by Donna Fasano
She was lying to him… by omission. Refusing to alert him to what he might be up against was deceitful.
“Dakota—” she scooted to the edge of her seat and leaned toward him “—I want to thank you for all you’ve done for me. You’ve helped me to feel safe. You’ve shown me that I can trust you.”
From the expression on his handsome face, Lyssa could tell that hearing these things from her was unexpected, yet they gave him pleasure, nonetheless. She realized that his hand was still on her forearm, his fingertips continuing to play in small semicircles over her flesh. His touch gave her courage.
“I think I’ve treated you unfairly by not telling you more about my ex-husband,” she continued. She paused long enough to swallow, and then she squared her shoulders with resolve. “His name is Rodney Gaines. His father is Samuel Gaines. The Samuel Gaines.”
A tiny pucker appeared on his forehead. “Of Gaines Industries?”
She nodded.
“Their headquarters is in California, isn’t it?” He whistled, long and low. “That family is into everything. Computer technologies. Television communications. Publishing.” His eyebrows shot heavenward. “That’s one wealthy family.”
Again, she nodded. “Money is power,” she said. “Rodney has plenty of both. And he vowed to force me to return to California, to our marriage, to him, using any means available. He meant it, Dakota.” Fear knifed through her, sharp as honed steel. Calmness seemed to surround Dakota like an aura. He gave her arm a reassuring squeeze.
“Okay, so your ex is a Goliath,” Dakota said. “But history has shown that giants fall, Lyssa. You can’t be made to go where you don’t want to go, or do what you don’t want to do.”
His quiet strength was potent. Formidable.
He smiled. “I’m glad you told me.”
Sitting here with him, she felt wrapped in a protective blanket, safe from harm. He was so easy to confide in. So easy to talk to. She was left wishing that she’d disclosed all this before now.
However, there was one secret she didn’t dare reveal. She hadn’t told her closest friends. She hadn’t told Rodney. And she didn’t plan to tell Dakota, either.
The truth was too humiliating. And if Dakota were to discover the reality of where she came from, the truth of her roots, he’d lose all respect for her. Of that she was certain.
~oOo~
Trouble arrives just when it’s least expected. And anticipating turmoil today, as she basked in the October sunshine while eating her lunch on a park bench, was the last thing on Lyssa’s mind. Life was good. She felt secure. Safe. Her future actually looked as if it just might be bright after all.
But the sight of the sleek yellow Aston Martin skimming along the main street of Misty Glen Reservation, an event as rare as daffodils in December, had her blood turning to ice. And seeing her ex-husband behind the steering wheel filled her to the brim with panic.
How had Rodney found her?
Miraculously, it wasn’t worry over her own wellbeing that erupted like hot volcanic ash spewing to the forefront of her mind, but that of her friends. Rodney could put Tori Landing out of business, and Lyssa knew Tori’s very survival depended upon her B&B. And Dakota! People with the kind of money Rodney had could bribe state and local officials into revoking Dakota’s medical license on some phony accusation.
What might have seemed irrational thoughts to most people weren’t so in Lyssa’s mind. She knew who she was dealing with. Knew her fears were well-founded.
Ducking down a side street, Lyssa hurried toward the safety of the office.
She burst through the door of Dakota’s office without knocking.
“He’s here,” she blurted, her chest rising and falling as she gulped in air. “I’ve got to get my things. I’ve got to get out of town.”
Dakota was out of his chair and at her side before she’d even finished speaking. Her mind whirled with a list of things she must do. Find her suitcase. Pack her belongings. Grab some cash from the bank. But where would she go? The destination didn’t matter. She needed to be anywhere but here.
“Hold on.” Dakota reached out and placed his palms firmly on her upper arms. “I’m assuming you’re talking about your ex.”
Her gaze was as wild as her thoughts. She was cognizant of it, but could do nothing to quell the pandemonium rampaging in her.
“Yes, yes.” Her head bobbed furiously. “Rodney just drove down Main Street. I saw him. I saw him!”
Dakota’s grip on her firmed and he forced her to look into his face.
“Stop.”
The command was soft as a dove’s wing, but the measure of authority it contained had her pausing.
“I want you to stop a second. Take a deep breath. Everything’s going to be all right.”
Just being in the same room with him helped her mind to clear somewhat. But the trepidation flooding through every part of her threatened to drown her.
“I don’t want you hurt.” Hot tears welled in her eyes, fragmenting her vision. “Because of me.”
Compassion tempered his intense green eyes. “What did I tell you before? You let me worry about me.”
“But—”
“No buts, Lyssa,” he said.
Thoughts of her ex and the threats he’d made swam in her mind, and then she thought of her child—and she was terrified!
“I have to go!” She shook herself out of Dakota’s grasp, blurting, “Rodney doesn’t know about the baby.”
Guilt walloped her. She should have told Rodney that he was going to be a father. But if she had, she’d have never gotten away. She and her child would have been stuck in that loveless, emotionless void forever.
Silently, she pleaded for Dakota’s understanding.
“The time for running is over.” His expression, his tone, everything about him communicated a calm self-assurance. “We’ll face him, Lyssa. Together.”
Then he opened up his hand to her and waited for her reply.
There, amidst all the commotion going on in her mind and in her emotions, she felt something stir deep in her heart—something she’d never experienced before in her life.
Love.
Before this moment, she’d suspected her feelings for Dakota had intensified into something amazing. But she’d forced herself to ignore what she felt for him… how her body continued to react to him. However, in that instant, she knew she’d fallen so deeply in love with this man that there would be no turning back. Ever.
He was encouraging her to face the monsters of her past—and he was offering to face them with her.
With Dakota on her side, she felt invincible.
Silently, she slid her hand in his.
~oOo~
Together, they went looking for Rodney.
“The enemy is weaker if he’s caught off guard,” Dakota had declared. “The man won’t expect you to search him out. He’ll recover quickly, I’m sure. But going after him will be better than sitting here, waiting and worrying.”
Lyssa felt comfortable putting her complete trust in Dakota’s plan. They walked down the street, hand in hand. Her spine was straight and her head held high. They found Rodney leaning against the flashy car, his face tipped up to the sunshine while he took a long drag on a narrow, brown-toned cigarette.
He caught sight of Lyssa as he was exhaling a lungful of smoke.
Rodney grinned and combed his fingers through his sandy-colored hair. She remembered a time when she’d found him charming, when she’d thought he would be the answer to all her problems. But his smile had held a hard edge even then, and she wondered how she’d been blind to that. Because she’d allowed herself to be, that was how.
“Well, well, well,” he said smoothly, “if it isn’t my lovely wife.”
His voice was like chalk and her spine was the slate it raked against. But Dakota’s fingers tightened against hers and she squared her shoulders.
“I’m not your wife anymore, Rodney,” she reminded him.
As she sp
oke, her ex’s gaze traveled to Dakota, sizing up the opposition, she guessed. Rodney snickered in a way that let everyone know he didn’t feel threatened. Lyssa quickly realized that he made his first mistake by dismissing Dakota Makwa out of hand.
Rodney leisurely scanned the full length of her, his hazel eyes widening with realization when he saw the small swell of her belly.
“Seems to me that somebody in this two-bit town ought to congratulate me,” he said to the few passersby who happened to be walking down the street. “I’m going to be a daddy.” He looked at her. “I am the father?”
She’d meant to answer him civilly—provoking him wouldn’t be a wise move—but when she opened her mouth, rebellion won out. “Unfortunately, you are.”
His gaze hardened to flint. “You’re coming home, Lyssa. And you’re doing it now.”
Her insides trembled.
“She’s not going anywhere she doesn’t want to go.”
Lyssa knew it was impossible, but Dakota seemed to grow in bulk beside her. His voice was steely and positively unyielding.
“Look—” Rodney seemed unbothered by Dakota “—I don’t know who you are, but you have no idea what you’re getting mixed up in. It would be in your best interest if you just—”
“What I’m worried about” Dakota cut in, “is Lyssa’s best interest. And that involves staying far away from you.”
Rodney’s chuckle was so cold, it was frightening. He pushed himself away from the car. “Lyssa’s going to do exactly what I tell her to do. Just as she’s always done. I know her better than anyone. She might leave for a while, but she always comes back.” His cool gaze swiveled to hers. “Don’t you, Lyssa?”
The nerves jittering in her stomach made her nauseous. She was mortified by the fact that his words held a measure of truth. Oh, he didn’t know her very well at all. But she had gone back to him. She’d believed his lies. Had gotten caught up in the fantasy he’d created and she’d tried to make their marriage work a second time. That mistake had resulted in her becoming pregnant.
His gaze lit up suddenly. “I brought you a pretty.”
He reached into his breast pocket. Gold and diamonds glittered in the sunlight.
“You can have it, sweetheart,” he said silkily. “And all you have to do is get into the car. Now.”
Humiliation had her pulling her hand from Dakota’s. She lifted both hands, covered her mouth with her fingers.
Her chin trembled, and she felt bombarded with shame. She hated to admit it, but there had been a time when she’d have done exactly what he’d requested in order to have the “pretty” as he’d called the bracelet he held up as an offering.
But there’s nothing pretty about a bribe, a silent voice in her head intoned. The gifts Rodney offered never failed to end up becoming double-edged swords that sliced a person into itty bitty pieces.
It had been a hard-learned lesson that had cost her a great deal.
Well, she wasn’t that weak-willed, needy young woman any longer. She had responsibilities now. She had a child to be concerned about. She may not have felt she was worth getting out of the sick relationship she and Rodney had shared, but her baby was.
“I don’t want your gifts,” she declared. “I don’t want to have anything to do with you.”
“You don’t mean that.” Rodney infused charisma into his tone. “We were good together, Lyssa. And you know it.”
“I know no such thing.”
In the blink of an eye, his whole demeanor changed yet again.
“I always intended to find you and get you back home,” he said. “But finding out that we’re going to have a baby, well, that just ups the ante, now doesn’t it? You belong to me, Lyssa. You know you do.”
Before she could respond, Dakota took a step forward.
“Lyssa doesn’t belong to anyone.” His hands were fisted, his shoulders tense. “Least of all you.”
The image of him brought to mind a protective panther, poised and ready to strike. He was her warrior and made her feel defended. Sheltered. Loved.
It was a silly thought, she knew, and it was gone just as quickly as it had come. Like a soft, solitary breeze on an otherwise still night.
“Lyssa. Dakota.”
Her head swiveled and she saw Mat coming across the street. The sheriff’s arrival gave her some relief.
“Is everything okay?” Mat asked his brother.
“Just fine,” Dakota answered without taking his eyes off Rodney. “Mr. Gaines is going to get into his car and he’s going to drive away.”
Rodney tossed his cigarette onto the street and stepped on it. “I’m not going anywhere without Lyssa and my baby.”
Certain that Dakota was going to charge at Rodney, Lyssa reached out and placed a calming hand on his shoulder. He glanced at her, the concentration in his green eyes proof positive that the man had a will of iron. No wonder, Lyssa thought fleetingly, he was able to leave his first marriage when he discovered the relationship wasn’t what he’d imagined it to be. He hadn’t wavered as she had in her relationship with Rodney.
Silently, she begged him not to do anything foolish. She hoped he understood.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she told her ex. “Now or ever. I’m staying here.” She curled her fingers around Dakota’s muscular biceps, purposefully bringing her plain gold wedding band into view. “With my husband.”
Rodney was truly a master at disguising his emotions. Other than a small tick in his jaw, he showed no response to this revelation.
The air on that sunny afternoon drew up so tight, Lyssa wouldn’t have been surprised if none of them were able to take a breath.
“The fact that you married that Indian—”
Rodney spit out the pronoun with such denigration that Lyssa felt herself flinch.
“—makes absolutely no difference to me.” Now Rodney’s fingers curled into his palms. “You will be returning to California. I’m not giving up on you… or my baby. Now that I know where you are, you can be sure—” his eyes narrowed ominously “—that I will be back.”
He opened the door of the sports car, revved the engine, and sped away, ejecting dust and gravel in his wake.
Chapter Six
“I don’t have anyone to blame,” Lyssa told Dakota later that same evening over mugs of warm cider, “except myself.”
He wasn’t the kind of man to nose into someone else’s business. He’d proven that by not asking questions about her past. He’d hired her. He’d taken her in. He’d married her. All the while suppressing the natural human instinct of wanting to know about the trouble that had her on the run. However, curiosity lit his gaze at this moment, and she could tell he was more than a little interested in the history of her failed marriage.
She sat on one end of the sofa, her feet tucked beneath her. He relaxed in an adjacent easy chair. It had been an emotional day, trying to treat the afternoon patients while the only thing both of them wanted to do was discuss what had happened out on the street with her ex… and what they planned to do when Rodney returned as he’d promised.
Lyssa sighed. “In order for you to fully understand, I have to explain about my childhood. I had nothing, Dakota. I came from nothing. We were so poor, my mom and I. Living hand to mouth most of the time. Each week, each day, was a struggle to survive.” It actually brought her physical heartache when she softly added, “I never knew my father.”
Welling up from the furthermost chambers of her mind came the crystal-clear image of the day she’d asked about him. Her father. She’d been young. Very young. And she couldn’t understand why every other child at school seemed to talk about having a daddy. Even if the parents of her classmates had split, as some parents inevitably do, her classmates talked about spending the weekend doing this or that with the man they called Dad. And Lyssa didn’t have one. Had never had one.
Finally, she’d asked her mother why.
“You just don’t.” Her mother had shrugged, never taking her focus off
her own reflection in the mirror as she applied the usual thick coat of mascara to her eyelashes.
And that was all the response Lyssa had ever received.
She hadn’t bothered to ask again, and it wasn’t too many years later that she’d finally worked out the full truth all on her own. And it was a truth that was too humiliating to reveal to anyone. Even to someone as wonderful as Dakota.
She sipped at the cider she now cradled between her hands.
“You can fall in love with a rich man just as well as you can a poor one.” Her mouth was pursed into a thin line as she recited the advice to Dakota. “That’s what my mom used to tell me. She hammered it into my head, actually.”
Looking at him wasn’t an option as she admitted, “I went out seeking a wealthy man. As Rodney Gaines’s wife, I knew I’d never face another day of hunger. My children would want for nothing. I was sure that he could give me all the things I’d never had… could otherwise never even dream of having.”
She’d decided early on that she didn’t want to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Lyssa was determined to find a different way, a better path on which to travel. Somehow, though, the plan she’d devised to get to that better place had become a little twisted.
She inhaled deeply, the facts of her life making her feel ill with regret. “I’m not proud of what I’ve done, and I’m sure not proud of the reasons why I married Rodney.” She lifted her shoulder a fraction. “But it’s my past. I realize that. And I’m trying to find a way to live with my actions… and the really lousy ideals I allowed to delude me for so long.”
The urge to lighten the air in the room surged over her and she offered up a halfhearted grin. “I have learned from my mistakes. So that’s something, at least. It would have been better for me to learn sooner rather than later. But then learning later is better than not learning at all, right?”
Her weak chuckle fell flat.
