ll deck you.”

“I don’t want you to even be here in Ventura,” Bud said, “because you’ll cheat, be on the phone every other minute to the attorney covering your spot.

“Marsha and I were talking about you last night, Matt. I told her it would be a very safe bet that you’d flunk your physical today. We came up with what we feel is a terrific solution to your situation.”

“I bet you have,” Matt said, rolling his eyes heavenward.

“Just listen…and keep an open mind. You know that Marsha and I have spent months completing the paperwork to adopt a baby girl from China.”

“Of course I know that. I’m going to be her godfather.”

“Yes, you are.” Bud nodded. “Well, the adoption agency says the match pictures are on the way. It’s finally happening, Matt. We’re going to fly to the other side of the world and bring home our little miracle.”

Matt smiled. “No joke? That’s great. I’m really happy for you and Marsha.” He paused and frowned again. “But I don’t have a clue as to what this has to do with your not allowing me to work at the hospital for the next month.”

“It’s very simple. Marsha and I want you to come with us on the trip to China.”

“What?”

“It’s perfect, don’t you see?” Bud said, flinging out his arms. “If you’re in China you sure can’t pop into Mercy Hospital when no one is looking, nor pick up the phone to check on things every two seconds.

“You won’t be under any stress during the trip because you’re not the one who will be tending to a new member of the family. That awesome task is delegated to those of us in our group who are adopting the little ones.”

“But…”

“Hear me out.” Bud raised one hand. “We’ll be over there for about two weeks as there are legal matters to attend to. However, the Chinese government schedules one meeting a day, leaving foreign visitors plenty of time to tour and spend money. To top it off, you’ll be traveling with your own physician…me…and I intend to keep an eagle eye on you. Like I said…it’s perfect.”

“It’s nuts, that’s what it is. You plan to just inform the adoption agency that a friend of yours is going to tag along for the ride? Yeah, right.”

“Yeah, you are right,” Bud said, appearing extremely pleased with himself. “That’s exactly what Marsha and I would do. One of the couples of the five families in our group is bringing the new grandparents along, and the one single mom has been advised to have a friend with her to help with luggage and what have you because there are no bellhops or redcaps in China.

“All the agency needs to know within the next few days is how many people are actually going so they can make arrangements.”

“Oh,” Matt said.

“Look, don’t give me an answer now, but promise me you’ll think about it. It’s a win-win situation, Matt. You can’t be tempted to sneak in some work time, plus you’ll be sharing a very special event with Marsha and me and meeting your new goddaughter.

“This is Monday. The match pictures are winging their way west even as we speak. On Wednesday night everyone involved is coming to our house at six-thirty for a potluck dinner to receive the pictures…God, what a moment that will be… and to get instructions on dos and don’ts while in China so we don’t offend anyone over there.

“It’s called a culture training meeting and your cousin Carolyn will be conducting it. Carolyn isn’t going on the trip because she’s pregnant, as you know. Elizabeth Kane, the director of the agency, will be accompanying us.

“All I’m asking at this point, Matt, is that you attend the potluck at our house Wednesday night, having kept an open mind about possibly joining us on this trip. What do you say? Will you come Wednesday?”

Matt sighed. “Yeah, I guess so. It can’t hurt to listen, I suppose, and I’ll be able to see the picture of your daughter. But China? It’s not exactly around the corner, Bud.”

“No, it’s a long, long way from Mercy Hospital in Ventura, California, my friend, which makes it a custom-ordered place for you to travel to. Hey, it beats going fishing.”

“That’s a very good point,” Matt said, raising a finger. “I’ll be at your house Wednesday night, but I’m not promising anything.”

“Fair enough,” Bud said. “There’s something else that you ought to consider, too. A MacAllister going on a vacation is no big deal. But a MacAllister who is on a doctor-ordered medical leave? That’s news and you’d be kidding yourself if you thought the press wouldn’t get wind of it. If you stay in Ventura you’ll be hounded by reporters wanting all the details regarding your health.”

“The thought of that is enough to make my ulcer go nuts,” Matt said, getting to his feet. “Do they have any forks in China? I have never been able to master the use of chopsticks. It’s not going to do your reputation as a doctor any good if your patient starves to death while accompanying you to a foreign country, chum.”

Bud laughed. “You can pack a fork in your suitcase just to be on the safe side of that question.”

“This isn’t sounding like a thrill a minute, Mathis,” Matt said, heading toward the door of the office. “Yeah, yeah, I know, it beats going fishing. I’ll see you Wednesday night.” He opened the door, then turned to look at Bud again. “Potluck. What should I bring?”

“An attitude adjustment.”

“Hell,” Matt said, then strode out of the office.

By Wednesday night Matt’s attitude was well on its way to being adjusted.

He parked his SUV behind the last car in the row in front of the Mathises’ large ranch-style house, crossed his arms on the top of the steering wheel and glowered into space.

China, here I come, he thought. The last two days had been a study in frustration as he’d started the process of bringing the hospital’s attorney up to date on the pending files that needed to be brought to closure. There was no doubt in his mind that the attorney would be calling him every two seconds to double-check something, causing him to want to march back over there and do it himself.

Stress to the max, that’s what it would be, and his blood pressure would probably go off the Richter scale, making it impossible to get a passing grade on Bud’s crummy physical.

Did he want to go to China and starve to death because he couldn’t master the use of chopsticks? No. Was he in the mood for tours and sight-seeing trips with the typical bit about “On your left you will see…”? No. Did he feel like being surrounded by a slew of nervous new parents and babies who would no doubt wail their dismay at the sudden changes taking place in their lives? No.

Hey, he loved kids, which was a good thing since he was a MacAllister and was in proximity to the diaper brigade in vast numbers at every family gathering. But the scenario with these babies and these parents was far from the norm, and the new mom and dad’s tension would be sensed by the munchkin and they’d all be wrecks.

Nope, he didn’t want to go to China with this group, Matt thought as he rang the doorbell, but the opportunity was there and it certainly would put distance between himself and the attorney from hell. So be it.

The front door opened and a smiling Marsha Mathis greeted Matt. She was a tall, attractive blonde in her early thirties, who immediately kissed Matt on the cheek, then slipped one arm through one of his.

“I’ll give you a quick introduction to everyone, Matt,” Marsha said, “but if no one remembers your name the first time around don’t take it personally, because we are coming unglued. Carolyn arrived just moments before you did and she’s about to pass out the match pictures. I can hardly believe this is really happening after all these months.”

“I’m very happy for you and Bud. That little lady waiting for you in China is a fortunate kiddo to be getting parents like you two.”

“Oh, we’re the ones who are counting our blessings,” Marsha said as they entered a large family room beyond the living room. “Everyone, this is Matt MacAllister, who will hopefully be accompanying us on the trip. He’s Carolyn’s cousin-inlaw, or some such thing.”

“Hello, Matt,” Carolyn said, smiling at him from across the room.

“Hi, Carolyn,” Matt said. “How’s Ryan?”

“Super.”

“Okay, I’ll make this fast,” Marsha said, “so we can get our match pictures. Matt, that couple on the love seat is…”

Within seconds Matt gave up even comprehending what Marsha was saying, let alone being able to remember the names of the dozen-plus people, because she was rattling them off so fast it was a blur of sound. He just smiled and nodded, then nodded some more.

“And last but not least,” Marsha said, “is our single mommy, Caitlin Cunningham. That’s it. Find a place to sit, Matt.” She hurried across the room to settle on a chair next to Bud and grab his hand.

Caitlin Cunningham, Matt mused, still looking at her where she was sitting on the raised hearth in front of the fireplace. That name belonging to that woman was now etched indelibly in his mind.

She was absolutely lovely.

With short, curly dark hair, delicate features and the biggest, most expressive eyes he’d ever seen, combined with a slender figure clad in pale blue slacks and a very feminine flowered top, Caitlin Cunningham was, indeed, worth remembering.

Matt made his way across the room and settled onto the hearth about three feet away from Caitlin, whose gaze was riveted on Carolyn. He slid a glance at Caitlin, and realized that she was clutching her hands so tightly beneath her chin that her knuckles were white. She drew a shuddering breath as Carolyn opened a large envelope and removed five envelopes containing the match pictures.

“The big moment has arrived, huh?” Matt said, directing his statement toward Caitlin.

She did not respond, nor give any indication that she had even heard him.

Way to go, MacAllister, Matt thought. He’d sure knocked her out with his good looks and charm. She was speechless with awe. Yeah, right.

He could tear off all his clothes and do a hip-swiveling dance worthy of a male stripper and he seriously doubted if Caitlin Cunningham would even notice.

Well, maybe he was being too hard on himself. After all, Ms. Cunningham was about to see a picture of her new child for the very first time. Nobody could compete with that.

Matt continued to scrutinize Caitlin out of the corner of his eye while being vaguely aware of the sound of excited reactions as well as sniffles in the background as Carolyn passed out the envelopes.

Carolyn moved to where Caitlin was sitting and gave her one of the coveted envelopes.

“Congratulations, Mother,” Carolyn said, smiling.

With a trembling hand Caitlin took the envelope from Carolyn.

“Thank you, Carolyn,” Caitlin said softy.“I… Thank you.”

“Open the envelope.” Carolyn laughed. “Staring at it like that isn’t going to give you your first glimpse of your daughter. Okay, off I go. This is such fun.”

“Well,” Caitlin said, now gripping the envelope with both hands. “My daughter’s picture is in here. Oh, my goodness, my daughter’s picture is in this envelope. This is wonderful and terrifying and…oh dear.”

Matt scooted about a foot closer to Caitlin on the hearth.

“Do you need some help opening that?”

“Aakk,” Caitlin said, her head snapping around. “Who are you?”

“Matt MacAllister,” he said, frowning. “Marsha introduced me when I came in. Remember? No, I guess you don’t. This is quite a moment in your life. Go ahead. Say hello to your daughter.”

“Yes, yes, I’m going to do that,” Caitlin said, nodding jerkily. “Right now.” She slid a fingertip under the flap of the envelope, lifted it, hesitated, then reached inside and took out two pictures. A lovely smile instantly formed on her lips and her eyes filled with tears. “Oh, look at her. Just look at her. She’s the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen. My daughter. This is my baby.”

Matt craned his neck with the hope of getting a peek at the photographs but couldn’t see them. He moved closer to Caitlin, just as she turned the pictures over to read what was written on the back.

“She’s… Oh, I’ve forgotten every bit of math I’ve ever known. Okay, let’s see. She’s six months and…two, three…yes, six months and four days old.” She looked at Matt. “Isn’t she gorgeous?”

Matt chuckled. “I’m sure she is, but I haven’t seen her yet.”

“Oh,” Caitlin said, turning the photos back over and holding them side by side for Matt to see. “Look, here she is.”

A funny little sensation of warmth seemed to tiptoe around and through Matt’s heart as he studied the pictures of the baby.

She had black hair that was sticking up in all directions, dark almond-shaped eyes that were staring right at the camera, a rosebud mouth and in both shots she was scowling with not even a hint of a smile. In one picture she was wearing a pink blanket sleeper and in another a faded red one.

Matt’s palms actually began to tingle as he had the irrational urge to reach out, lift the baby from the photograph and nestle her close, hold her tight, tell her everything was going to be just fine.

“She’s…” He cleared his throat. “She’s a heart-stealer, Caitlin. Congratulations. Your daughter is…well, she’s really something. What are you going to name her?”

“I can’t decide between Mackenzie and Madison,” Caitlin said, gazing at the pictures again. “I think I’ll wait until I actually hold her in my arms before I pick which one is right for her.”

“Is everybody happy?” Carolyn said from across the room.

A chorus of affirmative replies filled the air.

“Some of you may have gotten more than one picture of your daughter,” Carolyn went on. “There’s never any rhyme or reason to what they send. I know you could spend the rest of the evening just gazing at those photos, but we have a lot to cover. Marsha, why don’t we have our potluck supper, then we can get down to business. Let’s take a few minutes to share the photographs with everyone before dinner.”

“Okay,” Marsha said, getting to her feet. “Matt, come see the picture of your goddaughter. She’s eleven months old and she’s standing alone in this photo. She’s fantastic. Oh, I’m going to cry again.”

Matt crossed the room and grinned when he saw the picture of Marsha and Bud’s baby. She was wearing a dress that was much too large for her, was obviously not very steady on her feet, as she was holding her arms straight out at her sides, but had a broad smile on her face as though she knew that standing alone was a very big deal. She had a little fluff of dark hair on the top of her head and her smile revealed four teeth—two on the top and two on the bottom.

“Dynamite,” Matt said, laughing. “You two better get your track shoes ready. This little lady is about to conquer the challenge of walking.”

“Isn’t her hair funny?” Bud said. “I love it. Just one wild plop on the top of her head. Hey, Grace, I’m your daddy. Grace Marsha Mathis. How’s that, Matt?”

“Perfect,” Matt said. “Grace. That’s nice. I like it. Caitlin is still undecided between naming her baby Mackenzie or Madison.”

“Oh?” Marsha said, raising her eyebrows. “Caitlin told you that?”

“Well, yeah, I was sitting right there and asked her what she was going to name her and… Marsha, don’t start your matchmaking thing. Okay?” Matt rolled his eyes heavenward. “I almost didn’t survive that bit the last time you did it. Concentrate on Grace Marsha Mathis and forget about me.”

“What I want to know, ole chum,” Bud said, “is whether or not you’ve made up your mind about going to China with us.”

“Count me in. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. When do we leave?”

“I’m not certain. Carolyn may announce the date after dinner.”

“Dinner,” Marsha said. “That’s what I’m supposed to be doing.”

Marsha rushed off and Caitlin followed her to help put the potluck dishes on the dining-room table. The pictures of the babies were passed around, and Matt made no attempt to curb his smile as he looked at each one. They ranged in age from four months to two years.

“What made you decide to go with us on this trip?” Bud asked Matt.

“A lamebrain attorney. Well, that was the reason when I arrived here tonight. But now? This whole thing is awesome, Bud. Families are being created, kids are going to be brought out of crowded orphanages into loving homes and…I want to be there when you see Grace for the first time and Caitlin holds Mackenzie or Madison, whichever name she decides on and… I’m honestly looking forward to going on this journey. I’m…I’m honored to be included.”

Bud nodded. “We’re glad you’re going to be with us, sharing it all.” He paused. “I am now going to chat—not gossip—chat with you. Caitlin works with Marsha at the fashion magazine. Marsha is the assistant editor, as you know, and Caitlin is a copywriter. A very talented one, as a matter of fact.

“The way Marsha tells it, Caitlin wanted to hear every detail of what we were discovering about adopting from China since Marsha is unable to have kids. The Chinese government allows single women to adopt and Caitlin decided it was the perfect answer for her as well.”

“Why?”

“That we don’t know.” Bud shrugged. “She just said that she hoped her approval came through at the same time as ours so we’d be traveling togetherto get our daughters. I believe a girlfriend of Caitlin’s is going with her to help out, like the agency suggested for single moms. The friend must have been busy tonight.”

“Interesting,” Matt said. “I mean, hey, Caitlin is a lovely young woman. Why isn’t she married and having a slew of kids herself? Why is she going the single-mom route?”

“Don’t have a clue,” Bud said. “I’m hungry.”

“Who’s hungry?” Marsha called from the doorway.

“I swear, my wife can read my mind, which is a scary thought at times.”

Matt managed to snag the chair next to Caitlin, and Marsha and Bud sat across from them. The pictures were placed carefully in front of plates around the table. The food was delicious, the conversation centered on babies and the eagerly anticipated journey to the other side of the world.

“Attention, attention,” Carolyn said as a three-layer chocolate cake was being served for dessert. “I’ll talk so I won’t be tempted to indulge in that chocolate delight. Question. Has there been any change in the number of people going along with you?”

“Yes,” Caitlin said. “My girlfriend who was to accompany me to help with the luggage and what have you broke her ankle while in-line skating with her son. My mother and stepfather live in Italy and my stepfather is ill, making it impossible for my mother to leave him right now. Other friends can’t get vacation time on such short notice. So, I’m on my own.”

“We’ll all help you, Caitlin,” Bud said. “In fact, we’re adding Matt to the list of who is going and he’ll be free to assist you with your luggage. Right, Matt?”

“Sure,” Matt said. “No problem.”

“All things should be so easily solved.” Carolyn laughed. “Okay, then, I have the final count so reservations will be made. You’ll be called just as soon as everything is arranged and we have a date of departure. It will be soon, I promise. Matt, is your passport current?”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m ready to rock and roll.”

“Excellent.” Carolyn paused. “Finish your sinful dessert while I get the information packets I want to pass out to you.”

“I appreciate your willingness to help me with my luggage, Matt,” Caitlin said.

“It will be my pleasure,” he said, smiling at her. “I’ll just be hanging around tickling babies and taking in the sights.”

Caitlin frowned. “I guess I don’t quite understand why you’re going on this trip. Have you always wanted to travel to China and the opportunity presented itself?”

“Well, not exactly.”

“Before Matt says something that will make his nose grow,” Bud said, “I’m squealing on him. As his physician I ordered him to stay away from his job as public-relations director at Mercy Hospital for a month because he’s been working far too many hours for far too long. It was go to China with us, or be sent to his room for being a naughty boy.”

“Thank you, Dr. Mouth Mathis,” Matt said dryly.

“Well, it’s true,” Marsha said. “Work, work, work, that’s all you do, Matt. This trip is just what the doctor, my sweet patootie, ordered.”

“Whatever.” Matt chuckled. “I happen to like my job, you know.”

“More than anything else,” Marsha retorted. “But we gotcha good, MacAllister. You can’t drop by the hospital when you’re hiking around China.”

Caitlin laughed along with everyone else who had heard the conversation, but she sighed inwardly.

Oh, yes, she thought, the same old story. Here was another handsome and intelligent man who was pleasant to be with, but who was focused on his career above everything else. History seemed to repeat itself time and again for as long as she could remember. Men crossed her path who had priorities at opposite poles from hers. Well, hello and good-bye to Mr. Matt MacAllister of the MacAllisters of Ventura. So be it.

“Is something wrong, Caitlin?” Matt said. “You look so serious all of a sudden.”

“What? Oh. No. Nothing is wrong, Matt.” She smiled. “I was just doing a bit of reality check time.” She picked up the pictures of her daughter and gazed at them. “But I’m fine now. We’re going to be a terrific team, my daughter and I. Just the two of us.”

The woman on the other side of Caitlin spoke to her, causing her to turn away from Matt. He looked at her delicate fingers as they held the photographs of the baby Caitlin would name either Mackenzie or Madison.

We’re going to be a terrific team, my daughter and I. Just the two of us.

Caitlin’s words echoed in Matt’s mind and he frowned.

Why? he wondered. Why was an extremely attractive, intelligent, I-have-a-lot-to-offer woman like Caitlin Cunningham seemingly determined to be a single mother, making no room in her life for a husband for herself, a father for that adorable baby girl?

Had Caitlin been deeply hurt by a man in the past? Whoa. He didn’t like the idea of that, not one little bit.

Or…like Marsha, was Caitlin unable to have children and felt that no man would want to marry her because of that?

Or… Hell, he didn’t know.

She was an enigma, the lovely Ms. Cunningham, and for reasons he couldn’t begin to fathom he wanted to unravel the mysteries, the secrets, surrounding her, discover who she really was, and why she had chosen the path leading to China and the baby who was waiting for her there.

Chapter Two

Everyone pitched in to clear away the dishes, and packed up their own containers to take home. Paper and pens were then produced to take notes on what Carolyn was going to say regarding the trip to China. She passed out a packet of papers.

“The information on these sheets,” Carolyn said from where she sat at the head of the table, “touches on the high spots of what I’m going to tell you.” She laughed. “Experience has shown that our new moms and dads can get a bit spacey on the night they receive their match pictures, so we put some of the data in print for you to read later.”

Everyone laughed and Caitlin smiled at Matt, who was still sitting next to her.

“Do I look spacey to you?” she said.

She looked pretty as a picture, Matt thought, staring directly into her eyes.

“You’re over the top,” he said, smiling. “Totally zoned.”

“I’m sorry I asked,” Caitlin said, matching his smile.

“Fear not, new mommy. I’ll take plenty of notes that will be at your disposal. Those plus the handout from Carolyn ought to cover it for you.”

“Thank you, sir,” Caitlin said, then redirected her attention to Carolyn.

Good grief, Caitlin thought, Matt MacAllister was so ruggedly handsome it was sinful. That auburn hair of his was a rich, yummy color like, well, like an Irish setter. And those brown eyes of his. Gracious, they were like fathomless pools of…of fudge sauce and… Oh, for Pete’s sake, this was silly. Matt reminded her of a dog with eyes the color of an ice-cream topping? That was a rather bizarre description.

But there was no getting around the fact that Matt would turn women’s heads whenever he entered the room. He was tall and well built with wide shoulders and long, muscular legs. He moved with an easy grace, like an athlete, a man who was comfortable in his own body.

He was charming, intelligent, had a way of listening that made a person feel very special and important. And when he looked directly into her eyes there was no ignoring that she felt a funny little flutter slither down her spine. Yes, masculinity personified was the drop-dead gorgeous Mr. MacAllister.

He was also one of the multitudes who was focused on his career to the exclusion of everything else in his life. No one was perfect and that was Matt’s flaw, his glaring glitch. And she had no intention of allowing all his other attributes to make her forget it, not for one little second.

“Okay, first up,” Carolyn said. “We ask that you don’t wear jeans while in China. I know that must sound picky, but we’re going into a country with a different culture than ours and we want to exhibit the respect due our hosts.”

“But we can wear slacks?” Marsha asked.

“Yes,” Carolyn said. “In any material other than denim.”

“I’m writing this down,” Matt said.

“Go for it.” Caitlin laughed softly.

“You’ll be spending one night in Hong Kong,” Carolyn went on, “which we have found helps the jet-lag problem at least a little bit. The flight to Hong Kong is fifteen hours nonstop, so it’s imperative that you get up, walk around the airplane and drink lots of water during the flight.

“After the night in Hong Kong you’ll fly into Nanjing, China, and you’ll be staying at a lovely hotel there. Cribs will be placed in each of your rooms for the babies.”

“Oh-h-h,” a woman named Jane said, “a crib.”

Her husband Bill chuckled. “This is going to be a long, weepy trip, no doubt about it.”

“Well, we’ve waited a long time to need a baby crib, honey,” Jane said, sniffling.

“I know, sweetheart,” he said, then kissed her on the forehead.

And they’re sharing it all, together, every precious moment of it, Caitlin thought. No, no, she wasn’t going to go there, wouldn’t dwell on the fact that she was the only single mother making this journey. She’d thought and prayed for many months before making the decision to adopt a baby and it was right for her, just as it stood. This was the way she wanted it. This was the way it was going to be.

“Feel free to get all dewy-eyed about the crib in the room,” Matt whispered to Caitlin. “Everyone else seems to be.”

“I’m holding myself back. I’m saving up for when my daughter is in that crib.”

“Good idea.”

“On page two of your packet,” Carolyn said, “is a list of suggested things to take for your baby. You will each be allowed one…I repeat…one suit-case. The laundry service in the hotels you’ll be staying in is excellent, but you’ll get tired of wearing the same clothes over and over. You’re packing for your baby with your things tucked around the edges of that one suitcase.”

“This I’ve got to see,” a man named Fred said, laughing. “Sally takes at least five suitcases for a weekend in San Francisco. One suitcase for a two-week stay in China? And the majority of the space is for our daughter? This is going to be a hoot.”

“Hush, Fred,” Sally said. “I’ll manage just fine, you’ll see.”

“Yeah, right,” Fred said, shaking his head and grinning.

Lots of diapers, Matt wrote on the paper in front of him.

“There are instructions on your sheets,” Carolyn said, “about formula and how you’ll need to cut it down with water because the babies aren’t used to having such rich, nourishing food on a regular basis. You’re going to be easing them into it slowly so they don’t get tummyaches.

“As far as your tummies, you will be consuming some of the most delicious food you’ve ever eaten.”

“Do they have forks in China?” Matt asked, causing Bud to hoot with laughter.

“Yes, they have forks, Matt,” Carolyn said. “They’re used to fumble-fingered Westerners where you’ll be staying and will provide you with utensils you’re accustomed to.”

“That’s very comforting,” Matt said.

“Oh, before I forget,” Carolyn added. “The salt and pepper shakers are reversed from ours. Pepper has the big holes, salt the small ones. Write that down so that you don’t ruin the fantastic food I’m raving about.”

“Write that down,” Caitlin said, tapping the paper in front of Matt.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said. “I’m on it, ma’am.”

“You’ll be in Nanjing about a week,” Carolyn said, “then you’ll fly into Guangzhou, where our American consulate is located and the visas are issued for the babies. The adoptions will be final before you leave China and you won’t have to readopt through our courts here when you get back.”

A buzz of conversation began around the table at that exciting news.

“This is all very interesting,” Matt said, nodding. “Fascinating. Just think, Caitlin, Madison or MacKenzie, whoever she turns out to be, will be your legal daughter when you two step onto U.S. of A. soil again. That’s pretty awesome, don’t you… Uh-oh, the crib didn’t get to you, but this one did.”

“Ignore me,” Caitlin said, flapping a hand in front of her tear-filled eyes. “It’s just the thought of leaving here as…as me, and returning as a mother with a daughter and…oh dear.”

Matt put one arm around Caitlin’s shoulders.

“Tissue alert,” he yelled. “We need a tissue here. Marsha, didn’t I see you go get a box?”

“Here it is,” someone said, shoving it across the table. “The container was full when Marsha brought it out here and it’s half-empty already. We’re all a mess.”

“You’re all delightfully normal,” Carolyn said, smiling. “Be certain you have tissues with you for that moment when you see and hold those babies for the first time.”

“Oh-h-h,” a woman wailed, and the tissue box went back in the direction it had come from.

“Okay now?” Matt said, his arm still encircling Caitlin’s shoulders.

She was so delicate, he thought, and warm and feminine. He’d like to pull her close, nestle her against his chest, sift his fingers through those silky black curls, then tip her chin up, lower his lips to hers and…

“I’m fine.” Caitlin straightened her shoulders with the hope that Matt would get the hint that he should remove his arm. Now. Right now. Because it was such a strong arm, yet he was holding her so gently, so protectively. And it was such a warm arm, the heat seeming to suffuse her was now thrumming deep and low within her and… This would never do. No. Matt had to move that arm. “You can have your arm back.”

“What?” Matt said. “Oh. Sure.” He slowly eased his arm away from Caitlin’s shoulders.

“In Guangzhou,” Carolyn said, snapping everyone back to attention, “you’ll be at the White Swan Hotel, which is a five-star establishment and the one where visiting dignitaries stay. It is incredibly beautiful. I’m not going to give you any more hints about it because I want you to be surprised when you get there.”

Carolyn went on for another half hour with various information, answered questions, said she would be available up until the time they left if more thoughts came to them, then promised to call each of them as soon as the departure date was set.

“It will be soon,” she said. “Dr. Yang, our liaison in China, said your daughters are eager for you to arrive and take them home.” She laughed. “Oops. Where did that tissue box go?”

Excitement was buzzing through the air as everyone continued to chatter, then a few said it was time to go as tomorrow was a workday.

“We’ve got to get a crib, Bud,” Marsha said, “and a changing table and… Goodness, we have a lot to do before we leave.”

“Plus I have to warn the two doctors who are going to cover my practice that they are on red-alert standby as of now,” Bud said. “It’s ironic, isn’t it? After all these months of paperwork, then waiting, then more paperwork, then waiting, and waiting and waiting, we’re going to be dashing around like crazy at the last second. I just may sleep during that entire fifteen-hour flight.”

“Color me dumb,” Matt said, “but why aren’t you more prepared as far as equipment goes? I mean, you don’t even have a crib set up yet.”

“Well, you see, Matt,” Marsha said, “when you fill out the papers, you give the officials in Beijing an age range of a child you’d be willing to adopt. In our case we said newborn to three years old. We didn’t know until tonight that Grace is eleven months and will need a crib.”

“Oh, I see,” Matt said. “That makes sense now.” He looked at Caitlin. “What about you, Caitlin? Are you prepared for Mackenzie or Madison?”

“No. I painted her room pale yellow and hung yellow curtains with a bunch of bunnies as the border print. I got a white dresser and matching rocking chair and bookcase for toys, but I don’t have a crib. I also put newborn to three years on that form, so I didn’t know if I’d need a crib or a toddler bed. I’m thrilled to pieces that Miss M. is so young. Six months and four days.”

“We’re ecstatic that Grace is only eleven months old, too,” Marsha said. “We’ll get to winesst so many things that she does for the first time.”

“Yeah,” Bud said, laughing, “like leading us on a merry chase when she takes off at a run after mastering the walking bit.”

“Tomorrow evening we go shopping for a crib and changing table,” Marsha said firmly. “Then come home and I’ll watch you put them together, Bud.”

“That’s usually how those things go,” he said.

“How about you, Caitlin?” Matt asked. “Could you use some help assembling your stuff?”

“Oh, I couldn’t ask you to do that, Matt. You’ve already gotten roped into hauling my luggage around once my arms are full of baby.”

“Believe me, I don’t mind giving you a hand. Thanks to Bud, who used to be my friend, I have all my evenings free. I’m accustomed to putting in those hours at the hospital. You’d be doing me a favor by getting me out of the house, because I’ve forgotten how to turn on my television set.”

“Well,” Caitlin said slowly.

“It’s perfect, Caitlin,” Marsha said. “I’d suggest that the four of us go shopping together, but we never know what time Bud will get home. You two just go ahead and make your own plans. Oh, jeez, I’m supposed to be doing my hostess duties and seeing everyone to the door.” She got to her feet. “Wait, wait, Sally and Fred. Give me a chance to be polite. Bud, get off your tush and come with me to execute socially acceptable behavior.”

“Whatever,” Bud said, rising.

“Listen, try this idea,” Matt said to Caitlin as Bud followed Marsha to the front door. “We go out for pizza, shop for baby stuff, then go to your place and I’ll put everything together. Does that work for you?”

Caitlin frowned. “I don’t think the big cartons that equipment comes in will fit in my car.”

“I have an SUV and the back seats fold down. Problem solved.”

“I don’t have any tools.”

“I’ll bring mine. Shall I pick you up at your place about six tomorrow night?”

“I…yes, all right. I appreciate this very much, Matt. I mean, you don’t even know me and here you are willing to perform manual labor to help me complete the nursery. It’s very generous of you.”

Matt picked up one of the pictures of Caitlin’s daughter.

“This little lady deserves to have everything ready and waiting for her when she comes home. Man, she’s cute. If she can grab hold of a person’s heart when she’s looking like a grumpy little old man, imagine what will happen the first time she smiles. Hey, Miss M., do you have any teeth in there to show off? How long are you going to make your mommy wait for that first smile, munchkin?”

“Her first smile,” Caitlin said wistfully, then shook her head. “Don’t get me started again. I think the tissue box is empty.” She got to her feet. “I’ll give you my address and I’ll see you tomorrow night at six. Thank you again, Matt.”

Matt stood. “I’m looking forward to it…very much, Caitlin.”

After Matt had gotten Caitlin’s address, he watched as she collected the dish she’d brought her contribution to the potluck in, hugged Carolyn, tucked the precious pictures of the baby in her purse, then bid Marsha and Bud good-night at the door. Carolyn said her goodbyes, then Matt wandered toward the front door himself.

“Need any help cleaning up?” he asked Marsha and Bud.

“No, we’re fine,” Bud said. “It’s nice of you to give Caitlin a hand with the baby furniture, Matt.”

Matt shrugged. “No biggie.”

“Taking her out for pizza before you go shopping is a nice touch,” Marsha said, beaming. “You’re such a thoughtful guy, Matt MacAllister.”

“No,” he said, frowning. “I just happen to like pizza and haven’t had any in a while.”

“Mmm,” Marsha said, batting her eyelashes at him.

“Don’t start with me, Marsha. There is no room for matchmaking in the middle of a baby boom, which is what this trip will be, so just forget it. Bud, control your wife.”

“Fat chance of that, chum,” Bud said, laughing. “Wow. It just hit me. I’m going to have a wife and a daughter. Talk about being ganged up on by females in my own home.”

“It makes my heart go pitter-patter,” Marsha said. “Women rule.”

“I’m outta here,” Matt said, chuckling. “Thanks for a great evening. I really enjoyed it. Ah, life is full of challenges. Good night, new mommy and daddy.”

“Oh-h-h, listen to that,” Marsha said. “I’m going to go find a fresh box of tissues.”

Caitlin propped the two pictures of the baby against the lamp on the nightstand, then wiggled into a comfortable position in the bed where she could gaze at the photographs.

“Hello, my daughter,” she said, unable to curb her smile. “Are you Mackenzie, or are you Madison, Miss M.? I just don’t know yet, but I will when I see you, hold you, for the first time. Will you smile then? Or make me wait for that special moment?”

She kissed the tip of one finger, then gently touched each picture.

“I wish you knew that I’ll be there very soon to get you. Maybe an angel will whisper in your ear that your mommy is coming. You won’t have a daddy, sweetheart, but we’ll be fine, just the two of us, you’ll see.”

Caitlin turned off the light, sighed in contentment and drifted off to sleep within minutes.

Hours later Matt was still awake, staring up at the ceiling. No matter how many lectures he gave himself to knock it off, he fumed, his mind kept replaying the entire evening at Marsha and Bud’s over and over. He saw the beautiful expression of pure love on Caitlin’s face when she’d looked at her daughter’s photographs, and remembered the tears that had glistened in both Marsha and Bud’s eyes as they’d gazed at the picture of Grace.

What an unbelievable night it had been for the people in that room. Dreams were coming true for those who had waited so long to have them fulfilled. Incredible.

Matt sighed and slid both hands beneath his head. He had been included in everything that had happened this evening but…not quite. Circumstances dictated that he stand on the edge of the circle of sunshine those match pictures had created, congratulate the new parents, wish them well.

But none of those photographs declared him to be a daddy because that wasn’t his dream, his heartfelt desire, and he hadn’t completed the tons of paperwork and waited the seemingly endless months as the others had.

He was grateful to have witnessed such happiness, such joy, was very honored to know he was to be Grace’s godfather, was pleased he would be helping Caitlin, the lovely Caitlin, put the finishing touches on the nursery that would be waiting for Mackenzie or Madison when she arrived in her new home.

But… yeah, so okay, he was willing to admit that there had been flickers of chilling emptiness that had consumed him earlier. He’d been so aware of his… his aloneness, of the narrow focus of his life, had been forced to wonder if perhaps, just maybe, he was not only alone but might also be lonely.

“Ah, hell, come on, MacAllister, knock it off,” he said, pulling his hands from beneath his head and dragging them down his face. “That’s nuts.”

The structure of his existence was of his making, his choice. He was centered on a challenging and rewarding career at Mercy Hospital that gave him a great deal of satisfaction. Granted, it was a tad rough on his physical well-being, but he’d get a handle on that, take control of that aspect of it.

Sure, he wanted a family someday, a wife, kids, a home bursting at the seams with love and laughter. He’d take part in the whole program…change diapers, teach each munchkin in turn to ride a bike, mow the lawn, take out the trash, help with home-workand housework and read stories to sleepy bundles tucked safely on his lap. Yeah, he wanted all of that, plus a wife he’d love beyond measure and who would love him in kind.

Someday…but not now.

Hell, he was only thirty-two years old. He had plenty of time to join the rank and file of the MacAllisters who toted diaper bags to family gatherings. Plenty of time.

What had happened tonight at the Mathises’ house was perfectly understandable. He’d been caught up in the emotions of the people there. He’d felt a momentary sense of aloneness and…okay…loneliness simply because he was odd man out in what had been a rather unusual situation.

There. He’d figured it all out. It had just taken a bit of logical thinking to get his head on straight again. He could now go on the trip to China, enjoy the entire thing, spend time with the very lovely Caitlin Cunningham, then return home and shortly afterward return to the hospital and the career that gave him everything he needed in his life now.

His reputation for being one of the best public-relations directors of a large hospital was rock solid across the country, and he had several awards framed and hanging on his office wall. The name Matt MacAllister meant something in his field and he would continue to maintain that level of expertise.

Matt rolled onto his stomach, closed his eyes, mentally patted himself on the back for his rather genius-level thinking that had solved the jumbled maze in his mind, then drifted off to sleep.

But through the night he dreamed of Caitlin. He was standing next to her in a room where they were surrounded by babies, each holding up little arms toward them, wanting to be held, comforted, loved. Wanting to be taken home.

Chapter Three

The next day was another long stretch of hours at the hospital as Matt once again dealt with Homer Holmes, the note-taking attorney. Matt finally glanced at his watch and inwardly cheered.

“Time to wrap it up, Homer,” Matt said. “I have an important appointment to keep. In fact, we’ve covered everything that is pending. Starting tomorrow you’re on your own.”

“Listen, Matt,” Homer said. “I’ve been admiring that miniature antique scale you have on the corner of your desk.”

“The scale?” Matt said. “My grandfather gave that to me months ago. The workmanship is exquisite,don’t you think? The chains holding the two small trays have the exact number of links, you can see the intricate scrollwork on the base…even the two gold coins in that one tray are antiques. It was a very special gift from a remarkable man, and I treasure it.”

“That’s what I was getting at. It’s obviously worth a great deal of money, and I’m afraid I might bump it, send it toppling to the floor, harm it in some way. Don’t you think it would be a good idea to take it home during this time you’ll be away from the hospital?”

Matt shrugged. “I suppose I could but… No, I’ll just move it to the bookshelves against the wall. I like to be able to see it, and this is where I spend the majority of my time.”

Matt picked up the scale, crossed the room and set it carefully on a shelf on the bookcase.

“There,” he said. “Feel better?”

“Much,” Homer said, nodding. “Is it a family heirloom?”

“No.” Matt stared at the scale. “My grandfather chose it especially for me. He selected special gifts for each of his grandchildren. I’ve heard the story behind some of the presents, the fact that our grandfather was delivering an important message to the recipient with the gift.

“In my case, there’s no hidden message as far as I can figure out. It’s just an extremely rare and terrific present.” He looked at his watch again. “I’m out of here. Take good care of my baby while I’m gone.”

“Your…what?”

“The hospital. It’s where I direct all my energies, like a parent would toward a child and… Never mind. Bye.”

Matt strode from the room, leaving a rather bemused Homer behind.

Caitlin frowned at her reflection in the full-length mirror on the inside of her closet door.

Satisfied now? she asked herself. This was the third outfit she’d tried on. Well, she wasn’t changing her clothes again. Jeans, tennis shoes and a peach-colored string sweater. That was it. Except… maybe the blue knit top would be better because…

“You are acting like an idiot, Caitlin Cunningham,” she told her reflection, “and I’ve had enough of this nonsense. This isn’t a date, it’s a mission, the purpose of which is to complete the nursery for your daughter.”

Caitlin spun around, snatched her purse off the double bed and left the bedroom. In the living room she placed her purse on an end table and sank onto the sofa.

Matt MacAllister, she fumed, had driven her crazy the entire day. Every time she looked at the match pictures she’d placed on the corner of her desk at work, the image of Matt inched its way into her mental vision.

In a way, that made sense. She needed to get the nursery ready.

Matt was going to make it possible for her to accomplish that, so when she gazed at the photographs of Miss M., it stood to reason that Matt would trek right in front of her mind’s eye, too.

So, okay, it made sense…to a point. What didn’t compute was why when she thought about Matt she got a funny flutter in her stomach and a sharp remembrance of Matt’s strong-but-gentle arm encircling her shoulders last night. Thinking about that caused a strange heat to begin to swirl within her and… No doubt about it…Matt was driving her right over the edge.

Well, in all fairness to herself she was admittedly in the midst of an emotional upheaval because she was about to become a mother. After all these months, the hope, the dream, the prayer had finally come true. She was momentarily off kilter as she attempted to adjust to the wonderful, albeit a tad terrifying, news, and so she was overreacting to things she would normally just take in stride. Like Matt.

“Caitlin,” she said aloud, “that was nothing short of brilliant the way you figured all that out. Thank goodness that mishmash is solved.”

The doorbell rang and Caitlin jerked at the sudden noise, her heart racing as she hurried to the front door.

Matt stood on Caitlin’s front porch and nodded in approval.

Nice place, he thought. Caitlin’s home was small, as were the other houses on the block, but the neighborhood exhibited a great deal of pride of ownership. Caitlin’s cottage…now, that had a nice ring to it…was painted country-blue with decorative white shutters edging the windows. The minuscule front yard was a lush carpet of green grass, plus a tall mulberry tree. When he’d pulled in to the driveway, he’d gotten a glimpse of a wooden fence enclosing the backyard. That was good. Miss M. would have a safe place to play. Well, so far, the outside of the house suited Caitlin. If she answered the door and let him in he’d get a glimpse of the inside.

Matt pressed the doorbell and a moment later Caitlin opened the door.

“Hi,” Matt said. Oh, hey, what Ms. Cunningham did for a pair of snug jeans was something to behold.

Caitlin smiled as she stepped back to allow Matt to enter. “Come in, Matt.” Matt MacAllister in jeans and a black knit shirt was causing that funny little flutter to slither down her spine again. Darn it. “How are you?” She closed the door.

“Fine.” Matt swept his gaze over the living room. “Well, as fine as anyone could be after spending the day with an attorney who writes down everything, including what he had for lunch.” He paused. “This is a very nice house, Caitlin. I like oak furniture myself and your colors are pretty…mint-green, and what would you call that? Salmon?”

Caitlin laughed. “I think I would call those colors a mistake for sticky toddler fingers. I didn’t know when I made these selections that there would be a busy little girl living here. I’ll worry about that later. Nothing can dim my excitement about becoming a mother.”

“Good for you.” Matt wandered across the room and looked at some of the titles of the books in a tall oak bookcase. “We have similar taste in authors, except I can’t remember the last time I actually settled in and read a novel. There just aren’t enough hours in the day.”

“Perhaps you’ll find the time while you’re off work during this month or so Bud sentenced you to.”

“Maybe, but I doubt it. I’ll be in China for a couple of weeks, then when I get back I have a feeling I’ll be on the phone more often than not with the guy who’s taking my place for now. He doesn’t exactly evoke a great deal of confidence in being able to handle what needs to be done. Man, when I think about the messes he could create while… Nope, erase that. I’m not supposed to think about it.”

“I imagine that’s impossible for someone like you to do.”

Matt turned to look at her. “Someone like me? Somehow that doesn’t sound like a compliment.”

“I just meant that you’re obviously focused on your job, dedicated to your career to the exclusion of just about anything, or anyone, else. To suddenly just shut off your mind and stop thinking about it would be extremely difficult, impossible, in fact.

“Putting thousands of miles between you and the hospital will help, but even so, I would guess that part of your thoughts will be at Mercy. You won’t be totally there with all of us.”

Matt frowned. “Is this the voice of experience I’m hearing? Have you been completely centered on your career in the past?”

“Me? Heavens no.” Caitlin shook her head. “I enjoy being a copywriter for the fashion magazine. It’s very challenging and the work is continually fresh and new, but when I come home at night I don’t think about it again until I report for duty the next day.”

“I see. The slight edge to your voice says you don’t approve of my 24/7 approach to my career 0Caitlin..”

“I’m sorry if I gave you that impression, Matt. It’s certainly not my place to approve or disapprove of the way you conduct your life. Goodness, I don’t even know you.” She paused. “I think it would be best if we changed the subject. Even better, why don’t we go have our pizza.”

“Sure, we’ll go for pizza, but let’s change the subject first. Why did you decide to become a single mother?”

“Gosh, Matt, don’t hold back, just ask me any personal question that pops into your head.”

Matt chuckled. “I’m sorry. I guess it is rather personal, isn’t it? But I’m interested in why you came to this decision. Not that you’re obligated to tell me, of course.”

“Let’s just say that I believe this is the very best choice for me…personally. End of story. Subject closed. Shall we go?”

Matt nodded and followed Caitlin out the front door.

Oh, yes, he thought. The lovely lady did, indeed, have secrets that she didn’t intend to share. So many questions surrounded Caitlin Cunningham, creating so many answers he intended to discover, one by one.

The pizza restaurant was popular and crowded, and Caitlin and Matt had a short wait before a booth became available. They decided on what toppings they wanted on their pizza and what they would drink, then Matt went to the counter to place their order.

“It’ll be about fifteen minutes,” he said, returning and sliding in across from Caitlin. “So. Have you made arrangements for day care for Miss M.?”

“I’m going to be working at home. I’ve already reached an agreement with my boss about it, and I’ve changed the third bedroom in the house into an office. Later, when Miss M. is ready to play with other children, I’ll consider day care. Even if I had been matched with an older child, I planned to stay home with her at first because she’d have so many adjustments to make.”

“Don’t you think you’ll get cabin fever working at home?”

“No, I don’t believe so. I’ll have my daughter with me, remember? Plus, she and I will be going back and forth to the magazine office to pick up and deliver work, connecting with other people. Once we get into a routine I should have a healthy balance during a given day.”

“I hope it all goes the way you have it planned. Life has a way of throwing us curves when we least expect them at times. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you and Miss M. for smooth sailing ahead.”

“That was a rather pessimistic statement.” Caitlin frowned. “Life has a way of throwing us curves? Are you referring to yourself?”

“Me? No, no, not at all. My life is set up exactly the way I want it. I’ve hit a momentary glitch with this enforced-vacation bit, but things will get back to normal for me soon.”

Caitlin nodded.

“The reason I said that about the throwing of curves,” Matt went on, “is because I just saw a woman who reminded me of my cousin, Patty. She’s going through a rough time right now and got more than her share of nasty curves, I’m afraid. I wasn’t implying that anything would go wrong with your plans.”

“Oh, I see.” Caitlin paused, then looked directly at Matt. “You know, we seem to be just on the edge of getting into arguments no matter what topic we touch on tonight. There’s a…I don’t know…a tension between us that isn’t very pleasant.

“If you’d rather not go shopping for baby supplies I’ll certainly understand. We were all on such emotional highs last evening and… Anyway, we can have our pizza and forget about the other if you’d prefer.”

Matt leaned forward and covered one of Caitlin’s hands with one of his on the top of the table.

“No, Caitlin, I’ve been looking forward to this outing all day. I’m sorry if I’ve been shorttempered, or whatever. Hey, let’s start over from right now.”

“I’ve been a bit brusque with you, too, and I apologize.” She smiled. “All right. Hello, Matt, it’s nice to see you again and I certainly thank you for your help with my grand endeavor this evening.”

“Hello, Caitlin,” he said, not releasing her hand. “I’m glad to be of service.”

She had to get her hand back, Caitlin thought frantically. There was a tingling heat traveling up her arm and across her breasts, causing them to feel strangely achy as though needing a soothing touch. Now Matt was pinning her in place with his incredible brown eyes and her heart was beating like a bongo drum.

“That’s our number,” Matt said. “I’ll be right back with a gourmet delight.”

Thank heaven for pizza restaurants that called out lifesaving numbers, Caitlin thought, drawing a steadying breath. Darn it, she had to get a grip on herself, stop this nonsense of being thrown so off kilter by Matt MacAllister’s blatant masculinity. He touched her, she melted; he gazed at her, she dissolved. This would never do.

They were going to be together on a daily basis soon, and she couldn’t fall apart every two seconds because Matt was close to her. Well, she’d probably be fine over there because she’d be focused on the baby. Her precious daughter.

Matt returned with a huge pizza and a pitcher of soda, then trekked back for plates, glasses and napkins.

“There,” he said, sitting down. “I think I have everything we need…except…” He smiled at Caitlin.

“Except?” she asked.

“You don’t happen to have the pictures of Miss M. in your purse, do you? I sure would like to see that munchkin again. She’s already stolen a chunk of my heart. I’m going to be putty in her tiny hands when I actually see her. Do you? Have the pictures?”

Oh, Matt just didn’t play fair, Caitlin thought as unexpected and unwelcome tears stung her eyes. Why did he have to be so sweet, so endearing, on top of everything else he had going for him in the plus column. How many men would ask to see baby pictures as he was? Not fair at all.

Focus on the minus column, she told herself. This was Mr. I Work 24/7/365. He wouldn’t be caught up in cute pictures of babies and putting cribs together if he weren’t being forced to take a vacation. Matt was just filling idle hours with anything available. Remember that, Caitlin. Don’t you dare forget it.

“Of course I have the pictures.” Caitlin smiled. “I never leave home without them. I took them to work today and Marsha and I drove everyone nuts poking our photographs under their noses.” She handed the two pictures to Matt. “Here she is.”

“Hey, kiddo. You’re just as cute today as you were last night. That is wild hair. Maybe we should take her some of the goop, that styling-gel junk, that people use.”

We? Caitlin thought. We should take the baby some styling gel? Where had that we come from? Well, now, don’t go crazy, Caitlin. Matt had been drafted into being her luggage handler or whatever his title was. Her partner, per se, because her friend couldn’t go. So, it was natural that he’d see himself attached to her and the baby during the trip, in a manner of speaking.

Okay, she had that one figured out, but if she didn’t quit analyzing and overreacting to everything that Matt said and did she was going to fall on her face from exhaustion. Food. She needed food.

“Food,” she said, and reached for a slice of pizza.

Matt set the two pictures on the end of the table so both he and Caitlin could see them. They each ate a slice of pizza, and took a second one.

“This is delicious,” Caitlin said.

“Mmm. You know, that one sleeper Miss M. has on looks okay, but the other one is really faded, worn. You can see how thin the material is in spots.”

“I know.” Caitlin glanced over at the photographs. “The orphanages in China have to make due with what they can get. Miss M. is healthy, so that means she made it through the winter months after she was born without getting seriously ill. The weather in China now is much like it is here…warm, sunny. That makes me rest a little easier about the condition of that sleeper.”

Matt chuckled. “Maybe that’s why she’s frowning in both pictures. She’s all girl and isn’t satisfied with her wardrobe.”

“Oh, okay, I’ll go with that theory, rather than one that says she’s unhappy about something…like a tummyache or…oh, don’t get me started. I’ll worry myself into a sleepless night. I hope Carolyn calls soon and says we’re scheduled to leave. I just want to go get my baby, my daughter. Marsha agrees with me that even though we’ve waited all these months, now that we’ve seen the pictures this is agony.”

“No joke. I wish she would have smiled in at least one of those photos. Nope. Whoa. We won’t dwell on why she looks so grumpy.” Matt narrowed his eyes. “New topic. Sort of. Have you settled on a middle name yet?”

Caitlin nodded, raised one finger as she chewed, then swallowed a bite of pizza. “Her middle name is going to be Olivia, after my mother. I not only love my mom but I also respect her more than I could ever begin to tell you. She conducted herself with such class and dignity through some very difficult years and, well, I thought that naming my daughter after her would really convey how I feel about her.”

“I think—” Matt cleared his throat “—I think that your mother must be very, very honored, Caitlin. I’d like to believe that I might have a daughter someday that thought that highly of me. What did your mother say when you told her?”

“She got all weepy, and Paulo, my stepfather, said it was a beautiful gift to give to her. My mother was a widow when she married Paulo last year. She met him during a trip she made to Italy, and it was a whirlwind courtship. Paulo is a delightful man who is crazy in love with my mother and they’re so wonderful together. I’m thrilled for my mom. She deserves to have that kind of happiness.”

“You said your mother was a widow when she met Paulo.”

Caitlin nodded. “Yes, my father died when I was sixteen.”

“Whew. That’s rough. I’m sorry. Do you still miss him? Especially at a momentous time like this in your life when you’re about to become a mother?”

“No. I don’t miss him at all.” There as a sudden sharp edge to her voice.

“Oh,” Matt said, frowning slightly. Something wasn’t quite on the mark here. There was a…a shadow hanging over the memory of Caitlin’s father. Why? There he was again, stacking another question about Caitlin on the teetering tower. “You said last night that Paulo is ill?”

“Yes. They’re running tests because they’re not certain what is wrong and I’m very concerned about him. I’m praying he’ll be fine and that he and my mother will be able to come to the States soon and meet Miss M.”

“Who will be smiling by then,” Matt said.

“Yes, she’ll be smiling by then.”

And then Caitlin and Matt were smiling as their gazes met, warm smiles, special smiles born of sharing the personal, meaningful story of why Caitlin had chosen the baby’s middle name. The restaurant disappeared into a strange mist that surrounded them, the noise and the people simply no longer existed in the haze that swirled around them.

Their smiles faded as heat began to churn and thrum within them, pulsing, hot…so hot. They couldn’t move, could hardly breathe, in the place they’d been transported to. It was so strange. And exciting. And terrifying. And…

“More to drink?” a voice said, snapping both Caitlin and Matt back to reality with a thud. “It’s all-you-can-drink night, refills free.”

“It’s who?” Matt said, staring at the young girl standing by their booth.

“Like…soda…ya know,” the waitress said, pointing to the pitcher. “The drink? Free refills, like, twenty times if you want or whatever?”

“Oh. Sure.” Matt nodded jerkily. “You bet. Fill it right up. Thank you. Nice of you to offer.”

“Yeah, it’s awesome,” the girl said, snatching up the pitcher and eyeing Matt warily. “Back in a flash.”

What had just happened between her and Matt? Caitlin wondered, fiddling with her napkin to avoid looking at him. She had never in her life experienced anything so…so unexplainable, so incredibly sensual and…

She wasn’t going to address this. No. She’d just pretend that it hadn’t happened. For all she knew, Matt hadn’t even been aware of the strange… whatever it had been that had… It was over. Gone. Forgotten.

“So!” Caitlin said to a spot just above Matt’s left shoulder. “Have you figured out how to pack enough for two weeks into one suitcase and…”

“Caitlin—”

“I’ve got to scrunch tons of diapers into my suitcase, along with baby clothes and bottles and… It certainly will be a challenge, that one suitcase, won’t it? Yes, it definitely will and—”

“Caitlin—”

“What!” she said much too loudly.

“I felt it. You felt it, I know you did. What… what was that?”

Caitlin plunked one elbow on the table and rested her forehead in her palm.

“I have no idea. And I don’t care to discuss it, nor try to figure out what it was.”

“Why not?”

Caitlin raised her head. “Why not? Because it was… was man-and-woman…stuff, and I don’t want that in my life, complicating things. I am focused on mommy-and-baby…stuff, and that’s all I can handle.

“I wish I could think of a more sophisticated word than stuff, but I’m a bit jangled at the moment. Whatever that was, Matt, it’s in the past already, poof, gone.” She lifted her chin. “Please don’t refer to it again.”

“You don’t want me to refer to the fact that we’re attracted to each other,” Matt said, his gaze riveted on Caitlin. “That there was suddenly such heated sexuality weaving back and forth between us that it’s a wonder the pizza didn’t burn to a crisp?

“You don’t want me to tell you that during that strange moment out of time it took all the will-powerI had not to come around this table, take you in my arms and kiss you until neither of us could breathe? Am I understanding you correctly?”

Caitlin opened her mouth to reply in the affirmative, only to discover she had no air in her lungs so she could speak. She nodded her head.

“I see. Well, I’ll certainly respect your wishes on the above-mentioned subjects. But, Caitlin? That doesn’t mean I won’t be thinking about what just happened here. Thinking about what it would be like to kiss those very kissable lips of yours and—”

“Soda refill,” the waitress said, plunking the pitcher onto the table.

“Oh, I am so glad to see you,” Caitlin said to the young girl. “I’m just delighted that you’re here… right now.”

“Got it,” the girl said slowly. “I don’t mean to be, like, rude or anything, but you folks are borderline weird. Bye.” She hurried away.

Matt laughed. “Borderline weird, is it?”

“At least she was more articulate than me saying stuff,” Caitlin said, smiling. “Oh, this is silly. Let’s just finish up so we can get ready for Miss M.’ s arrival. I am one hundred percent into my mommy stuff and I intend to stay there, Mr. MacAllister.”

Chapter Four

The crib and changing table were white to match the other nursery furniture Caitlin had purchased. Matt insisted on buying Miss M. a crib mobile with brightly colored, puffy felt clowns that pranced around in a circle to the tune of “Rock-a-Bye, Baby.”

They loaded the large boxes into Matt’s SUV, then trekked back into the mall to select blankets, crib sheets, sleepers, several two-piece outfits and a pretty, red dress.

Carolyn had said that it was traditional for all the children being adopted to wear red on their last night in China, as it was the Chinese color for health, happiness and prosperity. Matt refused to leave the clothing department until he found a pair of white socks with red bows to go with the dress.

The next stop was for diapers, bibs, bottles, formula and a pacifier that Carolyn had said the babies would need on the airplane because of the cabin pressure.

In each department Caitlin showed the saleswoman the pictures of Miss M. for advice as to what size to buy.

“It’s a bit difficult to tell how big she is,” one saleswoman said, “because no one is holding her for reference. She looks small for six months, I think, but better to have the clothes and diapers a little big than too small. Oh, she is so cute. What proud new parents you must be.”

“Well, we’re not…” Carolyn started.

“Not coming down off our cloud number nine for a very long time,” Matt finished for her.

“Good for you,” the woman said. “Now, let’s get you what you need.”

“Why did you allow her to believe that we’re married and the parents of this baby?” Caitlin whispered to Matt as they followed the woman.

Matt shrugged. “That’s what she assumed and it was easier just to go with it.”

“Oh,” she said, nodding.

That made sense, Caitlin thought as she placed packages of diapers in the cart. Why get into a lengthy explanation about how Matt was helping because her friend got hurt and couldn’t make the trip and…yes, it was simpler to let it go. She and Matt looked the same as Marsha and Bud must as they were doing the same type of shopping, as well as the other people in their group.

The new mommies and daddies. Daddies and mommies. Daddies. Parents-to-be who were soon going to complete their family with a wonderful little daughter. Mommy, Daddy and Baby and…

Stop it, Caitlin, she ordered herself. She was getting caught up in the charade that Matt had put in place. Her daughter was getting a loving mother.

“Baby wipes,” Matt said, dropping a box into the cart. “Great invention.”

“You sound like an expert on the subject,” Caitlin observed, pulling her thoughts back to attention.

“Hey, I’m a MacAllister. I’ve changed my share of diapers over the years. The MacAllister clan is very big on babies.”

Caitlin laughed. “I’ve never changed a diaper in my life. I’m assuming it’s not all that difficult. It isn’t, is it?”

“I wouldn’t say that. There’s a definite technique to it. If you get a wiggly kid you can be in big trouble if you don’t get that diaper on really fast. There’s a lot of dexterity involved, wrist action, too.”

“Oh, cut it out.” Caitlin laughed. “You’re making it sound like a person needs an engineering degree to do this.”

“That would help, yes,” Matt said solemnly, then burst into laughter in the next instant. “I had you going there for a while, didn’t I? You should have seen your face. No, Caitlin Cunningham, changing diapers is not tough. Now then, do you want to discuss methods of burping a baby?”

“Just hand me another package of those wipes.”

Oh, this was a fun outing, she thought, and Matt was fun and funny. She felt so happy, carefree, so incredibly glad she was who she was. Well, that stood to reason. She was the one who was about to become a mother. But the extra gift of laughter that was accompanying this shopping trip was thanks to Matt MacAllister. She’d remember this evening because it was very, very special.

Back at the house, Caitlin insisted on washing all the baby clothes while Matt was assembling the crib and changing table.

“Don’t forget to wash the diapers, too,” he said, peering in his toolbox.

“Wash the…Matt, those are disposable paper diapers.”

“See?” He grinned at her. “You know more about diapers than you thought you did. If you were a complete dunce about those nifty things you would have dumped them all in the washing machine.I’m just trying to boost your confidence, my dear.”

“You’re cuckoo,” Caitlin said, pointing one finger in the air.

“I know.” Matt chuckled. “But I’m loveable. Ah, here’s the screwdriver I want.”

Lovable, Caitlin thought as she left the room with an armload of clothes and blankets. Lovable? As in, Matt was a man who would be easy to love, fall in love with? No, that last mental babble needed to be split in two.

Yes, Matt probably would be a man who would be easy to fall in love with because he had it all at first glimpse—looks, charm, intelligence, a marvelous sense of humor, and on the list went.

But easy to love? To be a partner with, the other half of the whole? No. Matt the workaholic, the man so dedicated to his career that he had put his own health at risk, so focused on his position at Mercy Hospital to the exclusion of everything and everyone, would not be an easy man to be in love with.

It would, in fact, be impossible to be in a serious relationship with Matt because he wouldn’t do his share, wouldn’t help nurture the love. And like a flame of a candle struggling to stay warm and bright, that love would eventually be snuffed out, leaving the place where it had been in chilling darkness.

Caitlin frowned as she put the baby clothes in the washing machine, then held up the sweet little red dress before adding it to the load.

Where on earth, she thought, was all this heavy, nonsensical rambling coming from? She hardly knew Matt MacAllister. Yet she had jumped all the way from “How do you do, it’s nice to meet you” to passing negative judgment on the man as a life partner. Ridiculous. Really dumb.

Caitlin added detergent to the wash, closed the lid on the machine, turned it on, then headed back to the nursery to see how the mechanic was coming along with the assembling of the crib for precious Miss M.

Matt finished his projects just as Caitlin was putting the last of the freshly washed purchases in the dresser.

“Done,” he said.

“Me, too,” she said, turning to smile at him. “Oh, this room looks perfect, Matt. Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome,” he said, then wound the mobile, causing the perky clowns to march in a circle as the music played. “Dynamite.”

Caitlin laughed. “That mobile is so cute. It’s a terrific gift for Miss M. and she thanks you, too. Now all we need is that telephone call from Carolyn saying it’s time to pack our meager little suitcaseand get ready to go. Oh, I get goose bumps just thinking about it.”

“Yep.” Matt nodded. “You know, I think ‘Rock-a-Bye, Baby’ is a waltz, of sorts. Ms. Cunningham, may I have this dance?”

“Are you serious?”

Matt closed the distance between them, drew Caitlin into his arms, then began to move her around the center of the room in time to the lilting music. Caitlin stiffened for a moment, then allowed Matt to nestle her close to his body.

And they danced.

They weren’t in a huge ballroom dressed in their finery, with chandeliers twinkling above them as a band played. They were in a medium-size bedroom that had been transformed into a nursery decorated in yellow and white and that was waiting for a precious baby to arrive from the other side of the world.

They danced.

Not to the music produced by professional musicians in tuxedos, but to the tune accompanied by smiling clowns in brightly colored outfits who were keeping step to the music.

They danced.

It was a silly thing to do, yet it was the perfect thing to do, and Caitlin sighed in contentment as she savored the strength of Matt MacAllister, the aroma that was uniquely his, the feel of his tall, solid and nicely muscled body.

The music slowed, the clowns swung lazily around in their circle, then stopped as the last note played and a silence fell over the room.

The dance is over, Matt thought. He had to let Caitlin go and step away from her. But, oh, man, she felt fantastic in his arms, so delicate, so feminine, fitting against him as though custom-made just for him. She smelled like flowers and sunshine, and her dark curls had been woven from silken threads.

He had a feeling…oh, yeah, he knew…that he was going to remember this dance for a very, very long time.

Slowly and reluctantly, Matt eased Caitlin away from him, then dropped his arms to his sides. He nearly groaned aloud when he saw the dreamy expression on her face, the soft smile on her lips.

He wanted to kiss her, he thought. She was so beautiful, so womanly, and their dance had been so special and, damn it, he wanted to kiss her.

Don’t do it, MacAllister, he ordered himself. Don’t even think about it.

“Well,” Matt said a tad too loudly. “I guess I’d better be on my way.”

Caitlin blinked. “Oh. Yes, of course, I… Would you like a dish of ice cream?”

No, Matt thought. He was treading on dangerous ground, his desire for Caitlin liable to be stronger than his common sense. He was going to leave right now, get a solid night’s sleep and be back to normal in the morning. Yes, that was exactly what he was going to do.

“Ice cream sounds great,” he heard himself say, then glanced around quickly with the irrational thought that he would discover the source of his reply.

“It’s mint chocolate chip.”

“Sold,” Matt said. To the jerk who should be walking out the door. “That’s one of my favorites.”

Why had she done that? Caitlin asked herself as Matt followed her to the kitchen. Why hadn’t she escorted Matt to the door, thanked him again for his help with the nursery, then closed the door on his gorgeous face before she did something else as ridiculous as dancing in the middle of a not-even-here-yet baby’s room?

That would have been the smart thing to do. But, oh, no, not her. She was now about to share a sinfully delicious dessert with Matt and prolong this unsettling evening even more. Where was her brain?

Caitlin sighed as she removed a carton of ice cream from the freezer.

Her brain, she thought, plunking the carton on the counter, had gone south the moment Matt had taken her into his arms. Well, all she could do now was shovel in the ice cream as quickly as possible, plead fatigue, then…finally and overdue…send Matt on his way.

“I’ll serve that up if you like,” Matt said. “How many scoops do you want?”

“One.” Caitlin set two bowls next to the carton. “Just one. Small. A small one. I’m going to go check my answering machine for messages while you do that. I’ll be right back.”

Matt watched as Caitlin nearly ran from the kitchen, then he turned to open the carton of ice cream.

Caitlin was jangled, he thought. It made him feel a tad better knowing that she had been just as affected by the dance as he had. It fell under misery loves company, or some such thing.

But if she was struggling with desire as he was, why had she invited him to stay for dessert? He didn’t know the answer to that one. Caitlin was definitely not the type who was inching toward enticing him into her bed after they’d had their snack. Not even close. He knew that, just somehow knew that.

“Matt,” Caitlin said, rushing back into the room. “Oh, you won’t believe this. Well, maybe you will, but I can’t.” She stopped by his side and pressed her palms to her flushed cheeks. “Can you? Believe it?”

Matt chuckled. “I don’t have a clue if I can, or can’t, because I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh. Yes.” Caitlin patted her cheeks. “I’m going over the edge.” She drew a quick breath. “Okay. I’m fine. There was a message from Carolyn on my machine. We’re leaving Sunday morning for China. This is Thursday, Matt, and we leave on Sunday. Oh, my gosh. I can’t believe this.”

Matt replaced the carton of ice cream in the freezer, then carried the bowls to the table at the end of the kitchen.

“Come sit down and have some of this before you either faint, or float away on your happy cloud.” He paused and frowned. “Sunday morning? Whew. I’m scheduled to make a couple of speeches, attend some fund-raising events and… Homer just isn’t cut out for going in there cold. This is very short notice to find people to take my place.”

Caitlin slid onto a chair at the table. “It’s wonderful notice.”

Matt settled on the chair opposite her and took a bite of ice cream.

“Mmm. Great stuff,” he said. “Are you going to be able to sleep tonight? You’re so excited you’re about to bounce off the walls.”

“I know.” Caitlin smiled brightly. “I can’t stop smiling. In just a handful of hours I’ll be on an airplane winging my way toward Mackenzie or Madison.”

“Take a bite of ice cream. You’re eating for two now.”

Caitlin laughed. “That’s true, in a way. I am getting closer and closer to being a mother. Oh, Matt, we leave on Sunday.”

Matt reached across the table, covered one of Caitlin’s hands with one of his, and smiled at her warmly.

“I’m sincerely happy for you, Caitlin,” he said. “I really am. Your excitement, joy, is contagious, too. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing Miss M. for the first time, instead of just looking at her pictures. That is going to be quite a moment.” He released her hand and picked up his spoon again. “I’d better polish this off. After all, I’m also eating for two.”

“Pardon me?” Caitlin said, leaning toward him slightly.

Matt shrugged. “Well, think about it for a minute. I’m taking the place of your assistant, your girlfriend who flunked roller derby 101. So, for all practical purposes, as I take on the role she would have had during the length of the trip, I become Miss M.’ s…surrogate father.”

Chapter Five

The hours until the group was to meet at the airport Sunday morning were filled with a flurry of activity for Caitlin.

Very early on Sunday morning Caitlin received a telephone call from Matt suggesting that he pick her up, as there was no point in both of them leaving their vehicles in long-term parking. To Caitlin’s self-disgust she could not think of a reasonably reasonable reason why that wasn’t a good idea and agreed to Matt’s offer, reminding him that they’d have to put Miss M.’ s car seat in his SUV.

When the group gathered at the designated gate at the airport, with everyone being much earlier than they needed to be, they were a very excited, emotional and exhausted bunch of people.

Elizabeth Kane, the director of the adoption agency, laughed when she saw them and said not to fear, because they were facing a fifteen-hour nonstop flight, which would give them plenty of time to catch up on their sleep. “And you’d better do just that,” she said, beaming at them all, “because leisurely naps and undisturbed nights are soon to be a thing of the past.”

“Oh, I know,” one of the women said. “Isn’t that wonderful?”

After what seemed like an endless wait, they boarded the plane, Matt having been assigned the seat next to Caitlin. Since Matt was to be Caitlin’s extra pair of hands, Elizabeth explained, she thought by seating them together it would give them a chance to get to know each other better.

When the engines rumbled and lifted the huge aircraft off the ground, Caitlin closed her eyes.

“Are you afraid of flying?” Matt said, glancing over at her.

Caitlin opened her eyes and smiled at him.

“No, not at all. I’m just savoring the fact that we’re on our way, actually on our way at long last.” She paused. “Did you accomplish everything you needed to do at the hospital?”

Matt nodded. “It was down to the wire, but I did it. I haven’t gotten more than a few hours’ sleep in the last three nights, though. But as Elizabeth said, I can catch up during this flight. Fifteen hours. Man, that is grim. I plan to sleep, sleep, sleep during this trip. If I snore, just poke me.”

“I certainly will,” Caitlin said, laughing.

Do not, Caitlin told herself, dwell on the image “poke me if I snore” evoked in her mind. Too late. She could feel the warm flush staining her cheeks.

During the flight the international dateline was crossed, and by the time the plane landed in Hong Kong in the early evening, no one was certain what day it was or how far off their physical clocks were.

They were transported to a nice hotel by a waiting van, checked in as a group by Elizabeth and arranged to meet again in the lobby in an hour to go out to dinner.

“We’ll be going to a restaurant a few blocks from here,” Elizabeth said, “so we can walk, and I’ve made a reservation, so they’re expecting us. My groups always eat there during this stopover in Hong Kong.

“I took the liberty of ordering for all of us, and there will be a multitude of dishes on a lazy Susan in the center of the table. You’ll have the opportunity to sample all kinds of delicious offerings.”

On the third floor, where the entire group had been booked, Caitlin used a plastic key card to open the door to her room, settled her suitcase on the luggage rack, then snapped on a lamp. She frowned as the bulb remained dark. Moving carefully in the darkness she tried another lamp with the same result.

She inched her way back to the door and opened it to allow the lighted hallway to cast a dim glow over her room, then frowned.

She would, she supposed, have to find the telephone, wherever it was hiding in there, and call down to the desk to tell them the electricity wasn’t working.

The door directly across from her opened suddenly and Matt appeared, his room brightly lit behind him.

“Problem?” he asked.

“I apparently don’t have any electricity. None of the lamps work.”

“Do you have your key card?”

“My…yes.” Caitlin held up the card that was still in her hand.

Matt took it and slipped it into a slot on the wall by the door beneath the light switches. The lamps Caitlin had fiddled with immediately lit up.

“Let there be light.”

“For goodness’ sake. How did you know that was what to do?”

“I read the material the airline provided while you were playing what must have been over a thousand games of gin rummy with the others.”

“Oh.”

“May I see what kind of view you have from your window?” Matt asked. “I’m staring at the rear of the building behind us.”

“Oh, well, sure, of course, go right ahead.”

As Matt crossed the room, the door closed and Caitlin stared at it for a long moment.

Dandy, she thought. Now she and Matt were together in her room with the door closed. What if the others saw them come out when it was time to meet in the lobby? She’d spent as much time as possible, when she wasn’t sleeping on the airplane, playing cards and visiting with the others instead of sitting by Matt as though they were a couple. The last thing she wanted was for rumors to start about a possible romance between her and Matt MacAllister.

So far she hadn’t been aware of any speculative glances or sly smiles directed their way, but exiting her room with Matt would not be a terrific idea. She was hoping that the group would continue to remember that Matt was simply stepping in to help her out.

She had no intention, Caitlin thought, of using up any mental or emotional energy that should be directed toward her daughter denying queries about what was taking place between her and Matt. Especially since nothing was taking place between her and Matt. Nothing at all.

So what if she’d been aware of how peaceful he appeared when he slept, yet still had that aura of blatant masculinity emanating from him?

So what if she thought it was so endearing the way he rubbed his eyes with his fists like a little boy when he first woke up?

So what if there was a rugged earthiness about him that sent shivers down her spine when he needed a shave?

None of that was important. It didn’t mean a thing.

“Las Vegas,” Matt said from over by the window. “That’s what Hong Kong reminds me of. Lots of neon lights, people crowding the sidewalks, noise, cars, the whole nine yards. Come look at this, Caitlin. See if this view doesn’t remind you of Las Vegas.”

“I’ve never been to Las Vegas,” she said, staying by the door.

“Oh, well, come take a look anyway.”

With a silent sigh, Caitlin crossed the room and joined Matt at the window. He slipped one arm across her shoulders, then pointed toward the street below.

“See? You’d never know you were in an Asian country. That is due, madam, to the fact that Hong Kong was under British rule for many, many years before once again being claimed by mainland China, and is very westernized, if there is such a word. However, when we arrive in Nanjing tomorrow, then later go on to Guangzhou, you will experience the real China of today.”

“Do tell.” Caitlin managed to produce a small smile.

Matt had nestled her close to his body, she thought frantically. His big, strong, oh-so-warm body. Such heat. It was weaving its way from him into her, swirling within her, then pulsing low and hot. He was being so nonchalant about having his arm around her, acting as though it didn’t matter, just happened to be where it had landed. Well, she could match him sophistication for sophistication, by golly. Unless she fainted dead out on her face first.

“I am telling you,” Matt said, chuckling, “so pay attention, because people pay tour guides beaucoup bucks for information like this.”

“I’m etching it all on my weary brain. I even got a bonus because now I know what Las Vegas looks like back in the States.” She cleared her throat. “Well, thank you for solving the mystery of the electricity. You were a hero to the rescue of a damsel in the darkness.”

Matt turned his head to smile at her, but his smile disappeared quickly as he realized that Caitlin was only inches away. His gaze swept over her delicate features, lingered on her lips, then he looked directly into her dark eyes.

“I don’t think,” he said, his voice husky, “that I’d be off base if I kissed you, Caitlin. After all, we have slept together.”

Caitlin blinked. “We…we what?”

“Slept together. On the plane. Right there, side by side, we both were sleeping. So, therefore, we slept together. Sort of.”

“That’s the silliest—”

“No,” he interrupted, lowering his head slowly toward hers, “it’s not. And there is nothing silly about how much I want to kiss you, how long I’ve waited to kiss you, or about the fact that I’m about to kiss you.”

And he did.

Caitlin stiffened as Matt brushed his lips lightly over hers, then shivered when he repeated the sensuous journey. He encircled her with his arms and pulled her close to his rugged body as he intensified the kiss, parting her lips to slip his tongue into the sweet darkness of her mouth.

Caitlin’s hands floated upward to entwine behind Matt’s neck, then her lashes drifted down as she savored the taste, the feel, the aroma of Matt.

She’d fantasized about this kiss, she thought hazily, dreamed about it, had been waiting, as Matt had, for it to take place.

Nothing more should, nor would, take place between them, she silently vowed, but this kiss was theirs to share, the memories of it to do with as they each desired.

Matt lifted his head just enough to draw a quick, sharp breath, then his mouth captured Caitlin’s once again in a searing kiss.

Oh, Matt, Caitlin thought as she trembled in his arms. He had picked the perfect place for this to happen. Hong Kong was…was sort of in limbo, a place of bright colors and surging crowds, a mixture of cultures, the old, the new, creating an otherworldly aura.

It wasn’t the reality of Ventura, nor of the China where her daughter waited. What happened between her and Matt here in Hong Kong was separate and apart from what truly existed. So be it.

Matt broke the kiss, took a rough breath, then eased Caitlin gently away from his aroused body.

“I should apologize for doing that,” he said, his voice gritty with passion, “but I can’t because I’m not sorry. I’ve wanted to kiss you from the moment I saw you, Caitlin. Before you decide to be mad as hell, remember that you shared these kisses, held nothing back.”

“I’m not angry,” she said, her voice unsteady. “I wanted that to happen as much as you did, Matt. The sensual tension between us has been building and building and… But that’s over, now, done. Nothing like this is going to take place between us again.”

Matt frowned and dragged a restless hand through his hair.

“I don’t understand. We just shared kisses that were sensational, unbelievable. We also get along great together, have fun, laugh, talk. Something is going on here, Caitlin. Don’t you want to know what it is?”

She took a step backward and wrapped her hands around her elbows. “No, Matt, I don’t.”

“Why in the hell not?” he said none too quietly.

“Because,” she said, dropping her hands to her hips and matching his volume, “I am on this trip for one purpose. One. My daughter. She is all I’m focusing on. I certainly don’t intend to fit a short-term affair in around the edges of my busy schedule over here. No, I’m not sorry about the kisses, but nothing else is going to… No.”

“You’re making whatever this is between us sound cheap and tacky, Caitlin. I resent that.”

“Well, excuse me to hell and back,” Caitlin said, plunking down on the edge of the bed. “Okay, you don’t like my short-term-affair description. Fine. What would you call it if we continue, end up in bed together?

“Tell me, Matt. Have you been struck by Cupid’s arrow, fallen head over heels in love with me, intend to not rest until I agree to marry you?”

“Oh. Well, no, but give me a break here. That sort of stuff only happens in the movies or those romance novels that women read. Let’s be realistic.”

“I am being realistic. We’re sexually attracted to each other, plus we have fun together, enjoy each other’s company. However, since we’re not in love with each other, taking this further would be nothing more than a short-term affair. I rest my case.”

“I have never in my life,” Matt said, a rather bemused expression on his face, “had a conversation like this one with a woman. Talk about analyzing something to death. I mean, I’m used to just letting things take their natural course and… then… later, down the road it’s…” His voice trailed off.

“Aha.” Caitlin pointed one finger in the air. “Down the road it’s over, ending yet another short-term affair of which I speak.”

“Would you cut that out?”

Before Caitlin could reply, a knock sounded at the door.

“Caitlin,” came Marsha’s muffled voice. “Are you ready to go down to meet the others for dinner? Caitlin?”

“Oh, good grief.” Caitlin jumped to her feet. “That’s Marsha.”

Matt grinned. “Shall I get the door while you freshen your lipstick?”

“Don’t you touch that door,” Caitlin whispered. “Marsha’s busy little mind will go nuts if she finds us in here together.”

“Caitlin?” Marsha called. “Are you in there?”

“Yes, I’m here,” Caitlin yelled. “Go on ahead, Marsha. I’ll be along in just a couple of minutes.”

“Okay. Have you seen Matt? He isn’t in his room.”

“Oh, he’s around somewhere. Maybe he already went downstairs.”

“Well, hurry up, because I am starving to death.”

“I will. I just have to comb my hair.”

“And freshen your lipstick,” Matt said with a chuckle, which earned him a glare from Caitlin.

Caitlin ignored Matt to the best of her ability as she freshened up.

Matt folded his arms loosely over his chest and leaned one shoulder against the wall as he waited. Oh, Caitlin was something, he thought. The kisses they’d shared had been sensational. She was very sensual, very womanly and obviously was comfortable with her own femininity. She had returned his kisses in total abandon and he had been instantly aroused, wanting her, aching for her with an intensity like nothing he’d known before.

And Caitlin when angry? Dynamite. Her cheeks became flushed and her eyes flashed like laser beams. She’d taken him on, toe to toe, and let him know what he could do with any ideas that he might be entertaining of a short-term affair with her.

Matt frowned.

Short-term affair. Caitlin had repeated that phrase like a broken record until he’d reached the point that he’d told her to put a cork in it. The problem was, she was right. He had nothing more than the now ever-famous short-term affair to offer her. He simply wasn’t ready for a commitment to forever, a relationship that would inch toward marriage, hearth, home and Miss M. the baby.

Yeah, sure, he’d said he’d like to know what was happening between Caitlin and him because it was definitely…different somehow from his past experiences where casual dating was the order of the day and no one got hurt. No, there was more depth, intensity between him and Caitlin. But that didn’t mean he was opening the door to a possible permanent future with her and the daughter she would see and hold for the first time tomorrow.

So, where did that leave him? Aching for Caitlin. Wanting to make love with her. Envisioning pulling her into his arms and kissing her senseless at every opportunity, which would no doubt result in her popping him right in the chops.

“Well, hell,” Matt said under his breath.

He had volunteered to stick like glue to Caitlin to be ready to assist her in any way he was needed. He was the extra pair of hands, hands that would not be allowed to touch her again. This trip was suddenly losing its appeal. Big-time.

“I’m ready,” Caitlin said, bringing Matt from his now-gloomy thoughts. “I’ll go first, then you take the elevator after me. That way we won’t arrive in the lobby at the same time and create a scenario ripe for rumor.”

“Ripe for rumor?” Matt said with a burst of laughter. “I can sure tell you write for a living. You certainly have a unique way with words.”

He paused and became serious. “Caitlin, I think you’re making far too much of this business of us being seen together. Everyone is focused on their baby, that little munchkin waiting for them to arrive tomorrow. The last thing on the minds of anyone in our group is whether or not you and I are getting it on or… Well, I could have said that nicer, but you get the drift.”

Caitlin opened her mouth to deliver a retort to Matt’s statement, then frowned and snapped it closed again. A long, silent minute passed as she stared into space, deep in thought.

“You’re right,” she said finally, looking at Matt again. “I’m acting like an idiot. It’s very self-centered of me to think that everyone would be in a twitter over what may, or may not, be going on between the two of us. I should be thinking about my daughter, too, not about how I felt when you kissed me, or how much I had wanted you to kiss me, or how long it seemed that I had been anticipating your kissing me, or…”

Caitlin’s eyes widened and a flush stained her cheeks.

“I didn’t just say all that,” she said, shaking her head. “Oh, tell me I didn’t say all that. This is so embarrassing and… No, this is jet lag. Yes, that’s what’s wrong with me. I’m suffering from a severe case of jet lag. Food. Maybe food will help.”

Caitlin hurried to the door and flung it open.

“Let’s go,” she said. “We’re probably holding up the whole group. I need nourishment so my brain can start functioning like something I recognize again. Where’s my key card?”

“It’s still in the slot to turn on the electricity,” Matt said, crossing the room slowly.

“I knew that,” Caitlin said, pulling the plastic card free.

“You’re sure we should ride down in the elevator together?” Matt said, pulling the door closed behind them. “I’ll do whatever makes you comfortable.”

“Of course we’ll go together,” Caitlin said as they reached the elevator. “You were the one who made me realize how silly I was being about all of this.”

“Mmm.” Matt nodded. “Well, for the record, Caitlin, I felt as though I’d waited an eternity to kiss you, too, and I’m going to remember those kisses we shared. Oh, yes, ma’am, I certainly am.”

As the elevator door swished open, Caitlin said, "The subject is closed.”

“Hold the elevator,” a man called as Caitlin and Matt stepped inside.

Matt pressed the proper button to keep the doors open, and another couple from the group hurried inside.

“Oh, I was so sure we’d kept the whole bunch waiting for us,” the woman said, “but you’re just going down, too. That makes me feel better. We wasted so much time trying to figure out how to get the electricity to work in the room.”

“Really?” Matt said. “I read all about it on the plane.”

“I was totally baffled,” Caitlin said, “if that makes you feel better. I just stood there like an idiot wondering where the phone was so I could call for help. Matt came across the hall and poked the card in the little slot.”

“Came across…” The woman paused. “Oh, that’s right. You’re not a couple, per se. It’s so difficult to keep so many new people straight at the same time. You sat together on the plane and—”

“Honey,” her husband said, smiling, “you wouldn’t keep it straight if you had a scorecard to look at, because you are thinking about the baby, and everything else is just sort of floating on by you.”

Matt looked at Caitlin with a very smug expression. She rolled her eyes heavenward.

The addition of Caitlin, Matt and the couple with them on the elevator completed the group waiting in the lobby to go to dinner, except for a missing Elizabeth Kane.

Despite their jet lag everyone was in fine spirits and the chatter was lively and quite loud.

Marsha and Bud joined Caitlin and Matt and the four agreed they were looking forward to a meal that was not airplane food. Marsha reached up and swiped her thumb over the left edge of Matt’s top lip.

“You should have freshened your lipstick before you came down here,” she said, laughing merrily. “I just removed the last dab. I mean, hey, either wear it or don’t, whatever floats your boat.”

To Caitlin’s amazement and delight, an embarrassed flush crept up Matt’s neck and onto his face.

“Marsha,” Bud said, chuckling, “give Matt and Caitlin a break, would you? It’s none of our business if they… Well, it’s just none of our business.”

“Of course it isn’t,” Marsha said. “But that doesn’t mean I can just cancel being snoopy.”

“Changing the subject now,” Bud said. “I wonder what’s keeping Elizabeth?”

As though she’d heard her name being called, Elizabeth emerged as the elevator doors swished open, and hurried across the lobby to join the others, glancing at her watch when she finally stopped.

“Only ten minutes late,” she said, “but I’ll still apologize for keeping you waiting. I was making my usual telephone call to Dr. Yang in Nanjing to confirm our plans. He’ll notify the director of the orphanage that we’re on schedule and good to go. Dr. Yang will leave a message for me at our hotel in Nanjing informing me of the time the vans will arrive to take us to the orphanage so you can meet your daughters.

“As you’ve been told, you’ll have about an hour’s visit with them tomorrow, then take them with you the next day when we go back to the orphanage to get them.” She paused and laughed. “Uh-oh, there’s no tissue box to pass around and some of you are getting weepy. Let’s head for the restaurant before we flood this lobby.”

Darkness had fallen and more neon lights had come alive when the group left the hotel and began the walk to the restaurant. The name Las Vegas was heard several times from the various conversations taking place.

Caitlin replayed in her mind the moment when Marsha had wiped the lipstick from Matt’s lips and couldn’t curb her smile. She should be totally mortified, she thought, but she wasn’t. Matt had been so endearingly embarrassed, she’d wanted to give him a hug and tell him not to worry about what anyone might be thinking about the telltale clue, and to remember that he was the one who had said that new daughters were the main focus of the entire group, not the doings of Caitlin Cunningham and Matt MacAllister.

Elizabeth was greeted warmly when they arrived at the restaurant, and they were soon settled at a large round table with a lazy Susan in the middle.

Three waitresses appeared and began to place steaming hot, intriguing-appearing offerings of food on the turntable. Plates were soon piled high with the fragrant food, and they dug in.

“Did Dr. Yang say anything about the babies, Elizabeth?” one of the women asked. “Anything at all?”

“Only that they would be ready and waiting for you to see and hold them,” she said, smiling.

“Oh-h-h,” the woman said. “I can hardly wait. I hope the hours between now and then pass quickly. This is torture.” She smiled at her husband. “Just think, Bill. Tomorrow we meet Emma Lin. Tomorrow.”

“Yep,” he said, matching her smile. “In the meantime, eat your dinner.”

“Tomorrow,” Caitlin whispered, staring into space.

Excited chatter erupted around the table centered on the wondrous event that would take place the next day. Matt leaned close to Caitlin so only she could hear him.

“Tomorrow,” he said, smiling at her when she met his gaze. “You’ll meet your daughter. You’ll hold her, look into her pretty eyes and know if she’s Mackenzie or Madison. It will be one of those life-changing memories that will be etched in your mind forever.”

“Yes,” Caitlin said softly.

“And you know something, Caitlin? When I realize that I’ll be right there to witness it all, I can honestly say there’s no place else on this earth I’d rather be.”

Chapter Six

Caitlin sat next to one of the windows on the rickety bus that had picked up the group at the Nanjing airport, her gaze riveted on the bustling crowds within her view.

Nanjing, she decided, was absolutely enchanting, an intriguing blend of the old and the new. There were tall, modern buildings next to small, shanty-type houses, and the number of people riding bicycles in the surging traffic seemed to outnumber those in automobiles.

Some of the people were dressed in clothes she might see in Ventura, while others were wearing traditional dark pants and boxy jackets that she’d seen so often in photographs of the Chinese populace. The weather was perfect, warm with a cooling breeze.

“Oh,” Caitlin gasped as she witnessed yet another near miss of a car colliding with a bicycle. “It’s dangerous out there. The people on those bikes are demanding equal space on the roads. Scary.”

Matt leaned forward to look out the window, then immediately settled back again in his seat with a chuckle.

“I don’t think watching that madness is good for my blood pressure. This makes driving in Los Angeles or New York City a leisurely outing. Whew.”

“There are amazingly few accidents,” Elizabeth said, overhearing what Caitlin and Matt were talking about. “It looks awful, but it’s organized chaos, or some such thing. The majority of people can’t afford cars, so the mode of transportation is most often a bike. There is a stiffer penalty for stealing a bicycle than a vehicle.”

“Fascinating,” Matt said, nodding.

“Caitlin,” Marsha said from across the aisle, “you should be taking notes on some of this. I think with your talent for writing you could do some very interesting articles for the magazine from a fashion angle, make our readers feel as though they’ve actually visited China. It would be a nice way to add to your income while you’re working at home, too.”

“In between changing Miss M.’ s diapers.” Matt chuckled.

“Babies do take naps, you know.” Marsha frowned. “But I guess that’s when you take one, too, or maybe get caught up on the laundry and what have you. I don’t have a clue.”

“We’ll find out very soon, sweetheart,” Bud said. “You know, I have to admit I’m getting nervous about meeting Grace for the first time. What if I scare the socks off her? She’s almost a year old, so I imagine she has definite opinions about things…like her father is terrifying.”

Marsha patted Bud’s knee. “We’ll just take it as it comes, give her space, time to get used to us. When we bring her back to the hotel tomorrow we’ll let her call the shots. If she doesn’t want us to hold her, we won’t push it.” She paused. “Oh, dear, now I’m getting nervous.”

Elizabeth laughed. “Just relax. If your new daughters sense that you’re uptight they’ll react accordingly. My years of making these trips allows me to say with confidence that you’ll all be pleasantly surprised at how quickly your girls adjust to you and their new environment. They’re extremely resilient little ladies.”

“Goodness,” Caitlin said. “I never gave a thought to the idea that Miss M. might not…well, like me right off the bat. We’ve all fallen in love with our daughters by just looking at their pictures but…oh dear.”

“Don’t get tense,” Matt said. “Miss M. will take one look at you and it will be love at first sight, Caitlin, you’ll see. I don’t believe in that stuff when it comes to adults, but babies? They know when they’re connected to someone special. Everything will be just fine.”

As conversations started throughout the bus about what they were seeing out the windows, Caitlin cocked her head to one side and studied Matt, who looked at her questioningly.

“What?” he said.

“You believe that babies are capable of experiencing love at first sight, but adults aren’t?” Caitlin asked. “At what point in their lives do they change their view on the subject?”

“Well…” Matt shrugged. “I don’t know. When we grow up and get worldly and wise, I suppose. Love at first sight? Give me a break. Love…adult, man-and-woman love…is something that grows over time, has to be nurtured, tended to, sort of like a garden that eventually produces beautiful flowers and… Jeez, I’m getting corny here.”

“No, you’re not,” Caitlin said quietly, looking directly into Matt’s eyes. “I think you expressed that very nicely, and I agree with you.”

“Which is why,” Matt observed, switching his gaze to the scene beyond the window, “I don’t see falling in love in my near future because I don’t have time for the nurturing, doing my part in tending to the…well, to the garden.”

“I know,” Caitlin said, then stared out the window again.

Well, Matt thought, he covered that topic very thoroughly, right on the mark. And for some unexplainable reason it had caused his ulcer to start burning with a hot pain as though voicing displeasure at what he had said.

Matt reached in his pocket, retrieved an antacid tablet and popped it into his mouth, frowning as he chewed the chalky circle.

“I saw that, MacAllister,” Bud said. “Whatever you’re talking about over there, change the subject. Your doctor has spoken.”

“Cork it, Mathis.” Matt glared at Bud.

The bus driver made a sudden sharp turn, and moments later they rattled to a stop in the circular driveway in front of a modern high-rise hotel.

“We have arrived,” Elizabeth said. “This is a lovely hotel, and you’ll be very comfortable here. I’ll check us in as a group again and hand out the key cards. It would be best if you’d wait in the lobby, though, while I telephone Dr. Yang and find out what time the vans are coming to take us to the orphanage. That will save me having to call each of your rooms to let you know. Okay?”

Elizabeth received quick, affirmative and excited answers to her request. The group was soon standing in the spacious, nicely furnished lobby with luggage at their feet and key cards in their hands as they waited to hear the outcome of her call.

They were all booked into the fourth floor, Elizabeth explaining that it kept crying babies from disturbing other guests. Matt glanced at Caitlin’s key card, then his own, and nodded in approval that they were in side-by-side rooms.

Good, he thought. He’d be close at hand if Caitlin needed help with Miss M. She didn’t have any experience with babies, while he had years of it due to being a MacAllister.

A MacAllister. Ah, yes, the powerful and well-known family of Ventura, the movers and shakers, the overachievers, who seemed to excel in whatever career choices they made. As each new generation came along, the pattern was repeated. Pick a subject? There was a MacAllister who did it…extremely well. Lawyers, doctors, architects, police officers, the list was endless. If you were a MacAllister, by damn, you’d better be top-notch at whatever you did or…

Whoa. Halt. Enough, he thought, frowning. Where was all this coming from? He was standing in a hotel lobby halfway around the world from Ventura and his clan. Why was he suddenly focusing on something that had hovered over him from the time he was a kid? A kid who wasn’t good at sports in school, who had been an average student not a super brain, a kid who looked at the Mac-Allisters surrounding him and continually wondered why he fell short time after time after…

“Matt?” Caitlin said.

“What?” he said, looking at her.

“Do you have a headache? You’re frowning and rubbing your forehead. Are you okay?”

“Oh, sure, sure, I’m fine.” He forced a smile. “Just suffering from a bit of jet lag like everyone else.” He paused. “Maybe I should figure out the time difference between here and Ventura and decide when I can call the hospital and see if everything is running smoothly.”

Caitlin sighed. “I wondered how long it would take before you felt the need to do that. You’re not focused on a new daughter like the rest of us. You’re centered on your work.”

“That’s not true. I’m really eager to see Miss M., Caitlin, I told you that. Remember? I said there was nowhere else I’d rather be than—”

“Calling the hospital in Ventura,” she interrupted, lifting her chin and meeting his gaze.

“Forget the call. I’m not going to do it. I’m not telephoning the hospital and checking up on things.”

“Right.” Caitlin rolled her eyes.

“I mean it. Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye. Oh, hey, here comes Eliza beth.”

No one spoke as Elizabeth rejoined the group.

“Okay, we’re on target,” she said. “It’s four o’clock. Go unpack and be back down here at five ready to go to the orphanage.”

“Oh,” Caitlin whispered. “Oh, my goodness.”

Three new mommies-to-be burst into tears.

“Shoo, shoo,” Elizabeth said, laughing and flapping her hands at them. “Go to your rooms. There. I sound like a stern old auntie. I’ll see you all back down here in an hour.”

Everyone collected their luggage, and Caitlin and Matt headed to their rooms.

Matt stopped as Caitlin poked the key card in the slot when they reached her room, then opened the door when the green light blinked on. She stepped inside the room far enough to hold the door open with her bottom and look back at Matt.

“I see the gizmo on the wall for the card so I can turn on the lights,” she said, laughing. “I’m a quick study.”

“Good for you, but maybe you should turn around and see what they’ve put in your room.”

Caitlin frowned slightly in confusion, turned, then a gasp escaped from her lips.

“Oh. Oh, Matt, look. It’s a crib. A port-a-crib. It’s Miss M.’ s crib where she’ll sleep after I bring her back here tomorrow. Isn’t that the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?”

Matt’s gaze was riveted on Caitlin as he heard the awe, the wonder, the heartfelt emotion ringing in her voice.

“Yes, I’m looking at one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen.” He cleared his throat as he heard the rasp of building emotions in his voice. “I’ll knock on your door when it’s time to go back downstairs. Okay?”

“’Kay,” Caitlin said absently, starting toward the crib.

The door swung free and closed in Matt’s face with a thud. He stood statue still for a long moment, attempting to visualize Caitlin inside the room, maybe running her hand over the rail of the crib, or across the soft sheet on the tiny mattress, or perhaps just gazing into the crib and envisioning Miss M. sleeping peacefully there, where she belonged, with her mother watching over her.

He looked quickly in both directions to be certain that no one had seen him standing there like an idiot who was attempting to carry on a conversation with a closed door before trudging back to his room.

Everyone in the group was fifteen minutes early arriving in the lobby, but no one settled onto the comfortable-looking chairs and sofas, not having the patience to sit still.

“What time is it?” Marsha said to Bud.

“One minute later than when you last asked me,” he said, smiling. “Chill, pretty wife, or you’re going to pass out cold on your nose.”

“Oh, right,” Marsha said, frowning at him. “Like you’re Mr. Cool, huh? Might I mention that you forgot to tie your shoelaces?”

“Well, cripe,” Bud said, looking down at his feet.

Matt whopped Bud on the back as he bent over to tend to his laces.

“Little shook up, Daddy?” Matt said. “Mmm. Maybe we should check your blood pressure, Doctor. You’re in a high-stress mode.”

“Can it, MacAllister,” Bud said, straightening and glaring at Matt. “Caitlin, do something about this man.”

“Me? What man?” she said, laughing. “I’m such a wreck I’m having trouble remembering my own name.”

“The vans are here,” a woman said, more in the form of a squeal.

“So they are,” Elizabeth agreed, joining the group. “Is everyone ready? Let me count noses.” She did a quick perusal of the gathered people. “Right on the money. Let’s go meet some new baby daughters.”

The fifteen-minute ride to the orphanage was a total blur to Caitlin until they suddenly turned onto a narrow street lined with small, shabby houses made of a variety of nonmatching material. At the end of the street a tall, seven-story building could be partially seen.

“That’s the orphanage,” Elizabeth said. “It’s big, as you can see, and filled to the brim with kids. There are infant floors, where the little ones sleep two and three to a crib at times, toddler floors, then older children have several floors where they sleep dorm-fashion until they are fostered out to work in the fields in rural areas.

“There is no heat in that building. They have to layer the kids in lots of clothes in the winter to keep them warm. A portion of the fees you paid for this trip will go directly to the orphanage for food, clothes, medical supplies, what have you.

“The vast majority of the children are girls, as you know. The few boys that are brought here have some kind of medical problem, or perhaps a birthmark that is too noticeable, or they might have been the second boy in the family, breaking the law about only being allowed to have one child, and there isn’t a thing wrong with them. However, it’s rare for boys to be in the orphanages.

“And,” Elizabeth said as the vans drove around a circle driveway. “Here—” the vans stopped “—we are.”

Matt reached over and squeezed one of Caitlin’s hands, finding it ice cold.

“Calm down,” he whispered to her. “If you touch Miss M. with hands that cold she’ll have a screamer of a fit.”

Caitlin nodded jerkily.

A beaming Dr. Yang greeted the group as they entered the building. He was a slightly built man in his mid-thirties with handsome features and dark, almond-shaped eyes that seemed to be actually sparkling.

“I feel as though I know you,” he said, his English having only a trace of an accent, “because I’ve read all of your dossiers. Welcome to China. Welcome to Nanjing. Welcome to the humble place where your daughters are waiting to meet you. Our elevator is very small, so I’ll ask that you go up to the third floor four at a time, please.

“We will go into a living room, then I’ll tell the head of the orphanage that you are here and that the caregivers should bring the babies to where you are. My paperwork is upstairs that documents the matches.” He laughed. “Same as always, Elizabeth. You bring me people who are too nervous to speak.”

“Never fails,” she said, smiling.

“But soon they’ll be crying those happy tears we always see,” Dr. Yang said.

“They’ve been practicing those already. Okay, folksies. Here we go.”

The living room Dr. Yang had spoken of was quite large, but the furniture and carpeting was very faded and worn. The paint on the walls was a color somewhere between gray and yellow and was peeling in numerous spots. There was a dusty, plastic red rose in a bud vase on a shabby end table in one corner. No pictures adorned the walls.

Caitlin, Matt, Marsha and Bud settled onto a threadbare sofa. Bud wrapped his arm around Marsha’s shoulders and she sat as close as possible to him. Matt fought the urge to do the same to Caitlin as she sat next to him, her hands clutched so tightly in her lap the knuckles were turning white.

Elizabeth and Dr. Yang left the room and a heavy silence fell as the minutes ticked slowly by. Then everyone stiffened as the pair reappeared followed by caregivers in white uniforms, some holding one baby, others with two.

Dr. Yang consulted a sheet of paper he was holding, then placed his hand on the shoulder of one of the caregivers.

“Sally and Fred Roberts,” he said.

And so it began, the uniting of parents and their daughters, with happy tears flowing freely. Marsha and Ben were called and their Grace gurgled and smiled when Marsha lifted her from the caregiver’s arms and held her close, laughing and crying at the same time.

“That’s my goddaughter. Awesome. You have to be next,” Matt whispered to Caitlin, “because you’re the only one left. Are you ready?”

“Oh, I am so ready,” Caitlin said, staring at the empty doorway. “Why isn’t there another caregiver standing there. Where’s Miss M.? I don’t understand why—oh…my…God. Matt, look.”

Matt’s eyes widened as a caregiver stepped into the living room, a baby tucked in the crook of each arm. Without realizing he was doing it, he grabbed Caitlin’s hand and got to his feet, drawing her up next to him.

“Caitlin Cunningham,” Dr. Yang said, smiling. “Last, but certainly not least.”

“I…” Caitlin said, making no attempt to free her hand from Matt’s as she walked toward the caregiver on trembling legs. “There are two… The pictures I got of Miss M. were of two babies, not just two photographs of the same baby. Dear heaven, they’re identical twins. Twins? I’m going to be the mother of twins? Did I know this? I didn’t know this. Oh, they’re so beautiful, so… Twins?”

Dr. Yang frowned and looked at the sheet of paper. “Yes, it says here that you have been matched with identical twin girls of six months of age. Is there a problem?”

“Let’s just all stay calm,” Elizabeth said quickly. “Caitlin, you and Matt take the babies to the sofa while I speak with Dr. Yang and see what is going on here. Dr. Yang, we at the agency and, therefore, Caitlin, didn’t realize she’d been matched with twins. Nothing came across my desk indicating that.”

“Really?” Dr. Yang said. “Well, come with me, Elizabeth, and we’ll telephone Beijing, where all these decisions are made and discover what is taking place. Our caregivers have so much to do so… Caitlin? Matt, is it? Would you please tend to the babies until we return?”

“Yes, oh, yes,” Caitlin said, lifting one of the infants from the caregiver’s arms. “Matt?”

“Sure thing,” he said, accepting the other baby. “Hello, Miss M.” He glanced at the baby that Caitlin held. “Hello, Miss M. Man, they are really identical, aren’t they? And they’re both scowling, just like in the pictures you got. Let’s go sit down and see if we can get them to smile. Caitlin?”

“Twins,” she said, staring at the baby she held. “That’s two. One plus one equals two. Twins.”

“Sitting down now,” Matt said, shifting the baby to one arm and gripping Caitlin’s elbow. “Right now.”

On the sofa, both Caitlin and Matt propped the babies on their knees, having to support their backs as they obviously were unable to sit up alone. Tears filled Caitlin’s eyes as her gaze darted back and forth between the little girls.

“Oh, my gosh, they are so fantastic, so incredibly beautiful, and wonderful and…”

“And twins,” Marsha said. “Caitlin, what are you going to do? You’re a single mother, for Pete’s sake. I’m scared to death about tending to Grace with Bud’s help and you’ll be all alone with two?” She paused and smiled. “But, oh, they are so cute. Grace, look at your little friends.”

“Twin friends,” Bud said. “Holy cow.”

Matt bounced the baby a bit on his knees, then made a clucking noise that sounded rather like a sick chicken. The baby stared at him for a long moment, then a smile broke across her face, revealing two little teeth on the bottom gums.

“She smiled at me,” Matt said, beaming. “Caitlin, look at Miss M. She’s smiling.”

Caitlin sniffled. “My Miss M. isn’t smiling. I think she’s about to cry.”

“No way,” Matt said, leaning toward the other baby and making the same ridiculous noise. The baby grinned, and she had the same two teeth on the bottom. “There you go. We’ve been waiting for that smile ever since we saw the pictures of her looking so grumpy. Well, actually it was the pictures of both of them looking so grumpy, but…” He shrugged. “Now they’re smiling.”

“They’re so beautiful,” Caitlin said, unable to halt her tears. “I can hardly believe I’m actually holding… Oh, but, Matt, Marsha’s right. How can I possibly cope, tend to, care for, twins? But they’re my daughters. I fell in love with the baby in the photograph. So, okay, I didn’t know I was falling in love with two babies but… Oh, dear, my mind is mush.”

Dr. Yang and Elizabeth returned and came to where Caitlin and Matt were sitting.

“Um…Caitlin?” Elizabeth said. “Dr. Yang has something he wants to say to you. Hear him out, please, and don’t…don’t overreact to what he says. You must remember this is a culture far different from ours.”

“Yes, well, we spoke to the person we needed to in Beijing. It seems a new employee in the office checked the wrong box on the final approval sheet, indicating you wanted twins. So, the match was made.

“The officials in Beijing said you are certainly cleared to take both of the babies if you so choose, but if not…” He shrugged and smiled. “Well, that’s fine, too. It was a clerical error on our part, and can be rectified by you simply picking the baby you want from the pair if you feel you can only raise one. That solves the problem.”

Caitlin’s eyes widened in horror, and a flush stained her cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak, but Elizabeth spoke first. “Caitlin, take a deep breath, count to ten, think before you say anything. We’re guests in this country, dear, who are being allowed to adopt these wonderful children. We don’t want to do anything to jeopardize the program in place. Dear.”

“Yes, I understand. Well, Dr. Yang, I think the officials in Beijing are being very…um…accommodating and I certainly appreciate being given the choices you’ve just presented to me.

“But, you see, I wouldn’t dream of separating identical-twin sisters under any circumstances. It’s a matter of…doing things just a teeny tiny bit differently in our country.

“So, sir, with heartfelt thanks, I accept being the mother of both of these girls and I’ll love them to pieces and do the very best I can raising them.”

“Very good. I’ll call Beijing right back and inform them of your decision.” He turned and hurried from the room.

“Nicely done, Caitlin,” Elizabeth said, letting out a pent-up breath. “The Chinese people place little importance on twin girls staying together in these situations. Our emphasis that they not be separated baffles them. But you did very well. Are you certain you want to do this, though?”

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