Heart of Ice. Diana Palmer

be stupid enough to smoke something illegal in public, though.”

      “If you’re not interested in shopping, maybe you should go make yourself useful somewhere else, Chief.” Angie had never been known to hold her tongue, even around agents of the law. And unfortunately her family had had its share of brushes with Chief Sorrell’s department.

      While none of the family had committed any major illegal acts, there’d been several run-ins, including domestic quarrels that got out of hand. The police chief obviously hadn’t forgotten.

      He regarded Natalie with a curled lip. “Helping your mom earn a living?” he asked. “I didn’t figure you’d last long at that hospital job.”

      She couldn’t believe his nerve. “I’ve been working there nearly six years,” she said. “I’ve had two promotions in title and none-of-your-business how many raises.”

      Angie bristled. “You’ve got no call to insult my daughter.”

      “That wasn’t an insult, merely an observation.” Abruptly the smug expression vanished from Finn’s face. “Oh, hello, Patrick. I didn’t see you there.”

      “How are you, Finn?” The doctor, who apparently hadn’t heard the conversation, returned one of the dolls and took out his wallet. In his expensive suit and tie, he made a decided contrast to the couple behind the booth.

      “What brings you here?” the chief asked.

      “My sister’s going to love this doll,” Patrick said by way of an answer. “Angie, we ought to start carrying your work at the gift shop. Could you put the Doctors Circle logo on the dolls’ clothing?”

      “Sure thing.” Angie enclosed the doll in a sheet of recycled Christmas wrapping paper. “I’ll bring some over when they’re ready.” She handed him a business card. “You can give that to the head of the gift shop, if you don’t mind.”

      “I’ll do that. I’m sure she’ll love them.”

      Natalie prayed that the chief wouldn’t say anything to Patrick about her past. She didn’t know whether her boss had ever gone back and read her job application, but if he had, he knew that when asked whether she’d ever been arrested, she’d answered no.

      The truth was, she’d spent one night in Juvenile Hall after being swept up along with some misbehaving friends. Also, during her divorce, a drunken, angry Ralph had once claimed she’d stolen his car. The police had booked her before discovering it was merely a family dispute.

      The incidents seemed so minor she didn’t figure they counted. After all, she’d been innocent both times. Too bad her arrest record wasn’t the only item Natalie had lied about on the form.

      To her relief, Finn Sorrell departed with no further unpleasant remarks. It was unfortunate that he had such a bad attitude toward her family, since the police department generally did a fine job in Serene Beach.

      “I’m afraid we have to be leaving,” Patrick said. “I’m due at the yacht club in twenty minutes.”

      “Oh!” Natalie didn’t want to make him late for the luncheon. “We’d better hurry.”

      After exchanging farewells with her mother and Clovis, the two of them headed for his car. It was too late to mention her pregnancy now even if she’d wanted to. She could hardly drop such a bombshell and then send Patrick on his way.

      Besides, the encounter with Chief Sorrell had stirred Natalie’s insecurities. She hoped Amy, with her counseling expertise, could help her figure out what to do.

      “YOU CAN’T TELL anybody I’m pregnant,” said Natalie, who’d burst out with her story the moment she arrived and found Amy by the pool. Fortunately the other condominium dwellers must have preferred the beach today, leaving the two women with the place to themselves.

      “Of course not! I’d never betray a confidence.” Her friend began to dry herself with rough thoroughness. She’d completed a brisk swim just as Natalie joined her, and had been so fascinated by the story that she’d stood there dripping while she listened. “Who’s the father? Anybody I know?”

      Although she’d intended to spill everything, Natalie found that she couldn’t. For one thing, telling Amy might put her in a difficult position, since Patrick was indirectly her boss, too. For another, it was simply too private a matter to share. “I’d rather not say. Sorry.”

      “That’s okay.” Amy sat on a chaise longue and began toweling her hair. Long-legged and dark-haired, she moved with a coltish lack of vanity. When her hair was semidry, she perched on the chair cross-legged, her elbows resting on her knees.

      “You must think I’m a mess,” Natalie said, “sleeping with a guy I can’t talk about and ending up pregnant.”

      “I don’t think that at all,” Amy answered. “In a way, I’m envious.”

      “Why on earth?”

      Her friend shrugged. “It’s just that I’m such a tomboy, I’ve never…I mean, I’m thirty-three years old and I still haven’t…”

      “Had a baby?” Natalie finished for her. “That’s not unusual. You’ve got lots of time.”

      “I hope so,” her friend said. “Anyway, please go on.”

      “It’s going to be really awkward telling this guy. I’m sure having kids with me is the furthest thing from his mind. Plus, I kind of misled him about my past,” Natalie said.

      “You’re much too sensitive about your family,” Amy said. “Nobody else blames you for their weirdness.”

      “Chief Sorrell does.”

      “Well, I certainly hope you’re not pregnant by him!” They both laughed.

      “As I was saying, I don’t know what’s going to happen when I tell the father.” Natalie tilted back her recliner another notch to get comfortable. “We view the world so differently, it’s like we grew up on two different planets.”

      Her friend reflected briefly. Then, “Before you tackle the guy, have Heather confirm your pregnancy. Those home kits aren’t perfect.”

      Heather Rourke was an obstetrician on the Doctors Circle staff who sometimes ate lunch with Natalie and Amy. The three of them had similar tastes in movies and books, and twice had gone together to see ice-skating shows.

      “She’s awfully busy,” Natalie said dubiously. “I mean, now that she’s taken on more infertility patients, she has a full schedule. Not too busy to see a friend, though, I guess.”

      “She’ll work you in,” Amy said. “You know, I hear Patrick’s hiring some big shot to head the new infertility office. I hope Heather gets along with him or her.”

      “Heather gets along with everybody,” Natalie said. “Okay, I’ll give her a call.”

      Amy finger-combed her long hair, which fell in a tangle around her shoulders. She had a natural beauty of which she seemed unaware. “If she confirms that you’re pregnant, you’ve got to face this boyfriend of yours. Just be prepared. Guys don’t always see things the way we do.”

      “Such as what, for instance?” Natalie said. “I mean, how many ways are there to view a pregnancy?”

      “He might bring up adoption,” Amy said. “To a guy, that can sound like an attractive way out.”

      “Adoption?” At this stage of her life, Natalie couldn’t imagine going through a pregnancy and then relinquishing the baby. “No way!”

      “Don’t overreact if he suggests it,” Amy said. “Men can be clueless. But keep a good thought. Maybe he loves you.”

      Natalie sighed. “It’s not that simple. This man comes from society. You know what my upbringing was like. I’m in over my head.”

      “Natalie,