My Baby, My Love

Sydney pulled back the covers, ignoring Noah’s frown, and started to swing her legs off the bed. He moved so quickly he startled her. His hand came down on her shoulder, kindly, but firmly. She couldn’t meet his eyes. They saw entirely too much.

“I want my clothes.”

“You don’t have any clothes here, Sydney. They cut them off your body to check for injuries. You were covered in blood.”

“Then I’ll go home naked.”

He half smiled. Her breath caught in her throat. Why, he was handsome. Nothing like Jerome, of course, but he would age with a depth and grace that would make him more striking with every year.

What was she thinking? She didn’t care what Noah looked like. The man was her husband’s brother!

“You won’t have to go home naked,” he was saying. “I’ll stop by your apartment first thing in the morning and get you something to wear home.”

“No!” She swallowed her instant panic and tried for a calm she was far from feeling. “I need to leave now.”

All traces of humor disappeared from his face. He misunderstood her panic and regarded her steadily. “Are you always this bossy?”

“Yes.” She couldn’t bring herself to correct his impression. As soon as he saw the apartment she’d shared with his brother, he’d know how bad things had been between them. She wasn’t ready to answer the sort of questions he would then ask. And he would demand explanations as soon as he realized how many of her belongings were gone from the apartment she’d supposedly shared with Jerome.

“You must have led Jerome around like a puppy.”

The unfairness of his words stung. They couldn’t have been farther from the truth. He knew nothing about her relationship with Jerome. And she wasn’t about to tell him any details, either. She owed Jerome that much.

“The doctor said tomorrow morning,” Noah temporized. “If you’re well enough.”

“I’m well enough right now.” It was only a small lie. She felt weaker than a day-old kitten. A mangled, day-old kitten with a headache. But she could manage. She was used to managing.

Noah tipped his head to regard her. “My father told me I should never call a lady a liar.”

“But you’ll make an exception in my case?”

He ignored her challenge completely. “Morning is only a few hours away,” he stated. “Get a good night’s sleep and then we’ll talk.”

She thought of the nightmare and controlled another shudder.

“I’ll make a few arrangements and bring you something to wear,” he finished.

“What sort of arrangements?”

“You’re going to need help.”

She shook her head. The room spun slightly, forcing her eyes closed to combat the sensation. The doctor had said the vertigo would eventually go away. She should have asked him to define “eventually.”

“I won’t need any help,” she told Noah. She kept her eyes shut to avoid looking up at him. “And if I do, that’s my problem.”

“And the baby?”

“Jerome is dead. The baby is my problem as well.”

She would never allow another man in her life who thought he could tell her what to do or how to do it.

“I’d like to help.”

That snapped her eyes open. “Why?”

His eyes flared with a tumble of emotions. He started to respond and stopped. Sydney realized she was rubbing her temples to try and ease the pounding pain in her head and dropped her hands to the sheet. Noah walked to the window. Silence stretched between them.

“Sydney, I signed the papers to have my only brother buried yesterday morning,” Noah said suddenly. “There was nothing I could do to help him. Won’t you at least let me try to help you?”

His words shocked her anew. “You already had Jerome buried?”

“Yes. We’ll hold a memorial service for him when you’re well enough.”

“You had no right!”

Noah turned back to her, sadness etched in the creases about his eyes. His expression was filled with regret and compassion. “I guess not. I’m sorry, Sydney.”

She couldn’t stand the pain in Noah’s expression. The truth was, he did have rights. Probably more than she had. His remorse disturbed her almost as much as the chaos of her thoughts. Noah wasn’t to blame for anything. He was doing his best to help, yet she was snapping at him like a rabid dog.

“Why didn’t you wait?” she asked more calmly.

“The morgue released the body. I had decisions to make—so I made them.”

His small shrug tugged at her heart. Despite his size and self-assurance, Noah was a vulnerable man.

“Your concussion had the doctors worried,” he continued. “You kept slipping in and out of consciousness. They didn’t know how soon you’d be able to make decisions.”

“It’s okay. I understand.” And she did. She would have made the same arrangements if she’d been able to. She settled back against the bed, suddenly exhausted.

He rested his hand lightly on her arm. “Thank you.”

“No. I’m the one who should be thanking you. For the plant and…for everything else.” His touch disturbed her.

Who was she trying to kid? Everything about him disturbed her. He was a kind, caring sort of man.

He was also Jerome’s brother.

“Did you know Jerome saved my life?” she asked, wanting to erase some of the hurt he must be feeling.

“The investigators told me.” A muscle, clenched too tightly, twitched in Noah’s stern jaw. “He must have loved you very much.”

Oh, God. The truth lay bitterly in her mind. Could Noah read that truth in her eyes? She closed them against his invasive stare.

“I’d like to take care of you, Sydney. At least make sure you and the baby are settled and have everything you need.”

She turned away and shoved a hand through her hair. Noah was Jerome’s brother, but he was also a stranger. She’d learned a long time ago that the only one she could depend on was herself. “I appreciate the offer, but—”

He stopped her words with an outstretched palm. “Please. Just stay here and rest until morning like the doctor ordered. Then I’ll see about getting you sprung. When you’re feeling stronger, you can tell me to go if that’s what you want. In the meantime—”