Something had happened to her. Justin had no more time for idle chitchat than he suspected she did, but he kept talking, because it gave him a chance to look her over. His gaze roved from the crown of her head to her toes- the way the jeans cupped her fanny, the boots, her wildly tousled hair, the way her cheeks had pinked from the slap of a cold morning wind-none of that was unusual. But there was something different in her eyes. A fever-brightness. She stood there, rocking, rocking the bundle in her arms-the baby made no sound at all-but that liquid softness in Win’s eyes was rare. Vulnerable. And Winona just never looked vulnerable if she could help it.
A blood cart pushed between them, but he wasn’t about to stop their conversation just because all hell was still breaking loose. “Things could have been a lot worse. At least no one died. In a crash landing, that’s pretty much a miracle in itself. Robert Klimt-one of the minor cabinet members from Asterland? He was knocked unconscious, head injury-I don’t know how he is right now, I took care of some minor burns and left him to the neurologist. Pamela Miles was also on that flight-”
“I know, I know! She was headed overseas to be an exchange teacher in Asterland-did you see her, Justin? Do you know if she’s okay?”
“I didn’t take care of her myself, but I heard she was basically fine. Lady Helena, though-”
“Serious injuries?”
“Well, not life-threatening. Complicated break in her ankle. And once she’s done with the bone man, for sure she’s going to be mine. She did get some burns-”
“Oh, God. She’s such a beautiful woman.”
Justin couldn’t say more on Helena. For him to discuss a patient, any patient-he just never did. Not with anyone, even Winona. But he still hadn’t taken his eyes off her and didn’t want to give her the excuse to shoot past him. “Well, at this point, I think everyone on the flight’s been through here, checked out, even if they seemed to be fine. And the whole town was as shook up as the passengers on that flight, it seems like, because people were flooding in right and left.”
“You didn’t hear what caused the emergency landing, did you?”
On that he had to lift his eyebrows. “I was just going to ask
“Well, normally I’d be elbowing my way to the middle of the mess from the start,” she admitted wryly, “but I got sidetracked.”
When she lifted the corner of the pale pink flannel blanket for him to get a peek, Justin finally figured out what the emotion was in her eyes. Fierceness. The fierce protectiveness of a mama lion for her cub, or a mama eagle for her eaglet. There was nothing strange about thinking of Win and motherhood, or of her wanting to be a mom, but it just hadn’t crossed his mind before what a major thing it might be for her. His knuckles-almost accidentally-brushed her hand when he touched the baby’s cheek.
“Don’t tell me anyone hurt this darling, or I’ll have to go out and kill someone,” he said gently.
Her voice melted. “Oh, God. Justin. That’s exactly how I felt. Isn’t she beautiful?”
Considering she was swaddled up with nothing showing but about two inches of face and some blond spriggy hairs, Justin was hard-pressed to use the word
“Her name’s Angel. I ran out my front door this morning, headed for the crash site-Wayne called me around seven in the morning-and there she was. In a basket on the doorstep. With a note saying her name was Angel and asking me, specifically, to take care of her.”
Justin felt his pulse still. “This isn’t the first time you’ve had to handle an abandoned kid,” he said carefully.
“No, of course not. But this baby’s so young that obviously I had to bring her here first. I’m sure you know the beat. This day and age, a deserted baby could mean drugs or AIDS or all kinds of things in the child’s background-so before we can do anything else, we have to know the state of the child’s health for sure.”
“And…?”
“And Dr. Julian gave her a terrific bill of health. Just under three months old, he thought.”
“So, the next step is…?” He was watching her face, not the baby’s.
“Finding the mother, of course. It’s not like Royal is that huge. And if anyone has a bird’s-eye view to kids in trouble, it’s got to be me in my job. So if anyone can track down the parents, I’ve got the best shot.”
“Uh-huh. And where will the baby go in the meantime?”
Her head shot up. Blue eyes blazed on his. “I spent years in foster care,” she said belligerently.
“I know you did.”
“The system’s overcrowded. Even in an area this wealthy, there’s no answer for it. Adoption is at least a possibility for a blond, blue-eyed baby-but not for this one, not for some time. Even if I run a hundred miles an hour and get answers zip-fast, there’s still no way to rush a-”
“Win, you sound like you’re fighting with a judge in a court of law. You’re just talking to me. What’s the deal here? I take it you want to keep the baby?”
Her shoulders sank, losing all that tough stiffness. And again her eyes got that softness, that terribly fierce vulnerability that he’d never seen before. “No one’s going to let me keep her. I’m single. And I’m working full-time besides. But right now-especially today-the town’s in chaos because of the Asterland jet crash. So the only thing that makes sense-”
Justin heard his code paged on the loudspeaker. An orderly pushed past both of them to clean up the examining room. Bodies were still hustling in both directions, they were blocking the hallway-and the baby suddenly opened her rosebud mouth, yawned, and blinked open sleepy, priceless, exquisite blue eyes.
He looked at the baby…and then at Winona again. “We’ve both got our hands full right now,” he said casually. “How about if I stop by for a short visit right after dinner?”
“You don’t have to do that.”
Oh yeah, he thought, he definitely did.
Three
Just as Winona lifted a fork to her mouth, she heard the baby’s thin cry. Somehow there’d been no time for lunch. Now it looked as if the odds weren’t too hot on sneaking some dinner, either. Not that she minded. Who needed food? Dropping the fork with a clatter, she charged toward the living room. “I’m coming, Angel! I’m coming!”
Well, shoot. It wasn’t quite that easy-as a woman or a temporary mom-to deliver on those optimistic words. Although it was only the distance of a fast gallop between the kitchen and the living room, reaching the baby was becoming more challenging by the hour.
She’d only called a couple of neighbors that afternoon, but it seemed that the news about the baby had spread and help had been pouring in nonstop. The whole neighborhood was kid-studded-which was one of the reasons she’d chosen to buy her house here-and almost everyone had some baby gear stored in their garages or back rooms. Buying anything would have been silly: Winona had no idea how long she would be allowed to keep the baby. But her neighbors’ loans had been extravagantly generous. She had to dodge a half-dozen car seats, a couple of high chairs, several playpens and walkers, backpacks, front packs, diaper bags, toys, enough blankets to warm a child in the Arctic, and heaps of baby clothes. Finally she reached the white wicker bassinet with the pink quilted lining.
Inside was the princess, who happened to be garbed in her fifth outfit of the day. Winona figured they surely wouldn’t go through quite so many clothes tomorrow. She was getting close to mastering disposable diapers.
“There, there. There, there…” She picked up the precious bundle, and started the crooning, patting and rocking movements that seemed to be the eternal song of mothers. But on the inside, panic started to ooze through her nerves.
“Are we hungry, sweetheart? Wet? Do you want the TV on? Off? More lights, less lights? More noise, less noise? Are you cold? Constipated-no, come to think of it, I’m positive that’s not a problem. Are you mad? Bored? Sick? Sad? Whatever it is, I’ll fix it, I swear. Just don’t cry. There, there. There, there, love…”
The panic was new. All day, she’d been in seventh heaven. Babies had been on her heart’s agenda for a long
