Who's The Father Of Jenny's Baby?

This time she didn’t bother to answer. She just drew her bottom lip between her teeth in an effort to keep her tears at bay. How could her memory be so... empty?

“How about these rascals here in the room with us?” With a small jerk of his head, the doctor indicated the two men standing at her bedside. “Do you recognize them?”

Her breathing grew shallow, and she felt sure she would lose all control. Using every ounce of determination she could muster, she forced back the anxiety.

“I know their names are Luke and Chad,” she said slowly, her voice a grating whisper. “And Luke told me—” Her breath caught in her throat. She took a moment to steel herself, then began again. “He said he was my husband.”

“Well,” Doc Porter said, patting her shoulder in gentle consolation, “that’s a start.” He turned his attention to Luke. “I want to keep Jenny overnight. I want to keep an eye on her.” His face wrinkled with a smile. “I’m happy to report some good news. The X-rays show no sign of concussion, and the fall she took doesn’t seem to have hurt the baby.”

The room grew utterly still and quiet.

“The what?” Luke’s features had gone lax with pure, unadulterated astonishment.

She sat motionless. The doctor was saying she was pregnant. This was all just too much to take in.

Her name was Jenny Prentice. She repeated it silently, slowly. She was married. And she had a baby growing inside her. The weight of all this staggering news had her reeling. It was a wonder she didn’t faint dead away. But she didn’t.

Maybe it was a strong sense of survival, maybe it was a deep, innate maternal instinct, but whatever the cause, she found herself zeroing in on one single word.

Baby. Instinctively, she smoothed a protective hand over her lower abdomen. She was going to have a baby.

“My God, Jenny,” Luke said, disappointment in her showing plainly in his eyes, “why didn’t you tell me?”

All she could do was look at him helplessly. This was all news to her, too. But as she looked at his devastated expression, she couldn’t help but wonder what kind of woman would keep such wonderful news from her husband?

“Maybe I didn’t know.” Her tone was weak, even to her own ears, and she looked at the doctor, hoping for a confirmation.

The old man shook his head. “You came to my office for the test two weeks ago, Jenny. You’ve had the results for a while.”

“I don’t understand,” Luke said.

His midnight gaze threatened to bore a hole right through her. But she couldn’t help him, because she didn’t understand any of this, either. She could give him no answers, offer him no solace, not when she was so overwhelmed by the total blank that was her memory.

“I might be able to shed some light on this situation.”

Every eye in the room was on Chad, and they all waited, seemingly breathless, for him to explain himself.

“I’m sorry you have to find out like this, Luke,” Chad continued. “But I think that Jenny didn’t tell anyone about the baby because...” He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his tan shorts, heaving a sigh before continuing. “Well, to put it bluntly, I think I may be the baby’s father.”

Jenny Prentice slipped into the pair of well-worn jeans. She’d have sworn on a stack of Bibles that she’d never laid eyes on them before, yet as she fastened the metal stud and zipped the zipper, she couldn’t deny the fact that the soft blue denim fabric fit her body to a T.

Everything felt so strange. Every action seemed new and never-before-performed. Her whole world was an alien place.

Yet, she knew what blue jeans were when the nurse’s assistant brought them to her, telling her the clothes had been left for her by her husband. She’d known what the toothbrush was used for. And the brush and comb. However, even though she’d been told these items belonged to her, she’d felt as if she’d been seeing them, using them, for the very first time.

Her overnight stay at the hospital had turned into four days. After the horrible scene that had taken place between the Prentice brothers the day she had awakened after the accident, Jenny had begged Doc Porter to give her some time. Alone. And thankfully, the elderly doctor had complied.

The truth was, she’d been frightened witless by the argument Luke and Chad had had after her pregnancy had been made known. Not that the men had come to blows. Doc had made himself a physical shield between the brothers before that could happen. But the anger and hurt and accusations that had flown back and forth between them had painted a terrible picture in her mind.

What kind of woman would have an affair with her husband’s brother right under—

Don’t think about this, she urgently ordered herself. But the trouble was, there was nothing else in her brain on which to focus her thoughts. Her memory was simply... gone. So her mind kept coming back to the hideous insinuations made by the brothers. But she just couldn’t make herself face the situation, so she’d used that same silent order over and over during these long, lazy days. Don’t think about it.

Every day, Doc came to visit her. He checked her scratches, her bumps and bruises. Then, every day, he’d ask her if she had any questions about herself, her life, her existence before the accident. And every day she’d answered firmly, negatively.

Jenny wasn’t ready. She didn’t want to know who she was, what she’d done, who she’d hurt. The implications she’d gathered from the fight the brothers had had were enough to make her terribly afraid of learning the truth. No, nothing was said outright, but the fact that Chad had declared that he was her baby’s father had been more than enough.

Realizing she’d once again become lost in dark dread, that she hadn’t yet finished dressing, she reached into the bag that contained her clothes. The white, sleeveless top she tugged over her head smelled faintly of honeysuckle. Tucking the hem into the waistband of her jeans, she was extremely aware of the soft fragrance wafting around her.

Was this delicate, flowery perfume what she normally dabbed on her wrists and behind her ears? Was it a fragrance that Luke found alluring?

The unbidden question startled her. She shouldn’t be concerning herself with what Luke Prentice might or might not find desirable. Not with so many unanswered questions bombarding her every second since she’d awakened into this new, unknown existence. Like an unconscious sleepwalker, she found herself moving toward the large window, staring out at the view.

Her gaze traveled to the farthest point on the horizon. The mountains in the distance were covered with a thick layer of dense, green trees. She didn’t know the name of those mountains. Hadn’t even allowed herself to ask Doc or the nurses that simple question, let alone any of the others that plagued her constantly. All she did know was that the mountains calmed her, and she’d spent hours standing here, thinking of nothing, taking solace in the sight.

Staring off at the horizon, she hugged herself and waited for that comfortable, serene feeling to overtake her. But her racing thoughts refused to be arrested, despite the lush green of the mountains. How could she have thought they would, she wondered, when she’d been told just this morning that she would no longer be allowed to take refuge here?

Jenny pressed the flat of her hand against her stomach to quell the rising panic as she pictured in her mind’s eye Doc Porter’s gaze as he’d accused her, in his gentle, fatherly manner, of using the hospital as a hideout. She hadn’t been able to refute Doc’s accusation.

Doc had gone on to recommend firmly that she return to Prentice Mountain, saying that the once familiar surroundings of the ski resort might help to jog her memory. Of course, he hadn’t been able to promise anything with regard to her amnesia. Brain injuries, he’d explained, were peculiar things that continued to stump modem medicine.

So, Jenny Prentice—as she’d learned to call herself over the past few days—was forced to realize that she might never recover from her amnesia. However, she did have to admit that Doc’s parting statement had intrigued her.

“You were never one to hide your head under the covers, Jenny,” he’d commented. Then he’d left her alone, intent on finishing his hospital rounds before going to his office to begin his full schedule of patient appointments.

Doc had told her, in no uncertain terms, that the old Jenny was no coward. And as she stood gazing out the window, she knew she liked the idea that she was strong. However, the thought wasn’t enough to spur her into any kind of rush to find out more about herself. What might she discover? That she was an adulterer? A betrayer of trust? Someone who lied to and deceived the man with whom she’d chosen to spend the rest of her life?

The questions were daunting. Almost as daunting as the painful expression Luke had leveled at her during their last meeting. Never in a hundred million years would Jenny forget the hurt reflected in her husband’s black, staring gaze as Doc had ushered both of the brothers from her room.

She hadn’t seen either of the Prentice men since then, at her own request. But that request was no longer being honored. She was being forced to face herself, her life and her past behavior. It didn’t matter that she remembered none of these things. There were still deeds that someone needed to be held accountable for.

For the thousandth time in the past four days, her baby came into her thoughts. Her stomach felt flat and firm as she slid her hand across it. Who had fathered the delicate life growing inside her? The question prompted the vivid image of Luke, and his tormented gaze.

His agonized expression had been clear evidence that he’d never even suspected that his wife and his brother might have slept together, let alone the fact that Chad would claim to be her baby’s father. Her eyelids closed as she ran headfirst into a solid wall of guilt. What kind of woman would do such a thing? What kind of woman could do such a thing?

Don’t think about it, she silently ordered herself.

If there was one thing she was sure of, it was that Luke wouldn’t be the one who came to pick her up. It would be a wonder if the man ever spoke to her again.

“Jenny.”

She recognized the sound of Luke’s voice, its rich resonance causing her eyes to fly open with surprise as she turned to face him.

Well, he was here, she thought. Surprise number one.

Then she noticed something else. He didn’t look angry. Or hurt. In fact, Jenny didn’t think anyone would ever be able to tell that, just four short days ago, he’d been totally humiliated by her. Surprise number two.

Surprise number three came when he actually smiled at her. It was small, as smiles went, but at the same time it was staggering. Way down deep inside, she felt a spark strike to life.