“It occurs to me that I’ve been taking advantage of you.” His words recalled their early morning encounter, and Hadley’s pulse accelerated.
“How so?” she replied, as calmly as her jittery nerves allowed.
“You haven’t had any time off since that first night, and I don’t think you were gone more than five hours today.”
“I don’t mind. Maggie isn’t a lot of trouble when she’s sleeping, and she does a lot of that. I’ve been catching up on my reading. I don’t have a lot of time for that when I’m in school. Although, I do have my last candle-making class at Priceless tomorrow. We’re working with molds. I’d like to make it to that.”
“Of course.”
Almost as soon as Liam left the old Victorian, Hadley wished him back. Swaddled tight in a blanket, Maggie slept contentedly while Hadley paced from parlor to den to library to kitchen and listened to the wind howl outside. The mournful wail made her shiver, but she was too restless to snuggle on the couch in the den and let the television drown out the forlorn sounds.
Although she hadn’t shared an apartment in five years, she never thought of herself as lonely. Something about living in town and knowing there was a coffee shop, library or restaurant within walking distance of her apartment was reassuring. Out here, half an hour from town, being on her own in this big old house wasn’t the least bit comfortable.
Or maybe she just wanted Liam to come back.
Five
Promptly at ten o’clock the next morning, Hadley parked her SUV in front of the barn’s grand entrance and shut off the engine. She’d presumed the Wade Ranch setup would be impressive, but she’d underestimated the cleverness of whoever had designed the entry. During warmer months, the grass on either side of the flagstone walkway would be a welcoming green. Large pots filled with Christmas boughs flanked the glass double doors. If Hadley hadn’t been told she was about to enter a barn, she would have mistaken her destination for a showcase mansion.
Icy wind probed beneath the hem of Hadley’s warm coat and pinched her cheeks when she emerged from the vehicle’s warmth and fetched Maggie from the backseat. Secure in her carrier, a blanket over the retractable hood to protect her from the elements, the infant wouldn’t feel the effects of the chilly air, but Hadley rushed to the barn anyway.
Slipping through the door, Hadley found herself in a forty-foot-long rectangular room with windows running the length of the space on both sides. To her right she glimpsed an indoor arena, empty at the moment. On her left, the windows overlooked a stretch of grass broken up into three paddock areas where a half-dozen horses grazed. That side of the room held a wet bar, a refrigerator and a few bar stools.
On the far end of the lounge, a brown leather couch flanked by two matching chairs formed a seating area in front of the floor-to-ceiling fieldstone fireplace. Beside it was a doorway that Hadley guessed led to the ranch offices.
Her rubber-soled shoes made no sound on the dark wood floor, and she was glad. The room’s peaked ceiling magnified even the slightest noise. She imagined when a group gathered here the volume could rattle the windows.
A woman in her early fifties appeared while Hadley was gawking at the wrought iron chandeliers. They had a Western feel without being cliché. In fact, the whole room was masculine, rugged, but at the same time had an expensive vibe that Hadley knew would appeal to a clientele accustomed to the finer things.
“Hello. You must be Hadley.” The woman extended her hand and Hadley grasped it. “I’m Ivy. Liam told me you’d be coming today.”
“Nice to meet you.” Hadley set the baby carrier on the table in the center of the room and swept the blanket away. “And this is Maggie.”
“She’s beautiful.” Ivy peered at the baby, who yawned expansively. “Liam talks about her nonstop.”
“I imagine he does. Having her around has been a huge change for him.” Hadley unfastened the straps holding the baby in the carrier and lifted her out. Maggie screwed up her face and made the cranky sounds that were a warm-up for all-out wailing. “She didn’t eat very well this morning, so she’s probably hungry. Would you hold her for me while I get her bottle ready?”
“I’d be happy to.” Ivy didn’t hesitate to snuggle Maggie despite the infant’s increasing distress. “Liam has been worthless since this little one appeared on his doorstep.”
Hadley had filled a bottle with premeasured powdered formula and now added warm water from the thermos she carried. “I think discovering he’s a father has thrown him for a loop, but he’s doing a fantastic job with Maggie.”
“You think he’s Maggie’s father?”
Something about Ivy’s neutral voice and the way she asked her question caught Hadley’s attention. “Of course. Why else would Maggie’s grandmother have brought her here?” She shook Maggie’s bottle to mix the formula and water.
“It’s not like Liam to be so careless. May I?” Ivy indicated the bottle Hadley held. “With someone as good-looking and wealthy as Liam, if he wasn’t careful, a girl would have figured out how to trap him before this.”
“You think Kyle is Maggie’s father?”
“That would be my guess.”
“But I thought he was based on the East Coast and never came home. Candace told me Maggie’s mom was from San Antonio.”
Hadley was uncomfortable gossiping about her employer, but reminded herself that Ivy was his family and she’d asked a direct question.
Ivy smiled down at the baby. “She’s Kyle’s daughter. I’m sure of it.”
Any further comment Hadley might have made was forestalled by Liam’s arrival. His cheeks were reddened by cold, and he carried a chill on his clothes. Hadley’s pulse tripped as his penetrating gaze slid over her. The brief look was far from sexual, yet her body awakened as if he’d caressed her.