And then Gary Richard Lord decided it wasn’t time to stir yet. He had more important things to do. Like sleep.
“He’s a real sweetheart,” a voice whispered, and Jenny’s eyes flew to the door. Katie was standing there. Katie, the nurse who’d been with her every moment of her labor.
It was true, then. It had all happened.
“I thought it must have been a dream,” Jenny said wonderingly, and she winced when she moved. “Well, maybe not. Maybe it really is real.”
“You feeling sore?”
“Like I’ve been steamrollered.”
“He makes a great little steamroller.” Katie looked at her small charge. “He has the best set of lungs in the state. Ford and I have decided it’s just as well he was born here. Maitland Maternity would have given him his marching orders for disturbing the peace.”
“I think I did my own bit of yelling last night,” Jenny said ruefully. “I sure messed up the party.”
“Well, that’s a heap of nonsense,” Katie told her, smiling. “Megan hasn’t had such an exciting party for years.” She eyed Jenny closely. “You really hurting?”
“Only when I laugh.” Jenny’s eyes drifted to the couch at the side of the room. Katie saw where she was looking and she shook her head.
“Abandoned,” she said mournfully. “That’s what happens to the women of the tribe after they’ve produced the son and heir. You’ve been deserted by the man you love. He’ll be off handing out cigars and practicing his chest puffing.”
“But I don’t-”
“Hey, he’ll be back,” Katie reassured her. “I bet he’s gone to get more flowers. As if these aren’t enough. He’s been gathering them for hours. Where he’s gotten them all from, I don’t know.”
“Michael brought all these?” she asked in amazement.
“I sure did, and you deserve every one of them.” Michael’s gruff voice came from across the room, and she turned her head on her pillows. Her husband was coming in through the French windows-and yes, he was carrying more flowers.
“Holy cow, you’d think it was a wedding.” Katie grinned.
Michael dumped the flowers on an armchair and crossed the room to take Jenny into his arms and kiss her senseless before she could remember a single reason he shouldn’t.
Jenny didn’t have the energy to fight him. Well, maybe she did, but she didn’t even try. She lay back and let herself be soundly kissed, and just for a moment she let herself believe this was how it should be. Her wonderful, beloved husband kissing her after the birth of their child. What could be more perfect than this? One baby plus one husband.
Plus a ghost.
Peter was still there, and as Michael finally released her, he saw the echoes of her past lingering in her eyes.
“Jen?”
“Michael, your flowers are wonderful,” she said softly but quickly, as if to make things more formal. “I… Thank you. But how did you get them? You haven’t stripped Megan’s garden?”
“Your son snores,” he said, smiling into her eyes with a look that made her heart do back flips. “There was no way I could sleep. Katie stayed in calling distance, so I went rose hunting.” He grinned. “There’s not a garden on the street left untouched.”
“You stole them!” That shook her. She sat up and fixed him with the same look she’d used when he was trying to impose his will on her as a secretary. “Michael Lord, are you nuts? You’ll be arrested.”
“I left twenty bucks and a thank-you note in every mailbox,” he told her virtuously. “There was no way I was waiting for the florists to open.”
“You’re still nuts.”
“But nice nuts?” he asked hopefully, and she chuckled, then withdrew imperceptibly. He saw it, and didn’t take things further. He had a plan, and it involved a bit of careful persuasion. Plus a lie or two. Pushing things wouldn’t work.
“Jenny, I’m here to take your Gary Richard away for a bit,” he told her. Then, at her startled look, he turned to Katie. “Tell her, Katie.”
“Jenny, Megan wants you to stay right where you are for a few days,” she told her. “We think it’s best. If you’re happy to do that.”
“Of course. But Megan-”
“Megan thinks it’s just wonderful,” Megan said, coming into the room as if on cue. It was still before nine in the morning. It had been three before Megan had slept the night before, but she looked as immaculately dressed and as fresh as if she’d had a full night’s sleep. “As CEO, I should be telling you to get yourself into Maitland Maternity, but we’re big enough now to cope with losing the business of one mother and babe.”
“So you’ll stay here?” Michael said to Jenny as he eyed his aunt doubtfully. They’d clued Katie in on what was going on, but Megan didn’t know.
“Of course, I’d love to stay here. If it’s okay.” But there was a furrow between Jenny’s eyes. “But why do you need to take Gary away?”
“Ford wants to check him,” Michael said promptly-a bit too promptly, and Jenny’s frown grew. She knew this man.
“But last night Ford said he was okay.” Her eyes flew to her son, and panic flared. “There’s nothing wrong?”
“Of course there’s nothing wrong,” Katie said reassuringly, but Jenny was still suspicious.
“Then why?”
“I imagine Ford wants his bilirubin levels taken for jaundice, and a heel prick for thyroid function,” Megan volunteered, and all eyes veered toward her. Good grief, Michael thought. What was she going to say? Had she guessed?
“I don’t understand,” Jenny said.
“I don’t suppose you do, child,” Megan told her graciously. “But all newborns are required to have their bilirubin levels taken, though your little Gary doesn’t look jaundiced to me, and their heel test needs to be done for thyroid malfunction. They’re simple tests that take only a few seconds, but they need to be done in a hospital with the right equipment. I imagine Ford would be unhappy about delaying it.”
Michael held his breath. He looked at Katie-and saw she was holding hers. Was Megan really saying this?
“Will you be long?” Jenny asked, still looking at her tiny son. “Can I come with him?”
“There’s no way you’re going anywhere,” Megan told her sternly. “And it takes all of ten minutes to get to the hospital. An hour at most for the test-that’s if there’s a wait-and back here by a little after ten. You’ll have the little one back by then, right, Michael?”
Michael, stunned, could only nod.
“Of course. And I’ll take the best care of him.”
“I know you will,” Jenny whispered. “It’s only…” She looked at her tiny son, and her eyes welled. “I don’t like to be away from him for a minute.”
“An hour only,” Michael said softly, and bent and kissed her on the lips.
“MEGAN…”
“I don’t know what you’re doing and I don’t want to know,” Megan told him as Michael carried Gary out of the room after Jenny had fed him. “What I don’t know I can’t tell. You just get him back in an hour. You promise?”
“I promise.”
“And Michael…” Megan’s eyes creased into a smile.
“Megan?”
“Good luck.”
THE HOTEL was the grandest in Austin. Michael had guessed she’d be here, but he’d phoned first to make sure. “Certainly,” they’d said at seven this morning. “Her ladyship is booked to the end of the week.”
He’d half expected-feared-that she’d gone back to England, which would have made it so much harder. Now, though, everything that should be said could be said. Right now.
