The two couples finished exchanging greetings and Case spoke. “Gotta hand it to you, Liam.” He gestured around, his grin wide, posture relaxed. “This is one hell of a facility.”
“Have you toured the neonatal unit?” Mellie asked.
“We just arrived,” Hadley admitted, completely at ease tucked into the half circle of Liam’s left arm. After their conversation in Vail, he’d half expected her to balk at going public with their developing relationship.
“The whole wing is really terrific,” Mellie was saying, “but that unit in particular is very impressive.”
Liam agreed. He’d seen the neonatal facility during his many trips to the hospital in his role as chairman of the fund-raising committee, but he was looking forward to showing it to Hadley.
“Why don’t we head up now,” he suggested, seeing Hadley’s interest. There would be plenty of time later to catch up with Mac, Jeff Hartley and other members of the Texas Cattleman’s Club. “We’ll catch up with you later,” he told Case.
“They seem like a nice couple,” Hadley commented as they waited for the elevator that would take them to the maternity ward on the fourth floor.
“I don’t know Mellie all that well, but Case is a great guy and they appear happy.”
The elevator doors opened, and Liam gestured Hadley ahead of him.
Despite the crowd gathered to party in the lobby, they had the elevator to themselves. As soon as the car began to move, Liam tugged Hadley into his arms and dropped his lips to hers.
The instant Liam kissed her, Hadley wrapped her arms around his neck and yielded to his demand. Frantic to enjoy the few seconds of isolation, they feasted on each other. But all too soon, a ding announced that they’d reached their floor, cutting short their impassioned embrace.
“Damn these modern elevators,” Liam muttered, his hands sliding off her body.
Hadley, her cheeks hot in the aftermath of the kiss, smiled foolishly. She surveyed his chiseled lips, searching for any sign that her red lipstick had rubbed off. Taking the hand Liam offered her, she stepped past a tour group that was waiting to head downstairs.
“Let’s see if we can catch that tour,” he said, tugging her down the hallway toward a group of well-dressed guests listening to a tall, handsome man in his late thirties.
“Next is our neonatal unit,” the man said, gesturing down the hall as he started forward.
“That’s Dr. Parker Reese,” Liam explained, tucking Hadley’s hand into the crook of his arm. “He’s a neonatal specialist. Brilliant guy. We’re lucky to have him.”
It was hard to focus on Dr. Reese’s description of the neonatal unit’s state-of-the-art equipment and dedicated staff while her senses were filled with the scent, sight and feel of Liam so close beside her.
He stiffened, dragging Hadley out of her musings. She returned her attention to the speaker only to discover Dr. Reese had passed off the tour to a slender nurse with blond hair pulled back into a bun and a brisk way of speaking.
“We call her Janey Doe,” the nurse said, a hint of sadness clouding her direct green gaze. “She is holding her own, but each day is a struggle. However, thanks to Dr. Reese...” The nurse glanced up at the tall doctor, and Hadley got the impression that equal parts personal and professional admiration curved her lips.
The crowd began to follow Dr. Reese toward the birthing suites, but Liam showed no interest in continuing on. He made a beeline straight for the nurse and introduced himself.
“Hello, I’m Liam Ward. And this is Hadley Stratton.”
“Clare Connelly.” The nurse shook their hands. “Thank you for all your hard work on the restoration of this wing. It’s such an amazing facility to work in.”
“It was an important project for our town.” Although his words were courteous, his tone was strained. “I was wondering if you could tell me a little bit more about Janey Doe.”
Knowing that she had missed a big chunk of the story, Hadley scanned Liam’s expression, noticed his tight lips, the muscle jumping in his jaw and wondered at his interest.
“She was found on the floor of a truck stop thirty miles from here...”
“No sign of her mother?” Liam’s question reverberated with disgust.
Clare shook her head slowly. “None, I’m afraid.”
“You mean she just left her there?” Hadley’s chest tightened. “How could she do something like that?”
“She was probably young and scared. Janey was very small and obviously premature. It’s possible the mother thought she was dead and freaked out.”
Hadley appreciated how Clare stuck up for Baby Janey’s mother but could see that none of her assumptions had eased Liam’s displeasure. He was staring into the neonatal unit, his attention laser focused on the middle incubator. Was Maggie on his mind? Without knowing for certain that Maggie was related to Liam, Diane Garner had left her granddaughter in his care. Or was he thinking how his own mother had left him to be raised by his grandfather?