Heart of the Raven(7)

He stared at her for at least ten seconds. "Yeah. Okay."

The exchange was a little awkward, but soon Daniel was settled in her arms like he belonged there.

Like he belonged there.

Cassie didn't question the feeling. She blinked back tears as love for  this total stranger flooded her. This helpless little boy whose mother  abandoned him and whose father wanted to do the right thing, but who  needed to open up his heart and soul again. Learn to laugh and live  life. Go back into the world. Daniel should not grow up a hermit, just  because his father chose to be one.

"Do you have diapers?" she asked.

"In the nursery. Follow me." He led her across the foyer into a yellow  bedroom so bright and sunny that it seemed like something out of a  fantasy, not a room in this gloomy house.

"This is nice," she said. "Did Eva help you put the room together?"

"No. I wanted it to be a surprise."

She set Daniel on the changing table. Careful not to disturb his cord  she changed a very wet diaper for a dry one, then wrapped him up again.  Still he fussed. She tucked him against her chest and swung back and  forth. His cries grew quieter, then they stopped. He'd fallen asleep.

Heath had hovered over them like the protective father he was. "Where'd you learn about taking care of babies?"

"Here and there."

"Baby-sitting?"

"In a manner of speaking. I spent a lot of time in foster homes. There were always babies to be tended."

She felt his gaze intensify but ignored it. She'd never wanted sympathy  for what she'd gone through. It was done. She'd moved on. So instead she  sat in the rocking chair, satisfying her need to hold Daniel while also  keeping him asleep with the motion. She looked around the room. "Do you  have everything he needs?"                       
       
           



       

"Except formula. Eva brought ten bottles altogether, so I'm okay until the stores open. I'll have someone deliver it."

He'd gotten too used to doing that, she realized. Letting the world come to him. It wasn't a good example for his son.

Plus he wouldn't let her sing to him.

"I need to hire a nanny," he said, crouching in front of her.

"I imagine you do."

"I could use your help finding one."

"Me?" What did she know about hiring a nanny? "There are agencies for  that. I can do background checks on the candidates, if you want,  additional to the ones the agency does."

"That would be great." He rested a hand on Daniel's tiny body. "In the  meantime, though, would you stay here and help me with him?"

"You know how to take care of a baby."

He met her gaze. "I know he needs to be fed and changed and bathed. I've  already fed him one bottle, but there's more to baby care than heating  up some formula and popping a bottle in his mouth."

She looked into Daniel's innocent face. She would move heaven and earth  for him. She wanted a home where he would thrive not just survive. She  wanted to see that he got one, but she already had a dangerous and  foolish attraction to Heath, and he had more problems than she wanted to  take on.

And then there was the other issue, the big one-there was no way she could spend the night. He would know … .

"I can't," she said. "I'm sorry. I just can't."





Five




A little while later, Cassie glanced at her watch as she unlocked her  office door and stepped inside. Only ten o'clock. It seemed like hours  later. She was still shaking from leaving Heath like that. Leaving  Daniel. She'd wanted to stay. She couldn't stay. She'd never been so  torn.

"Jamey?" she called. His car was parked outside.

"In my office," he shouted.

She wandered down the hall and propped a shoulder against James  Paladin's doorjamb. He wore khakis and a plaid shirt, the sleeves rolled  up a few turns. His dark brown hair looked wet from a shower, his eyes  friendly and inquisitive. "Here we are on another Saturday morning. No  rest for the weary," he said with a half smile and gesturing to the pile  of paperwork on his desktop. "Did you know when you took this job you  would never get a day off?"

"Did you ever have a day off when you were a bounty hunter?" she parried.

"Touché. Anyway, thanks for coming in so quickly."

She took a seat opposite his desk. "No problem. I was out and about anyway. Why'd you call? What's going on?"

"I got a call from Sam Remington."

Sam was one of the big bosses, one of the three original owners of ARC  Security & Investigations. He worked out of the LosAngeles branch.  The fourth owner, Quinn Gerard, was her immediate supervisor, but Quinn  was on a case out of town. "New case?" she asked.

"Sort of. For you, though, not me."

"Why didn't Sam call me directly?"

"He did. He said your phone was turned off."

Oh. Right. She'd turned it off until she got back into the city,  figuring she would check messages later, not wanting to talk to Heath.  Jamey had called the minute she'd turned it back on and asked her to  meet him at the office.

"Anyway, here's the deal," he said. "Sam's wife-"

"The good Senator Dana Sterling."

"Yeah, well, Dana is friends with your newest client, Heath Raven."

"Really?" She wondered how that happened? Obviously before he imprisoned  himself. It struck her then what was going on. "No." She sprang out of  her chair, shook her head several times. "I am not playing nanny for Mr.  Raven."

"Apparently you are. Orders from the boss."

"He went over my head," she said in disbelief. "I told him no and he  went over my head. That … that-" She couldn't come up with a word to  finish her thought. How dare he put her on the spot like that?

Okay. He wants to be play hard ball, she'll play with him. She would  protect his baby, protect him from a mother cruel enough to run away,  leaving the father wondering and waiting for days and then abandoning  them both, but she also would cushion Daniel from a father who didn't  have any joy to give to a child. Cassie had lived without joy. She would  make sure Daniel didn't, at least for as long as she was living in that  house.

Jamey leaned forward. "I've seen that look before, Cass."

"What look is that?" She stuffed her hands in her pockets, avoiding making eye contact.                       
       
           



       

"Mutinous. He's the client. He's paying the bill. You need to rein in."

"I'll do what I'm expected to do. He won't have any complaints about that. Someone needs to protect that baby."

He came up beside her. "Be careful, Cass. You can't save the whole world."

"What does that mean?"

"You're a crusader, and sometimes that's a good thing. But you could end up hurt if you don't win this battle."

"You're an expert on me now?"

"Yeah. I think I am. Something wrong with that?"

They stood almost toe to toe. It wasn't a confrontational moment but a  revealing one. Cassie knew her own strengths and weaknesses, her own  virtues and flaws.

"No," she said at last. "One of these days we'll have a little chat about you. I've got you pegged, too."

He laughed. "I'm sure you have. Listen, give me a call if there's  anything I can do. Or if you need a shoulder to cry on. Or if Mr. Raven  needs medical attention."

She punched him lightly on the shoulder, grinned, then grabbed her  briefcase. He laid a hand on her arm as she started to walk past him.

"Some people can't be saved, Cass," he said, more serious than he'd been until then.

His words sent a chill through her. He'd seen too deeply into her. She  was already a little obsessed with Heath, which was why she'd made  herself leave. She recognized the signs, even though she'd never felt  that way before, although maybe some of her obsession was that Heath  came with a baby, a big lure for her.

"Keep in touch," he said.

"I will."

She felt his gaze on her, his concern, as she left the office. He and  Quinn were like brothers to her instead of co-worker and boss.

But brothers were often overprotective for little reason, too. Not that  she'd had any experience with brothers, but she'd heard it was true.  Still, it was nice having people looking out for her.



Heath yanked open the front door for Cassie as she reached it.

"You pulled rank," she all but yelled at him over Daniel's wails. "You pulled rank!"

"I'm taking care of my son the best way I know how." Damn but she was  glorious. Color in her face, fire in her eyes. She'd laughed earlier  when he'd told her about his hippie parents, and he'd been startled by  how the sound had affected him, lightening his dark world. But this  Cassie, this furious Cassie, turned him on.