Wanted: Parents for a Baby! (7 page)

“Do you think there's a chance she's faking the need for a cane?” he asked. “Maybe there's more sinister to this woman than we realize.”

“No, I don't think so,” Cassie argued. “I've seen her up close and she definitely isn't steady on her feet. In fact, she would have fallen down if I hadn't supported her. I'm sure she's harmless enough.”

Ryan blew out a heavy breath. “Okay, then,
there's nothing more we can do right now. We don't even know her name. Although I'd love to talk to her, especially if she really does know something about Emma. If we could validate the mother's medical history, we'd have a better chance of treating her.”

“I know. Trust me, the next time I see her, I'll get her name,” Cassie said. “She must be trying to find information about Emma, nothing else makes sense.”

“Probably. Although I don't like the way she's latched onto you.”

“I know,” Cassie said with a grimace. “I mean, there are lots of neonatal intensive care nurses—why would she assume I'm the one who might know something about Emma?”

Ryan didn't like the idea of this woman following Cassie, even if she didn't pose a physical threat. He frowned, thinking back over the past two days. “Maybe she was in the ER when Emma's mother dropped her off,” he theorized. “If she was there she would have seen us caring for Emma.”

“Could be,” she agreed. “Or if she was looking through the window of the neonatal unit for a while, she might have watched me taking care of Emma.”

Cassie turned around to head back to her
car, so Ryan fell into step beside her. The last thing he wanted to do was to go back to his empty house, which had actually never been a home. Too bad he hadn't figured that out until it had been too late.

He and Victoria had gotten married too young. Looking back, he knew he'd mistaken lust for love. But he'd tried to make their marriage work. Victoria's death proved he hadn't succeeded. More to feel guilty about. Had Victoria loved him in a way he hadn't been able to love her?

He shook his head to stop the endless round of useless questions. His steps slowed to a stop, and he knew he couldn't bear to spend the rest of the evening alone. And he hadn't been lying about his need to keep busy on his post-call day. Maybe Cassie was just the distraction he needed.

“Would you be willing to join me for dinner?” he asked.

She blinked, apparently caught off guard by his offer. “I don't know. From what I hear, you don't date nurses from the hospital.”

He tried not to wince. “That's true. But this isn't a date, just two people sharing a friendly meal.”

The way Cassie stared at him made him
wonder if his nose was growing. Did she see right through his lie? And why was he breaking his cardinal rule now? After months of resisting her?

“I suppose sharing a friendly meal wouldn't hurt,” she said, although the way she avoided his direct gaze made him realize he could have handled that better.

“Please,” he added. “It's too nice to spend the evening indoors. And there's an outdoor café a few blocks from here.” He wanted to rush her over there before she could change her mind.

Before he could change his mind.

He knew only too well the power of gossip. Once the citizens of Cedar Bluff saw them together, there would be no stopping the rumors. Just that thought alone should send him running in the opposite direction.

But he didn't move. For some reason, he didn't want to lose the tenuous connection he had with Cassie.

A connection that made him feel alive again.

“Do you think I can leave my car here?” She frowned, glancing around the mostly deserted parking lot. “Or will I get a ticket?”

“You can park here and I'll walk you back
when we're finished,” he promised. He rested his hand on the small of her back, guiding her toward the Sunshine Café, located just a couple of blocks down from city hall. He groaned inwardly when he noticed how crowded the place was, but fate seemed to be working in his favor because when they stepped up to the hostess stand, a couple vacated their seat on the patio.

“We'd like to sit outside, please,” he said, gesturing to the now open table.

She smiled. “Of course. Follow me.”

The hostess led them over to the empty table and he pulled out Cassie's chair for her, before taking the seat across from her.

“Maria, your server, will be with you shortly,” the hostess said as she placed two menus on the table in front of them. “Enjoy your meal.”

“This is nice,” Cassie said, looking around in awe. “I haven't eaten here before.”

“The food is excellent and they renovated this area last year to provide more patio seating.”

“It's beautiful.” She sat up, peering over his shoulder. “Ryan, look! We can see Lake Michigan from here.”

He nodded, glancing over his shoulder and
smiling at her enthusiasm. “Yes, the view is part of the charm. What would you like to drink?” he asked, when he noticed their server was headed in their direction. “Wine? Beer? Lemonade?”

“Oh, well, I'm not sure,” she said, looking down at the menu. He loved the way she blushed, her pink cheeks making her even more adorable. “Actually, lemonade sounds great.”

“Sounds good. We'll start off with two lemonades,” he told the server.

“I'll get those for you right away,” Maria assured them.

An awkward silence fell once they were left alone, and Ryan tried to think of something to say that wouldn't sound like they were on a date.

“So tell me, were you busy last night?” she asked.

He glanced up in surprise, not at all accustomed to talking about his job. Victoria hadn't wanted to know about the situations he'd faced on a daily basis, claiming she couldn't bear to hear about sick babies. At the time he hadn't blamed her, but now having Cassie's interest focused on him made him realize how much he'd missed sharing the
important work he did. “There was a delivery about three in the morning that was touch and go for a while. Thankfully the baby survived.”

Cassie's gaze softened. “I'm so glad. Daniel, right? His warmer is located next to Emma's. Poor little guy is on a ventilator, too.”

“Yes, that's right. He was pretty pale at first, but his mother was healthy, so I'm sure he'll do fine.” He relaxed in his seat, savoring the moment. When had the last time been that he'd simply enjoyed being with someone? He honestly couldn't remember. “I shouldn't complain. I managed to get about four hours of sleep before I was needed to head down to the delivery, so it could have been worse.”

“That's not much sleep at all,” Cassie protested. “But I understand now why you want to stay up today. I used to do the same thing when I worked the night shift. It's not easy to get back on a normal sleep schedule, is it?”

“No, it's not,” he admitted wryly.

Maria returned with their lemonades. After going through their specials, she left them alone to peruse the menu.

“The grilled chicken and almond salad looks delicious,” Cassie said, as she reviewed the selections.

“I'm having the Swiss mushroom burger,”
he said. He knew from experience that most women worried too much about what they ate.

“Yeah, you had to point that out, didn't you?” she said with a groan. “The Swiss mushroom burger sounds delicious. To be honest, I'm really hungry. I skipped lunch so I could fill out the foster-care paperwork.”

“You won't regret the burger,” he promised, capturing her gaze with his. “And you shouldn't skip meals, it's not good for you.”

She wrinkled her nose at him. “Trust me, I don't skip meals very often. Okay, you sold me on the Swiss mushroom burger.” She closed her menu and set it aside.

Maria returned to take their order. He took a sip of his lemonade, liking the way Cassie looked, seated across from him.

“Tell me why you don't date nurses from the hospital,” Cassie said, her tone deceptively casual.

He winced and set his glass down, surprised by the way she'd gotten straight to the point. “I tried that about a year ago, but things didn't work out.”

“Hmm,” she said, tipping her head to regard him thoughtfully. “I sense there's more to that story.”

Ryan didn't want to admit that he'd been
so callous as to want nothing more than sex. And since Cassie was new here, she might not know about his past.

A past that would haunt him forever.

But he couldn't bring himself to lie to her. “My wife died almost three years ago,” he admitted, surprising himself with his willingness to talk about the past. “I wasn't ready for a serious relationship.”

“Oh, Ryan.” Cassie's expressive brown eyes filled with empathy and she reached across the table to take his hand in hers. “I'm so sorry for your loss.”

He felt like a total fraud and could barely force air past his tight throat. “Thanks. The circumstances were…difficult.” He cleared his throat, unable to say anything more. He couldn't bear the thought of Cassie knowing all the gory details. “Enough about me. I need you to know how much I admire you for wanting to be a foster mother to Emma. Being a parent is the most important job in the world.”

Her gaze clung to his for a long moment, as if she knew he was changing the subject on purpose. But then she released his hand and sat back in her seat.

“Thanks. But I'm not doing this to
impress anyone,” she said softly. “I bonded with Emma right from the beginning. I know it sounds illogical, especially since I've only known her for twenty-four hours, but she's very special to me.”

“To me, too,” Ryan admitted. He gazed into Cassie's passionate eyes, struck by the sweeping desire to kiss her, right here, right now. He curled his fingers into a fist to prevent himself from reaching out to her. Thankfully their server chose that moment to return.

“Are you ready to order?” she asked cheerfully.

Ryan forced himself to nod. He took a big gulp of his cold lemonade, trying to get himself under control.

“I'd love to try your Swiss mushroom burger,” Cassie announced.

“What would you like for a side? French fries, home-made chips or coleslaw?” Maria asked.

Cassie hesitated then shrugged. “Chips. I can't resist homemade chips,” she confessed.

“I'll have the same,” he managed. “And another refill on the lemonade when you have a minute.”

“Sure thing,” Maria promised, gathering their menus.

Ryan stared at his soft drink, wishing now that he had asked for something stronger. Maybe if he dumped the ice over his hot head, he'd cool off faster. Normally he didn't have trouble controlling his basic desires.

But he was beginning to think that there was nothing normal about his growing feelings for Cassie.

And he was damned if he knew what to do about that fact.

* * *

Cassie enjoyed every bite of the diabolically delicious Swiss mushroom burger, making a mental note to double the length of her planned run. The homemade chips were awesome, too, and she had to stop herself from eating them all, tossing her napkin over her plate to hide them from view, even though she knew Evan wasn't here to give her a hard time about what she ate.

Ironically, Ryan didn't seem to mind her hearty appetite. The way he kept staring at her with that intense gaze of his was a bit intimidating. She wasn't used to being the center of any man's attention. Especially a guy like Ryan.

Her heart ached for him. Losing his wife couldn't have been easy. No wonder he didn't
date the nursing staff. She could easily imagine some nurse thinking she'd make the next Mrs. Ryan Murphy.

All the more reason to get any thoughts of being with him right out of her head. She had enough personal issues of her own to deal with, including becoming a foster mother to Emma.

Still, she couldn't help noticing just how different Ryan was from her ex-husband. Evan had never gazed at her so intently. In fact, he'd often stared at other women, even when she'd been sitting right there. Several times since the divorce, she'd wondered why she'd thought she'd loved Evan in the first place. It hurt to realize she may have been looking for the security of marriage rather than being truly in love. And she wished she'd figured that out sooner.

Before she'd lost her second baby.

She didn't want to ruin the moment by dwelling on the mistakes she'd made in the past, so she shook off the memories.

“You called it, that was amazing,” she said, pushing her plate away and sitting back with a sigh. “I'll need to double my workouts if I keep eating like this.”

He scowled and shook his head. “You look perfectly fine the way you are.”

Fine
wasn't exactly flattering, but that didn't stop her from blushing. “Thanks again for dinner,” she said, trying to change the subject. “I should probably head back home.”

“All right,” he agreed, gesturing for Maria to bring their bill. “If you have time, it might be nice to take a walk up to the top of the bluff first. A short walk will help your food digest, making room for dessert.”

She caught her breath, thinking that a walk to the top of the bluff and dessert sounded like something more intimate than a friendly meal. Or was she overreacting?

She needed to get a grip. His brain was probably foggy from sheer exhaustion and he just wanted to keep active so he wouldn't fall asleep.

She took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. “Sure. That sounds fun,” she said lightly.

Ryan smiled and quickly signed off on the bill. Before he could say anything more, though, his cell phone rang. He stared at the screen for a moment, before lifting his gaze to hers. “It's the hospital,” he said with obvious regret. “I'm sorry, I'll need to take this call.”

“Oh, no, it's not Emma, is it?” she asked, leaning forward in concern.