Found: One Baby. Cathy Gillen Thacker

she died from an aneurysm when Russell and I were in elementary school. We barely knew our dad—he was a geologist for an oil company. I’ve no doubt he loved us in his way, but he wasn’t interested in being a hands-on parent. Nevertheless, he left the project he was working on in South America and came back to Summit to take care of us.” He exhaled. “For the next ten years or so, he worked assignments around the state. When we hit our teens and were old enough to stay alone, he went back to the more exciting gigs in South and Central America. From that point on, until he died five years ago, we rarely saw him because he was just never home.”

      Michelle touched Thad’s arm gently. “That sounds lonely.”

      Thad glanced at her hand, then said, “Summit’s a closeknit community. We had a lot of people looking out for us. Plenty to eat. And the house across the street to live in.”

      But, Michelle speculated, not what he had obviously wanted most—a loving, emotionally engaged and interested parent on the premises.

      “What was your childhood like?” Thad asked, his rumbling drawl sending shivers over her skin.

      She figured she might as well be honest, too. “I grew up in a well-to-do suburban enclave of Dallas. I was an only child of two very loving but ambitious people.” She paused. “So let’s just say, for me, failure in any venue was not an option.”

      Thad chuckled sympathetically. “You’re giving me new appreciation for my laissez-faire teens.”

      Michelle sighed. The understanding look on his face soon had her confiding further in him. “Don’t get me wrong. I had plenty of attention and everything I needed to succeed. Including special tutors and private coaches when necessary.”

      Thad seemed to know instinctively there was more. “But…?”

      “There were times when I felt as if I had been born on a treadmill set at high speed with no way to get off.” Times when she had felt she would never please her folks no matter how much she accomplished. Michelle forced herself to go on. “My parents were both tenured university professors and department chairs. When they weren’t hovering over me, urging me to greater heights, they worked all the time.”

      William stirred and began to whimper again. She went over to pick him up before he began to wail in earnest. Soothing him with a cuddle and a kiss, Michelle walked back to Thad.

      “That sounds rough,” he said.

      Michelle nodded and handed the baby to him. “Too much so for my folks,” she admitted, watching with pleasure as William snuggled up to Thad every bit as easily as he had snuggled up to her. Then she frowned. “My mom and dad both died of stress-related illnesses a few years ago. Their health problems spurred me to reevaluate my own life. I decided I didn’t want to continue to live in the big city, so I began saving money and looking around for a place to live a quieter life.”

      “I know what you mean. I went to medical school and did my E.R. residency in Houston. By the time I’d finished, I’d had enough of rush-hour traffic and crowds. When there was an opening at the Summit hospital, I jumped at it.”

      William’s lashes shut. His breathing grew deep and even once again.

      “But we digress,” Michelle said.

      Thad cast a loving glance at the infant in his arms. “Yes,” he said softly. “We do.”

      Forcing herself to pull back emotionally, before she got in way over her head, Michelle said, “You need to get this situation with William sorted out as soon as possible.”

      Before either of them fell even more in love with this abandoned little boy.

      THE FIRST ORDER of business, they both decided, after they had resettled the sleeping William in his bed, was to get the addresses and phone numbers of the people involved. That turned out to be easy enough. An Internet search quickly gave them contact information for Candace Wright, as well as Brice and Beatrix Johnson.

      Aware he was so far out of his depth it wasn’t funny, Thad asked, “Any advice on how I should handle this?”

      Michelle glanced sideways at him, reminding him, “I’m not going to represent you.”

      Thad wondered if she had any idea how beautiful she looked in the soft light of her elegantly decorated living room, feet propped up on the coffee table, laptop computer settled on her jean-clad thighs. He propped up his feet on the coffee table, too, next to hers. “You could still advise me as a friend.”

      Her eyes remained on the screen as she studied the information there. She typed in the print command. “Are we friends?”

      Somewhere in the too-quiet depths of her house, he heard a laser printer start up. “I think we’re getting there.” As she put her laptop aside and moved to stand, he inhaled the orange-blossom fragrance of her shampoo.

      He stood, too. “Why? Does that bother you?”

      He followed her down the hall to the kitchen. A home-office space had been built into one wall, with floor-to-ceiling kitchen cabinets on either side. The printer was on the shelf above the desk. She plucked several pages out of the tray and gave him a look of lawyerly calm. “These are highly unusual circumstances.”

      No argument there. Thad shrugged, aware he hadn’t been this affected by a woman in a long time. If ever. “What better way to get to know each other?”

      Her lips curved cynically. “I hope you’re not hitting on me.”

      Was he? “Wouldn’t think of it.” Thad matched her semiamused tone.

      Silence fell between them. Knowing this would all go a lot easier if Michelle were there to help him and their tiny charge, Thad walked back to the living room with her. “Just help me get through the rest of the weekend,” he proposed.

      In his bed, William pushed out his lower lip in indignation and began to whimper once again.

      “Then if I need to hire someone, I’ll do it on Monday morning.” He picked up William and cradled him in his arms. The little guy couldn’t have weighed more than eight pounds and still had the faint redness of skin all newborns had. Yet he already had so much personality. “I don’t want to screw this up. This little guy has already been through enough.” Thad fought the unexpected tightness in his throat, continued in a voice that sounded rusty, even to him. “And since my brother is not acting responsibly…”

      Michelle turned away, but not before Thad thought he saw a glint of empathetic tears in her green eyes. She cleared her throat. “Speaking of Russell, maybe you should try to find whatever it is he signed and make sure those papers state what he thinks they do.”

      “Good point.” Legal jargon could be as confusing as medical terminology. “You want to come over with us, help me search?”

      Surprise mingled briefly with disappointment in her eyes. “You’re taking the baby tonight, then?”

      “I figured I’d keep William at my place tonight since you had him all day.” Thad gazed at Michelle. She looked like she’d just lost her best friend. “You can stay over, too.” The invitation was out before he could think.

      She took it completely the wrong way. The droll expression was back on her face. “Uh, thanks, but…no.”

      He held up one palm. “I’ll be the perfect gentleman.”

      She rolled her eyes. “I’m sure you would be.”

      She fit the crocheted cap on William’s head and helped Thad bundle him up in a blanket. When that was done, she picked up the diaper bag and Moses basket, while he held the door for both of them.

      Together, they strolled down the front walk and across the street. Thad led the way up his front porch, wishing he’d thought to turn on the lights before he’d gone over to Michelle’s home.

      “So, my rep is that bad?” Thad shifted William to one arm while he unlocked the