Nobody's Baby Read Online Free PDF Page B

suddenly was bad enough, but having the press hounding her is compounding the problem.”
    Oh, hell, the press. Were they getting worse? He’d gone straight to his computer to take care of some business this morning, only stopping by the kitchen for a mug of coffee. “Tell Dr. Krieger I’ll make sure Miss Morrisey takes care of herself, even if I have to send her into seclusion.”
    Liz thanked him and ended the call, leaving Rio sitting there wondering how difficult Kate was going to be about this. The woman was beyond stubborn. Getting her to cooperate could be like trying to herd feral cats.
    He took the stairs at a fast clip and darted outside to retrieve the newspaper. Halfway down the driveway, he heard the buzz of people shouting. Rio stopped and stared, taken aback by two young guys draped over the iron gates, filming him. Others shouted questions so fast he couldn’t discern one from the other. Hyenas closing in for the kill.
    All this over an orphaned baby. Granted, the circumstances weren’t ordinary, but this was nuts. No wonder his mother and Kate had thought him naïve. He’d been traveling the Serengeti too long, out of touch with the world.
    It angered him to think of Kate having to endure this. Stubborn or not, she looked delicate, especially in her current condition.
    Thank goodness for those locked gates and the two-way mail and paper slots in the stone wall that ran around the property. He grabbed the contents from both and returned to the house without acknowledging the pack outside the gates.
    His mother hovered inside the front door. “Is Kate okay, and the baby?”
    “For now, but the doctor is concerned about her stress levels. Those hyenas out there aren’t helping.”
    “Hyenas?” Margaret glanced around his shoulder and frowned. “I see what you mean. Should we move Kate in here with us? I doubt her place has this kind of security.”
    Have her live with them? That was something Rio hadn’t considered. “I doubt Kate would ...” He broke off, whistling at the headline.
    dozens offer to adopt nobody’s baby
    “Oh, my lord,” his mother said. “Rio, you need to put these stories to rest.”
    “How?”
    She looked at him as if he’d suddenly sprouted feathers and quacked. “Call a press conference. Tell them James and Allie’s child already has a home with you.”
    “That matter hasn’t been settled. I thought we could talk about this again, work something out between us.”
    Margaret stilled, reproach in her eyes. “No. We can’t. I don’t understand your reluctance to honor your brother’s wishes. James readily split the Hawthorne fortune with you because he loved you and considered you his brother. If not for him and Allie and what they meant to our lives, then do it because of what Bear brought to your life. Honor his memory by being the same kind of influence in this child’s life.”
    “And if I can’t?”
    “You can.” Her eyes softened. “Son, you’re a good man, much more like Bear than Hank. Believe that.”
    Rio wanted to, but memories of Hank’s drunken rages rose every time he got angry, reminding him how much of his old man he’d inherited. Even Bear’s strong influence couldn’t cancel out genes.
    Margaret patted his arm. “You’ll see. Now that that’s settled, what are you going to do about Kate?”
    Right. Kate. He didn’t like the idea of bringing her here to stay in this house with her scary-round tummy but had to admit it made some sense. The baby’s safety was his responsibility now. “I’ll go get her this afternoon.”
    * * * * *
    A fter her doctor visit, Kate was exhausted and tried to nap, but her cargo decided it was time to play. She rubbed her swollen belly until he quieted, then dozed until intermittent thumping woke her, followed by the doorbell.
    S winging her legs around sent her head spinning. Sheesh. The Hawthorne heir was definitely having an impact on her equilibrium these days. Little brat. Kate patted her tummy in