Read Baby Before Business (Silhouette Romance) for Free Online Page B

Sabrina.”
    He peered at her as if she’d suggested he put on a dress and stand in Porter’s town square and Madelyn felt her spine stiffen and strength ooze to her limbs, as indignation prepared her for a fight. She might not do anything foolish, but she would correct him if he dared tell her no.
    “I hope that puzzled look doesn’t mean you think I should be the one doing the cooking.”
    “No,” he said slowly, prudently as far as Madelyn was concerned. “It’s just that I don’t cook. I can make the coffee but I wouldn’t guarantee an egg.”
    “Sounds like you’ve got some learning to do then.”
    Madelyn knew she had to get the heck out of the room. She was tired and short-tempered. But more thanthat, he was starting to look good to her again. And that simply wasn’t right.
    She pushed through the swinging door that took her to a short hall that led to the stairway. In the nursery, she fed Sabrina the last bottle in the group Pete Hauser had brought to Ty’s office, and like a miracle the little girl fell asleep. Madelyn laid her in her crib and gazed longingly at the single bed she’d slept on for about twenty minutes the night before.
    A wise woman would take her sleep time when she could, but Madelyn had to call her mother to ask about the appropriate formula for a six-month-old baby and purchase a supply before the baby awakened. Plus, she hadn’t forgotten the other end of this deal. She had to get Ty actively involved in her PR ideas while he needed her or she knew he wouldn’t do half the things required to improve his reputation.
    She left the nursery and made her way to the kitchen. Pushing through the swinging door, she found her boss making toast.
    “You don’t by any chance like your toast black?”
    “No. If you burned some, those are yours.”
    “Great,” he said, also prudently.
    He would have to be a complete idiot not to notice she was cranky. Nonetheless, she gave him points for recognizing when to back off, and she softened her tone when she said, “I came up with a few more PR things last night.” She grabbed a piece of toast on the way to the cupboard to get a mug. The coffee smelled incredibly strong, but Madelyn didn’t care. The extra caffeine would come in handy.
    Ty turned back to the toaster. “I assume Sabrina’sresting, so why don’t you take this free time to type them up. I’ll look at them when I get a chance.”
    That felt so much like a brush-off that Madelyn stopped the coffeepot midpour. “What’s wrong with hearing me out now?”
    “I have things to do this morning. I make my schedule a week in advance. Since I didn’t know I’d be getting a baby on Friday, I have tons of things that have to be done today or I’m screwed.”
    Again, Madelyn felt like she was being brushed off, but she recognized that people who ran companies the size of Ty’s typically had hellish schedules. She also knew her sour mood was coloring her judgment. But before she could comment, Ty grabbed two pieces of toast and a cup of coffee and left the kitchen without another word.
    Madelyn blew her breath out on a long sigh and rose to retrieve the receiver for the wall phone. Though, technically, he was breaking their agreement, she had things to handle for the baby. So this wasn’t the time to push him about the PR arrangement.
    “It’s me, Mom,” Madelyn said when her mother answered the phone. “I need some help. Sabrina is out of formula and there aren’t any notes or anything in the diaper bag Ty got from the lawyer who gave him the baby.”
    “How old is she?”
    “Six months.”
    Penney Gentry instructed her daughter on how to choose a temporary formula for the baby, but added, “You really should find out who her pediatrician is and call him to see what he knows about Sabrina.”
    “I haven’t even slept yet, Mom. I doubt that I have the strength to talk to her doctor. Besides it’s Saturday.”
    Madelyn’s mom didn’t say anything for a second, then she