“Of course. But Megan-”
“Megan thinks it’s just wonderful,” Megan said, coming into the room as if on cue. It was still before nine in the morning. It had been three before Megan had slept the night before, but she looked as immaculately dressed and as fresh as if she’d had a full night’s sleep. “As CEO, I should be telling you to get yourself into Maitland Maternity, but we’re big enough now to cope with losing the business of one mother and babe.”
“So you’ll stay here?” Michael said to Jenny as he eyed his aunt doubtfully. They’d clued Katie in on what was going on, but Megan didn’t know.
“Of course, I’d love to stay here. If it’s okay.” But there was a furrow between Jenny’s eyes. “But why do you need to take Gary away?”
“Ford wants to check him,” Michael said promptly-a bit too promptly, and Jenny’s frown grew. She knew this man.
“But last night Ford said he was okay.” Her eyes flew to her son, and panic flared. “There’s nothing wrong?”
“Of course there’s nothing wrong,” Katie said reassuringly, but Jenny was still suspicious.
“Then why?”
“I imagine Ford wants his bilirubin levels taken for jaundice, and a heel prick for thyroid function,” Megan volunteered, and all eyes veered toward her. Good grief, Michael thought. What was she going to say? Had she guessed?
“I don’t understand,” Jenny said.
“I don’t suppose you do, child,” Megan told her graciously. “But all newborns are required to have their bilirubin levels taken, though your little Gary doesn’t look jaundiced to me, and their heel test needs to be done for thyroid malfunction. They’re simple tests that take only a few seconds, but they need to be done in a hospital with the right equipment. I imagine Ford would be unhappy about delaying it.”
Michael held his breath. He looked at Katie-and saw she was holding hers. Was Megan really saying this?
“Will you be long?” Jenny asked, still looking at her tiny son. “Can I come with him?”
“There’s no way you’re going anywhere,” Megan told her sternly. “And it takes all of ten minutes to get to the hospital. An hour at most for the test-that’s if there’s a wait-and back here by a little after ten. You’ll have the little one back by then, right, Michael?”
Michael, stunned, could only nod.
“Of course. And I’ll take the best care of him.”
“I know you will,” Jenny whispered. “It’s only…” She looked at her tiny son, and her eyes welled. “I don’t like to be away from him for a minute.”
“An hour only,” Michael said softly, and bent and kissed her on the lips.
“MEGAN…”
“I don’t know what you’re doing and I don’t want to know,” Megan told him as Michael carried Gary out of the room after Jenny had fed him. “What I don’t know I can’t tell. You just get him back in an hour. You promise?”
“I promise.”
“And Michael…” Megan’s eyes creased into a smile.
“Megan?”
“Good luck.”
THE HOTEL was the grandest in Austin. Michael had guessed she’d be here, but he’d phoned first to make sure. “Certainly,” they’d said at seven this morning. “Her ladyship is booked to the end of the week.”
He’d half expected-feared-that she’d gone back to England, which would have made it so much harder. Now, though, everything that should be said could be said. Right now.
But not alone. He wasn’t a fool. Michael remembered the thugs, and he remembered Gloria’s threat of a private jet. Gary was too precious to risk.
So he waited in the foyer as planned, and two minutes after he arrived, Garrett and Lana and Shelby came through the revolving doors to meet him.
“She let him go! Well done.” Lana was first to reach him, and her eyes devoured the newborn Gary. He was so swaddled in his blankets, all she could see was one pink nose. Michael was taking no risks at all. “And Ford said it was okay to bring him?”
“Ford met me at Megan’s. He’s given me the all clear, and he’ll cover us if Jen starts asking questions. But we only have an hour.”
“So let’s do it,” Garrett said. He looked at his three siblings and grinned. “Four Lords and one baby Lord against one old lady. Poor old lady.”
THERE WAS NOTHING poor about Gloria. Garrett hadn’t met her. He did the knocking while Michael stayed in the background.
Michael had paved the way with a call.
“Gloria, it’s Michael Lord, and I’d like to talk to you. There are things you and I need to discuss.”
He almost saw the curve of satisfaction play on Gloria’s mouth as she’d taken in what he said. She’d be expecting some sort of proposition. A request for money.
Every man had his price. That was the way she worked, Michael knew, and she wasn’t to know the Lords had a different set of values entirely. Like absolute loyalty.
So she’d given him her room number, and Michael stood back while Garrett faced her, Shelby and Lana flanking him.
“What on earth…” Gloria’s breath whistled in as she saw the group by the door. “I don’t know you.”
“I’m Garrett Lord,” Garrett said smoothly. “I’m Michael’s big brother. Gary’s uncle, in fact. And these are Michael’s sisters, Lana and Shelby. Gary’s aunts.”
Gloria stared at them, contempt mixing with confusion on her face. Behind her, in her luxury hotel suite, Michael caught sight of her two lackeys solidly behind her. They weren’t thugs for hire by the hour, then. She had them at her beck and call-and she must have summoned them fast at Michael’s phone call.
He was right, he thought. He’d have been a fool to bring Gary here alone. How would she react now, with Gary surrounded?
She was confused. “I don’t know any Gary, and I have nothing to discuss with Michael’s-” Then she caught sight of Michael. Her voice stopped with a sharp intake of breath as she saw what he was holding. She took an involuntary step backward, and her jaw dropped about a foot.
“We’re here to introduce you to your grandson, Gloria,” Michael said gently, taking a step forward to stand beside Garrett. “Gary Richard Lord was born last night, and we’d like to know what you intend to do about it.”
SHE INTENDED NOTHING. Not yet. For a long, long moment Gloria couldn’t speak at all. She stood, totally flummoxed, while her hirelings came up behind her, looking almost as confused as she was.
“Aren’t you going to invite us in?” Garrett said at last. He was sizing up the group before him and acknowledging Michael’s wisdom in setting this up. Last night he’d thought it was stupid, bringing four people to face this woman. But one look at the thugs behind Gloria and he knew that Michael had done the right thing.
If he had come here on his own, they could simply have relieved him of the baby and disappeared.
Not now. Not with four of them. Lana and Shelby had power dressed for the occasion, and the Lord siblings looked every bit as formidable as the thugs behind her ladyship. The only way they could reach Gary was to draw guns, but then they’d be involved in a shoot-out with four U.S. citizens. No matter how desperate Gloria was, she wouldn’t be that stupid.
So the thugs had nothing to do but stand aside. Gloria did the same, and the four Lords-and baby-entered the suite without a protest.
It was like something out of a bad play, Garrett thought grimly, but by the look on Michael’s face, he knew this was deadly serious.
But there was no threat. Not now. There was just one old lady’s reaction to watch, and so much depended on this.
“Jenny gave birth to your grandson this morning,” Michael said softly, and Lana walked forward and lifted the covers from Gary’s tiny face. “Would you like to see?”
“I…” Gloria looked as if every ounce of air had been sucked out of her. Suddenly she seemed old-defeated. “Why should I?”
“Because he’s your grandson,” Michael said. “Because he’s Peter’s son, and I assume you loved Peter. Jenny’s called him Gary Richard. Richard is for your husband.”