Free His Baby Dream (Safe Harbor Medical) by Jacqueline Diamond

taken the chance of dropping by on their way to join friends for a barbecue.
    They’d only meant to leave the pie, one of several his mother had baked that morning, but then they’d asked about the latest developments in his quest for fatherhood. Before he knew it, half an hour had passed.
    Now, after giving Mia and Reggie a hug, he gathered the children for the hunt. They responded with enthusiasm when he explained that they were all scientists today—that they’d be observing insect and spider activity, taking pictures and jotting notes on pads that he’d brought in his knapsack.
    “When you get home, you can write about what you’ve seen, then combine your comments with your photos on pages so they look like books.” That idea had struck him this morning, and he’d spent an hour researching and printing directions on how to lay out the pages so they could be printed, folded and stapled to give to parents and grandparents. This would reinforce their writing skills as well as encourage them to do more research on their computers. “I’ll give you each an instruction sheet to take home. It’ll be a fun project. I’m sure your parents will be glad to help you.”
    “We can make our own little books!” Mia cried.
    “Exactly.” The comment reminded Peter of his idea to write a children’s book. But while it was easy to visualize the type of photos he’d like to include, he lacked the patience and the artistic eye to capture them. Speaking of photos... “Okay, who brought cameras and who needs one?”
    “Mommy gave me one for my birthday.” Mia waved a small camera.
    Other children showed theirs or accepted the disposable ones Peter offered. With the aid of Harper’s outdoor team—Reggie’s aunt Adrienne, whom he’d met at sports camp, and a sturdy woman named Patty—he set to work.
    Hard as he tried to put Harper’s disappointment out of his mind, though, her words lingered. “I’ll never even know if it’s a girl or a boy.”
    Occasionally, Peter sneaked a glance at Harper. If she was unhappy, you’d never guess it from the way she kept up with the kids. Her face alight, she teased the youngsters out of their squeamishness and assisted them with framing their shots.
    “Don’t use flash,” she cautioned Reggie. “There’s plenty of daylight, plus digital cameras have great resolution.”
    “What’s that?” he asked.
    “It means they’re sensitive. They pick up all the details, even in dim light. Personally, I’d rather not have a flash on my camera at all.”
    “Where’s your camera?” He indicated her empty hands.
    “I left it inside, but I was out here this morning before the sun broke through the clouds,” Harper said. “That’s the best time to find bugs. The light is softer, too.”
    “I’ll bet you took some great shots.” Peter was impressed, and curious.
    She swung toward him. “I’d be happy to show you, if you can stay a few minutes extra.”
    “Certainly.” Although that would be risking drawing closer to Harper, seeing her photos would be fun. Surely he could handle a simple friendship based on shared interests.
    For good measure, though, and to avoid giving anyone the impression that they were a couple, Peter did his best to keep his distance during the party. That wasn’t difficult, since there was always a child to console over a tumble or a camera lens to clean after it fell in the dirt. Then Reggie and Mia got into a squabble over who had spotted a butterfly first, and he helped Adrienne separate them while Harper went to set out tuna, chicken and cheese sandwiches.
    They were delicious, Peter discovered when he had a chance to eat. He liked the vegetables and dip, as well. “And there’s health food for dessert,” commented the woman standing next to him on the patio. Patty, that was her name.
    “I beg your pardon?” Peter regarded the cake, which looked so sweet his teeth ached. “Just because it’s called carrot cake, that doesn’t make it good