Groom On The Loose

“That’s right.” He shuffled through a stack of papers. “You’ve also been named sole guardian of Jessica.”

“S-sole guardian?”

Mr. Benning nodded and handed her a pen. “As guardian you will assume full custody of Jessica. I’ll need your signature on these papers.”

Pen in hand, Cassie stared at him, letting the shock settle over her. Melanie had named her as legal guardian of her daughter? The idea seemed overwhelming, impossible.

“Mr. Benning, surely there’s someone else more qualified to take Jessica. What about John’s family?”

Slowly, Mr. Benning removed his glasses. “There is no one else, Ms. Andrews. Mr. Reynolds was raised in the foster care system, as was Mrs. Reynolds,” he said. “It was the Reynolds’s final wish that you were to be given full custody of their daughter. Now if you feel that you are unable to take on this duty…”

As the lawyer’s words droned on, Cassie struggled to draw a breath. An icy fist had gripped her chest. Panic, pure and simple, lay at the root of her troubles. She was twenty-five years old, just starting her own business and living in a one-bedroom apartment. She didn’t know how a baby would fit into her life. She wasn’t being selfish. Just honest. She doubted her own maternal capabilities.

“Mr. Benning, I don’t think I can do this,” she said, interrupting his speech. “I’ve never taken care of a baby. I don’t know if I could handle the job.”

“I see.” He sat back in his chair, looking disappointed.

Cassie stared at him uncertainly. “What’s going to happen to…to Jessica if I don’t assume custody?”

He sighed. “She’ll be turned over to Social Services. Chances are good she’ll be adopted by a young couple looking for a child.”

“And if she isn’t?”

He spread his fingers in a helpless gesture. “If she isn’t adopted, then she’ll be put into the foster care system.”

The words shook her. Cassie sat in numbed silence. She recalled the late-night talk sessions she’d had with Melanie in college. The times when her friend had revealed the painful memories of growing up unloved and unwanted in foster homes. Cassie wondered how she could live with herself if she allowed her friend’s child to be put in a situation where she might repeat her mother’s own fate.

“Baby Jessica is a healthy little girl,” Mr. Benning assured her. “There’s no physical reason to keep her from being adopted. I’m sure there’s no need to worry—”

“I can’t take that chance,” Cassie said suddenly, startling the older man as well as herself. “I won’t allow Jessica to grow up without a parent.”

He blinked. “Are you saying you are willing to take Jessica?”

Cassie’s throat went dry. She couldn’t speak.

Never before had she been expected to make such a rash, life-altering decision. She needed time to mull through her options. But time was the one thing she wasn’t to be allowed. If she said no, she’d be cutting off all ties with a woman she’d considered a friend—a decision, she had no doubt, that would cause her to spend the rest of her life struggling with a guilty heart. But if she said yes and failed as a surrogate parent, the consequences of her actions would be costly. She might be setting herself and Jessica up for heartbreak.

“Mr. Benning, months ago, Melanie asked me to look after Jessica if anything ever happened to her.” Cassie took a deep breath. “I never thought I’d be held to that. But if Melanie trusted me enough to name me as her baby’s guardian, then I don’t have a choice but to accept.”

The lawyer studied her for a long moment, his gaze hard and assessing. Then, seeming satisfied, he said, “Very well, Ms. Andrews. Now that the decision has been made, let’s get the paperwork out of the way so that you can meet Jessica.”

Cassie glanced around the lobby. “She’s here?”

Mr. Benning pointed a finger at the high atrium ceiling. “She’s upstairs in my suite with my secretary.”

A shiver of trepidation traveled through her. She glanced at her wristwatch. Fifteen minutes had passed since she’d walked into the lobby of the hotel. Fifteen of the most important minutes of her life. She had a feeling her world would never be the same.

Up until a few months ago, she wasn’t sure she could take care of herself, let alone be responsible for someone else. Her parents had been skeptical when she’d started her own business. She wondered what they’d say when she told them she was going to raise a child.

Cassie gathered a firm grip on her self-confidence. She had proved herself to be a successful business-woman. If she could arrange a sit-down dinner party for twenty on two hours’ notice, raising a baby should be a snap.

Party?

Cassie drew in a sharp breath and glanced at her watch again. In all the excitement, she’d completely forgotten about Greg’s party. It would be starting in less than two hours.

She gave a silent moan. Greg expected her to fail as a hostess; she could see it in his eyes every time they’d met to discuss her duties. She’d been determined to prove him wrong.

Now she wasn’t so sure.

It looked as though Greg Lawton might just have another chance to say “I told you so.”

At eleven forty-five, the doorbell rang. Greg glanced around his bustling house and felt a surge of panic. He muttered an oath beneath his breath. “Don’t let it be a guest.”

His house had never been so full. The caterers had arrived. The servers were setting up shop on the patio. And the bartenders were busy uncorking the wine bottles and tapping the beer keg. Everyone was here, except for Cassie.

She had promised him she would be there. He was counting on her to help pull off this party. But it would appear Cassie was pulling a no-show. Greg muttered another oath. He swore this was the last time he’d put his trust in a woman.

Greg yanked open the front door, sending the brass knocker clanging against its perch.

Cassie stood on his doorstep.

He didn’t know whether to breathe a sigh of relief or holler at her. He was too surprised to do either. Greg blinked hard and did a double take.

In Cassie’s arms was a baby. A small, apple-cheeked baby girl with sandy blond hair, baby blue eyes and a pout on her rosebud lips. The expression on the baby’s face was a mirror image of Cassie’s. Both women looked tired and cranky.

Greg couldn’t believe it. Cassie had brought a baby to his party!

Chapter Two (#ulink_4c6d96cc-7353-578a-9b24-238cab844f30)

“I know what you’re going to say. I’m late.” Cassie stepped inside, brushing past Greg. “I’m sorry. I have a doozy of an excuse. But that will have to wait until later.”

The heels of her sandals clicked against the wood floor of the entryway as she strode directly to the kitchen. The skirt of her yellow sundress swirled around her long legs. A pink diaper bag swung against the slender curve of her hip. Her silky blond hair, pulled into a neat ponytail, swung from side to side. She looked perfect, ready to play the role of his hostess. Ready, that is, except for the baby in her arms.

As though on cue, the baby began to whimper.

Greg followed closely on their heels.

“Did the caterers arrive on time?” she called over her shoulder. “How about the bartender?”

“Cassie—”

“What about the tables and decorations? My workers are very reliable. I’m sure everything looks perfect.” She pushed open the kitchen’s swinging door. The room was noisy and filled to capacity with workers preparing for the party. Winding her way through the crowd, she snagged the diaper bag off her shoulder and began pulling out bottles of milk. “How does the backyard look? I was a little worried about spacing.”

“Cassie,” he said, louder this time.

Heads turned. The catering staff watched with interest.

Cassie stopped unpacking. She looked at him, one brow raised. “Hmm?”