Whose Baby Is This?

The baby was the innocent one in all this. But was Tara McNeal innocent? “I’m here because there’s a child involved. She’s the one we have to worry about. Needless to say, you caught me off guard when you came to the office today.”

He watched Tara cross her arms.

“I don’t want to be the enemy here,” Matt continued. “There are some steps we need to take.”

“Just what steps are those, Dr. Landers?”

“A blood test.”

Early the next day, Tara carried Erin across the medical laboratory parking lot. Matthew Landers was there waiting for her.

The man looked far too good first thing in the morning. He wore a snowy white shirt with dove-gray pleated slacks and expensive black loafers. His hair was perfect, not a strand out of place. Tara found she wanted to mess it up. She quickly pushed away the crazy thought.

He pulled off his dark glasses and squinted into the summer sun. “Good morning, Ms. McNeal,” he said.

Tara absently brushed her hair behind her ears, wishing she’d taken time to apply a little makeup. No easy task when she had a baby to care for. “Morning, doctor,” she answered.

“Okay, this is a simple test. It could have been done in my office, but…”

Tara straightened. “I know, you want to keep this quiet.” She glanced at the small medical building.

She was right, Matt was worried about the gossip that might arise from the test. He didn’t want Harry Douglas finding out about this. The hospital grapevine had already built him an impressive reputation as a playboy even though he’d been extremely careful to have kept his personal life private.

“Yes, I’m concerned. I want this matter cleared up. Quickly.”

“Why, are you married?”

Matt was surprised by her question. “No, I’m not. But I am a respected doctor in this community.” He wouldn’t be for long if her accusation became public. He could lose everything he’d worked for. “Are you?”

“Am I what?”

“Married.”

“No, but I plan to be someday.” She smiled at the baby. “And I’ll give Erin brothers and sisters.” Matt held open the door to the small medical building, and Tara stepped inside.

Matt wasn’t surprised by her answer. Most women, even those with active careers, wanted a family. Something he couldn’t offer a wife. “This way,” he said, directing her down the hall and into the elevator.

They were alone in the small space. He pressed the button for the second floor. As much as he tried not to, he couldn’t help but look at the baby. She was awake and alert. Little Erin’s arms were waving in the air as her big dark eyes took in her new surroundings. He smiled. She hadn’t asked for all this trouble.

He stole a glance at Ms. McNeal. She, on the other hand, was asking for a lot of trouble. If she thought she could come here and bat those big emerald eyes at him… Well, he wasn’t going to let her get to him. No matter how soft and touchable her auburn hair looked. He inhaled her soft fragrance, and his stomach tightened.

A chime sounded and the doors opened. He allowed her out first, then directed her down another hall to the lab. Jerry, a golfing buddy and a trusted confidant, was working the early shift and knew they would be coming in. With luck this could be done quickly and privately. In a few hours they’d have the results, and Matt could go on with his life.

He opened the door and stepped aside so Tara could enter, then walked to the deserted counter and rang the bell. The glass window opened, and a middle-aged man with brown hair and a ready smile appeared. “Hey, Matt, nice to see you.”

They shook hands. “Jerry. This is Tara McNeal and Erin.”

“Come back to the office,” Jerry directed. “We’ll do this as quickly as possible.”

Matt stood aside as Tara passed through another door, then paused.

“So how long have you and Jerry been friends?” she asked.

Matt bit back his anger. “If you’re insinuating that I’m trying to falsify the blood test, you can forget it. I have a sterling reputation. Or I had, until some bastard stole everything. I want to clear this up more than you know, Ms. McNeal. You have no idea what it’s like to have lost this kind of control of your life. I know Erin is not my child, but I’m determined to convince you.”

She looked at him for a long moment, then nodded. “Let’s do the test.”

Two hours later, Tara was in Matt Landers’s office, changing Erin’s diaper. Crooning to her niece, she was soon rewarded with a smile.

“You were such a good girl,” Tara whispered, then placed a kiss on the baby’s soft cheek as she managed to get her kicking legs into the stretch suit. Tara took the recently warmed bottle, lifted Erin in her arms, found a spot on the sofa and began feeding her.

She hated hanging around, but the results of the test weren’t supposed to take very long. And waiting here was as good as anywhere else. Dr. Landers had given up his office, saying he had a busy schedule of hospital rounds. The receptionist, Judy Shaw, had gone out of her way to be kind, making sure Tara and Erin were comfortable.

All Tara had to do was wait for the test results. Then what? What if Matt Landers had been telling her the truth? What if he wasn’t Erin’s father? But Bri had sworn she’d only been with one man, Dr. Matt Landers, head of pediatric cardiac surgery at Riverhaven Hospital.

Her sister’s last words echoed in her head. You’ve got to find Erin’s father. I want him to be a part of her life.

“Oh, Bri, you always were a dreamer. Just because he fathered a child doesn’t mean he wants to be a daddy. Didn’t we both learn that the hard way?”

Tara looked at the baby in her arms. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. Aunt Tara will always be here for you.”

The door opened, and Matt Landers walked in. He wore a white lab coat open over his still snowy white shirt and perfectly pressed trousers. “Jerry faxed me the test results. Do you happen to know your sister’s blood type?”

Tara’s heart began to pound as she removed the bottle from Erin’s mouth, placed the baby against her shoulder and began to gently pat her back. She stood up. “Yes, she’s the same as mine, A positive. What are the test results?”

“Inconclusive. It shows I’m O positive. I already knew that, but wanted to redo the test for you. And Erin’s results show…she’s also O positive.”

Tara wasn’t sure whether she was happy or not. “So you are her father.”

Matt Landers didn’t show any emotion. “No, I’m afraid that only suggests I could be the father. O positive is the most common blood type.”

Tara had had enough. If this man didn’t want to claim his daughter, she couldn’t make him want to be a father. Sorry, Bri. I tried. But she was relieved. She could keep sole custody of the baby. “Thank you for your time, Doctor.” She walked to the sofa and began gathering her things. The sooner she got out of here the better.

“Where are you going?”

“Back to Phoenix.”

“You’re not going to try to find Erin’s father?”

Tara looked up. “I thought I had found him, but you don’t want her.”

Matt went to her. “And I told you, I never met your sister, Briana.”

“So you keep saying.” Tara placed Erin in her carrier.

“But you still don’t believe me.”

She sighed tiredly. “I don’t know what to believe anymore.” That much was true. “I’m only doing what I think is best for Erin.”