Hannah stepped back, still looking down at her daughter.

Joe was so busy admiring her skill as a mother, he didn’t get out of her way fast enough.

Their bodies brushed. She tilted her face up to his. Their glances met, held, and it was all Joe could do to keep from taking her into his arms, lowering his mouth to hers. He knew that kissing her now would be out of line. The last thing he wanted to do was take advantage of her.

Pushing his own desire aside, Joe stepped back. He wished the situation were different, he were different. Because if he were a stay-in-one-place kind of guy he wouldn’t hesitate to make a move, to see if this simmering attraction led anywhere. But he wasn’t in the market for a wife and kid. And she wasn’t the kind of woman looking to have a fleeting affair. It was best, then, that they stay friends.

And only friends.

Available in July 2009 from Mills & Boon® Cherish

Heart of Stone

by Diana Palmer

The Rancher’s Surprise Marriage

by Susan Crosby

Hannah’s Baby

by Cathy Gillen Thacker

Her Texas Lawman

by Stella Bagwell

The Prince’s Royal Dilemma

by Brenda Harlen

The Baby Plan

by Kate Little

CATHY GILLEN THACKER

married her school sweetheart and hasn’t had a dull moment since. Why? you ask. Well, there were three kids, various pets, any number of cars, several moves across the country, his and her careers and sundry other experiences (some of which were exciting and some of which weren’t). But mostly, there was love and friendship and laughter, and lots of experiences she wouldn’t trade for the world. Please visit her website at www.cathygillenthacker.com.

Hannah’s Baby
CATHY GILLEN THACKER

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MILLS & BOON

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Chapter One

Hannah Callahan stood on the porch of her childhood home, savoring the cool breeze of a perfect summer morning, watching dawn streak across the vast mountains. She had grown up in Summit, Texas, and although she had spent most of her post-college years living out of a suitcase in hotels all over the world, she was glad to leave those nomad days behind her. Glad to be starting a new chapter of her life.

A dark-green Land Rover made its way up the quiet residential street.

Hannah acknowledged the driver and wrestled her suitcase down the broad wooden steps of the prairie-style home.

Thirty-five-year-old Joe Daugherty left the motor running and met her halfway up the sidewalk. He was dressed in loose fitting trousers and a vibrant striped shirt that brought out the evergreen hue of his eyes. As always, the sheer size of his rugged six-foot-three frame dwarfed her considerably smaller body.

Hannah shifted her gaze from his broad shoulders, trying not to notice how petite she felt in his presence. She and Joe had met five months earlier. He’d come into the store, and the two of them had hit it off immediately. She’d been instantly and undeniably attracted to the sexy adventurer. He had seemed similarly interested. Had she not been so ready to settle down, and had he planned to stay in the area for more than the six months it took to research and write his book, maybe they would have gotten together. But Hannah was not interested in beginning an affair that would only have to end, so they’d relegated each other to the category of casual friend, nothing more. The fact he was going on this trip with her was a fluke, the kind of favor not likely to be repeated. She needed to remember that.

The emotion simmering inside her this morning had nothing to do with the arresting features of his masculine face, or the way the short strands of his hair gleamed against the suntanned hue of his skin. Nor did it have anything to do with the amount of time she was going to be spending with Joe Daugherty over the next week. Her racing pulse was caused by the continuing tension between her and the only family she had left. Anticipation of the events to come…

Oblivious to her tumultuous thoughts, Joe slipped his strong hand beneath hers to grip the handle on her wheeled twenty-six-inch suitcase. “This all the luggage you’ve got?”

Hannah nodded around the sudden lump in her throat and clasped the red canvas carryall of important papers and travel necessities closer to her body. “I just need to stop by the Mercantile and say goodbye to my dad.” Try one last time to talk some sense into him.

Joe fit her suitcase next to his and shut the tailgate. “No problem.” He slid behind the wheel while she jumped in to ride shotgun. He looked over his shoulder as he backed out of the drive. “We’ve got plenty of time.”

But not enough to change her dad’s mind. Hannah swallowed, beset by nerves once again. “Thanks for going with me.”

Joe shrugged and flashed her a sexy half smile. “Hey. It’s not every day somebody offers me an all expense paid trip to Taiwan.”

“Seriously—”

“Seriously.” He sent her a brief telling look that spoke volumes about his inherently understanding nature. “You need somebody to accompany you who has a current passport and no fear of the complexities of international travel. Someone who knows that particular region of Asia, not to mention the language, and is footloose and fancy-free enough to be able to drop everything and go once you got the word it was time.”

Stipulations that had narrowed the field of possible travel companions considerably. Glad he was not reading anything else into the invitation she had issued him, Hannah relaxed and settled back in her seat. “Ah, the virtues of being an adventure-loving travel writer,” she teased.

Joe braked for an armadillo taking his time about crossing the road. As he waited, he grinned at her. “Versus the virtues of being a marketing whiz turned entrepreneur?”

His praise made her flush. Pretending her self-consciousness had nothing to do with him, Hannah wrinkled her nose. “You can’t really call me an entrepreneur since the business I’m going to run—if I can ever get my dad to retire—has been in the family since Summit was founded in 1847.” Since then the mountain town had gone from an isolated but beautiful trading post for ranchers and settlers to a popular getaway and tourist attraction.

The armadillo finally hit the berm. Hands clasping the wheel, Joe drove on. “The changes you want to make are good ones.”

He was one of the few people who had seen Hannah’s plans to turn around the slowly diminishing family business. Hannah caught a whiff of cinnamon roll as they passed the bakery. “Tell that to my dad.”

“I have, a time or two.” Joe pressed his lips together ruefully. “Not that he’s inclined to listen to an East Coast city slicker like me.”

Hannah fidgeted when they stopped at a red light. She was so ready to get to Taipei and begin her new life it was ridiculous. “You grew up in Texas.”

“For the first ten years of my life—” Joe waved at a prominent rancher in a pickup truck “—but I went to school in Connecticut.”

While she respected Joe’s Ivy League credentials, it was the inherently respectful, compassionate way he treated everyone who crossed his path that she admired. Had he intended to stay in the beautiful Trans-Pecos area of West Texas, she might have considered seeing if the two of them could be more than friends.

Unfortunately, she knew it would never happen. He was as much a vagabond at heart as she had once been. For reasons, she suspected, that were just as elusive and privately devastating as her own.

Her mother’s death and her father’s recent heart attack had made her face the fact that time to address old hurts—or at the very least come to terms with them—was running out. If she wanted to heal the rift between her and her dad, the way her mother had always wanted, it had to be done soon. Whether her dad cooperated or not!

Aware the silence between them had stretched on for too long, Hannah shifted her attention back to Joe and asked casually, “When will you be done with your book?” Last spring, he’d rented a cabin just outside town and used it as a home base for his research on southwest Texas.

“It’s essentially done now. I just want to take one more trip to Big Bend, to check out a couple of the hotels I missed on my earlier visits, write the magazine articles I’m going to use to promote the book, and then I’m off to Australia to start my next project.”

“So you’ll be leaving…?”

“Texas? Right after Labor Day.”

Which meant, Hannah thought sadly, she’d rarely if ever see Joe again.

In another three weeks, he’d no longer be stopping by the Mercantile to chat up the tourists shopping there about their favorite haunts in this part of Texas. He’d no longer be teasing her, or making polite conversation with her father. Or stopping by to see if she wanted to grab some lunch at one of the cafés in town, along with whomever else their age he could round up.

Joe turned onto Main Street. The county courthouse and police station sat across from the parklike grounds of the town square, taking one whole block. Farther down, brick buildings some two hundred years old sported colorful awnings over picture windows. In the past few years, restaurants that catered to tourists and natives alike had sprung up here and there, adding to the length of the wide boulevard in the center of town. But it was the imposing Callahan Mercantile & Feed that gave Summit the Old West ambience tourists loved to photograph.

Built shortly after Texas achieved statehood, the sprawling general store still bore the original log-cabin exterior. Improvements had been made over the years, but the wooden rocking chairs scattered across the covered porch that fronted the building still beckoned a person to linger, even after purchases were made.

Joe eased his SUV into a parking space in front of the store. “Any chance the day’s pastries have arrived yet?”

Hannah nodded. “My dad stops by the bakery personally every morning to pick them up before he comes in. Help yourself to whatever is there. I’ll go find Dad.”

Gus was in back, as she figured he would be.

At seventy, he was still a handsome man with expressive brown eyes the same shade as hers. In the two years since her mother’s death, his thick straight hair had turned completely white. Gus Callahan had never been an easy man. He was set in his ways. Opinionated. He had a strong sense of right and wrong and had never been known to yield to anyone. Including Hannah.

A lump formed in her throat. Wondering when she would ever stop longing for his approval, she managed to choke out, “Dad?”

He looked up from the account statements he was sorting through.

“I’m leaving,” she said wishing, once again, for a miracle.

Gus scowled and set down the stack of billing notices. He looked her square in the eye and said flatly, “It’s still not too late to change your mind.”

IT WAS NOT JOE’S INTENTION to eavesdrop. Never mind get personally involved in a family dispute that was none of his business. But Hannah’s sigh of dismay rang through the silence of the Mercantile, catching his attention.

“Dad.” Her voice sounded thick with tears, in a way it never did with anyone else. “Please.”

Gus stormed out into the grocery aisles, either not noticing or not caring that Joe was there to witness the familial contretemps. Jaw set, he marched over to the card table in the corner where a large stainless steel percolator that had seen better days was set up. He picked up a disposable cup and held it underneath the pour spout. “I’m not going to pretend this is a good idea, Hannah.” Gus glared at her over the rim of his cup. “You want a baby? There are better ways to go about getting one.”

She sniffled. “It’s not that easy.”

“The hell it’s not!” He quaffed his coffee the same way he would a shot of whiskey. “You’ve got cowboys and businessmen lined up from here to Austin, ready and willing to marry you.”

She threw up her hands, angry now. “I don’t love them!”

Gus lifted his scraggly white brow. “How do you know what could be when you won’t even date them?” he demanded.

Hannah’s jaw set, in much the same fashion as her irascible father’s. “I’m not going to lead someone on just for the sake of filling up my social calendar!”

“If your mother were here…”

Now that was a low blow, Joe thought, remembering how hard it had been to get over the loss of his parents.

“Mom would applaud my decision to adopt!” she countered, just as fiercely.

“Your mother, God rest her soul, would be wrong in this instance,” Gus snapped.

Hannah shook her head wordlessly and stared at the floor as if praying for strength. She turned back to her father, her composure intact. “When I return, I’m going to have Isabella with me. I’m going to need your support.”

It was clear she wasn’t going to get it.

The hurt on her face was more than Joe could tolerate. He broke every rule he had about staying out of other people’s business. He strode through the aisles and stepped between the warring Callahans. He looked her in the eye. “If we don’t want to miss our flight, we better get a move on, Hannah.”

Gus looked at Joe with contempt. “You really want to be a friend to her? You’ll do everything you can to keep my daughter from getting on that plane.”

It was easy to see Gus’s words cut Hannah like a knife. Joe’s temper roiled as the color drained from her face.

Tears sparkled on her lashes, then were promptly blinked back. “Goodbye, Dad,” Hannah said hoarsely, stepping forward to give Gus a cursory hug and turning away with a stricken look on her face.

Joe and Hannah walked out to the SUV in silence. Got in.

He felt for her. He knew the pain of wanting a blood relative to love you the way you needed to be loved, only to be turned away. True, his rejection had been a tad more polite. But it had been a rebuff just the same. Joe started the SUV, backed out of the space and headed for the highway.

“Sorry about that.” Hannah’s hands were shaking.

You shouldn’t be, he thought with a wave of feeling that surprised him. Resolutely, he offered what comfort he could. “I’ve been in some of those orphanages, Hannah.” Forty or more cribs sandwiched into a single large room, infants lined up, one after another—sometimes doubling up in a crib—with only one or two attendants to care for them all. “Without people like you, willing to open up their homes and their hearts,” he told her gruffly, remembering their sad little faces and haunted eyes, “those kids don’t stand a chance.”

Hannah exhaled a shaky breath. “My dad…”

“Will come around, once your baby is here,” Joe predicted, wishing he could do more to erase the vulnerability on her pretty face.

“You really think so?” She searched his eyes.

Given his own experiences? If Joe were honest, he’d have to give in to his cynical side and say…no. But that wasn’t what Hannah needed to hear.

“Sure,” he said. And left it at that.

“THERE MUST BE SOME MISTAKE,” a frustrated Hannah told the English-speaking clerk at the registration desk of the five-star Taipei hotel. After thirty-four excruciating hours of travel, she was so tired she could barely function as she held up the index and third finger on her right hand. All she wanted was a hot shower, some clean pajamas…and a comfortable bed. “I asked for two rooms. Not one.”

The clerk looked confused. He consulted the computer screen in front of him. “Two adults,” he replied in carefully enunciated English, with a slight respectful bow of his head. “Two beds.”

“Two adults, two beds, and two rooms,” Hannah stipulated as clearly as possible. She turned her hand, palm up, hoping that physical action would accomplish what words had, thus far, not. “So I need two electronic key cards.”

The clerk looked dumbfounded.

Looking as if he had half-expected in a trip of this magnitude to encounter some kind of glitch, Joe stepped forward and intervened in fluent Mandarin Chinese. Immediately, the clerk began to relax. The two conversed pleasantly for several minutes. Finally, Joe turned to Hannah. “The adoption agency here booked a single room for every ‘family’ coming in to adopt. You requested separate accommodations for two adults so they gave us a room with two king beds.”

That made sense. Sort of. “Can’t we get another room?” Hannah asked.

Joe shook his head. “The hotel is fully booked for the rest of the summer. We could try another hotel, but they don’t hold out much hope—the nice accommodations are sold out.”

She let her head fall back. After a four-hour drive to the El Paso International Airport, a two-hour preflight wait, twenty-six hours in the air to Taipei, and another three hours getting through customs and to the hotel, she was dead on her feet. Joe had napped off and on, but she had barely slept on the plane. She was too nervous and excited about her future.

“One room is fine,” Joe said.

The thought of sharing space lent an intimacy to the trip she had not expected. “But…” Hannah protested.

Exhaustion tautened the lines of his face. “We’ll survive, Hannah. Besides, everyone adopting through the agency you’re using is on the fifth floor. You’re going to need to be there when they bring the babies up tomorrow afternoon.”

Hannah knew that was true. She looked at Joe. This was not what he had signed on for, either. “I’m really sorry.”

He picked up both suitcases and strode across the spectacular marble lobby to the elevators. “All I want is a shower and a place to lay my head. Anything else, at this point, is extraneous.”

To Hannah’s relief, the accommodations were beautiful and luxurious. The room was spacious with a spectacular wall of glass windows overlooking the city. The beds were huge and made up with beautiful linens, goose down comforters and feather pillows. The suite also had a plasma TV, writing desk and chair and a high-speed Internet connection. The adjoining bathroom had twin sinks, marble shower and soaking tub.

Joe, it would appear, could have cared less about the accommodations. He headed for the complimentary fruit basket on the desk. He grabbed an apple with one hand, set his laptop on the desk with the other. “I’ve got to check my e-mail so if you want the bath, it’s all yours.”

She wanted a shower more than she could say. She dragged her suitcase into the bathroom, made good use of the free scented soaps and shampoo, then stood under the spray, letting the soothing warmth seep into her bones.

Tired enough to fall asleep standing up, she got out, wrapped her wet hair in a towel and donned one of the thick white hotel robes. Staying up only long enough to brush her teeth and run a comb through her wet hair, she emerged and stumbled wearily into the closest bed. Her head hit the pillow and she closed her eyes.

“THEY’RE NOT THAT LATE, HANNAH,” Joe chided at two the following afternoon, not sure when a night and half a day had passed with such excruciating slowness. Mainly because ever since they’d been closeted together, he’d had a hard time taking his eyes off his suite mate.

Oblivious to the errant nature of his thoughts, Hannah consulted her watch and continued to pace. “The van from the orphanage was supposed to be here nearly half an hour ago.”

And during that time she had paced back and forth in front of the windows so many times Joe had her spectacular legs—and the inherent sexiness of her feminine stride—memorized. He shifted his glance upward, past her perfectly shaped torso to the silky brown hair brushing her slender shoulders. Her arms were incredibly toned, too. “Maybe they got stuck in traffic.”

“Then why haven’t they called to let us know?” she asked in a distressed voice.

He shrugged and looked directly into her long-lashed brown eyes. “Could be any number of reasons,” he said, wishing she had chosen to wear anything but that alluring white dress. “I’m certain everything is fine,” he repeated, reminding himself this situation had no room for desire on either of their parts.

“You’re right.” Hannah bit into her lower lip. Her delicate cheeks flushed with emotion. “I’m overreacting.” Exasperated, she propped her hands on her hips. “Not that this is your problem, in any case.”

It sure wasn’t supposed to be, Joe reflected. And it wouldn’t be now if a last-minute family emergency hadn’t kept Hannah’s friend from Chicago, who had already adopted a little girl from Taiwan, from making the trip. But her friend had been forced to cancel, and the international adoption agency Hannah was using insisted all of the infants being adopted be escorted back to their new countries by two responsible adults. Which, Joe admitted, was not a bad idea given the sheer distance most of the international adoptees and their new parents were traveling.

Hannah’s only family was Gus. Even if Gus had wanted to go, his health issues would have prevented such a long journey.

So she had asked Joe if he would consider going with her. Hannah had assured him he would not have to do anything regarding her adoption of the infant. While she was getting acquainted with her child and taking care of all the adoption and immigration legalities, he could stay in the hotel room and work on the magazine articles tied to his latest book project as well as indulge in as much of the culture as he wanted.

That had all sounded good to him. He had been in Summit, Texas, too long and he loved this part of Asia.

Unfortunately, the reservation mix-up had hampered his ability to concentrate and left him acutely aware of many things. The rosewood and patchouli fragrance of Hannah’s soap and shampoo. The fact she carried a stick of lip balm and applied it, every hour or so. The knowledge that the treatment worked—her full lips were a healthy pink and seductively soft. Too soft, Joe chided himself sternly, for him to be thinking about when they were cooped up this way.

The phone rang. Hannah jumped and rushed to pick it up. She listened intently, then smiled in relief. She thanked the caller, hung up and turned to him. “There was a problem with the conference room where we were all supposed to meet, so—” She paused as a knock sounded on the hotel room door. “Oh my God. Joe! She’s here!”

Chapter Two

Her heart in her throat, Hannah rushed toward the door and flung it open. On the other side of the portal, a Taiwanese nanny stood, with Hannah’s baby in her arms. For a second, Hannah was so overwhelmed with emotion, she could barely breathe. Her daughter was here—at long last.

And the baby was so much smaller than Hannah had expected. Only about fourteen pounds, at ten months of age. She was also absolutely, incredibly beautiful. Dark almond-shaped eyes were framed by long thick lashes and nestled beneath thin expressive brows. Her nose was cute and pert, her bow-shaped lips unexpectedly solemn. Her round little face was fuller than it had been in the photo that had been sent months ago, her bone structure more delicately feminine, and her legs and arms were almost alarmingly limp and thin. Her golden skin was flushed pink and it was easy to see why—her child was way too warmly dressed for a summer day. But this, too, Hannah had learned was typical. The Taiwanese feared children becoming chilled and catching cold. Hence, infants here were always quite warmly dressed, no matter what the season.

“This is Zhu Ming,” the nanny said, as the same scene was repeated at doors up and down the hotel corridor.

“Hello, Isabella Zhu Ming,” Hannah whispered tenderly, holding out her arms. The nanny gently made the transfer. Inundated with the love she’d felt for months, Hannah smoothed a tuft of wispy black hair from her little girl’s cheek and held her close.

In response, wariness gleamed in her daughter’s dark eyes, resistance tautened her body. Her baby wasn’t struggling to get away, but she wasn’t melting into her embrace, either, Hannah noted in disappointment. Rather, she regarded her with a world-weary resignation that went far beyond her age.

It’s going to take time for her to adjust and to trust that you won’t leave her, too, Hannah had been warned.

Intellectually, she’d braced herself for just this situation, many times over. Still, she felt momentarily shaken by her child’s stoic resistance.

The nanny handed over a diaper bag containing formula, rice cereal and half a dozen diapers. “We return at nine in morning, escort you to local court, finalize adoption.” The nanny touched Isabella’s cheek. “Zaijian, Zhu Ming.”

Isabella’s lower lip trembled at the nanny’s soft goodbye. She looked even more frightened and uncertain as the woman walked away and the door shut gently behind her.

Hannah caught a glimpse of Joe’s expression—he seemed as transfixed and in awe as she—then turned her full attention back to the child of her dreams.

“It’s all right, sweetheart,” she soothed, walking slowly toward the windows overlooking the city. She’d hoped the view would soothe the little girl. Instead, the view of the tall, elegant buildings made Isabella Zhu Ming all the more anxious. Tears eked out of the corners of her infant’s eyes. She wasn’t making a sound, but she was clearly very distressed.

And no wonder, she thought, her heart going out to her sweet little baby girl. Isabella Zhu Ming probably hadn’t been out of the orphanage since she was abandoned in a marketplace, the previous autumn. To be dressed in clothes that were way too warm, driven several hours on a bus and then to be promptly handed over to a stranger who didn’t even speak her own language had to be very frightening indeed.

Resolved to make this transition as easy as possible, Hannah continued walking her baby about the hotel room, gently rubbing her back and speaking softly. “We’ve got all the time in the world, my sweet baby girl. Your momma’s here, and I promise from here on out I’ll do everything in my power to protect you so you never feel abandoned ever again.”

JOE’D THOUGHT EVERY OUNCE of overwrought sentimentality had been wrung out of him in the year after his parents’ death. He didn’t cry, period. So it was a shock to feel his throat tightening as he watched Hannah interact with her baby for the very first time.

There was something so tender in the way she held the child.

Something equally moving in the way the child was responding to her.

Which went to show how much a mother’s love could mean.

And Hannah did love this child she had barely met. That was apparent. The two were already bonding, albeit slowly and cautiously on Isabella Zhu Ming’s part.

Noting the way the baby had started chewing and sucking on her tiny fist, Hannah retrieved the bag of essential items the nanny had left. With her free hand, Hannah perused what was inside the canvas knapsack. Still cuddling the baby close to her breasts, she paused to read a typewritten set of instructions.

Wordlessly, Hannah hazarded a glance at Joe, who was trying without much success to get back to work, then frowned as she walked back over to the bed to put the baby down.

As soon as the baby hit the feather comforter, she began to cry.

“Oh, dear.” Hannah immediately picked the infant back up again.

Isabella stopped crying and held on to her for dear life.

Hannah looked at Joe. “I know I promised I wouldn’t ask…”

Uh-oh.

“…but according to the schedule, Isabella is supposed to have a bottle of soy formula at 4 p.m. I need to get the bottle ready and check her diaper and see if it’s wet, and since this is all so new to her…”

Hannah looked so tortured about having to make the request, he let her off the hook with a casual offer of assistance. “You want me to hold her?” he said as if it were no big deal, when it felt like it was going to be a very big deal.

Hannah nodded, looking emotional again. “Would you, please? Just for a moment?” she asked in a low, quavering tone.

He held out his arms.

Isabella went into them with a suspicious look. When Hannah eased away, Isabella continued to glare at him. Surprised at the tenderness welling up inside of him, Joe offered his little finger. Still scowling, the baby stared at it for a long minute, then thrust out her lower lip petulantly and latched on to it with one tiny fist.

Joe looked into eyes that held far too much cynicism for someone so young. He tried—and failed—to coax even a hint of a smile from her. “I don’t think she likes me as much as she likes you,” he teased.

Hannah lifted her brows accepting the lighthearted comment with the sentiment with which it had been made. Turning back to her task, she prepared the bottle with powdered soy formula and boiled water from the thermos that was standard in all Taiwanese hotel rooms. “She probably just hasn’t been around many men. I think all the workers in the orphanages are women.”

“I hadn’t thought of that.” Joe regretted his pass on the razor that morning. He lifted Isabella’s tiny hand to his stubble and saw her frown as if perplexed. “You probably think I should have shaved prior to our introduction, huh?”

Isabella stared at Joe, wide-eyed.

At least for the moment, Joe thought, she was distracted from her hunger…

Hannah fastened the nipple onto the mouth of the plastic baby bottle and twisted tight. As she approached them, she grinned and tilted her head a little to one side to survey him better. “You do look a little like a pirate,” she said thoughtfully.

Aware the dramatic repartee was working to entertain the solemn child, Joe pretended to be incensed. “You hear that, Isabella Zhu Ming? I think I’ve just been insulted!”

Isabella turned to Hannah, as if waiting to see her reaction to Joe’s assertion.

Hannah did not disappoint. She made a face that was just as comical—and just as interesting to little Isabella.

“No, you weren’t!” Hannah scoffed, peering at Joe and then Isabella. “Pirates are sexy!”

“Are we talking about me now—or the actors in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies?” He glided closer.

Hannah shook the bottle vigorously, blushing all the while. “Orlando Bloom, of course. I’ve always had a bit of a crush on him and he made an incredible swashbuckler.”

Good to know Hannah hadn’t been hitting on him just now, Joe thought wryly. No sense in setting either of them up for disappointment. Not that he had ever expected anything to come of his association with Hannah, anyway. She was putting down roots in her hometown. He had nowhere to go back to and didn’t really want a home base. Traveling was easier. Roaming around the way he did, there was no expectation of belonging. All that was required was that he fit in temporarily, and then move on, without looking back. He was an ace at that.

Hannah tested the formula on her wrist. “Whoa. They told us to use the boiled water in the hotel thermoses for making formula, but this is going to have to cool off for a minute.”

Too late, Isabella had seen the bottle. Making no bones about how hungry she was, she reached out her hands and when it didn’t come right away, began to cry.

“Hang on, little one, it’s coming,” Hannah soothed, wincing at the sound of the baby’s high-pitched, heartbreaking sobs. She rushed to put the bottle under cool running water. After a minute or so beneath the tap, the formula had cooled enough for her to give Isabella the bottle. Once Joe handed the baby back to her, Isabella took the bottle between her little hands and sucked greedily.

In two minutes flat, the bottle was empty.

Isabella looked back at Hannah, clearly wanting more. Hannah seemed nonplussed. “Should we fix her another bottle?”

She was asking him? What did he know about babies, except how to hold one in an emergency? “Sounds fine to me,” he said, returning the decision to her.

HANNAH DIDN’T KNOW WHAT HAD gotten into her. She had been preparing for this day for months now, yet she was suddenly all flustered. Worse, she knew why. From the moment they’d first met, she’d always been a little too aware of Joe.

And it was more than just his appearance—which was very appealing in itself. But, ultimately it was the sophistication that came from seeing so much of the world. The way he knew when to come a little closer, and when to back off. It was the kindness in his eyes, the gentleness in his touch, and the way Isabella looked up at him, completely spellbound after just a few minutes in his strong arms.

He would have been the perfect father to her baby.

If only he’d been interested in having a family…which he wasn’t.

She needed to remember that. And she needed to stop leaning on him, asking him to help her get Isabella settled in.

“Want me to hold her while you fix another bottle?” Joe asked.

It was now or never. She had told everyone she could do this as a single mother. It was time to prove it. Hannah drew a bolstering breath. “Actually, I think we’re fine. So if you want to do anything else…see the sights, go out to dinner…it’d be fine. We’ll be fine.”

For a second, Joe’s expression didn’t change. Then, ever so subtly, a veil came over his emotions. Once again, he became the Joe who had picked her up two days ago. The Joe who had taken her to the airport and sat in a different section of the airplane. The Joe who was there to escort her to and from Taiwan and nothing more.

“Good idea.” He flashed her a handsome grin that filled her senses. “You two probably want time to settle in.”

Oblivious to her disappointment, he pocketed his electronic room key and gave her a wink. “Don’t wait up.”

IN THE HOURS THAT FOLLOWED, Hannah had plenty of time to regret her decision to send Joe off into the nightlife of Taipei. The first moment came when she realized she only had enough powder for one more bottle, and Isabella didn’t like the taste of the American-made soy formula she had brought with her. Fortunately, one of the other adoptive families on the floor had anticipated this and made a run to the closest grocery for more. They shared their extra with Hannah.

The next problem was not so easily solved.

She was still contemplating what to do about it when Joe returned four hours later. He walked in, saw her sitting in a chair, Isabella cradled in her arms.

He lifted one blond brow. “Still awake?”

Fatigue fighting with the contentment deep inside her, Hannah nodded. “Oh, yeah.”

Joe set his room key, wallet and BlackBerry on top of the bureau. He toed off his loafers, then came over to sit on the side of the bed, opposite her. He braced his elbows on his thighs. Leaning closer, his expression softened as his gaze moved over the fully alert baby snuggled contentedly in her arms. “That’s not a good thing?”

Hannah didn’t have a lot of experience with infants. But…“In the orphanage she would have been asleep two hours ago, or so the schedule says.”

Joe shifted his gaze from Isabella Zhu Ming to Hannah. “Then what happened?”

Hannah flushed at his scrutiny. “I’m not sure.”

He returned his attention to the baby. “What do you know?”

Hannah made a face that mirrored her inner frustration at having apparently failed as a mother so soon. A good mother, she felt, would have been able to take charge immediately, rather than be at the mercy of emotions in her baby she couldn’t quite soothe. She inclined her head at Isabella. “I can’t get her to sleep and I can’t put her down.”

Joe took a moment to consider that. “If you can’t put her down, how do you change her diaper?” he asked eventually.

Despite her efforts to play it cool, ruefulness crept into her tone. “With great difficulty.”

Joe eyed the telltale stains on her white dress. “I see what you mean,” he remarked dryly, knowing as well as Hannah she couldn’t sit there forever. “So what’s the plan?” he asked.

“I was going to try and bathe her in the hopes that the warm water would relax her.”

Joe seemed to concur that it was a good plan. “But…?”

Hannah swallowed, aware she was beginning to feel overwhelmed by all she didn’t know and had yet to experience. “Isabella’s never had an actual bath in a tub or sink. The caretakers wipe them down with washcloths in the orphanage.”

Compassion lit his eyes. “You think she’s going to freak?”

Unfortunately, yes. “It had occurred to me.”

He squinted. “What happened to her hair?”

Hannah looked down at the top of Isabella’s head. “I rubbed baby oil into her scalp, to soften the cradle cap.”

Joe moved to stand beside Hannah. “It looks soft, all right.”

As well as greasy. “Obviously, I need to shampoo that out.”

Looking more man of action than uninvolved bystander, Joe braced his hands on his waist. “Hard to do if you can’t put her down,” he noted.

Hannah didn’t want Isabella screaming in terror before she even got her in the water. Nor could she do everything with one hand, while still holding Isabella with the other. “Exactly.”

Joe sized up the situation. “Want me to help?”

He didn’t know how much. Yet, her conscience prevailed. “I promised you that you wouldn’t have to do this stuff,” Hannah reminded him guiltily.

Joe’s lips tightened with determination. “Let me put it to you this way. If she doesn’t sleep, you don’t sleep. And if neither of you sleep, I won’t sleep…and I like to sleep. So, what do you say we get this show on the road? Where do you want to do this?” he asked.

Hannah sized up the accommodations. The bathtub was way too big and deep for a baby who couldn’t even sit up yet. “How about the sink?”

“Good choice.” Joe cleared the toiletries from the marble counter between the two sinks. “She can look at herself in the mirror.”

Hannah turned the infant so that Isabella could see her reflection. The smile she had hoped to see did not come, but Isabella kept her gaze on the mirror. “If you could hold her, I can get everything ready.”

Joe held out his hands. Their hands and arms touched as they shifted the baby from her embrace to his. Isabella’s brows knit together, but she did not make a sound.

Hannah spread a thick hotel towel on the counter, and draped the baby bath towel on top of that. She brought in a bottle of lavender-scented baby wash and shampoo, a small thin baby washcloth, a clean diaper, undershirt and sleeper. Joe swayed the baby back and forth in his arms until the shallow oval basin was filled with warm water.

Hannah turned to him, aware she was nervous again. Maybe because it had never been more important to her to do something right. “I’ll ease her clothes off while you hold her.”

“Sounds good.”

Gently, she eased the pants and sweater Isabella had been wearing from her body. The diaper, after that. It was the first time Hannah had seen her baby without any clothing. She was shocked by how thin Isabella’s arms were, but relieved to see her torso was nice and sturdy, her ribs barely discernible beneath her delicate golden skin.

Hannah checked Joe to see if he was ready. He looked back at her as if to say, Here goes.

Murmuring soft words of comfort, Hannah eased Isabella Zhu Ming into the warm water. Isabella stiffened, a look of terror on her face, and began to struggle hysterically to get out. Joe produced the yellow rubber ducky. Isabella batted it away, still kicking.

He began speaking in Mandarin Chinese.

Isabella grew very still.

He did a little puppet show. “Huaji rubber ducky. Rubber ducky xihuan, Isabella Zhu Ming…”

He made quacking sounds that had Hannah smiling, Isabella solemn but intent. He had the duck “swim” circles around Isabella and washed the rubber ducky’s beak with the same baby wash Hannah was using on Isabella. By the time Hannah had put the shampoo in Isabella’s hair and tenderly massaged it in, Isabella was less concerned with the newness of her bath, reaching tentatively for the duck. She had it clutched in her hand by the time Hannah rinsed the soap out with a cup of water. Joe and Hannah locked eyes. They shared the triumph of her first bath, which, thanks to his help, had been relatively stress-free.

Isabella was still holding on to the toy when Hannah drew her out and wrapped her in a hooded towel. Soundlessly, Isabella examined every aspect of the duck while Hannah dressed her in a soft pink cotton sleeper. Hannah picked her up and breathed in the soft, clean baby scent of her. Tenderness, unlike anything she had ever felt, filled her heart. And she could have sworn, Joe felt it, too…

JOE HAD HEARD IT COULD TAKE days, weeks…even months for an adoptive mother to bond with an older infant.

Obviously, he noted as Hannah cuddled Isabella Zhu Ming Callahan close to her heart, this was not the case here. There was an unspoken connection between the two that transcended the barrier of so much that was unfamiliar. They communicated with touch and look. The message both were sending out was that they belonged together.

“You look so…wistful,” Hannah remarked, reluctantly handing Isabella back to Joe so she could make another bottle of formula.

“Do I?” He cradled Isabella in his arms and found the experience of holding the sweet and solemn little girl every bit as fulfilling as Hannah evidently had. Was this how it felt to be a parent? Was he giving up something incredible in refusing even to consider the possibility of fathering a child? Or was he being smart, given the kind of life he led, in abandoning the idea of a family of his own?

Finished making the bottle, Hannah retrieved Isabella and sat down in one of the upholstered chairs in front of the windows.

“You do.” She offered the bottle to Isabella. Once again, the baby turned her head away from Hannah to drink it. She stared at Joe instead.

Restless, Joe got up and took one of the chocolates the hotel staff had left on his pillow at turndown. “I was just thinking about how much of the world I have left to see and write about,” he fibbed, sure the unexpected sentiment he felt would disappear the moment they got back to the States and parted company once again.

Hannah shifted so the baby would be situated more comfortably in her arms. “How many books have you done so far?”

Joe picked up the camera she had brought with her and took a couple of photos he knew she would appreciate later. “Ten.”

Hannah smiled as the baby snuggled closer and shut her eyes. “How many do you intend to do?”

He shrugged, intent on capturing that moment of sweet mother-daughter bonding. He knelt and used the zoom function on the lens. “Fifty, if I’m lucky, plus updated versions of all the books I have in print.”

Hannah considered him thoughtfully. “Which means you go back to the countries you’ve already detailed?”

Wishing the two of them were like-minded enough to date, Joe nodded. “Right. I add new places, take out others that have either declined or closed their doors.” Desire welled inside him. He shunted it aside deliberately.

Compassion lit Hannah’s dark-brown eyes. “It must be exciting.”

And lonely, he thought. Especially on nights like this, when he was in an incredible city and had no one special to share it with. He turned the attention back to her once again. “You traveled a lot in your previous job, didn’t you?”

Hannah shifted the baby to her shoulder. “Every week I went somewhere to meet with a customer and help them revise or completely retool the marketing plan for their business.”

“Did you like it?”

Hannah patted Isabella gently on the back. “I liked the challenge of figuring out how to make something better.” She scowled, admitting, “I hated living out of a suitcase in so-so hotel rooms, always getting in late—or having to leave very early—driving rental cars in unfamiliar cities….”

Joe grinned. “I’m getting the sense you didn’t enjoy the traveling part,” he teased.

“You sense right. Although,” she added pensively, “maybe it would have been different if five-star accommodations and chauffeured limos had been part of my expense account.” She sneaked a peek at the infant curled up on her shoulder. “I think she’s finally asleep.”

“Want to try and put her down?”

Hannah nodded.

Joe took the empty baby bottle from her hand, being careful not to touch her in the process. She rose slowly, Isabella still in her arms, glided ever so carefully over to the port-a-crib in the corner, and gingerly eased Isabella down on her back.

To their mutual relief, Isabella slept on.

The picture of maternal tenderness, Hannah took the pink cotton baby quilt with the satin trim and tucked it around her new daughter. Next to her child, she secured the rubber ducky and an infant-size teddy bear, so both would be within reach when Isabella did wake up.

Hannah stepped back, still looking down at her daughter. Joe was so busy admiring her skill as a mother, he didn’t get out of her way fast enough. Their bodies brushed. She tilted her face up to his. Their glances met, and it was all Joe could do to keep from taking her into his arms, lowering his mouth to hers. The rational side of him knew, however, that kissing her now would be out of line. The last thing he wanted to do was take advantage of her, or the situation.

Pushing his own desire aside once again, Joe cleared his throat, stepped back. He wished the situation were different, he were different. Because if he were a stay-in-one-place kind of guy he wouldn’t hesitate to make a move on Hannah, to see if this simmering attraction he’d been feeling led anywhere. But he wasn’t in the market for a wife and kid. And she wasn’t the kind of woman looking to have a fleeting affair. It was best, then, that they stayed friends. And only friends. “Guess we better hit the sack while we can,” he stated affably.

Hannah’s dreamy expression faded. In complete control of her emotions once again, she nodded. “No telling how long she’ll sleep.”

Joe walked over to the bureau where he had stowed his things. On top was his BlackBerry. Before he attached it to the charger, he checked the screen, saw the text message. He exhaled, resigned, and turned back to her. “I have to make a call. I’ll go downstairs.”

“You can do that here,” she offered.

Joe dreaded the upcoming conversation. This was not a part of his life he wished to share, even inadvertently. “I don’t want to chance waking Isabella up.” He pocketed his hotel room key card and warned without inflection, “I may be a while. So don’t feel you have to wait up.”

Chapter Three

Hannah got ready for bed and climbed beneath the covers. She should have been exhausted since it had been such an eventful day. What kept her awake was the look on Joe’s face when he checked his BlackBerry…the way he’d had to leave the room to make a phone call.

She understood he might want his privacy.

Furthermore, she knew she had no right to be curious about what was going on in his life tonight.

And yet…she was.

Did he have a woman in his life?

He hadn’t mentioned one.

No one had seen him with a female friend in the four months he had been renting a cabin outside of Summit. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t romantically involved.

She had just assumed, by the quick way he had accepted her invitation to accompany her to Taiwan, that he was single and as unencumbered emotionally as she was.

Although she did not know why this should suddenly matter to her. The two of them were not hooking up. He was moving on shortly after they returned to Texas.

And yet the way he had stopped dead in his tracks when he had read the message, not to mention the byplay of emotion across his face, made her sure he was dealing with something very personal.

As she drifted off to sleep, Hannah was still wondering what could have caused him to react like that.

The next thing she knew, she was waking to the hysterical shriek of the baby in the crib beside her bed. She bolted upright, as Isabella screamed in terror. Hannah flung back the covers. In the opposite bed, Joe did the same. Hannah picked up Isabella, soothing her with words and touch. To no avail. Isabella looked at Hannah as if she had never seen her before in her life. Tears streaming from her dark eyes, she screamed and kicked and flailed. Joe turned on a light.

He came toward them, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “What is it?”

“I don’t know.” Hannah walked Isabella back and forth. She gently rubbed her daughter’s back, soothing her all the while. “I think it might be a night terror.” She had read about the sleep disturbance in infants. “She looks like she’s awake…”

“But she’s really still in the midst of a nightmare.” Joe spoke to be heard above the crying.

Hannah nodded.

He began speaking Mandarin Chinese. Hannah had no idea what he was saying, but the sound of his low, masculine voice soothed Isabella—and Hannah—in a way her English words could not.

As Hannah continued to sway the baby back and forth, Joe kept murmuring to her child. Slowly, the wailing diminished, and the tears stopped flowing. Before long, Isabella’s eyes slowly shut again.

Her own body relaxing in relief, Hannah held her baby close, rocking her gently back and forth, letting the rise and fall of her own chest synch with Isabella’s. Until finally, her little girl was limp in her arms once again. Hannah carefully eased Isabella back into the port-a-crib and covered her with a blanket.

Trembling with delayed reaction to the tumultuous event, Hannah sat down on the side of the bed.

Her heart still racing, she watched over her baby for signs of further distress. There were none.

Concerned, Joe brought her a bottle of water.

Hannah drank deeply. He touched her shoulder briefly, his palm as warm and comforting against her bare skin as his verbal reassurances had been to her infant daughter.

“Try and get some sleep,” he whispered.

Feeling like she could drown in the empathy in his eyes, knowing it would be all too easy to depend on his inherent kindness, she nodded. Seconds later, they turned off the light.

As Hannah lay back against the pillows, her breath shallow in her chest, she wondered what had frightened the baby so. Was Isabella remembering the night she had been abandoned in a city park by the family who could not care for her? Nights and days spent in an orphanage where again it seemed like she was all alone? Or was she afraid of the changes and unfamiliar faces?

All Hannah knew for sure was that she would do anything to protect her baby. Isabella needed to know she had family now. A family who would always love her and care for her, a family she could count on.

Isabella would never be forsaken again, Hannah vowed fiercely. She would see to that.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE’S going to be a delay?” Hannah asked the international adoption agency representative who had come to their suite.

Joe turned to the bearer of bad news.

The Hong Kong–born woman in charge of all legal matters was deeply apologetic. “We have just received word that our English interpreter has fallen ill. Our appointment with the local court is in one hour. We cannot get a suitable replacement that quickly. So all the English-speaking families in the group will have to reschedule for next week. The French and Italian families will proceed as scheduled.”

Joe watched the color drain from Hannah’s cheeks. He could imagine what she was thinking. International adoptions were orchestrated very carefully. A single glitch could cause the process to be set back for weeks or months. A lengthy delay would not only cost her thousands of additional dollars she might not have to spend, it could also prompt the Taiwanese authorities to send Isabella Zhu Ming back to the orphanage, until all was in order again.

Any obstacle to Isabella legally becoming Hannah’s child was unbearable. “Can’t you act as interpreter?” she asked the woman emotionally.

The representative shook her head. “While my English is fine, my Mandarin is rudimentary. The magistrate will be asking questions, and your answers to him must be correctly translated.”

Once again, Joe found himself getting involved despite his better judgment. “I speak the language fluently.” Before he knew it, he was on his way to the local court with the rest of the group. And Hannah Callahan was looking at him with more gratitude than ever before….

Once the adoptive families arrived, they were ushered into a waiting room and then called in to the judge’s chambers, one by one.

Joe served as interpreter for two other families before it was Hannah’s turn to appear with Isabella. As in other cases before the magistrate, vital statistics for both were verified. Then came the questions that were even more important.

“Are you adopting this baby girl as a single parent?”

“I am,” Hannah answered.

Her reply was translated. Then the next question came and was similarly transposed so she could understand. “Do you plan to someday marry?” Joe inquired for the court.

Hannah hesitated, her eyes locking with his momentarily, before she turned back to the bench. And in the silence that fell Joe found he was—surprisingly—almost as interested to hear her reply as the judge.

“I will only marry if the man loves Isabella as much as I do and will promise to be there for her always,” Hannah stated plainly.

Her answer was relayed. The judge nodded, his gaze approving—but stern. Another question in Mandarin.

Again, Joe translated. “Who will care for this child?”

Hannah’s voice rang with the certainty of a promise made and kept. “I will.”

“Will you be with the child during the day or will you be at work?” was the judge’s next inquiry.

“I will take the baby with me to the store where I work. I can do this,” she explained, “because my family owns the store.”

Gus might have something to say about that, Joe thought. Then again, given the look of determination on Hannah’s face, maybe Gus would not have a say, at all….

“Do you promise to love this child always?”

As soon as she understood the question, Hannah’s heart was in her voice, and her eyes shone with tears. “Yes. I will always love her.”

“Do you promise to never abandon her?” Joe asked for the judge, looking deep into Hannah’s eyes. Yet already knowing the answer as surely as he was beginning to know her.

“I promise that with all my heart,” she said thickly. And this time a single tear—of pure and unadulterated happiness—did fall.

TO HANNAH’S DELIGHT, ISABELLA Zhu Ming Callahan’s adoption was approved and her HHR—household registry—was changed to reflect this. The adoption then became legal and final. And it was off to a clinic with the rest of the babies to have a rudimentary physical examination that consisted of a palpitation of her abdomen, a listen to her heart and lungs, a measurement of her head, and movement of her arms and legs.

That quickly, she was pronounced healthy, a rubber stamp affixed to the required medical exam papers. After the groups split up to keep their preset appointments with the various consulates, the three of them headed to the American Institute in Taiwan. In the consular section on the third floor, another interview commenced—this one all in English—and an immigrant visa was issued for Isabella Zhu Ming Callahan.

Hannah didn’t know whose smile was broader—hers or Joe’s—as they left the AIT. It had been six hours since they had left the hotel, and although Isabella had enjoyed several bottles of formula, neither she nor Joe had eaten. The hotel was a half-hour cab ride away. The dinner hour was upon them. Aware what a trooper he’d been, and how little she’d done to see to his comfort on this trip, she offered a tentative smile. “We should celebrate,” she said.

Joe grinned back, looking more content and at ease than she had ever seen him. “We should,” he agreed.

The question was where, she thought, acutely aware that this was suddenly feeling more like an impromptu date than a mission to be accomplished. “Any ideas?” she asked, trying not to notice how strong and handsome Joe looked standing there beside her.

Joe slid his hands in his trouser pockets. “We could have dinner at a place I know.” He maintained the casual attitude he’d exuded all day. “It’s not too fancy but the food is amazing.”

Wishing she had time to freshen up, Hannah used her free hand to push the hair from her face. “Sounds great.”

There was no chance to converse en route because Joe was busy giving the driver directions in Mandarin Chinese. Upon arrival, Hannah took Isabella to the ladies’ room to change her damp diaper. When she returned, Joe was on his cell. He looked…stressed.

“I think you should calm down.” He shot her an apologetic look for the interruption and kept right on giving counsel. “Girls that age break up with their boyfriends all the time. If Valerie thinks it was time for Elliott to hit the road, then I’m sure it was. Yeah, I will. But I don’t think she’s going to call me. Bye, Aunt Camille.”

His expression taut with displeasure, he ended the connection and addressed her. “Sorry about that. I’d had about ten messages from them today. I really needed to call my aunt and uncle back.”

Although very open about many aspects of his life, Joe had said very little about his family. She was glad he’d brought it up. “You’re close to them?”

For a second, Joe hesitated. His expression became even more circumspect. “They became my guardians when my mom and dad were killed in a train derailment while on vacation in Spain.”

Hannah knew how hard it had been, losing her mom just two years ago. It had to have been much tougher for him to lose both parents at once. “How old were you?” she asked sympathetically.

“Nine.” He looked over at Isabella, and she leaned toward him, indicating she wanted to go to him for a while. “I lived with my aunt and uncle and their three kids for about a year, and then I went to a boarding school after that.” He held out his arms to the baby.

“Was going away to school a tradition in your family?” she asked, handing Isabella to him.

He propped Isabella against his shoulder, so she could look out at the other patrons in the small homey restaurant. She rested her cheek against his shirt, wreathed one arm about his neck and clutched his sleeve with her other hand.

“I’m the only one who went.” Joe surveyed Hannah while he cuddled Isabella close, the tenderness of the gesture bringing a lump to Hannah’s throat. “But it was a good experience,” he continued matter-of-factly. “It made me independent at an early age.”

Independent, or unable to settle down? Hannah wondered. Trying not to think how sad that was, she mixed formula in the baby bottle, capped it with the nipple and shook it vigorously.

Joe leaned back, allowing the waitress to put the menus in front of them. “Anyway, yesterday the family discovered that Valerie dropped out of summer classes and moved out of her college dorm without discussing it with them first.”

“Why would she do that?” Ready to feed the baby, Hannah held out her arms.

Joe slid Isabella into her embrace. “Apparently, she and her boyfriend broke up. She decided she could no longer be on the same campus as he was—they were both in summer school at a private liberal arts college just outside Austin. She contacted the registrar, told them she was quitting the university and took off.”

She situated Isabella with the bottle. Again the baby faced away from her, as was her preference while she fed. “And no one told her parents?”

The waitress appeared with two cups of green tea. “Valerie told her student advisor she was going to do that.”

“But she didn’t.” Hannah pointed to what she wanted on the menu.

Joe placed his order, then continued catching her up. “Valerie told them about the breakup—she didn’t tell them about the dropping-out-of-school part. So when my aunt and uncle flew down from their summer place in Aspen yesterday to check on Valerie and found out what happened, they were livid. They found her staying with one of her girlfriends in San Antonio and demanded she meet with them immediately. She said no and took off again to parts unknown.”

Joe exhaled in frustration. “Ten minutes after the conversation with my aunt—who can be a little, uh, shall we say controlling—Valerie withdrew enough cash from her ATM to last her a while. Anyway, that’s why they were so desperate to talk to me last night and why I went down to the lobby to return their call. They thought she might try to stay with me, since I’ve been living in Texas temporarily.”

Isabella finished her bottle. Hannah sat her up on her lap, facing Joe. “Only you’re not in Texas right now.”

“But Valerie doesn’t know that, since I didn’t tell the family I would be over here with you.” He paused, explaining, “When they need me, they contact me by e-mail…or cell. Other than that, we don’t communicate a lot.”

Isabella burped softly, a bubble of milk covered her lower lip. Joe leaned over and dabbed it with a cloth napkin.

Hannah smiled at the display of tenderness. He was a natural, when it came to kids. “Are you and Valerie close?” she asked curiously.

Again, that self-protective expression. “Let’s just say we have similar standings in the family,” Joe remarked quietly.

Similar standings? What did that mean? And why did she see a flash of sorrow in his eyes just now?

“Anyway, I’m sure she’s fine.” Joe’s emotions were veiled again. “My cousin will turn up—but not until she is ready.”

Joe spent the rest of the meal regaling her with tales of his exploits in China and Taiwan. Just hearing about his experiences thrilled Hannah, and it was with great reluctance that they returned to their suite.

Hannah stood slightly to the side as Joe unlocked the door with the electronic key card. “Thank you for a wonderful dinner.”

He held the door for her, his tall body radiating warmth and strength. “Thanks for the company.” He stepped back to let her pass, then followed her inside. He shut the door behind them, the action cloaking them in the intimacy of shared space.

He smiled. “I can’t remember when I’ve had two such charming dinner companions.” Coming near once more, Joe tucked his index finger into Isabella’s fist. Isabella looked up at him with the solemn expression Hannah was beginning to love so much.

Regretting the fact that their time together was about to end, Hannah asked him wistfully, “Do you think she’ll ever smile?”

Joe nodded, as certain as Hannah was unsure. “She will when she’s sure she’s here to stay. That this isn’t all some wonderful dream she’s having.”

His affection for her child kindled feelings in Hannah—for him. She kicked off her shoes and sank down onto the edge of the bed, with Isabella still in her arms. “She is wonderful, isn’t she?”

Joe sat down next to Hannah and smoothed a hand through Isabella’s soft hair. “And then some.”

For a moment they reveled in the wonder of the child they had both come to know.

They studied one another. Hannah couldn’t be sure, but she thought—hoped—Joe was fighting a desire to take her in his arms and kiss her. The same way she was fighting not to kiss him.

Working hard to keep her feelings in check, she turned her glance to the suitcases that still had to be packed. “And tomorrow we go back to Texas.” To real life. Away from the fantasy and wonder of this magical time in Taiwan…

Joe caught her hand in his. “I thought you’d be happier about that.”

She looked down at their entwined palms. It was a friendly gesture. Nothing more. Yet his touch felt so good…so right. “I’m worried about my dad,” she admitted.

He squeezed her hand reassuringly before letting go. “Gus is going to love Isabella when he sees her.”

Hannah gave Joe a skeptical look.

“How could he not?” he asked.

How, indeed? Hannah wondered.

“YOU SURE YOU WANT ME TO GO IN with you?” Joe guided his Land Rover into a space in front of Callahan Mercantile & Feed.

Gus’s truck was still out front, Hannah noted. Which was no surprise. Her dad often went in early, getting there at least an hour before the 7:00 a.m. opening, and staying at least an hour after it closed for the day. Sundays were a little lighter, but he was still there at least eight hours. The schedule, plus his refusal to ever take a vacation—never mind retire—had contributed to his heart attack. Hannah was afraid if he didn’t slow down, he would have another one.

“Because if you’d like to go it alone, have me wait out here for you…or just go on home…it’s fine.”

Hannah knew Joe was thinking this was a private matter, and it would have been, had she not been so afraid of Gus’s reaction the first time he set eyes on Isabella. Feigning more courage than she felt, she quipped, “Actually, Joe, I could use a human shield right about now.”

And like it or not, since the store had closed an hour before, Joe was likely it.

“So if you don’t mind…”

“I’d be glad to assist you, ma’am.” Joe tipped an imaginary hat at her and got out from behind the wheel. He opened the rear passenger door and waited while Hannah unbuckled the straps keeping the sleeping Isabella in her car seat. Carefully, she handed her daughter over to Joe. Then she climbed out on stiff legs.

She felt awful and exhausted, after the twenty-six hours in the air, two standing in line in immigration, and another four in the car. But this had to be done.

“Relax. It’s going to be fine.” Joe carried Isabella as far as the front door.

Savoring his reassurance, even if she didn’t quite believe it, Hannah unlocked the door and pocketed her store keys. “Keep saying that,” she murmured as he handed the now-stirring Isabella back to her.

Joe held the door open and Hannah squared her shoulders. Plastering a smile on her face, she marched on through. Gus was on a metal stocking ladder at the rear of the store, placing stadium blankets on cubbyhole shelves just beneath the ceiling. “Dad?”

He turned. The expression on his face was wary rather than welcoming. Her heart sank.

“Hannah,” Gus greeted her curtly.

Resentment and sorrow mingled inside of her. Stronger than that, however, was her determination to make this right. Isabella had come a long way. She had been through a lot. She deserved a better greeting from the only grandfather she was ever going to have. Hannah worked to keep her tone cordial. “Come down and meet your new granddaughter.”

Gus plucked another blanket off the platform on the back of the stocking ladder. He turned his back to them. “Can’t right now. I’m busy.”

He wasn’t doing anything that couldn’t wait, she thought furiously.

Joe’s brow furrowed, but he said nothing.

In Hannah’s arms, Isabella stirred. Eyes still closed, she opened her cherubic mouth in a sweet, drowsy yawn.

Her father missed that. He was missing everything. Hannah’s temper began to boil.

Damn it, this was an important day in her life and her father was ruining it by acting like a stubborn old fool!

Ever so gently, she transferred her baby to Joe.

Hands knotted at her sides, she walked to the rear of the store, got a second stocking ladder, and wheeled the twenty-foot apparatus over to the other. Deliberately, she turned it so it faced his. Her emotions still soaring, she began climbing.

Her father’s frown deepened with every step she climbed. A mixture of disapproval and resentment tugged his lips into a frown. “Hannah, I do not have time to quarrel with you. I’ve got work to do this evening.”

Too late, Hannah realized this was a showdown she should have had with her dad before she left. Instead of just waiting and hoping he would mellow over time. She stopped when she was at eye level with him. “Tough. This once, Dad, you’re going to hear me out.”

Gus shot a look at Joe who was standing a good twenty feet away, Isabella snuggled in his arms, then turned back to Hannah. Gus’s expression remained grim as he warned, “We can do this later, young woman! In private.”

She had never really stood up to her dad—until now. “We’ll do it now.” She matched his contentious tone.

He blinked. Obviously stunned, he demanded, “What’s gotten into you?”

Tears stung Hannah’s eyes. “I’ll tell you what’s gotten into me. The same thing that used to get into Mom when you were out of line with me!” Only now her mom wasn’t here to play peacemaker and convince her father that what Hannah wanted—needed—wasn’t so outrageous after all.

If she wanted him to understand her, support her, she was going to have to persuade him to do so herself. And that meant talking with him, even when he was like this!

Sighing, Hannah gripped the sides of the stocking ladder and continued, emotionally, “I love you, Dad. More than I can say. But I am not—I repeat not—going to let you disrespect my child.”

Gus looked shocked. “Is that what you think I’m doing?”

“I don’t know what you’re doing!” Hannah paused as she saw him reach into his shirt pocket and then clutch his chest, as if in pain. “Dad!” Hannah cried.

Too late. He had already pitched to the left and lost his footing. Arms flailing, he fell sideways.

Helpless to do anything to prevent his swift awkward descent, Hannah watched in terror. Only later did she realize that the scream she heard as Gus slammed into a display of flannel shirts and jeans, was her own.

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