His Baby Read Free Page A

disappoint him."
    "What do you mean?"
"I'm my parents' only child. They-- look, it doesn't matter." He
looked away, cutting off that line of inquiry. She didn't want to cut it off.
    "Is that why you're here?"
    "What do you mean?" He asked the question of her
this time.
    "I mean, are you here because your father thinks you
should come?" I shouldn't mock him, she thought, he'll leave
quicker .
    "My father doesn't know I'm here. He-- I don't know how
he's going to react to the news that he has a granddaughter. He's been pushing
me to settle down, to get married, to have a kid." Zack laughed, a short
sharp sound with no amusement in it. "Maybe I've been able to fulfill one
of his requirements anyway."
    She turned her head away then, aware of a sudden sense of
panic. Grandparents? She could barely handle the idea of Zack in Lark's life,
in her life, but who were these grandparents?
    "What's the matter, Diana?"
She hesitated, then decided she might as well tell him the truth. "I'm a
little overwhelmed, Zack. I'm not ready for all these new people in Lark's
life."
    "In your life, too," he guessed. He uncrossed his
arms, rested one hand on the crib bars, facing her.
    "In my life," she agreed. "I've just gotten
my balance back, worked out all the details of baby sitters and got the house
organized and now all this. I just don't know when... "
    "We can take it slow," he said soothingly.
    "We're going to have to. I work full time and I take
care of Lark by myself the rest of the time. Oh, Carl and Mary help, but they
have their own lives and I can't expect them to do more."
    "But Carl is married, right? Why didn't he take
Lark?"
    "Why should he? Robin was living with me when she died.
Lark was used to me. Why should Carl take on the responsibility? Besides, he
got married after Robin died."
"I'm sorry. I just meant--"
    "What did you mean? Why shouldn't a single woman take
care of Lark? Why would Carl and Mary be better? A baby isn't a package to hand
off you know."
    "Slow down, Diana, please, relax." He lifted both
hands, palms out, in the classic gesture for 'stop'. "I'm just trying to
figure things out. Carl seems to take all this so seriously, I guess I'm just
trying to understand the dynamics."
    "Dynamics?"
    "I want to fit in, Diana."
    "Fit in? Look, Zack, it isn't going to be that easy. I
was there when Lark was born. Robin had no one, no one but me and Carl, but
Carl has started to build his own life. He and Mary have had a hard time of it
and-- " She stood up abruptly and took a step forward but stopped when he
spoke.
    "And you haven't?"
    "I'm fine. I'm used to it." She moved another
step, looked in the crib. Lark was fine, still sleeping peacefully.
     "Taking care of Lark?" he asked. She looked up at
him and saw that he'd been watching her.
    "Taking care of Lark. And Robin and Carl. Why wouldn't
I? Why would I send them off to strangers? Right now you're a stranger, Zack,
and I'm not sure I trust you."
    "But I make good eggs, don't I?"
"Yes, that's true, but it isn't just a matter of cooking one meal."
    "And cleaning up. Carl and I did the dishes."
    "All right, thank you for cleaning up."
    "We did all the dishes, even the ones already in the
sink."
    "Oh, all right, thank you very much, now listen to me
for a minute."
    "Yes, ma'am." He was shaking his head.
    "Stop it," she ordered.
    "Stop what?" He looked innocent.
    "You're mocking me," she said, sure she was going
to lose her temper. She took a slow, steady breath and paused.
    "I'm not. I'm not mocking you. I'm trying to figure out
the rules so I can play by them. Rule number one seems to be that you're in
charge." She looked up at him.
    "In charge of what?"
    "In charge of what happens next. So tell me," he
said softly, "what happens next?" He stared down at her. She met his
gaze, startled at his intensity, at his nearness, at the shudder she felt along
her skin from his touch on her bare forearms. She was staring back at him, lost
in his dark eyes suddenly, unsure what he