Baby, Our Baby!
Patricia Thayer

www.millsandboon.co.uk

PATRICIA THAYER

has written for over twenty years and has authored more than thirty books. She has been nominated for both the National Reader’s Choice Award and the prestigious RITA® Award. Her book Nothing Short of a Miracle won an RT Book Reviews Reviewer’s Choice award.

When not working on a story, Patricia can be found traveling the United States and Europe, taking in the scenery and doing story research while thoroughly enjoying herself with her husband of more than thirty-six years. Together, they have three grown sons and three grandsons.

To Mindy Neff,

you always seem to be there when I need you.

Thank you for your time and talent

and especially for your friendship.

To Joe and Kim Rangel,

for sharing your special love story.

And to Aunt June. We’ll miss you.

Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Epilogue

Prologue

She knew he’d be here.

Ali Pierce brought her car to a screeching halt next to Jake Hawkins’s Porsche with the Just Married sign still on the back. She shut off the engine and jumped out.

She could hardly make out the area surrounding the cottage on this dark, moonless night, but that didn’t stop her. Ali picked up the skirt of her long bridesmaid’s dress and hurried around the side of the small structure, concentrating on the steep grassy slope as she made her way toward the front porch.

Her concern was Jake. He’d been so angry when he’d left the church, Ali was scared that he’d do something crazy.

Damn you, Darcie, for always leaving messes for me to clean up.

When Ali reached the front of the cottage, she kicked off her satin heels and began climbing the familiar steps that led to the wooden deck. She’d started across the porch when a shadow caught her attention. A tall figure stood motionless at the railing. Ali didn’t need any moonlight to recognize Jake Hawkins. Since the age of fourteen, she had all but memorized his physical features, from the slant of his broad shoulders to his tapered waist and slim hips. She also knew he had a coffee-colored birthmark on his left side just below the waist, a scar on his right leg just below the knee and a slightly crooked nose that had been broken by Randy Foster in the eleventh grade.

No one knew more about Jake “Hawk” Hawkins than Ali, except…her sister. And Darcie was gone.

A string of curses suddenly echoed across the silent lake as Jake raised his arm and flung a long-neck beer bottle toward the water. Then, one by one, he shoved the heavy clay pots off the railing, their impact resounding in the night.

Like a caged animal, he paced the deck. His words were mumbled, but Ali could hear the pain in his voice. He was fighting back. Fighting the pain that had started only hours ago when Ali had handed him the letter from Darcie. Ali hadn’t read it, but she knew what it said.

Her twin sister had decided that she didn’t want to be married to a man with no future. At least not the future Darcie wanted, or that she thought was her right.

And Darcie wanted it all. Not only did her sister have the love of the best man in town, but she also wanted the money, prestige and the big house on the hill to go along with it. And Darcie had waited four patient years for Jake Hawkins to return from his hitch in the army, and for him to take over Hawk Industries to complete the perfect picture.

But Jake had other ideas, and running his father’s company wasn’t in his plan. Last night, at the rehearsal dinner, he’d told Darcie that he wanted to reenlist. Darcie got hysterical. Even after Ali took their grandmother home, the couple was still arguing. And just as the wedding was about to start, Darcie told Ali that she couldn’t go through with it. Ali thought her sister was kidding. But when the wedding dress came off, Ali began to panic. Darcie loved Jake Hawkins. How could she walk out on the biggest wedding in Webster, Minnesota, history? But Ali’s older sister by eight minutes handed her a note and begged her to give it to Jake. Ali agreed and watched her identical twin hurry out of the bridal room and drive off.

That had been four hours ago.

Ali watched helplessly as Jake continued choking out his anger. She wanted desperately to hold him…to help him get through this.

Ali swallowed back the threat of fresh tears and walked to the railing.

Jake raised his head, and his eyes widened. “Darcie!”

“No, it’s me. Ali.” Ali was used to being mistaken for her sister. But it was the first time Jake had done it.

“Oh. Did you come to see the fool?”

She shook her head. “I was worried. You took off before I could talk to you. I’ve been driving around everywhere.”

He turned away from her and stared out at the lake. “Was I supposed to greet the guests in the receiving line…alone?”

No. Ali and her grandmother had been left to explain to everyone why there would be no wedding.

“Oh, Jake.” She took a step closer and reached a hand out, then pulled it back. She knew how much he loved Darcie. She also knew how her sister had used Jake. “Maybe it’s for the best,” she offered.

His hands balled into fists. “Best for who? Not me. Ali, what did I do that was so terrible? She knew I’d been thinking about reenlisting. She wasn’t happy about it, but she knew I couldn’t come home and work with my dad. I told her that a hundred times.”

Ali didn’t know what to say to Jake. Darcie was selfish; she wanted what the Hawkins money could buy her. An army captain’s salary wouldn’t do. “Jake, she’s probably gone off for a few days to think things through.”

He shook his head. “I should have realized last night that we want different things. But…we’ve been together so long. Oh, God, I’ve loved her forever.”

Ali glanced away. She didn’t want Jake to see her true feelings—feelings she’d kept hidden. Even though she was Darcie’s twin, Jake had never given her a second look, never thought of her as anything more than a friend. And he never would. Darcie would always be his true love.

“You’ve had fights before,” Ali admitted.

Jake walked to the patio table and took another beer from the carton. After twisting off the cap, he took a long pull.

“Yeah, but this was different. This was important enough for her to walk out on our wedding.” He looked at Ali, and she could see the pain etched in his face. He took another drink of beer and wiped a hand across his mouth. “My dad is probably having a field day with this.” His laughter was cold. “I bet if I went home right now, I’d get an earful of ‘I told you so.’”

“Since when did you care what your father thinks?”

Jake’s dark eyes searched her face. “Oh, Ali-cat.” He breathed the nickname he’d given her the first day he walked through the door of Gran June’s house. She and Darcie had been freshmen and Jake the good-looking senior at Webster High School.

That same day Ali had lost her heart to Jake Hawkins.

“What am I gonna do without her?” he finished.

You’ve got me, she wanted to cry. “You’re gonna get through it, Jake.” She tried to sound wise for twenty-three.

Ali heard Jake’s strangled sob. “I can’t. Darcie was the only thing…”

She crossed the porch. “Don’t, Jake. It’s going to be okay.” Ali wanted to believe what she was telling him. And as much as she loved her sister, she hoped Darcie stayed away a long time. Jake deserved to be loved by someone other than a selfish woman who only used people. Tears filled her eyes as she looked up at him. “I’m here,” she whispered.

Before she knew what was happening, Jake pulled her into his arms. “I hurt so damn bad,” he choked out.

They clung to each other in silence.

Then Jake placed a soft kiss against her hair, and a shiver ran through her body. Ali started to pull away, but he refused to release her as his mouth continued to caress her temple. Slowly his lips moved to the side of her face.

Suddenly things began to change. She felt his breath on her cheek, then his tongue traced the corner of her mouth. She stood still in his arms, letting his lips roam her face. They were no longer just consoling each other. There was a desperate urgency in the tightening of his embrace, in his rapid kisses. The need to share their pain, to console each other, took over.

Her gaze rose to meet his. The silent plea in his eyes made her breath catch. He needed her. For the first—and maybe the only—time he needed her. Was there anything wrong with answering his need? She had loved Jake for years. If only for one night, she wanted to pretend that he loved her.

“Oh, Ali-cat, I shouldn’t be doing this.” He started to pull away.

With a shaky smile, she moved her hands up his chest to circle his neck, refusing to let him go. “You need me, Jake,” she said, her voice trembling. “As much as I need you.”

Jake hesitated a second as if trying to rationalize what was happening. Then finally his head lowered, and his mouth captured hers. The second their lips touched, Ali’s blood turned to liquid fire. Jake’s kiss was demanding, hungry, and when Ali opened her mouth, his tongue moved inside, stroking and caressing until her legs nearly gave out. He pulled back and planted kisses along her jaw. She almost cried for the loss, but he quickly found his way back to her waiting mouth.

Then he raised his head, his expression one of shock and disbelief. She was afraid that he would push her away. Instead, his mouth closed over hers again in another heated kiss, then he moved back and murmured, “Ah, Ali-cat, we shouldn’t be doing this. Damn, you taste so sweet….” He kissed her again and pulled her against his body.

Ali was light-headed by the time he broke off the kiss.

“Tell me to stop.” His breathing was labored. “Before it’s too late to make you leave.”

Ali had never expected to hear those words. Though she knew she looked enough like her sister to be a substitute for Darcie, she didn’t care. “I don’t want to leave, Jake.”

He released a groan and kissed her again, then led her through the French doors into the cottage. Instead of going to one of the bedrooms upstairs, he guided her to the sofa in front of the fireplace. She trembled as his mouth found hers again, as he lowered the zipper of her royal blue taffeta bridesmaid’s dress, then slowly pushed the fabric off her shoulders.

Ali pulled his T-shirt off, and her fingertips traced the solid wall of his chest. His hands were busy, too, removing her bra and freeing her breasts. She cried out in pleasure as his mouth closed over her nipple. Then he trailed kisses down her stomach until he reached the barrier of her panties. He raised his head. Their gazes locked in the dim light, and she could see the questioning look in his eyes. The next move was hers.

The silence seemed to stretch out forever as he stared at her. The guilt ate at her, knowing his heart belonged to Darcie. Jake would never be hers. But she didn’t care; she wanted this one night to remember. To feel what it was like to be loved by Jake Hawkins.

Leaning forward, Ali pressed her mouth against his. He kissed her gently, then with a low groan he pulled her to him, his body hard and demanding as he claimed her. And for a little while, in Jake’s arms, the rest of the world seemed to disappear. There were no promises or words of love shared, only desperate need as they reached out for each other again and again.

Finally he slept and Ali watched him.

Sometime in the night, she heard him murmur Darcie’s name. Her heart ached with love for this man, but she knew he could never return it. Jake Hawkins belonged to another.

Her sister.

Ali huddled close to his warm body, dreading the dawn. It came anyway.

The sun rose over the lake, its soft light wakening her. Alone, she sat up clinging to the blanket that Jake had pulled over them during the night. Jake stood in the doorway, dressed, his expression closed—or was that regret?

Oh, no. Don’t say anything, Jake. Don’t take last night away from me.

Jake combed his fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry, Ali. I had too much to drink and…”

Pulling the woolen blanket up like a shield, she struggled to hide the pain tearing her apart. “It’s okay, Jake,” she lied, her heart aching. Had she been so stupidly naive to think he could care for her once his immediate pain had passed?

He took a step closer to the sofa, but stopped. “No, what I did last night was not okay. I used you. I had no right.”

Her heart pounded in her chest, and she fought back her tears. Please, Jake, just hold me. But the look in his eyes told her he wanted to disappear, to run from the shame he believed he’d caused her.

“I’d better go. Are you going to be okay?”

No. She was never going to be okay again. She’d lost her best friend. She’d lost Jake. Things between them could never be the same. “I’m fine.”

He stared at her. “You sure?”

Ali nodded, praying he’d leave before she broke down and begged him not to.

He started through the door, then paused and looked back at her. “Ali, I never meant for anything to happen.”

“I know,” she whispered.

“I’m sorry, Ali.” He disappeared through the door.

She sat unmoving, frozen with emptiness. She heard his car start, then the grinding of the transmission as he slammed it into gear. She closed her eyes against the angry sound.

He drove away, taking her heart and hopes with him. She got to her feet, then walked through the door to the porch railing. On the ground below were the clay pots, broken and scattered like the pieces of her heart. She lifted her gaze. The lake appeared cold and blue in the growing light of day. Clutching the blanket to her chest, she breathed in Jake’s elusive scent trapped within the weave. A tear trailed down her cheek, a hot, stinging reminder that she’d been a fool to wish for miracles.

“Goodbye, Jake,” she whispered, knowing he’d never return to a town he hated, a father he despised or a woman he would never love.

Chapter One

Jake Hawkins was back.

The nearly two, long years since she’d last seen him faded away as Allison Pierce leaned against the railing in the elevator and sucked in a long, slow breath, trying to fight off the claustrophobic feeling that threatened to engulf her. It didn’t work. Although the temperature outside was in the thirties, sweat beaded her upper lip, and her heart pounded in her chest.

Finally the bell chimed for the fourth floor, and as soon as the door opened, she quickly stepped out into the ICU unit of Webster Memorial Hospital. Her gaze darted around the quiet, ecru-colored corridor as she walked across the teal carpeting toward the nurses’ station. There were several nurses bustling around, but none were Margo.

Good. She could leave and her friend wouldn’t be angry. Margo was the one who hadn’t shown up. Ali started back to the elevator when she heard a voice. She turned to find Margo Wells hurrying toward her. The short brunette hadn’t changed much since high school. She was still shapely and cute.

Not like Ali, who was tall and thin, with too curly red hair and freckles, and looked about eighteen.

“Oh, no, you don’t, Ali Pierce,” Margo cried. “You’re not running away from this.”

“I shouldn’t be here in the first place,” Ali argued.

“Wrong,” Margo said. “You should have been here two days ago when they brought Jake in.”

At the mention of Jake, the fight went out of Ali. “Has there been any change?”

“No, that’s why I wanted you here. He’s been through a lot the last forty-eight hours. The crash. Being pinned in his car. Exposure to the elements in a freak October snowstorm.” Her friend gave her a penetrating look. “And even after all that, he managed to say Ali-cat before losing consciousness.”

“An old nickname,” Ali murmured, memories flooding her. “Maybe you misunderstood.”

The nurse shook her head stubbornly.

“C’mon, Margo. It’s been nearly two years,” Ali said, more frustrated than before. She wasn’t ready to face Jake. Not after all that had happened… “He couldn’t possibly want to see me.”

The elevator doors opened again, and more people exited. Margo pulled her aside. “Look, Ali. It’s only been eighteen months, but that’s beside the point. The man has been in a terrible automobile accident, one he probably shouldn’t have survived, but he did. He’s in a coma, but before he drifted off he said your name, and not just once.”

Ali blinked back tears. Darn, she didn’t want to cry. She’d shed gallons of tears after Jake left. It had taken her a long time to get over his not coming back to her, but she had. At least she had told herself she had.

“You need to do this, Ali. If not for yourself, then you need to see him for Joanie’s sake. He’s her father.”

Ali glanced around to see if anyone had heard. Margo was the only person who knew the true paternity of her little girl. “Everything I’ve done this past year has been for Joanie.”

“And if you’re lucky, you can give her what she needs—a daddy.”

“And what will it cost me?” Ali blinked back more tears. Keeping the identity of her daughter’s father a secret hadn’t been Ali’s choice. Jake had left town. Maybe it was her pride, but she didn’t want a man who obviously didn’t want her. A man who hadn’t stuck around long enough to learn the consequence of their night together. Her daughter deserved better.

Margo shrugged. “You’ll never know unless you go and see Jake.”

Ali gazed down the hall. What would Jake do when he found out about Joanie? “What if he has a wife somewhere?” Darcie was supposed to be married to Jake. The guilt over what happened that long-ago night still haunted Ali.

Margo shook her head again. “Besides his father, you and Joanie are the closest family he has.”

“But I’m not family. I can’t go in ICU.”

“Yes, you can. C’mon, I’ll keep watch.” Margo started down the hall.

Ali relented and followed. Fear dogged her every step. It would be simpler just to leave things as they were. But she knew nothing was simple for Jake now. She had to do everything possible to help him—if only for Joanie’s sake.

When Ali finally entered the dimly lit room, she stopped dead. Her heartbeat was erratic, a stark contrast to the steady rhythm of the machines. She gazed at the metal bed where Jake Hawkins lay. Her feet felt like lead weights when she made her way across the tiled floor. Her pulse pounded in her ears as she reached his bedside.

Managing to fight back her shock, Ali stared down at Jake’s still, bruised body. Oh, God, she’d pictured seeing him again in a thousand different ways, but she’d never envisioned him lying so lifeless.

Anguish overwhelmed her. “Oh, Jake!” Her gaze swept over him, noting the ugly lacerations, the bruises on his skin and the bandages that encased his ribs and chest. His left leg was also heavily bandaged, and was elevated by a pulley hooked to the end of the bed. An IV drip sent medication into his veins, and a clear oxygen tube into his nose helped him breathe.

He looked pale, so different from the tan, vibrant man she remembered. She gently touched his jaw, which was swollen on one side where it had taken four stitches to close the gash in his chin.

He appeared shattered and defenseless. Her hand moved to smooth back the short curls that brushed his bandaged forehead. Silk. Black silk. That was what it had felt like between her fingers when she’d held him to her breast. Almost forgotten longing clenched tight in her belly, shocking Ali back to the present.

What was she doing? Fighting a sense of panic, Ali reached for his hand. Don’t get caught up in fantasies. Do what you came to do.

“Hey, Jake, it’s Ali. Wake up and talk to me. I hear you got caught in a blizzard.”

Each word became harder to force past her lips. “C’mon, Hawk.” She choked on the nickname he’d gone by in the days when life had been fun and she’d been innocent.

“You have some worried people here, praying for you to wake up. I hear your father’s hardly left the hospital at all since the ambulance brought you in. Please don’t make him wait any longer.”

No response, only the incessant beeping of the monitor, its presence reminding her how close Jake was to dying.

A sob escaped her throat. “Damn it, Jake, wake up.” Willing herself to touch him again, Ali gently traced his mouth with her fingertip, hoping for a tactile response. “Do you remember the night we spent together?” She drew her finger slowly across his lower lip. “I’ve never forgotten how incredible it was between us.”

No response.

“Please, Jake. Open your eyes. Do it for your father,” she whispered. “And for me.” Her hands shook. “Do it for your daughter.”

No sooner had Ali stepped out of Jake’s room than she saw Clifton Hawkins. Surprisingly he looked much the same as she remembered. He was in his midfifties, and his hair was still coal black, though now streaked with gray. There were a few more lines around his eyes and mouth, and he was leaning on a cane.

He seemed shocked to see her at first, then he smiled. “Darcie? Darcie Pierce? Is that you?”

His innocent mistake let her know that she didn’t belong here. “Hello, Mr. Hawkins. I’m not Darcie. I’m Ali.”

“Of course. I’m sorry, Ali.”

“It’s all right.” She glanced back at the hospital room she’d just come from. “I hope you don’t mind…I heard about Jake and I came by to see…” There was a tremor in her voice. What must Jake’s father think? “I’m sorry. If there is anything I can do…”

Mr. Hawkins nodded. “Thank you, Ali. Since you’ve already seen him, you know he’s in bad shape.” The older Hawkins shook his head. “It’s funny. All these years, I’ve tried to get Jake to come home, and now…” His voice broke. “I had to have hip surgery to do it. Jake took a month leave from the army to come home and run the plant while I recuperate. Now, because of this senseless accident, he might not make it.” Jake’s father blinked and looked away.

“Sure, he will,” Ali assured him, forcing herself to believe her own words. “Jake’s strong and healthy. He’ll pull through this.”

Cliff Hawkins’s eyes found hers. “You think so?”

Ali nodded, wondering if she was crazy. Years ago she’d thought Jake invincible. Maybe she still believed it.

The older man took her hand in his. “Please come back, Ali. Jake and I need all the encouragement we can get.”

Ali knew that if she agreed, there was no turning back. Not for her. Not for Jake. And not for their daughter.

Darkness surrounded him. Jake tried to move and realized he was unable to, but he could still feel the teeth-clenching pain that tortured his body. A lead weight seemed to press on his rib cage, pinning him down. His leg throbbed. But at least the pain let him know he was alive. He was hurt. Bad.

How had it happened? How had he ended up here? Where was here?

Voices penetrated the pounding pain in his head, fading in and out as he fought to speak but couldn’t. When he heard his dad, Jake wanted to cry out, but his mouth refused to obey the command. He tried with all his strength to talk, but he lost. Finally he let the drugging oblivion take him.

Later the voices came again, tugging and pulling him to the surface. It was a woman’s voice this time. Her soft, caressing tone lulled him, just as her touch soothed his body. Who was she? Why did her voice, her hands seem so…familiar?

“Well, how did it go?” Margo asked as she joined Ali at the cafeteria table on her break.

Ali pushed back her hair. “Terrible.” She looked at her friend. “Tell me the truth, Margo. Is Jake going to survive?”

Margo sent her a concerned look. “I won’t lie to you, Ali. It could go either way. That’s why it’s so important for you to be here. I know it sounds crazy, but you may be a big help. We need to give him the will to fight.”

Margo was right; Ali did think she was crazy. Jake hadn’t been part of her life, except for their one night together. After that, she’d stopped believing in silly dreams and concentrated instead on raising her child…alone.

But if there was a chance she could help bring Jake out of the coma, she couldn’t walk away. A familiar pain gripped her as she thought about Darcie.

Although her sister telephoned almost every week, and despite the fact that Ali had gotten pregnant and had a baby, Darcie hadn’t returned home since she left Jake at the altar. She’d gone to New York to build a career. “Maybe we should call Darcie….”

Margo blinked, then reached for Ali’s hand. “I’m not a good person to ask about that. You know I’ve never cared much for your sister. She was self-centered and spoiled. I can’t believe you two are sisters let alone twins.”

It was equally hard for Ali to believe. Darcie had always been the glamorous one. Though they shared the same green eye color, Darcie’s eyes looked richer, larger. Her sister had always known how to do her hair and makeup so she looked as though she’d just stepped out of a photo session. Ali had been plain by comparison. And Darcie’s hair wasn’t just red, but a beautiful auburn—with the help of a rinse.

There was more of a difference now in their builds, too. Though both twins had always been slender, since Joanie, Ali’s hips and breasts were fuller. From pictures she sent, Darcie still appeared model thin.

“The only good thing Darcie ever did in her life was not marry Jake,” Margo said.

“But…he’s always loved her.”

“If that’s true, why did Jake call for you? Why did he ask for Ali-cat?”

Three days later, there was still no change in Jake’s condition, but he was able to breathe on his own, and was moved from ICU to a private room. At least now Cliff and Ali didn’t have to worry about keeping their visits down to only ten minutes. In fact, the doctors encouraged friends and family to spend time with Jake. They thought that having people around, talking to him, might help him.

Ali had been coming by on her lunch hour from her dispatcher job at the sheriff’s office. When she’d arrived this afternoon, she scooted her chair closer to Jake’s bed. She fussed with him, touching his arm, brushing his hair off his forehead.

“How do you like your new room?” she asked, glancing around at the peach-colored walls. There was a television high on the wall across from the bed. She glanced back at Jake. “Pretty classy place you got here. Of course, I remember you were a classy guy.”

No response.

She didn’t give up. “Jake, do you remember that time…on the Fourth of July, when a bunch of us kids took off for the lake to watch fireworks? Darcie and I were seniors that year and thought we knew everything. I think Darcie wanted to be alone with you, but you talked her into making a party out of it.” Jake had always included her. That had been one of the reasons Ali had loved him so much.

“Anyway, when we got there, that jerk, Jerry—what’s his name?—Huddleston. He suggested we all go skinny-dipping.”

Ali had been in shock, more frightened than anything else. Flat-chested at the time, she hadn’t been about to strip and have everyone laugh at her. She looked down at herself now, thankful she’d filled out some since she gave birth to Joanie.

She leaned close to Jake. “Darcie was so mad when I spoke up and dared you boys to go in the water first. Until I got the other girls behind the bushes and told them my plans to trick you guys. And you all fell for it hook, line and sinker.”

She rose from the chair and sat down on the edge of the bed, feeling her face heating up as she recalled what had taken place that night. The room was silent except for the monitor beeping overhead, which echoed the pounding of her own heart.

“Jake, I have a confession.” She studied his features for a moment, noticing that some of the swelling had gone down. She reached out and touched his jaw. “When the guys were finally all in the water, I was elected to sneak out and steal their clothes while the other girls distracted them by pretending to be getting undressed. Well…I made it to the tree closest to the water when I discovered not all of the guys had gone in. You hadn’t. You were still getting undressed.” She drew a long breath and released it. “And I stood behind the big maple and watched you take off your clothes.”

Ali’s body grew warm as she remembered how the moonlight had made it possible for her to see Jake’s broad chest after he stripped off his T-shirt. She swallowed, recalling how he’d popped each button open on his Levi’s, how her mouth had gone dry as he’d slid the worn jeans down his long legs. His white briefs had followed, and he stood before her, naked and beautiful.

“You were the first man I ever saw naked,” she whispered. “And the last…”

Ali remained on the bed for a long time. How she had missed him. She’d give anything to have him open his eyes. She picked up Jake’s hand, rubbing it between hers as she studied his face. He’d always been great looking, and now at nearly twenty-nine, there was a ruggedness about him that was breathtaking, bruises and all. Her blood pulsed through her body, making her warm all over as she inhaled his familiar scent. Oh, God. She couldn’t let him get to her again.

She released his hand and averted her gaze, remembering how hard she had tried to forget him, to move on with her life. But it seemed no man could compare. The guys she’d dated in high school certainly couldn’t compete with Jake Hawkins, captain of the football team, star quarterback and valedictorian of his class. To make it worse, he was a nice guy.

And he had been totally in love with her twin sister.

She looked down at Jake’s face again. The one man she wanted had never been hers to have. He was Darcie’s. Even when her sister had left him at the altar, Jake still loved her. Ali told herself she should call Darcie home. Jake might wake up for her.

Ali got up and moved across the room as the familiar feeling of jealousy tightened her stomach. Even when Darcie was little, she had to have all the attention. She’d demanded it. Maybe because they had been abandoned by their mother so many times, Darcie was afraid to be left alone. And whatever Ali had, Darcie wanted.

But there was one thing that her sister could never take from her. That one wonderful night when Jake had made love with her, and they had created a child.

Ali walked back to the bed. Jake was Joanie’s father, and no matter how uncomfortable the situation was, she had to remember that.

“Wake up, Jake,” she whispered. “There are things I need to tell you. Things I should have told you a long time ago.”

She brushed his hair back off his forehead. “Please, you’ve got to get better. So many people love you. And, Jake, your daughter, Joanie, needs you.” Ali bit her trembling lip, trying to stay strong, but the fear was getting to her. What if Jake never came out of the coma?

No! She had to stay positive. “You will wake up, and I’ll tell you all about Joanie.” She leaned down and pressed her lips against his. A tremor raced through her. “Good night, Jake. See you tomorrow.”

Jake felt the warmth of her lips on his, then she pulled away. Don’t go, he tried to call to her. Please don’t go. He willed the words to come, but they never did. The room grew silent, with just the memory of her sweet voice lingering in the air. When she’d spoken, he’d been mesmerized. He’d tried to listen, but her words got all scrambled in his head. He’d been able to pick out a few, but nothing that told him who she was. And who was Joanie?

A few days later, Ali sat and watched as Cliff Hawkins limped back and forth across his son’s hospital room.

“I hate this—I should be able to do something. Anything. All this waiting is making me crazy. Damn those doctors. I’m paying them enough they should have figured out a way to bring my son out of this coma.” Cliff’s gaze went to the bed, and a sob racked his body. “Oh, hell. I can’t stand it.”

Ali went to him. “Mr. Hawkins, please. The doctors are doing everything they can. Jake is strong. He’s in top physical condition from his years in the military, and we all know how determined your son is. He’s going to come out of this.”

For the first time in days, Cliff Hawkins looked hopeful. He patted her hand. “Thank you, Ali. You’ve been such a help.” He blinked back tears. “It’s just that I feel responsible—”

“But you’re not responsible. The sheriff said it was an accident. Jake lost control of his car in the bad weather.”

“But if we hadn’t argued that day… All I wanted was to help my son. He thinks I’m a stubborn old man.”

Ali assisted Cliff to the edge of the bed. “Sometimes we have to let people find their own way,” she began. “My grandmother always says, ‘To love is to let go, and let God.’”

His hand was trembling, and she wondered how much sleep the man had had in the past week. “I can’t seem to do that. Where I came from, Ali, life was tough. My own dad took off when I was only ten. I had to help support my mom.”

Ali saw him cringe, and he raised his head to make eye contact with her.

“I bet you thought I always had a good life. Well, I didn’t.” He sighed. “My childhood was so rotten that I want to forget it completely, to bury the past. I swore that no child of mine would ever know what I had to go through.”

Ali remained silent. Cliff Hawkins obviously needed to vent his feelings, and she seemed to be the only one around.

“I made it out of the projects, and made a name for myself. But it cost me.”

He glanced over at her, and Ali saw his eyes well up.

“I built a thriving business, but in the process I lost my wife to the bottle before I realized she needed help. By the time I got her into a rehab clinic, she didn’t care to live. She died a year later.

“Now I stand to lose my only son…a son who can barely tolerate me.” He swallowed and reached out to touch Jake’s battered face.

“He doesn’t exactly look like the big strapping kid who played quarterback in high school, or the soldier with a chest full of medals, does he?”

Ali felt her own tears form at the fear and sadness she saw in Cliff Hawkins’s eyes.

“Ah, Jake, you need to wake up,” he choked. “There are so many things I need to tell you. For one, how proud I always was of you. Funny, I told the whole world, but I guess I never got around to telling you. I am proud of you, son. So damn proud,” he whispered hoarsely.

He lifted Jake’s hand, held it between his palms, then rubbed it gently. “I never told you that the day you were born was the best day of my life. I know I did a lousy job as a father. I’d give anything to change the past and make things different between you and me. Damn it, Jake, I love you. You’ve got to give me another chance. Please come back, son. Please.”

Cliff Hawkins pinched the tears from his eyes and laid Jake’s hand down on the bed. “I’m not giving up, Jake. I just got you back into my life…and I’m not about to let you go.”

He stood and looked at Ali. “I’m sure Jake would rather wake up to see your big green eyes than these tired old blinkers.”

“I can’t stay much longer, Mr. Hawkins. I have to get back to work.”

“I understand, Ali. You’ve already spent a lot of time here. I know it’s hard on you, but I think your daily visits are helping Jake.”

“That’s what I need to tell you, Mr. Hawkins—”

“Please, I told you to call me Cliff.”

She nodded. “Cliff. I can’t come tomorrow.”

Ali could see his panic.

“But why?” he asked. “You know that Jake needs you.”

“Yes, but I have to take my daughter to her doctor’s appointment.”

He looked confused. “I didn’t know you were married.”

It was a question Ali had been asked a lot. This was the one time she wished she could lie. “I’m not.”

Jake heard her voice again. It seemed to float around him, all sweet and cheerful. And this time, he could understand more of what she was saying. It was as if her voice were coming through a tunnel. It was something about a beautiful day and that he should see the morning sun shining off the snow.

She came closer and touched him. First she picked up his hand, then she brushed the hair off his forehead. All the time talking about how she was going to stay until he woke up.

Who was she? Half-formed images flowed through his mind. A woman. The picture blurred again, retreating into darkness. A woman.

Her soft voice called his name again. “Jake, please…”

He felt the tender caress of her hand on his skin.

He knew it had been a long time since anyone had given him comfort in his life. Not since…Ali.

Two days later, when Ali walked into the private hospital room, Margo was busy at Jake’s bed, changing the IV.

“Hi, Margo. How’s he doing?”

Her friend smiled as she smoothed out the bedsheets. “Well, his vital signs are steadily improving. And according to his chart, Jake had a restless night.”

“And that’s a good sign?” Ali asked, confused.

“It’s a very good sign. Hopefully it means he’s fighting the coma.”

After Margo left, Ali walked across the room to the bed. “Jake. Why don’t you wake up?” She fought to make her voice upbeat and steeled herself against another day of false hope. What if he never woke up? she thought again. No. She wouldn’t let herself believe that could happen. How could she live with the fact that she’d kept her daughter from ever knowing her father?

“It’s such a pretty day today,” she said. “The sun is out, the temperature is in the thirties. Not too bad for southern Minnesota.”

She pulled off her coat and placed it on the chair. Each day she had been careful to look her best. She’d never been vain, but she wanted to be at her best when Jake woke up. She’d tied her hair back today, away from her face. She’d even trimmed her bangs. She wore a green sweater and her favorite black wool slacks. Even her grandmother had asked why she was so dressed up. For Jake, Ali had admitted truthfully, but only to herself.

She glanced down at the man in the bed. The bruises on his face had faded. Now it was easy to recognize the handsome man he’d always been. But it hadn’t been his good looks that attracted Ali to him. It had been his big heart. He’d been kind to everyone. And he’d tried to be like a big brother to her. It wasn’t his fault she’d fallen head over heels in love with him.

Ali walked around the room. “Oh, Jake,” she whispered. “I had a crush on you since the first day Darcie brought you home. Some of my fantasies were pretty advanced for a fourteen-year-old.” She felt the heat rise in her cheeks. “It wasn’t so much that you had to return my feelings. I just thought you deserved someone nicer than Darcie. Sometimes I hated the way she treated you.”

Ali returned to the bed and sat on the edge. “I wanted to tell you that Darcie would end up hurting you, but I couldn’t. She’d nearly convinced me that she loved you, but I knew her, I read the signs. Maybe if I had told you…given you some warning…”

Ali picked up Jake’s hand. His palms were rough. A man’s hand. A hand that had touched her, and pleasured her beyond her wildest dreams.

“When I came after you at the cottage, I only wanted to see if you were all right. But when you kissed me…it was like a dream come true. I have never regretted what happened between us that night. I never could. That night was so special. We made a child together, Jake.” Ali smiled proudly. “Joanie’s so beautiful…and so like you.”

Ali stared at him, hoping to see some response. “You should see your daughter. She’s got your coloring, your hair and eyes. She’s even inherited the Hawkins stubbornness. I’ve shown her your picture, but she needs more. She needs you in her life, Jake.” Ali wiped away her tears.

“I know you’ll be angry with me for not telling you, but I’ll deal with it. Just wake up. Please. For Joanie. For me,” Ali whispered.

She leaned toward him and placed her lips gently against his.

Suddenly his mouth began to move slowly beneath hers.

Panic surged through her, but she continued the kiss, and to her shock and joy, she soon realized that she hadn’t imagined his response. She couldn’t move, didn’t want to. Oh, God, it had been so long. Ali jerked back to look at his face, praying that he had opened his eyes. But he hadn’t.

“C’mon, Jake.” She cradled his face with trembling hands. “It’s Ali. You know it’s me, don’t you? It’s okay. You’re going to be all right.” She hugged him, then went running out the door.

Her heart racing, she somehow made it to the nurses’ station and found Margo. “Jake is waking up.”

Chapter Two

It was Ali. Ali’s voice. Ali’s lips on his. Jake felt as if he were drowning in the softness of her voice, her sweet scent. He was on the edge of heaven, and it was costing him all his strength just to return the kiss.

Suddenly she was gone. He tried to move, to call her back, but it was useless. Loneliness pressed in all around him.

For now, he’d be patient and work to wake up. Patience was something he’d never been good at, but never had there been so much at stake before.

If only he could remember what had happened to him. Whatever it was had put him in the hospital. He struggled to sort out Ali’s words. He had a child? A baby daughter.

A different kind of pain tore through his heart. Why didn’t you tell me, Ali? Why in God’s name didn’t anyone tell me?

Ali stood at the window in Jake’s room the next day, rubbing her tired eyes. She had spent almost three hours talking to Jake, touching him, hoping for another reaction. But nothing happened.

The doctor had told her not to give up. Coming completely out of a coma could be a slow process.

Well, she wasn’t giving up, but she had to go home. She’d already worked the morning shift at the sheriff’s office. Her grandmother was expecting her, and Ali knew there would be questions. It was impossible to keep spending so much time at the hospital without telling Gran June the whole story. They lived in the same house, after all.

Ali glanced at the subject of her thoughts. “I’m tired, Jake. You’d solve a lot of problems if you’d just wake up.” She walked from the window to his bedside. She had to tell him about Joanie again, whether he could understand or not.

“There’s a little girl waiting to meet you. She’s just nine months old, but I’ve told her all about you.” Ali eased next to Jake, careful not to disturb his elevated leg.

“I told her you were a quarterback on the football team and how you went to the state championship. I remember the newspaper headlines, The Hawk Leads Webster Tigers To Victory.” She smiled. “When you wake up, you can have the pleasure of telling her about your football days.”

Ali studied his freshly shaved face, then laced her fingers through his and gently squeezed his hand. There was no reaction, but she’d noticed subtle changes in him over the past few days. His color was better. The doctor said Jake’s vital signs had improved, and his tests showed more brain activity. That afternoon, when she’d come by, she had noticed frown creases along his forehead, but when she sang to him, he seemed to relax and they faded away.

“Oh, Jake.” She sighed. “I know you’re going to be upset because I didn’t tell you about Joanie, but I can take it. Just come back to us.”

She reached out her other hand and stroked his arm, wondering if the kiss they’d shared had been some kind of muscle reaction. Deep inside, she knew it wasn’t. Just as she knew that somehow Jake sensed her presence.

So she had to go with what worked. Ali leaned toward his mouth and whispered, “Okay, Jake, show me your stuff, fella.” She placed a soft kiss on his jaw in the hope of stimulating something. Anything.

She trembled as she braced her hands on either side of his head as her mouth met his. The kiss started slow and easy. She wasn’t expecting much, but she wanted everything. Suddenly but subtly, the kiss began to change. Jake’s lips became firmer, and…yes, they were moving against hers. Frozen, Ali opened her eyes, but she didn’t pull away. She wanted Jake to continue the kiss. He did, so sweetly it brought tears to her eyes.

Ali choked back a sob and sat back. A minute later, she laughed. “If I didn’t know better, Jake Hawkins, I’d say you were faking it. Most men can’t bring a woman to tears with a kiss when they’re awake, and you’re supposed to be out of it. No wonder I fell so hard for you.”

The hospital-room door swung open, and Cliff Hawkins walked in. “How’s it going?”

Startled, Ali jumped off the bed and wiped the tears from her face. “Ah…I was about to leave, and I…kissed Jake goodbye.” Her cheeks heated up. “He kissed me back again.”

“He did? That’s great.” Cliff took off his coat and tossed it on the vinyl chair in the corner. “Was it like before?”

Ali looked at him in confusion. “You mean…like yesterday?”

“No. Like…the last time he was home.”

Ali’s pulse raced. Oh, Lord! He couldn’t know, could he? No. There was no way. She met his gaze, waiting for his next move.

“Does he know about the baby?” Cliff asked. “Is she the reason he came home?”

Ali gasped and took a step backward, then she quickly regained her calm. “How did you…?”

“Find out?” he finished. “Wasn’t too hard to put together. My son called out your name instead of Darcie’s. And yesterday, when I went to my doctor’s appointment, I saw you carrying your baby into the clinic. I called to you, but I guess you didn’t hear me. I did get close enough to catch a good look at your daughter.” He smiled. “The resemblance between her and Jake is remarkable. She looks just like he did as a child.”

He reached into his suit-coat pocket. “If you need pictures to prove—”

Ali raised a hand to stop him. She couldn’t look at baby pictures, not now. “Okay, yes, Joanie is Jake’s daughter.” Your granddaughter, she silently added.

Cliff seemed relieved at her answer. “Does my son know he’s a father?”

Ali’s heart raced a hundred miles per hour at the thought of answering the questions she had known would come some day. But not now. She wasn’t ready. Jake should be told first.

“No, he doesn’t know.” She spoke barely above a whisper. “He left town before I could tell him.”

“Why didn’t you call me, Ali?” he asked. “I was here. I would do anything to bring Jake back.”

“But I wouldn’t.” Ali squared her shoulders. “If Jake cared, he would have stayed around.”

She looked up to examine Cliff Hawkins’s unreadable face.

“I take it this happened between you two…after Darcie left him?”

“Of course. I would never…” Ali couldn’t finish. She didn’t want to go into any details. “Jake loved Darcie. That’s the reason I didn’t try to contact him. I couldn’t trap him.” She shuddered as she took a long look at Jake. “But what if he doesn’t come out of this? He’ll never know….”

Cliff was the one to comfort her this time. “Hey, who’s been telling me everything is going to be okay? You’ve been the one who has been here every day getting him to respond. So don’t give up now.”

“I’ve been telling him all about Joanie, but I’m not sure he hears me, or…if he’ll ever hear anything. What if he never wakes up?”

“I think he does hear you, Ali,” Cliff offered as he looked over at his son lying in the bed. “I think his kiss was a way of communicating with you. But maybe we should try something else.”

Ali went to Jake’s side and picked up his hand. “Like what?”

“Maybe you should bring Joanie in.”

Ali gasped. “I can’t. She’s just a baby.”

“But she’s Jake’s daughter. Her being here could be just the thing to bring him around.”

Ali drew a long breath. “I don’t know….”

“What if it helps Jake?”

Ali studied Jake’s lifeless hand. “But the hospital has rules. How could I get them to let her in?”

Cliff began to smile, reminding her so much of his son. “Let me worry about that.”

She nodded. And somehow she knew that her and Joanie’s lives were about to change…forever. “I want you to know, Cliff, that I’m a good mother. I’m doing my best to provide a secure, loving home for my daughter. I’d do anything for her.”

“I know, Ali. And I can’t thank you enough for what you’re doing for my son. After he comes out of the coma, he’ll still be facing surgery on his leg. So as his father, it’s Jake’s welfare I’m thinking about now, and he needs his daughter.”

Ali tensed. Ever since she found out she was pregnant, this child had been hers…alone. Now Joanie would belong to her father, too. She glanced at the hospital bed where Jake lay half-alive. She had no choice. Her daughter might be the one to help him. She drew a long breath and released it. “When do you want to do this?”

“As soon as possible.”

It was worse when Ali was gone. He missed her touch. Without her encouraging words, the darkness surrounded him, drawing away the warmth, the hint of light. He needed her.

Don’t leave me, Ali.

His heart started to race as he fought to speak, to bring her back to him. He didn’t want to be alone. He tried to cry out, but all he managed was a garbled sound, then the darkness pulled him back in.

The next evening, Ali returned to the hospital with Joanie held protectively against her chest.

Once the elevator reached the fourth floor, she stepped out and started down the hallway toward Jake’s room, her heart pounding in her chest. Luckily her friend was waiting for her.

“Margo,” Ali whispered.

The nurse quickly glanced around, then hurried toward Ali. “Hurry, the head nurse, Brenda, is on her dinner break,” she said as they ducked into Jake’s room. “I figure you have about thirty minutes before she returns.”

Ali opened her coat to reveal her sleeping daughter. Margo smiled at her goddaughter as she caressed Joanie’s head, which was covered in a red knit hat. The baby’s heart-shaped face was fringed with strands of silky black hair. Her little mouth puckered as she made sucking sounds.

“If this precious cargo doesn’t bring Jake out of his coma, nothing will,” Margo said. “Go get ’em, kid.” She kissed the baby’s head and left.

Ali glanced around the quiet room, and a shiver of panic sliced through her. She looked down at her daughter and stroked the baby’s back. “It’s time to meet your daddy, sweetheart.”

After taking Joanie from the sling carrier she’d outgrown months ago, Ali gently removed her daughter’s coat and hat. Joanie usually woke up cheerful. Ali hoped this was one of those times.

A little dazed, Joanie blinked her big brown eyes, then gave her mother a sleepy grin and cooed softly.

Ali’s heart tightened. “That’s my girl.” She hugged her baby as she carried her toward the bed.

“Hello, Jake. It’s me again. Ali. I guess you know my voice by now without me telling you.” Why was she rambling? She drew a deep breath, reached down and touched his arm.

“I stopped by tonight to introduce someone to you.” She studied Jake’s face as she balanced Joanie in her arms. “I brought your daughter. Your dad and I thought that her visiting you might help.”

Ali sat on the edge of the bed and placed her daughter on her lap. Joanie raised her arm and pointed, chatting something unrecognizable.

“Yes, sweetheart. This is Daddy.” She looked at Jake. “This is your daughter, Jake. Johanna June Pierce. She was born February 16, at 3:06 a.m., weighing in at seven pounds eleven ounces. I know I’m a little prejudiced, but when she was born she was the most beautiful baby in the nursery. She still is, for that matter. When you wake up, I know you’ll feel the same way.” She kept her gaze glued to Jake’s expressionless face. There was no change.

Tears formed in Ali’s eyes. “Joanie has your dark hair and beautiful brown eyes. She’s smart, too. She learned to crawl at five months, can play pat-a-cake and loves to sing along with Sesame Street. She even talks. We don’t know what she’s saying, but she tries.” Ali kissed her daughter’s head. “Gran June and I have tried to give her a secure home and lots of love. Joanie has a lot going for her, but there is a big void in her life.”

Ali wiped the tears from her eyes. “She needs a father, Jake. She needs you. Please come back to her.”

Ali took hold of Jake’s hand and scooted closer so Joanie could touch him. Her daughter immediately grasped on to her daddy’s fingers and tugged. Ali listened to her daughter’s gentle chatter and watched as she patted Jake’s large callused hand. Anguished, Ali prayed Joanie’s touch might trigger some reaction.

“Daddy’s hurt, baby,” Ali whispered. “He can’t talk yet, but I’m sure he knows you’re here.” The words choked off in her throat.

To Ali’s surprise, Joanie climbed off her lap and crawled up beside Jake, still cooing her sweet nonsense syllables.

“Daddy’s taking a nap, sweetie.” Ali rubbed the baby’s back as guilt and sadness swept through her. How could she have kept father and daughter apart?

Joanie looked at her mother, then cuddled next to Jake, her tiny fists rubbing her eyes in an obvious display of sleepiness. Ali swallowed back the emotions. “You want to take a nap with Daddy?”

The small child’s chubby arm stretched over Jake’s bandaged chest. She smiled, showing off four tiny teeth. Then her daughter puckered her mouth and made a smacking sound against Jake’s chest.

Ali tucked Joanie’s favorite blanket over them, unable to ignore the resemblance between father and daughter. The whole town would know now who had fathered her child. But for once, Ali didn’t care. Her only concern was giving Joanie a father.

And giving Jake the will to live.

Jake could hear her voice again. He tried so hard to wake up, but something seemed to be holding him down. If he could only open his eyes. But it was so hard…to move. Then he felt Ali’s hand on him, soothing him, telling him he would be okay. But he knew he wouldn’t be okay until he was awake.

Suddenly there was someone else. A baby! His baby. He could smell her powdery fragrance, hear the soft sound of her voice. When he felt the tiny weight against him, it was pure heaven….

Please, God. Let me live. Let me see my daughter.

Ali closed the door to her compact car and started toward the house, careful not to wake Joanie. Her boots made a crunching sound in the three inches of snow piled on either side of the cleared walkway. She stopped on the top porch step of the big brick home with the gabled roof. The house had been in the Pierce family for three generations.

The streetlights glowed overhead, illuminating the quiet residential area. It was nearly nine o’clock, and everyone had been home and eaten supper hours ago. She’d always loved living on Mulberry Street. As a child, she’d felt safe in the small community where everyone knew everyone else. Never had she been afraid to go out and play in the park with her childhood friends.

Now what would the townspeople think of her when they discovered that her child had been fathered by Webster’s favorite son? That Ali had lain with Jake the very night her sister—Jake’s bride-to-be—had left him standing at the altar?

That was the reason Ali had chosen to live in St. Cloud during her pregnancy, letting everyone think Joanie’s father was someone she had gone to college with. The town was only sixty miles away, but even that short distance had kept so many questions at bay—questions that her grandmother had had to face without having answers. Now it was time to tell the truth.

Clutching the railing, Ali climbed the steps to the big house she’d lived in since her mother abandoned Darcie and her. Their mother had decided that seven-year-old twins were just too much to handle, and didn’t fit in to her “free-spirit” life-style. Their father didn’t want to handle them, either, so Grandma and Grandpa Pierce got custody.

Upon learning she was pregnant, one of the things Ali had vowed was that no matter what, Joanie was going to have a stable home. No moving around the country looking for a better life or another man to latch on to. Webster, Minnesota, was going to be a permanent home for these two Pierce women. Which meant that Jake Hawkins probably wouldn’t be around for long. Ali had known that for as long as she had known Jake. He had always wanted out of this town.

He had a wanderlust that drove him to other places—more exciting places. For as long as she’d known Jake, he wanted to go somewhere else. Somewhere that had more to offer than a small town in Minnesota. Ali doubted that even his child would keep Jake in Webster.

Ali unlocked the front door, went inside the large entry and was greeted by her grandmother.

Smiling, the tall, graceful woman pulled her sweater together and folded her arms across her chest when the icy breeze hit her. “Gracious, child. What are you doing with the baby out in this weather? It’s nearly zero out there.”

“It’s not that cold.” Ali opened the closet door and hung up her coat.

“Not if you’re an Eskimo or a polar bear.” Gran June looked at her great-granddaughter. “I can see this little one is unaffected by the cold, too.”

Ali unhooked the baby carrier, careful not to wake her daughter. “What can I say—she’s a winter baby.”

Ali studied her grandmother. At sixty-eight, June Pierce was still a handsome woman. Her fair skin was flawless, except for a spattering of freckles across her nose. Her hair, once rust colored, was now completely white. The mild stroke she’d suffered last year hadn’t seemed to leave any lasting effects. But that didn’t keep Ali from worrying about her. Every day Joanie was getting bigger and more active. How soon before Gran June wouldn’t be able to care for her anymore? How could Ali keep working? She couldn’t afford child care.

Her grandmother smiled. “I worry about you driving in the snow.”

“I’m a big girl, Gran,” she said.

“I guess I’ll always think of you and Darcie as my little girls.” There was sadness in her voice. “Now I have this precious one.”

Ali’s throat felt raw. She went to her grandmother and placed a kiss on her cheek, careful not to disturb the baby. “Oh, Gran, you have been so good to me and Joanie. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” her grandmother answered with her arm across Ali’s shoulder. “And as long as I live, you can count on my being here for you two.”

I hope you’ll always feel that way, Ali prayed silently. She pulled back. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

Gran June frowned. “Sure, honey. Is there a problem?”

Ali hesitated. “No, just something I should have told you long ago. Come with me while I put Joanie to bed.”

Ali climbed the winding dark oak staircase to the second floor. The hardwood floors of the old house creaked as they made their way down the hall toward Joanie’s room.

Ali opened the door and went inside the pink-colored nursery. An animal lamp on the dresser cast a soft glow in the room. Ali went to the dressing table and removed her daughter’s jacket and hat. Already the little one was in her pj’s, and she’d just had a diaper change before leaving the hospital. Ali placed Joanie in the crib and gently patted her back until the baby reached for her favorite blanket and quickly dozed off.

“It’s amazing how she manages to fall asleep without so much as a fuss,” Gran June said. “You were like that. Now, Darcie would let you know how she hated bedtime.”

For a long time, they both stood by the crib and watched Joanie sleep until finally Ali spoke. “I took Joanie to the hospital tonight to see Jake.”

Gran June took Ali by the arm, and they walked out of the nursery. She didn’t say another word until they were downstairs in the kitchen.

“I had a feeling that’s where you went,” Gran said. “A baby should know her father.”

Ali stared in shock. “You knew Jake was…Joanie’s father?”

Seeing her grandmother’s nod, Ali collapsed into a chair at the table.

“I didn’t at first,” Gran June verified. She went to the stove, picked up the kettle and filled two mugs with hot water, then dropped tea bags into the cups and returned to the table.

“You didn’t come home the night Darcie left Jake at the church. When Joanie was born with all that dark hair, I figured out what must have happened.” Gran sat down. “I knew you were never promiscuous. I also knew how much you loved Jake Hawkins.”

Ali gasped. “Was it that obvious?”

“No, honey.” The older woman reached across the table and took Ali’s hand. “But as much as Jake hung out at this house, I could see how you looked at him, and how you’d hang on his every word.” She smiled. “There’s nothing wrong with having a crush on a boy.”

“Yeah, sure, especially when he’s your twin sister’s boyfriend.”

“I’m not condoning what you did, Ali. But Darcie did leave Jake on their wedding day. Jake wasn’t anyone’s boyfriend that night. I was just worried that he talked you into something—”

“No! Jake was never out of line. I was naive, but I knew what I was doing that night. I wanted to love him, and I can’t regret what happened, Gran June. Because of Jake, I have a beautiful baby daughter.”

“Have you given any thought as to what will happen when everyone finds out about you and Jake?”

“I haven’t thought of much else. And what about Darcie? I was going to tell her, but she hasn’t been home since that day. I can’t tell her over the phone. She’ll hate me. She’ll claim that I stole Jake.”

“The only claim anyone can make now is that Jake Hawkins is Joanie’s father. Darcie made her choice. She’ll have to live with that. The only two people you have to worry about are Jake and your daughter.”

Ali went to the hospital before work the next morning. She liked the peaceful time she shared with Jake. As much as she wanted him to wake up, she knew there was a possibility that he would hate her. Would he understand that she hadn’t known what to do when she’d found out about her pregnancy? That she’d been terrified over facing the community’s censure, when everyone in town learned she’d slept with her sister’s man?

A garbled sound made her whirl around and stare at the man in the bed.

Jake groaned, his breathing harsh.

She rushed to the bed. “Oh, God, Jake. You’re waking up.” Reaching for his arm, she shook it. “C’mon, Jake, wake up. It’s Ali.”

She began to pray silently. Please, Jake, open your eyes. Even if it means you take one look at me and tell me to get lost. I don’t care. Just please wake up. Her throat tight, she leaned closer and managed to whisper, “Jake. It’s me. Ali. You can do it. Wake up.”

Jake groaned again and moved his head, as if trying to hear her voice better.

Ali’s heart drummed in her chest as she sat down on the edge of the bed and picked up Jake’s hand. She rubbed the back, then the palm, before lacing her trembling fingers through his.

“C’mon, Jake. You can do it. So many people need you. Your father has been camped out here for days. But the most important of all is your daughter. Don’t make her wait any longer. She needs her daddy,” Ali whispered, staring at his face, hoping for a reaction. None.

Tears crowded Ali’s eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She had to concentrate on Jake. She had to bring him back. Leaning closer to the man she’d never stopped thinking about during the past eighteen months, she spoke softly. “I need you, Jake. I need you so much.” She pressed his hand against her mouth and kissed his fingertips. “You’ve got to wake up.”

Suddenly she felt a slight movement where her lips touched Jake’s fingers. She gasped, then covered his hand with hers. “Jake?”

His long slender fingers twitched again. A jerk of his jaw had her holding her breath. “C’mon, Jake. You can do it. Come back to us.”

Another groan, and her gaze shot up to discover a pair of dazed midnight eyes staring back at her. Her tears pooled, then dashed down her cheeks. “Oh, thank God!”

Jake blinked several times and silently looked around the room, as if to orientate himself to the strange surroundings. “Jake, you’re in the hospital.” Her voice cracked with emotion. “There was an accident. We’ve been so worried about you. Oh, Jake. You’re back. You came back to us.”

Jake opened his mouth, as if to speak, but he only managed a hoarse gasp.

“Here, let me get you some water.” Shaking like crazy, Ali managed to pour water into a glass, then helped him take a drink.

Jake rested his head back on the pillow and stared at Ali. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Although he hurt like hell, the pain seemed to dissipate as her hands stroked him. So many times he’d thought about Ali, and wondered what happened after that night….

Now he knew.

His gaze fixed on her face, her beautiful face. Gentleness shone in her green eyes, and he wondered how she could have kept his child from him.

“Ali?” The words came haltingly past his parched lips. “Where…where’s my…daughter?”

Then the darkness claimed him once again.

Chapter Three

Jake heard her voice again, soft and soothing, willing him from the darkness. But it was so hard to wake up. Damn, not again.

Suddenly there was a different voice. A man’s. His father? Jake began to fight the weakness, refusing to give in.

“Wake up, son,” his father called out. “Wake up.”

“Cliff, maybe we should wait,” Ali said. “Remember what the doctor told us. He needs rest.”

“I know, but I can’t be at peace until I see for myself that he’s out of the coma,” Cliff insisted. “I want him to know I’m here. That I care.”

“He knows you’re here. But he needs sleep,” Ali said.

Jake groaned.

Cliff’s voice grew more insistent. “Jake?”

Jake blinked his eyes open and tried to focus. Relief rushed through him as he glanced around the familiar room. Thank God. He’d been able to wake from his dream. Slowly he turned his gaze to the man by his bed. His father. The man who had raised him. The man he’d never really known. Jake’s chest tightened at the sight of the deep lines on his old man’s face.

“How you doin’ son?”

Jake blinked and moved his head. He felt like hell, but he didn’t care. “H-hurt,” he said hoarsely, unfamiliar emotions tightening his throat as he looked up at Ali. “Water, please.”

“Sure.” Ali poured water into a glass from the pitcher on the table.

Jake watched her closely. Her nervousness was apparent as she tried hard to avoid eye contact. But he couldn’t stop gazing at her. He’d thought a lot about Ali over the past months, but still he hadn’t been prepared to see her. He remembered her as the quiet sister, but he had never expected to find the beautiful woman standing before him.

She had golden red curls pulled back from her oval face, the silky strands draping to her delicate shoulders. Her clear green eyes were large and mesmerizing, but there was a hint of shyness in their depths.

His gaze moved down her body, triggering his memory of their night together. Once, he’d thought, she’d been too slender, but not anymore. Her figure had blossomed into nicely rounded curves. Was that because of the child she’d carried? His child? Damn, he still couldn’t get used to the idea.

Ali slipped her hand around the back of Jake’s neck and helped him raise his head. Surprised by the surge of awareness that shot through him, Jake had to concentrate on getting the straw between his lips. He finally managed the simple task. Exhausted by his efforts, he dropped back to the pillow.

“Maybe I should leave,” Ali said as she looked at his dad. “Jake’s pretty tired.”

“No,” Jake protested. “Don’t go.” He’d be damned if he’d let her leave him alone with his father. “H-help me…sit up.”

Ali resisted. “Maybe you shouldn’t, Jake.”

“Yes. We need to talk…our daughter. Please, Ali…”

She nodded stiffly, then reached for the bed control. She brought Jake to an almost sitting position. He thanked her.

“I want to see…my daughter?”

Ali shot a glance at Cliff. “I don’t know. Since you’re in the hospital…”

Jake also looked at his father. “The Hawkins name can open some doors. Right?”

“Sure, son. You want to see your daughter, you’ll see your daughter.”

“Today,” he insisted. “I want to see her today.”

“Look, son. You’ve just come out of a long coma. You had us worried to death.” His voice was shaky. “I think you need rest.”

Jake grimaced as he tried to shift his body. No one was going to keep his child from him. A child who was a part of him, who would give him unconditional love. “I need…my child.”

Cliff started to argue, then changed his mind. “I’ll arrange it.” Relying on his cane, Cliff left the room.

Ali didn’t say anything until they were alone. “It might be better if you wait to see her.”

“For whom, Ali? Not me. You’ve kept my child from me all these months. It’s been too long as it is. I want to see her now.”

Before Ali could answer, the door opened and Jake’s doctor came into the room. “I hate to break this up,” he said, smiling, “but we need to run some more tests on our patient here.”

Jake didn’t want any tests. “Doc, can’t they wait?”

“I’m afraid not,” Dr. Walters said sternly. “I have you scheduled for an MRI in fifteen minutes.” He smiled again. “Count yourself lucky, Jake. It’s a miracle you came out of the coma. You must have a guardian angel looking after you.”

Jake met Ali’s gaze, and awareness surged through his battered body. “Yeah, she had a heavenly voice that kept calling me back. I’ll always be thankful.” He pulled his attention back to the doctor. “Just tell me that my daughter can visit me.”

The older man hesitated, then nodded. “There shouldn’t be any problem as long as she doesn’t have a cold or anything contagious. You need all your strength to heal. As much as your case has been the talk of the hospital, we like to see our patients get well enough to leave. You, Jake, still have a long recovery ahead of you.”

Jake shifted in bed, feeling every ache and pain. He knew it was going to be a long time before he was back to normal. The apparatus that held his leg motionless above the bed indicated he was going to take quite a while to heal. He’d use the time to think about his future. And his daughter’s.

“I really better leave now,” Ali said as she backed toward the door. “I have to go to work.”

“Ali.” Jake had to struggle to call her name.

She stopped.

“I mean it. I want you to bring our daughter as soon as possible.”

Ali regarded Jake for a long time. “I’ll be back with Joanie tomorrow.”

Ali hadn’t realized her hands were shaking until she stepped outside the hospital room. She leaned against the wall and drew a deep breath as the scene with Jake replayed in her head. He’d had an angry look that was unfamiliar to her. His eyes had been cold, distant, and deep lines etched his ridged jaw. He was so unlike the Jake she’d remembered. This Jake would never forgive her for not telling him about Joanie’s existence.

She walked to the elevators, stepped inside and pushed the button for the ground floor. A sudden tautness banded her chest as the car began its descent. Joanie wasn’t going to be just her little girl anymore. From this day forward, she’d be sharing her with Jake…and her grandfather.

Once on the first floor, Ali walked to the cafeteria where Margo had been waiting for her at a table in the corner.

“Well, how’d it go?” Just off her morning shift, Margo was still in her nurse’s uniform.

Ali sank into a chair with a tired sigh. “He’s awake and talking.”

Margo squeezed Ali’s hand. “That’s wonderful. Everyone is talking about the miracle in room 408.” Her friend waved her hand in the air. “What did Jake say?”

Ali shrugged. “He asked to see Joanie. He seems happy about having a daughter….”

“I hear a ‘but’ in there,” her friend said.

“Oh, Margo, the looks he gave me…” Ali ran her hand through her hair. “What if he tries to get back at me for keeping her a secret?”

“What can he do?”

Ali shook her head and drew a calming breath. “I’m not sure. But he told me before I left that he wanted to talk with me about Joanie.”

“Of course he wants to talk to you. You’re his child’s mother.”

“I’m also the one who kept her from him the past nine months. What if Jake tries to take her away? Oh, God, Margo. I couldn’t stand it if—”

“Stop it!” her friend insisted. “Jake’s just woke up from a coma, and to top it off he just discovered he’s a father. That’s a lot to take in. I’d say the man is in a lot of pain, both physical and emotional, and he’s going to need time to sort everything out.”

Ali studied the brunette sitting across from her. They’d been friends since junior high school. When Ali had discovered she was pregnant as a result of her night with Jake, Margo was the friend who had stood by Ali’s decision not to reveal the identity of Joanie’s father. She had even been Ali’s labor coach, and after her daughter’s arrival, Margo had moved in with Ali and helped her through the first two weeks of her child’s life.

Being godmother didn’t cover all that her friend had done. Ali knew that if anything happened to her, Margo would love Joanie as if she were her own child. But now things had changed. Jake was home.

“Am I going to lose Joanie?”

Margo smiled. “Of course not. But you are going to have to allow Jake to get to know his daughter.”

Guilt plagued Ali, as it had since the day she’d discovered she was pregnant. This was her fault. She was the one who had kept father and daughter apart. She wouldn’t be surprised if Jake did hate her. Sometimes she hated herself.

The next morning, Ali awoke to gray snow clouds threatening overhead. She hurried down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Gran June was fixing breakfast. Since her grandmother’s stroke, Ali had tried to take over most of the household chores. Her grandmother had relented on all but the cooking.

Thank goodness, because Ali couldn’t quite get it together in the mornings. She sat down next to her daughter, who was seated in a high chair, and took a long sip of orange juice.

“Morning, sweetie.” She leaned over and kissed the baby’s cheek.

“What time are you taking Joanie to the hospital?”

“About ten. Why? How many times has Jake called?”

Gran June put a plate of bacon and eggs in front of Ali and smiled. “He hasn’t. Cliff phoned while you were in the shower. Jake was pretty upset you couldn’t make it last night.”

“With the snowstorm warnings, I thought it best not to take Joanie out.”

“Jake understands. He’s just anxious to see his daughter.” Gran June turned to her granddaughter. “There’s another person who should know about Joanie. Darcie needs to be told.”

Ali lifted her fork to her mouth, but changed her mind. Her grandmother’s words caused her appetite to disappear. She didn’t want to think about her sister now. She glanced at her daughter, who was busy stuffing her mouth with scrambled eggs. “Nothing wrong with your stomach, huh?”

Joanie let out a happy cry and kicked her feet.

“We’re going to see your daddy today. I want you to be on your best behavior.”

Joanie smiled sweetly, as if she’d understood her mother’s words.

“That’ll do it,” Ali said. “Your daddy won’t stand a chance.”

“Stop worrying,” Gran June soothed. “Jake is going to love her. And all girls are crazy about their daddies. I know your father disappeared from your life when you and Darcie were young, but at least you had your grandfather. You used to follow him around all the time, dog his steps. You would even go fishing with him.”

The older woman took another swallow of her coffee. “The relationship between a father and daughter is special, Ali. Don’t deny either Jake or Joanie the chance to form one.”

Ali thought back to how wonderful her grandparents had been to her and Darcie. Ali still remembered the years she’d felt abandoned by her parents—parents who had cared more about themselves than their daughters. After their parents’ divorce, it had been her grandparents—her dad’s parents—who had given her and her sister a loving, secure home. But the emotional scars were still there. Darcie seemed unable to settle down, always seeking the next thrill, needing attention like an addict craving drugs.

All Ali wanted was a home and a family. A town where she knew everyone and the man she loved, loved her back and cherished the children they created.

She wanted it for herself—and for Joanie. Joanie would never know the agony of being left behind. Ali would make sure of that.

The hospital was quiet when Ali carried Joanie into Jake’s room. She stood back while Jake and his father finished their conversation—or, rather their heated discussion. She heard Darcie’s name mentioned just as Joanie let out a loud cry that immediately got everyone’s attention.

Both Hawkins men looked at her. Ali’s heart thumped in her chest as she moved across the room. “I’m sorry to disturb you.”

“Heavens, no,” Cliff said as he limped to her. “Jake’s been waiting all morning for this little one to arrive.” He touched his granddaughter’s hand, and Joanie turned and hugged her mother.

Cliff started to touch the child, but slowly drew his hand back. Ali reached out, took the older man’s hand and held it in front of her daughter. “Joanie, this is your grandpa.” The baby smiled shyly at Cliff.

“I’ll get to know my granddaughter later,” he promised, and silently left them alone.

Jake was sitting up, his gaze riveted on the child in her arms. “She’s beautiful,” he breathed.

“Thank you. I’ve always thought so.” Ali made her way to the bed. “Johanna June Pierce, this is your…daddy. Jake, this is your daughter—Joanie.”

Ali noticed the tears in his eyes, and her chest tightened. Her daughter leaned forward, obviously recognizing Jake from her first visit.

He reached out to touch her. First her hand, then her rosy cheek. “She’s so tiny,” he whispered in awe.

“Not if you’re carrying her around all the time. May I sit down?”

Never taking his gaze off his daughter, Jake nodded toward the side of the bed. “Sure.”

Ali sat and Joanie clasped his finger.

“She’s so strong. I want to know everything about her.”

“As you can see, Joanie has your hair and eyes. Your dad said that she looks just like you did as a child. I kept a baby book. I’ll bring it in next time.”

Joanie pointed at something on the wall and began to babble. Ali laughed and Jake smiled as he held his bandaged ribs. The child liked the attention and let out a joyous squeal, then pulled Jake’s finger toward her mouth and tried to nibble.

“No, Joanie.” Ali shook her head. “Don’t bite.”

“Maybe she’s hungry,” he suggested.

“She’s always hungry. But believe me, Joanie ate a hearty breakfast.”

“Do you breast-feed her?”

Ali’s face turned hot, but she couldn’t pull away from Jake’s penetrating gaze. Her breasts tingled at the very thought of his watching her feed their child. “I did—I stopped three months ago. She still takes a bottle at night. But she is attempting to drink from a sippy cup.”

Jake moved his hand, and Joanie latched on to it again. “You brought Joanie in to see me while I was still in the coma, didn’t you?”

“You knew she was here?”

His dark eyes captured hers, refusing to free her. “Ali, I remember almost everything you said to me. Your voice was just about all that kept me going. Then when I felt Joanie against me, I knew I had to fight harder to wake up.” He stroked his daughter’s head as tears filled his eyes. “I couldn’t leave her.”

Joanie cooed at him.

Jake smiled. “Joanie, do you think you can give your old man a hug?”

Ali’s stomach ached at the tenderness in his voice. He was asking for so little. She carefully placed her daughter next to Jake. “Give Daddy a hug.” The nine-month-old crawled up to Jake’s side, her small arm resting against his bandaged chest.

“Daddy…I never realized how wonderful that word sounded.”

Jake savored the precious moment, knowing that his daughter wasn’t going to be content to stay long in his charge. He inhaled the sweet baby scent, a mixture of powder and soap, and his heart tightened. This beloved little girl was his. She was his daughter, a part of him. Hell, she even looked like him. And as the moments passed, he found himself falling in love with Johanna June.

A protectiveness filled him, and a strange feeling came over him. He knew, without a doubt, he would give his life for this child. He’d always wanted a family. A family he’d never had himself, but he never realized one small human being could steal his heart so easily. And she didn’t even know who he was. “I’m your daddy, sweet girl.”

Joanie seemed to lose interest as her feet kicked against the bed and she shrieked in delight. Ali helped hold her up, then finally took her in her arms. Jake fell against the pillow, exhausted.

“I should have warned you,” Ali said. “She can really sap your energy.”

“So how do you handle her?”

“That’s different. Remember, you’ve just come out of a coma.”

Yes, but he wanted to be her father, Jake thought. And a father was a man who was around all the time to protect her, to hug her and love her. He’d been gone, playing soldier, not giving a damn about anyone other than himself and his pain. He’d submerged his regrets about the woman he’d made love to that night. Never gave a thought about his responsibility to see if she’d been protected. He glanced at his little girl and felt a sudden tug on his heart. No regrets. How could anyone regret this beautiful child’s existence?

His regrets were for Ali, and for how he’d hurt her. She had been a mother to Joanie, but he knew from experience that one parent wasn’t enough. Joanie deserved more, and he was going to see she got it.

That night, Ali returned to the hospital. Jake had asked her to stop by after she got off work. This was it, she thought. He was angry with her for keeping the baby a secret. He was going to tell her that he intended to fight for custody of Joanie.

Didn’t he know that she hadn’t had a choice? She couldn’t force him to come home and marry her, especially when he’d still been in love with her sister. Ali had more pride than that. She’d watched her own parents’ marriage succumb to bitterness and hatred, and she wouldn’t subject Joanie or herself to a lifetime without love.

Steeling herself, Ali knocked and heard Jake call out to come in. She pushed open the door and was surprised to find her boss, Sheriff Ray Benson, next to Jake’s bed.

“Ray, I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“Hi, Ali. Just needed to finish up the accident report.”

Ray Benson was a big man with warm hazel eyes. He’d been the sheriff of Webster for over thirty years, and he could intimidate any kid in town if he had to. Mostly he was everyone’s friend.

“I can wait outside,” she offered.

Ray smiled. “You work for me. I doubt you’re a security risk, Ali. I was just asking Jake about the accident, but he doesn’t remember anything.”

Ali looked at Jake. “Nothing?”

“Not even what I was doing on the road,” Jake said, sounding frustrated. “Why the hell would I be out in a blizzard?”

“Easy, son,” the sheriff said. “A lot of people who suffer head injuries can’t remember, and block things out for a while. You’re doing great to have even survived that accident.”

Ali shivered, remembering how close Jake had come to death. The familiar feeling of guilt washed over her, knowing how close her daughter had come to not having her father.

“The report showed that the car hit a patch of ice on the highway, leading to your apparent loss of control,” the sheriff began. “There were no signs of anyone else around. But you were traveling at an excessive rate of speed for the weather conditions.” He sighed, but gave no lecture on safety. “Well, folks, I guess that about does it.” He checked his watch. “I’m late for supper, so I’ll be headin’ home.” He shook Jake’s hand, then waved goodbye to Ali. “I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”

Ali had trouble breathing as she watched the sheriff leave the room. The quiet click of the door closing nearly caused her to panic and run after him. Even though she had known this time with Jake was coming, she wasn’t ready for it.

A long silence stretched between them until finally Jake spoke. “Were you ever going to tell me about Joanie?”

Ali’s gaze shot to his. She saw anger in his dark eyes. “I’m not sure. You left town so fast.”

“But my father lives here and could have gotten in touch with me.”

“Maybe I should have contacted him, Jake, but given the circumstances of our child’s conception, I…I couldn’t.”

“You should have tried, Ali. I deserved to know about my daughter.”

“Don’t you think I know that, Jake? I wasn’t exactly thinking clearly when I found out I was pregnant. I did what I thought was best.” Her voice and anger rose. “The last thing I wanted to do was drag you back to a town you hated and force you into marrying a woman you didn’t love. I couldn’t do that to you…or to myself.”

“How do you know you would have been forcing me to marry you? What if…?” His glare softened, then he quickly masked the tenderness. “Never mind. All that’s beside the point. You never gave me the chance to decide. Does…Darcie know?”

Ali shook her head. How dare he ask about Darcie? “If you wanted to play father so bad, Jake, you should have stuck around to find out if I got pregnant.” She watched him flinch and wished it made her feel better, but it didn’t. “The next morning, you told me that our lovemaking was a mistake. You couldn’t get away from me fast enough, and you never contacted me again. I didn’t need to be hit over the head to realize you didn’t want anything to do with me. You made it perfectly clear.”

“Well, the situation has changed. Get used to having me around now, because I’m not leaving my daughter. In fact, I’ve been doing some thinking and there’s only one solution.”

Ali was almost afraid to ask. “What?”

“We get married.”

Chapter Four

Ali felt the blood drain from her face. Her legs suddenly went weak, and she had to sit down. Sinking into the chair beside the bed, she struggled to compose herself.

“Get married…?”

Jake Hawkins was proposing marriage? To her?

“I didn’t think the idea of marrying me was so offensive,” Jake began. “I know I got pretty banged up in the accident—”

“No, Jake,” Ali interrupted. “It isn’t that. It’s just…” Her gaze locked on his mesmerizing bedroom eyes, and her pulse started to race. He could be scarred from head to toe, and she would think he was the most handsome man she’d ever seen. “You caught me off guard,” she managed to say. “I had no idea this was the reason you called me here tonight.”

Jake grabbed hold of the metal bar over his head, and struggled to sit up straighter. “It makes sense.”

None of this was making any sense. She laughed nervously, not wanting even to think about marrying this man. That had been yesterday’s dream. “Maybe to you.”

He raised a hand. “Just listen to me for a minute.”

She folded her arms defensively.

“Now that I’m back, everyone will know I’m Joanie’s father. The gossip would eventually die down if you and I married. I want to be around and help raise Joanie. You could even quit work and stay home.”

Quit work. Stay home. Jake hadn’t said anything about love. Ali shook her head. Of course not. Jake didn’t love her. He’d never loved her. The only reason he was even considering this crazy idea was that she was the mother of his child. And what kind of marriage would that be?

Angry, she stood and strode over to the window. From her vantage point on the fourth floor, Ali concentrated on the brightly lit parking lot below, counting the cars lined up side by side. After a moment, she drew a breath and released it, then turned around and walked back to the bed.

“Don’t you think the people in this town are going to gossip no matter what we do?” she asked.

Jake’s jaw clenched. “Ali, I don’t want my daughter to grow up with the stigma of being illegitimate.” His voice held authority. “I want my daughter to have my name. She should be Joanie Hawkins. The only way to make it right is for us to get married.”

“Will you stop calling her your daughter?” she shouted. “Joanie is ours.”

He glared at her. “You’re the one who forgot that fact.”

Jake’s words pierced her heart, but she knew he was right. And she had no business hollering at him. The man was recovering from a serious accident. “I’ll have your name put on Joanie’s birth certificate.”

“It’s not enough,” he argued. “I want my daughter to have a full-time father.”

What Jake said was true, but she couldn’t marry him. It wouldn’t last. Not when he didn’t love her. Not when he loved Darcie. And Ali refused to be second.

“I believe it’s best if we think this over before rushing into anything. You have a long recuperation ahead of you, Jake. And there’s the surgery on your leg.”

Jake reached for Ali’s hand and drew her closer, making her sit beside him on the bed. A warmth shot through her as her gaze met his bare chest adorned with only strips of white bandage. She glanced lower, fairly certain that he was naked under the sheet that covered his body.

“What are you afraid of, Ali?” His tone held a hint of sarcasm. “Or are you waiting to see if I’ll be able to walk before you give me an answer.”

She gasped, then her shock turned to anger. “You have no right to say that to me, Jake Hawkins. I was the one here, by your bedside, trying to bring you back. I never once turned away from your injuries. How dare you accuse me of thinking…” She stopped, fighting tears. No, she wasn’t going to cry. “I better go.” Grabbing her coat and purse, she ignored Jake’s plea to stop and rushed out of the room.

“Ali, wait. Come back.” Jake cursed as excruciating pain shot up his elevated leg. He grabbed his left thigh and threw his head back against the pillow, waiting for the throbbing to stop, knowing he deserved the agony for what he’d said to Ali.

About five minutes later, Margo Wells came into the room. He remembered the nurse as being Ali’s good friend from school.

“How about a painkiller to help you sleep?” she offered, holding out the small paper cup.

“No, thanks.” He didn’t want to dull his senses.

“Okay, but sleep will do you good. If you’re worried about drifting back into a coma, the pills can’t—”

“I told you, I don’t want any medicine,” he said abruptly. “It’s my pain, I’ll handle it.”

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