Nine-Month Surprise. Jacqueline Diamond

He made a mental note to store them in his desk drawer. Mrs. McNulty took care not to poke around his home office in case he brought home confidential information.

      Leah peered outside. “Looks like the coast’s clear. Good night, Dr. Rankin.”

      “Good night, Miss Morris.” He watched her hurry down the walkway. Apparently, she’d parked around the corner, because she strode off until the darkness closed around her. A wise precaution, given the risk of gossip.

      The men in this town must have cotton in their heads, Will mused as he went inside. A woman that appealing and intelligent should have her pick of boyfriends. Instead, for reasons he still didn’t comprehend, she’d gone to Texas and tried to capture something—love or excitement, maybe—with a stranger.

      Too bad, she’d picked the wrong one.

      For a painful beat, he wondered if he’d made a mistake. He’d always dreamed of marrying a soul mate, of sharing his life with someone who understood him in ways no one else did.

      But if that kind of relationship existed, he doubted he’d ever find it. Nor, he supposed, did he really want to try. The fallout from his marriage had been too bitter.

      Will paced through the house to look in on his girls. Wearing angelic expressions in sleep, each daughter curled to face her twin across the gap between their beds. Diane cradled her favorite doll, while India had piled so many stuffed animals on her bed that it was a wonder she found room to move.

      As always, the sight of the twins restored his spirits. With them, as with no one else, he’d made a deeply human connection. It was all he needed.

      Yet they couldn’t stay babies forever. Stealing another peek at the new photos, Will noticed that Leah had caught the twins at the very beginning stage of making new friends. One step at a time, they were separating from each other and, he supposed, from him.

      A little disconcerted that it was Leah Morris who’d awakened him to this transition, Will went to put the photos in a safe place.