Sun-Kissed Baby

“That’s true. We have one-and two-bedroom cottages down by the lake, and the child-care center is air-conditioned, but—”

Again, in her enthusiasm, she cut him off. “Well, if you will point me to the office, I’ll fill out my application, and as soon as I get Scotty settled in at the day care, I’ll be ready to go to work. Just point me to where they’re picking.”

His gaze flicked over her but settled on Scotty once more, who continued to fret a little over the bear. He held out his arms for him and asked, “May I?”

Before Carlee could respond, Scotty lunged for the stranger as though aware he wanted to give him the bear.

“Oh, he’s a big fellow. A fine little boy.” He hugged him, then said, “I’m afraid we’re through picking for the day, but you can start first thing tomorrow. We pay twelve dollars an hour, more if you’re real fast.”

Carlee swallowed a cry of delight. She didn’t want to let on it was more money than she’d ever made before.

“We can use your husband, too, if he’s looking for work.”

She murmured she was not married and reached for Scotty. “I guess I’d better go fill out those papers now.”

“Are you sure you won’t let me give him the bear as a welcome present?”

Scotty was sniffling, which pulled at her heart. The man probably got a huge discount, so she said okay and thanked him. He handed the bear to Scotty, whose whole face lit up.

“The office is that way.” He pointed to another door. “I’ll be in to talk to you as soon as you give Elaine all the information she needs. Then I’ll have someone take you to your cottage and show you around.”

Carlee was thrilled to think how much money she would make and not have to pay rent. She would also be in a perfect position to secretly check out Mr. Nick Starke.

“We get started around six,” he said, ushering her to the office door. “We don’t have a lot of workers now, but there’ll be somebody around to help you unload your car. I’ll come by later to see if there’s anything you need.”

He started to say something else, but Carlee wasn’t listening, quickening her pace to get into the office and start the ball rolling to put her on the payroll.

Nick Starke stared after her in somewhat of a daze. She was pretty, vivacious, energetic, and her baby boy was adorable. It was a shame that she was obviously on her own. He had seen her glance at the price tag on the bear as he came out of the storage room and how she’d winced and quickly put it back. Learning she wasn’t married told him all he needed to know about her financial situation. Likely as not she wasn’t getting any support from her son’s father. He could tell she was trying to hide her excitement when she heard how much she would make.

Well, she’d come to the right place. Like his father and grandfather before him, Nick took pride in paying good wages for good workers. Providing much better living facilities than any other grove in the state kept the same ones coming back year after year. But Valencia season could not compete with California crops this time of year, regardless of the benefits he offered.

She had left the door to the office ajar, and he could see her at Elaine’s desk, holding Scotty as he happily snuggled the teddy bear. Her chestnut-colored hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and her hazel eyes were glowing. She was wearing a stretch blouse that accented her small but shapely breasts and tiny waistline. Her khaki shorts hugged her hips and showed off her long, tanned legs. Carlee Denton, he decided, was not only pretty, but strong and spirited. Whatever life had handed her she would face, which, for the moment appeared to be raising a child alone.

Nick would try to make things as easy for her as possible, but only because of the baby. He was not about to open himself up for possible heartache again.

Not if he could help it.

He returned to the stockroom and finished the inventory, then went to the house and took a shower. He put on clean shorts and a light cotton shirt. Normally he didn’t walk around in tank tops and ball caps, but there was no air-conditioning in the stockroom. So maybe it was just as well Carlee had been so enthused over her new job that he hadn’t been able to get it across to her just who he was. Hopefully she wouldn’t remember how sloppy he’d looked.

She was just finishing up the paperwork when he got to the office. Elaine was holding Scotty for her, bouncing him on her knees.

Carlee saw Nick and smiled. “You people are going to spoil my baby, I can see that.” She turned to Elaine. “Mr. Thurston gave him that bear he refuses to let go of and wouldn’t let me pay for it.”

Elaine’s brows lifted in surprise. “Mr. Thurston?” She laughed. “No, no, dear. This is Mr. Starke, the owner.”

Carlee’s hand froze. She’d been filling out the W-4 federal tax withholding form.

Mr. Starke.

Nick Starke.

The owner.

Alicia’s lover who had abandoned her in her time of need.

Scotty’s father who had wanted him aborted.

Hypocrite, liar and cheat.

These were the words that fired through her brain like bullets.

Her fingers began to shake, and she dropped the pen she was holding.

It fell to the floor, and Nick quickly crossed the room to pick it up for her, sharing Elaine’s laugh as he did so. “I tried to tell you who I was, but you were too focused on the job to hear anything else. I’m really glad to meet you and happy you’re going to be with us for a while.”

He turned to Elaine. “Have you assigned them to a cottage yet? Be sure she gets one by the lake with a new air conditioner. We’re in for some hot weather soon, and it will be nice for Scotty. He’s a cute one, isn’t he?”

Carlee wasn’t listening, unable to hear beyond the roar of rage that swept her from head to toe.

Nick didn’t notice. He was playing with Scotty again.

Carlee somehow managed to finish the paperwork, then gave it to Elaine, all without looking at Nick Starke. When listing her previous experience, instead of writing down Jupiter Groves, as a precaution she listed one in another part of the state that she knew had gone out of business. After all, Nick Starke might not show his true colors until she revealed the truth about Scotty. If that happened, she wanted to be able to say to hell with it, leave without warning and drop out of sight.

“Well, if you’re done,” he said when she handed the papers to Elaine, “I’ll go with you to your cottage and make sure it’s okay. You can follow in your car, and I’ll carry your things in.”

She tried and failed to smile or put any warmth at all in her voice as she responded, “That won’t be necessary, Mr. Starke. I can find the way. I’ve imposed enough on you for one day. And I apologize for not giving you a chance earlier to tell me who you were.”

He frowned slightly, puzzled by her sudden cool demeanor, and then decided she was just embarrassed and waved away her protest. “Nonsense. I’m glad to help. Besides, when I was on my way over here from the house, I saw the other workers leaving. Today is payday, and they always head for town.”

He took Scotty from Elaine, and Carlee bit her tongue to keep from protesting. He was just showing off as people did around babies, thinking it made them look so wonderful. And as she watched him, she ached to scream that he was cooing over the very baby he hadn’t wanted.

Yielding to sudden impulse, she asked, “Mr. Starke, how many children do you have?”

And was it her imagination, or did he wince ever so slightly as he turned his head before woodenly answering, “I don’t have any.”

She fell into step behind him as he carried Scotty outside into the warm Florida sun. “Well, maybe you will one day,” she said breezily, congratulating herself on recovering so quickly from the shock of discovering who he was. “I’ll bet you and your wife want to fill that big house with kids.”

“I’m not married.”

“Oh.” She managed to sound surprised. “A bachelor? You’ve never even been married?”

They reached her car, and he opened the door, then handed Scotty to her to buckle in the car seat. “I was once. I’m divorced.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, managing to sound sincere.

“It’s all right. It was a long time ago.”

Longer than twenty-two months? she burned to ask. Because that was when he had been romancing Alicia while claiming to be going through a divorce.