The Army Doctor's Baby (Romance Novella) (4 page)

They went through the front gate, and Radley knocked on the door.

"Shouldn't you call the agent?"

"Probably."

Nobody answered the door so Radley went to a window and peered inside. "The place looks vacant."

Olivia joined him and cupped her hands around her face so she could see through the glass. "There's no furniture. Maybe it's a bank repossession. If it is, you might get a good deal."

"I'd like to see inside before I get carried away." Radley shifted George into one arm and dug his mobile phone out of his pocket. He dialed the number on the realtor's sign outside the property. A few minutes later, he'd arranged for an agent to show them the house in two hours' time.

"How about lunch at the Hunter's Moon? I'd like to check it out. It might be my local soon."

"Sure. It looked nice from the outside." Olivia rested a hand on Radley's shoulder and leaned closer to nuzzle her son's cheek. She loved kissing her baby boy, and it was a good excuse to get close to Radley as well. "As soon as we've eaten I need to feed Georgie Porgie again."

"Let's hope he makes it through our lunch without crying. Perhaps we'd better hurry up."

Radley strapped George back in his seat, and they drove the two minutes to the pub. The car park was packed but he managed to slide his car in a space at the end of a row.

The hum of cheerful voices greeted them as they entered the side door. "Do you think it's all right to bring a baby in?" Olivia said as she scanned the old wooden bar with its low-beamed ceiling. Cozy chairs flanked a roaring log fire. Although the place was busy, she couldn't see any other children.

"Should be fine as long as we don't let him drink."

Olivia playfully punched Radley's arm, and he burst out laughing.

They ordered drinks at the bar. The barman directed them through to a restaurant area at the back. It turned out to be a light, airy extension with big windows overlooking the canal.

"Wow, I've never seen so many barges in one place." Olivia halted by a window and stared out at a channel divided off from the main canal. It was packed solid with watercraft.

"I hadn't realized the pub looked out over here." Radley pointed to a group of stone buildings on the edge of the water. "That's the head office of the barge rental business."

They took a window table. Radley had carried George in his car seat and he set it on the floor beside Olivia's chair. "Hey, sweetie, are you going to be a good boy and let Mummy have her lunch?" She ran a hand over George's soft, dark hair. He kicked his feet and grunted.

She'd attached a yellow flashing star-shaped baby toy to the carry handle of the seat. George fixed his blue eyes on it and stretched out a hand.

"Look at that. It's the first time I've seen him reach for something." Radley left his seat and crouched beside George. "Clever boy, Georgie." Radley tapped the star to make its light flash again.

A murmur of yearning escaped Olivia's lips. She felt an almost unbearable longing to wrap her arms around Radley and hold on so tight he could never get away. In the last four weeks she'd spent a lot of time with him and often needed his help. He had never let her down or complained, even when George's cries woke him in the middle of the night.

Radley was kind, gentle, and patient. Her initial attraction to him had grown into something far more. The thought of being parted from him sent a pulse of pain through her. She was falling in love with him, and she had no idea how to handle it. If he were anyone else it might work, but he was Cameron's brother.

The waitress approached. Radley reclaimed his seat and ordered a steak. Olivia ordered pasta. While they ate, they chatted about what Radley was looking for in a home.

"You all right?" he asked after a while. "You seem distracted."

Olivia shrugged. The internal conflict between her attraction to Radley and her self-reproach had grown steadily from the first day she met him.

She longed to tell him how she felt, but how could she when she'd just given birth to his brother's child? He'd probably be disgusted with her. And if he wasn't, his mother and father surely would be. She respected his parents and valued their good opinion. They were too important a part of George's life for her to fall out with them.

Olivia drew in a breath and released it slowly. She had to stop longing for Radley and get over it. He would always be in her life, but as George's uncle.

As if he sensed her disquiet, George let out a wail. Olivia had nearly finished her meal and appreciated the excuse to take a break from Radley to compose herself.

"Lunchtime for you now, sweetie." She reached down and stroked George's cheek. How she longed to be able to lift her baby in her arms instead of depending on others.

Radley immediately got up and lifted the baby seat. "Come on, munchkin." He turned a smile on Olivia. "I'll take him to the car, then come back and pay."

When George was fed and changed, they headed back to Brook View Cottage to meet the real estate agent. Radley had bought a baby carrier so he could hold George on his chest and have his hands free. He sat in the back of the car, Olivia beside him, and together they managed to get George into the carrier while it was on Radley's lap.

"Now comes the tricky part." Radley held the baby in place while Olivia moved to adjust the clips at his neck and waist, altering the length of the straps and securing the carrier. She closed the one at his waist and wedged a knee underneath herself to get a better angle to reach the higher one.

Her hand brushed the smooth skin of Radley's neck above his sweater and she trailed the tips of her fingers across his hair. She longed to lean forward and press her lips against his skin, to wrap her arms around this wonderful man and her little boy.

So she did. Not kiss him—that would have been too daring. But when the carrier was secure, she folded her arms around Radley, rested her chin on his shoulder, and leaned forward to see George's little pink face, almost lost in the hood of his padded romper suit and Radley's sweater.

She breathed in Radley's clean fragrance and stroked her little boy's back. A strong masculine hand rose and cupped her cheek. For long moments they both remained still and silent. Olivia hardly dared breathe for fear she'd break the spell.

"Livi," he said softly. "I've grown very fond of you."

He turned his head and his warm breath touched her face. She snuggled closer to him and closed her eyes. "Me too," she whispered. It was on the tip of her tongue to say more, to give away how deeply she really felt for him, when George gave a familiar burp and the smell of partly digested milk filled her nose.

"Oh, no, you didn't, Georgie." Olivia could hardly bear to look.

"Oops." Radley scrunched up his nose at the sight of milky vomit on the front of his sweater. "Way to ruin the mood, pal."

"Yikes, sorry." Olivia scrambled for the baby bag, dug out the wet wipes, and mopped up the worst of the mess. Her darling little boy was certainly no matchmaker. But perhaps the interruption had been for the best. She'd been about to say something she might regret.

As they finished cleaning up, a small red car pulled in behind them and a woman in a navy suit climbed out. They both scrambled from the vehicle, Radley with a protective arm around George in his baby carrier.

"Mr. and Mrs. Knight." The realtor strode forward, hand out. "I'm Lindsey Phelps."

"We're not married," Olivia said, hastening to put her right. "I'm just along for the ride today."

"Oh, I see." The pretty young woman's smile grew wider as her gaze swept over Radley. "Love the accessory. All good-looking men should wear a baby. Makes you look doubly cute."

Radley opened his mouth then closed it again, obviously taken aback by the woman's comment. "Shall we go in?" he said. "I'm eager to look around."

"Of course."

Lindsey unlocked the door, then stood aside to let them pass. They wandered through the empty house, opening cupboards and looking out of windows. The place had a slight musty smell from being unoccupied, but it had huge potential. With a makeover it would be an adorable family home.

After they had been upstairs to check out the bedrooms and bathroom, the realtor unlocked the back door and they explored the long backyard. At the bottom was a strong wooden fence that bordered the canal towpath.

"Wow, this is a fantastic location." The views from the upstairs windows all looked out over lovely countryside, and it was within walking distance of the village shop as well as the pub.

"It's a pretty cottage in a great spot." Lindsey handed Radley a brochure with more photos and details inside. "We do have other people interested, so don't wait too long if you want to make an offer."

"Great, thank you. I'll think about it and may be in touch."

Radley didn't say any more until they were back in the car, George settled in his car seat. He waited for Lindsey to lock up and drive away, then turned in his seat to face Olivia. "What do you think?"

"Great potential." As she said the words, images scrolled through her mind of the various rooms redecorated and furnished as she would do them if the place were hers. "I like it."

Radley nodded slowly and bit his lip. "I agree. I'm going to make an offer." He flipped over the brochure and checked the price. It had already been marked down by quite a few thousand. "I don't want to appear too eager. I'll wait until Monday, then offer twenty thousand less than they're asking."

"Good plan." Olivia stretched her lips into a smile but she couldn't stop the wave of sadness inside. One day Radley would live here with another woman and have a family. She and George would visit, and he'd probably joke about the day they came here together to view the place.

The thought brought tears to her eyes.

Chapter Four

Radley jolted awake and glanced at the bedside clock. He was used to being woken in the early hours of the morning by George, but the baby was silent. It must be his dreams that had pulled him from his sleep.

The owners of Brook View Cottage had accepted his offer to purchase a few days ago. With luck the place would be his by Christmas, but ever since he'd seen the cottage he'd been plagued by a recurring dream.

He threw an arm over his eyes and tried to drift back to sleep, but memories of the dream kept repeating in his head.

He was in the hospital with his wife, holding his unnamed baby boy in his arms while his wife looked on adoringly. Then a man came into the room and took the baby from him. His wife cast him a derisive look and fell into the man's arms, then they all left, leaving Radley alone in the white room.

The scenario then altered. Radley was in his new house with Olivia and George. Cameron came through the front door, and Olivia ran into his arms. He picked up George and they all left, leaving Radley alone again.

It was crazy. The situations weren't the same at all, but deep down the same fear assailed him. He would lose the woman and baby he now thought of as his own.

A snuffling cry sounded from Olivia's room, the noise George made when he had been sucking his fist for a while and was getting really hungry. In a few moments he would be screaming.

Radley welcomed the distraction. He tossed aside his covers and pulled on a robe, then padded barefoot along the corridor to the next bedroom. The door stood ajar so he pushed it and peered inside.

Olivia still lay in bed, her dark hair spread across the pillow. She turned her head and smiled sleepily his way. Radley slipped inside, closing the door behind him so his mother wasn't disturbed by the noise, and moved to stand over George's bassinet. "Hey, hungry boy. Shall we pass you over to Mummy?"

He lifted George and cuddled him. "You ready, Liv?"

"Give me a moment." Olivia climbed out of bed, wrapped a fleecy pink robe around herself, and headed for the bathroom.

"Time for us to change your bum, young man." Radley laid George on the changing unit, removed the wet diaper, and, with the ease of much practice, wiped George's bottom clean and wrapped on a new one. While he waited for Olivia to return, he massaged George's feet. The little boy fell silent and stared up at Radley, his eyes glazed.

Olivia returned, heaped her pillows behind her and settled, ready to take her son. Radley normally left her to breast-feed alone, but this time he passed George across and sat on the end of the bed. He wanted to share this moment.

"All right if I stay?"

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Radley averted his eyes while Olivia pulled down the front of her nightie and latched George on her breast. When she settled, he glanced at her again. The little boy was sucking away, his tiny hands flattened against her skin.

"George loves having his feet rubbed," he said.

"Who doesn't?"

Her response gave him an idea. He folded back the covers and found one of her slender, pale feet. He cradled the heel in his palm, and worked his thumbs over her sole.

"Ah, that's heaven." Olivia dropped her head back on the pillows and closed her eyes.

Radley admired her while she wasn't looking but dropped his gaze back to her foot as soon as she opened her eyes. He continued to work on her foot while George fed. When Olivia switched him to the other breast, Radley moved over to massage her other foot.

She gave little moans of pleasure that fired along his nerves and set his blood pumping. He wanted to be with this woman, and he wanted to be there for George. But what about Cameron? His frustrated emotions welled up. Cameron didn't deserve her after the way he had treated her. His irresponsible brother still hadn't bothered to contact Olivia. She deserved so much better; she deserved to be loved and cherished. Radley lifted Olivia's foot and pressed his lips against her instep.

The little moans of pleasure stopped abruptly, and silence filled the room. Radley raised his gaze to find her eyes wide. He'd gone too far, offended her. Until now their contact had been affectionate, like siblings. Kissing her had changed things.

"I'm sorry." Radley climbed off the bed and pulled the covers back over her foot. "I should go."

"No." She extended a hand to him. He took it and sat beside her. She'd finished feeding George, and had the child resting on her shoulder while she patted his back. Radley gathered the sleepy boy in his arms and returned him to his bassinet.

Instead of leaving he went back to Olivia and took her hand again. "I want to sleep with you."

Her breath rushed in on a soft hiss of surprise. "I'm not ready for anything like that, Radley."

"No…" Radley winced and shook his head. He needed to choose his words more carefully. "I mean literally, not euphemistically. I just want to hold you in my arms." That was actually a lie. He wanted a lot more eventually, but one step at a time.

She appeared to think for a moment, then slid over and turned back the covers. Radley's heart pounded as he climbed into bed beside her and snuggled down, drawing her warm, slender form into his arms. She wriggled closer, her hands on his chest, and gave a contented little whimper.

Every cell in Radley's body fired to life. He wasn't sure he'd get a wink of sleep, but it would be worth lying awake for the rest of the night to be with Olivia.

This was a difficult situation but he would work it out. He'd wait for the right moment to tell his mother how he felt about Olivia, then he'd call Cameron and explain. If his brother had been interested in Olivia, it would be different. But he hadn't bothered to contact her, even though Radley had encouraged him. It was safe to assume his brother wasn't coming back to claim her or his son.

***

Olivia woke to the warm flicker of sunlight across her face and became aware of a solid, warm body spooning her from behind.

Radley. What had happened in the early hours of the morning rushed back on a wave of excitement—the foot rubbing, the way he'd watched her while she fed George, the way he'd asked permission to stay the rest of the night in bed with her, to hold her.

And he was holding her still, his arm curled over her ribs, his large, strong hand covering hers where it lay on the pillow near her face.

She had hoped he returned her feelings but not dared to believe it until now.

She flexed her hand beneath his, just to feel the slide of his palm across her skin. His fingers tightened around hers, and her breath caught. His shallow, even breathing had made her think he was still asleep.

"Good morning," he whispered.

She felt him shift and looked over her shoulder. He'd boosted himself up on his elbow and was smiling at her. "Turn around, Livi. We need to talk before George wakes up."

They did need to talk, but she didn't want to have this conversation now, the one where they discussed all the reasons why they shouldn't be together. She just wanted to enjoy the sensation of his closeness and dream for a little longer. Despite that she rolled over to face him.

They lay for a few moments, heads on the pillows, faces barely twelve inches apart. Then Radley shifted forward and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss took her by surprise but her eyelids fell and she kissed him back, putting all her pent-up feelings into that few seconds before he withdrew.

"I shouldn't have done that." Radley's breath trailed out on a gentle sigh. "I shouldn't have slept with you, not until we'd handled all the obstacles between us. I've put the cart in front of the horse, or something like that." He winced. "I don't think I've ever said that in my life before. It's one of those strange things my mother says. I'm really making a mess of this, aren't I?"

This strong, capable man was nervous. It sent a burst of warmth through her, warmth and love. She pulled her hand out from beneath the covers and placed her palm on his cheek, caressing his stubbly skin. "I love you."

There, she'd said the words that had been riding the back of her tongue for the last couple of weeks. Words that wanted to spill out every time Radley gently picked up George as though he were the most precious thing in the world, and kissed him with a complete lack of self-consciousness. He was a man comfortable in his own skin with nothing to prove, a man who seemed to find pleasure in helping those in need.

It was amazing he was Cameron's brother because they couldn't be more different. Cameron was focused on himself. She couldn't imagine him empathizing with his patients. Maybe the army would make him grow up and change.

Radley's fingers stroked her jaw, her cheek, her lips, his gaze following their course with an almost reverential look. "I think I fell in love with you the first time I set eyes on you. You were sitting in my father's chair with George at your breast. Seeing you there was almost a spiritual experience."

Olivia laughed, slightly embarrassed. "I suspect you're remembering it through rose-colored glasses."

Radley simply smiled and stroked strands of hair off her forehead.

"We need to tell your mum." This was what Olivia dreaded. She had such a good relationship with Sandra and didn't want to spoil it.

"Let me tell her. I'll choose the right moment. Mum's down-to-earth and reasonable. She knows things don't always turn out as planned. And she can hardly be surprised when we've spent so much time together while Cameron hasn't even bothered to contact you."

Radley rolled on his back and stared at the ceiling. "There's something I need to tell you."

The change in his tone and expression sent a frisson of warning along Olivia's nerves. "It's nothing bad, is it?"

"You'll have to be the judge of that." Radley ran a hand over his face, and the moment stretched, pulling Olivia's nerves tight.

"In the interest of full disclosure, I have to admit that it's partly my fault Cameron didn't contact you when you told him you were pregnant."

"What?" How could that be? She hadn't even known Radley back then.

Radley turned to face her again. "Cam called me when you first contacted him about it. He was certain he couldn't have gotten you pregnant, so I told him to forget it and get on with his life."

Pain and disappointment spiked through Olivia. A sudden need for space made her roll away onto her side of the bed. She turned her back on him and chewed the side of her finger, trying to think.

"If I'd thought there was a chance he really was your baby's father, I'd have advised him to do the right thing. But he was so certain, Olivia."

Her initial shocked reaction faded and her rational mind caught hold again. Radley hadn't forced Cameron to ignore her. Cameron hadn't told Radley the truth, and it was Cameron's responsibility to make his own decisions. It wasn't Radley's fault. And to be honest, she was now relieved that things had worked out this way or she would never have come to know Radley this well.

"In my defense, I did call him as soon as I came home and met you. I encouraged him to come home to see you and George."

Olivia pressed her fingers against her lips. Was it terrible of her to hope that Cameron ignored Radley's call? If he came back now and wanted to be a father to George, it might spoil any chance of her and Radley making a future together. That was what she wanted, even though she had only known him for four weeks. Already she felt she knew him better than she'd ever known his brother.

Olivia rolled over and wrapped her arm around Radley, snuggling close. His breath whooshed out in relief, and he hugged her tightly against him.

"Are we good?" he said.

"We're good."

He kissed her again. "Now I just have to tell Mum."

***

"Speak to your mother now, before she goes out," Olivia said to Radley as they descended the stairs for breakfast. It had been four days since Radley first spent the night with Olivia and he'd stayed in her room every night since, simply holding her in his arms.

Of course, Sandra knew Radley visited Olivia's room at night to help with George, but she didn't know he slept there as well. Olivia hated being less than honest with her.

"Give me a little while alone with her. It's been impossible to pin her down this week while she's working."

Olivia wondered if she should have broached the subject with Sandra as she'd seen her alone more often than Radley had. She often studied at the kitchen table while Sandra prepared dinner, and Radley was usually occupied changing or bathing George. This final week before her exams, Olivia had hardly taken her head out of her notes. Radley had done everything for George except feed him.

As far as Olivia was concerned, the wretched exams couldn't be over soon enough. She wanted to claim her life back and spend time with her son. Every time she heard Radley and George together, she longed to be with them rather than in the company of law books.

She had to keep reminding herself that these few weeks of study could set the course for her whole future. A good grade meant a training contract with a prestigious law firm; a low grade meant a less desirable firm or maybe even no training contract at all.

After all the work she'd put in to reach this stage, she couldn't drop the ball now. It was far too important for both her and George.