He winced as if the reminder was painful and checked his watch. She suspected whatever function he was supposed to attend was important. “I thought this would be something minor,” he explained. “Something that would take ten minutes, but you just hired me as your attorney and I—”
“It’s obvious you have other plans,” she interrupted. “I’m grateful that you came at all. You must be anxious to get...wherever. But could you stay, maybe spare ten minutes more?” she pleaded, feeling guilty even as she asked. “With the baby? So I can run to the store and get more stuff to feed her and some diapers? I’ll hurry. I promise. I don’t know what else to do. It’s cold out and...and—”
“Let me go to the store for you.” He held up a hand. “It’ll be quicker.” He checked his watch again. “Believe me,” he added with a whimsical lift of his eyebrows, “this has been much more interesting than the cocktail hour I’m missing. I’ll get your things and still manage to make my appearance at the dinner. That’s the important thing.”
She nodded and reached for her purse.
“The diapers and formula are my treat.” He grabbed his coat from the end of the couch where he must have put it when he followed her to the bedroom. “What kind of formula did her mother leave?”
Lori hurried to get an empty can from the kitchen garbage. “Mr. McAllister...” she started as she handed it to him.
“Call me Andy.” His dark eyes sparkled. “Might be better under the circumstance, don’t you think?”
All day, she’d pictured the “Mr. McAllister” that people around the complex had talked about as a stern, older, fatherly, serious lawyer type. That image definitely did not fit this man. She felt her face grow hot, remembering her daydreams outside the apartment complex’s exercise room. She prayed he couldn’t read her thoughts now.
“I appreciate...” She shook her head, knowing she had to concentrate on what she was saying if she wanted to express her feelings adequately. She failed. “I do appreciate everything you’re doing for us, Andy.”
“How could I resist?” he asked softly. His gaze felt as physical as the hand he had. rested on the baby’s back. His subtle cologne wafted over to Lori. “I won’t have but a minute when I bring back the diapers but I’ll come back later, after the dinner, if you’d like. Will you and the baby be all right until then?”
She nodded with more certainty than she’d felt all day.
His thumb teased the corner of her mouth. “Smile. We will get through this.” He winked, then raised his hand in a salute.
Lori watched the door close behind him. Speechless, confused by the crazy, erratic variety of emotions that had washed, one after another, over her all day, she stood rooted to the spot and experienced a whole new set of emotions.
She’d spent all her life trying to gain independence and become self-reliant. She’d finally achieved what she’d been striving for: she could say with confidence that she needed no one.
One tiny baby left at her door—someone who needed her—and suddenly, she was back where she’d started from. She needed and had to depend on someone else. She should find the thought abhorrent. She didn’t. She was eager to accept help, she excused her optimistic feelings toward the man offering it, because of the baby.
She stroked the tiny head so near her own. She placed a soft kiss where her fingers had just been. “We’ll take all the help we can get, won’t we?” she whispered.
The baby wiggled her nose and snuggled closer.
“Now,” Lori said, going back to the couch to sit down, “all we have to do is figure out how to take care of you. I have a feeling Mr. Flop-You-Around-Like-He-Knows-What-He’s -Doing McAllister will be helpful there, too.”
Even though they hadn’t resolved a thing, the crushing burden she’d carried around all day felt lighter. And she hadn’t cried like an idiot for at least half an hour. Lori sighed and relaxed.
He’d promised to come back later.
CHAPTER TWO
ANDY drove away from the governor’s house, torn between despair that he’d done serious damage to his chances for the appointment by not making it to the cocktail party and anxiety to get back to the woman and the baby. Lori Warren was obviously clueless about taking care of a baby.
Which is why you should call the authorities.
He ignored the voice. Lori had taken care of the baby all day without anything disastrous happening. They’d be all right until he checked in on them again.
The voice refused to be silenced. That’s hormones talking if I’ve ever heard them, it mocked him. You liked the look of her, so you’re justifying taking a retainer from her instead of convincing her to call the police.
Andy smiled to himself. Okay. That would have been the logical thing.
But he’d seen those big red-rimmed green eyes and felt the urge to play Superman to her damsel-in-distress. He’d watched the distressed ditz who’d opened the door to him turn into a totally absorbed, frantically protective tigress, just because a baby cried.
He could still picture her kneeling in the middle of her bed, concern marring her perfect face. She’d unwrapped the child, examining her carefully from head to toe before cautiously picking her up and cradling her next to her breast. He’d rarely felt so moved...or as envious of some unknown man he’d believed to be the missing piece of a threesome. He was certain he’d never seen such undisguised love as he watched from Lori’s bedroom door. And as soon as he’d learned the facts, he’d felt as fiercely protective of Lori as she’d acted toward the tiny baby who wasn’t even hers.
He shook his head as he turned into the entrance of the apartment complex.
White fairy lights decorated every tree and bush across the well-manicured grounds, looking elaborately festive but lacking in any direct hint of Christmas. His shoes echoed hollowly on the concrete as he made his way toward his building.
Disastrous, Andy defined the evening. Totally disastrous. From the minute he’d been admitted by the governor himself and escorted to the room where the rest of the guests were sitting down to dinner, to the moment he’d left, he’d endured the longest evening of his life. He should have stayed with Lori.
Andy tried to ignore the sinking feeling that by missing the cocktail party—and the little chat the governor had hinted he’d hoped to have during it—he’d eliminated himself from contention for the judicial appointment.
It didn’t matter, he thought as he shrugged out of his tuxedo jacket. He wasn’t a serious contender anyway, Andy’d been warned. The governor had a strong traditional streak. He liked to appoint older, bedrock-of-the-community-type judges who were solid family men. He had no way of knowing Andy had the strong traditional leanings but none of the trappings.
One thought renewed his optimism as he loosened his tie and threw his “monkey suit” on the bed. The governor wasn’t expected to make a decision until late January, so Andy might have another chance to make a better impression.
Andy still had a chance.
It was almost midnight when Andy showed up at her door again. He knocked softly.
This time, the baby wasn’t asleep and didn’t look like she had any intention of going soon.
Lori’s newly hired attorney looked weary, she decided, inviting him in. Tiny stress lines decorated the corners of his eyes. She hadn’t noticed those before.
He’d changed his clothes. How could a man look as good in