CHAPTER 13

	“That’ll be Auntie Jen,” Hannah said, with a big smile, as she set the baby down
in her basket.  They had planned this outing for weeks, and Hannah was looking forward
to it so much, but the night before she had completely forgotten about it.  She was sure
that whatever Cole wanted to talk about could wait until after she had come home from
her day with Jennifer.   She ran through the foyer to the front door, just as the doorbell
rang for the second time. 
	“Hey, hey hey! Don’t get impatient,” she said cheerily, then her expression
changed as she found herself looking at a tall, skinny, manicured blonde in designer
clothes.  No matter how she looked at it, this was not Jennifer!  “Oh! Pardon me.”
	“I should hope so,” the woman said, lifting her chin and marching into the house. 
She lowered her dark sunglasses and peered at Hannah over the top of them before
actually taking them off. “What happened to Claire?  Good help is so hard to find these
days.”  She shook her head and looked down her nose at Hannah.  In contrast to
Hannah’s T-shirt and jeans, this woman was dressed in a sleeveless, knee length  dress
in some sort of tangerine colour.  She even wore a short string of pearls around her
neck, and Hannah wondered what fashion magazine she had walked out of.  Her blonde
hair was styled without a hair out of place, and her arms and legs looked like she had
either been to the islands a lot, or spent a lot of time on the tanning beds. Secretly,
Hannah decided the later was probably more  likely.  
	“It’s Friday,” Hannah said, wrinkling her brow in confusion. “Claire comes in on
Tuesdays and Thursdays.”
	The woman sniffed and turned her gaze away from Hannah, as if she deserved
no further attention, and looked around as if she were searching for something.  “Where
is Cole?”
	“Cole?” Hannah asked.
	The woman looked at her again, this time the expression on her face clearly
displaying her distaste and impatience.  “Yes, Cole,” she repeated, her tone reeking with
superiority. “Mr. McKinley?  Your boss? Where is he?”
	Hannah stared at her with open mouth.  She had no idea who this insolent
woman was, but apparently she thought Hannah was a member of the staff!  “Cole,”
Hannah said, punctuating the fact that she used his first name,  “is not at home right
now. When he returns I will make sure to tell him you stopped by.  Now, if you’ll excuse
me, I’m expecting someone any minute.”
	But the woman in the tangerine dress was not paying any attention to her.  She
was prancing through the foyer inspecting everything as she went, and marching right
into the living room.  
	“Oh!  What in heaven’s name is this!?”  The voice was very nearly a shriek, and
Hannah gasped, making a mad rush for the living room, where Morgan was laying in her
basket.  The woman stood just a few feet away from the baby, looking down in disgust. 
Hannah rushed to pick the baby up and cradled her in her arms, but before she had a
chance to say anything, the woman curled her lip and spoke again.  “Of all the
unprofessional behaviours!”  She raked her eyes up and down Hannah and straightened
her shoulders.	“You don’t dress professional at all, but much worse, you bring this — this
thing to work with you!  I’m surprised Cole puts up with it! I would never stand for it,
never!”
	Hannah glared at the woman.  She had had just about enough of her degrading
remarks. That was no way to talk to anyone, not even if she were a member of the staff,
which she was not! Hannah shifted Morgan in her arms, and straightened her back,
looking straight at the woman. 
	“I’ll have you know, I am not a member of the cleaning staff.  This is my baby,
and I happen to live here!”  Hannah announced, with all the composure she could
pretend to muster, even though deep down inside she was shaking.
	The woman stared at her in shock, then narrowed her eyes and looked at her
from head to toe once again.  “Who are you then? Some desperate relative in need of a
place to stay?  A boarder perhaps?  Cole always did have a penchant for helping those
less fortunate than ourselves.”
	Hannah fumed. “I think you misunderstood. I live here, with Cole. Morgan is our
baby.”
	She hadn’t known what reaction to expect from the woman, but the laugh that
rang through the room was definitely not it.  At last the woman stopped, and gave
Hannah a threatening look.  “Very funny, my dear.  Now just exactly where is Cole?  I
stopped by his office and they said he had taken the day off.  I don’t know who you really
are, young lady, but when Cole does come home, I will definitely inform him of the little
tale you fabricated, and I don’t doubt you will be taken care of directly.”
	“I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” Hannah stated, keeping her
voice at an even keel.
	The woman laughed, and gave another disapproving look at the baby.  Marching
past them, she sat possessively on the edge of a chair and crossed her legs. 
	“I don’t think so,” she stated.  “I’ll wait here for Cole.”
	“I’m afraid not!” Hannah stood her ground.  “My ride will be here soon, and I have
no intention of leaving you alone in this house when I leave, Miss —”
	The woman straightened her back.  “My name is Veronica Spencer. Perhaps you
have heard of me.  If you haven’t then you should take note, I can be your worst
nightmare.  Coming clean with the truth would be more advisable than maintaining this
charade of yours.”
	Veronica!  
	Hannah was sure the blood drained completely from her face as she stood
looking down at the woman. Oh yes, she had heard of Veronica alright!  Veronica had
been the cause of Cole’s drinking spree at the Christmas party. Cole had told her about
Veronica later, and his portrayal of her hadn’t exactly been flattering.  Claire had also
talked about the woman, calling her the witch and saying how glad she had been when
Veronica no longer came around the house.  What was she doing here now, nearly a
year later?  Hannah was immediately on the defensive and suddenly very possessive.	
	“As a matter of fact, I have heard of you, Miss Spencer. Cole has mentioned you
on a few occasions. My name is Hannah, and this — “ she shifted the baby in her arms
once again. “ — is our baby,  Morgan.   There is a picture of her there on the table
beside you, with her father, just after she was born.”
	Veronica narrowed her eyes an looked at the woman with the baby in her arms,
then slowly turned towards the end table.  There sat a silver frame engraved with the
name Morgan McKinley, with her birth date, length and weight.  Smiling out from inside
the frame, was Cole’s face. He was dressed in the OR greens he had managed to throw
on just before Morgan made her appearance into the world, proudly holding his
new-born daughter and beaming for the camera.  It was Cole’s favourite picture.
	There was a moment where the woman almost appeared shaken, then she
quickly regained her composure, and flashed a fake smile in Hannah’s direction.
	“Well, well, Anna, it seems you have been telling the truth afterall.”
	“The name is Hannah.”
	Veronica ignored her, and examined the picture more closely. “I suppose you are
quite proud of yourself for catching the elusive Cole McKinley.  It’s a shame your whole
relationship is based on a rebound reaction.  Don’t think trapping him with a baby will
keep Cole McKinley as your man!  Oh, he’ll honour his responsibilities, but soon he’ll tire
of you and realize that he doesn’t love you.  In time, I fear, you and the baby will be out,
when he realizes the mistake he has made with you.”  Hannah clenched her jaw, and
Veronica smiled wickedly. “You see, I can’t help but notice the baby’s birth date.  Clearly, 
she was conceived within days of Cole and me breaking up.”
	“Morgan was premature,” Hannah stated pointedly.
	Veronica shrugged.  “What difference does a few weeks make in affairs of the
heart?  Cole loved me very much. He was devastated when I broke our engagement.  It
would have taken him several months to get over me, I’m sure.  That is, if he has gotten
over me.”  There was a wicked glint in her eyes, and a slick half smile on her face.  
“Now, I’ve had time to think, and I’ve come to claim what’s mine.”  She eyed Hannah
defiantly.
	Hannah looked at the woman in disbelief.  What was, or was not, between
herself and Cole was none of this woman’s business. Veronica had made her bed,
literally, and she had had to live with the consequences.  What she was doing in Cole’s
house now, after all those months, however, was a mystery that Hannah wasn’t sure
she wanted to see unravel.  Hannah swallowed hard at the thought that this woman
might be expecting to pick things up with Cole where she had left off months ago. 
Shaking on the inside, Hannah tried to speak as calmly as she could, not taking her eyes
off the woman sitting on the sofa.
	“Miss Spencer, I have no idea what you are talking about, but I’m afraid you will
have to leave, and return sometime later when Cole is home.”
	“Why I’m talking about Cole, of course!”  Veronica said, with a sly look on her
face.
	Just then the doorbell rang, and Hannah glanced out the window. Jennifer’s car
was parked in the driveway next to a sleek black convertible that must have been
Veronica’s.  
	“Please leave,” Hannah stated flatly, much more politely than she would have
liked to have spoken to the woman. 
	Veronica shrugged, and stood up, smoothing her dress. “Very well, but I will see
Cole, and I am prepared to fight for what is rightfully mine.”  She gave Hannah a cold
smile, and shot a distasteful glance at the baby, then lifted her head high and marched
out of the room, through the foyer, and out the front door, sweeping past a surprised
Jennifer on her way, without another word.
	“Who was that?”  Jennifer asked, as she stepped inside while still watching the
woman who was walking down the driveway.
	Hannah frowned.  “Veronica.  Cole’s ex-fiancee.”
	“Oh!”  Jennifer looked at her friend.  “What was she doing here? Is everything
OK?”
	Hannah sighed.  “I don’t really know,” she said, watching as Veronica’s car
disappeared out of sight.   At last she turned her attention back to the task at hand, and
picked up Morgan’s diaper bag.  Stepping out of the front door, she carefully locked it
and tried the handle to make sure it was secure.  She didn’t trust Veronica Spencer one
bit.
	“Did she tell you what she wanted?” Jennifer asked, as the two friends drove
along the street towards the downtown area.   After Cole had left that morning, to take
care of some legal matters with Ty, Hannah had wandered around the house bored. 
When Jennifer had called and suggested a day on the town, the idea had perked her up
considerably, and she had really been looking forward to it until Veronica had arrived on
the scene. 
	“She said she had come to claim what was hers,” Hannah said, with a frown.
	“Maybe she left some things behind in the house?” Jennifer suggested, glancing
towards her friend hopefully. 
	“Maybe,” Hannah sighed, looking out the window as she listened to Morgan
cooing in her car seat.  “But she said she was talking about Cole, and that she was
prepared to fight for what is rightfully hers.”  Hannah looked at Jennifer, who frowned
back at her.
	“Well, that doesn’t mean she’s going to get him,” Jennifer pointed out.  “Afterall,
you’re in and she’s not.”
	Hannah sighed.  “But what am I in, Jen?  If she wants him back, I’m in a big
mess, that’s what I’m in.  I’ve given up my apartment, and I have nowhere else to live.” 
One night of sex won’t change things that much, she added silently to herself, with a
frown.
	Jennifer looked at her thoughtfully, as she pulled the car into a parking spot and
turned off the key. “But you’ve got Morgan, and she doesn’t”
	“No, she never wanted kids,” Hannah remembered.  “One look at her and I was
thankful of that!  I would pity the poor child that would ever have her for a mother.”
	“There, see,” Jennifer smiled at her. “You have the upper hand!  Cole adores
Morgan.  He loves being a father. Would he give that up? I doubt it!  He’d never throw
you out.”
	“I don’t know, Jen,” Hannah frowned. “I just know, they were going to be married. 
That must mean something?  He was so drunk at the Christmas party from drowning his
sorrows because of her.  She must have meant a lot to him.  If he still has feelings for
her, then I have no place in his life other than the mother of his child.”
	Jennifer looked at her. “Hannah, I think what has to be established here first is,
what place do you want in his life?  Are we talking about just a place to live, and a
helping hand raising Morgan, or are we talking about something more serious here?” 
Jennifer eyed her friend closely, and Hannah sighed and turned to look out the window.
	“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?” Jennifer continued, and Hannah shrugged. 
	“So what if I am?  He doesn’t love me,”  Hannah retorted defensively.
	Jennifer sighed. “You shouldn’t be so sure about that.  He’s done so much for
you. He didn’t have to open up his house to you.”
	“He’s done it for Morgan.  I’m just part of the package.”
	Jennifer shook her head. “Give him a chance, you might find out otherwise.”	
	Hannah sighed, and opened the car door. The last thing she wanted to think
about right then was Cole McKinley and Veronica Spencer.  The woman gave her the
chills and thinking of the two of them getting back together made her feel ill.   “Well, I
can’t dwell on it now, can I? Lets hit the shops, shall we?”  She turned an attempted
smile towards her friend, and Jennifer smiled back at her and nodded.
	“Alright, but only if I get to push the baby first!”  she said, pulling the stroller out of
the trunk of her car. 
	“OK, it’s a deal,” Hannah said, laughing, then she turned to the baby. “We’re
going to have a good time today, aren’t we Honey?  We won’t even worry about Daddy’s
old girlfriend until we get back home.”
	Hannah winced. There were a few words that seemed to sting right through to
the core. One was old girlfriend, which made the pit of Hannah’s stomach do
somersaults and twists.  The other was home.  Was Cole’s house really home?  She
had begun to feel like it was, over the past few weeks, but was she just living in a
fantasy world? Could she ever really consider his house home? How long would it last?
Would Morgan grow up in that house, play on those grounds, or would it just be a
stepping stone on the way to a more permanent residence — a home without Cole in it?
	
	Surprisingly, Hannah managed to forget all about Veronica for most of the day. 
They wandered through the shops talking and laughing, not really looking to buy
anything but having a good time together window shopping, although Jennifer picked up
a few things she insisted on buying for Morgan.  Eventually they stopped for lunch while
Morgan slept in her stroller, and Jennifer spent the time in wide eyed excitement talking
about the new man she had met. 
	Hannah smiled at her friend.  Jennifer was always heartstruck over her new
dates, thinking she had finally met the “one”.  She’d see them for a while, then all of a
sudden they would slide out of the picture and Jennifer would shrug and say how things
just weren’t meant to be.   There was never any worry about her finding another man,
the girl was pretty, and had an infectiously happy personality.  There never seemed to
be a lack of men smiling at her from across the room or asking for her phone number at
parties.   Hannah had spent years in Jennifer’s shadow, and it had never really bothered
her.   She would listen intently as her friend described her latest crush, but had never
yearned for one of her own.   She had been content with her life, and the only one of the
two of them that had seemed at all bothered by Hannah’s lack of dates was Jennifer!
	All that had changed with the birth of Morgan.  Now, Hannah did have those
yearnings for romance, wishing for the fun things Jennifer talked about doing on her
dates.  Hearing Jen talk about how her latest beau had sent her flowers made her wish
for flowers of her own instead of just feeling happy for her friend like she used to.  The
problem was, she wanted these things from the father of her child.   She wanted them
with Cole, and she knew perfectly well it wasn’t going to happen.
	Oh sure, they had become comfortable with each other, living under the same
roof, sharing the dinner table and ever sharing kitchen chores, but Cole didn’t think of
her in a romantic way.  Just because they had made love the night before, didn’t change
the fact that he didn’t love her. 	
	“Hannah, have you been listening to me?”  Jennifer’s voice penetrated her
thoughts.  She looked up at her friend who sat across the table with a questioning look
on her face.
	“I’m sorry Jen,” she sighed.
	Jennifer sat up straight and glanced down at Morgan. “We are not going to let
that woman get in the way,” she announced.
	Hannah actually laughed. “And just how do you propose we stop her, Jen?  They
had a past together, he loved her, he’s never loved me.  I’m just an accident that
happened.  He’ll realize he just made a mistake with me and he’ll want me out and her
back.  She’s a persuasive woman, and if she wants something bad enough, I’m pretty
sure she’ll trample over anyone in her way to get it.”  
	Jennifer refused to look defeated. “Fight for him, Hannah.  You do have the
upper hand!  You’re there, right in front of him, in the house all day long, she’s not.  And
you have Morgan, and Veronica will never give him a child.  I bet if he took her back, she
wouldn’t let him see the baby much, and you can be sure he wouldn’t like that.  You
know Morgan is the first thing he looks for when he steps in the door at home. Come on,
Hannah, you haven’t lost this fight yet!”
	Hannah sighed. Fight? What did she have to fight for? The man gave her a place
to live, not his love. He had offered out of a sense of duty, not because he loved her.  He
had never thought Veronica would show up in his life again, but now that she had,  if he
still loved Veronica — well, that would be like a sparrow fighting a hawk!