Expecting the Doctor's Baby by Teresa Southwick Page B

glaring at her, perhaps it might have been more helpful to suggest face paint for next year instead of an over-the-head mask.”
    â€œIn terms of instant gratification, I find glaring much more personally satisfying.”
    She moved closer to him when two orderlies wheeled a bed past her. “The District in Green Valley Ranch has a party going on this afternoon and all the merchants are giving away a lot of candy. Pointing out an activity like that would be more helpful than reducing her to tears with a look.”
    Mitch’s eyes sparked with something that made her insides quiver. “Bet my glare against your fake nose that she’ll take better care of the kid next year.”
    â€œI’m sure she will, but there are ways to get the message out without making her feel like the worst mother on the planet.”
    â€œThat was a tad shrill, Miss Ryan.” He looked around at E.R. personnel who were glancing in their direction, then wagged a finger at her. “And right in public, too. Isn’t there a rule about finding a more private place where you can rake me over the coals?”
    Sam knew the gleam in his eyes meant that privacy plus Mitch Tenney equaled trouble.
    But he was also right. One of the first things she’d said to him after her first observation right here in the E.R. was that he could have talked to the teenager behind closed doors.
    â€œI’m not raking you over the coals,” she said. “And thank you for reminding me that a public venue is an unacceptable location for this discussion.”
    â€œNot unacceptable for me. Just my way of letting you know I’m paying attention and making progress.”
    His way of toying with her, and darned if she wasn’t liking every minute of it. “For the sake of discretion, let’s go into the break room.”
    He shook his head. “That’s the hard drive of the hospital rumor mill. I’ll buy you a cup of cafeteria coffee.”
    â€œMake it an herbal tea and you’ve got yourself a deal.”
    â€œSamantha the twenty-something witch, politically correct, environmentally aware and herbally responsible. Do you have any idea how sexy that is to me?”
    â€œOh, please.” She was onto this technique.
    As long as he kept it light, she could resist. And he was teasing, but the word responsible made her think about that day he’d met her brother. When she’d found out she’d only been legally adopted because her father didn’t want to look bad.
    That had hurt. For years she’d made excuses for Arnold Ryan’s treating her differently from his biological children. She’d believed she wasn’t smart enough, or pretty enough, or good enough, when the real reason was that she wasn’t his and he’d never truly wanted her to be. That was hard to hear, but she gave him credit for taking her in. It counted for something in her book.
    Mitch had been incredibly sweet and supportive, right up until she’d said out loud that her father had never wanted to be responsible for her. A multitude of emotions had crossed his face. Pain. Guilt. Disgust. Instinctively she knew that all of it was directed at himself. So far all he’d told her was that he’d had a brother, a twin. And there was animosity between him and his mother. He had a couple of hot buttons and she planned to toy with them.
    They walked into the bustling cafeteria and secured their hot drink of choice, then found a table for two in a back corner.
    Sam sat against the wall and set her mug on the wood-trimmed Formica table. Mitch slid into the steel-framed hunter green plastic chair across from her.
    â€œSo, Sunshine, give me your best shot.”
    One corner of her mouth curved up. “Suddenly I’m ‘Sunshine’?’”
    â€œHow can starting off on a lighter note be a bad thing? I’m not stupid.”
    â€œNo one ever said you were.” And the words would never