Whose Baby Is This?. Patricia Thayer

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СКАЧАТЬ us a chance to talk.” He motioned to the chair in front of the desk. “Sit down, Tara. May I call you Tara?”

      Nodding, she came around the desk and took a seat.

      He sat in the chair next to her. “I have an idea as to why my name appears on the birth certificate as Erin’s father.”

      He watched as she folded her arms across her chest. Great, she was already resistant to hearing him out.

      “For the past fifteen months,” he began, “my life has been turned into chaos because of someone who broke into the surgeon’s lounge and stole my wallet from my locker. Not only did he take money and personal pictures—he used my credit card and my identity.”

      “What does this have to do with my sister?”

      He raised his hand. “Just give me a minute. Like I was saying, this person was acquiring credit cards in my name. I was getting calls about overdue payments, and the hospital administrator received complaints.” Matt remembered when it started. Harry Douglas had tried to be understanding about the situation, but the administrator’s concern was for the hospital’s reputation. They couldn’t have their top surgeon in financial trouble.

      “Believe me, Ms. McNeal, I thought I had straightened out the situation. I’ve always had an impeccable credit rating, but it’s a mess now. I couldn’t buy a thing. It’s still shaky. But I’ve worked with the police and hired an investigator to catch this guy. Lately things began to quiet down. I thought maybe he had moved on,” he said, nodding toward the child. “Until today.”

      Tara shrugged her shoulders. “And what connection does this have to Erin?”

      “I think the same person who used my name to purchase things also…seduced your sister.”

      Her eyes widened. “If you expect me to believe… That’s the craziest story I’ve ever heard.” She tried to stand, and he reached for her hand and stopped her.

      Matt paused, feeling Tara’s warmth, her softness. Something he hadn’t felt in a while. And by the reaction of his body, he realized it had been a long while. He released her and leaned back in the chair to refocus. “I know it sounds crazy, but just think about it.”

      “There’s nothing to think about, Dr. Landers. You don’t want to be Erin’s father. Hey, don’t worry about it. Not all men are cut out to be parents. Believe me, my sister and I knew firsthand about an absent dad. And I won’t allow Erin to go through the same thing. No father is better than one who’s there then disappears.”

      Matt had had enough. “If I fathered that child, believe me, I would definitely claim her.”

      “Sure. I can see that.”

      His frustration grew along with his temper. He got to his feet. “Dammit, woman. I would never abandon a child, because I know exactly what it feels like.”

      Tara couldn’t move, couldn’t breath. She wanted so badly not to believe him. But the look in his dark eyes, the loneliness that showed in the depths of his gaze told her he understood what it was like not to be wanted.

      She started to speak, but Matt held up his hand. “Sorry. I guess we need to step back here.” He did as he suggested and took a calming breath. “I can see my word isn’t going to convince you of anything.”

      Tara pulled a piece of note paper from her purse and handed it to him. “This is the motel where we’re staying. I’m going to be in town until tomorrow. If you decide that you want to be a part of Erin’s life, call me.” She went to the sofa and carefully bundled up her sleeping niece, then gathered her things. She walked out the door wishing that Matt Landers would stop her but also praying that he wouldn’t so she could get on with her life. Her life with Erin.

      A few seconds later Matt heard the outer office door close. This was a continuing nightmare. He turned to the large window behind his desk. Before him was an incredible view of the Pacific Ocean. Usually after a rough eight-hour surgery or a consultation with parents when he had to tell them bad news, he could find peace and solace in the mesmerizing waves, lose himself in the sound of the rolling surf. None of it helped him now.

      The day his damn wallet had been stolen his entire life turned upside down. Matthew James Landers’s credit had been shot to hell, and there was next to nothing he could do about it. Damn. It hadn’t been enough that the thief used his credit cards, but taking over his identity was worse. Now the man had fathered a child in his name. Matt clenched his fists, fighting anger and…a twinge of envy. He pounded the window frame.

      “Hell, is this mess ever going to end?” he asked. Today had been the last straw. And to torment him with a child. That went beyond cruel.

      Again his thoughts turned to the pretty woman, Tara McNeal, who’d stood in his office not thirty seconds ago. Damn. Forget her…forget the baby.

      Call your lawyer, Matt told himself. Let him handle it. But something in those green eyes of hers told him that she was as much a victim as he was. The ironic thing was that Tara McNeal was offering him his heart’s desire. The one thing he’d wanted and couldn’t have.

      A child.

      Later that afternoon, Matt heard voices coming from the outer office. He got up and opened the door to find his friend Nick Malone coming down the hall.

      “Hey, what brings you here?” Matt asked, grinning.

      The dark-haired computer software genius smiled back. “I wanted to see if you were available for golf Wednesday.”

      Matt was eager for any distraction. “You know I’m always ready for a game, but since when are you? I believe your exact words were, ‘I don’t have time to chase around a little white ball.’”

      Nick dropped into the chair across from Matt’s desk. “I hear the balls come in different colors now.”

      “Yeah, sure. What’s the real reason?”

      “It’s Cari’s idea. She wants me to cut back on my hours at the plant. Take more downtime for myself.”

      Matt knew Cari Malone well. Before she’d married Nick and given birth to two beautiful children, she had been a nurse on the pediatric floor. One of the best. “So, she still hasn’t given up on changing you.”

      There was a glint in Nick’s gray eyes. “And I hope she never does. She and the kids make everything so…perfect.”

      Matt knew his friend’s life had been far from perfect before Cari walked into it and offered her love to Nick and his son, Danny. Love and kids. Something Matt had avoided over the years. His relationships had always been guarded, avoiding anything permanent. Besides, his demanding career made it nearly impossible for him to have a personal life. At thirty-eight, he wished things could be different. A picture of a perky redhead holding a baby flashed in his head. He blinked away the fantasy.

      Matt tried to smile but couldn’t quite make it, and Nick spotted something amiss right away.

      “What’s wrong, friend?”

      Matt shrugged. “Just a rough day. A new patient, a little boy who has a rough road ahead.”

      Nick’s gaze locked with his. “If anyone can pull it off, СКАЧАТЬ