Lifelong Affair. Кэрол Мортимер

child.’

      ‘Ours?’ she gasped.

      He nodded. ‘That’s right.’

      ‘You have a hell of a nerve—–’

      ‘Ssh, you’ll wake the baby,’ he mocked her anger. ‘And I’m sure you have no idea what to do if that happens.’ He eyed her mockingly in the driving mirror. ‘No comeback?’

      ‘None,’ she shrugged. ‘But I bet you don’t know either,’ she said with satisfaction.

      ‘Wrong,’ he returned smugly.

      Her eyes widened. ‘Wrong?’

      He nodded. ‘I have it all written down. Compliments of the Ward Sister.’

      ‘That’s cheating!’

      ‘Common sense,’ he corrected. ‘I even have a bottle in case he wants feeding.’

      ‘Too clever by half,’ she mumbled, feeling too elated from holding Courtney in her arms to feel any real anger with Alex. Holding the tiny baby gave her a sense of well-being, as if she held a tiny part of Glenna to her.

      Glenna would have loved Courtney, she had been looking forward to his birth so much. No wonder she had clung to life long enough to give birth to him. If only her strange decision to make Alex Hammond and herself Courtney’s guardians could be explained that easily!

      Although Alex seemed more approachable today, less inclined to be the austere stranger she was used to. Perhaps Courtney’s innocence had got to him too. Although she wouldn’t count on it! No doubt he would revert to type soon enough.

      ‘Damn, damn, damn!’ he muttered as they entered the long driveway to the house, and slowed the car down.

      ‘What is it?’ Morgan sat forward concernedly, Courtney still—thank goodness!—fast asleep in her arms.

      ‘I hope you feel up to facing the press again,’ he ground out. ‘Why the hell didn’t my mother ring the police and have them thrown off my land!’ he bit out grimly as he halted the car and was instantly surrounded by obvious members of the press, tape-recorders and cameras at the ready. ‘There’s going to be no keeping Courtney’s existence a secret now,’ he turned to mutter. ‘Just stay at my side, Morgan, and don’t say a word!’

      What did he take her for! He treated her as if she was some sort of brainless idiot, not a woman of twenty-six. Who did—–

      ‘And calm down,’ he taunted at the flash in her green eyes. ‘You don’t want them to think you hate me, do you?’ he mocked before swinging out of the car to walk round and open the door for her, ignoring the questions being thrown at him as if he didn’t hear them.

      ‘Is this your nephew, Mr Hammond?’ The jostling became more intense as Morgan stepped out of the car with Courtney in her arms.

      ‘The son of Glenna McKay and your brother Mark?’ they persisted as Alex guided her towards the house.

      ‘Is this Morgan McKay, sir?’ another tried politeness.

      ‘Of course it is,’ another man said eagerly. ‘Don’t you watch her in Power Trap?’ His tone implied appreciation of the character she played. ‘It’s been rumoured that you and Miss McKay are the baby’s guardians,’ the man followed them as they walked up the steps to the house. ‘Do you have any comment to make about that, Mr Hammond?’

      Again Alex ignored the question, although Morgan could see by the tightening of his mouth that he was angry such information had become public knowledge.

      ‘Does this mean that, in the best tradition of romances, the two of you will be marrying?’ the man persisted.

      Morgan knew she had blanched, and she could see that Alex had stiffened at such a suggestion. She and Alex marry? Never!