Page 5 of Secret Baby
Alice stood, walked over, and opened the refrigerator, and refused to stare at Vicki. Vicki gazed at her friend as she pulled out vegetables to chop. Alice found a large knife and went to the counter to dice. Finally Vicki followed and stood next to her. Alice wiped her face dry, shook her head, and finished. "He's staying at our family's ranch now, and our parents live in Palm Beach, near the beach, as a sort of retirement."
To see Clara, she'd face Colt. "So he's alone with Clara?"
Alice chopped the celery. "Until his new fiancée, Belle, gets out of the service and joins him here. She's never been to Florida, but the wedding is in two months. They planned to move north to the bigger ranch and tend to the planting up there, but now I don't know. I can call my dad, but I'd guess Colt's seen enough war. He wants to stick to his farm and not come off it."
Vicki closed her eyes and, despite having to face down Colt, fought back a fit of hysterical laughter. Her baby had lived. She'd been a fool, but she had a second chance. Motherhood meant she was necessary. She had risked her neck, but now giddiness rose in her. For the first time, it was enough. "I'll head there, then. My daughter will need her mother."
CHAPTER TWO
Colt rubbed his temples and closed his daughter's bedroom door. His heartbeat stayed fast and unsure. Tonight had been bad. He reopened the door to check on her one more time. His daughter was stubborn. Clara had cried herself to sleep because he'd not admitted Victoria Morgan was her mother. Now she slept like an angel, but a cold fury rose in his brain.
Vicki had acted surprised, but that was impossible. Women didn't forget that they bore a child. She'd left town.
The house was quiet now, and allowed him to think.
Colt turned on his feet, headed to the kitchen, held his head high, and went to get a beer out of the fridge. The second he popped it open and heard the fizzing sound, his nostrils flared. Even a small pleasure wasn't enough to block out Vicki's baby-blue eyes today. He closed the fridge, sat on his couch, and took a sip.
The cold brew calmed him for a second. But how dare Vicki just show up?
He should have known she would. Even reptile mothers raised their children to a point. She'd abandoned her daughter and hadn't told him about anything. He rubbed his eyes.
Of course, Victoria Morgan must have changed her mind and returned for their daughter, unannounced. Was that why she'd come back to life? The Morgans were notorious for lying, cheating, or stealing to get what they wanted. She must have learned that from her father, but she was years too late. Colt had raised his daughter the best he could, and no one would take her from him.
His skin prickled. It was one thing for her to lie, and use him, but she'd not do it to their baby girl. His job was to protect Clara.
Clara deserved better.
With his feet up on his coffee table, he settled deeper in on his couch, but the beer didn't slow his heartbeat. A cold unease pricked at his skin and left him itchy to go somewhere or hit something. But he couldn't.
He was stuck.
Finally, Colt picked up the phone and called his sister. Had she been a party to that ambush? He hadn't wanted to think so, but her last name was about to be Morgan too.
Had the family's influence dragged his sister down too?
On the second ring, Alice answered. "Colt. Thank goodness you called. I had no idea Vicki was Clara's mother. Why didn't you tell me?"
His sister had been Vicki's groupie in school and did whatever Vicki decided she'd do. Alice grew up, but he saw how she'd been then. He coughed. "I had just joined the Marines. You didn't wonder how I suddenly had a baby girl?"
"I thought the mother was someone in the Marines."
"That wouldn't have been allowed," Colt said. "And basic lasts six weeks, not nine months."
"You never said a word. If it was Vicki, you should have stayed home and kept Clara safe."
"I kept her safe." Another lie from her lips? Despite the headache, Colt couldn't believe that. Alice had never once betrayed him, and she was always a good sister. His voice held his spite, despite his love for her. "Men don't quit. I worked out a deal that made our parents happy. And Clara is fine. What's not fine is what happened today."
Alice repeated herself: "I didn't know."
He closed his eyes and held the bottle to his head. He believed his sister, but all he could do was repeat himself. Vicki had to have known. "She told you to jump in school and you only asked how high. I have to ask this. Did you set me up?"
"No. I'd never do that to you."
His blood pressure calmed down a little. He trusted her.
His voice still had its edge as he asked her, "How did she show up at your place unannounced, then, asking for Clara? Have you turned into a Morgan that fast?"
"I'm not a Morgan until after the wedding and our baby is born."
