Lynette Eason - Vanished In The Night

Kaylee had yet to make up her mind, but she was leaning in that direction. She would have her own place and help her friend out by keeping up with the house. It might turn out to be a fabulous arrangement when she was ready to move out of her father’s house. Which was going to be soon.

Especially if her father’s marriage went through. She shifted to pick up the baby from his bassinet beside her bed and noticed the bruises her attacker had left on her upper right arm.

But she was safe.

And she had a beautiful baby boy, thanks to Dr. Joshua Crawford. A man who hadn’t hesitated to help. So very different from most of the men she’d crossed paths with. Men like her dead husband. Or the man who’d stalked her until he’d finally made his move and tried to kidnap her.

The thought of her stalker sent her brain spinning back to the man who’d tried to grab her yesterday. If she hadn’t gotten a good look at him, she would have believed her stalker had returned. But that was impossible. Thanks to the quick action of a neighbor, Patrick Talbot had been arrested the night he’d attempted to kidnap her and was now in custody awaiting trial.

Kaylee shuddered, not wanting to think about the man who’d made her life miserable for a little over six months. She still didn’t know what it was she’d done that had focused his attention on her. But that had been over for weeks now, and she didn’t have to worry or think about him again until it came time for her to testify. With a determined effort, she pushed him out of her mind and turned her thoughts to her father.

He’d been in for a visit and had seemed distant, quiet. He’d stood over the bassinet, looking down at the baby with one of the strangest expressions Kaylee had ever seen. Then he’d wished her well, excused himself and slipped out the door. She supposed she should be glad he’d at least come by.

With a mental shrug, she dismissed thoughts of her father and stroked the downy-soft cheek. “You need a name, don’t you?”

She’d not wanted to know the gender of the baby before he was born. As a result, she’d decorated only a little after she’d moved in with her father. And while she’d had offers of help from Mrs. Crawford, she simply couldn’t bring herself to accept it—or the fact that the woman would be marrying her father in three weeks.

Yes, her father was known for his drinking issues, but as far as she could tell, that was in the past, just as he claimed. Since she’d been living in his home, she hadn’t seen a drop of alcohol in the place.

Of course, she didn’t know what he did when he left the house.

But could it possibly be true?

Then again, he also had a lot of money from some smart real-estate investments, and while people judged him for his drinking—not everyone believed he’d quit—they sure didn’t mind taking his money. Or marrying him to get it. Women tended to overlook his questionable past while trying to get their hands on his cash. However, he’d ignored them all.

Until Olivia Crawford.

Kaylee couldn’t stop the tide of resentment. Toward both her father and his fiancée. Nor could she stop the guilt. She knew it wasn’t right, but what was she to do about it? Pretend it wasn’t there? Pray for God to change her heart? She probably should. After all, she’d known Mrs. Crawford practically all her life, and if the woman wasn’t marrying her father, Kaylee would adore her. So, what was her problem ? Why was she so out of sorts about this marriage?

Because she believed Mrs. Crawford had proved that she was just like every other woman in town and out to grab her father’s fortune. Then again, why did she care? If he was so blind, what did it matter to her? She sighed. Because he was still her father and she had a responsibility to look out for him even if he didn’t return the sentiment. And, in a way, she felt like she should look out for Mrs. Crawford. Her father was no prize catch, that was for sure.

A knock on the door jerked her from her conflicted thoughts. “Come in.”

The door swung open and Joshua stepped inside. Kaylee’s heart stalled while he shut the door behind him. When he turned back, his warm blue eyes met hers. “Hi.”

* * *

“Hi,” she said. Her eyes dropped down when the baby stirred.

Joshua watched in awe as the little one’s eyes opened and blinked at his mother. His mouth rounded into a small O before his lids dropped again. Joshua’s heart filled with an emotion he couldn’t name and wasn’t sure he should examine too closely. In fact, he should push it far, far away. Hadn’t he learned his lesson when it came to attractive women with children? “Don’t get involved” had been his motto for the past two years. Why was he actually reconsidering that?

And then her focus was back on him. “What are you doing here?”

He tried to read if she was glad, angry or simply indifferent in the question, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. “I hope it’s all right. I just came to check in on you.”

“Of course it’s all right. But why?”

Heat surged into his cheeks and he shrugged, hoping she wouldn’t notice. “Because I wanted to make sure you and the baby were okay.” He should have stayed away, but he simply hadn’t been able to. He was overreacting and being silly. It wasn’t like he planned to marry the woman. He was just concerned.

Get a grip, Joshua.

“We’re fine. In fact, we’ll be leaving first thing tomorrow morning. You didn’t have to come by.”

Joshua sighed. She didn’t want him there.

“But for some strange reason, I’m glad you did,” she said softly.

His heart lifted in spite of the sermon he’d just preached to himself about staying uninvolved. “You are?”

“I am. I’m so grateful. If it wasn’t for you, I would have given birth in the back of—” She swallowed and looked away. “Well, let’s just say I’m grateful and leave it at that.”

He took her hand, wondering if all of his preconceived notions about this woman were false. Had he judged her too quickly?

She shivered. “Why is your mother marrying my father?”

He paused. “So, you’ll talk to me about it?”

“Of course I’ll talk about it. If you’ll help me stop it. Or at least figure it out.”

He frowned. “Why do you want to stop it? My mother is a perfectly fine, upstanding lady.”

“I sure thought she was. So, why would she agree to marry someone like my father? He doesn’t exactly have the best reputation in town.”

Her question threw him. “Ah... I don’t know. I’ll be sure to ask her when I see her.” He didn’t bother telling that had been priority number one before he’d had to alter his plans to fight off her attacker and deliver her baby. He nodded to the infant. “What’s his name?”

“I haven’t decided.”

He lifted a brow. “Well, you can’t just keep calling him Baby. Or Bubba.”

“Bubba?” A smile curved her lips. “I’ve not once referred to him as Bubba, I assure you.”

Whoa. Her smile packed a punch. He cleared his throat. “What’s wrong with Bubba?”

“Not a thing. Bubba is a perfectly respectable name for those who choose it. I’m just not calling my child that, so don’t start.”

He shrugged. “I’m kidding, of course. Why don’t you have a name picked out, though? What about naming him after his father?”

She flinched and her eyes narrowed. “I wouldn’t name him after his father if it were the only name left on the planet. I want my son to grow up to be good and honorable, to be a man who respects women and loves God. I’ll name him after someone who deserves it.”

Okay, then. There was a story behind those words.

Joshua eased into the chair beside her bed and held out his arms. “Sounds like things a good mother teaches her child. What did your husband do to make you so mad at him?”