The Unclaimed Baby (8 page)

The truth was he was stunned by the speed and depth of his feelings for Sharon Lynn and the baby he'd refused to put down all afternoon. Every time he was with them that initial tug of yearning he'd felt to turn them into a family grew into something more and more powerful. As impossible as it seemed, the bond between him and Sharon Lynn was already deep and lasting, every bit as strong as if they'd been husband and wife and shared the birth of this child.

For the first time in his life, he wasn't afraid to admit that he was gut-deep scared. Not of the emotions. They'd felt right to him from the beginning. But of losing it all, everything he'd found here in Los Piños. Justin Adams had the power to take it all away from him, if he came back from Garden City with news that the baby's mother wanted her back. He feared that losing Ashley would break the bond between him and Sharon Lynn, that she would shut him out and face her grief all alone, as she'd apparently done after losing her husband.

At the thought of Kyle Mason, he realized what he should have guessed sooner. Mason was the man he'd heard about whose ranch might be up for sale. Sharon Lynn was the widow he'd been told might be anxious to sell. Oddly enough, none of that mattered now. He had far more important things on his mind.

By closing time, there still had been no word from Justin. Sharon Lynn was a basket case and even the baby seemed to have picked up on their uneasiness. She'd been fussing for an hour and nothing they tried seemed to soothe her.

“Why don't we all go out to dinner?” Cord suggested. “The wait will be easier if we're not just sitting around staring at each other.”

“Do you honestly believe there is anything that will make this easier?” she asked skeptically. “Besides, Ashley's not settling down. We'll just be on edge the whole time we're at the restaurant.”

They were still debating the issue when her cousin
Dani came in. She honed straight in on the crying baby.

“What's the matter, sweetie?” she said to Ashley, lifting her out of Cord's arms. She frowned at the two of them. “Judging from the expression on your faces, it's little wonder she's crying. What's up?”

“We're waiting to hear from Justin,” Sharon Lynn said.

“Ah, I see. I thought that might be it.” She glanced from Sharon Lynn to Cord and back again. “Why don't I take the baby back over to the house and put her to bed? You two go have a quiet, relaxing dinner and stop worrying.”

“But what about Justin?” Sharon Lynn protested.

“I'll send him to the restaurant if he gets back before you do,” Dani said.

“Don't you need to get home to your own kids?” Sharon Lynn asked.

“Hey, what's the matter? Don't you trust me with the little one?”

“Of course, but—”

Cord snagged Sharon Lynn's hand. “Let's take Dani up on her offer. We won't stay out long, but we both need the distraction.”

Her glance went from him to the baby. “I don't know,” she said fearfully.

“Well, I do,” he said.

“Me, too,” Dani chimed in. “Go. This little peanut and I will be just fine.”

“You'll send Justin to the restaurant?” Sharon Lynn asked worriedly.

“I told you I would,” Dani reassured her, already bundling the baby up in her snowsuit and blankets for the walk home.

Sharon Lynn continued to look uneasy, but Dani gave her a quick hug and headed for the door. Cord watched with amusement as she brushed off Sharon Lynn's last-second concerns, then gave him a wink.

“Try to make her eat,” Dani called back to him. “A little lasagna will put some color back into her cheeks.”

As soon as she was out of sight, Sharon Lynn sighed heavily. “I suppose we might as well get on with it.”

“Having a nice dinner, making a little conversation is not supposed to be torture,” Cord reminded her.

“Sorry. It's just that—”

“It's just that you're worried. Well, so am I, but I am also starved, so take pity on me and let's get going.” He grabbed her coat and purse from the back room, then guided her toward the door.

Even as she allowed him to help her into her coat, she grumbled, “How could you possibly be starved? You wolfed down two cheeseburgers and a large order of fries not three hours ago.”

He grinned. “I had no idea you were keeping such close track of my diet.”

“I just worry about seeing your arteries clog before my very eyes.”

“Next time I'll order a salad,” he promised as he
took the key from her hand and locked up. “Italian okay with you?”

“Whatever.”

Despite her lack of interest, he noticed that once they walked in the door of the restaurant, she seemed to perk up a little. The aroma of garlic and tomato sauce tended to do that for some people.

“Lasagna?” he asked when they'd been seated. “I gather from what Dani said that it's your favorite.”

“Yes, but I'll never be able to eat it,” she insisted.

“Eat what you can and we'll take the rest home.”

“You're every bit as pushy and annoying as my cousin, do you realize that?”

“If you'd give me just a little cooperation here, there would be no reason for me to be pushy and annoying.”

She almost smiled at that. Her lips began a slow curve, then snapped into a tight line. “I don't know. Something tells me that's just your nature.”

He teased and tormented her all the way through dinner. She ate most of her lasagna, probably without even realizing that she was lifting the fork to her mouth between barbs. To Cord's amusement, when her plate was almost empty, she stared at it as if a thief had snuck in and stolen her meal.

“Hungrier than you thought, I guess,” he observed mildly.

“I had no idea,” she murmured.

“Turns out I'm a halfway decent distraction.”

She met his gaze evenly and this time the smile
built slowly and stayed in place. “You're a miracle worker.”

“I'll put that on my résumé when I'm out of a job again.”

“You were the one who said my father would understand about you being here in town with me.”

He shrugged. “I might have stretched the truth just the teensiest bit. I told him I'd try to get back for evening chores.”

“Cord, what on earth were you thinking?”

“I was thinking that you needed me more than your daddy did.”

“But this job was so important to you. I'll call him. I'll explain.”

“You'll do no such thing. I'll talk to your father. If he wants to fire me over this, there will be other jobs.” Hopefully right here in Los Piños, but if not, well, he'd worry about that when the time came. He was pretty sure Cody was a reasonable man and that his concern for his daughter would make him lenient with Cord under the circumstances.

He glanced across the table and saw that Sharon Lynn was gathering up her things.

“Hey, darlin', where's the fire?”

“We're going home right this second. You can drop me off and then go on out to White Pines and try to straighten things out with my father.”

“I'm not leaving until we've heard from Justin and that's that.”

“But—”

He met her gaze evenly. “No buts, Sharon Lynn. That's final.”

She regarded him with amusement. “Are you sure you don't have Adams blood in you?”

“Meaning?”

“You're as stubborn and single-minded as anybody in my family. Believe me, that is not a compliment.”

He grinned at her disgruntled tone. “You'd do well to remember it, though. I always,
always
get what I'm after.”

S
haron Lynn was shivering by the time they reached her house, though Cord couldn't tell whether it was from the bitter cold temperature outside or from anxiety. It was plain that she dreaded walking in to find Justin waiting for them, but as it turned out Dani was alone, flipping through veterinary medicine journals as the baby slept in her portable crib in the bedroom.

She glanced up at their entrance, surveyed Sharon Lynn closely, then gave a little nod of approval. “Much better. I don't know if it was the food or the fresh air that did it, but you look a hundred percent better than you did a couple of hours ago.”

“Any word from Justin?” Sharon Lynn demanded without even acknowledging Dani's observation.

“Not a peep.” At Sharon Lynn's crestfallen ex
pression, she added, “Maybe that's a good sign. Maybe the lead he thought he had didn't pan out.”

For an instant there was a spark of hope in Sharon Lynn's eyes. “Do you think that could be it?”

“Of course it could be,” Dani assured her.

Cord wanted to believe that as desperately as Sharon Lynn obviously did, but he wondered. What if Justin's being out of contact all day meant that the lead had actually panned out and taken him in a new direction? What if he'd been gone so long, because he was following it straight to the mother's doorway?

Dani continued to study her cousin closely. “Are you going to be okay?” she asked worriedly. “Want me to stick around?”

Sharon Lynn didn't answer. Her gaze kept straying toward the bedroom.

“I'll be here,” Cord said finally. “She won't be alone.”

Dani grinned at him. “Then I'd say you're in good hands,” she told Sharon Lynn as if her cousin was actually paying attention, which she hadn't been since they'd walked in. Her focus was totally on the baby down the hall.

“I'll pop into Dolan's in the morning before I open up the clinic to see if there's been any news,” Dani added. “If you need me in the meantime, call.”

Sharon Lynn nodded absently, then wandered off, leaving Cord to thank Dani for looking after the baby.

“If they take the baby away, she's going to take it hard,” Dani said, staring after her worriedly.

“We both will,” Cord replied grimly. “She's strong, though. She'll do okay.”

“And you?” Dani inquired, regarding him thoughtfully. “How will you do?”

“If I'm going to be any good to Sharon Lynn, I'll have to do okay.”

“For someone who just arrived in town, you've been very kind to her.”

He had the feeling there was both concern and surprise behind the statement. “She matters to me,” he said simply.

Dani's eyes widened a bit. “You really mean that, don't you? It's not all about the baby, is it?”

He shook his head. “No, it's not all about the baby.”

She smiled slowly. “Life's funny, isn't it? Sometimes love smacks us between the eyes when we least expect it.” She stood on tiptoe and brushed a kiss across his cheek. “You'll be good for her, I think. Good luck. You're going to need it. It won't be easy convincing her to take another chance with her heart, especially not if she's lost the baby, too.”

“Easy doesn't matter. It's the result that counts.”

She laughed. “You'll do just fine, Cord Branson. No wonder Grandpa Harlan's already given you his stamp of approval. With that, you don't need to worry much about the rest of us. We usually fall into line eventually. As for Sharon Lynn, she desperately needs someone like you in her life, whether she's ready to acknowledge that yet or not.”

After Dani had gone, Cord drew in a deep breath,
then forced himself to walk into the bedroom to check on Sharon Lynn. She was standing beside the portable crib, gazing down at the sleeping baby with tears tracking down her cheeks. He moved up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She leaned back against him with a sigh.

There was no need for words. They were both thinking the same thing, terrified by the same fear. When the knock came on the front door, she trembled violently, then turned to gaze at him with wide, vulnerable eyes.

“It'll be Justin,” she said.

He paused and brushed away her tears, fought against the sting of his own, then took her hand. “Then let's go see what he has to say.”

The knocking turned into a pounding before they could move.

“I suppose there's no choice,” she said ruefully. “He's not going to go away, not with lights blazing all over the house to tell him I'm here.”

When they reached the living room, Cord suggested she go and make a pot of coffee while he got the door. “Something tells me it's going to be a long night.”

As if he'd given her a much-wanted reprieve, she fled toward the kitchen. He opened the door and faced Justin's scowling expression.

“What the hell took so long?” he demanded, brushing past Cord. “Where's Sharon Lynn?”

His attitude was every bit as suspicious now as it had been on Sunday. Harlan Adams, Dani and a few
others might be willing to trust Cord's motives, but Justin was a sheriff through and through. He obviously wanted a lot more information before he fully trusted Cord.

Cord gave him a wry smile. “I haven't locked her away in the attic. She's in the kitchen making coffee. I wanted a minute alone with you.” He searched the other man's expression. “Is it bad news?”

Justin's temper seemed to ease at the question. “Depends on your point of view.”

“Dammit, man, don't play games with something like this. A baby's life is at stake.”

Justin brushed his hand over his short-cropped hair, then sighed. “I'm not here to take her away,” he said at last. “That's all I can promise for now.”

Cord saw that Justin was every bit as tormented by the circumstances as they were. “Then we'll have to be grateful for that for the moment.”

Sharon Lynn stepped to the kitchen doorway. “Justin?”

“I'm here, sweetie. I hear you've got coffee brewing. I could sure use a cup. It's been a long day.”

Cord followed him through the dining room and into the kitchen. Sharon Lynn cast a quick look at him, searching for answers. He gave her what he hoped was a quick, reassuring nod. That sent her gaze straight back to her cousin.

“Justin?”

“Have a seat,” he said as he grabbed a mug from the cupboard and filled it with coffee. “Cord, can I pour you a cup?”

“Sure.”

“Sharon Lynn?”

“Justin, please,” she pleaded. “I don't care about the blasted coffee. I need to know what you found out.”

Justin still took his own sweet time getting to it. He handed Cord his coffee, then sat down opposite Sharon Lynn. Cord stood just behind him, his back braced against the counter where he could keep a close watch on Sharon Lynn's face.

“Where have you been?” Sharon Lynn demanded. “Did you find the mother?”

“Okay, now, hear me out before you get too upset.”

“Oh, sweet heaven,” she murmured. “You've found her, haven't you?”

“We're pretty sure we know her name,” Justin said. “She's an eighteen-year-old from Garden City. Vicki Murdock. Her friends say she was pregnant, that the baby was due a few weeks ago, but that she suddenly dropped out of sight. Her friends said her boyfriend was a real creep, that he didn't want the baby, wouldn't let her see a doctor. She was totally under his spell. None of them would be surprised if she had the baby, abandoned her, then went off with the boyfriend. I'd like it better if there were hospital records, but I had Lizzy check. Vicki Murdock didn't give birth there. Even so, everything points to this being the woman we're looking for.”

Sharon Lynn struggled visibly to keep her com
posure. “You said she'd gone off with the boyfriend. Were you able to find her?”

Justin slowly shook his head. “The two of them have just vanished. They've dropped out of sight.”

Hope flared in Sharon Lynn's eyes. “They're gone? What does that mean? Can the baby stay here?”

Justin nodded. “For now.”

“Oh, God,” she murmured, covering her face with her hands as sobs shook her shoulders. “Thank you. Thank you.”

Cord studied Justin's grim expression and guessed there was more. He crossed the room and put his hands on Sharon Lynn's shoulders, waited until her sobs ended.

“That's not the end of it, is it?” he asked eventually.

Justin drew in a deep breath, closed his eyes, then shook his head. “No. There's more.”

Sharon Lynn stilled beneath his touch. “What?” she asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

“In the process of identifying the mother, we talked to a woman who may be the baby's grandmother. We'd have to do blood work to confirm all this, but, like I said, all the pieces seem to fit.”

“But you could be wrong,” Sharon Lynn insisted.

“It might be a mistake.”

“Let him finish, darlin',” Cord said, stroking a soothing hand over her hair.

“The grandmother, what was she like?” Sharon Lynn asked. “Was she kind?”

Justin shot a very revealing look toward Cord. “Far from it,” he said tersely.

“Tell me,” Sharon Lynn demanded. “What kind of a woman was she?”

“Naturally she was taken aback when I showed up to talk to her. She confirmed everything the friends had said about the pregnancy and the boyfriend. She said she'd thrown her out of the house when she'd found out. She said she hadn't seen her daughter in months, that the girl was a tramp and a troublemaker and if she was gone, good riddance.”

Sharon Lynn looked shocked. Even Cord was stunned by the woman's reaction. Was it any wonder that an eighteen-year-old had abandoned her child after being raised by a judgmental, unforgiving mother like that?

“She cursed a blue streak when I told her we were looking for her daughter because we thought she'd abandoned the baby. Then she said by God, she'd do her duty by the child, if no one else would.”

“But I will,” Sharon Lynn protested.

Justin patted her hand. “I know you would, sweetie. That's why I told her the baby was in good hands for now, that she had nothing to worry about. I assured her that as soon as we could verify that the baby indeed belonged to her daughter, we'd be back in touch. I've stalled her for now. She let us call in a doctor to get blood tests done, so we'll see if they're genetically compatible. She was quite a martyr about it, said she would do what was right, take
on this burden, even if no one ever thanked her for it.”

Cord tried to envision turning little Ashley over to a woman like that. Could Sharon Lynn do it? Could he? Could they fight her right to become the child's legal guardian? Should they? Or would that only delay the inevitable heartache?

“Don't panic, you two. Let's just wait and see what happens,” Justin said, clearly intending to soothe Sharon Lynn, but settling Cord's temper as well. “Something tells me this woman's not all that anxious to take on a brand-new baby, despite what she said. Once she's thought it over, she may decide the baby's better off right where she is. After what I've seen, that would certainly be my opinion, not that it counts for much.”

“But she may decide to fight for her granddaughter,” Sharon Lynn said bleakly. “That's certainly what I would do.”

She gazed up at Cord and the expression in her eyes would haunt him for days. “What do we do if she doesn't change her mind?”

“Justin's right, darlin'. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.” He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. “For now, let's just be grateful that Ashley's still right here with us where we can keep her safe.” He glanced at Justin. “How long are we talking about on those blood tests?”

“We'll have to get Lizzy over here to draw some blood tomorrow for a comparison. As I understand it, if the blood types are a clear mismatch, that'll be
the end of it and we'll be back to square one. If the typing matches, then they'll run DNA tests. Allow a week or two for that. Could be longer.”

“No court would turn the baby over to her without clear evidence of a match, though?” he asked.

“Absolutely not,” Justin agreed. “We'll take our time on this one and make absolutely sure we get it right. Social services will want to do a whole slew of checks as well. Believe me, Hazel Murdock's life will be put under a microscope before she gets the baby. It might be different if the natural mother were trying to get custody, but so far we've had no luck at all locating her. As long as it's the grandmother we're dealing with, I'd say the baby could wind up right here.” He regarded Sharon Lynn intently. “If that's the way you really want it.”

“It is,” she said emphatically.

Cord couldn't have asked for anything more, but one look at Sharon Lynn's still-shattered expression made him question how she would survive the delay, especially if the result was losing Ashley.

“Thanks, Justin. We appreciate your help,” Cord said. “I know it was above and beyond the call of duty.”

Justin's worried gaze never left Sharon Lynn. “This isn't about duty. It's about family.”

“I'm going in to be with the baby,” Sharon Lynn murmured and slipped past them.

Justin watched her go, his expression uneasy. “You planning to stay here with her tonight?”

Cord nodded. He was surprised when Justin nodded his approval.

“Good. She's taking this hard.”

“Does that surprise you?”

“Of course not. Sharon Lynn's always had a tender heart. That's why she was so accepting when Kyle came up with a million and one excuses for delaying their wedding. She always understood. She always waited. That's why it rocked her so badly when she lost him on their wedding night. It wasn't just feeling guilty about being the driver. It was all those regrets for the years they lost.”