Playboy Doctor to Doting Dad (7 page)

‘I certainly know how hard losing a mother is, but at least I was an adult.’ Not that it had made it any easier, but at least she had been able to understand some of the process.

Kieran stepped into the centre of the room. Of her bedroom. What had happened to making her a cup of tea? Had he been drawn to Seamus instead?

He asked, ‘Why does Seamus sleep in here?’

‘Because Olivia has the only other bedroom. I don’t want Seamus disturbing her when he wakes during the night.’

Tucking the blue cotton blanket around a very sleepy boy, she didn’t have to look up to know Kieran was studying the room with its bright red and white curtains and bedspread.

‘Hardly ideal. What about some privacy for yourself?’

‘There is no such thing as privacy when you have two small children, believe me.’ Neither was there a need. It wasn’t like she had someone special in her life to share this room with. Her eyes lifted to Kieran. The moisture in her mouth dried. An image of them in bed together filled her head. Trying to shake it away, she swore silently. Kieran would not become that special person. No man would. Hadn’t she learned her lesson well?

‘Surely you must want to take a break from the children at times?’

‘I work so I already get a break.’ Did he think the kids were too much for her? She managed very well, thank you. ‘Dad helps by taking them over to his house sometimes.’ And she began another lullaby.

He didn’t say any more, instead wandered over to stand beside her, looking down at Seamus. What did he see? His family likeness? Did he look at Seamus as his son? Her singing dwindled to a halt. It was hard to sing with Kieran standing so close she could feel the heat from his body. She also felt self-conscious. She didn’t exactly have a fantastic voice.

Seamus half-heartedly waved a fist at her. Or was it at Kieran? Glancing sideways, she studied Kieran watching Seamus. His hands were jammed into his pockets, and he stood with his legs slightly apart. What she wouldn’t give to know what was going on in that head of his.

Reaching into the cot to run the back of her hand over Seamus’s warm, soft cheek, her heart squeezed. Her precious,
little boy. She loved him so much she could cry. Kieran had missed out on lots already, which was entirely her fault. A fact she readily acknowledged.

Kieran had surprised her by being nervous when he’d first seen Olivia. There’d been something akin to fear in his eyes, and vulnerability. As though he’d felt completely out of his depth. His movements had been stilted, as though he’d never held a child before. And then he’d had to hold
his
child for the first time. She’d thought he’d be very much in control of the situation, of his emotions. From what she knew of him, he usually was.

What about when they’d made love? If that had shown controlled emotions then she was a possum. Her skin tingled at the memory of that night. Never before had she known anything like it. Making love with Kieran had spoiled her for ever. There wouldn’t be another man on earth who’d measure up. Which perfectly suited her plan to remain forever single.

Seamus’s eyes closed, blinked open. ‘The little monkey’s fighting going to sleep.’ Abby smiled, first at Seamus then at Kieran, who still kept a closed expression on his face. ‘He does that every night. It’s like he doesn’t want to miss out on anything.’

‘Does he sleep right through the night?’

‘Most of the time.’

From down the hall Olivia called, ‘Abby, Teddy’s got his foot stuck in a drawer.’

Abby chuckled. ‘I’d better go and sort this out as Olivia won’t go to sleep without Teddy.’

Kieran watched her leave the bedroom, totally unfazed by the children’s demands. Damn, but she was good with them. A natural mother. Warmth stole over him. The kids were extremely lucky. He turned back to the boy, who’d finally succumbed to sleep, one fist pressed against his mouth, the other flung above his head. Kieran leaned forward, reached
in and ran the back of his hand over Seamus’s cheek, as he’d seen Abby do earlier. The warmth grew as Seamus’s soft skin seemed to melt against his harsher skin. Beautiful.

Scary. He tugged his hand away, straightened. His body cooled. He couldn’t do this. He didn’t have Abby’s knack with children. Abby didn’t just feed Seamus, she fed him with love. She didn’t bath Olivia, she bathed her with devotion. He didn’t know how to comfort, to play. It wasn’t in him to cherish another human.

Doctoring was about fixing, not nurturing. He didn’t know where he’d start if he had to take care of this little man even for an hour or two. Just standing here, he felt responsible for Seamus and that didn’t sit comfortably.

The earlier panic began rising again. He could not become involved with Olivia and Seamus, become a part of this family. It would take a wet day in hell before he’d be ready for that. Or capable of doing what was expected of him.

Abby heard the phone ringing in the kitchen and wondered which of her sisters that might be. Stephanie’s voice bubbled down the line. ‘Hey, Abby, how’s things? How’s the great man from Ireland? All excited to see Olivia?’

Abby dredged up a laugh. ‘Olivia dazzled him.’ Which was certainly more than she’d managed.

‘I bet she did.’

‘She chattered nonstop to him, but wouldn’t let him bath her.’ Much to Kieran’s relief.

‘I bet Seamus won him over in an instant.’

‘No. That’s a work in progress.’ Neither of her sisters knew who Seamus’s dad was, but they probably had their suspicions. Anyone could do the sum and they’d both known there hadn’t been anyone else in her life since Phillip had turned out to be such a rat. Now was probably the time to tell them, but she’d wait until she knew what Kieran would do.

Thankfully Steph changed the subject. ‘I bought a new
dress today for a party I’m going to. Can you take the hem up for me?’

What ever happened to ‘do you mind?’ or ‘please’? Abby sighed. What did she expect? She’d always done alterations for her sisters. ‘Bring it round on Saturday morning.’

Sometimes she felt Charlie and Steph didn’t even consider she might have a life of her own. Certainly neither realised how time-consuming bringing up two very young children could be. What would they say if she left the children with them for a day and went out shopping, visiting the beauty parlour or just lying on a lounger, reading a magazine? She couldn’t help the small smile that twisted her mouth. They’d be horrified. As far as Steph was concerned, children definitely didn’t go with the image of a lawyer in one of the city’s top firms. Neither did Charlie think hotshot real estate salespeople should have kids clinging to their tailored suits. But they loved their niece and nephew, and her. As she loved them.

Six years younger than her, her sisters had always turned to her for help with things since the day she’d come home to nurse their mother. When their mum had died she’d kept right on looking out for them. At twenty-three they didn’t really need her to do that now, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. Most of the time.

Stephanie was saying, ‘I wonder if Kieran would like to go to the party. The girls from the office would love him, especially with that divine accent. His gorgeous looks won’t hurt either.’

Abby’s stomach plummeted. She knew Kieran loved parties. Her brother had often talked about all the socialising they’d done together. Why shouldn’t he go? He was a free agent. Because he’d come here to work, it didn’t mean he had to be a saint for the duration of his stay. What he did in his
spare time had nothing to do with her. He’d probably be glad of a distraction from the ‘children’ problem.

‘Is Kieran still there? I’d like to talk to him.’

‘Sure.’ But then she heard a car starting. At her front gate? Kieran? A low, throaty engine roared away. A sports car kind of sound. Definitely Kieran. ‘Seems I’m wrong. He’s just left.’

Without a word. Whatever happened to saying goodnight? Anger vied with disappointment. Surely she wasn’t asking too much? Even if he couldn’t handle being a dad, he could’ve poked his head around the corner and said something before he disappeared. Even if the situation had got too much for him and he’d needed to get away, how hard would that have been? Guess she didn’t rate too highly on his list of important people or things. Her shoulders slumped. Was she being impatient? Probably. But she didn’t know how to be any different.

Stephanie didn’t seem too concerned. ‘I’ll catch up with him later. I’ll bring my dress over on Friday. See you.’ Click. She’d gone, too.

Leaving Abby feeling incredibly lonely. At home with two children while their other parent, as such, raced back to town and presumably the safety of his new apartment. So where was the problem? She hadn’t expected him to make himself so comfortable that he’d stay to start taking over caring for the children.
Give the guy a chance to get used to all this.

Two mugs stood on the bench. The kettle was warm to her touch. So he’d got that far with making the drinks. She boiled the water again and took her tea with her to check up on Seamus. Sound asleep, he looked angelic, which he was. Most of the time. A smile tugged at her mouth, despite her gloomy mood. Seamus always did this to her whenever she was out of sorts. One look and she felt better about her world.

Now she studied his face, so like the face that had haunted her over the last two years. Moving away, she sank onto the
end of her bed, her thoughts automatically returning to Kieran. Today, when she’d met him at the airport, she’d seen that her memory had been correct. The sharp lines running down the sides of his mouth were still there, as was that lopsided smile that sliced through her every time. Those full lips that had done untold exciting things to her body were exactly as she recalled. Oh, yes, her body remembered him very well.

Too well. Now all she had to do was cope with him being around for two months when just looking at him sent all her hormones into a dance. That was all.
That was all?

D
RESSED
in non-matching panties and bra, Abby headed down the hall, vigorously towelling her freshly washed hair. How could she have slept in? How had she managed to sleep at all with everything going on in her mind? Mainly things about Kieran. He really had got to her in a very short time. She had to get herself under control, stop thinking Kieran at every turn.

Seamus played with a wooden truck in the bedroom, damp nappies drooping around his knees. She left him to go and start making toast. Olivia was chattering in the kitchen, probably telling Teddy what she wanted for breakfast. Had she dressed herself this morning? Some days she did so, with bizarre results, some days she wanted Abby to do it.

At the kitchen door Abby lowered the towel, looking for Olivia, and gasped. Her heart stopped, then with a thud resumed its regular beat.

‘Kieran. What are you doing here? How did you get in?’ Hadn’t she locked up before going to bed last night?

‘Good morning, Abigail.’ He looked past her. For Seamus? Surely that had to be a good sign?

‘Morning yourself,’ she muttered, then realised where his gaze had settled and hurriedly draped the towel around her body. Except the towel was too small and only covered from her breasts to halfway down her backside. Abby started
backing out of the kitchen. She’d get dressed properly before asking why he was here.

‘I opened the door,’ Olivia informed her importantly.

‘Haven’t I told you not to open the door to strangers?’ Abby hesitated in mid-flight and eyed Olivia sternly.

Kieran explained, his gaze now in the vicinity of her face, ‘You can blame me. When I knocked and got no answer I came round to the window to see if you were about. Olivia saw me and let me in. There are advantages to being Uncle Kieran.’ At last his eyes met hers, twinkling at her. ‘Anyway, I’d hope I wasn’t a stranger.’

She knew he was referring to his relationship with her, not Olivia. She stuttered, ‘W-what b-brings you out here this early?’

‘I wanted to apologise for my abrupt departure last night. It was rude of me.’ He raised his hands and shrugged disarmingly. ‘I admit to being a little overwhelmed. Throw in exhaustion after that damned flight and everything caught up with me in a hurry. But I should’ve said goodnight.’

‘Apology accepted.’ He surprised her, admitting he’d been out of his depth. But right now she had to feed and clothe the kids, then get to work on time. No, first she had to get dressed before Kieran began sizing her up again in his toe-curling way.

He said, ‘I thought it best to see you before we get to work. It might be a bit awkward explaining in front of other people.’

‘Work?’ He was joking, right? ‘You’re not starting today?’ She’d been relying on having a few more days before he invaded her work space as well as her home.

‘Might as well. There’s nothing else on my agenda at the moment, and I understand Michael is already on leave.’

‘His son’s desperately ill and last week they got word of a liver that might be compatible in Brisbane.’

‘Then the sooner I start, the better. Let’s hope the operation on his son is successful.’

‘Everyone’s got their fingers crossed for that,’ Abby responded. ‘We’ve seen the pain the family is suffering.’

‘I can’t imagine being in their shoes.’ Kieran turned for the back door. ‘I’ll see you later on.’

Relieved that he was leaving, she couldn’t explain the little gremlin that made her say, ‘Since you’re here, can you put the kettle on and start making toast? I’m already running late and could do with a hand.’

He slowly turned back into the room, his eyes again roaming over her. The playboy was definitely to the fore this morning, not the overwhelmed man trying to deal with two very small relatives he couldn’t quite fathom. ‘Of course. Where do you keep everything?’

‘Fridge, cupboard and pantry.’ Abby beat a hasty retreat to her bedroom.

As she changed Seamus into shorts and T-shirt she could hear Olivia telling Kieran what she wanted on her toast and what Seamus liked, and that she wanted juice. ‘No, not in that glass. The other one.’

Then, ‘Abby doesn’t cut our toast like that. She makes it into squares.’ And, ‘Not that runny honey. It falls off the toast and messes Seamus’s shirt.’