The Ruthless Caleb Wilde

She was a good waitress—she’d put in more time than seemed possible at everything from diners to delis to small, mostly ethnic restaurants.

She could sell things, too. Three Christmases spent behind the jewelry counter at Macy’s were proof of that.

Bottom line? She was ready to begin her new life, and how could she do that with Caleb Wilde on her heels?

She couldn’t.

And, dammit, she couldn’t stop thinking about him, either.

Being in this miserable apartment didn’t help. The memory of him was everywhere. The living room. The kitchen. The bedroom, where they’d made love …

No. Not love.

They’d had sex.

She understood that now but that night—that night—

“Idiot,” she said in a harsh whisper.

Sex. Lust. That was it, plain and simple, the same thing that had got her mother in trouble, that had led to her birth twenty-four years ago … but with a huge difference.

She would love her baby. She already did.

All she had to do was get Caleb Wilde out of her life.

Sage spread her hand over her belly, felt the gentle rise that marked the new life within it. Then she pushed back her chair, dumped the remnants of her cold herbal tea in the sink, grabbed her purse and went out the door.

Caleb had made arrangements for Dr. Fein to have no other appointments the morning of the test.

Fein’s office was in a handsome old townhouse just off Fifth Avenue on the Upper East Side.

At nine-thirty, Caleb stepped out of a taxi, went up the steps to the door and rang the bell. A disembodied voice came over the intercom.

“Yes?”

“Caleb Wilde. I’m the attorney of record for the CVS test to be performed on—”

The door clicked open on a small, empty waiting room. The receptionist, seated behind a handsome desk, smiled pleasantly.

“Good morning, sir.”

“Good morning. Is Ms. Dalton here yet?”

“She’s not scheduled until ten.”

Caleb nodded. He knew that. The question was, would she show up? Had she changed her mind about the test … especially now that she’d read the stuff he’d given her?

He’d read it last night.

And then he hadn’t slept anything worth a damn until it was time to shower, shave and get dressed.

Which was pointless.

The procedure sounded like hell. Yes, but lots of medical procedures were unpleasant, and Sage had brought the need for this one down on her own head.

So, what was he doing here?

It turned out that the receptionist was wondering the same thing.