Whose Baby Is This?

“Of course, I’ve been there,” he said. “I go down to Mexico City for a few weeks every year to perform surgery.” He raked his hand through his hair. “But I never leave the hospital except to go to my hotel and sleep.”

There was another flash of pain in Tara McNeal’s eyes as she shook her head. “Okay, I tried. I’ve come to see you and fulfilled my promise to my sister. But I can’t make you want to be a part of your daughter’s life,” she said, wrapping her arms around the baby protectively. “But don’t worry, Dr. Landers, this child won’t lack for love. She’s got family. Me.” Tara began gathering her bag. “Sorry I bothered you.”

Matt drew a long breath. “How many times do I have to tell you, she’s not my daughter? So if you’re looking for money, you’ve come to the wrong place—”

Her back straightened. “I didn’t come here for your money, Dr. Landers. I already have custody of my niece and I plan to raise her like my own. That means taking full financial responsibility. We’re family, and someday she’ll have brothers and sisters.” Her glare was heated with anger. “But it was Bri’s last request that you be told about your daughter.”

Matt glanced at Tara’s ringless hand. Was she alone? He shook away the feeling of sympathy. She wasn’t his problem.

“But you haven’t fulfilled your promise, because she’s not my child,” he said, the words nearly sticking in his throat.

Matt was a man who had always honored his obligations. But this little girl wasn’t his. Damn. Damn. Why wouldn’t she believe him and leave? “For one last time, I never met your sister.”

Just then the baby stirred again and began to cry. He found he wanted to soothe the infant. None of this was her fault, or his. But if Ms. McNeal decided to take this to Riverhaven Hospital’s chief of staff, Harry Douglas, it could cause a lot of problems. He’d worked hard to build a career. And what was to keep her from returning years later and doing this again? Whose child was Erin Landers? Surely someone wouldn’t go so low as to pretend to be him?

Suddenly a revelation hit him—the key to this mystery. “Wait! Ms. McNeal, I believe I know what happened.” He reached for her just as she started for the door. “Please, you can’t leave yet.”

She jerked out of his grasp. “You finally found your conscience, Doctor?”

“No. Well, yes. Please let me explain. I think I may have some answers for you.” He started to speak, but the phone rang. He picked it up. It was Dr. Talbert wondering where he was. He apologized and hung up.

“Look, Ms. McNeal. I have to leave for about thirty minutes. I have an important consultation with a patient. But I’ll be back. Please, will you wait?”

“I don’t know. Erin needs to be fed.”

“Stay here and use my office,” he insisted. “Judy can get you whatever you need. Heat the bottle or whatever. Just give me a chance to explain.”

She rocked the baby and eyed him suspiciously. “Okay, I’ll stay. But only for a short time.”

Matt grabbed the folder from his desk and rushed out the door. “Just give me thirty minutes.”

Tara watched the man leave. Was this another ploy? She hoped not, but she’d feel better when she and Erin were on their way back to Phoenix. This had been an expensive trip, one she couldn’t afford. Now she may have to go home without any answers.

This wasn’t the way she’d planned to start her vacation. As a teacher, Tara had the summer off, and she was planning on taking this opportunity to enjoy being a full-time mother. The last few months, she had to ask her neighbor, Mrs. Lynch, to watch Erin while she taught school.

Tara carried her niece to the sofa and opened the diaper bag. She located the bottle she’d prepared at the motel, pulled off the cap, positioned Erin against her and guided the nipple to her tiny mouth.

Tara sat back and tried to relax, but the nagging headache she’d had since last night hadn’t gone away. The long drive from Phoenix had been tedious, and they hadn’t arrived until late. But it had been thoughts of Bri that had kept Tara awake all night.

Was there more she could have done? Was she the one who had made her sister want to leave home? So many questions, and Tara had no answers, not for herself or for Erin.

Three months ago Tara had gotten a phone call from her younger sister, Briana. It had been nearly three years since their mother’s death, when Bri moved out of the family’s small rented house in Phoenix. She was only twenty at the time and eager to be on her own.

Many times over the years, she and Bri had argued about her escapades, including the day she left for Los Angeles. Eventually Bri always ended up back home. Not this time, though. Months had gone by before Tara had any idea as to her sister’s whereabouts. Then, this past March, she’d gotten a call from Bri announcing she was about to have a baby and needed her.

Without hesitation, Tara had driven the six hours to the shabby apartment in Los Angeles where her sister lived. Shocked at Bri’s weak condition, Tara rushed her to a clinic just as her labor began.

It was a difficult birth, but finally the doctor delivered a healthy baby girl by cesarean section. Bri, still weak, developed a strep infection. Complications set in, and…she died three days later.

Tara blinked away tears. No. She couldn’t give in to her emotions. Not now. She had to get through this, to make up for not being there when Bri really needed her.

She looked at the baby asleep in her arms. Now Erin needed her. Tara smiled as she raised her niece to her shoulder and began gently patting her back. A few minutes later, Tara lay her down on the sofa and changed her diaper. Through it all, the baby slept like an angel.

“I promise, I won’t leave you,” she whispered and covered the sleeping child with a blanket. Tara stood and walked around the spacious ivory-colored room, her shoes sinking into the plush slate gray carpet. Oak file cabinets lined one wall, and a state-of-the-art computer system took up another. The glass and chrome desk was the focal point of the room, placed dramatically in front of the huge picture window. The doctor had done well for himself. Tara remembered reading about the famous pediatric heart surgeon, Dr. Landers, on the Internet. She knew all about him.

At the young age of thirty-eight, Matthew Landers was already one of the top surgeons in the country. He was single, blond, brown-eyed and six feet two inches tall. He loved the beach and golf.

Tara made her way to the window and looked from the third floor on the beautiful California coastline. She drew a breath. “It looks like you have it all, Dr. Landers. Too bad you can’t share it with your child.”

Suddenly the door to the office opened. The man she’d been thinking about had returned.

Matt came face to face with the attractive Ms. McNeal. Since their meeting, she’d used the baby like a shield, and it was a pleasant surprise to get a look at her attractive slim body. Tall and long-limbed, Tara McNeal didn’t lack for curves. She had on a white short-sleeve sweater and a calf-length print skirt, allowing him a glimpse of shapely legs.

Realizing where he was headed, he shook off his wandering thoughts. Just forget it—the woman can cause you major trouble. Somehow he was going to convince her that he would never father a child, then abandon her.

Matt glanced toward the sofa. The baby was asleep. “I take it this morning wore her out?” he said as he placed some files on a side table.

“It’s her nap time,” Tara said. “She should be out for a while.”

“Good, that will give us a chance to talk.” He motioned to the chair in front of the desk. “Sit down, Tara. May I call you Tara?”

Nodding, she came around the desk and took a seat.

He sat in the chair next to her. “I have an idea as to why my name appears on the birth certificate as Erin’s father.”

He watched as she folded her arms across her chest. Great, she was already resistant to hearing him out.

“For the past fifteen months,” he began, “my life has been turned into chaos because of someone who broke into the surgeon’s lounge and stole my wallet from my locker. Not only did he take money and personal pictures—he used my credit card and my identity.”

“What does this have to do with my sister?”

He raised his hand. “Just give me a minute. Like I was saying, this person was acquiring credit cards in my name. I was getting calls about overdue payments, and the hospital administrator received complaints.” Matt remembered when it started. Harry Douglas had tried to be understanding about the situation, but the administrator’s concern was for the hospital’s reputation. They couldn’t have their top surgeon in financial trouble.

“Believe me, Ms. McNeal, I thought I had straightened out the situation. I’ve always had an impeccable credit rating, but it’s a mess now. I couldn’t buy a thing. It’s still shaky. But I’ve worked with the police and hired an investigator to catch this guy. Lately things began to quiet down. I thought maybe he had moved on,” he said, nodding toward the child. “Until today.”

Tara shrugged her shoulders. “And what connection does this have to Erin?”

“I think the same person who used my name to purchase things also…seduced your sister.”

Her eyes widened. “If you expect me to believe… That’s the craziest story I’ve ever heard.” She tried to stand, and he reached for her hand and stopped her.

Matt paused, feeling Tara’s warmth, her softness. Something he hadn’t felt in a while. And by the reaction of his body, he realized it had been a long while. He released her and leaned back in the chair to refocus. “I know it sounds crazy, but just think about it.”

“There’s nothing to think about, Dr. Landers. You don’t want to be Erin’s father. Hey, don’t worry about it. Not all men are cut out to be parents. Believe me, my sister and I knew firsthand about an absent dad. And I won’t allow Erin to go through the same thing. No father is better than one who’s there then disappears.”

Matt had had enough. “If I fathered that child, believe me, I would definitely claim her.”

“Sure. I can see that.”