Protecting Their Baby

When he returned with two cups of orange pekoe and a plastic squeeze-bottle of honey, she’d already picked at a portion of her food. He sat on the floor and ate his with chopsticks, which made him seem like a trendy L.A. guy. She wondered if he’d grown up in the city. With Rex, it was difficult to tell.

They finished their lunch in silence. Grateful for the tea, she asked for a second cup. He still had water leftover on the stove, so he poured it for her. She sipped the mild brew, letting it warm her insides. The interview was about to begin.

“How many people know about the baby?” he asked.

“A lot,” she admitted. “I told my family and closest friends. The other instructors at my studio know, too, as well as some of the parents and older students. We teach kids and adults.” She placed her cup on a napkin. Rex hadn’t provided a coaster. “I fainted a few times at work, and that got the gossip mill going. I figured there was no point in denying it.” She made a gesture with her hands, creating a pregnant belly. “Eventually I’m going to show.”

“How many of them know that a man named Sixkiller is the father?”

“By now? Probably all of them. Why?” She thought about the brown-haired, brown-eyed doll. It certainly looked more like Rex than herself. “Do you think this is racially motivated?”

“It’s something to consider, especially since the threat was made while you were in my company, and the doll seemed to favor my genetics.”

So he’d noticed, too. Well, of course, he did, she thought. He noticed everything.

He continued. “But I’m not ruling out other scenarios.” He handed her a pen and paper. “I’m going to need a list of your family, friends, students, employees, everyone who knows about the baby.”

She got offended. “My friends or family would never do this. It has to be a stranger.”

“They can’t be too much of a stranger if they know that you’re pregnant and I’m the father.”

Troubled by his logic, she wrote down the names he’d requested, which was a major feat, considering how long the list was. Still, she refused to believe that someone she cared about was out to hurt her. There had to be another explanation.

“Do you have a big family?” he asked.

“Aside from my parents, I have one set of grandparents, some aunts, uncles and cousins.”

“Be sure to include them.”

“I am.” But none of them would ever knife a doll. “We have dinner together every Sunday.”

“You’ll have to invite me to the next gathering. I assume they’re curious about me.”

“You assume right.” But inviting him to dinner so he could analyze everyone didn’t sit well.

He took the completed list. “How does your family feel about the baby?”

“My parents are thrilled about becoming grandparents. Everyone else has been supportive, too.”

“They’re not concerned or ashamed about you being an unwed mother?”

“Concerned, yes. Ashamed, no. My family isn’t judgmental. Well, maybe my great-aunt Annabelle is, but she’s almost ninety years old.”

“I’m still going to check her out.”

“Go ahead.” Annabelle could barely get out of her wheelchair, let alone terrorize her pregnant niece.

Rex continued the interview. “Is there anyone who tried to talk you out of having the baby?”

“No.”

“What about your girlfriends who were at the bar?”

“They offered to have a baby shower for me when the time comes.”

He changed tactics. “Tell me about your old lovers. Former boyfriends, short-lived affairs and other one-night stands.”

She took a deep breath. “I’ve had two serious boyfriends, and no quickie affairs. As for one-nighters, you’re it.”

“So, you’ve only been with three men, including me?”

“Yes.” Did he consider that unusual for a single woman her age? She wondered how many women he’d been with, but this didn’t seem like the time to ask. He was already forming another question for her to answer.

“Did your old boyfriends ever get aggressive with you? Or were they overly possessive during or after your relationship?”

“No. I was with Jamie during high school, but it fizzled out during our college years. The last I heard, he’s married with children of his own now.”

“And the other boyfriend?”

“Kirk? We dated for two years, but when we moved in together, we realized that we’d made a mistake. It never got bitter, though. We decided that we were better off as friends.”

“How friendly are you?”

“Lunch now and then.”

“Does he know about the baby?”

She nodded. “But I can’t imagine him—”

Rex cut her off. “Write his full name down. Jamie, too. I’m not leaving any stones unturned.”

“Are you going to do the same thing with everyone you know? Are you going to investigate your family and friends? Your old lovers?”

“I already told you that I was going to investigate every angle.”

But would he be as thorough blaming his side as he would be blaming hers?

“I think you should stay with me until this is over,” he said, catching her off guard. “That’s what Daniel did when Allie was being stalked.”

Although she was curious about the other couple, she didn’t want to mimic them. “I can’t stay with you.”

“Why not?”

Yes, her mind asked—why not? He was obviously trying to make good on his promise to protect her.

“Maybe you could stay with me instead.” Her home, her pregnant-lady turf, a situation she could control. Or so she hoped.

“I guess I could. I guess it doesn’t make a difference which of us goes where.”

It mattered to her, and by the time he got to her house, she suspected it would be an issue for him, too.

She couldn’t imagine him fitting into her world any more than she could envision fitting into his.

Nonetheless, they agreed to live together, but only until the perpetrator was caught.

Rex carried his bags into Lisa’s cottage-style house and got the urge to run. Clean yet cramped, the decor was decidedly feminine. Already he was drowning in floral prints, lace curtains and painted woods. He wished he’d insisted that she stay with him.

“You don’t like what I did with it,” she said.

Good call, he thought. Regardless, he tried for polite. “It’s fine. It’s nice. Just point me in the direction of my room.”

She led the way instead. He checked her out from behind, then asked himself what the hell he was doing. He’d already planted a life in her womb. He didn’t need to create more trouble.

The guest room was small, painted in pastel colors, with a single window that overlooked a thriving vegetable garden.

“Do you rent or own?” he asked.

“I’m a homeowner.” A fact of which she seemed proud.

Rex understood. He owned his place, too, and living in Southern California didn’t come cheap. They worked hard for what they had.

She gestured to the tight surroundings. “Eventually this is going to be the nursery.”

“I’ll be sleeping in the baby’s room?” He could picture it with a crib and whatnot. The pastel theme would work, too. For a while, anyway. He couldn’t imagine a boy standing it for very long.

“Yes, the baby’s room.” She said it softly.

A moment later, she informed him that her house had been built in the 1940s. He wondered how that was relevant, until she said, “It only has one bathroom.”

One head? His place had two full baths, but his condo was only a few years old. “How’s the plumbing?”

“It’s fine. Unless you flush the toilet while someone is in the shower. But we won’t be doing that.”

“I take long showers.”

“In the morning or evening?”

“Morning.”

“Then we shouldn’t have a problem sharing. I bathe at night.”

“With bubble bath and scented candles, I’ll bet.” He suspected that she had fancy bottles everywhere.

“Soaking in the tub relaxes me.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s actually kind of sexy.”

“Oh.” Lisa angled her head, making her perfectly coiffed bob tilt to one side. “Then thank you, I guess.”

“Sure.”

Neither of them said anything after that, and the room seemed to shrink even more. He could actually feel them breathing the same air. She was almost close enough to kiss.

But he didn’t dare imagine it. His mind was already filled with images of the night he’d stripped her bare.

Apparently so was hers. “Have you been with anyone since you were with me?” she asked, her voice cracking a little.

Rex shook his head. “I don’t mess around that much.” He glanced at the single bed. He had a king-size at home. “Sometimes I do,” he amended. “Sometimes I’m a player.”

“I could tell that you were. But I wanted to do something wild that night.”

“For your birthday?”

“Yes.”

Lisa crossed her arms over her chest, but it didn’t strike Rex as a defensive pose. He thought it exhibited a cautious form of shyness.

But she couldn’t hide from him. He was right in front of her. Every blood-pumping part of him.

“When I first found out that I was pregnant, I kept debating if I should tell you,” she said. “But I figured that when the baby got older, it would ask about its father. And then there I’d be all those years later having to explain.”

This way, she’d been honest from the start. He respected that. But it also made him more aware of how emotionally ill-equipped he was to become a parent. He liked being a player.

She dropped her hands and clutched her stomach. “Now all I want is for this baby to be safe.”

He was tempted to touch her, to comfort her, but he kept his hands to himself. “I won’t let anything happen.” Not to her and not to the child she carried. “But you have to cooperate with my investigation.”

“I already am. I gave you that list, didn’t I?”

Of people she was close to, he thought, some of whom she loved. He knew that couldn’t be easy. “I’m sorry about what you’ve been through today.” Was it any wonder her skin was still unnaturally pale?

“I hope I don’t have nightmares.”

“Maybe you can take something to help you sleep.”

“Like those PM pills? I’d have to check with my doctor to see if it’s okay. But I’d rather keep drugs out of my system.”

“You were right about being a good mom. You’re going to do the kid proud.”

She loosened the clenching hold on her stomach. “So are you, Rex. Look how protective you are already. Offering to keep us safe.”

Because he didn’t know how to respond, he said, “I plan on being up late.” He gestured to his laptop case. “Running background checks.”

“Just with people’s names?”

“The system I use only requires first and last names. But it helps to have dates of birth and Social Security numbers, if they’re available. I’ve also got some license plate numbers to check on.”

“Yes, I saw you writing them down. Lucky for me my baby’s daddy is a P.I.”

There she went, complimenting him again.

None of this seemed lucky, but he went ahead and faked a smile. “Oh, sure. You hit the jackpot.”

She smiled, too. Only hers seemed genuine. “You even carry a gun.”

He nodded, and they both turned serious. A 9mm was clipped to his belt.

“Maybe I should learn to shoot.” She’d gone edgy again. A lioness protecting her cub. “You could teach me.”

Rex didn’t want her jumping the gun, no pun intended. “We’ll see, okay? For now, you just need to relax. Panicking won’t solve anything.”

“I’m not panicking.”

Wasn’t she? He doubted that she’d ever considered a firearm before. But being put in harm’s way changed a person.

“What happened with Daniel and Allie?” she asked suddenly. “Was Allie’s stalker caught?”

“Yes, she was.”

“She?”

“It was a young woman who had schizophrenic delusions about Daniel. She was taken to a psychiatric facility. She wasn’t stable enough to stand trial.”

“How is that related to the Warrior Society?”

“Daniel recovered a medicine bundle for her family. That’s how she knew him, from one of his missions.”

Lisa made a thought-provoking face. “Maybe there’s a girl out there with delusions about you.”

“Maybe, but I doubt it.” He’d already explained earlier how the timing was off, how someone associated with him probably wouldn’t have known about the baby so soon. Not unless that same someone was connected to Lisa, too. “But I’ll check into it.”

She searched his gaze, as if looking for answers in his eyes. “Am I going to meet Daniel and Allie? And the close-quarter combat trainer and his pregnant wife?”

“If you want to.”

“I do, and your family, too.”

“I’m an only child, and my parents live in North Carolina.” Eventually he would have to tell them about the baby, but for now, he preferred to keep it to himself. In spite of their own rotten marriage, they would probably bug him about proposing to Lisa and offering their grandchild a legitimate name.

“Is that where you’re originally from?”

“Yes. The Qualla Boundary. The Eastern Band Cherokee Indian Reservation,” he explained when she gave him a curious look.

“So you’re Cherokee?”

“I’m half, from my dad’s side. My mom is white.” But she was just as traditional as his old man.

“You’ll have to teach me about your heritage. For the baby,” she added.

“Stuff like that is going to take time.” For now, all he could focus on was who had threatened her. “This case takes priority.”

She hiccupped, then tapped her chest, trying to still the jumping motion. “I’m never going to look at dolls in the same way again.”

“Someday you might have to. If we have a girl, she’ll want to play with them.”

“Maybe she’ll be a tomboy.”

“Are you kidding? A daughter of yours?” He tried to lighten her mood. “Little Miss Sugar and Spice. She’s going to be a girlie girl.”

Lisa hiccupped again. “I keep seeing it in my head. Its broken body, its chest.”

Apparently his teasing hadn’t helped. “Try to block the image. Try to clear your mind.”

“That’s easier said than done.” Another hiccup erupted.

“I know. I’m sorry.” Was it true that hiccups went away if you scared someone? He wasn’t about to try it and find out.

Lisa was already on the verge of nightmares.

Chapter 3

Lisa made it through the night. No nightmares. But that was because she’d barely slept. You couldn’t dream if you were awake.

She curled up in bed, dawn seeping through the sheers. As usual, she was nauseous. Mornings were no longer kind to her.

Fighting her baby-on-board queasiness, she reached for the crackers she kept on the nightstand. She ate slowly, munching on one saltine at a time.

But it didn’t help.

She prayed this side effect would go away before too long. Supposedly it would. But she’d heard about women who suffered from morning sickness well beyond their first trimester.

Perish the thought. She would rather die.

No, she thought. Don’t think about dying. Or dolls with knives protruding from their fragile little bodies.

Oh, God. She sat up, clutched the water bottle beside her bed and took a cautious sip.

Bad move. The water hit her stomach like a roiling rock. The saltines she’d just eaten weren’t going to stay down.

Lisa dashed down the hall to the bathroom. She knelt in front of the commode and lost her cookies or crackers or whatever.

Finally, she made her way to the sink, rinsed her mouth and brushed her teeth. She scrubbed her face and combed her hair, too, trying to feel human again.

Upon exiting the bathroom, her breath caught. There stood Rex, wearing a lightweight T-shirt and drawstring shorts. He was also holding his shaving kit.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

Great. He’d heard her vomit. She hadn’t considered her morning sickness when they’d agreed on a bathroom schedule. But she hadn’t expected them to wake up at the same exact hour, either. “It’s part of the pregnancy.”

“Does it happen every morning?”

“Pretty much. But some mornings are worse than others.”

“Is it going to happen again? Should I leave the door unlocked?”

Mortified, she blinked at him. She wasn’t going to go in there and throw up while he was in the shower. Then again, where else was she going to go? Barfing in a bucket sounded even more disgusting.

“I should be all right.” Her empty stomach seemed to be settling. Of course now she was hungry.

“Just in case, I won’t lock it.” He gestured to the door. “You can come in if you need to.”

And risk seeing him in the buff? Lisa sucked in her breath. Not that she hadn’t seen his beautifully sculpted body before.

She remembered being sprawled across his lap, watching the tight motion of his abs while he’d lifted her up and down.

“Did you sleep okay?” he asked, jarring her back to the present.

“I tossed and turned, but I made it through.” She wanted to move closer to him, but she curbed her desire to breathe him in. “I’ll probably take a nap later.”

“Is it your day off?”

“Yes. I have classes tomorrow tonight.”

“I’d like to go with you tomorrow. As a guest.”

“To my studio?” Why? So he could scout for suspects? “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“You promised to cooperate, Lisa.”

She sighed. Keeping her guard up with him was difficult. He was an aggressive investigator, but he had her best interest at heart. “Okay, but you better not freak everyone out.”

“I’m not going to mention the doll. I want to meet everyone first and get a feel for who they are.”

“I’m not going to say anything, either.” She would have to tell her parents, of course. But she didn’t want anyone at the studio to know, not until it was absolutely necessary. “Did you run some background checks last night?”

“Yes, but nothing suspicious surfaced. I’ve still got plenty of work to do, though.”

Because there were lots of people on the list she’d given him. Nervous, she adjusted the bodice of her modest nightgown. “How am I supposed to introduce you?”

“Just use my name.”

A simple way of letting everyone know that he was the daddy, she thought. The Sixkiller name had already been bandied about.

She changed the subject. “I’ll go start some breakfast. Are pancakes okay?”

“You’re going to cook for me? Hell, yes. Pancakes sound great.”

“Then I’ll see you when you’re dressed and ready.” Rather than damp and naked, she thought, as she walked away, his handsome image crowding her troubled mind.

After his shower, Rex put on a My Heroes Have Always Killed Cowboys T-shirt and a pair of button-fly jeans, then followed the enticing aroma.

He stood in the doorway of the kitchen and watched Lisa. She’d gotten dressed, as well. She looked soft and pretty in a loose cotton dress and sandals.

She turned and noticed him. She caught sight of the slogan on his shirt, too.

“Your activism is showing,” she said.

He shrugged and smiled. “I’ve got more where this came from.”

“I’ll bet you do.” She motioned to the stove top. “I’m making blueberry pancakes.”

“Looks like you’re fixing ham and eggs, too.”

“I’m famished.”

No doubt, he thought. She was eating for two. He still couldn’t believe that this was happening, that he was going to have a kid.

“Do you want to eat on the porch?” she asked.

“Sure. Why not?” Since the front door was already open, he glanced in that direction. The porch was rife with potted plants, and amid the greenery was a glass-topped table. “I can put the plates out if you want.”

“Thanks. That’d be nice.” She showed him where the dishes and flatware were kept.

He scooted past her. “Are we going to sit out there and spy on your neighbors? I can change my shirt if we are. I have one that says Love thy Neighbor, but Don’t Get Caught.”

She shook her head. “Figures you’d have a shirt like that. Especially with the type of neighbors you have.”

“You mean, young and sexy and single?” Rex loved his naughty neighborhood. “What type lives around here? Old and married and crotchety?”

“Nice and normal,” she responded, tossing a dish towel at him.

He laughed and tossed it back at her. Were they flirting? Yes, he thought. And he liked it.

Soon they were seated on the porch, a hearty, home-cooked meal in front of them.

Rex decided that he could get used to this. She’d even made cappuccino from one of those commercial-grade espresso machines, decaffeinated for her and the potent stuff for him. He toasted her with his cup. “Here’s to vintage suburbia.” He glanced around at the other houses, with their colorful flowerbeds and white fences. “Are you sure your neighbors are nice and normal?”

She furrowed her brows. “Why? Do you think you should investigate them?”

“Do they know about the baby?”

“Some of them do.”

“Then, yes, I think I should check them out.”

“That list of yours keeps getting longer.” She rubbed her arms, as if to ward off a sudden chill. “Better to be safe than sorry, right? What would I do without your help? I couldn’t handle this on my own.”

Her anxious gaze met his, drawing him in, making him even more protective of her.

“I’m going to put my other cases on hold.” He needed to devote as much time as he could to this investigation.

“I dread calling my parents.” She rubbed her arms again. “They’re going to worry something fierce.”

And with good reason. Rex was worried, too. What kind of sick bastard maimed a doll and left it in a pregnant woman’s car?

“Do you think the police will uncover any evidence?” she asked.

“I don’t know.” He doubted that fingerprints or DNA had been left behind. Even the knife that had been used seemed generic. It could have come from anyone’s kitchen. As for the doll itself, he suspected that tons of stores carried them.

“Maybe I should buy that other car soon.”

“The SUV?”

She nodded. “A newer car won’t be as easy to break into. And it’s safer, with air bags and all of that.”

In the silence, she cut into her pancakes. By now, the food on their plates had begun to turn cold. But he was glad that she’d resumed eating. He returned to his meal, too.

After a few more bites, she looked up at him. “Do you think I’m being naive?”

“About what?”

“About who’s threatening me? Do you think I should have some sort of feeling about who it could be?”

No way was he going to blame her. “I think you’re sweet and trusting. But from now on, you need to be more aware of your surroundings.”

“And suspect everyone, the way you do?”

“It’s my job to be suspicious.”

“Maybe my mommy instincts will kick in, and I’ll be able to help you figure out who the bad guy is.”

He hoped that her mommy instincts boosted the case. He contemplated touching her stomach, but he feared his hand would tremble. He wasn’t ready to meet his kid.

Struggling to regain his composure, he grabbed his cappuccino, taking refuge in the creamy brew.

“Have your friends picked a name?” she asked.

“What?” Her question confused him.

“The couple whose baby is due this month. Have they chosen a name for their daughter?”

“I have no idea.”

“You never asked them?”

“No.”

“I guess it’s too soon for us to discuss names.”

For their kid? Way too soon, he thought.

“It helps for me to talk about the baby.” Lisa cradled the tummy he’d been afraid to touch. “To think about all the good stuff still to come.”

As opposed to the bad stuff that was happening now? “That’s understandable.”

“I wonder if I’ll get cravings.”

“Cravings?” he parroted.

“For specific foods.”

“Like the pickles-and-ice-cream thing?” That much he knew. That much he’d heard of.

“Yes, but I don’t think that’s a common craving.”

“Then why did it catch on?”