His Baby Surprise

“Your sister-in-law is waiting for you in the parking lot,” Ty said.

Prepared to face the music, Lexi took a deep breath, rose from the rocking chair and handed him the paper. The moment of truth had arrived. She’d known a showdown with Ty was inevitable once he learned Freddie wasn’t her husband. But she’d hoped for more time, hoped to put things in perspective before they discussed their son’s birth and the bizarre circumstances of meeting again.

“Freddie has a real problem with the clinic—”

“I know,” Ty interrupted, his disgust evident. “Doesn’t he realize his sister suffers from a weak stomach, too?”

Shocked, Lexi barely managed to keep her mouth from dropping open. Evidently, Freddie hadn’t introduced herself.

Lexi knew she was opting for the coward’s way out, but at the moment, a hasty exit was far more appealing than a confrontation she wasn’t prepared to deal with.

“I’m, uh, pretty sure Freddie knows the effect the clinic has on her.” Lexi tried to keep her voice even as she reached for her son. “We’d better not keep your aunt waiting, Matthew.”

When Ty continued to hold the baby, their eyes locked for a long, tense moment before he finally said, “You have to wait for a wheelchair.”

“I don’t need—”

“It’s standard policy, Alexis.”

“But that’s ridiculous,” Lexi protested. She waited for Ty to place Matthew in her arms, but when he just stood there glaring at her, she waved her hand to encompass the room. “Look around, Ty. You’re in the Dixie Ridge Health Clinic. This place is a million miles away from the protocol that dictates a big city hospital. Besides, I’m perfectly capable of walking out of here.”

“That may be, but for insurance purposes we have to follow procedure,” he argued.

Martha wheeled the chair into the room, her expression revealing how she felt on the subject. “For what it’s worth, Lexi, I think it’s pretty silly myself.” She gave Ty a withering glare. “Doc Fletcher never got bent out of shape when I let a patient walk out of here on their own steam.”

“I’m not Dr. Fletcher,” Ty stated flatly. He turned back to Lexi. “Now, if you’ll have a seat, I’ll take you and Matthew out to the car.”

Desperation clawed at Lexi’s insides. She didn’t want to run the risk of Ty talking to Freddie again. With each meeting, the odds increased that he’d learn the truth. And although she fully intended to tell him everything, she didn’t want or need the added complication of explaining in front of her sister-in-law.

“Alexis?”

“I told you my name is Lexi.”

“All right, Lexi,” Ty said, emphasizing her name. “Sit down.”

Lexi glared at him. “And if I refuse?”

A gleam of determination lit his dark blue eyes. “I’ll pick you up and carry you out.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Try me.” His smooth baritone carried just enough edge to it that Lexi had no doubt he meant exactly what he said.

Several tense seconds stretched between them before she reluctantly gave in and lowered herself into the chair. “Now are you satisfied?”

He placed the baby in her waiting arms and didn’t even try to hide his smug smile. She felt like punching him.

When Ty moved to take hold of the rubber grips on the back of the chair, Martha shook her head. “I’ll take care of getting Lexi and the baby out to the car, Doc. It’s my job. You’re needed in exam room two, anyway. A thump rod on one of Carl Morgan’s barrels popped loose and he’s gonna need a couple of stitches to close a cut on his hand.”

Ty looked bewildered. “Thump rod?”

Martha winked and Lexi smiled in spite of herself. “You can tell he’s a city boy, can’t you, Martha?”

Laughing, Martha nodded. “Stands out like Harv Jenkins’s big toe when his gout’s actin’ up.”

“You still haven’t answered my question,” Ty said stubbornly.

Relieved Ty wouldn’t be taking her and the baby out to Freddie’s car, Lexi managed to grin. “A thump rod is a part on Carl’s…boiler.”

“It’s a technical term used by people in Carl’s line of work,” Martha added, her eyes twinkling merrily.

Ty frowned. “What line of work is Carl in?”

Lexi glanced at Martha, but the woman just shrugged. How much should they tell Ty? After all, he wasn’t from the mountains and he certainly wasn’t accustomed to mountain ways.

“He raises pigs,” she said, finally settling on a half-truth.

“Then why would he need a boiler?”

“He uses it to cook up pig feed, Doc,” Martha answered. Her air of innocence almost made Lexi laugh out loud.

When Ty didn’t make a motion to leave, Lexi asked, “Was there something else?”

He suddenly flashed a smile that sent a warm, fluttery feeling all the way to the pit of her stomach, then handed her an oversize envelope. “Here’s Matthew’s birth certificate.”

The warmth remained with her all the way out to the base of Piney Knob Mountain. Freddie turned the car off the main highway and announced, “Mary Ann Simmons was right. That doctor is a real hunk.”

“I suppose,” Lexi said, trying to sound completely indifferent. Her attempt failed, but fortunately Freddie didn’t seem to notice.

“He’s real understandin’, too.” Freddie glanced in the rearview mirror at Lexi, where she sat next to the baby’s car seat. “He didn’t even bat an eye when I told him how I couldn’t go inside the clinic because of the place makin’ me sick.”

“That’s nice,” Lexi said absently. Listening to Freddie extol Ty’s many virtues was the last thing she wanted or needed to hear. To distract herself from her sister-in-law’s chatter, Lexi removed the decorative parchment from the large envelope Ty had given her earlier.

Scanning the document, she felt her heart lurch to a stop, then take off at an erratic gallop. It wasn’t the official birth record. That would be filed at the county clerk’s office. But the complimentary certificate did reflect Ty’s intentions.

And they couldn’t have been more clear.

Matthew’s surname had been recorded as Braden. And Ty had listed himself as the baby’s father.

Three

Fall had always been Lexi’s favorite time of year, but as she stared out of the car window, she saw none of the fall colors painting the mountain. One question kept swirling through her mind, screaming for an answer, blinding her with its implications.

What did Ty intend to do next?

By listing himself as Matthew’s father on the birth certificate, he’d let her know—in no uncertain terms—he had something in mind. But what?

He thought she was married. Didn’t he care about the problems his actions could cause if she really did have a husband?