Abby and the Playboy Prince. Raye Morgan

was too late. He had a baby in his arms. And he was all alone. Abby was off toward the kitchen, calling back over her shoulder, “Take care to protect her head. Don’t let it bobble.”

      “Bobble?” He repeated the word because he didn’t know what else to do. “Bobble?” Here he was holding this sodden mass of baby flesh, fuzzy things draped all around it, staring down at two midnight-blue eyes that stared up at him as though he’d just landed on the nearest alien launch pad and might be contemplating a quick meal. If babies could fly, this one would be on its way.

      “Uh, hi,” he said hopefully. Hadn’t Abby said to smile? He tried it and actually seemed to have a little success. “How are you feeling?” he asked.

      The lower lip was trembling and the round eyes were filling with tears. A flash of pure panic rocketed through his soul. Smiles weren’t working. Maybe a song.

      “‘That’s why the lady is a tramp,’” he crooned.

      The little girl drew in a shuddering breath and her shoulders began to shake.

      “No, no, don’t cry,” he begged. “Look, funny faces.” He tried one, then another. Things were only getting worse. Her eyes squeezed shut and her mouth twisted in agony as she let out an earth-shattering wail.

      “No, no, no,” he muttered, drawing her close in against his shoulder the way he’d seen Abby do it. “It’s all right. Really it is. No one is going to hurt you.” He gave the tiny back a few awkward pats and began to walk around the room. He cast a longing glance at the dresser drawer made up like a bed, but he didn’t dare put her down there without consulting Abby first. He didn’t have a doubt in the world that he would surely do something wrong if he tried it.

      She was crying softly now, a baby in despair. He would have thought it would annoy him, but for some reason, it broke his heart instead. Poor little thing. She wanted her mom. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he found himself singing a song.

      “Rock-a-bye baby, on the treetop.”

      Funny. He didn’t even remember that he knew that song. It must have bubbled up from his subconscious. Either that, or it was in the ether, part of the zeitgeist, or whatever. He went on and on. He knew every damn word! And he found himself rocking back and forth to the rhythm the song created. What was going on here? Was he channeling another life? Or another level of his own existence? Maybe the experiences he’d had as a baby were stuck in his brain somewhere, just waiting to pop out at the right moment. In any case, it seemed to do the trick. The squirming little mass in his arms began to relax. The crying began to fade. He walked faster and sang harder.

      “I think you’ve put her to sleep.”

      He looked up in surprise to find Abby back, smiling in the doorway. “I have?” It was true there was no more crying. And the little bundle he carried had gone from creating a painful burden to feeling like something rather wonderful. Funny.

      Abby nodded, finger to her lips. “Here,” she whispered. “Let me have her. I’ll put her down.” She took the baby from him and nodded toward the front of the house. “I put your tea on the table. Why don’t you go on out? I’ll join you in a minute.”

      He left gratefully. There was a certain amount of triumph in having put the baby to sleep, but that was all the celebration he needed right now. He’d prefer keeping out of the baby-sitting business. It was a comfort just to know that Abby and her baby wouldn’t be here much longer.

      Back in the living area, he returned to the window and stood staring out, feeling moody and a bit strange. He probably hadn’t caught up on his sleep yet. Maybe that was why he felt like he couldn’t quite get his balance at times.

      But sleep wasn’t what he’d come here for. Thinking. Planning. Finding a way to break his engagement to Stephanie Hollenbeck without getting disowned by his family and expelled by his country. That was the puzzle he’d come here to unravel. And he knew damn well he would need some peace and quiet to do it in. He’d come all the way out here to think about what he was going to do about Stephanie, and instead, he’d spent every waking moment so far dealing with a runaway girl and her baby. This was no good. No good at all.