Instant Dad. Raye Morgan

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       Two

      Sara glanced upstairs. She could hear the carpenter moving something in the baby’s room and she hesitated, tempted to run up and see what was going on. But she thought better of it. Let him finish his work. She had things of her own to accomplish.

      The baby shower was only a little over a week away and the planning was as meticulous as though she were leading an army into battle. She’d made lists and set timers and ordered things, but the work was never ending. At the moment, she’d changed into slacks and a sweater and she was checking items off the latest list.

      “Windows. The window washer came this morning. That’s done. The chimney sweep came last Saturday. The gardener still needs to put in the pansies and petunias. The painter says he’s coming tomorrow to touch up the trim on the house.”

      There were still so many things to fix or clean or renovate before next week. One thing was that darn pool. She’d had the gardener take the cover off for her, and the pool man had said he would be here by noon. That was five hours ago. He obviously wasn’t coming.

      Glancing out at it, she frowned. The gardener had gone home and there was the pool, starting to collect leaves on its surface. She couldn’t just leave the cover there. It looked so ugly. Besides, there was a breeze and she was afraid things would blow into the pool during the night. Better to get it covered again.

      She looked toward the stairs, knowing she could get the carpenter to come help her with the cover. But he was busy, and the cover was a simple affair. She should be able to do it herself.

      Armed with all her self-confidence, she marched out through her sliding glass doors and onto the pool deck. The air was brisk on her skin and she rubbed her arms, wishing she’d put on a jacket. But this should be quick. The cover was made of plastic bubble sheeting and it was actually quite light. Grasping one edge, she began to pull it over the pool water.

      It went easily at first, sliding along so well she looked back, pleased. But just as she did, the cover caught on the stair railing and gave a sudden snap of resistance, throwing her off balance. With a cry, she took a bad step and the next thing she knew, she was falling into the water.

      The water was cold, so cold it might have been just one level below ice. It seemed to crash around her like a wave in the ocean, hard and awful, stunning her, knocking her breath away. She tried to cry out again, but her mouth was full of water, and her eyes were full of water, and the cover seemed to be looming up above her, over the water, and she seemed to be closing her eyes.

      But only for a second or two. Suddenly, strong hands were gripping her arms and she was shooting back up through the icy water, up into what was left of the sunshine.

      She gasped for air, her system in cold shock, hardly realizing that Drey had pulled her up into his arms and was striding quickly into the house, with water spilling off her in every direction.

      “Oh,” she gasped. “Oh, that was so cold!”

      “Hang on,” he said as he carried her up the stairs. “We’ll get you warm again.”

      The next thing she knew, she was in her spacious bathroom and he was turning on the water for the shower in the bathtub. She wanted to ask what he was doing, but her teeth were chattering so hard she couldn’t get the words out. Her clothes hung on her like sodden armor, heavy and cold. Drey turned from the bathtub and began to remove them.

      “No!” she cried, or tried to, but he didn’t listen.

      “Don’t be stupid,” he said bluntly, taking a grip on her sweater and beginning to tug it up over her head the way he might have done with a child. “You’ve got to get warm and you’ve got to do it now.”

      She knew he was right, and in the state she was in at the moment, she wasn’t sure she was capable of taking care of this on her own. So she bit back her protests and closed her eyes.

      He stripped her quickly, dropping the wet clothes to the floor, and turned to test the water coming out of the shower nozzle, then led her into the enclosure, helping her over the side of the tub.

      “Stand under the water until you get enough in the tub to sit in,” he ordered her. “Then sit. You’ve got to soak warmth back into your body.”

      The warm water stung at first. She gasped again, turning under it, hardly feeling modest about the fact that she was standing there naked in front of this stranger. The cold was more important than her dignity right now. Besides, there was nothing in his eyes that even hinted at a sensual response of any kind. He was as grim faced as a medical worker at the scene of the accident, no emotion in sight. As that realization hit her, she wasn’t sure if she was grateful or insulted. As he turned to leave the room, she looked after him.

      “Where are you going?” she asked, almost anxious. After all, he’d saved her, hadn’t he?

      “Who’s your doctor?” he asked, turning at the doorway. “I’ll call him.”

      “No,” she said quickly. “No, don’t call a doctor. I’m fine. Really.”

      And she was beginning to feel like herself again, enough so that she pulled the glass door of the shower almost closed as a shield to hide behind. For the first time, she looked at him and really saw him.

      “You’re soaking wet,” she cried, looking at his dripping clothes. “Did you actually jump in after me?”

      He shook his head and gave her a faint lopsided grin. “No, you really hadn’t gone that far under. I reached down and pulled you up out of the water from the side.”

      “But you’re so wet.”

      He looked down and confirmed her diagnosis. “That was all water you brought up with you,” he said cheerfully. “I guess I ought to get into some dry clothes, though. Could I borrow something of your husband’s?”

      “My СКАЧАТЬ