Not. This was something else. Her heart did a flip. Something else. Something he wanted from her. What on earth…?
“I would like to presume upon our fledgling friendship and ask you to help me with something very personal.”
Oh my. She didn’t like the sound of this at all. “Mr. Haley, I don’t think I’m the one for the job,” she said so quickly, her words tumbled over each other. She tried to pull her hand from between his. “Really. I’m not too good at personal things.”
He smiled warmly, though he wouldn’t let her hand go. “You know, that’s one of the attributes I like best about you. You’re usually all business.”
“Yes,” she agreed, clinging to hope. “That is good, isn’t it?”
“Usually. But right now, I’ve got a very big problem and I’m afraid I really need you to help me with it.”
“Oh.” Hope was fading.
“If it will help you to treat it like a business problem, why don’t you do that? Take mental notes or whatever. Keep your perspective.”
“I…I’ll try.”
“This is going to sound crazy. I can’t really go into all the details right now and explain everything. You’ll have to trust me. There’s a logical explanation.” He hesitated, then plunged on, staring earnestly into her eyes. “The fact is, someone in this building is pregnant with my baby. And I need your help to find her.”
“Pregnant?” she whispered, stunned. Had she heard right? “How? I mean, wouldn’t you know who she is?”
He shook his head. “Artificial insemination,” he explained curtly. “It was a big mix-up. That was why I wanted to get in touch with the fertility clinic I asked you to call. It happened there.”
“Oh.”
The room was beginning to spin. It started very slowly, but she noticed right away. And at the same time, there was a strange buzzing in her ears. A funny little tune was playing in her head. “No, no, no, no,” seemed to be the words.
“Maggie,” he implored, holding her hand tightly. “I want you to know I’ve tried to do this on my own, but I’ve struck out every time. I really need your help.”
“No, no, no,” sang the little buzzing noise, and she realized she was holding her breath. What would happen if she let it go?
“You know a lot of the women here,” he was saying. “I’m sure you could get a line on who she might be.”
She tugged on her hand again, and he finally let it go, distracted by the plans he was making.
“Now, she should be about five months pregnant….”
She shook her head. This couldn’t be happening. “No, no, no,” she said softly, as though she could ward off the truth with the chant.
He looked at her strangely, but he was caught up in his agenda and didn’t realize her reaction was so strong. He didn’t seem to see that her eyes were slowly filling with tears.
“If you could just ask around, talk to some of the women you know, see what you can find out about anyone who might be five months pregnant….”
She sobbed. It came out involuntarily, like a big hiccup. He stopped dead and stared at her. She rose shakily from the couch. Tears were spilling from her eyes.
“Maggie,” he said, surprise in his voice. He reached for her. “Why, what’s wrong?”
The telephone rang. She turned as though to answer it, reacting automatically, and he let her go, though he followed her. She picked up the receiver and handed it to him without answering it herself. “It’s for you,” she said in a broken voice.
Confused, he took it and said, “Hello?” and before he could stop her, she was dashing from the room, and then onto the elevator and the doors were sliding shut.
Kane caught Maggie just before she reached her car. At first he thought she had herself under control again, but when she turned her tear-stained face up and he looked into the tragedy mirrored in her damp blue eyes and saw the way her lower lip was trembling, something skipped a beat near where his heart should be, and he felt an overwhelming urge to take her in his arms and comfort her.
“Maggie! What on earth?”
He resisted the impulse to pull her close, but he did take hold of her shoulders, holding her there and looking down at that beautiful mouth he was suddenly aching to kiss. Just for comfort, of course.
“Maggie, tell me what’s wrong. Did I say something? Or do something?”
“No. No.” She shook her head, her hair flying completely loose from the twist and spilling out over her shoulders. “It’s…I’ve got to go. Please, Mr. Haley…”
She seemed to be afraid of something. Was it him? He couldn’t stand the thought of it. He loosened his hold on her shoulders, caressing rather than gripping. And he tried to soften his face with a smile.
“Maggie, please. I have to know what’s wrong. What did I do?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing.”
He reached for her chin, tilting it up in gentle persuasion. “You’re going to have to tell me, you know.”
“No. Mr. Haley….” She stopped, feeling trapped. It’s none of your business. That was what she wanted to say. But she put her hand over her mouth because she was afraid it was very much his business. It was so much his business, she could hardly stand it. So she couldn’t really say that, could she? Her huge blue eyes implored him.
“I have to go. I have to get home.”
His long fingers curled around her fragile arms. “Why?”
She stared up at him. His face betrayed impatience, but his eyes shone with concern. It had to be done at some point. Why not now? She took a deep breath. “This is a terrible time to tell you, but I’m…I’m…I’m…”
She couldn’t say it. Mute, she stared up helplessly and shook her head.
“You’re what?” Frustration was beginning to take its toll. “Sick? Angry with me? Bored with the job? Getting a divorce? What?”
She closed her eyes. “I’m pregnant.”
There. It was out. She opened her eyes and looked at him.
His dark eyes were clouded, and she couldn’t read a thing in them.
“Well,” he said at last, speaking slowly. “I guess…well, congratulations.”
“Thank you very much.” She tried to peel away his fingers. “Now I’ve got to get home.”
His grip on her only tightened. Maggie was pregnant. It probably had nothing to do with him. She had a husband, after all. And she was very unpregnant looking, so she couldn’t be very far along. He would have noticed. So this had nothing to do with his situation, nothing at all.
“I suppose you’re anxious to get home to talk to your husband about it,” he said, his voice flat, his gaze probing hers.
She opened her mouth to tell him she had no husband, then closed it again. He noticed the gesture and a frown darkened his eyes, and then, quickly, a decision.
“Come on,” he said, turning and forcing her to turn with him. “I’m driving you home.”
“Oh, no! I can drive myself.”
“No you can’t. You’re too upset.”
Something was very wrong, and he was going to take care of it. If it had something to do with her husband, she might need him there as a backup. He didn’t know why he was thinking along these lines. Some instinct was telling