Nathan's Child - By Anne McAllister Page 0,37

came bringing Lacey the afternoon after she’d had surgery, and she’d tried to get him to take Nathan home with him. “He doesn’t need to be here,” she’d said. “I don’t want him here.”

But Hugh only shrugged and said not very helpfully, “He says he’s staying.”

Something had happened between Nathan and Hugh while she’d been asleep. There was no convincing Nathan that Hugh meant anything to her anymore. It didn’t take a genius to figure that out.

So she tried to enlist the aid of the nurses. “Tell him to go away,” she said to each of them in turn. “He’s invading my privacy.”

“Ah, dearie, you know you’d miss him,” said one.

“Send that great hunk of handsome away? Not on your life, ducks,” said another.

“Only if I can take him home with me,” said the youngest, batting her lashes and slanting hungry grins Nathan’s way.

“Don’t be daft,” the senior nurse said to Carin. “Without him you’d be in a ward, not in a private room. I’d give my arm for a man who cared that much for me. Hasn’t left you once.”

“You need a change of clothes and a shower,” Carin told Nathan.

“I took a shower,” Nathan said, nodding toward the bathroom attached to her room. “And Gaby brought me a change of clothes just this morning.”

“Good for her,” Carin said sourly.

Nathan just grinned at her. “See? Clean jeans. Fresh shirt. Brought me my shaving kit, too. I’ll shave when you take a nap.”

Carin could see, now, that he had cleaned up. And though he obviously still looked tired, his stubbled jaw only made him look rakish and more handsome than ever. She felt like an ugly witch by comparison.

“Gaby’s looking forward to meeting you.”

“What!”

“She’ll be along in a little while. She couldn’t stop this morning. Had a business meeting this morning. But when they get things sorted out, she’ll be along to see you.”

“She doesn’t need to stop and see me,” Carin said hastily. “What does she want to meet me for?”

“Because I’ve told her all about you,” Nathan said.

Whatever that meant. Carin didn’t even want to think. She didn’t have time in any event because moments later the door to her room opened and the beautiful blonde Carin recognized as Gaby came in.

She wasn’t alone, either. There was another woman with her. She came running toward Carin, long, dark hair flying.

“Oh, my God, Carin! You poor thing! I didn’t believe it when Gaby told me!”

Carin gaped. “Stacia? How did you—” Nathan’s agent had told hers that she was in the hospital? Oh, dear God. “I was going to call you,” she began, trying to sound calm and in control to Stacia, all the while shooting Nathan a furious glare. “I’ve got…got two of the paintings done. I know that’s not—”

“Not to worry,” Stacia said, patting her unplastered arm. “You need to rest. To get well. You need to take care of your arm. Even your hands are bandaged.” She was tsking, making horrified sounds.

“I’ll be all right,” Carin said. Dr. Bagley hadn’t told her she wouldn’t be. He’d said she might need some therapy, but she could do that. “I just can’t get all six of the paintings done now, though.”

If Stacia dumped her, Stacia dumped her. This show had been going to be her “big break,” and she might never get another. But there was no crying over what had happened. It had happened—and she simply had to go on from there.

“No problem,” Stacia said, giving an airy wave of her hand.

Carin blinked. “No…problem?”

That wasn’t what Stacia had been saying the last time they’d talked. “You think you’ve got enough to make the show go on?”

“Of course,” Stacia said emphatically. “It’s all sorted out. It will be wonderful.” She beamed at Carin, then at Nathan. “Having such a wonderful photographer’s work as a complement to your paintings will bring patrons out in droves.”

“What!” Carin tried to sit bolt upright, but gasped at the pain and sank back against the pillows to stare aghast at Stacia. “What are you talking about?”

“Nathan’s offer. You know we needed more,” Stacia said, perfectly matter-of-factly. “I told you that. I told you six more large pieces minimum. Better ten. Or lots of smaller ones. So you finished two more. And Nathan offered his work to fill in the gaps. Island shots, right?” She looked at Nathan for confirmation.

He looked a little uneasy, as well he might. If looks could kill, Carin thought, he’d have been worse off than she was.

“I don’t need Nathan