The Army Doctor's Baby (Romance Novella) by Helen Scott Taylor Page B

as though he were troubled. "I owe you an apology."
    That wasn't what she'd expected him to say. It thawed her chilly attitude a little.
    "Can we erase the last few months and start afresh?" Cameron's gaze moved to George, sitting in his seat on the table, where Olivia had put him so he could watch her and Sandra.
    Wonder flickered across Cameron's face, and the tightness inside her softened some more.
    "That's George," she said.
    "Your son," Sandra added in a pointed tone.
    Cameron's gaze shot to his mother, and he gave her a sheepish smile.
    Sandra put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "You've got a lot of catching up to do. Your little boy needs a father."
    "Yeah, okay. Give me time to get used to the idea." Cameron walked across to the table.
    Olivia moved to his side and ran a finger over George's tiny hand. "You can touch him. He won't break."
    "Should I wash my hands first? I've been traveling for hours."
    Olivia was surprised by Cameron's thoughtfulness. Good hygiene must come from his medical training.
    "Yes, good idea." Sandra set the water running, then stepped away from the sink.
    With clean hands, Cameron touched his index finger to George's palm. A delighted smile lit his face when the baby's tiny fingers curled around his digit. Cameron shook hands with his son, his smile stretching into a grin. "Does that mean he likes me?"
    "Yes, I think it does," Sandra said.
    Cameron tickled George. He gurgled happily and his legs pedaled. "Can I hold him?"
    A gamut of conflicting emotions raced through Olivia. It was obvious Cameron had taken to George, and her baby seemed to like his father. This was great for George, she told herself as she tried to push memories of Radley holding the baby out of her mind.
    "Unclip him." She watched while Cameron did as she suggested. "When you pick him up, make sure to support his head."
    Cameron carefully lifted his son and cradled him against his chest. "Hey, bud, we're going to be pals, aren't we?"
    The cold, hard nugget of resentment she'd built up against Cameron over the months he'd ignored her softened some more. He wasn't the heartless monster she'd imagined him to be.
    It took no time at all for Cameron to look at ease with George cradled in his arms. Then he didn't seem to want to put him down. He circled the room, rocking George, singing him nursery rhymes, and kissing his head.
    "It's really kinda cool having a baby that looks like me." Cameron's gaze shifted from George and jumped between his mother and Olivia. "He does look like me, doesn't he?"
    "Very much so." Sandra pulled a photo of George out from under a fridge magnet and held it up beside a framed baby photo of Radley and Cameron on the kitchen dresser. "See. The three of you are like peas in a pod."
    Cameron chuckled. "Just as well you didn't know Radley nine months ago or I'd be worried he might be George's dad."
    The breath caught in Olivia's chest and burned with a mix of emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. If only she had known Radley back then, if only he were George's father. A burst of guilt followed that thought and she turned away, unable to watch Cameron and her baby any longer.
    She could not change the facts. Somehow they would all have to deal with this and learn to live with it. She wanted whatever was best for her darling little boy, but she desperately hoped the outcome would not hurt Radley.
    ***
    Radley dug his chilled fingers in a rocky nook and hauled himself up another foot on the rough granite rock face, wedging the toe of his shoe on a ledge. Tiny specks of snow whipped at his face in the bitter wind. He was starting to think that climbing in Wales in the middle of winter hadn't been such a good plan.
    "You're mental, Knight," Major Julia Braithwaite shouted from a few feet below him. "Next time you call for a climbing partner, remind me to tell you to get lost."
    Radley pushed a nut into a crevice, checked it was firm, then snapped a carabiner on the wire to secure his rope. A wry