The Sergeant's Baby

Chapter Two

At least Captain Haddad was teaching the afternoon session, Allison thought with relief as she rested her chin wearily on the palm of her hand, elbow propped on her cluttered desk. She wouldn’t have to face Danny again today. His accusing glares during the morning session had been bad enough, and the scene right before lunch had thoroughly unnerved her.

She’d had some time to think this afternoon, though she should have been preparing for tomorrow morning’s session. She had been unfair to Danny, she realized as she began to gather her things together to take home. She hadn’t really planned to…steal his “donation” that night—they had used protection—but when she’d discovered she was pregnant it had been the answer to many prayers.

She had wanted to be a mother for so long. When she and Danny were together, she’d wanted a baby, but the stupid man had ruined it all with his pig-headed, old-fashioned attitude. She’d erroneously assumed that men working side by side with women in uniform would have transcended that approach. However, as far as Danny was concerned, there could be no compromise.

At the time Ally had been nearing thirty. Since her chances of finding the right man would diminish as she got older—if published statistics were accurate—she’d reluctantly said goodbye, in the hope of finding someone else to make a life and have a child with, but on her terms. Later, with no man in the picture, she had even considered artificial insemination to conceive the child she wanted.

As it happened, she didn’t have to.

To kill her last evening in town after attending a conference at Hurlburt Field, Florida, where Danny was stationed, she’d accepted a ticket to a Charity Bachelor Auction given to her by a sweet elderly lady in a red hat and a purple dress, who’d said that her niece couldn’t use it. Among the bachelors for sale was Danny Murphey.

After Ally had realized that she’d become pregnant from that one night’s reunion, she’d wondered if the lady in the red hat had been her fairy godmother making her fondest wish come true. Of course, she knew that those kinds of things only happened in fiction, not real life. But it had seemed like fate.

Karma.

Destiny.

Still, she had been so elated that that night had produced a miracle that she hadn’t really considered how her situation might affect Danny.

And it had never occurred to her that he would find out.

Or that he might actually care.

Now he has found out, and he apparently does care, Allison thought as she shoved her notes for tomorrow’s class into her already overstuffed briefcase. But was it a real desire to know his child that motivated him, or simply stupid macho pride. She jammed her arms through the sleeves of her coat and looped the belt loosely around her waist.

Danny was here, and had figured out she was pregnant. Now she had to figure out what to do.

DANNY HATED resorting to subterfuge, but he had already scouted out Allison’s car in the staff parking lot. She still drove the same one she’d had at Hurl-burt Field, so finding it hadn’t been hard.

Ally wouldn’t recognize the rental he’d picked up at noon. He sat in the driver’s seat, motor idling, as the late-September sun began to sink behind the Headquarters Building. As much of a workaholic as Allison had been in the good old days, he couldn’t imagine her staying into the night to work with a baby on board.

A recorded bugle call announced “Retreat” and Danny stepped out of his car and stood at attention as the flag in front of HQ was taken down for the day. He couldn’t actually see the ceremony, but he knew what that distinctive melody meant, and he knew what he had to do.

If Ally picked this moment to come out, she was supposed to stop, as well. Maybe she wouldn’t notice him, just see him as one of many nameless, faceless airmen coming to attention as the flag came down. She didn’t appear. When the last strains of “Retreat” faded, Danny relaxed and climbed back into the car to wait.

Within minutes Allison emerged from the building and headed for her car. Yessss, Danny cheered inwardly. Right on time. Ally hadn’t left early, but she hadn’t lingered, either.

Danny watched as she’d stowed her bags in the back seat, settled herself into the car, turned on the engine and pulled out of her slot. Once she’d steered out to the main road, he pulled out behind her.

ALLY DRUMMED HER FINGERS impatiently against the steering wheel as she idled at the red light on the congested road leading out of the base. She just wanted to go home, where she could relax and unwind. Maybe five in the afternoon didn’t seem late to anybody else, but to Allison Carter it might as well have been midnight. Every muscle in her body ached with a kind of fatigue she’d never experienced. This wasn’t the normal pregnancy weariness she’d been having so far. This feeling was something entirely different.

It was because of Danny. Of that she was certain.

Her fatigue was easily explained. It was from the tension of wondering what Technical Sergeant Daniel Xavier Murphey was going to do next.

So far so good, though, she thought with relief. She’d made it through the day without any more scenes from Danny, so maybe that was the extent of the problems he would cause. Maybe Danny had just needed to let off some steam, and he’d let her be from now on.

Maybe she’d convinced him that the baby she was carrying was not his, even if it was and even if she longed with every fiber of her being to acknowledge him as the father. Not only that, but she wanted so much to be gathered into his arms and to enjoy that safe and protected feeling that only Danny could give her.

Of course, she’d ruined any chance of that happening by her refusal to satisfactorily respond to his probing this morning.

An impatient driver leaning on his car horn brought her to attention. The light had turned green while she’d been woolgathering. She quickly eased out onto the main road, the better to avoid the wrath of an entire crew of tired workers angry at her for keeping them from their homes and their dinners.

She had leftover homemade soup in the fridge. Nothing would make her happier than to kick off her shoes, slip into her most comfortable old sweats, heat up the soup in the microwave and just sit. She’d have the rest of the evening to regenerate and to rehearse what she would say if Danny confronted her again.

Of course, she’d hoped she wouldn’t have to give any speech, but it was always better to be prepared. If she’d anticipated seeing him, she probably should have been prepared to face Danny, instead of assuming that he was out of her life for good. If she had, their encounter might have gone better than it had this morning.

After all, the military, as spread out as it was, had always been a small community, more like a small town than a giant corporation. News traveled fast, and even if Danny hadn’t appeared in her classroom this morning, one of the other members of Silver Team based at Hurlburt Field in Florida could easily have gone there and reported back to him.

She really should have been prepared, she chided herself.

Ally drew up in front of her small, ranch-style house and paused long enough to retrieve the mail from the box at the side of the road and scoop up the newspaper, clothed in a bright orange plastic bag. That portended rain. What else did she need to polish off her crummy day? She jabbed the remote to open the garage door.

A car cruised by as she steered hers into the garage. It wasn’t a car she’d noticed in the neighborhood before, and its leisurely pace indicated that the driver was probably looking for a house number. The vehicle hadn’t stopped at her house, so as far as Ally was concerned, the problem was somebody else’s.

The garage door closed behind her and Ally sighed in relief. She was home.

She was safe.

She didn’t have to think about Danny Murphey again until 0730.

“WHEW.THAT WAS CLOSE,” Danny told himself as he passed Ally’s house. He made a U-turn farther down the street, then cruised back up and idled in front of a house a couple of lots down from hers. He figured he’d best reconnoiter the situation first. If there really was a man in Ally’s life, he wanted to know about him. He damn sure didn’t want to intrude on somebody else’s domestic tranquility. If there was any.

For a woman who’d placed her career before him, Ally sure had a homey little house. Hell, it was everything any woman would want, except for, maybe, the missing picket fence. But then, he wasn’t sure they even made them anymore.

The lawn was neat and tidy, and mounds of brightly colored flowers lined the sidewalk. Window boxes dripped with some ivylike stuff, and the tiny front porch had one of those clay pots with the holes in the sides. He couldn’t see what she’d planted in it, but he’d bet something was there.

He watched as the lights went on, making the cozy-looking house look even warmer, more welcoming. First in what must have been a kitchen, then the living room and then in a room toward the far end of the house, which must have been her bedroom.

A quiver of envy for the man who had slept with her crept to the front of his mind, but Danny pushed it back. He was here to see if anyone else came home before he confronted Ally one more time.

As much as she had protested that the child she was carrying was not his, something in his gut told him it was. If another man did show up at her house tonight, then Danny would quietly back away and no one would be the wiser. If she was alone, then he’d take his chances.

Tonight might be the only chance he’d get.

Danny waited until the sound of his stomach grumbling seemed to drown out the radio. So far, no man had driven up, and he figured that both he and Allison still had to eat. He might be eating for one, but Ally was eating for two.

He could go pick up a pizza. If a man did turn up, he’d be able to tell because Ally’s garage was made for one car. If there was another car in the driveway when he got back, he’d drive on by.

Besides, if the way to a man’s heart was through the stomach, surely it was the way to a pregnant woman’s, Danny thought as he pulled away from the curb and headed back to a strip mall he’d passed on the way. He’d noticed a pizza place there. He just hoped they were quick.

WAS THIS WHAT PEOPLE MEANT by nesting? Ally wondered as she contemplated lighting the gas logs in the living room. Maybe September was a little early for a fire, but the gray sky outside and the promise of rain made her long for the coziness a fire in the fireplace provided. She liked the notion of being cocooned and safe and warm.

With the sudden appearance of Danny Murphey in town, her comfortable world seemed threatened. She shivered with unease and hugged herself to ward off the uncomfortable feeling. Then she lit the fire. She had a gas fireplace so she could easily turn it off if the room got too hot.

She settled down on the couch, comfortable now in cozy socks and an extra-large sweatsuit, and tucked her legs beneath her. She’d eaten her soup, and she was enjoying a cup of hot chocolate, her one indulgence for today—not counting the chocolate cheesecake she’d shared with Kathie at lunch. The fire, the chocolate, the comfy clothes made her feel safe and secure.

Then somebody rang the doorbell.

Reluctantly, Ally uncurled from the couch and made her way to the door. For a moment, she regretted not having a peephole or a window near the door. It was probably just one of the local kids selling candy for fund-raising or something like that. She’d always supported their causes, and saw no reason to stop now. Plus, she’d have a sweet on hand when the urge struck.

But something made her pause before she opened the door. Some little shred of caution made her call out, “Who is it?”

“Delivery service,” came from a muffled voice to the other side of the door.

Ally wrinkled her brow. She didn’t remember ordering anything recently. “Are you certain you have the right house?” she called through the still-locked door. “I’m not expecting a delivery.”

“Is this 924 Allegheny?”

“Yes.”

“Your name Carter?”

Whoever it was knew her name. She wasn’t certain whether to acknowledge that or not. “Just leave whatever it is on the step,” she suggested. That was what they usually did.

“Look, lady. I gotta get a signature here. You either sign, or I take it back. Makes no difference to me. I gotta get moving, though. You ain’t the only delivery I got tonight,” he added, a note of irritation entering his voice.

Allison hesitated, undecided what to do. She often got deliveries this late and, on occasion, out-of-stock items that had finally arrived so long after she’d ordered them that she’d forgotten all about them. She supposed it could be one of those.

“All right.” She pretended to call toward the back of the house. “It’s okay, Fred. It’s just a delivery-man.”

She opened the door, and Danny Murphey, carrying a pizza box, stepped inside.

“Why don’t you invite Fred to join us,” he said sarcastically as he lowered the box. His tone told her he wasn’t fooled by her ruse, and his cocky grin, so familiar and endearing, opened his handsome face.

“You know there’s no Fred,”Ally said. She couldn’t decide whether to be pleased or annoyed at Danny’s ingenuity. And she was flattered at the same time. All she knew was that she had eaten a light dinner and right now the pizza smelled awfully good. Her mouth watered, and her stomach clamored in agreement.

Still, she stood her ground by the door, held it open and pointed outside. “There’s the exit,” she said. “Please use it.”

Danny simply strode past her, placed the pizza box on the coffee table by the half-empty mug of chocolate and lifted the lid. The rich aroma of tomatoes and spices, stronger now that the box was open, filled the room.

The pizza was tempting, but she had to get Danny to leave. Again, she pointed the way. “I said, get out.”

Her effort was futile. Danny ignored her and made himself comfortable on the couch. He selected a wedge of pizza and took a bite.

“It’s really good,” he said, his mouth full.

He chewed for a moment while Allison stood by the door and wondered what to do.

Danny patted the couch cushion beside him and took another bite. “There’s plenty for both of us,” he said, gesturing toward her with his half-eaten slice.

An empty spot in her stomach that she hadn’t realized she hadn’t filled earlier, plus the fragrant steam coming off the pizza, weakened Allison’s resolve. She closed the door, careful not to turn the lock in case she needed to open the door in a hurry.

The pizza ploy had finally worn her down. Darn it. And as much as Danny’s attitude annoyed her, she still loved the man. In spite of herself. In spite of everything. Of course, Ally was aware that Danny might be irritating and exasperating at times, but he was a good man. He would never hurt her. Not physically, anyway. It was what he might do to her heart that really worried her.

“Thank you for the pizza, Danny,” she said, using sarcasm to disguise her gratitude as she reached into the box and selected a piece. She settled into a chair across from the sofa where Danny sat.

“I figured I could get you with black-olive-and-mushroom pizza,” Danny said, looking smug.

But Ally was too hungry to argue; she let his remark ride.

Neither of them spoke as they ate. Finally, there was one piece left. “Do you want it?” Allison asked.

Danny shrugged. “Nope. I’ve had plenty. You’re eating for two, remember?”

It was the first mention of the baby. However, the comment seemed innocuous enough. Ally shrugged. “All right, I can put it in the fridge for later. Are you going to leave now?” Maybe her question was rude, but the tension of having Danny so close was wearing on her. She had to consider the baby.

“Won’t be long,” Danny said with a satisfied expression. He held out his hands. “I have to wash up.”

“Oh. Sure,” Ally said, pointing toward the back of the house. “Second door on the left.”

Wondering why she hadn’t just sent him to the kitchen, Ally watched Danny go. She couldn’t help noting his well-shaped butt as he went, and she mentally chastised herself.

Danny wasn’t gone long. “You sure you’re not gonna eat that piece?” he said as he sat back down.

“You can have it if you want it,” Ally replied, loath to admit that she really could have downed that last piece.

“And I said you were eating for two and you need it,” Danny reminded her. “Take it.”

As she did, Danny reached for her wrist and held her fast by the hand.

“Wh-what do you want?” Ally stammered as she let go of the slice and tried to free her trapped hand.

Danny held on and looked at her with angry green eyes. “Come off it, Allison. You know exactly what I want. And if you don’t, let me spell it out for you. I know you well enough to be damned sure that you wouldn’t have tumbled into bed with me if there had been anyone else in your life. I also know that you don’t leap casually from man to man and bed to bed.

“I did a little recon while I was in your bathroom,” he continued. Danny released her hand, and Ally rubbed it reflexively. “I saw no evidence of a man having been there. Not on even a semipermanent basis,” he said with satisfaction. “And unless you’ve had a personality transplant since we went our separate ways, you haven’t been sleeping around. I figure you didn’t hook up with anyone soon enough after we were together to already be having his baby.”

“Get to the point, Danny,” Allison managed to say, though she was pretty sure she knew what he was about to say. How she found her voice or the strength to get up off the couch, she didn’t know.

“That baby is mine,” he said with as much certainty as he would his own name. “I figure we have a few things to settle.”

Allison paled visibly, her olive skin taking on a greenish cast, and Danny figured he’d hit the truth right on the mark.

He should have felt good about that, but it wasn’t the triumph it might have been. After all, the woman had lied to him, even though it had been by omission. And if he hadn’t just happened to walk into her classroom this morning, she might have kept right on doing so.

Ally swallowed, or maybe she gulped, then she swallowed again. “What do we have to settle?”

Ally wasn’t that dense, so obviously she was still trying to stonewall him. “Give it up, Ally. That’s my baby you’re carrying.” He’d wanted Ally from almost the moment they’d met, and now he wanted the child. And it would require more than an on-the-knee proposal to get that to happen. Hell, he’d been there, done that, and the wedding hadn’t happened.

Ally grew paler yet, if that was possible. “No,” she protested. “She’s mine.”

“She? You mean you already know what you’re having and you hadn’t even bothered to tell me I am going to be a father?” Danny said, disgusted.

“I’m not sure what sex the baby is, but I thought it would be easier to think of it as a her.”

She stopped. Why was she explaining to him? “It takes more than being a sperm donor to be a father,” Allison countered.

She might not have realized it, but that pretty much cinched things for Danny. She had all but admitted the baby was his.

“So, is that what you had in mind the night you paid for my services?” He didn’t know whether to be insulted or flattered.

Appearing none too steady on her feet, Allison sank slowly back to the couch. “I didn’t pay for…services,” she said weakly.

Danny arched an eyebrow. “Oh, yeah. You might not have paid me, but you damn sure paid somebody. Did you get your money’s worth from that bachelor auction?”

Allison gasped and reacted as though he’d slapped her in the face, but the color that had drained from her cheeks had begun to return. “That auction was for charity,” she protested.