danger of becoming hysterical. Even so, it was more than an hour later when the women finally climbed into the van. Cara stood at the nursery window, watching them drive away. Hoping she looked natural, she smiled and waved.
But the smile died the moment the van was lost from view.
The quiet of the house settled around her. The central air created an artificial draft that should have been pleasant but made her feel chilled instead.
Idly her gaze swept over the lawn, the artificial pond, the distant glimpse of a winding footpath and a rock bridge.
Such a beautiful home.
In the darkness Ross’s estate seemed even more removed from the real world. Subdued lighting had been cleverly camouflaged to make it look as if the grounds were flooded in moonlight. From her vantage point, she could see the deer grazing beneath the trees, the ducks sleeping in the reeds, their heads tucked beneath their wings.
So serene. So beautiful. So surreal.
Once again Cara had the feeling that she had been plunged into the middle of a picture postcard or a movie set. If only she’d been given some hint of what she would find here. Maybe if she’d been more prepared…
But how could anyone be prepared for what she’d found here?
Without warning, the phone on the wall bleeped. Cara jumped, her hand flying to her chest as if to keep her heart from leaping free.
Taking a deep breath, she lifted the receiver. “This is the Gifford residence, may I help you?”
“This is Ross. I’m on my way home now.”
There was a pause, and Cara wondered how she was supposed to respond to his blunt announcement.
Yes, sir?
Whatever you say, sir?
“Very good, Mr. Gifford.” Damn. That sounded like something the stuffy Stibbs might say.
“How have things gone?”
Again, her stomach flip-flopped. Then, with the realization that she would soon be confronting Ross face-to-face, she fought a flash of dizziness.
What was she going to do?
What was she going to say?
“Miss Wells?”
“Th-the children were wonderful. They’re sleeping soundly right now.”
“Did you have any problems when I left?”
Such as her well-ordered existence tumbling down around her ears?
“No. They were fine.”
There was a beat of silence.
“Really?”
“Yes.” Then she quickly amended, “They cried a bit when they realized you were gone, but I was able to divert their attention with a puzzle.”
“I’m impressed. Even Melba has a hard time getting them to sleep. They tend to get nervous and whiney unless I’m home.”
“Then they must have been very tired because they didn’t put up a fuss.”
“And how is Melba?”
Cara had been so embroiled in her own concerns, she’d forgotten to phone Ross with an update as she’d promised. “She’s out of surgery and doing well.”
“That’s good news. I’ll see you in five minutes.”
A click in her ear let her know the call had been terminated, and for some unaccountable reason she was miffed at the sudden dismissal. He’d hung up without so much as a word of farewell as if she were…
An employee.
But wasn’t that exactly what she was? In fact, she couldn’t even lay claim to that much of a role in his life. She was a “temp” of sorts who had been hired to fill in for a few hours. And now instead of slipping out of his life as easily as she’d drifted in, she was here…
To stay?
No. Despite what she had discovered, she wasn’t about to become a part of Ross Gifford’s life. They would sort out this mess and she would go back to her routine.
But even as she insisted such a thing to herself, she instinctively knew that she was underestimating the effects of the newfound knowledge. No matter what happened from this point on, she and Ross would be forever linked, due to an error made by a hospital employee years earlier.
Her nerves stretched even tighter, threatening to snap. More than anything she wanted to go home, curl up in the rocking chair in her children’s bedroom and surround herself in all that was comfortable and familiar. But before she would be able to do that, she would have to “make small talk” with an important client. She would have to summon all of her inner strength so that she gave no hint of the turmoil roiling just below the surface of her artificial calm.
Five minutes. She had five minutes before…
Before what? She had already decided to take Grace’s advice. There would be no late-night confessions. As long as she kept her cool, Ross Gifford would remain blissfully ignorant of the hospital’s mistake. Until then…
Until then nothing would happen. Nothing whatsoever.
But as she pressed a trembling hand to her chest, she realized a part of her wasn’t completely convinced. Her heart was racing as if she’d run a mile.
The whir of the garage-door opener disturbed the stillness of the house. Her heart leaped in her breast, then seemed to sink into the pit of her stomach.
Keep your cool. Just keep your cool.
Suddenly galvanized into action, she hurried around the nursery, repacking her supplies and stuffing them willy-nilly into the duffel bag. As soon as she’d said her goodbyes, she would go home. Once there, she could reassure herself that her own twins were safe and well and tucked into their own beds.
“It’s quiet.”
Ross’s voice caused Cara to jump, and she whirled to face him, her pulse racing more than ever.
“You startled me,” she gasped, then wished she’d remained silent when her voice sounded slightly frantic even to her own ears.
A crease appeared between Ross’s brow, but other than that, he didn’t seem overly concerned by her reaction. “Sorry. I thought you would have heard the car.”
She caught his gaze only momentarily, then returned her attention to the toys.
“How was your evening?”
“Fine.”
So much for chitchat. Ross turned away from her, moving from one bedroom to the next checking on the girls. She waited in tense expectation as if simply by seeing the twins he would guess that something was wrong.
