Wanted: Parents for a Baby! Read Online Free PDF Page A

practically inhaled her meal, so she took an elevator up.
    She got off the elevator on the third floor and headed down the east hallway toward the neonatal unit.
    Cassie frowned when she saw an older woman, probably in her midsixties, leaning heavily on a cane near the doorway. It looked as if the woman was trying to peer through the small window to see inside the unit.
    â€œGood evening. Can I help you with something?” Cassie asked.
    The woman started badly, spinning around so quickly she almost lost her balance. Cassie darted forward to slide a supportive arm around the woman’s waist.
    â€œEasy there, I don’t want you to fall,” Cassie said. “Is there something you need? Are you waiting to go in to visit?”
    â€œOh, no. I’m not waiting to visit. I…um…” The woman seemed flustered and avoided her gaze. “I was visiting a friend and thought I’d come over to peek at the babies. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to break any rules.”
    Since the woman obviously felt bad, Cassie decided she wouldn’t push it. “That’s okay, but you can’t go in there unless you’re related to one of the babies. It’s a locked unit to protect them from being taken.”
    â€œOh, of course. I—I’m sorry. I have to go.” The woman took a step and leaned on her cane, making her way back toward the elevators. Cassie waited a moment, watching her.
    It wasn’t until she was back at Emma’s bedside that she realized the woman might have being trying to catch a glimpse of Emma. Surely the news of their safe-haven baby had already spread throughout the small town of Cedar Bluff.
    She wished she’d asked the woman for her name. Had she been peeking into the unit out of pure curiosity?
    Or because she knew Emma’s mother?

CHAPTER THREE
    R YAN KEPT A close eye on the newborn baby boy for the next hour, relieved when the umbilical-cord blood-gas results weren’t as bad as he’d feared.
    The infant seemed to be doing well, so he drifted over to where Cassie was working with Emma.
    â€œHow’s Emma doing?” he asked.
    â€œGood,” she said with a tired smile. “I haven’t seen any seizure activity since we started her on the medication.”
    â€œGlad to hear it.” He forced himself to tear his gaze away from her to focus on the baby, although he was very much aware of Cassie’s warm vanilla scent. “Isn’t your shift ending soon?”
    â€œIn another hour,” she agreed. “I was supposed to be off tomorrow, but one of the nurses called in sick, so I agreed to come backfor the day shift. Gives me a good excuse to check up on Emma.”
    He wasn’t surprised she’d agreed to come back in less than eight hours. Over the past few months he’d discovered Cassie was always jumping in to help cover shifts as needed.
    Despite his attempts to keep his distance, he found himself curious about why she devoted so much time and energy to her work. He sensed she was using work as a distraction from not having a personal life, the same way he was.
    He told himself the similarities between them didn’t matter, since he wasn’t interested in having a relationship.
    â€œThey should let you leave early,” he said with a frown. “You deserve to get some rest.”
    â€œI’ll be fine,” she said with a wave of her hand. “I’ve doubled back before and it’s not too bad.”
    He was hardly in a position to argue, since his job required him to be on call often. Too often, according to Victoria, who’d accused him of staying late at work on purpose. Had he? Looking back now, he had to admit there may have been a kernel of truth to Victoria’s accusations.
    He thrust the useless guilt aside. “I’m going to get some rest in the call room, but page me if you need anything.”
    â€œWe will. But don’t worry, I promise we