Temptation
She then glared over at Zeke. “Whether the baby is officially his or not, I would think your client would want the best for Sunnie until her parentage is proven or disproven.”
Zeke crossed his arms over his chest. “So what do you suggest, Ms. Hopkins? I agree staying here isn’t ideal for the baby, but the only other option is for her to get turned over to Social Services. If that happens she’ll go into foster care and will get lost in the system when it’s proven my client is not her father.”
Sheila nibbled on her bottom lip, not having a response to give him. She glanced down at the baby she held in her arms. For whatever reason, Sunnie’s mother hadn’t wanted her and it didn’t seem fair for her to suffer because of it. She knew how it felt not to be wanted.
“I might have an idea that might work, Nurse Hopkins, granted you agree to go along with it,” Dr. Phillips said. “And I’ll have to get Ms. Talbert to agree to it, as well.”
“Yes?” she said, wondering what his idea was.
“A few years ago the wife of one of my colleagues, Dr. Webb, was hit with a similar incident when someone left a baby on her doorstep before they were married. Because Winona grew up in foster care herself, she hadn’t wanted the baby to end up the same way. To make a long story short, Winona and Dr. Webb ended up marrying and keeping the baby to make sure it didn’t get lost in the system.”
Sheila nodded. “So what are you suggesting?”
Dr. Phillips smiled. “That you become Sunnie’s emergency foster parent until everything is resolved. I believe I’ll be able to convince Ms. Talbert to go along with it, and given the fact the Prices are huge benefactors to this hospital, as well as to a number of other nonprofit organizations, I think it would be in everyone’s best interest that the baby’s welfare remain a top priority.”
Sheila looked shocked. “Me? A foster parent! I wouldn’t know what to do with a baby.”
“You couldn’t convince me of that, Ms. Hopkins. The baby won’t let anyone else touch her and you seem to be a natural with her,” Zeke said, seeing the merits of what Dr. Phillips proposed. “Besides, you’re a nurse, someone who is used to taking care of people.”
Although Brad swore the baby wasn’t his, he would still be concerned with the baby’s health and safety until everything was resolved. And what Zeke just said was true. He thought the woman was a natural with the baby, and the baby had gotten totally attached to her. He had a feeling Ms. Hopkins was already sort of attached to the baby, as well.
“And if you’re concerned as to how you’d be able to handle both your job and the baby, I propose that the hospital agrees to give you a leave of absence during the time that the child is in your care. My client will be more than happy to replace your salary,” Zeke said.
“I think that would be an excellent idea,” Warren said. “One I think I could push past the chief of staff. The main thing everyone should be concerned about is Sunnie’s well-being.”
Sheila couldn’t help agreeing. But her? A foster parent? “How long do you think I’ll have to take care of her?” she asked, looking down at Sunnie, who was still smiling up at her.
“No more than a couple of weeks, if even that long,” Zeke said. “The results of the paternity test should be back by then and we’ll know how to proceed.”
Sheila nibbled her bottom lip, when Sunnie reached and grabbed hold of a lock of her hair, seemingly forcing Sheila to look down at her—into her beautiful hazel eyes, while she made a lot of cheerful baby sounds. At that moment Sheila knew she would do it. Sunnie needed a temporary home and she would provide her with one. It was the least she could do, and deep down she knew it was something that she wanted to do. This was the first time she’d felt someone truly, really needed her.
She glanced up at both men to see they were patiently waiting for her answer. She drew in a deep breath. “Yes. I would be happy to be Sunnie’s emergency foster parent.”
After removing his jacket, Zeke slid into the seat of his car and leaned back as he gazed at the entrance to the hospital. He felt good about Sheila Hopkins agreeing to take on the role of foster parent. That way he would know the baby was being well cared for while he turned up the heat on the investigation to clear Brad’s name.
He intended to pursue each and every lead. He would not leave a stone, no matter how small, unturned. He intended to get this potential scandal under total control before it could go any further.
Now if he could control his attraction to Sheila Hopkins. The woman was definitely temptation with a capital T. Being in close quarters with her, even with Warren in the room, had been pure torture. She was a looker, but it was clear she didn’t see herself that way, and he couldn’t help wondering, why not? He hadn’t seen a ring on her finger and, when he’d hung back to speak with Warren in private, the only thing his friend could tell him was that she was a model employee, caring to a fault, dependable and intelligent.
Warren had also verified she was single and had moved from Dallas last year. But still, considering everything, Zeke felt it wouldn’t hurt to do a background check on her, just to be on the safe side. The last thing he wanted was for her to be someone who’d be tempted to sell this story to the tabloids. That was the last thing Brad needed. His best friend was depending on him to bring an end to this nightmare, and he would.
Zeke was about to turn the ignition in his car, when he glanced through the windshield to see Sheila Hopkins. She was walking quickly across the parking lot to the car he had seen her in that morning. She looked as if she was dashing off to fight a fire. Curious as to where she could be going in such a hurry, he got out of the car, walked swiftly to cross the parking lot and intercepted her before she could reach her vehicle.
She nearly yelled in fright when he stepped in front of her. “What do you think you’re doing?” she asked, covering her heart with the palm of her hand. “You just scared me out of my wits.”
“Sorry, but I saw you tearing across the parking lot. What’s the hurry?”
Sheila drew a deep breath to get her heart beating back normal in her chest. She looked up at Zeke Travers and couldn’t do anything about her stomach doing flips. It had been hard enough while in the examination room to stop her gaze from roaming all over him every chance it got.
“I’m leaving Sunnie in the hospital tonight while I go pick up the things I’ll need for her. I’m going to need a baby bed, diapers, clothes and all kinds of other items. I plan on shopping today and come back for her first thing in the morning once my house is ready.”
She paused a moment. “I hated leaving her. She started crying. I feel like I’m abandoning her.”
A part of Zeke was relieved to know she was a woman who would feel some sort of guilt in abandoning a child. His own mother had not. He drew in a deep breath as he remembered what Sheila Hopkins had said about needing to go shopping for all that baby stuff. He hadn’t thought of the extra expenses taking on a baby would probably cost her.
“Let me go with you to pick up the stuff. That way I can pay for it.”
She raised a brow. “Why would you want to do that?”
“Because whether or not Brad’s the father—which he’s not—he wants the baby taken care of and is willing to pay for anything she might need.” He hadn’t discussed it with Brad, but knew there wouldn’t be a problem. Brad was concerned for the baby’s welfare.
She seemed to be studying his features as if she was trying to decide if he was serious, Zeke thought. And then she asked, “You sure? I have to admit that I hadn’t worked all the baby expenses into my weekly budget, but if I need to get money out of my savings then I—”
“No, that won’t be necessary and Brad wouldn’t want it any other way and like I said, I’ll be glad to go with you and help.”
Sheila felt a tingling sensation in the pit of her stomach. The last thing she needed was Zeke Travers in her presence too long. “No, I’ll be able to manage things, but I appreciate the offer.”
“No, really, I insist. Why wouldn’t you want me to help? I’ll provide you with two extra hands.”
That wasn’t all he would be providing her with, she thought, looking at him. Besides the drop-dead gorgeous looks, at some point he had taken off his jacket to reveal the width of his shoulders beneath his white dress shirt. She also noticed the way his muscular thighs fit into a pair of dress slacks.
“We could leave your car here. I have a feeling you’ll want to come back and check on the baby later. We can go in my vehicle,” he added before she could respond to what he’d said.
She lifted a brow. “You have a two-seater.”
He chuckled. “Yes, but I also have a truck. And that’s what you’re going to need to haul something as big as a box containing a baby bed. And in order to haul the kid away from here you’re going to need a car seat tomorrow.”
Sheila tilted her head back and drew in a deep breath. Had she bit off more than she could chew? She hadn’t thought of all that. She needed to make a list and not work off the top of her head. And he was right about her needing a truck and wanting to return tonight to check on Sunnie. The sound of her crying had followed Sheila all the way to the elevator. She hated leaving her, but she had to prepare her house for Sunnie’s visit.
“Ms. Hopkins?”
She looked back at Zeke Travers. “Fine, Mr. Travers, I’ll accept your generosity. If you’re sure it’s not going out of your way.”
He smiled. “I’m not going out of my way, I assure you. Like I said, Brad would want what’s best for the baby even if she isn’t his.”
She arched a brow. “You certainly seem so sure of that.”
“I am. Now, it’s going to be my job in addition to making sure the baby is safe and well cared for, to find out who’s trying to nail him with this and to clear his name.”
Zeke paused a moment and stared down at her. “And speaking of names, I suggest you call me Zeke, instead of Mr. Travers.”
She smiled. “Why, is Mr. Travers what they call your father?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
Sheila’s heart skipped a beat when she realized what he’d said and what he’d meant by saying it. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean anything. The last guy who told me not to call him by his last name said the reason was that’s what people called his daddy.”
“No harm done, and I hope you don’t mind if I call you Sheila.”
“No, I don’t mind.”
“Good. Come on, Sheila, my car is parked over here,” he said.
Sheila felt her stomach twist in all kinds of knots when she heard her name flow from his lips. And as she walked beside Zeke across the parking lot, a number of misgivings flooded her mind. For one thing, she wasn’t sure what role he intended to play with her becoming Sunnie’s foster parent. She understood Bradford Price was his client and he intended to clear the man’s name. But she had to think beyond that. If Bradford wasn’t Sunnie’s father then who was? Where was the mother and why had the baby been abandoned with a note claiming Bradford was the father when he said he wasn’t?
There were a lot of questions and she had a feeling the man walking beside her intended to have answers for all of them soon enough. She also had a feeling he was the sort of person who got things accomplished when he set his mind to it. And she could tell he intended to investigate this case to the fullest.
His main concern might be on his friend, but hers was on Sunnie. What would happen to her if it was proven Bradford wasn’t the child’s father? Would the man cease caring about Sunnie’s welfare? Would it matter to him that she would then become just a statistic in the system?
He might not care, but she would, and at that moment she vowed to protect Sunnie any way she could.
Three
While they were on their way to the store to pick up items for the baby, Sheila clicked off the phone and sighed deeply as she glanced over at Zeke. “I just talked to one of the nurses in Pediatrics. Sunnie cried herself to sleep,” she said.
There was no need telling him that she knew just how that felt. She was reminded of how many nights as a child she had lain in bed and cried herself to sleep because her mother was too busy trying to catch the next rich husband to spend any time with her. And her father, once he’d discovered what a gold digger Cassie Hopkins was, he hadn’t wasted time moving out and taking Lois with him and leaving her behind.
“That’s good to hear, Sheila,” Zeke responded.
There was another tingling sensation in the pit of her stomach. She couldn’t help it. It did something to her each and every time he pronounced her name. He said it with a deep Texas drawl that could send shivers all through her.
“So how long have you been living in Royal?” he asked.
She glanced over at him. “A year.” She knew from his conversation with Dr. Phillips that he had moved to town six months ago, so there was no need to ask him that. She also knew he’d come from Austin because he wanted to try living in a small city.
“You like it here?”
She nodded. “So far. The people are nice, but I spend a lot of my time at the hospital, so I still haven’t met all my neighbors, only those next door.”
She switched her gaze off him to look out the window at the homes and stores they passed. What she decided not to add was that other than working, and occasional trips to the market, she rarely left home. The people at the hospital had become her family Now that she’d agreed to a fourteen-day leave of absence, she would have her hands full caring for Sunnie, and a part of her actually looked forward to that.
“You’re smiling.”
She glanced back at him. Did the man notice every single thing? “Is it a crime?”
He chuckled. “No.”
The deep, husky rumble of his chuckle sent shivers sweeping through her again. And because she couldn’t help herself, when the car came to a stop at the traffic light she glanced back over at him and then wished she hadn’t done so. The slow smile that suddenly curved his lips warmed her all over.
“Now you’re the one smiling,” she pointed out.
“And is that a crime?”
Grinning, she shook her head. He’d made her see just how ridiculous her response to him had been. “No, it’s not.”
“Good. Because if I get arrested, Sheila, so do you. And it would be my request that we get put in the same jail cell.”
She told herself not to overreact to what he’d said. Of course he would try to flirt with her. He was a man. She’d gotten hit on by a number of doctors at the hospital as well as several police officers around town. Eventually, they found out what Zeke would soon discover. It was a waste of their time. She had written men off. When it came to the opposite sex, she preferred her space. The only reason she was with him now was because of Sunnie. She considered Zeke Travers as a means to an end.
When he exited off the expressway and moments later turned into a nice gated community, she was in awe of the large and spacious ranch-style homes that sat on at least thirty acres of land. She had heard about the Cascades, the section of Royal where the wealthy lived. He evidently was doing well in the P.I. business. “You live in this community?” she asked.
“Yes. I came from Austin on an apartment-hunting trip and ended up purchasing a house instead. I always wanted a lot of land and to own horses and figured buying in here was a good investment.”
She could just imagine, especially with the size of the ranch house whose driveway they were pulling into. The house had to be sitting almost six hundred or more feet back off the road. She could see a family of twelve living here and thought the place was definitely too large for just one person.
“How many acres is this?” she asked.
“Forty. I needed that much with the horses.”
“How many do you own?”
“Twelve now, but I plan to expand. I’ve hired several ranch hands to help me take care of things. And I ride every chance I get. What about you? Do you ride?”
She thought of her mother’s second and third husbands. They had owned horses and required that she know how to ride. “Yes, I know how to ride.”
He glanced at his watch. “It won’t take me long to switch vehicles,” he said, bringing the car to a stop. “You’re invited in if you like and you’re welcome to look around.”
“No, I’ll be fine waiting out here until you return,” she said.
He got out of the car and turned to her and smiled. “I don’t bite, you know.”
“Trust me, Zeke, if for one minute I thought you did, I wouldn’t be here.”
“So you think I’m harmless?” he asked, grinning.
“Not harmless but manageable. I’m sure all your focus will be on trying to figure out who wants to frame your friend. You don’t have time for anything else.”
He flashed a sexy smile. “Don’t be so sure of that, Sheila Hopkins.” He closed the door and she watched as he strolled up the walkway to his front door, thinking his walk was just as sexy as his smile.
Zeke unlocked his door and pushed it open. He had barely made it inside his house when the phone rang. Closing the door behind him, he pulled his cell phone off the clip on his belt. He checked the caller ID. “Yes, Brad?”
“You didn’t call. How was the baby?”
Zeke leaned up against the wall supporting the staircase. “She’s fine, but she cries a lot.”
“I noticed. And no one could get her to stop. Did they check her out to make sure nothing is wrong with her?”
Zeke smiled. “She was checked out. Just so happens that Warren Phillips was on duty and he’s the one who gave her a clean bill of health, although she still wanted to prove to everyone what a good set of lungs she had.”
“I’m glad she’s okay. I was worried about her.”
Zeke nodded. “Are you sure there’s nothing you want to tell me? I did happen to notice the kid does have your eyes.”
“Don’t get cute, Zeke. The kid isn’t mine. But she’s just a baby and I can’t help worrying about her.”
“Hey, man, I was just kidding, and I understand. I can’t help worrying about her, too. But we might have found a way where we don’t have to worry about her while I delve into my investigation.”
“And what way is that?”
“That way happens to be a nurse who works at Royal Memorial by the name of Sheila Hopkins. She’s the only one who can keep the baby quiet. It’s the weirdest thing. The kid screams at everyone else, but she’s putty in Sheila Hopkins’s hands. She actually smiles instead of crying.”
“You’re kidding.”
“No, I saw her smile myself. Warren suggested that Sheila keep Sunnie for the time being,” Zeke explained.
“Sunnie?”
“Yes, that’s the name Sheila gave the kid for now. She said it sounded better than Jane Doe and I agree.”
There was a slight pause and then Brad asked, “And this Sheila Hopkins agreed to do it?”
“Yes, until the results of the paternity test come back, so the sooner you can do your part the better.”
“I’ve made an appointment to have it done tomorrow.”
“Good. And I’m going shopping with Sheila for baby stuff. She’s single and doesn’t have any kids of her own, so she’ll need all new stuff, which I’m billing you for, by the way.”
“Fine.” There was a pause, and then Brad said, “I was thinking that perhaps it would be best if I hired a nanny and keep the baby instead of—”
“Hold up. Don’t even consider it. We don’t want anyone seeing your kindness as an admission of guilt, Brad. The next thing everyone will think is that the baby is really yours.”
“Yes, but what do you know about this nurse? You said she’s single. She might be pretty good at taking care of patients, but are you sure she knows how to take care of a baby?”
“I’m not sure about anything regarding Sheila Hopkins, other than what Warren told me. She’s worked at the hospital about a year. But don’t worry, I’ve already taken measures to have her checked out. Roy is doing a thorough background check on Sheila Hopkins as we speak.”
Suddenly Zeke heard a noise behind him and turned around. Sheila was leaning against his door with her arms crossed over her chest. The look on her face let him know she had heard some, if not all, of his conversation with Brad and wasn’t happy about it.
“Brad, I need to go. I’ll call you back later.” He then hung up the phone.
Before he could open his mouth, Sheila placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at him. “Please take me back to the hospital to get my car. There’s no way I’m going anywhere with a man who doesn’t trust me.”
Then she turned and walked out the door and slammed it shut behind her.
Sheila was halfway down the walkway, when Zeke ran behind her and grabbed her arm. “Let me go,” she said and angrily snatched it back.
“We need to talk and I prefer we don’t do it out here,” Zeke said.
She glared up at him. “And I prefer we don’t do it anywhere. I have nothing to say to you. How dare you have me investigated like I’m some sort of criminal.”
“I never said you were a criminal.”
“Then why the background check, Zeke?”
He rubbed his hands down his face. “I’m a P.I., Sheila. I investigate people. Nothing personal, but think about it. Sunnie will be in your care for two weeks. I don’t know you personally and I need to know she’s not only in a safe environment but with someone both Brad and I can trust. Would you not want me to check out the person whose care she’s been placed in?”
Sheila sighed deeply, knowing that she would. “But I’d never do anything to harm her.”
“I believe that, but I have to make sure. All I’m doing is a basic background check to make certain you don’t have any past criminal history.” After a moment he said, “Come on in, let’s talk inside.”
She thought about his request then decided it might be best if they did talk inside after all. She had a tendency to raise her voice when she was angry about something.
“Fine.” She stalked off ahead of him.
By the time Zeke followed her inside the house, she was in the middle of the living room pacing, and he could tell she was still mad. He quietly closed the door behind him and leaned against it, folding his arms across his chest, with one booted heel over the other, as he watched her. Again he was struck by just how beautiful she was.
For some reason he was more aware of it now than before. There was fire in her eyes, annoyance in her steps, and the way she was unconsciously swaying her hips was downright sensual. She had taken center stage, was holding it and he was a captive audience of one.
Then she stopped pacing and placed her hands on her hips to face him. She glared him down. The woman could not have been more than five-four at the most. Yet even with his height of six-four she was making him feel shorter. Damn. He hadn’t meant for her to overhear his conversation with Brad. Hadn’t she told him she hadn’t wanted to come in?
“You were supposed to stay outside. You said you didn’t want to come in,” he blurted out for some reason.
He watched as she stiffened her spine even more. “And that gave you the right to talk about me?”
His heart thudded deeply in his chest. The last thing he had time or the inclination to do was deal with an emotional female. “Look, Sheila, like I said before, I am a private investigator. My job is to know people and I don’t like surprises. Anyone who comes in contact with the baby for any long period of time will get checked out by me.”
He rubbed his hand down his face and released a frustrated sigh. “Look. It’s not that I was intentionally questioning your character. I was mainly assuring my client that a child that someone is claiming to be his has been placed in the best of care until the issue is resolved by way of a paternity test. There’s no reason for you to take it personally. It’s not about you. It’s about Sunnie. Had you been the president’s mother-in-law I’d still do a background check. My client is a very wealthy man and my job is to protect him at all costs, which is why I intend to find out who is behind this.”