Baby, Oh Baby! by Teresa Southwick

Author:Teresa Southwick
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Silhouette
Published: 2004-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

The next night Rachel arrived home an hour early. The hospital’s patient census was down and she’d completed her work, so her supervisor had okayed her early departure. She stopped in front of her apartment door and breathed deeply.

Taking a moment, she tried to think of a way to tell Jake that Dan and Holly were okay without breaking her promise to keep their whereabouts secret. They’d called her today from a pay phone, and it wasn’t the first time. They called her cell number while she was at work, deliberately avoiding Jake. Every time she spoke to them, she asked them to at least let her tell Jake they were safe. And each time they begged her not to, afraid he would somehow make her tell him where they were.

Everything was fine, and they needed a few more weeks. She’d felt there was no choice but to agree. Against her better judgment. Because she had no wish to hurt Jake and felt strongly that he had a right to know about his brother. But she’d promised the teens, and she wouldn’t betray that trust.

When she let herself into the apartment, she heard the low, masculine voice from the other room.

“Jake?” she called automatically. When there was no answer, she figured he hadn’t heard. She dropped her purse and keys on the coffee table and hurried down the hall. He was in the bathroom—bathing the baby.

“Jake?”

He glanced over his shoulder, his jaw rigid and eyes narrowed. Sweat beaded on his forehead. “I’m giving her a bath,” he said.

Rachel moved in close enough to see around him and check on Emma. She didn’t look happy. Waving her arms up and down, she splashed water in her eyes, startling herself into crying out.

“It’s okay, little girl,” he said. Then he shot Rachel an angry look. “I thought you said this relaxes her.”

“It does—if the person doing the bathing isn’t tight as a primed slingshot. She feels your tension and gets more tense. Children mirror what’s going on around them. It’s called autoexacerbating syndrome.”

“I don’t give a rat’s behind what it’s called,” he said tightly.

“Sorry. Try to relax.”

Easier said than done, she thought, noting the stiffness in his broad shoulders and the corded tension in his neck as he resolutely held the squirming infant.

“Do you want me to—”

“No,” he snapped.

He took the washcloth resting on the side of the tub and washed Emma’s face, then dragged it over her head. When her wiggling caused her to slip, he swore softly and caught her in both hands. Then he settled his palm on her back, his fingertips supporting her head. Her little legs pumped in agitation and Jake wore a look of grim determination.

Rachel wished he would let her do something. Why wouldn’t he?

After what seemed an eternity, he said through gritted teeth, “I’m done.”

He lifted the baby out of the water and cradled the wet, whimpering infant against the front of him, soaking any part of the shirt that hadn’t been soaked before. Without a word, Rachel handed him the towel and he awkwardly wrapped it around the baby.

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