Angel Baby (9 page)

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” she muttered as she walked
up the steps and rang Dorien’s doorbell.

The past week at work had gone smoothly, and Claudia had
managed to remain calm and distant with her new boss. Neither of them mentioned
the sparks that had passed between them, and Claudia sensed he was as glad
about that as she.

She just didn’t know what to do about these feelings she had
for him. They overwhelmed her, actually frightened her a little in their
intensity. Even with Joe, who she’d loved deeply, she’d never felt as
completely aware of her most sensual yearnings as she did with Chase Paxton.

“Oh, you’re here,” Dorien said when she opened the door, a
huge smile of welcome on her face. “I’ve been so excited all morning. Sarah and
I are going to have such fun.”

Grinning at the woman’s exuberance, Claudia entered the
house. Dropping the diaper bag on the floor, she glanced around the foyer
noticing no low-lying bric-a-brac to draw Sarah’s attention.

“Ah, I know how to handle a baby, my dear,” Dorien said.
“Look over there.”

Claudia glanced into the living room. The mantle was crowded
with statuary and some intricately detailed wood carvings. “I guess you do
understand,” Claudia said with a laugh. “If she can reach it, she will grab it.
If she can’t reach it, she’ll still try.”

“Now, now, don’t you worry about a thing. I’ve shut the door
to the dining room, and we’ll put this gate up here on this side. Miss Sarah
can use my entire living room as a play pen this morning.”

Noticing the plush toys lying on the immaculately clean
carpeted floor, Claudia glanced at Dorien. The older woman shrugged.

“If Sarah’s going to visit me, she’ll need some things here
to keep her occupied.”

“You’re very kind, Dorien,” Claudia said softly, touched by
the woman’s thoughtfulness. “I’m so glad we found you.”

“I found you, young lady,” Dorien retorted. “Now, get going.
I know that grandson of mine is anxious to have you come over and set up that
new computer of his. Boys and their toys....”

Claudia impulsively gave the woman a kiss on the cheek,
seeing the other's eyes twinkle at the gesture. Giving Sarah a quick squeeze,
Claudia left, but paused to peek back through the front window.  Dorien was
already lying on the floor trying to tempt Sarah with a stuffed Dalmatian.

Making her way through the copse of trees which blocked
Chase’s house from view, Claudia wondered again if she’d been crazy to agree to
spend the morning in his house. When he’d first mentioned it earlier in the
week, she’d nearly refused. There was, however, the small matter of her job.
She knew when Chase hired her that he wanted to set up a work station at his
home.

“Quit lying to yourself,” Claudia muttered as she hopped
over a large fallen tree branch.

When it came right down to it, the real reason she’d agreed
to go to his house was the same reason she’d used when she was eight and jumped
from the roof of the family storage shed, breaking her arm. Because someone had
dared her to. Only this time, Claudia was daring herself.  She dared herself to
spend time alone, in a private place, with a man who had filled the past week
with long nights of amazingly sensual dreams.

More: She dared herself to try to figure out what on earth
she wanted to happen next.

Chase glanced at his watch, noticing it was nearly time for
Claudia to arrive. It was a good thing, too. Trying to figure out how to hook
together his new computer system had proven exceptionally frustrating. Stick a
hammer in his hand and he could construct a home, but give him something
electronic and about all he'd be able to do was plug it in. 

Even as he acknowledged he needed Claudia's help, he
mumbled, “This is a bad idea.”

He wondered again why he was putting himself through this.
Having Claudia gliding around the office in her cheerfully colored suits was
bad enough. Chase didn’t know how he’d react to having her again in his home.

He couldn’t stop thinking about her. Claudia Warren had been
stuck in his brain for days. Hell, he had to admit it, she’d been occupying a
good part of his thoughts for longer than that...months, nearly a year.
Recently, however, his thoughts had changed. Instead of picturing her pain and
torment the night of Sarah’s birth, he found himself thinking of how her eyes
darkened and her lips parted when he’d brushed against her at Melanie’s house.
He remembered that moment last weekend when he’d caught her staring at him, and
wondered if she knew he was imagining their bodies coming together in a
passionate encounter.

Chase quickly thrust the image out of his mind. Young,
achingly vulnerable widows with children did not deserve to be lusted after by
their employers. Claudia Warren needed a respectable, responsible man who
wanted to get married and raise equally respectable, responsible children. Most
of all, she was the kind of woman who needed love. He was certainly more
respectable these days and responsible for his actions, but was he capable of
giving a woman love? No way. He wasn't even sure the emotion existed. With the
exception of his grandparents he'd never seen any evidence of love as the
dictionary defined it. All the love he'd seen ended in misery and heartache for
those involved.

So what kind of fool was he now to invite her to spend a
cozy Saturday morning in his house?

A masochistic fool
.

Before he had a chance to even considering canceling, he saw
her emerge from the copse of trees on the south end of his lawn, walking toward
his house. She didn’t seem in a hurry. Her steps were slow and smooth, her legs
gliding over the lawn in her usual graceful gait. At least, he was thankful to
see, she wore slacks today and he wouldn't face the added distraction of those
long, gorgeous legs.

At her knock, Chase straightened his shoulders in
determination. Keeping a professional distance between them was critical.

“Am I early?” she asked tentatively as he opened the door. 

Chase shook his head quickly. “Not at all. I’ve already
unpacked most of the cartons and begun reading the instructions.”

“A man who reads the instructions,” Claudia murmured as she
followed him into the house, “how unique.”

Pausing just inside the door, Claudia looked around,
appreciating the tasteful decor, the mellow wood of the high-backed chair next
to a telephone table, and the antique gold leaf mirror hanging above it. A tall
staircase dominated the foyer, curving up elegantly to the second floor, each
step a dark, rich hardwood. Chase continued past it, down the hall, and Claudia
hurried after him, noting how her sandals clicked noisily on the highly
polished floors.

“Your home is lovely,” she said, determined to break the
silence between them. “I’m afraid I didn’t notice too much of it the last time
I was here.”

“I suppose you can be forgiven for that,” Chase muttered.
“And thank you. But it’s Dorien you should compliment.”

Suspecting a woman’s touch, Claudia nodded. “She decorated
it for you?”

“In a manner of speaking. She pointed out the original
furnishings in the antique shops in town. Those we couldn’t locate we
duplicated as closely as possible.”

“Original furnishings?”

Chase nodded as he led her into the room he used as his
office and said, “This was my grandparent’s home, but they sold it nearly two decades
ago. The new owners didn’t take care of it and let it start falling apart. I
bought it back a few years ago and renovated it, thinking Dorien might want to
move back in.”

“But of course she didn’t,” Claudia said succinctly.

Chase looked up at her sharply, as if surprised that she
understood without asking.

“Dorien loves her house next door,” Claudia said. “She’d
feel lost in this place. It was probably fine when your grandfather was alive,
but now, at least, from what I gather from our few conversations, she wouldn't
know what to do with herself in a house this large.”

“Very perceptive,” Chase admitted. “I just wish she’d told
me before I bought the place.”

“You would have bought it, in any case,” Claudia said,
challenging him to deny it.

“Again,” Chase said, “very perceptive. I had the means, and
couldn’t stand to see it moldering in ruin after being in the family for more
than seventy years.”

Claudia understood completely. Just because she had no deep
family roots didn’t mean she didn’t understand them. If anything, it made her
appreciate tradition and family loyalty even more.

“Let’s get to work,” Chase said as he gestured her toward a
padded leather office chair.

Ignoring the chair he offered, Claudia went around to sit
behind his desk and began examining the hardware he’d already set up. She heard
his exasperated sigh, but ignored him. He’d asked her to come over to do a job,
and she certainly couldn’t do it across a three foot expanse of wooden desk.

“Don’t mind me,” he muttered as he came around to stand
behind her.

Claudia began loading software, trying to ignore the hard,
male thigh just behind her left shoulder. After a few minutes, he turned
slightly, leaning back against the desk, half-sitting on the edge. Try as she
might, Claudia could not resist casting surreptitious glances out of the corner
of her eye at his jean-clad hips. A few times her fingers stumbled over the
keys. Claudia mentally cursed that his nearness could cause such distraction.

“Are you all right? Can I get you a drink or something?”
Chase asked.

Shaking her head violently, Claudia forced herself to
concentrate on what she was doing. He stayed right with her, asking challenging
questions, and making keen observations about how best to individualize his
work station. 

After about two hours of steady work, Chase left the room
briefly. Claudia took the opportunity to lean back in her chair and relax.
Having him so close, breathing his clean scent, and feeling the brush of his
arm against her body as he reached across her to touch the keyboard had been
incredibly distracting. Her senses were at high alert, heightened by his
nearness. The feeling was not exactly unpleasant but was certainly
disconcerting.

By the time he returned, carrying two large glasses of iced
tea, Claudia had just about steadied her breathing and decided she had imagined
the tingling sensation in her body. But as soon as he walked around the desk
and offered her a drink, letting his fingers meet hers against the slippery
condensation on the glass, she knew she hadn’t imagined a damned thing.

“So, why do you have only two friends?”

Startled, Claudia nearly dropped the tea. She quickly set it
on the desk, taking care to put it on a coaster. Chase stared at her steadily,
waiting for her answer. Flushing, she said, “I beg your pardon?”

“You told me, the night we met, that you had two friends,
and they call you Claude.”

“You do ask the strangest questions at the strangest times,”
she retorted. Trying to ignore him, she stared at the computer monitor.

“Just curious. A woman as attractive and friendly as
you...it just seems like you’d be surrounded by friends and family.”

“Sarah’s my family,” Claudia replied shortly. “Melanie and
Ryan are my friends.”

“And that’s all?” Chase pressed.

“Well, I do have a mother, stepfather, and two half-siblings.
Somewhere in the world. But, as I said, Sarah’s my family.”

 Claudia saw Chase nodding, as if he completely understood.
Suddenly, for some crazy reason, she believed he did.

“They left Milltown during my senior year of high school,”
she explained grudgingly. “At first they moved to Oregon, then my mother sent
me a letter saying they were thinking of going to Canada. My last letter to her
came back undeliverable, so I have no idea where they are now.”

“How long has it been?”

“Over a year.”

“Then they don’t know about Sarah’s birth?”

“My mother knew I was pregnant. And they knew about Joe.
They even thought to send flowers for the funeral.”

Claudia couldn’t prevent the hint of bitterness in her
voice, and it surprised her. Grabbing her glass, she took a large gulp of tea,
then lowered it slowly, staring at golden brown liquid and the slowly melting
ice. She’d thought she was long past being hurt by anything her mother and
stepfather did. Chase must have suspected her anxiety, perhaps because her hand
was clenched so tightly around her glass that she feared she would break it.
She didn’t protest when he ran his fingers across the back of her hand and
silently urged her to release the glass to him. Taking it from her, he placed
it on the desk.

“Why didn’t you go with them to Oregon?”

“I wasn’t invited,” Claudia said quietly. “Besides, I was
nearly eighteen and couldn’t wait to get out on my own. I spent the rest of my
senior year with Joe and his mother, then got a part-time job, and moved in
with Melanie while I went to college.”

“That must have been tough.”

“It could have been worse,” Claudia said. “There was some
money...my father had a small life insurance policy. Somehow my mother managed
to keep it in a trust for my education.”

“That explains the family. What about the friends?”

“Joe and Melanie were my closest friends. Because they lived
on either side of me growing up, I did play with them. But for the most part, I
spent my free time babysitting my half brother and sister. There really wasn’t
any time for friendship.”

Chase had been quietly taking in everything Claudia said,
and everything she didn’t say. He knew it hurt her to talk about her family,
had seen the tense set of her full lips and the suspicious brightness in her
eyes. He didn’t stop pressing her, though. Some instinct made him want to know
everything...all her secrets, all her miseries and her fears.

“Not exactly your typical American family, humh?” he said,
forcing a casual note into his voice.