Read Online The Doctor's Baby by Cindy Kirk - Free Book Online Page A

studied the scrunched up red face and trembling chin. “I have to tell you, I’m not seeing the resemblance. But then you don’t really look like your mom, either.”
    The baby screamed louder.
    He jiggled the infant gently. After a minute, the crying subsided. David continued to talk in a low soothing tone about his week while he searched for a bottle. He found one in the refrigerator behind a carton of juice. He’d assumed that even though July was nursing she had a backup plan.
    David heated the bottle, using the microwave technique his sister had taught him when Logan was a baby. Logan had been a fussy baby and those had been difficult days. David’s brother-in-law had packed up and left town. Shortly after that happened, Celeste had died.Working extra shifts and helping Mary Karen with the twins and new baby had kept David busy through the long, lonely months that followed.
    After checking the temperature of the milk on the inside of his wrist, David carried the baby into the living room and sank into the overstuffed rocker. From this position he could watch the boys and feed Adam at the same time.
    The baby took easily to the bottle, his little face relaxing as he sucked. He smelled clean, like baby powder, and fine, dark hair covered his head. Gazing down at the child, David still didn’t see a resemblance, but holding him felt right. He wondered now why he and Celeste had chosen to wait, how their travel and their lifestyle could have ever been more important to them than this.
    Immune to the tension gripping David’s chest, the baby waved his fists in the air and gurgled happily. David blew out a breath and trailed a finger down the infant’s soft cheek. One thing was certain, if Adam was his son, he’d never let him go.
     
    July returned home a little after five. Though she and her guide had found some great locations, it had been difficult to concentrate. She missed Adam horribly. She hoped leaving him would get easier. Her only salvation was she trusted Mary Karen to take good care of her son.
    Turning the key in the lock, July pushed the door open. The sound of childish laughter brought a smileto her lips. She supposed she could have called out her arrival but instead she simply followed the happy voices to the kitchen.
    For several seconds she stood in the doorway absorbing the scene. Granny stood at the counter tossing a salad and chatting with Mary Karen, who was busy loading the dishwasher. Adam was in David’s arms, contentedly watching the boys as David patiently instructed them in the art of making English muffin pizzas.
    The heartwarming family scene could have been lifted straight from a Hallmark movie. A sharp pain lanced July’s heart. Sometimes it felt as if she’d spent her entire life on the outside looking in. She sighed and forced a smile to her lips. “Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in. Don’t you have your own home?”
    David’s head jerked at the sound of her voice. He turned and met her gaze, his lips widening into a welcoming smile. He chuckled. “Sometimes I wonder why I bother with one.”
    “I had a migraine today.” Mary Karen glanced at her brother. “David sent me to bed and watched the boys. He was a real life saver.”
    “How’s Adam been?”
    “Calm now,” David said. “But just a second ago he was fussing.”
    “He’s probably hungry.” It was the wrong thing to say. Just when she thought the moment couldn’t get any worse, the mere thought of Adam nursing made her milk flow. July crossed her arms across her chest.
    David’s eyes darkened before he looked away.
    Mary Karen, who’d breastfed all three boys, shot her a knowing smile.
    “How was work?” David crossed the room and handed over the baby.
    “Found a few locations that we’ll definitely be revisiting,” July said.
    “I hope you didn’t overdo it,” Granny dumped the salad into a large red bowl. “You just had a baby. You make sure they know that.”
    “I didn’t do anything,