The Baby Claim
“Just what it sounds like. While you two were talking, I chatted with Dad and Jeannie. And since none of us could envision either of you two backing down, we thought it would be best for the two of you to take care of the baby together until we sort this out—paternity and legalities.”
Broderick bristled. “That leaves the baby and all of us open to more gossip at a time when there’s already enough going on.”
Glenna turned to stare him down, her softer feelings toward him starting to evaporate. So much for unity. “You’re really worrying about the company right now? This has nothing to do with business.”
Broderick held up a hand. “The way I see it, the less negative gossip about our families the better for Fleur if this goes to some kind of custody battle.”
Warning bells sounded in Glenna’s mind. She knew the Steele family was a force to be reckoned with. But they could stuff their take-charge attitude. This baby could well be tied to her. It could be a tie to her husband—a reminder that their marriage had been troubled, yes, but also an answer to her prayers for a child she could love as her own. She wasn’t giving up even a few days with the baby. “I’m not leaving. I won’t be pushed out of Fleur’s life—”
Broderick touched her elbow again in that comforting way that also launched butterflies in her stomach. “What if we care for her together, somewhere outside of the Steele or Mikkelson backyards, so the baby isn’t a distraction from the merger?”
Naomi nodded curtly. “I have to agree with my pigheaded brother on this. Speaking as a part of this family-company-merger mess, I think getting away is best for the two of you, as well. You’ll have the quiet you’ll need to sort out the financial side of blending our businesses, to figure out what to present to the board. It benefits all of us if the two of you mend personal fences.”
All eyes focused on them with a new intensity.
Glenna raised her eyebrows. “Personal fences? You can’t possibly expect us to fix the family feud.”
“Don’t play coy with us. I’m not talking about the Steele-Mikkelson battle. Neither one of you is fooling me.” This must be that famous courtroom face that Naomi wore to win her most difficult cases. “I went to the same college and was only a couple of years behind you. I heard. I know.”
Broderick straightened his spine. “Naomi. Stand down. This most certainly isn’t the time or place and it definitely isn’t any of your business.”
She flicked her long brown hair over her shoulder, not in the least intimidated. “I’m not a gossip. But I am smart and I see the wisdom of getting the hell out of Dodge. The wisest thing for you two to do now? Make the most of the window of time I can get you with a temporary custody order while DNA tests are run and a search is made for the child’s mother. Use that time to figure out how to get along and settle our companies’ business. Take your own advice, Broderick, and lie low.”
The words sank in. Hard. And Glenna couldn’t ignore the wisdom of Naomi’s plan.
Which meant she would be stuck playing house, alone with this baby she already loved…and Broderick.
CHAPTER SIX
Cold light reflected on the pristine shore of the Steele family compound an hour outside of Anchorage. The rays bounced up at Broderick in an unforgiving manner. Reaching for his sunglasses tucked into his shirt pocket, he breathed in the crisp air, enjoying the frigid burst against his lungs.
For his whole life, he’d been taught the importance of family. As he surveyed the distant snowcapped peaks from his spot on the runway behind the family compound, his desire to protect this place—and what might be his infant daughter—filled him.
With a bag slung over his back, he made his way to the seaplane bobbing alongside the dock. Two pontoons kept it afloat. Last year, they’d invested in the modified amphibious aircraft version that could take off and land on either water or runways. That choice made sense for flexibility, and was a benefit now, with Glenna and the baby, if an emergency arose.
The blue of the water intensified next to the piercing white of the plane, looking more like a painting than reality. The rustic mansion on the hill seemed to demand that he act now to save his family’s legacy. He gave a cursory glance to a smaller, pale yellow aircraft peeking out of the hangar. He preferred that twin engine plane, but the floatplane was more practical for where he and Glenna were headed.
Together. With a baby.
They would be staying at a Steele family cabin along a secluded bay on Prince William Sound in the Gulf of Alaska. The two-bedroom A-frame with a sizable loft had served as a welcome retreat anytime one of his family members needed to recharge.