A Heavenly Christmas. Кэрол Мортимер

      At the same time his raised voice startled the baby in his arms, and it began crying again.

      Its obviously distressed cry shot through Olivia’s nerve-endings with the sharpness of a knife, and her face was pale as she grimaced painfully.

      ‘Where do you think you’re going?’ Ethan Sherbourne demanded grimly, his voice raised above the baby’s wail.

      Olivia had turned, intending to follow the young mother’s example and escape from the situation!

      She turned back to Ethan Sherbourne, her brows raised. ‘I’ve delivered your card—which I received by mistake.’ She shrugged. ‘I thought I would leave you to deal with this…second delivery of the day alone,’ she explained dryly.

      Dark brown eyes narrowed icily at her obvious sarcasm. ‘Don’t be so damned stupid,’ he snapped, striding out of the apartment to move forward to the lift and press the button for its return, the pink-wrapped bundle—still crying—held awkwardly in his arms.

      Olivia gave him a considering look. ‘Where are you going?’ Not too far, she didn’t think; she doubted this baby was going to wait for another hour to be fed.

      ‘After Shelley, of course.’ He rasped his impatience, looking more harassed by the second. The baby’s initial response to being held in his arms rather than its mother’s was definitely gone for good. ‘What the hell is wrong with her?’ he demanded exasperatedly of Olivia.

      Olivia looked stunned by the question. ‘What on earth makes you think I would know?’

      ‘You’re a woman, aren’t you?’ Ethan’s agitation was fast reaching danger level. ‘At least…’ his gaze moved over her trouser suit ‘…I presume you are. Where the hell is the damned lift?’ he grated between clenched teeth.

      ‘Maybe if you stopped swearing—’

      ‘You think that might stop the baby screaming?’ He conveyed his doubt with another frown.

      ‘No,’ Olivia answered reasonably. ‘I would just prefer it if you did.’

      If looks alone could kill, Olivia knew she would have been struck down in that moment. She only just stopped herself from taking a step backwards as Ethan Sherbourne took a threatening step towards her.

      ‘Er—your lift seems finally to have arrived.’ She pointed past him with some relief to the waiting elevator, its doors open invitingly.

      He glanced from the open lift to Olivia, and back again. ‘So it has,’ he acknowledged. ‘Here,’ he offered.

      And promptly deposited the baby into Olivia’s arms!

      Not welcoming arms. Not waiting. Not even willing. In fact, her initial feelings of satisfaction at one of this man’s past relationships having caught up with him—with a vengeance—disappeared totally as she found she was the one left holding the baby!

      ‘Mr Sherbourne—’

      ‘I have to try and catch up with Shelley,’ he told her firmly before stepping into the lift. ‘Take care of the baby until I get back with her mother.’

      Take care of—!

      The lift doors closed, leaving Olivia alone in the hallway.

      No, not alone…

      A now silent baby lay in her arms, staring up at her with unblinking trust, Olivia realised as she reluctantly looked down at Andrea.

      Olivia’s legs began to shake, quickly followed by the rest of her body, until she knew she was actually in danger of collapsing completely. But with a very young baby in her arms that was not a good idea.

      The door to Ethan Sherbourne’s apartment still stood wide open. Not particularly inviting, but this baby was, after all, Ethan’s responsibility.

      Olivia managed to reach one of the armchairs in the ultra-modern lounge before her legs collapsed beneath her. But only just. She was shaking all over, her breath coming in short, hyperventilating gasps.

      How dared Ethan Sherbourne do this to her?

      How dared he?

      * * *

      ’Mr Sherbourne is certainly in need of a little divine intervention,’ Faith murmured sympathetically as the vision in the apartment stilled.

      Mrs Heavenly straightened, shaking her head. ‘Mr Sherbourne isn’t the one requesting our help, my dear.’

      Faith blinked. ‘Well, of course Shelley is very troubled—obviously overwhelmed by motherhood—No?’ She frowned as Mrs Heavenly shook her head again. ‘Surely not baby Andrea…? No, of course not,’ she answered herself. ‘But that only leaves…’

      ‘Olivia,’ Mrs Heavenly confirmed with satisfaction. ‘Yes, my dear, it’s Olivia Hardy who needs our help this Christmas.’

      Faith glanced back to the woman stilled in the frame. Beautiful, and obviously successful, as she lived in such a luxurious apartment building; in what way, Faith wondered, did such a woman need the help of one of Mrs Heavenly’s angels?

      CHAPTER TWO

      FAITH continued to look at the frozen vision of Olivia. ‘I don’t understand,’ she said after some time had elapsed. ‘Olivia appears to have everything going for her.’

      Mrs Heavenly gave a sad shake of her head. ‘Appearances can sometimes be deceptive, my dear.’

      ‘But she is successful in her career?’

      ‘Very. Junior partner in a very prestigious law firm.’

      ‘And beautiful, by earthly standards, too.’ Faith studied the image before her; to her Olivia looked very beautiful indeed. ‘Is she married?’

      ‘No,’ Mrs Heavenly answered slowly. ‘Nor does she have any children.’ She pre-empted what she thought might be Faith’s next question.

      ‘Ah,’ the young angel murmured with satisfaction.

      ‘Nor does she want a husband or children,’ Mrs Heavenly added pointedly.

      Faith felt more puzzled than ever. ‘But she has asked for our help?’

      ‘Oh, yes.’ Mrs Heavenly sighed her satisfaction. ‘For the first time in ten years Olivia has sent up a prayer. And I don’t intend letting this opportunity pass us by.’

      Faith felt no nearer to knowing in exactly what way Olivia Hardy needed their help, but she trusted Mrs Heavenly’s instincts implicitly. If she said Olivia Hardy had not only asked for help but was also deserving of it, that was good enough for Faith. If only she knew in what way she could help…!

      ‘Watch what happens next,’ Mrs Heavenly invited as she saw Faith’s continued confusion.

      The frame in the vision instantly shifted, and the sound came back too—the tiny baby was hiccupping again in between drawing in shuddering breaths.

      Olivia looked down at the tiny being in her arms. The baby, although still very young, looked well cared for; her cheeks were round, her skin a healthy pink, and her blue eyes gazed back unfocused at Olivia.

      The pink blanket Andrea was wrapped in was clean, and she wore a pretty pink woollen suit beneath, plus a matching hat that hid the colour of her hair. If she had any!

      ‘You’re going to get too hot in all this wool, aren’t you, poppet?’ Olivia spoke gently to the baby even as she eased herself up out of the chair to lie Andrea down on the thickly carpeted floor and began slowly unwrapping her.

      Almost like a Christmas present—except a baby was the very last thing Olivia wanted, for Christmas or at any other time!

      The hair beneath the woollen hat, Olivia discovered a few seconds later, was a startling black. Exactly like her father’s, she realised with a disapproving