Temporary Bride (6 page)

Karen realized that she hadn't been given any choice in
the matter but she really didn't mind. She'd been worrying about the
baby. Infants didn't cry unless there was something upsetting them and
this one had seemed to be in real distress.

The Tylers handed their three-month-old son, Danny, over
to Karen with almost indecent haste and left to join the other guests
at dinner. She got the impression that neither of the parents knew how
to care for a child. Poor little Danny, she thought as she held the
fussy baby over her shoulder and rubbed him gently on the back, he'll
be raised by nursemaids and governesses until he's old enough to be
sent off to boarding school and there will never be anyone who really
cares for him. She wondered why people like the Tylers bothered to have
children, but, of course, it was the expected thing to do. Didn't
everyone need an heir to the family money?

She unwrapped the infant and frowned. He was soaked! Not
only his diaper but his undershirt and kimono. His mother had wrapped
him in a clean blanket but neglected to change his dripping clothes.
Karen undressed the wiggling infant and ran water into the bathtub. A
thick bath towel in the bottom of the tub kept the baby from slipping
as she once more balanced herself across the side and held the boy with
one arm as she washed him with the other hand.

A noise behind her made her turn her head and look over
her shoulder. She gasped in surprise to see Shane lounging in the open
doorway. He grinned and said, "Do you spend all your time standing on
your head in the bathtub?"

She laughed. "No. Only when there's something to scrub."
She lifted the baby from the water and ordered, "Hand me that towel.
No, shake it out and hold it so I can put the baby in it."

She set the child in the soft towel across Shane's arms
and brought the ends together, wrapping the infant warmly. A somewhat
surprised Shane was left holding the baby and followed her into the
bedroom with him. She bypassed the bed and sat down on the thickly
carpeted floor, patting the space beside her.

"Put him here."

Shane stared. "On the floor?"

"It's the only place there is to dress him," she said as
Shane knelt and placed the towel-wrapped bundle where she indicated.
"You didn't think I'd take a chance of ruining that bedspread, did
you?" She indicated the hand-quilted satin spread on the king-size bed.

"You didn't have to pay for it," Shane argued reasonably,
"why should you care?"

She shrugged and took a diaper from the stack of clean
clothes beside her and folded it before she unwrapped the naked baby
and began pinning it on. Shane watched.

"You do that as if you'd had lots of practice."

She jabbed a pin expertly into the folds of cloth. "I
have. I've earned my spending money by baby-sitting since I was
thirteen years old, and you didn't ask my opinion but I'm going to give
it to you. Women who can't even diaper a child shouldn't have one."

Shane spoke quietly. "I assume you're speaking of Carrie
Tyler?"

Karen nodded. "I am. This poor baby hadn't been changed
for hours. No wonder he cried so. His little bottom was all red and
they didn't even bring along any talcum powder or baby oil."

She slipped a tiny undershirt over Danny's head and gently
worked his arms into the sleeves. "When I got here she practically
threw him at me and disappeared. Nobody could have torn me away from my
baby if he had been crying so hard all afternoon! People who don't want
to care for their children have no business having them!"

Shane started visibly, then was silent while Karen snapped
the infant into his nightgown and pulled the drawstring at the bottom.
She lifted the gurgling child and held him above her head as she spoke
to him.

"There, sweetheart, now you feel better, don't you?"

Danny screamed with laughter and grabbed her hair with
both hands and pulled. Karen squealed and tried to pry him loose but
not until Shane got up and forcibly opened the clenched little fists
was she able to get away.

"You're a menace, you little fiend. Now stay with Uncle
Shane while I clean up the mess in the bathroom." She handed the baby
to a startled Shane and left the room.

When she finished straightening the bathroom Shane was sitting in a chair rocking the baby, who hadn't
uttered a sound. She walked over and stood beside them, looking down at
the man and the tiny boy. Shane was relaxed and seemed to know just how
to hold a baby, and Danny was looking intently at Shane's square
masculine face through round blue eyes. She dropped her hand lightly on
Shane's shoulder and murmured, "You'd make an excellent father, Shane."

He turned his head and rubbed his rough cheek against the
smoothness of her arm. He seemed about to speak but then the peace of
the moment was shattered by a banging on the door and Audrey's voice
calling: "Shane, are you in there? Karen, unlock the door?"

Karen hadn't known that the door was locked and she moved
quickly to open it. Audrey stood there looking lovely in rose chiffon
but her turquoise eyes shot sparks as she snapped, "Have you seen Mr.
McKittrick?" Her mouth dropped open as Shane came up behind Karen,
still carrying the baby. She uttered a strangled sound and said,
"Shane, Mrs. Whitney has had dinner ready to serve for the past half
hour and nobody knew where you were. I certainly didn't expect to find
you here. What's the matter? Isn't Karen capable of looking after the
child by herself?"

Shane handed Karen the sleeping child and spoke to Audrey.
"I'm sorry Mrs. Whitney has been inconvenienced. Tell her to go ahead
and prepare to serve; I'll be down in a few minutes." He shut the door
quietly but firmly in Audrey's face.

Karen turned to walk away, but his hands on her shoulders
stopped her. "Karen, it was never my intention for you to baby-sit. I
didn't even know that's what you were doing until I asked Mrs. Whitney
where you were and she told me. Who sent you up here?"

There was anger in his voice and Karen didn't want to
cause trouble by admitting that Mrs. Whitney hadn't given her much
choice in the matter so she said, "I volunteered to come. I was worried
about the baby, afraid it might be sick from crying so hard. Besides,
the other girls were needed to help with the dinner party. I didn't
have anything else to do."

"Of course you had something else to do," he said
irritably. "You were supposed to join the rest of us at dinner."

Karen turned to face him. "But I didn't know that, Shane."

His face twisted in disgust. "I swear, Karen, if I didn't
know you better I'd think you were simpleminded! Where did you expect
to eat?"

Karen knew she'd better get Shane downstairs or Audrey
would be up again and Mrs. Whitney would be furious. She put her finger
to her lips in a shushing motion.

"Please, you'll wake the baby. Go on down to your guests.
I'll be fine. One of the girls will bring my dinner on a tray."

Shane swore and stalked out of the room.

Little Danny snuggled down and went right to sleep when
Karen put him in the portable crib, the only piece of equipment his
disinterested parents had thought to bring, and Taffy came almost
immediately with Karen's supper tray. She knew that must have been
Shane's doing, otherwise Mrs. Whitney would have waited until dinner
was over before bothering to remember her. As the evening wore on she
curled up in the chair with a book. She was tired after cleaning house
most of the day and before long the words on the page began to blur and
her head dropped against the soft upholstery.

It was much later when she heard voices speaking quietly
in the room but she couldn't seem to wake up enough to open her eyes.
She stirred and was aware of an arm around her shoulders and another
under her knees, lifting her up. She knew it was Shane. She could tell
by the spicy smell of him, and the feel of him, and the way she fitted
against him as if she were meant to be there. She wound her arms around
his neck and buried her face in his shoulder as he started across the
room. She couldn't let him carry her down all those stairs but it
wouldn't hurt to snuggle close against him until they got out in the
hall. Shane said good night to the Tylers and walked through the door
with her when a high-pitched shriek tore through the silence.

"Shane!" There was no mistaking Audrey's voice. "Where are
you going with her?"

Karen jumped, then stiffened, and Shane put her down on
her feet, then turned to Audrey. "For heaven's sake, Audrey, keep it
down! Do you want to wake the baby?"

Audrey shot Karen a murderous glance but spoke sweetly to
Shane. "Sorry, darling, but I can't get my window open. It's stuck and
you know I can't sleep without fresh air."

Karen wondered how Shane would know that
unless—Shut up, she told herself, it was none of her business
what
he did.

Shane still had his arm around Karen's waist as he
answered, "I'll come look at it as soon as I see Karen to her room."

Karen pulled abruptly away from him. Who was she to keep
him from the beautiful Audrey's side? She smiled thinly at him as she
stepped away and said, "Thank you, but I'll be all right," then
scurried off toward the stairway before he could stop her.

She was wakened from a deep sleep by a pounding on her
door and an angry male voice calling. "Karen, wake up and open this
door or I'll use my key!"

She opened her eyes and sprang to a sitting position. The
faint light of dawn peeked through her drawn drapes as the pounding
started again. She jumped out of bed and, forgetting the low-cut,
revealing blue nightgown she wore, raced to open the door, switching on
the light as she did so.

It was Shane, in a long wine velour robe, eyes blazing
with rage as he swept past her into the room. She glimpsed Mrs. Whitney
in a navy blue robe standing in the hall. Karen cowered back and Shane
towered over her, his mouth twisted in uncontrolled fury. What had she
done now? How could she have made him so angry when she'd been asleep?

His voice was low as he growled, "How long have you been
sleeping down here?"

She was too surprised to answer with anything but the
truth. "I've always slept down here—you know that."

"Know that!" he almost shouted. "I know no such thing! I
thought you had the room across from mine. I wondered why I never heard
or saw you upstairs—" He stopped as if something had just
occurred to him. "Is that why you wouldn't take your meals with me? Did
she"—he motioned to Mrs. Whitney, who was now hurrying down
the hall—"tell you to eat down here?"

Karen nodded, unable or possibly unwilling to lie to
protect the housekeeper. Shane groaned and took her small oval face in
his hands, tilting it until she was looking straight into his dark
brown eyes, eyes that were still clouded with anger.

"Karen, I can't tell you how upset I am to find that you
have been treated so shamefully in my home. You were to be regarded as
a guest, and Mrs. Whitney knew that. I'll deal with her later, but I'm
telling you now, you are to have complete freedom of the house and
grounds and the use of anything you need, including the cars. You are
not an employee; you are a guest who is doing me a favor by putting my
library in order. In appreciation I am paying you a reasonable stipend
for your valuable service. Is that clear?"

She nodded, her eyes on his expressive face and the
sensuous mouth that was saying such wonderful things. He bent his head
and brushed her lips lightly with his then took them in a hungry kiss,
sending shock waves of emotion through her. His hands left her face and
drew her to him, burning through her silky gown wherever they touched.
Her arms rose of their own accord and wound around his neck, her
fingers caressing the back of his dark head. As his tongue found the
sweetness of her parted mouth she shivered, and with a groan he pushed
her away. His voice trembled as he said, "You'd better put some clothes
on."

He turned away from her as she reached for her gingham
robe and his voice was under control when he spoke again.

"I almost forgot the reason I was looking for you in the
first place. The baby is crying again and Carrie doesn't seem to have
the vaguest idea how to calm him. The whole household is probably awake
by now. Would you mind—?"

"Of course not. The poor little guy's probably hungry.
I'll warm his bottle and take it with me."

Mrs. Whitney was not in evidence but Karen wondered
uneasily if she had lingered to watch the kiss. Shane had said she'd
have no more trouble from the woman, but Karen wasn't so
sure—something about Mrs. Whitney frightened her, made her
feel like a backward child who wasn't performing up to expectations.

They climbed the stairs to the small kitchen next to the
dining room, where Karen stopped to warm a bottle. Shane told her to
take the baby to his room and feed it, then went in search of Mrs.
Whitney.

Ben Tyler was pacing the floor of the room with the
screaming child while Carrie huddled on the bed in tears. Karen took
the unhappy baby from his relieved father, gathered up a pile of clean
clothes, and walked across the hall and down a few doors to Shane's
room. She changed the infant's wet clothes and settled down in the big
armchair to feed him.

It was quiet and peaceful in this big, masculine room, and
it was plainly evident that no woman shared it on a continuing basis.
It was decorated in moss, ocher, and ecru—earth tones that
complemented the dark, heavy furniture. Gleaming brass lamps added a
lighter touch, and a large oil painting of a sailing ship, by an artist
whose name was unfamiliar to Karen, provided the only bright color.

A glance at the bottle told her the baby had already taken
two ounces of his formula and she pulled the nipple from his mouth and
put him over her shoulder, gently rubbing her hand upward on his back
to relieve the inevitable bubble of gas.