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He rested his chin on the top of her head. “Is this where I point out that I had nowhere else I could go?”

“You know what I mean. You weren’t just in the room, you were helping. That means a lot to me.” She sniffed. “I’m a mess and I can’t believe I cried. I never cry.”

“I think you’ll be forgiven this one time. There was a lot going on.”

“I know, but still…” She shook her head. “Look at this poor elevator car. It looks like we shot a scene from a horror film here. They’ll have to replace the carpet.”

“Quit worrying about stuff like that. You have a brand-new, beautiful baby.”

“I know. Isn’t she wonderful?”

She was. Jim didn’t let himself think about kids too much, but when he did, he admitted that the longing to have a few of his own was still there. “Everybody says birth is a miracle,” he said, “but I didn’t get what that meant until today.”

“Me neither.”

The baby in her arms opened her tiny eyes. He knew it wasn’t possible, but he would have sworn that the child could see clear down to his empty soul. Suddenly, the elevator lurched slightly.

Heather stiffened. “Is that what I think it is?”

“I sure hope so.”

Sure enough, a second later they heard the sound of the motor, and the car began gently moving down to the ground floor. The doors opened and two medics and Dr. Moreno stepped into the car. Jim started to stand up. Heather grabbed his arm.

“I know this is asking a lot,” she said, “but would you mind coming with me to the hospital? I’m just…” She bit her lower lip.

“I know,” he said as he rose to his feet. “I’d like to come with you. I want to make sure you and the little one are okay.” He glanced down at his slacks and grinned. The khaki fabric was covered in blood. “Besides, the hospital is the only place I can think of where they’ll let me in dressed like this.”

* * *

By three o’clock that afternoon, Heather and her daughter had been examined and pronounced none the worse for their adventure.

“Next time, you might want to think about getting to the hospital a little earlier,” a nurse whispered as she finished taking Heather’s blood pressure.

Heather laughed. “I’ll do my best.”

“At least your husband was with you,” the nurse continued as Jim entered the room. “I’m sure that was a big help.”

“I couldn’t have done it without him,” Heather said honestly, figuring there was no point in explaining the fact that a complete stranger had come to her aid.

The nurse gave her a quick smile, then left. Jim moved close to the bed and looked down at her.

“I’ve only got a couple of minutes,” he said. “I need to get home, shower and change, then head back to the office, but I wanted to make sure you were feeling all right.”

“We’re both fine. They checked her out—” she nodded at the infant she cradled in her arms “—and she’s doing great. Strong heart, clear lungs, responsive. Dr. Moreno said it was a textbook delivery and she couldn’t have done better herself.”

“Yeah, like I believe that.” Jim shoved his hands into his slacks pockets. “She stopped me in the hall and congratulated me. I didn’t have the heart to tell her I’d been terrified the whole time.”

“You didn’t show it,” Heather said.

“That was the point. If anyone had the right to be scared, it was you. I didn’t want to add to your stress.”

“Thank you for everything.”

She’d already said the words a dozen times, but it still wasn’t enough. She didn’t know how she’d be able to thank this man for all he’d done for her. She stared up at him and was suddenly struck again by his good looks. He had the kind of body that belonged in an underwear ad. Shaggy dark hair hung to his shirt collar and fell across his forehead. Right now, though, he looked a little worse for wear. His clothes were wrinkled and stained, and he had the stunned expression of someone who had lived through a natural disaster or a plane crash.

They were both silent. Heather noticed Jim fidgeting slightly, shifting from foot to foot.

“Me, too,” she murmured.