“Like I said, it’s been a long day.”
“It’s okay,” she replied. “But we need to move to an exam room while we wait for your brother and sister to arrive. We have to keep this room free for triage.”
“No problem.” He stood and stretched, working the aches and kinks out of his back and shoulders. It felt good to move, and now that the baby wasn’t crying, his muscles could actually relax and release the tension of the day.
He made a quick gesture with his hand and Penny stood as well, ready to follow him. Then he turned to face Darcy and she quickly looked away, a faint pink staining her cheeks. Interesting. Had she been watching him?
A small, petty part of him hoped she liked what she saw. It was silly, he knew, but just the thought that she might still find him attractive appealed to his ego. She had been the one to walk away all those years ago, leaving him to wonder what he could have said or done differently. It was nice to think he wasn’t the only one who harbored secret regrets over the way things had ended between them.
“Where to?” he asked, striving for a casual tone. The last thing he wanted was for her to realize how much he was affected by seeing her again. Her presence brought back too many memories, too many emotions. He didn’t have time for this right now—he had to focus on finding this baby’s parents and catching the Alphabet Killer before they claimed another victim.
Besides, he wasn’t stupid. Darcy had left him before. And even though the only option for them was friendship, he wasn’t going to let his guard down again for the sake of nostalgia. It just wasn’t worth it.
Darcy led him back into the main bay of the emergency room, then guided him to a room to the left of the main nurses’ station. “Why don’t you have a seat,” she said, indicating the chair with a nod. “I’m going to call in a bassinet for this little one.”
“Do you need me to hold her while we wait for it to arrive?”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Really?” She sounded doubtful, as if he was the last person she’d expect to hold a baby. Once again, he pushed back against the sting of her low expectations. Had she always thought so little of him and he’d just never noticed before? They did say love made a man blind...
“I don’t mind.” Truth be told, he was feeling a little protective. He didn’t know who this baby was or where she’d come from, but by some twist of fate she’d been dropped into his life. Now it was up to him to make sure she was safe until they could figure out her story.
Darcy walked over and gently transferred the baby into his arms. He tucked her against his chest, marveling at the warm weight of her small body. How could such a little thing put out so much heat? She let out a sigh and snuggled against him, and his heart did a funny little flip.
“Let me get you a blanket,” Darcy murmured. She returned a second later and tucked a swath of flannel over the baby, then stepped back and smiled down at him.
“This is a good look for you,” she said softly.
He met her gaze and for a split second, it was as though they were still together, still planning a future and sharing their hopes and dreams. The sense of déjà vu was so intense it made him a little dizzy, and he tightened his grip on the baby to make sure he didn’t drop her. Did Darcy feel it, too? Or did the fatigue of the day make him especially susceptible to such a ridiculous notion?
In any event, Penny chose that moment to let out a small, inquisitive noise, breaking the spell of the moment. She walked over to him and the baby and Darcy stepped back to give the dog better access.
It was just as well, he told himself. No use pining after what might have been.
Penny nosed the baby, then sniffed his leg. Apparently satisfied that everyone was who they should be, she walked a tight circle twice and settled down to curl up on the floor, closing her eyes with a sigh.
“She’s a really good dog,” Darcy observed.
“The best,” he replied.
“What’s her name?”
“Penny.”
“Interesting choice,” she replied. “She’s not really the color of a penny, though.”
He chuckled softly. “I named her that because she ate pennies.”
Darcy made a face. “Gross.”
“In her defense, she was pretty hungry.”
“She must have been, to stoop to eating change.”
He felt the smile slide off his face as he thought back to the day he’d found the dog. “I was taking a walk in the woods when I came across her. She was a puppy, barely old enough to be away from her mother. She was nothing more than two big eyes and four big paws, and some psychopath had tied her to a tree and left her.” He clenched his jaw, feeling his back teeth grind together. Even though it had been several years, just the thought of the cruelty was enough to send his blood pressure into the stratosphere.
Darcy gasped. “That’s horrible!”
He nodded. “It was a good thing I came along when I did. I don’t know how long she’d been out there, but she wasn’t going to last much longer. So I scooped her up, put her in the truck and headed into town to the vet’s office. She was clearly starving, and before I knew what was happening, she’d eaten the change right out of my console.”
“Poor thing. Very resourceful of her, though.” Darcy looked down at Penny, her expression a mixture of sympathy and amusement. “She’s lucky you found her before it was too late.”
“Turned out, we both got lucky that day.” He didn’t bother trying to explain how Penny had helped him as much as he’d helped her. How the dog had healed the cracks in his heart and turned out to be his best friend. It probably said something sad about him that he trusted his dog more than any person, but it was the truth.
Ridge shifted in the chair and glanced down at the baby, relieved to see his movements hadn’t disturbed her sleep. Poor little thing had had quite the day, but she seemed to be a survivor.
As if she could read his thoughts, Darcy spoke up. “She’s going to be okay.” Her words were soft and soothing, and just like that he was taken back to the days when he could tell this woman anything. How many conversations had they had, how many times had he opened his heart to her and shared parts of himself he’d never shown to anyone? He hated to admit it but despite the distance between them, Darcy still held him in her sway.
At least he was able to recognize it before he fell for her again.
His phone buzzed and he glanced at the screen. We’re here. Where are you?
“Sam and Annabel are here. What room are we in?”
“I’ll go get them,” Darcy volunteered. “Will you be okay on your own for a minute?”
He smiled wryly at her concern. “I haven’t broken the baby yet.”
She nodded. “Fair enough. I’ll be right back.”
Ridge waited until she had left, then looked down at the baby in his arms. She slept peacefully, curled up like a little shrimp against his chest. She was so small, her cherubic features the very picture of innocence. A range of expressions flitted across her face in rapid succession while she slept, as if she was trying each one on for size. While he watched, her mouth turned up in an impossibly sweet smile, and he felt the weight of responsibility slam down on his shoulders. Even though he wasn’t related to this child and had no idea where she had come from, she was his now.
“I don’t know who left you on my doorstep,” he said softly. “But I promise, I will take care of you.” It was his calling to take care of the lost—the reason he’d gone into search and rescue in the