Holly Jacobs - Be My Baby

He pulled the blanket away from her head and revealed an amazing shock of red hair. She reminded him of her mother. He felt a surge of sympathy for this baby who would never know her mother, would never remember how much she was loved.

He’d find her a home—the perfect home. Until he did, he’d watch out for her.

“Thank you again, Ms. Thomas.”

The old woman humphed an inarticulate reply.

Mac started toward the door.

What on earth was he going to do now? He’d assured the social worker and the baby-sitter that he could handle this. He knew the child had immediate needs, but he didn’t even know where to begin.

He needed help.

But asking for help wasn’t Mac’s forte.

He tried to imagine who he could go to. He could call Mrs. Z., who was the closest thing he had to a mother, but she was in Pittsburgh. Not that he doubted she’d come help, but he couldn’t impose on her.

The head of the firm, Leland Wagner, had grown daughters, or maybe even his wife would give him some pointers. But the idea of going to Mrs. Wagner for help didn’t sit well.

There were other women attorneys and wives of attorneys at the firm. He could call one of them and ask for help in getting the baby settled.

He tried to concentrate on asking one of them, but the whole time, a mental image kept forming in his mind. It wasn’t an attorney, or a spouse.

It was Amelia Gallagher.

Why on earth had asking her for help even crossed his mind? She didn’t like him and went out of her way to show it. Which was fine, because he didn’t like her either.

Oh, she was a beautiful woman…very beautiful. But she didn’t seem to notice it. She was completely unaffected. But any red-blooded man noticed. Short blond hair and amazing blue eyes. Pleasant enough features. But that was just a laundry list of Amelia’s physical attributes.

They weren’t why she was beautiful.

It was her smile. He swore when her lips moved to the small upturned curve, it shot something right into her eyes and actually made them shine.

Katie made a small noise, interrupting Mac’s thoughts, which was a good thing, because to the best of his knowledge he’d never thought anyone had shining eyes before. And he sincerely hoped he never did again.

Shining had nothing to do with his point.

Katie gurgled.

“What is my point?” he asked her.

She gurgled again.

His point was, Amelia was a woman, so she must know something about babies. And he’d pay her. Goodness knows she always snapped at the chance to work overtime.

Paying her.

Hiring someone to help was better than asking someone for a favor.

Mac realized he’d reached his car. He looked down at the baby, the bag and car seat.

How on earth was he going to manage all of this?

It was four fifty-five. Five more minutes and Mia could call it quits.

Thank goodness.

This had been a long, exhausting day.

First the copier had broken down.

Then the copier repair guy said he couldn’t possibly come repair it until Monday, which meant half the firm came down to her desk clamoring for copies of life-or-death documents. So, Mia had forgone her lunch hour and taken a stack of papers to a neighboring copy center.

Phone calls, messages, and then there was the one distraught woman who’d left the office in tears. She hadn’t said what the problem was, but it had taken Mia a good fifteen minutes to get her calmed down.

The only highlight of her day was her argument with Mac.

Four minutes.

Mia stood and started to straighten up her desk.

A hot bath.

With bubbles and a good book.

Oh, she had such plans for the evening.

She pulled her boots from the coat closet and slipped off her heels. They weren’t the most elegant-looking boots, but Mia didn’t care about elegance. She cared about warmth. The heater in her car was broken, and most days she was lucky if it warmed up enough to keep ice from forming on the front windshield. It never truly got warm enough to take the chill off.

She slipped on her boots.

Three minutes to go.

“Night, Amelia,” Donovan and a couple other attorneys called as they all headed out together.

“Night.”

Two minutes.

Leland Wagner, the firm’s senior partner followed close on their heels. “You’ll lock up, dear?”

“Sure thing.”

“Would you like me to stay and make sure your car starts?”

Her battery had died last week and she’d had to wait for AAA to come and jump start her car. “No, sir. I had a new battery put in. I should be fine.”

“Very well. Good night, and drive carefully.”

“You, too.”

Five o’clock.

She was out of here.

She bundled into a sweater, and then her thin jacket.

Maybe before she bought a new car she’d buy a new coat.

Ah, but if she had a new car, she wouldn’t need a new coat. If she got the auto-ignition and seat-warmers it would be toasty before she ever got out there.

Pondering which was the wiser course, she wrapped her scarf around her neck again and again, then stuffed a woolen hat on her head.

Feeling stiff beneath her layers, she picked up her bag and walked toward the front door. She flipped on the security alarm, and then let herself out, checking that everything was locked up tight.

The world was white.

Snow was falling in big, thick flakes. There was at least a couple inches of snow since she’d left the office at lunch. It wasn’t a blizzard yet, but she had no problem imagining it turning into one.

Mia had just started down the steps when a blue Explorer pulled up at the curb.

The passenger window descended. “Amelia, I’m glad you’re still here,” Mac called.

“What did you need, Larry,” she said.

“I need you,” he replied, not even commenting on her use of his first name.

Mia managed to keep from choking at his reply, but barely. “Pardon me?”

“Not you, your help,” he corrected himself. “Get in the car, please?”

“But—”

“Please, Amelia?”

There was something in his voice that told Mia that now was not the time to argue or taunt him. Something was wrong.

She waddled her well-layered self toward the car, and as she got closer she heard noise. Lots of noise. It wasn’t music. Or if it was, it was the most awful music ever.

It sounded like—

She opened the door and peeked in the back seat.

It was.

A baby.

And a crying baby, at that.

“What did you do now, Larry?” Mia accused loudly as she leaned into the car and stared at the car seat.

“Just get in and buckle up, fast. She cries whenever the car stops. If it’s moving, she’s okay.”

Mac had learned that the hard way. The entire trip from Esther Thomas’s home to the office was fraught with red lights.

As a matter of fact, every single traffic light he came to was red. And it stayed red for an inordinately long period of time.

Or maybe it just seemed like eternity because Katie O’Keefe screamed every time the car stopped.

Speaking of eternity, he watched Mia settle herself in the passenger seat, taking more time than he liked. She was moving rather stiffly.

“Are you in yet?” he asked, practically shouting to be heard over the baby.

She nodded.

Mac threw the car in gear and started down the street. The baby quieted immediately.

“So, what’s going on, Mac?” Mia asked, obviously disconcerted enough not to tease him.

As a matter of fact, she sounded genuinely concerned.

“You know that call you took today? That woman, Kim Lindsay? She was calling to tell me I had a baby.”

“Oh, Larry, how could you be so careless?”

He glared at her. “I wasn’t, but of course you’d assume the worst. Kim Lindsay is the social worker. I’m the baby’s guardian.”