Emergency: Parents Needed. Jessica Matthews

      “We only took the baby’s things,” Joe told her. “We’ll take care of the rest another day. How’s she been?”

      “Oh, fine,” Hannah said. “She’s always been such a good baby. I’ve never had any trouble with her at all.”

      Joe nodded, but his mouth was pressed into a hard line. Obviously Hannah’s well-meant remarks only emphasized Joe’s feelings of inadequacy. Maggie would have to find ways to build his confidence and increase his comfort level with the little girl, although doing so in the space of a few hours seemed a monumental task.

      “I’m just glad I was home today and could help,” Hannah continued, blithely unaware of Joe’s set jaw. “I’m going to miss her. I’ll miss them both.”

      Sensing Joe’s tension, Maggie stepped in. “As will a lot of people,” she said. “But we thank you for your time and now we’ll get out of your way so you can enjoy the rest of your day off.”

      “Of course.” Hannah led them inside.

      Maggie was prepared to see Breanna sitting on the floor, playing with a stack of plastic building blocks, but she hadn’t prepared herself for what came next.

      “Mama?” the little girl asked Maggie.

      Oh, dear. The one word, uttered with just the right amount of hope and uncertainty, nearly undid her. She wanted nothing more than to escape, to leave this temporary child-rearing task to someone else, but she wasn’t a quitter, or so she told herself before turning a smile on the little girl.

      “Hi, sweetheart,” she said. “Daddy’s here.”

      Breanna went to Hannah, the one familiar constant in her life. “Mama?” she asked.

      Hannah’s eyes became suspiciously moist. “No, sweetie. Mama’s not here. But your daddy is.”

      Maggie glanced at Joe. The man who’d always seemed as steady as a rock and completely fearless now appeared as if he were living his worst nightmare.

      In his mind, he probably was.

      “It’s time to go, Breanna,” he said, his voice unnaturally gruff.

      Breanna studied him with eyes far too serious for a child her age. “Mama?”

      Hannah shrugged apologetically. “She must be waiting for Dee to take her home.”

      The notion sent a flash of pain through Maggie’s chest. Right now, Breanna wouldn’t understand why she suddenly had a hole in her young life—she would only know that she did. It would fall on Joe to make sure this child never felt abandoned because of her loss.

      Joe turned to Maggie. His eyes reflected indecision. “Now what? I’d rather not drag her out of here, kicking and screaming.”

      “Let’s see what she does in a few minutes,” Maggie suggested. She turned to Hannah. “Do you mind?”

      “Not at all. If you like, I’ll tell you what I know about her schedule.”

      So, for the next half-hour, Maggie listened and took mental notes, hoping Joe was absorbing a fraction of the information he was hearing. From the vacant expression on his face, she suspected he was still overwhelmed by the situation. She would need to fill the gap until he found his footing.

      Before long, Breanna crawled onto the sofa and sat between them as she eyed Joe cautiously.

      “She hasn’t been around many men,” Hannah remarked. “You’re a novelty.”

      Maggie found that innocently volunteered tidbit interesting. In her opinion, it added evidence to the case that Joe—not another man—was Breanna’s father. “Then Deanna wasn’t seeing anyone?”

      Hannah shook her head. “If she was, she kept him a secret, which wouldn’t have been easy with us living next to each other. Although there was a fellow…” She looked thoughtful.

      “And?” Joe raised an eyebrow.

      “I saw him with her once or twice a long time ago, but she never introduced us. Then he quit coming and Dee never mentioned his name. Ever.”

      Maggie exchanged glances with Joe. “Would you recognize him if you saw him again?”

      “Possibly. Like I said, it was a long time ago. He reminded me of you,” she addressed Joe, “but not as tall. A little older. He dressed really well, too.” Her face flushed. “Not that you looked like a bum, but this guy always wore a suit.”

      “Could he be Breanna’s father?” Joe asked.

      Hannah shook her head. “I doubt it.”

      “Why do you say that?” Joe asked.

      “Because Dee said you were a tough act to follow,” Hannah said bluntly.

      A tough act to follow? Maggie was surprised to hear Joe described in such glowing terms. Clearly Dee’s Joe Donatelli was a different man than her Joe Donatelli, she thought with some exasperation.

      Feeling guilty for her uncharitable thought, she mentally backpedaled. OK, so he may not be an outgoing, blurt-out-everything-he-was-feeling sort, but her colleagues said he was a kind, honest, dependable person. Just because she hadn’t personally seen indisputable evidence of those traits didn’t mean it wasn’t so.

      For an instant, she was almost jealous of a dead woman. Clearly Dee hadn’t had any trouble penetrating his outer shell, especially if his friendship with her had lasted longer than their physical relationship. Maggie should be able to accomplish the same.

      The more she thought, the more she realized that in spite of her reluctance to help him with Breanna she wanted to meet the same Joe Donatelli who Dee Delacourt had obviously loved.

      At seven o’clock that evening, Joe gratefully sank into the rocking chair as he fed Breanna her bedtime bottle of formula. The little girl had been fed her nighttime snack, bathed, and was now resting in his lap as she clutched her bunny. Joe hoped she’d exhausted herself to the point where she’d sleep all night because he certainly would if he got the chance.

      His day hadn’t been tiring in a physical sense, but he’d definitely been through an emotional wringer. It had been tough to visit Dee’s apartment, but facing the memories of his old friend had been easy compared to handling Breanna.

      “Tired?” Maggie asked as she sat in the recliner next to his chair and sipped at a cup of coffee.

      “I’m beyond tired,” he admitted, rubbing his bristled face with one hand, careful to slow his movements so as not to startle Breanna out of her doze. “I feel like I’m at least twice my age.” At thirty, he’d considered himself in peak form, but that had been before Breanna had entered his life.

      “You’ll adjust,” she predicted. “If my brothers could make the transformation to parenthood, so can you.”

      He purposely didn’t point out that her brothers hadn’t managed that feat on their own either. They’d had wives and the support of their families behind them. “If you say so. Regardless, I’ve officially decided it’s less stressful to work a thirty-six-hour shift than look after a baby.”

      “It’ll get better.”

      He glanced at Maggie. “When?”

      She smiled. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but my crystal ball went the way of my time machine.”

      “I’ll settle for a ballpark figure.”

      “How long does it take you to adjust to a new routine? A new house, new job, new friends? I’m guessing several weeks, minimum.”

      He hadn’t thought of Breanna’s situation in those terms and he should have. He’d grown up in foster-care and knew what it was like to be moved into a new home for reasons he often hadn’t understood other than he couldn’t stay where he’d been. Eventually, after he’d