When Hearts Collide - By James, Kendra Page 0,15
the right, library to the left, powder room, dining room, kitchen, and family room. All large, all empty. She ran up the stairs, calling out as she went. There were five bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a laundry room, again all empty. At least she’d found the child’s bedroom. She pulled down the comforter on the twin bed. Should I worry about pajamas? No. Just get her into bed. She flicked on the angel night-light and headed back to the car.
Gracie barely protested when Molly pried her out of the car seat and carried her to bed. Molly tucked the comforter around the child, then sat on the bed and watched her sleep. Impulsively, she gave the child a quick kiss on the forehead before leaving the room.
Now what? I can’t think. I need sleep. Maybe if I just lie down for a few minutes. Leaving the child’s door slightly ajar, Molly crossed the hall and pushed open another door. Inside, she saw the shadow of a king-size bed, an armchair, dressers. A shaft of moonlight poured through the large casement window, providing a soft illumination. Half expecting to find Gracie’s mother asleep on the bed, Molly didn’t turn on the overhead light. She crept into the room. The bed was empty.
Exhaustion engulfed her, and she didn’t think she could keep upright a moment longer. The bed looked so inviting. She couldn’t prevent the step she took toward it.
What could it hurt? I’ll just lie down for a couple of minutes, maybe a bit longer. Molly’s body sank into the soft mattress. The moon’s reflection caught on a picture on the facing dresser, and the last image she had as her eyelids slid to a close was of Pearce, on the beach, his long, lean, tanned body stretched out on the white sand. He could have been posing for a photo shoot. Molly drifted into sleep, feeling those muscular arms pulling her into the circle of his broad chest. She arched against him, a perfect fit.
She jerked awake. What time is it? How long did I sleep? She’d planned on only closing her eyes for a few minutes, yet now sunshine streamed in through the windows. Her gaze flew around the room. Someone was shaking her shoulder.
“Wake up, Molly Mommy.”
Molly jerked her head around. Who was talking?
“Molly Mommy.”
She heard the whisper, but saw no one. Molly lifted her head. A small blond haired child peeked at her from the end of the bed.
“It’s time to get up. The sun is up already.”
Molly shook away the cobwebs coating her brain. Last night’s events came rushing back.
“I’m hungry,” the child announced. “We have to eat. Then go get Daddy.”
Molly felt a terrible gnawing in the pit of her stomach. Oh, my God, how am I going to deal with this? What can I tell her? They couldn’t bring her dad home today. Molly put her hand to her abdomen but the pain didn’t go away. What if he never came home? Stop it. You can’t think like that.
Molly rolled off the bed. She needed to find the child’s next of kin so they could deal with this. Her career had mainly been dealing with adults. She didn’t have a clue how to tell a child about illness, and parents who might never come home.
“Gracie, do you have a mommy?”
“She’s gone. I want breakfast.” Gracie grabbed her hand and pulled her along the hall and down the stairs to the kitchen.
Oh great. That’s the same thing Pearce had said at the accident scene. Gone could mean anything. How can I find out what happened to her mother? Had she died? She needed to find someone to take the child, but she didn’t want to bring up bad memories. She tried another tactic. “Who lives here with you?”
“Daddy and me.”
“No one else?” Molly looked around the room. There were several pictures on a desk by the window. Pearce and Gracie. There wasn’t an adult female in one of them.
“Nope. Just the two of us.”
This is getting us nowhere. Molly looked around the room, neat and tidy, the same as the rest of the house. By the business card she had in her pocket, Pearce Taylor was a practicing lawyer. Molly doubted he did his own cleaning and cooking. Was there a housekeeper?
“Gracie, does somebody come in to look after you while your daddy is at work?”
“I’m a Pink Panther.”
Molly raised an eyebrow. “What’s a pink panther?”
“I’m a Pink Panther at my school.”
“Do you have