The Daddy Verdict. Karen Smith Rose

      

       “I’m still not sure why you came to me about the pregnancy, Sierra. I’m not sure what you want.”

      Sierra was afraid to admit what she wanted. She was afraid to admit that making love with Ben Barclay had wiped away everything that had gone before. Had made her lose herself. Had encouraged her to dream again.

      “I told you because you had a right to know. If you want to walk away, that’s fine. I’ll raise this baby on my own.”

      “That’s not going to happen,” Ben assured her. “I intend to be a full-fledged father. We’ll figure this out, Sierra. It will just take some time.”

      Figure out how involved they were going to be in each other’s lives? Figure out if he wanted to be involved in the pregnancy?

       Figure out if one night could have been filled with more than desire?

      Karen Rose Smith has seen more than sixty novels published since 1991. Living in Pennsylvania with her husband—who was her college sweetheart—and their two cats, she has been writing full-time since the start of her career. Lately, in addition to writing, she has been crafting jewellery with her husband. She finds designing necklaces and bracelets relaxing enough to let her mind weave plots while she’s beading! Readers can receive updates and excerpts for Karen’s latest releases and write to her through her website at www.karenrosesmith.com, or send mail to PO Box 1545, Hanover, PA 17331, USA.

      The Daddy Verdict

      By

      Karen Rose Smith

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      To my father, Angelo Jacob Cacciola,

      who taught me how to build model ships

      and play blackjack.

      I miss you, Daddy.

       Chapter One

      “I only came here today because…because I’m pregnant.” Sierra Girard’s blue eyes were wide and vulnerable as her words echoed in Ben Barclay’s office.

      One thought flashed through his mind—they hadn’t used a condom. That oversight had been a first for him.

      “Why did you leave without a word?” he asked, feeling as if she’d punched him in the gut with her announcement. Six weeks ago they’d met at a party and had ended up spending the night together…well, most of a night.

      Her wavy brown hair fell across her shoulder as she looked down at the purse in her hands, then back up at him. “I left in the middle of the night because we got caught up in the heat of the moment. Because neither of us was looking for what happened. You told me your work was your life…that your job as assistant district attorney took all of your waking hours and many of your sleeping ones.”

      Pregnant. Sierra was pregnant! Ben was suddenly angry at himself and angry with her.

      His expression must have shown some of what he was feeling because she murmured, “I never should have come.” Turning, she left his office, slipping quickly into the hall.

      Instinct made him move like lightning. He grasped her arm.

      They both froze, startled once more by the electricity that had drawn them together.

      Finally Sierra pulled from his hold. “This isn’t your problem. It’s mine. I just thought you might like to know.”

      He and Sierra had started talking at the engagement party of mutual friends. That night her smile had curved around his cynical defenses, breaking down barriers that had been cemented in place for years. Desire had exploded, burning away common sense. After they’d had sex, work exhaustion had caught up to him. He’d fallen asleep…and she’d disappeared.

      A colleague walked down the hall and tossed Ben a quizzical look.

      “Come back inside,” Ben suggested, purposefully keeping his tone calm.

      When Sierra hesitated, he added, “You’re not going to pull a vanishing act on me again.”

      “You could have gotten my number from Camille or Miguel if you wanted to reach me,” she chided softly.

      Had she wanted him to search her out?

      Why would he want to pursue a woman who’d left without a word or a note? Why would he want to pursue a woman, period? They all left. He knew that too well. His mother had deserted his father, along with him and his two brothers. And after Ben had hit thirty and decided coming home to a woman would be better than returning to an empty apartment, he’d started dating Lois. However, a year and a half later, she’d broken off their relationship because he was too dedicated to his work. She’d been seeing someone else at the public relations firm where she worked while he was working! “Love” only had meaning to him in how it related to family. There was no such thing as happily ever after or vows that lasted forever.

      Intrigued by Sierra as he had been since they’d met, he asked, “Did you leave that night so I’d chase you?”

      “No,” she protested so quickly he almost believed her. Then she went on, “I don’t tumble into bed with a man every time I go to an engagement party. That night—”

      She stopped to gather words that seemed to elude her. “I’d never done anything like that before! I was confused afterward. When you didn’t bother to get my number and call, I knew you weren’t interested.”

      Sierra Girard was so beautiful in an innocent, twenty-four-year-old kind of way. He was only thirty-five, but the eleven years’ difference seemed more like thirty to him right now. He’d seen things she couldn’t imagine in her worst nightmares. The folders on his desk were full of pictures he hoped she’d never see.

      “Why did you really leave the hotel room that night?”

      “I thought I was doing the best thing for both of us,” she replied with what sounded like sincerity. “That way we didn’t have to be embarrassed or awkward, or figure out how to say goodbye.”

      “Do you always run from awkward situations?” He really didn’t know much about her. Just that she and Camille were good-enough friends for her to be Camille’s maid of honor.

      At Sierra’s pointed silence, Ben raked his hand through his black hair, deciding to let that question go so he could ask something more pertinent. “Have you seen a doctor?”

      “Yes, I have.”

      “What are you going to do about the pregnancy?”

      Where before Sierra had seemed almost pale to him, her cheeks took on color now. “I will not get an abortion.”

      “I’m not asking you to consider it.” He took a step closer to her, then wished he hadn’t because he inhaled her rose-scented perfume. It had driven him crazy at the party the whole time they’d talked, as well as the whole time they’d been naked together. “I just want to know if you can be sure this child is mine.”

      “It’s your baby,” she replied quietly. At his silence, she asked, “You don’t believe me?”

      His poker face must not have been as neutral as he thought. He was short on trust these days, especially where women were concerned, and it must have showed.

      “Okay, Ben.” Fumbling with the catch on her purse, Sierra reached inside and pulled out a business card. “Here. Now you have my number and the address of my shop. Our baby is due at the end of May. Give me a call if you want to be involved in being a parent. If not, I understand.”

      Before he could take a breath, Sierra hurried into the hall, her sandals clicking on the tile.

      As