Heart of the Raven(22)

"You are really something."

He hauled her into his arms and kissed her, the way she'd wished all  morning he would, with intensity and passion, changing the angle and  deepening it, wrapping her even closer.

"Hurry back," he said.

"I will." She headed for the door, but stopped there and turned around.  "Design me a house, why don't you. Something to hold maybe eight  children ranging in age from ten to eighteen."

"Hard-to-place kids?"

He got it. "Bedrooms shouldn't hold more than two kids each," she said.  "Big kitchen. Big dining room. A computer room. Could you do that?"

"I imagine so."

There, she thought as she left. That ought to keep him busy.



"So, CPS will let Heath keep custody for now?" Jamey asked when Cassie got to the office much later.

"As long as I'm in the picture. They don't know him, but they know me.  They don't want to remove Danny from an environment he's thriving in,  either." She leaned her elbows on her desk and rubbed her forehead,  suddenly exhausted. Jamey sat across from her, not looking sympathetic.  In fact he looked irritated. "You got a problem with that?"

"Nope."

"Yeah, you do. What's up?"

He held her gaze. "You're in too deep, Cass."

"I know."

"You're gonna fall, big-" He frowned. "You know?"

She nodded. "I don't live in fantasyland. I've known all along. And guess what? I'd do it again."

"You're in love."

"Yeah." The word came out as a whisper.

"You hardly know him."

"Crazy, huh?"

"Do you think he feels the same about you?"

The magic question. She knew Heath appreciated her. He'd become  dependent on her in a way and yet was also amazingly independent. Since  she worked in a take-charge kind of job, she'd started off as the  dominant one-or tried to, she thought with a smile. He was no pushover  just because he'd hidden himself from the world. Chosen to hide,  according to him.

"What are you smiling about?" Jamey asked.

Her cell phone rang before she could answer. She pulled it out of her pocket. "Cassie Miranda."

"Hi, um, it's Darcy. You know, Eva Brooks's roommate. Remember me?"                       
       
           



       

"Of course." Her heart gave a little thump. "What can I do for you?"

"She called and wants to come get some of her stuff. I had the locks  changed, you know, since she owes me money. I figured I wouldn't let her  in until she, like, paid me?"

"Is she coming to your apartment?"

"Yeah. I told her to meet me after work. I thought maybe you could give  her the papers, you know? Let her know she's got the money to pay me?"

Cassie paused. She didn't like misleading Darcy, especially since she was being helpful. "What time?"

"Five-fifteen."

"Great. I'll be there. Darcy? Look, I have to be honest here. I'm not really following up on an inheritance."

"Yeah, I figured."

Good. That made her job a lot easier. "Thanks a lot."

"Sure. Bye."

"Pay dirt," Cassie said to Jamey, then told him the plan.

"You can't kidnap her. Nor can you force her to talk. So, what does that leave?"

"I can play to her conscience, if she has one."

"What are you going to do?"

She picked up the phone and dialed Heath. She'd called him earlier, as she left CPS. "I have some more good news," she said.

"I could use some."

"Eva's roommate just called. Eva will be at her apartment in an hour."

"I'll be there."

She couldn't talk, she was so relieved that he would be coming.

"You there?" he asked.

"I'm here. You've got the address, right? I'll meet you there."

"Cassie." His voice got quiet. "This could be it. The end."

He would have to bring Danny with him. So much could happen. "The decision is yours, Heath."

His pause dragged out a few seconds. "It's time for the truth." He hung up.

"Okay," she said, placing her hands flat on her desk. "I'm going to get  over there now and find a parking spot." She worried about him showing  up, too, but she wouldn't tell Jamey that.

"Let me know what happens."

"I will. Don't worry so much, Jamey. I'm a big girl." She left in a  hurry, not waiting for words of advice or wisdom. He couldn't tell her  anything she didn't already know.

Nearly an hour later she saw Heath pull up in front of the apartment  house. Directly in front of it. She got out of her car and slipped into  the passenger seat of his.

"You couldn't have parked where she might not see you?" she asked, craning her neck to see Danny in his car seat. He was asleep.

"She won't recognize the car."

"She might recognize you through the windshield."

"You haven't seen her?" he asked.

"No." She touched his shoulder. "How was the drive?"

"Fine."

He might as well have told her to shut up. He had no intention of  telling her if he'd been nervous or scared or whatever. She admired him  for that.

"I'll do the talking," he said. "You can stand there and look … nannylike or something."

She laughed. "Should I put my hair in double braids?"

"Yeah. And act meek."

"Uh-huh." She grinned at him, enjoying the banter. "Like that's gonna-"

"Shh." He angled sideways, blocked his face by resting an arm on the steering wheel. "There she is."

She'd gotten her figure back in a hurry, Cassie thought. To look at her,  no one would know that she'd given birth less than three weeks ago.

Heath grabbed the door handle.

"Wait. Let Darcy get here," Cassie said. "Eva needs to be inside the  apartment so we can catch her there, see if she'll talk. Get Danny's car  seat undone and ready to go. I'll watch for Darcy."

Two minutes later the black-haired, nose-studded woman arrived. By the  time they got Danny and followed her up to the third floor, the  apartment door was closed and an argument between the two young women  filtered down the hall.

Cassie knocked. Darcy swung open the door.

"She's all yours," she said.

"What-?" Eva froze, her eyes wide. After a second she made a run for the door.

Even cradling Danny's car seat, Heath caught her and moved her back. Cassie shut the door, then leaned against it.

"Do you want to leave?" Heath asked Darcy.

"No way." She plopped into a chair and crossed her legs, bouncing her foot. "This I gotta see."

Tension cocooned them in expectant silence.

"Sit down," Heath said to Eva.

She did, although looking belligerent at the same time.                       
       
           



       

"I am not this boy's father," he said. "Who is?"





Fourteen




Heath watched Eva's eyes shift to the baby carrier, her expression  mutinous. She was not going to make this easy on any of them-or herself.

Playing to whatever maternal instincts she had, he set the carrier on  the floor close to her and crouched beside it, his hand on Danny's legs.  He was aware of Cassie behind him, knew she probably didn't like him  getting Danny close to Eva, but he was making the decisions this time.

Danny opened his eyes. He'd just begun focusing on Cassie and Heath if  they got their faces close to him. He'd just begun to develop a  personality all his own … . Heath drew a slow, quiet, calming breath.

"Look at this innocent boy and tell me how you could be so cruel as to deny him his father."

Her lips thinned even more.

"It's Brad Torrance, isn't it?" he said.

"Your boss?" Darcy screeched. "Eeuw. Icky."

"Isn't it?" Heath repeated.

Eva crossed her arms. "What if it is?"

"Have you been in touch with him at all? Does he know Dan- Does he know his son has been born?"

Heath waited. Her stony silence infuriated him. "How could you do that?" he asked, frustrated.

"You know what? It was easy. It was nothing."

"He deserves-"

"He's crazy! And his wife's crazier. You think I wanted to turn him-" she jabbed a finger toward Danny "-over to them?"

"So his wife knew about your affair? Knew the baby was his?"

"Affair?" She laughed, the sound hollow. "There was no affair. I was their surrogate. His sperm. Her egg."

Darcy gasped.

Heath sat back on his heels. He looked over his shoulder at Cassie. She  gave no outward sign of reaction. Was she as angry as he, but just  better at not showing it?

"They paid me," Eva said. "It was a job. I wasn't supposed to tell  anyone, ever. It wasn't like it was an adoption or anything. It was  really their baby."

"You said his wife was pregnant."