Dear Reader,

Well, here we are at the end of the Larkville continuity. I don’t know about you, but I’ve enjoyed all the stories! I’ve also enjoyed working with all the authors.

But most of all I’ve loved Matt, Claire and little Bella. When it comes to writing a story about a man and a woman who are worlds apart, there’s nothing like an adorable baby to show them that they are more alike than they think.

For me, as a writer, there is also nothing that comes close to the fun of writing about a brooding billionaire. I love stories that demonstrate that money doesn’t buy happiness (because it doesn’t!). But stories that prove that real love can save even the most hardened man really knock it out of the park for me.

So settle back, get a cup of cocoa and enjoy Matt and Claire’s story. I’m guessing you’re going to fall every bit as much in love with little Bella as Matt and Claire did. You’ll quickly understand why Claire couldn’t leave her with a guy who knew nothing about caring for a baby, and how that one act of kindness drew her into a one-of-a-kind love!

Until next time…

Susan Meier

About the Author

SUSAN MEIER spent most of her twenties thinking she was a job-hopper—until she began to write and realized everything that had come before was only research! One of eleven children, with twenty-four nieces and nephews and three kids of her own, Susan has had plenty of real-life experience watching romance blossom in unexpected ways. She lives in western Pennsylvania with her wonderful husband, Mike, three children and two overfed, well-cuddled cats, Sophie and Fluffy. You can visit Susan’s website at www.susanmeier.com.

The Billionaire’s
Baby SOS
Susan Meier

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MILLS & BOON

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CHAPTER ONE

ALL the ornate boardroom doors that Matt Patterson had faced hadn’t been as intimidating as the ordinary brown door before him.

Dysart Adoption Agency.

His chest tightened. His palms began to sweat. His mouth went dry.

Still, he never shirked a responsibility. He opened the door and walked inside.

Wood-paneled walls, an empty reception desk and a soft powder scent greeted him. So did the sound of a baby’s laughter. High-pitched and filled with joy, the little-girl giggles and squeals of delight rolled up the hall.

Nine chances out of ten that was his baby.

His baby.

Man, this was going to put a cramp in his love life.

And his traveling.

And his staff.

Good God! The housekeeper, Mrs. McHenry, would have a fit when she discovered they were going to have to add a nursery and a nanny to his already-busy household.

He followed the sound of the giggles to an office at the end of a short hall. Her back to him, a slim woman held a baby in the crook of her arm. Her glossy chestnut-brown hair was swept up in a neat, professional chignon and her red dress rode her curves like an Italian sports car took the turns at Le Mans.

His eyebrows rose. “Somehow I’d always pictured the women who worked at adoption agencies as gray-haired old maids in tacky white blouses.”

The baby stopped laughing. The woman at the window spun around.

For the first time Matt could remember, he was speechless.

Huge round brown eyes dominated her face. High cheekbones showcased a pert and proper nose and full, lush lips.

“Can I help you?”

He walked in slowly, his interest piqued. She was exactly the kind of woman he wined and dined, seduced and then left with the gift of a diamond bracelet. But before he could open his mouth to flirt, the baby in her arms squawked. Bella. Oswald and Ginny’s daughter. His, because he’d agreed to be godfather to his ex-wife’s baby.

Sadness stole over him. This time last week Ginny had called to make dinner plans for when he returned to Boston. Now she and Oswald were gone. He’d never again see Ginny’s pretty smile or hear Oswald’s goofy laugh. He’d lost the ex-wife he loved and her new husband, who had become a good friend.

Bella screeched again. The woman looked at the baby, then gasped slightly as her gaze jerked back to him. “I’m Claire Kincaid, Bella’s caseworker. Are you Matt Patterson?”

Shoving his hands into the pants pockets of his handmade suit, he ambled into the room. “Yes.”

“My God. In four days, Bella’s hardly responded to anybody. She doesn’t even cry. She eats and sleeps and laughs when I tickle her. But you’re the first person she’s spoken to.”

“Spoken to? Sounded like a squawk to me.”

She laughed. “Squawking is how babies talk.”

Her pretty brown eyes glittered with humor and his gut tightened. She was incredibly beautiful.

“She knows me.” He paused. “A bit.”

“Because you’re a friend of her parents?”

He nodded and took another cautious step toward the woman and Bella. Dark-haired, blue-eyed Bella strained toward him, reaching for him to take her.

Surprised, he jerked back.

Claire Kincaid’s smile faded. “She wants you.”

“Yes. And I fully intend to care for her but I—” He paused, sucked in a breath. His instincts insisted he should flirt with the beautiful woman. His brain, however, reminded him this wasn’t a pleasure trip and he’d better get his head in the game. Somehow or another he’d ended up with a baby and he didn’t have a clue what to do with her. “I can’t hold her.”

“Excuse me?”

He pulled his hands from his pants pockets and raised them in a gesture of total helplessness. “I don’t know how.”

She took a step toward him. “It’s really quite simple.”

Her sweet and polite voice matched her nearly perfect face and sent tingly warmth through him. But when she stepped toward him, offering the little girl, he backed up again.

She frowned. “This child is yours.”

“And I will take care of her. Next week.” He shook his head. “No. That doesn’t work for me, either. I have to go to Texas for some family reunion thing—”

The woman holding Bella stopped him with a wave of her hand. “I don’t care if you’re the king of the world and you have to hold court. Bella is yours now.” She smoothed a hand down the baby’s back. “Besides, there’s nothing to be afraid of. She’s such a sweetie that caring for her will come naturally.” She held the baby out to him, and again, Bella strained toward him.

His nervous system rattled like the old-fashioned ticker at the New York Stock Exchange. He’d known for four days that his ex-wife was dead and he was to be Bella’s guardian, and he hadn’t panicked. He’d handled it the same way he handled everything in his life. He took it one step at a time. But with the baby in front of him, it all suddenly became very real. For the next eighteen years, this child was his. He’d have to raise her. Get her through toddler years and preschool, then elementary school, middle school—teen years.

“I—” He wanted to take her. He really did. But this was Ginny and Oswald’s baby. A baby who deserved to be loved and pampered. He hadn’t loved or pampered anybody in—well, ever. That’s why he’d lost Ginny. He wasn’t the pampering, wine and roses, long walks on the beach and talks all night kind of guy. Worse, the people who might be able to help him—his staff—were all out of town.

“Really. I can’t take her now. I’ve been in London for three weeks. When I heard about Bella, I came home early. But I’d dismissed my household staff for the six weeks I was supposed to be away. They’re in places like Aruba taking a much-needed break. Even if I called them home, they wouldn’t get back before Friday. And I,” he said, pressing his hand against his chest, “have absolutely no idea how to care for a baby.”

“You don’t have nieces or nephews?”

He winced. “No, but even if I did, let’s just say I’m not much of a family man.”

Though Claire straightened as if she were about to rain down the fire of hell upon him, she protectively rubbed her hand along Bella’s back, soothing her. “You agreed to parent a child when you have absolutely no idea of how?”

“I agreed to be a godfather. I didn’t realize that also meant I’d be the baby’s guardian if something happened to her parents.”

“How could you not know that?”

“In some circles godfather is a purely honorary term.”

Her pretty face softened. “Apparently, your friends took it seriously because you’re named Bella’s guardian in their wills.”

“Yes. But they never told me that and I am just not ready for this.”

“You still have to take her.”

Disbelief and anger at the injustice of it all reared up in him. Ginny dead. Bella his. It didn’t make any sense. Mostly because he wasn’t qualified to do this—any of it. He couldn’t hold her, let alone change a diaper. And he was the last person who should be assigned to love her.

Bella began to fuss and Claire Kinkaid rubbed her cheek against the baby’s, comforting and quieting her.

Inspiration struck like a band of angels singing the Hallelujah Chorus. “You’re pretty good with kids. What are you doing tonight, Miss Kincaid?”

“It’s Claire.” She moved her gaze away from his, straightening the collar of Bella’s little pink blouse. “And I’m busy.”

His eyes narrowed. Busy? She was pretty enough to have a date on a Monday night. If she’d been able to hold his gaze, he might have bought that. “So what you’re really saying is that you don’t want to help us?”

“We’re an adoption agency, not a nanny service.” She walked to her desk, pulled out some business cards. “But these are the names and addresses of some well-respected agencies. You could get a stellar nanny from any one of them.”

As Claire held out the cards to Matt, Bella blinked slowly. Her long black lashes fell to her cheeks and lifted again. Tears filled her pretty blue eyes, as if she understood she was being shuffled off again.

Sympathy for her swelled in Matt’s already tight chest. He had been young, maybe three, when he’d felt odd about his dad—as if he and Cedric Patterson didn’t fit together—as if somewhere deep in his subconscious he had always known that he wasn’t really Cedric’s son. And he didn’t belong in the Patterson family. Though Bella was a lot younger, he’d bet that somewhere in her subconscious all of this was being recorded. He could see in her eyes that she might not fully comprehend what was happening, but she was afraid. If nothing else, she hadn’t seen her parents in almost a week. She was alone. Frightened.

And though it didn’t make sense from a practical standpoint, her emotional well-being suddenly meant more to him than worry over dirty diapers.

He slid his hands into his pants pockets again. “I don’t want a nanny. At least not yet. I don’t want to leave her with another stranger.”

And right now Claire Kincaid was the one person in the world who wasn’t a stranger to her.

He caught Claire’s gaze and offered the only workable solution. “I’ll pay you anything you want to spend the next week with me.”

Claire knew the offer was for her nanny services, but her face warmed and her stomach tightened. Matt Patterson might not know how to care for a baby, but he was one good-looking guy. Six foot one if he was an inch, he didn’t tower over her, but he was tall enough that even in her heels she had to look up to him. His hair was a shiny light brown, cut short, professional, businesslike. His wicked green eyes smiled when he smiled, and grew stormy cold when he didn’t get his way. But happy or stormy they always had a quality of…assessment. As if everything she said or did was of vital importance. And every time he caught her gaze, a lightning bolt of attraction shot through her.

She hadn’t had a response to a man in years and her body picked now? And this guy? A man who’d left his baby with an adoption agency for four days? A man who didn’t seem to want to take Bella now? Was she crazy?

“I’m sorry, Mr. Patterson, but as I said before we’re an adoption agency. Not a nanny service.”

He took a lazy step toward her, sending her pulse into overdrive. The way he looked, everything he did, was just so male. “You’re pretty good with her, though.”

She took a step back. “Yes. Well, I love children.”

“You’re better than just somebody who loves children.” Studying her face, he frowned. “I’m guessing you got into this business because you were a nanny at some point.” His frown deepened and he looked at her even more intently. “Probably when you were in school. Which wasn’t too long ago.”

Her heart shivered in her chest. He was so close she would only have to lift her hand to touch him, and for some strange reason she itched to raise her hand. Feel his skin. With all his attention focused on her, her body began to thrum.

Stupid hormones! Why pick now to wake up?

She swallowed and took another step back. “I put myself through my first three years at university as a nanny, Mr. Patterson. There is no deep, dark secret about my past.”

He smiled. His full lips bowed upward and his green eyes lit with pleasure. “Too bad. Pretty woman like you should have a secret. It makes you mysterious and…” His smile grew. “Interesting.”

Her face reddened. Tingles of attraction raced down her spine. Damn, he was gorgeous. And charming. But she knew what happened the last time she got involved with a charming man. She ended up in a bad relationship. A relationship that broke her heart and caused her to stay away from men for five long years.

She forced the business cards for nanny services into his hand. “Dysart Adoption Agency was hired by the attorney for Bella’s parents to keep her until you arrived. You have arrived. Our responsibility had ended.”

He squeezed his eyes shut. “Fine.”

Refusing to fall victim to the helplessness she heard in his voice, she became all business. “Do you have a car seat?”

“My driver picked one up and installed it.”

Still holding Bella, she bent and grabbed the diaper bag beside her desk. “Great.” She handed it to him. “Those are all the things she’s needed for the four days I kept her at my apartment. I imagine there are more things at her parents’ house.”

“Things?”

“Like a crib. High chair. Baby swing. The things she needs for daily life.” Brisk and with purpose, she headed out of the office and up the hall, expecting him to follow her. “I will go with you to your car and help you strap Bella in.”

When she reached the office door, he opened it for her and followed her out, but he didn’t say a word. He didn’t say a word in the elevator. Standing in the box packed with people, their shoulders brushed. A current of electricity crackled through her.

As inconspicuously as possible, she peeked over at him. With his sloping cheekbones and sexy green eyes, he was gorgeous. But she’d met other good-looking men and never felt this. He had power, but power had never been particularly attractive to her. Yet something about him called to her and he wasn’t even reacting. Though he’d flirted a bit, it was because he wanted her help. The attraction was clearly one-sided.

She sucked in a quiet breath, glad to be getting away from him. In two minutes, he’d be gone and she wouldn’t have to worry she’d say or do something stupid because her hormones insisted she and Matt Patterson should…should…Well, she knew what her hormones wanted.

And that was wrong. Good grief, she’d barely dated since her big mistake her senior year at university when she’d fallen for one of her professors. They’d had a secret affair that started off wonderful and ended when he introduced her to his wife at graduation, humiliating her. Looking back, she realized she should have seen the signs that he was married. He’d pulled her away from her friends, insisted they meet at her place even though he made fun of her condo and never took her out in public. But loneliness after her dad’s death had made her vulnerable, needy, and she’d missed the signs.

Which was why, for the past five years, she’d been a woman in control of her emotions. She’d never be so foolish as to fall so fast or be so smitten that she let a man walk all over her. Being overwhelmingly attracted to a guy she didn’t know was so out of character it scared her.

The elevator bell dinged. They strode across the building lobby. He pushed on the revolving door, motioning Claire through, into the crisp late-September afternoon. He followed her out into the busy Boston street and paused in front of the black limo parked there. A uniformed man raced to the back door and opened it.

Claire peeked inside. A bar and a television sat across from a curving white leather seat that looked like a plush sofa. But on the sofa sat a car seat.

She quickly passed Bella to Matt Patterson—so quickly he didn’t have time to protest and their fingers didn’t even accidentally brush. “I’ll slide inside, then you hand Bella to me. I will strap her in the car seat, and you can be on your way.”

She climbed in. He passed Bella to her. She put the baby into the car seat and secured the straps. As she pulled away, she looked at the baby’s pretty face. Blue eyes. Pug nose. Cupid’s bow mouth.

Her heart twisted. She’d had this baby with her twenty-four hours a day for four days. Caring for her. Teasing her and playing with her to help her accept her new circumstances. Walking the floor with her as she sobbed all night because she missed her mom and dad. Bella had cried so hard the first night that Claire had cried with her. A baby couldn’t understand or deal with death. All she knew was she missed her mom and desperately wanted the comfort of her arms.

Claire swallowed. This poor sweet baby would never see her mom again. Just as Claire hadn’t seen her mom after she died.

She pressed her fingers to her mouth. How could she leave this sweet baby with a man who didn’t know how to care for her?

She couldn’t.

She scooted across the seat and out of the limo. Though fear trembled through her, she faced Matt Patterson and held out her hand. “Do you have a business card?”

He frowned. “Yes.”

“Does it have your home address?”

His eyes narrowed. “Are you planning to do some kind of surprise inspection?”

“I’m going to lock the office, then meet you at your house.”

He smiled. Those beautiful green eyes of his lit with so much pleasure, a corresponding pleasure tugged at her stomach. “You’re going to help me?”

God help her. “This evening, yes, to get you settled in. Then you’re on your own.”

CHAPTER TWO

THE rhythm of the car lulled Bella to sleep and she napped through the entire drive home. But when Jimmy, Matt’s driver, stopped the limo to punch in the code to open the big black wrought-iron gate for his estate, the baby awoke. She glanced around sleepily. Her little mouth turned down. Her nose wrinkled and she let out with a yowl that went through Matt like an icy wind blows through barren trees.

Pretending not to notice, Jimmy drove up the brown brick driveway. Little Bella’s wails filled the back of the limo. She didn’t see that the grounds were manicured to perfection. Or that the leaves on the trees had begun to change colors and swatches of red, yellow and orange guided them along the circular driveway to the front of the stately stone mansion.

She didn’t care when Matt said, “Shh. Shh. Please stop crying.”

She simply continued to wail.

Jimmy appeared at the back door, opened it with a wince. “Quite a set of lungs.”

“Indeed.” Matt smiled ruefully. “You wouldn’t know how to…” He paused, searching for a proper phrase and finally settled on, “Make her stop.”

Jimmy backed off. “No, sir. Confirmed bachelor.” He tugged both ends of his bow tie jauntily. “Happily single. Not daddy material.”

Remembering what Claire had asked him, he said, “No nieces or nephews?”

“Several but I don’t take to them until they’re old enough to go the bathroom on their own and get into the casinos in Atlantic City.”

He sighed. “An excellent plan.” His plan. Until circumstance changed things.

Bella’s screams grew louder. He raised his voice to be heard above the sobbing. “So how do we get her into the house?”

Jimmy stepped back again. “Sorry. Not in my job description. In fact, I think I’ll go make sure the limo’s place in the garage is cleared.”

He raced away and Matt scowled. See if the place in the garage is cleared? What a line.

He turned back to the baby. “So…what? You want food? A bottle? Some Scotch?” He knew she didn’t want the third, but the terror riding his blood right now had him giddy. He’d like a Scotch. But he knew he wasn’t getting one. Might not ever get one again until this child turned eighteen.

With Bella wailing beside him, he knew he had a choice. Sit in this limo for God knew how long until the adoption agency woman arrived. Or get Bella out of her car seat and into the house.

A cold wind blew alongside the car. The open door caught it and sent frigid air swirling into the limo. A few drops of rain pelted the limo roof, then the rain started full force.

“Crap.”

He reached for the door and slammed it closed. Bella’s wails echoed around him.

Jimmy suddenly appeared at the driver door. “Let’s get this in the garage!”

“Good idea.”

The sound of Bella screaming competed with the drumming of rain on the roof, making a horrendous racket. Matt squeezed his eyes shut, popped them open and turned to Bella. “Come on, kid. You knew me at the adoption agency office.” He pointed at his chest. “I’m Mommy’s friend.”

Her crying only increased when they pulled into the garage. Being indoors seemed to cause the sound to ricochet off the walls and reverberate through him.

He peeked at her face. Little blue eyes watery and sad. Her nose red. Her lips trembling.

He scrubbed his hand across his mouth. He couldn’t stand to see her like this. He had to do something!

Noting that Jimmy had disappeared as soon as the limo lurched to a stop, he reached for the buckles of her car seat. Once he had her out of the car seat, he’d carry her into the house and maybe the movement of walking would calm her down?

He found a clasp at her belly that, when opened, allowed him to raise two straps over her head. A buckle by her hip released the bottom strap. When he jiggled the padded half circle around her, he discovered it rose, too.

But with all of her trappings gone, Bella fell forward. He just barely caught her. And when she plopped against him, she wiped her wet face in the lapel of his silk suit.

He groaned.

She clung to him. Using his lapels like a rope ladder, she climbed up and burrowed into his neck.

His heart knotted with confusing emotions. Fear and misery wanted to dominate. He had no idea what to do with this kid. Barely any idea how to get her into the house.

But sympathy snaked through the fear. She was alone. Lost. He knew what it was like to be alone and lost. Except he could also add unwanted. The morning after their legendary fight, Cedric might have retracted his demand that Matt leave the Patterson home, but too many harsh words had been spoken. Up until then, Matt had called Cedric Dad, believed they were blood. But in that awful fight, Cedric had let loose of the big family secret.

Matt and his twin were not Cedric’s children. His mother had been married before. She’d left her first husband not knowing she was pregnant, and Cedric had taken her in, raised her children as his own.

It explained why Matt had always felt a distance between himself and Cedric, always felt a nagging sense of not being wanted, not really having a place, not having a home—

He looked at Bella. Orphaned. Alone. With a guy who didn’t even know how to get her to stop crying, let alone how to feed her. She could have heard the conversation he’d had with Jimmy about not wanting kids. Not being daddy material. And though he knew that on a logical level she didn’t understand a word they’d said, on an emotional level, she’d recorded it all.

Did she feel unwanted?

He pressed his lips together and closed his eyes. His chest shivered with regret. Then he popped his eyes open again, caught Bella beneath the arms and lifted her so they were eye to eye.

“I am sorry for everything that has happened to you in the past few days.” His eyes squeezed shut again, as his own grief over losing Ginny and Oswald swamped him. “Very sorry. I’m going to miss your mama, too. But you’re mine now. And that means something.”

He wasn’t sure what it meant. He knew—to use Jimmy’s phrasing—that he wasn’t daddy material. The best he could do for this kid might be to hire a great nanny or a team of nannies—or maybe find the best nanny on the planet and give her every cent of his money to raise this little girl. But whatever he decided, Matt Patterson didn’t abdicate responsibility or say die without a fight.

And as soon as he figured out how to fight, he would fight.

He slid out of the limo, Bella in his arms, and headed for the door into the mansion.

With his resolve in place, he noticed Bella’s crying but he reacted to it differently. Something was wrong. He had to fix it.

Unfortunately, he didn’t know how. She didn’t feel wet. She wasn’t generating any god-awful smells. So he steered clear of the diaper area. He asked about food. Mimed feeding himself. She only cried harder. He tried dancing. A couple waltzing twirls caused her to blink in confusion and quit crying for a few seconds, but when he stopped dancing she started crying.

He danced again. Around and around and around the foyer they went. Back to the den where he deposited the diaper bag, took off his jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt—all while dancing a baby around the sofa.

They danced through the empty kitchen. Up the hall. Around the dining room table. Across the sunroom. Until he felt dizzy and his legs became rubbery.

Where the hell was the adoption agency woman…Claire? Where the hell was Claire?

As if she’d heard him, the gate buzzer sounded. He raced to the com unit and hit the button. “Claire?”

“Yes. It’s me.”

Her musical voice sent sensation skipping down his spine, bringing her pretty face and sensual body to mind. If she were any other person, if he’d met her any other way, he would date her—

Oh, who was he kidding? He’d sleep with her. But needing her the way he did for Bella, he couldn’t even consider sleeping with her. Technically, once she began helping him with the baby, she became an employee.

A smart man didn’t hurt a woman in his employ. Especially not one he so desperately needed.

Regret tumbled through him as he pressed the com button. “I’m opening the gate now.”

He hit two more buttons and Bella patted his cheeks, as if trying to get his attention.

“What? You want to dance some more?”

She giggled.

What went through Matt’s heart was so foreign he couldn’t describe it, but it felt like tug of longing crashed into a wall of truth.

He couldn’t raise a child. For Pete’s sake! He was the Iceman on Wall Street. Unyielding. Intractable. The only thing he knew was severity. Hard truth. He didn’t have an ounce of softness in him.

Bella patted his cheek again, squealing with delight, obviously trying to get him to dance some more.

Yearning surged through him, but before he could capture it, it hit that wall of truth again. He was hard, cold. No matter how much he wanted to be the one who showed this child she was loved, that she didn’t have to be afraid, he knew he couldn’t. His family had taught him that people lied. His ex-wife had shown him that even when he wanted love he didn’t know how to accept it.

So how could he show this little girl she was loved?

He couldn’t.

After parking in front of Matt Patterson’s mansion, Claire got out of her little red car and popped her umbrella. Standing in the cold rain, staring at the residence, she suddenly understood what it meant to be a billionaire. Her entire condo building could fit into his house.

She hesitated at the sidewalk. Her heart tumbled in her chest as the reality of what she’d just agreed to hit her. For the first time in five years she was attracted to a man and she’d agreed to spend the evening in his house, helping him care for his baby.

She straightened. This fear was ridiculous. She was an adult. Back when she’d fallen for Ben she’d been a starry-eyed ingenue. She now knew how to control herself.

Plus, this situation was totally different. Matt Patterson wasn’t a professor she looked up to. In fact, she’d be teaching him. There’d be no danger that he’d sweep her off her feet by impressing her with his brilliance. When it came to baby care, Matt Patterson had no brilliance. She’d be fine.

Even before she got to the wood front door with the brass knocker, it opened. Matt stood before her, his hair oddly disheveled, his jacket removed and shirtsleeves rolled up to the elbows. It looked like there might be a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead.

“Come in. Come in,” Matt said, all but dumping Bella into her arms after she closed her umbrella and angled it by the door. “I’ve changed my mind about the nanny. I think we need to get one now.”

“Okay.” Bella on her arm, Claire slid out of her coat and walked into the foyer. A huge crystal chandelier dominated the space. Her heels clicked on the Italian marble floor. The sound echoed around them.

“I have the cards you gave me in my jacket pocket in the den.” He turned and headed down a hall.

Claire followed him.

“But it’s all so confusing.” He stopped in front of a closed door. “I’ve never even considered hiring a nanny before.” He peeked back at her. “Do I get somebody who’s old…old and cuddly…who might want to retire before Bella hits four? Or somebody who’s young and sophisticated who might not love her enough. Read her stories. That kind of stuff.”

“You’re overthinking.”

“That’s because this is very important to me.” He opened the door and led her into a neat-as-a-pin den that could double as an office given that there was an overstuffed sofa and chair in front of a big-screen TV, as well as a heavy oak desk and tall-backed chair on the far side of the room.

He went to the desk and plopped on the chair. But before Claire sat, she sniffed and frowned. “You haven’t by any chance changed her diaper in the past hour.”

“She wasn’t wet.”

Her nose wrinkled. “I think she is now. Where’s the diaper bag?”

He pointed to the overstuffed sofa where the baby’s bag leaned drunkenly against the arm, beside his jacket, which had been tossed haphazardly on the sofa back. “There.”

“Okay…so…” She peeked at him. “There wouldn’t happen to be a nursery in this house?”

He snorted. “Not hardly.”

“Okay.” She looked around again, knowing she could make do. “How about a blanket?”

He rose from his chair. “Blanket I can help you with.” He frowned. “I think. I know there’s a linen closet upstairs somewhere.”

“You get a blanket and I’ll rummage through the diaper bag for a diaper. Hopefully by the time I’m ready to change her you’ll be back with a blanket.”

He nodded once and left the room.

When she was sure he was gone, Claire waltzed Bella around the desk once. Rocking the floor with the baby, she’d discovered dancing was the only way to get her to stop crying, but it was also fun. Sort of their point of connection.

“So how’s it going with the new daddy so far?”

She screeched and Claire laughed. “You’re right. He’s green. But think of him as a diamond in the rough.”

She danced the baby over to the sofa and poked through the diaper bag until she found a diaper.

She tossed it to the sofa, then danced Bella around again. As the room spun by, she realized how cold and sterile it was and a worry flitted through her. How could a man who lived in such a formal house ever care for a baby? “There’s not even an afghan to lay you on.”

“Here we are,” Matt said, walking into the room. In his hands was a thick blue blanket.

Not wanting to be caught dancing with the baby, she turned her waltz into a step that looked something like she’d been pacing and said, “Lay it on the sofa.”

He did as instructed and Claire made short order of Bella’s diaper. But even though Matt had meandered away from the spectacle, she caught him peering over a time or two.

A light of hope lit. He might be green and his house might be cold but he was curious. “Want to learn how to do this?”

He pulled back. “No.”

“You sure? It’s not difficult.”

“My hour alone with her was enough to remind me that I don’t have the skills to care for her.”

“What are you going to do when your nanny takes a day off?”

“Get help from the maid?”

Though that made her laugh, it didn’t bode well for sweet Bella. Still, that wasn’t her business. The point of her being here this evening was to help him adjust to having a baby, but since he’d mentioned changing his mind about a nanny—thank God—she could also assist him with calling an agency that could provide someone temporary for the night. And Bella would be well cared for.

So she said nothing as she rooted through the few things in the diaper bag until she found a set of clean clothes. One of the four or five sets she’d been alternating with pajamas and washing over the four days she’d kept the baby.

“At some point, you’re going to have to go to your ex-wife’s house and get Bella some more clothes. I have several sets of pj’s and outfits for daytime in the bag, but it’s really only enough for two days. I’ve had to do laundry twice. Plus, we don’t have any of her toys. Things that might make her happy.” She glanced around. “You’ll also need her high chair and crib and walker and swing.”

“I don’t even know what half those things are.”

She rose from the sofa. “That’s okay. That’s why I’m here. To help you get set up. What do you say we call your driver and go over to Bella’s mom’s house and get her high chair and crib, more of her clothes and all of her toys?”

Matt stepped back as a sickening feeling gripped him. Go to Ginny’s, when she wasn’t there? Knowing she’d never be there again? Knowing he’d pushed her away? Reminding himself of everything he’d lost because he was cold, heartless and the one person who shouldn’t be raising her precious baby?

No. Absolutely not.

“I have a better idea. Why don’t we just order a new crib and high chair and whatever else she needs?”

Claire laughed. “Why buy new when she already has them?”

Only one of his eyebrows rose.

“Oh, I get it. You’re one of those money-is-no-object people.”

“And this is bad because…?”

“It’s not bad. It’s just that it might comfort her to have some of her own things around her.”

“If she’s been without them for four days, she’s probably forgotten them.” Guilt warred with pain as he turned to the desk. He knew Claire was right. Having her own things would comfort Bella. But he just couldn’t face going to that house. If he had to be strong for Bella, some concession had to be made for him.

“It’s been a very long day. This time yesterday, I was in London. Today I’m here…with a baby. Let me get on the phone and make a few calls and buy a high chair and a crib. Tomorrow if she still needs her things, I’ll make a run for them.”

She frowned, as if thinking, and Matt froze. He’d given his best argument. If she disagreed, if she pushed, he had no idea how he’d talk her out of going to Ginny’s. Because he couldn’t go. He absolutely couldn’t go.

Before she could say anything, Bella grabbed Claire’s pearls, wrapped them around her chubby fist and stuck her fist into her mouth.

Claire gasped. “Have you given her a bottle lately?”

“I asked, but it didn’t stop her crying so I assumed she didn’t want it.”

She groaned. “You don’t ask. You show her a bottle.” She walked over to the diaper bag, pulled out an empty bottle and kissed Bella’s shiny black hair. “Let’s go get you something to eat.”

Matt raced after her. “I don’t have anything for her to eat.”

“We’re just talking milk here.” She stopped, pivoted to face him. “Although we probably should feed her something before we give her a bottle.”

“I told you. I don’t have—”

She stopped him with a look. “Do you like oatmeal?”

He grimaced. “No.”

“Any cooked cereal at all?”

“No.”

She frowned and Matt’s heart sank. He was going to be a terrible father.

“Pudding?”

He brightened. “Yes! I love the little pudding cups. It’s a secret vice.”

“A secret vice that’s coming in handy.” She turned to walk away, but stopped again. “Where is the kitchen?”

He led the way down two halls, and after pushing through double swinging doors, they stood in his restaurant-size stainless-steel kitchen.

“Let me guess. There’s a ballroom somewhere in this house.”

“Not a ballroom,” he said, walking to the first refrigerator. “A party room.”

But he stopped and looked around, suddenly seeing what Claire saw. The house was big and beautiful, but it was also cold and intimidating. A child could get lost in here. And feel alone. He did not want Bella to feel alone. He did not want her going through what he went through.

Still, that was the whole point of getting a nanny. Though he might have to do more remodeling than just a nursery, the nanny would keep Bella busy, happy. As long as he didn’t get overwhelmed, he would work all this out.

He pulled open the refrigerator door, reached inside and came out with two little pudding cups. “Chocolate or vanilla?”

“Vanilla for now. Then one of us is going to have to go to a grocery store for real baby food.”

“Or we could call.”

“Call?”

After getting a spoon from a handy drawer, he directed her to a little table at the far end of the room. “Have a seat.”

She sat, settled Bella on her lap and took the pudding cup and spoon from his hands. Bella cooed and reached for it.

As Claire popped the lid, he headed for the desk in the other corner of the kitchen and sat in front of the computer. With a few strokes on the keyboard, he said, “Ah.”

She dipped the spoon into Bella’s pudding. “Ah?”

“I found our grocer.” He made a few clicks on his cell phone and put it to his ear. “This is Matt Patterson. I need to place an order.” He waited for his call to be transferred. When someone answered, he said, “This is Matt Patterson. I have a six-month-old baby at my home. I’ll need some baby food.” He paused, giving the clerk a chance to write down what he’d said. “And some milk.” Another pause. “For delivery. Thank you.” Then he hung up.

Sliding a spoon of pudding into Bella’s eager mouth, Claire said, “You didn’t even tell her what kind of baby food you wanted.”

“She’s paid to know. It’s an upscale store.”

Bella smacked her lips and grabbed Claire’s arm as if to direct her to give her another bite. Claire laughed. “She’s really hungry.”

“I see that.” He ambled over to the table. “Hey, kid.” He crouched so he was eye level with Bella. “You like that?”

She giggled. His first sense of relief in days flowed through him and he smiled. He might not know exactly what to do, but he did have enough money to hire people who did.

He rose. “So diaper is taken care of. Food is handled. I guess it’s time we order that crib?”

Bella screeched and slapped her chubby hands against the table. Claire quickly fed her more pudding, then she looked at him. “Yes. We should at least get a crib…and a high chair—oh, and a swing. And a baby monitor for while she’s napping. Once we go online and get item numbers—” She made a whirling motion with her hand. “Then you can call whoever it is you call for furniture and baby things and have them delivered.”

“Sounds like a plan.” A good plan. A wonderful plan. His common sense would carry him through. There was nothing to worry about.

Bella squealed happily, reinforcing his confidence, but a weird sensation tumbled through him. Sort of like he was forgetting something. But he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Still, if it was important he would remember.

He hoped.

CHAPTER THREE

AFTER only five minutes, Bella fell asleep on Claire’s arm.

“I think we should go back to the den so we can lay her down while we look for the crib and high chair.”

“I can do all this from my phone, if you don’t mind looking at this little screen together?”

Their gazes caught. A picture popped into her brain. Them, huddled together, looking at his phone. Her heart would shiver. She’d probably get breathless. All because her hormones had a mind of their own.

“I think the computer in the den is a better idea.”

Carrying Bella, she followed him through two ornate rooms, both of which could have been formal living rooms, but at this point she was beginning to see her understanding of houses and architecture was incredibly limited.

Walking to the den, she saw more crystal chandeliers, oriental rugs, hardwood floors and art—everything from paintings to sculptures, vases and blown glass—than she’d seen in her entire lifetime.

She glanced around uneasily. “How do you live in here?”

He opened the door and they walked into the overly neat den. “How do I live where?”

“In a house that’s more like a showplace than a house.”

“Because of rooms like this,” he said, passing the sofa, leading her to the desk with the computer.

She frowned. If he considered this room to be normal, comfortable, he was in worse shape than she’d thought.

He stopped suddenly. “You wanted to lay the baby down.”

She pointed at the sofa still holding the blanket from the diaper change. “We just need another blanket to cover her.”

He nodded and headed off. She sat on the sofa, Bella sleeping on her lap. Her little pink blouse and baby jeans snuggly fit her healthy body. Her fine, dark hair peaked in little tufts. Her black lashes sat on her cheeks.

In her high school and early college daydreams, Claire had always seen herself as having her own baby by now. And a house. With a wonderful, loving husband who wouldn’t work all the time the way her father had. Somebody who’d be home for happy suppers and cozy nights with a storybook to read to their baby.

She snorted a quiet laugh. Yet another reason not to be attracted to Matt Patterson. He might be more outgoing than her quiet, quiet father, but he was cut from the same cloth. Work was his sport of choice. Money was the way he kept score. That was probably why he’d so quickly changed his mind about a nanny. Ten minutes in the car with Bella and he’d probably seen how much caring for her would interfere with his life.

Not that she was complaining. As nice as it would be for him to care for Bella himself, a clueless man needed a nanny. Still, it would be wonderful if he did get into the habit of spending a little time with Bella so she wouldn’t be as alone as Claire had been as a child.

She swallowed back the lump of sadness and regret that clogged her throat. How she’d longed for a little of her dad’s time and attention after her mother died. The lonely days and nights she’d spent flashed to her mind. Nights when she and her businessman father “shared” dinner but didn’t speak. Nights when she’d yearned to be tucked in her bed and kissed on the forehead, but never was. Pouring cold cereal for herself for breakfast. Coming home to a quiet house with a maid who didn’t like children.

Empathy for Bella rumbled through her. She hoped Matt Patterson wouldn’t be a cold, distant dad, but the odds were once he got a nanny he’d slip away. He’d only have contact with the baby when he absolutely needed to. Not because he was bad, but because he didn’t know how to be a dad.

He walked into the room, carrying the blanket. “Here you go.”

Claire laid Bella on the blanket already on the sofa. When Matt handed the second blanket to her, she opened it enough that it could easily cover the baby.

“There.”

“She’s okay there?”

“We’ll watch her from the desk. But I think she’s fine.”

“Okay.”

With Bella sleeping soundly on the sofa, Matt led Claire to the computer and took the seat in front of it. She stood looking at the screen over his shoulder.

But soon tiredness set in. She’d left the office at four. The drive to Matt’s estate had been at least an hour. They’d probably spent another hour changing Bella, feeding her, ordering her food. This on top of a full day’s work—and a night of walking the floor with a baby who missed her mom.

She eased her hip to the desk, but Matt’s gaze slid over to her rounded bottom. Tingles of awareness floated through her, along with a complication. All this time she’d thought she was just attracted to him….What if he was attracted to her, too?

He probably wasn’t, but just in case, she slid off again.

It wasn’t long before her legs pulled at her. She’d been in heels for over ten hours. She eyed his chair longingly, then her gaze caught the sturdy leather arm. Thickly padded and wide, it could accommodate her weight.

Plus, he’d really have to twist and turn to see her butt, her legs, any part of her, because she wouldn’t be beside him. She’d be slightly behind him.

Casually, carefully, she eased herself onto the chair’s arm. Her feet sighed with relief.

Then her arm brushed his soft silk shirt, she smelled the masculine scent of his shampoo and tingles of electricity shot straight to her middle.

She almost groaned.

He faced her and their gazes connected. Looking into his pretty green eyes made her breathless—but also suddenly curious. He was gorgeous, yet not taken. He had money enough to attract any woman he wanted, yet he lived alone—

Of course, his bossiness probably turned most women off.

So why wasn’t it working for her?

They found the product numbers for a crib, high chair, baby monitor and swing. She eased herself from his chair and sat on the sofa, by Bella, as he made a few calls.

Bella began to cry, so she lifted her to her lap. The baby rubbed her tired eyes, clearly feeling the effects of four sleepless nights.

When Matt hung up the phone, Claire said, “So how long until we get the crib?”

“An hour at most.”

That surprised her so much she smiled. He was quite the optimist. “Really?”

He rose and headed for the door. “Yes. Give me ten minutes to talk to Jimmy.”

“Jimmy?”

“My driver. He’ll be the one assembling everything…since I assume cribs and high chairs don’t come assembled.”

“Probably not.”

“Then give me ten minutes to bribe him into helping me.”

She laughed, but caught herself, not sure if he’d meant that as a joke. Could stiff and formal Matt Patterson know how to joke?

But Matt wasn’t back in ten minutes. In fact, he didn’t return to the den for over an hour. Bella had once again fallen asleep in Claire’s arms, so Claire put her head back and drifted off.

When Matt popped his head into the den saying, “Delivery truck is here. Jimmy and I will handle this,” she bounced up, not sure if she was more embarrassed that she’d fallen asleep or that he’d caught her.

So she didn’t immediately go out to the foyer to see what was going on. Instead, she reminded herself that she was only here a few more minutes. They’d put together the crib and lay the baby down—then she’d help him with the call to the nanny service and be gone.

No reason to be embarrassed that she’d fallen asleep. No reason to be bothered about an attraction. In twenty minutes, she’d get in her car, drive off his property and never see him again.

Or Bella.

Her heart constricted at the thought, but she knew that was life. People came and went. Attachments hurt.

She hoisted herself from the sofa and headed out to the hall. When she reached the foyer, it suddenly struck her that she had no idea where he had gone. He’d said he was going with Jimmy to assemble the crib. Which probably meant he was in a bedroom. She glanced around, guessing there could be as many as fifteen bedrooms in this house.

Before she took the thought any further, Matt appeared at the top of the stairway. “Crib’s assembled. But we forgot to order sheets.”

“Did you notice any flat sheets in the linen closet you found?”

“Yes.”

“We’ll just use one of those. Tomorrow you can order crib sheets.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

She carried Bella up the stairs. At the top, Matt pointed down the hall. “This way.”

He guided her down two corridors and stopped at a set of double doors. Rich with grain that came through the red mahogany stain, they gleamed at her. He took both knobs, opened the doors and walked inside.

Claire stood on the threshold, her mouth gaping. A huge bed sat on a pedestal in the back of the room, near a bank of windows covered in elegant drapes that looked to be silk. What seemed like half a football field of space sat between the door and the bed, and in that space were a fireplace, white shag area rugs and two club chairs in front of a big-screen TV.

But that was it. The place was so open that gleaming hardwood floors dominated the room.

“This is your nursery?”

“I don’t have a nursery, remember? This is my bedroom.”

“Your bedroom.”

“She’s going to cry and get up in the middle of the night, isn’t she?”

“Yes. But I assumed you’d have the nanny get up with her.”

“Not tonight. It feels too much like I’ll be abandoning her. That’s why I put her crib—” he pointed at an open door to the right “—in there.”

“You put her in a closet?”

He snorted a laugh. “No. That’s an empty room beside mine. I was going to put an office in there but changed my mind. So it will come in handy tonight. With the door open, she’ll be close enough that I’ll hear her cry and she won’t feel alone.”

Gratitude tugged on her heart. She didn’t know why this man so easily empathized with Bella’s situation, but she was glad he did. Still—

“Do you know what to do when she gets up?”

“Change her diaper and give her a bottle.” He headed out of the room. A few minutes later he came back with a flat sheet and walked through the open door into the room beside his. “I watched what you did with the diaper. It didn’t seem like rocket science and neither does getting her a bottle.”

“I just don’t see you walking the floor.” She glanced around and took in all the…space. She swore she could fit her condo in the front of his bedroom. “Though there’s plenty of floor to walk a baby in here.” She glanced around again and finally followed him into the room where the newly assembled crib stood. “My God. Your room is huge. Like a high school gymnasium with better furniture.”

“It’s adequate.” He arranged the sheet on the mattress in the crib.

“It’s empty.”

“I don’t have any need for more than a bed, a few chairs and a TV.”

Seeing no point to arguing his personal choices, she laid the baby in the crib. “Whatever. But you still have to consider the hours you’ll be spending walking the floor when Bella cries.”

“She cries a lot?”

“Nights are the hardest for her.”

He combed his fingers through his hair. “I don’t want anything to be hard for her. This transition has to be smooth.”

“Well, we don’t have to make any decisions now. Let’s call the nanny service. Maybe there’ll be one who won’t mind sleeping in the room with the door open?”

“She’s going to sleep in the room with the crib?”

“Well, you could give her a suite in another wing, but then she wouldn’t hear Bella cry.”

“So I have to put a bed in there for her, too?”

“Unless you want to drag one of your chairs over there and make her stay awake all night, watching Bella.” She caught his gaze. “And she’s probably going to ask you to close the door while she’s sleeping.”

“Great. That sort of defeats the purpose.”

“Not really. Trust me. That close, you’ll still hear Bella cry. Plus, you have to make some concession somewhere,” she said, leading him out the door.

“I know, but something inside me says I can’t leave Bella. I want to be with her tonight. I want her to know she hasn’t been abandoned.”

Claire’s heart swelled again. Her worries that Matt was going to be like her dad, ignoring Bella the way her father had ignored her, lessened a bit. For all his faults, he truly wanted to care for this baby.

They walked out into the hall, but the second the door to Matt’s bedroom closed behind them, they heard a soft cry. By the time they opened the door and returned to the little room with the crib, Bella was sobbing.

As naturally as breathing, Matt reached in and pulled her up into his arms. “Ah, Bella. Don’t cry.”

Claire’s eyebrows rose. He hadn’t hesitated. He hadn’t deferred to Claire. He’d automatically taken Bella into his arms.

He really wanted to care for this baby.

“You could be very good with her.”

“Right,” Matt said. His voice rose to be heard above the sobbing. “As you can see, my picking her up really stopped her crying.”

“Not yet. But it will. Once she gets accustomed to you.” She walked around Matt, noting that his hold on the baby was secure but not a death grip that would frighten Bella. Though his shirt would be permanently wrinkled where Bella leaned against him, he either didn’t notice or didn’t care. And the baby had her arm on Matt’s shoulder, her hand stopped just at his neck. She was beginning to trust him. “You hold her easily, naturally, as if you’ve done this before.”

“I did have her by myself for an hour.”

“Hmm.” She walked around them again. “You held her the whole time?”

His face reddened a bit. “Yes. Once we got out of the limo I held her.”

“And walked to keep her from crying?”

He licked his lips. “Yes. We…walked.”

“So maybe you can handle her all night on your own.”

He glanced down at Bella, who still sobbed in his arms. “I’d rather the baby in my care not cry all night. If a nanny can get her to sleep, then I say we need to bring in those reinforcements.”

“Okay. Let’s go downstairs and make the call.”

They made it as far as the stairway before sobbing Bella leaned out of Matt’s arms and toward Claire. Once Claire took her, her crying turned to sniffles, then hiccups, then nothing.

Leading them down the hall to the den, Matt turned. “Amazing. That’s at least the second time she’s stopped crying for you.”

“She’s been with me for the four days it took you to return from London.”

In the den, he headed for the office section in the back. Claire sat on one of the chairs in front of the desk, Bella on her lap. Bella immediately reached for her pearls.

Leaning in Claire whispered, “Stop that.”

The baby giggled. Claire tickled her tummy. “If you want to play, there are more fun things to do than suck on pearls.”

Bella squealed.

Claire tickled her belly again. Bella’s giggles filled the room.

Matt said, “Okay, dialing now. Everybody might want to put a lid on it so Daddy can hear.”

Claire’s gaze snapped up. Had he just said Daddy?

“Yes, good evening. This is Matt Patterson. I got custody of a baby today and I’m going to need a nanny.”

He leaned back in his chair, obviously listening to what the person at the nanny service was saying, but Claire studied him.

With his perfect hair, sexy green eyes and disarming smile, he didn’t look like the kind of guy who would refer to himself as Daddy. Especially not immediately. Ultimately, he’d probably accept the title, but at this point Claire thought for sure he’d fight it.

Something was up with him. Something caused him to see this little girl’s plight and respond to it.

But if he got a nanny, a strict one, someone who wouldn’t let him help with Bella tonight, someone who wouldn’t let him assist with feedings or bath time, he could easily slide out of Bella’s life. Grow to depend on the nanny. And then he’d be like her dad. A cold, distant father.

And Bella would have a childhood like Claire’s. Lonely.

“You’re right.”

Matt’s gaze snapped to her when she spoke. He put his hand over the receiver. “What?”

“You’re right. You can’t let her be with the nanny tonight. You have to get up with her. She needs to see you and you need to learn how to care for her.”

Matt took his hand off the receiver and answered the person on the phone. “Yes. I’d need someone temporary for a few days while I choose a permanent employee.”

She stood up, reached over and pressed the button down to disconnect his call.

“Tomorrow you can get a temporary nanny. Tomorrow we can also ask them to fax some résumés of permanent candidates. Tonight, you need to continue to bond with Bella.”

He leaned back in his chair, those sexy eyes holding her gaze. “That had better mean you’re staying.”

She nodded as the implications of that tumbled through her. “Yes. I’ll stay and help.”

“And sleep in the room next to my bedroom?”

She lifted her chin. “We’re adults. Both of us have the best interest of Bella in mind. Besides, there’s a door.”

He smiled. “So, I can trust you?”

Her mouth fell open. “Of course you can trust me!”

“Just checking.”

But his gaze involuntarily fell to her breasts, then her hips and down to her feet. It was the second time he’d “looked” at her. First the subtle peek at her butt when she sat on the desk. Now a full-scale examination.

She swallowed and turned away, pretending to be preoccupied with Bella to give herself a second to resurrect her common sense. So he was attracted to her? She was attracted to him and had absolutely no intention of acting on it. He was a man too much like her father for her to even consider being interested. And she was a woman who refused to settle for anything less than a loving, wonderful husband.

Neither of them had any worries.

She hoped.

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