Cinderella and the Playboy by Lois Faye Dyer Page A

of course, the columnist who broke the story didn’t bother to comment on the conclusion.”
    “The conclusion?”
    “I called in a few favors and had my blood tests expedited. The results came back today. They prove I’m excluded as a possible father of the child.”
    Relief flooded through Jennifer and she realized that in some hidden part of her heart, she’d been unsure of his innocence. His words soothed some bruised, wary place inside her. She leaned forward, impulsively covering his hands with hers atop the table. “I’m so glad this was resolved so quickly for you, Chance. Linda and Yolanda told me you were being followed by a photographer. That must have been awful.”
    “The photographer is the reason I haven’t tried to see you.” Chance turned his palms upward, capturing her hands in his. “If he’d seen us together, our photo would be splashed all over the papers the next day. That kind of attention isn’t comfortable—I wanted to protect you from it.”
    Touched, Jennifer squeezed his hands. “That wasvery sweet of you. And very considerate,” she added, thinking about how awful it would have been if Annie had been photographed and their lives laid bare to public gossip.
    “No,” Chance said, his thumbs moving in slow, rhythmic strokes over the back of her hands. “It should never have happened.” He leaned forward, his gaze intent on hers. “The woman who accused me of fathering her child was an ex-patient. I can’t discuss details but I want you to know that I never touched her, other than in a purely professional way. I was her doctor for a short time and then referred her to a physician friend who I felt was more qualified to deal with her situation. There was never the slightest moment of inappropriate contact between us. Our relationship was strictly doctor and patient.”
    “I believe you,” Jennifer assured him. His features eased, lines disappearing from around his mouth and eyes, and she realized that he’d been unsure of her reaction. “Chance, I’ve watched you interact with other customers here in the diner over the past six months. You’ve been unfailingly kind and considerate to people, whether young or old. And I’ve never once seen you respond with anything but friendly politeness when women have obviously been coming on to you. Not that I’m unaware of your reputation as a lady-killer,” she added with a wry smile. “Goodness knows, the female half of the institute’s employees who have lunch here seem to spend fifty percent of their time speculating about your love life.”
    “I can’t help what people say about me,” he told her, his eyes serious. “And I admit I like women and that I’ve dated quite a few over the years. But I would never get a woman pregnant and then abandon her. Kids are too important. I’d never walk away from a child of mine.”
    Jennifer’s heart clenched. Her ex-husband hadn’t wanted a baby and by filing for divorce while she was pregnant, he’d effectively abandoned her. That Chance obviously felt strongly about the father standing by the mother of his child sent elation bubbling through her veins.
    Perhaps there truly were men in the world with a sense of responsibility, she thought. And who would have expected a well-known playboy to be one of those men?
    “It’s wonderful to know you wouldn’t ignore your responsibility to your child, even if conception was unplanned,” she reiterated. Emotion trembled in her voice and she didn’t miss his quick frown of concern. Before he could ask her any questions, however, sherushed into speech. “Will the lawsuit be dismissed, now that the test results have excluded you?”
    He nodded. “My attorney is working on that now. I suspect my former patient filed the case as leverage to negotiate a settlement. There are no grounds for a payoff now, of course.”
    “She damaged your reputation and caused all this trouble because she wanted money?” Jennifer’s eyes widened, shock