by Linda Warren
“Because she is the only one who knows the mother of my daughter.”
Delores was shaking her head, and Abby’s shock turned to annoyance. “Delores doesn’t know what you’re talking about, and I’m tired of playing your games. You and I had a deal and—”
“I’m not reneging on the deal.” He tapped the white envelope on the table beside him. “The letter’s right here and you can read it anytime you want, but first I wish you’d listen to what Delores has to say.”
Abby put a hand to her head, which was beginning to pound with the rhythm of a jackhammer. “Mr. Brewster, this is pointless. Delores doesn’t—”
“Jog your memory, Delores,” Mr. Brewster broke in. “Who did you see in this room—in this bed—with me?”
Delores shook her head, her eyes huge.
“She doesn’t know,” Abby said, reaching the end of her patience. “And you can keep the letter. I don’t care anymore. My father was a good man, and most people know that. Those who don’t…well, it’s their loss. I’ve finally realized that, so it’s over and you can stop this ridiculous hoax.”
“It’s not a hoax, Abigail,” Mr. Brewster said quietly. “I’m surprised you’re giving up so easily. I never thought you were a quitter.”
“I’m not,” she declared. “But enough is enough.”
As Abby turned to leave, her mother stepped into the room.
Delores pointed a finger at her and said, “That’s the woman I saw in your bed. She’s older, but it’s her.”
“You see, Abigail,” Mr. Brewster said into the silence. “You’ve been looking for yourself.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
ABIGAIL LAUGHED. It was the only response she could make to such an absurd statement.
Jonas moved close to her. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Stay out of this, Jonas,” Brewster roared.
Abby glanced from her mother to Brewster, then back to her mother. At the look in her mother’s eyes, her world started to spin out of control. She took a couple of steps backward and came up against the solid wall of Jonas.
“Jonas,” she whimpered. “What’s going on?”
Before Jonas could answer, Brewster said, “Tell her, Gail.”
“Shut up,” Gail screamed at him.
Brewster stared directly at Gail. “I promised you I’d never tell her, but I didn’t promise that someone else wouldn’t. Delores has all but told her, so I’ll give you the option of telling her before I do.”
“You bastard,” Gail said between her teeth.
The words didn’t phase Brewster. His gaze swung to Abby. “You’re my daughter.”
“Oh my God,” Edna muttered, and began to fan her face.
Gail ran to him and grabbed him around the throat. “I’ll kill you, you bastard. I’ll kill you.”
Brewster was gasping for breath, and Jonas pulled Gail away. “Stop it,” he ordered. “You’re no better than he is. Hiring Rios. What were you thinking?”
Gail began to tremble.
“She hired Rios?” Brewster choked out.
“What?” The word emerged as a squeak from between Abby’s dry lips. She heard the voices in the room and saw the people, but she felt as if she were in a nightmare.
Gail hurried to Abby. “Let’s go home, sweetheart, and we’ll talk.”
Abby repeated the last thing that had registered on her brain. “You hired Rios?”
“I was desperate for you not to find out, but as soon as he hired you to write his memoirs, I knew what he was up to. I had to do something. I didn’t know those men would do those dreadful things. I didn’t think…I just wanted them to keep you from finding Delores.”
At the mention of her name, Delores came to life. “I want my money, señorita.”
Jonas pulled out his wallet and stuffed one hundred-dollar bills into her hand, and without another word she left the room.
“You put our lives in danger,” Abby said, as if there hadn’t been an interruption. “Those men were going to kill Jonas and…” She trembled, unable to finish.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but I’ve been half out of my mind.” Gail attempted to touch her, but Abby backed away.
“I’m…I’m Mr. Brewster’s…daughter?”
“Yes, you are,” Brewster said.
“Mama,” Abby appealed with desperation in her voice, and Jonas moved to stand beside her.
Gail bit her lip, and tears ran down her cheeks.
“Mama?”
“Yes,” Gail moaned. “Brewster is your biological father. That’s all. He’s nothing else. He’s not even human.”
“You didn’t used to think so,” Brewster quipped.
“Shut up,” Gail screamed at him again.
A sob solidified in Abby’s throat, and her legs were like rubber. She was Simon Brewster’s daughter. The room and the people faded into a pearly gray light. She felt herself sinking, and she fought to control the weakness. Then two strong arms caught her. Jonas. She knew it was Jonas. His strength gave her courage to ask the question.
“Did Daddy know?”
Gail brushed away a tear. “He knew about a year before he died.”
Abby held both hands to her trembling lips, remembering the kind, loving man who was her father. Gradually anger swept away all the other emotions. Slowly she lowered her hands.
“How could you? How could you do that to him?”
“Abby, try to understand. I was young and stupid. Your father and I were having marital problems. We couldn’t have children, and I wanted to adopt. Abe wouldn’t hear of it. He said we hadn’t given it enough time. Things just got worse between us.” She paused. “I had my teaching degree, but no job yet, so I started working in the office hoping that would draw Abe and me closer together. But then he—” she glared at Brewster “—took an interest in me, and I was flattered. Abe didn’t seem to want me anymore, and I wanted to show him that… Oh God, I was so stupid.”
“But it happened,” Brewster said.
Gail swung to look at him. “But as soon as your wife wanted to come back, you dumped me.”
“I wanted my son in his rightful home.”
“You have no right to Abby. She’s Abe’s daughter,” Gail shouted.
“She’s mine,” Brewster shouted back.
Abby blocked out their bickering. “Why did you tell Daddy?”
Gail looked down at her hands. “Abe had to have a complete physical for insurance purposes. They sent the results to the office, and Brewster opened the package. He read that Abe was sterile and unable to father children.”
“Then, Daddy knew all along?”
“No, he thought you were his. He considered you our miracle.”
“So why tell him?”
“Brewster put two and two together and knew you were his, but he promised to never tell you, but he began asking Abe about you. As time went by, things got worse. Brewster wouldn’t let up, and I knew he was going to tell Abe, so I told him myself. I didn’t want him to hear it from Brewster. He took it hard…and immediately quit. Brewster didn’t fire him. I thought Abe would leave me, but he didn’t. Because of you he stayed. He couldn’t stand the thought of hurting you.”
Abby bit down on her lip, trying to still the turbulent emotions inside her. None of this was real. All that was real was the memory of her father’s gentle face. She looked at the woman she called Mother, and she didn’t know her. Gail had hurt the most wonderful man on earth and then had done everything she could to keep the secret from coming out—even risking her daughter’s life. Who was this woman?
“Abby, sweetheart, let’s get out of here,” Gail whispered. “We’ll straighten all this out.”
Abby shook her head. “No, I’m not going anywhere with you,” she said vehemently. “I’m going back to Dallas, and I never want to see you again.”
“No, Abby, no,” Gail cried.
“This is your home,” Brewster added.
“Home.” She laughed sarcastically. “I do
n’t even know where that is anymore. I only know that I have to get away from both of you. Don’t call or try to get in touch with me, because I won’t respond and I’ll never come back. There’s nothing here for me.”
The pain in her voice was like a knife through Jonas’s heart. He had wanted to shield her from whatever Brewster was up to. But he had never dreamed it was anything like this. He wanted to tear into everyone, to make them pay for what they’d done to her. But those were Brewster’s tactics, not his. Now, he had to find a way to help Abby.
She ran from the room before Jonas could stop her.
“Abby,” Gail called plaintively.
“Go after her,” Brewster ordered Jonas.
Jonas glared at him. “I’ll go after her, but not for you. She didn’t deserve this. Your manipulative, controlling ways have driven her away. You’d better pray it’s not forever.” He glanced at Gail. “And you…how could you do this to your own daughter?”
Gail whimpered, and moved toward the door.
“No.” Jonas stopped her. “Don’t follow her. She doesn’t need another scene. Give her some time…that’s the least you can do.”
Then he whirled on his heel and left the room.
JONAS RAN DOWN THE STAIRS and out the front door, in time to see Abby’s white car drive away. Dammit. He immediately jumped in his truck and followed her. She went directly to her mother’s house. He got out and hurried to the front door. It was unlocked, so he went inside. He found her in her bedroom, sitting on the bed holding a picture of Abe. A suitcase lay open on the bed. His heart twisted at the expression on her face, and he sat beside her. That was all he could do—be there for her.
“How could she, Jonas?” she asked in a tortured voice. “She broke his heart. How could she?”
Jonas didn’t have an answer for her, and Abby didn’t seem to expect one.
“Why did she have to tell him? Why couldn’t she leave him with his pride?”
“He probably knew,” Jonas said. “He’d read the reports, but the truth was something he couldn’t admit because he loved you so much.”
Her hand touched Abe’s face. “Yeah,” she murmured weakly. “When I started school, he thought I’d be afraid. I told him I wasn’t, but he waited outside my classroom all day just in case I was. That’s the type of person he was.”
“Abe had a big heart, just like you.”
“I thought I got all my good qualities from him, but I didn’t. I don’t have his blood in my veins. I don’t have anything of his—” The last words came out on a choked sob.
“Yes, you do,” he assured her. “You have all the love and care he gave you. No one can take that from you.”
“Oh, but they did,” she said tersely, strength returning to her voice. “They took everything from me. I may look the same on the outside, but I don’t feel the same. I’m different now.”
“Abby…”
“It’s true,” she insisted, and turned and gently placed the photo into the suitcase. “Nothing’s real anymore. I had all these wonderful feelings for you, and now I’m not sure about them. I’m not sure about anything.” She brushed away tears with both hands. “You’re probably very relieved.”
“I’m not.” The words came from the deepest part of his heart, but she didn’t seem to hear them.
“I’ve always run headfirst into everything, but I got bruised this time. I’m so bruised that I—”
He slipped an arm around her waist, and she rested her head on his shoulder. “I have to get away from here and think…to come to terms with everything that has happened.”
He kissed her forehead, and she turned her head to look at him. “I’ll never forget you, Jonas Parker.”
A lump formed in his throat and he couldn’t speak. Dammit, why couldn’t he do something to help her?
“What are you going to do, Jonas? Stay or leave?”
The blockage in his throat eased. “I’m not sure yet,” he admitted. “Brewster and I have a lot to get through.”
She got up and started putting clothes into her suitcase. “Don’t let him take anything else from you. He’s taken enough.”
She amazed him. Her first thoughts were of her father, not of herself, and now she was worried about him. She might not want to admit it, but she did have a heart like Abe…always giving and never taking. He’d never met anyone that caring before—and now she was leaving.
“If you ever make it to Dallas, look me up.”
“Is that an invitation?”
Her eyes cleared. “Yes.” Then they darkened again. “Because I’ll never come back here.”
“Give it time.”
“I’ll never be back,” she stated with force, and he knew she meant it. He felt his heart wobble inside him, and for a moment he was locked in that pain he’d sworn he’d never feel again. Suddenly he could put a label on what he was feeling. He loved her. In that instant he knew it. He knew it by the agony in his gut, by the tears stinging his eyes and by the ache in his heart. This all-consuming emotion had to be love—and it was tearing him apart just like he’d known it would.
Gail appeared in the doorway. “Abby, please listen,” she begged.
Abby snapped her suitcase shut. “I don’t want to talk to you.”
“You can’t leave like this. Abby, please.” Gail’s voice grew desperate. “Let me explain.”
Jonas noticed that Abby’s hands shook as she placed the suitcase on the floor, and he recognized she was close to the edge. It was time for everyone to back off. This he could handle. He stood and pushed Gail out the door, then took her arm and led her into the living room.
“Jonas, please talk to her,” she said.
“It’s a little late for talk, Mrs. Duncan. You should have done that weeks ago, when you knew what Brewster was up to. Instead, you let him manipulate the whole situation. Of the two of you, I’d say he has more concern for Abby than you. Hiring Rios? I’m still having a difficult time with that. Abby and I could both be dead right now. Is that what you wanted?”
“Oh God, no,” Gail cried, sinking onto the sofa and burying her face in her hands. “I didn’t know what to do. I tried talking Abby into going back to her job, but she wouldn’t listen. She misunderstood everything I said, and I was at my wit’s end. Then I heard some cleaning people at the school talking about a man who made problems go away for a price. Out of desperation I called him and told him that I wanted to keep Abby from finding Delores Alvarez. I thought he’d hide Delores or send her deeper into Mexico. I didn’t realize he was so vile. I didn’t. I would never hurt Abby. She’s my daughter, and I love her.”
Jonas could see that she loved Abby, but Gail Duncan now had to face the consequences of her actions. She had made some stupid mistakes, and she had to deal with losing what she valued most in this world—her daughter. And like Jonas, there was nothing she could do about it. They had to let her go.
Abby came out of the bedroom with two suitcases in her hands and a clothes bag over her arm. Jonas went to help her. He took the cases from her, and Abby walked through the living room into the kitchen. She didn’t even spare Gail a glance.
“Abby, please,” Gail said, but Abby didn’t stop until she reached her car.
Jonas slowly followed. He put her luggage on the back seat, hung the clothes bag and slammed the door. Abby had the driver’s door open but she didn’t get in. She stared at him sadly.
“I’m sorry I got you mixed up in all this.”
He shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. I have broad shoulders.”
Her eyes caught his. “I know. You told me that once before. I want to thank you for—”
Jonas couldn’t bear the pain in her voice. Unable to stop himself, he cupped her face and gently kissed her. She moaned and returned the kiss with an urgency that broke his heart. Her arms wrapped around his neck and trailed through his hair. He drew her against him, wanting to feel every part of her. It would be all that he would have in the days and nights ahead. The kiss went
on—neither of them willing to end the moment. Finally Abby moved away and got into the car. They didn’t speak. There was nothing left to say.
EVERYTHING INSIDE Jonas had crumbled into a hard ball of pain the moment Abby left. Now he drove to the mansion and charged through the front door without knocking.
“Mr. Jonas,” Maria called, but he didn’t pay her any attention. He entered Brewster’s room. Edna and Jules were there.
“Get out,” Jonas ordered.
Jules bristled. “You can’t talk to us that way. Who do you think you are?”
“The man who’s gonna kick your ass if you’re not out of here in five seconds.”
Jules’s face turned red, and Edna appealed to Brewster. “Simon?”
“Get out.” Brewster repeated Jonas’s order.
“We’ll be right outside if you need anything,” Edna assured him as they left.
As soon as the door closed, Brewster asked, “Where is she?”
“Gone.”
“Gone,” Brewster echoed in a hollow tone.
“Yeah, you played your little game and you lost. You lost big.”
“Go after her,” Brewster thundered.
“No,” Jonas replied tightly.
“I’m giving you an order.” Brewster’s voice was hard.
“And I’m refusing.”
“You’d better—”
Jonas broke in. “No more orders or threats,” he stated angrily, and walked closer. “Do you even realize what you’ve done? You’ve shattered her, just like this—” He brought his fist down hard on the small table. “And for what? To satisfy your gigantic pride. You had an affair with her mother and got her pregnant. Big deal. That makes you an adulterer, and Abby should never have known about the sordid tryst. You should have cared enough to let her keep her memories of her father.”
“She still has those,” Brewster muttered.
“But now they’re tainted because she knows she’s not Abe’s daughter.”
“She isn’t. She’s mine.”
“And that makes you, what? A better man than Abe? Keep trying, Brewster, you’ll never make it…not even in your own mind.”
“She’s mine,” Brewster repeated stubbornly, and anger swelled in Jonas. He could feel it boiling in his veins.
