Fear shot through Matthew’s heart as he stared at the letter in his hands. Ray Marx must have spent all of his money and was looking for more.
SHE’S MINE, NOT YOURS.
Capital letters, typewritten. No signature. How clichéd, and yet terrifying at the same time. Clearly, Ray was letting Matthew know that he wouldn’t go away. No matter what.
Matthew shook his head. He knew one thing for sure. He couldn’t go to the river tomorrow with Raven and leave Jamie home. He’d be worried sick the entire time.
He and Raven hadn’t spoken since the night he kissed her. After his encounter with Kellie, he wasn’t sure what to say to Raven. His heart wasn’t quite ready to believe she could pretend so well. He remembered what a lousy actress she was. Whatever her motives, her feelings were transparent. Another idea formed and he snatched up the phone. She answered on the first ring.
“Matt?”
“Hi. Change of plans for the weekend, do you mind?”
“No kayaking?” Her voice reflected a mix of relief and disappointment.
“I don’t want to leave my daughter, but she hates kayaking. How about Adventure Park in St. Louis?”
“You…want me to meet your daughter? Are you sure?”
“I’ll introduce you as an old college friend. She’s only eight, so she’s not going ask you to be her new mommy.”
Raven laughed. “That’s a relief. All right. Adventure Park it is. Want to get an earlier start since it’s a four-hour drive?”
“Yeah, can you be ready at five-thirty?”
Raven groaned. “I better go home now and go to sleep.”
Laughter rumbled in Matthew’s chest as a surge of affection rushed through him. “It’s only noon.”
“Yes, but five-thirty comes really, really early.”
He was still smiling when he hung up. Then his gaze drifted downward to the note on his desk. Anger burned through him once again. Ray might have no ammunition to hurt him politically, but the man was obviously threatening to try to make a court case.
Matthew seriously doubted any rational judge would give a little girl over to the man who’d abused her mother, causing brain damage. A convicted felon on parole. But you never could tell. A judge with a score to settle with Matthew or possibly his father before him. A judge who didn’t like Matthew’s politics. As unlikely as it seemed, Matthew knew he might very well lose Jamie if Ray could find a judge who would believe the Strong family had bullied him into signing away his parental rights to the little girl.
“Hi, Dad.” Jamie rushed in without knocking as usual. “Want to go swimming?”
“Sure. And guess what?”
“What?”
“I have a surprise for you.”
Her beautiful blue eyes lit up. “What is it?”
“How would you like to go to Adventure Park tomorrow?”
A wide grin split her face, revealing a mouthful of part baby teeth, part grown up teeth. “You mean it? You really, really mean it?”
She flung her arms around his neck.
“Of course I mean it.”
“Is Grams coming?”
“I don’t really think Grams would like that sort of thing, do you? I mean can you imagine her on a roller coaster?”
Jamie giggled and shook her head. “It’s just you and me, then? I can’t wait! I’m going to go tell Aunt Casey!”
“Uh, wait, Jamie.” He stopped her just before she could sprint to the door.
She stared back at him, a slight frown marring her perfect skin.
Matthew released a breath. “Actually, I’ve invited an old college friend to join us. Do you mind?”
“Oh. I didn’t know you had any friends. What’s his name?”
Heat warmed Matthew’s ears. “To tell you the truth, he’s a she. And her name is Raven Mahoney.”
“You mean you’ve got a girlfriend?” The incredulity in her voice relayed much more than Matthew expected she might deduce.
“She’s not a girlfriend. She’s a friend.”
“I can’t believe you invited a girl.” Jamie scowled. “What a joke. You just want me to meet her ’cause you like her.”
“Young lady. You better watch your tone and words with me.”
“Fine. But don’t expect me to like her.”
“You’d best be polite.”
She scowled again. “I’ll see what I can do. But I’m not making any promises.”
“Jamie…I mean it. Raven means a lot to me.”
“I knew she was your girlfriend.”
“No, she isn’t. But once upon a time we were going to be married.”
Jamie’s eyes grew large and round. “Why didn’t you?”
He tweaked her nose, which was peeling from too much sun. “That, my girl, is my business.”
Releasing a heavy sigh, she padded to the door. “You still going to swim with me?”
“Yes, let me go get my suit on. You going to be okay with meeting Raven?”
A shrug lifted her bony shoulders. “I’m getting used to the idea. Think she’ll like the roller coasters, or is she going to scream and hold on to your arm like a sissy?”
Matthew grinned. “If I remember right, I’m the one who screams. She’ll be telling me not to be a wimp.”
Jamie dimpled. “Okay. Then I can probably put up with her for one day.”
“Glad to hear it. I’ll meet you by the pool.” Matthew laughed as she walked out of the room. The girl was a little more savvy than he’d given her credit for.
Tomorrow should prove to be an interesting day.
Chapter Eight
Raven loved the predawn stillness. Sitting on the deck, she sipped a steaming mug of coffee and relished the simplicity of a silent world. A world where she could quiet her mind and just…breathe.
During times like this she could almost believe God was looking down on her—as though all she had to do was look up and she’d have his undivided attention. Maybe while the rest of the city slept, He’d concentrate on her for a change. The thought almost induced a prayer. But not quite.
Her watch alarm beeped, reminding her that if she wanted to look presentable in thirty minutes, she’d better get it in gear.
After a quick, steamy shower, she emerged, ready to face a day of gut-tightening fun rides, cotton candy and greasy pizza—all way too expensive, but in her experience, worth every penny.
A wave of unease washed over her at the thought of meeting Matt’s daughter. What if the girl hated her? Worse yet, what if she adored her and wanted a new mommy? The thought sent Raven rushing to the kitchen for a bottle of water to moisten her suddenly parched throat.
Her phone chirped. She snatched it up. “Yes?”
“G’morning.”
Her heart did a little dance at the sound of Matt’s low timbre. “Good morning to you too. You standing me up?”
“No way. I just wanted to ask you to meet me outside. Jamie fell asleep on the way over and I don’t want to leave her while I walk up to the door.”
Affection surged through Raven at his protectiveness. What a great dad. “Sure. I’ll be watching for you.”
He chuckled. “Actually, we’re just outside. I’m calling from my cell phone.”
She pushed aside the curtain and spied his car in her drive. A smile tipped the corners of her lips at the shadowy figure in the driver’s seat. “I’ll be right there.”
After a double-check of her face and hair in the hallway mirror, she snatched up her mini-backpack—the best replacement for a purse on an active day—then locked her door and joined Matthew.
His white-toothed smile found its way straight to her heart. “All set?” he asked.
Raven nodded and slid into the leather seat. Matthew formed the same heart-stopping figure in casual clothes that he did in an elegant suit. A pair of jeans and a pullover shaved a good five years off his appearance. Not that he needed it.
She closed the door, covering them in darkness. With care, Matthew backed out of t
he drive and turned the car toward the interstate.
“Thank you for being okay with a change in plans today. I just didn’t want to leave her alone.”
“It’s okay. Really, I love amusement parks.”
A snort from the back seat gained her attention and she glanced over her shoulder. The little girl’s eyes were closed, but twitching a little too much to be believable. By that cynical snort, Raven could only conclude that Matt’s daughter was determined not to like her. And Raven had a pretty good idea why.
“Oh, sure,” she said, with an airy wave of her hand. “Amusement parks are where I take all my boyfriends.”
“Huh?” Matthew gave her a frown that clearly indicated he thought she’d lost her marbles. But that sort of look couldn’t deter Raven Mahoney. The little girl in the back seat had to be taught a lesson right up front, or today would be very uncomfortable for Raven. And she had no intention of allowing that to happen.
“Especially the ones I plan to snag into marriage.”
Matthew’s scowl deepened. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh, Matt. Imagine us at the top of the Ferris wheel, locked in an embrace.” She frowned and clucked her tongue. “’Course, I don’t know what we’d do with your little girl while we’re up there together. Oh, well. No matter. I’m sure we can find someone willing to sit with her. Or maybe we can just get a rope and tie her to a pole until our romantic ride is over.”
An indignant gasp shot forward from the back seat. “If you’re riding with my dad, so am I!”
“Oh, so you’re awake. Thought so.” Raven grinned and held out her hand. “I’m Raven. Nice to meet you.”
Without moving a muscle, the little girl sized her up. “You knew I was faking?”
“I figured.”
“How’d you know?”
Clearly, the child wanted to avoid making the same mistake twice.
“You fidgeted in your seat like you were having trouble sitting still, and your eyeballs were moving too much under your eyelids.”
“Hmm.” Finally, the little girl accepted Raven’s hand. “Jamie. Named after my Gramps.” She gave a little sigh. “He died when I was seven.”
“Your Gramps was a great man. I liked him very much.”
Jamie’s eyes grew wide. “You knew him?”
“I did. A long time ago.”
The little girl hesitated a minute, still sizing Raven up like a judge in a hog contest at the county fair. “My Dad said you almost married him.” She leaned forward. “Why’d you call it off?”
Raven distinctly remembered Matt’s promise to “introduce her as an old friend from college.”
She glared at him. He gave a sheepish shrug, but his boyish grin didn’t offer much apology. “Sorry. She forced it out of me. What can I say? I’m weak where the women I love are concerned.”
The look accompanying his last statement made his underlying message quite clear, and Raven was glad the little girl in the back seat prevented any further exploration of the topic. The kid might come in handy after all if Raven wanted to stave off any sort of personal conversation while she was working on the story.
“So?” Jamie’s childish impatience rang in her voice, reminding them she’d voiced a question and wouldn’t be put off. “Why’d you break up with my dad?”
“Hey, sport.” To Raven’s relief, Matt interjected. “What’s with the third degree? Give Raven a break, huh?”
Jamie shrugged. “Just wondering.”
“My past relationship with Raven is between us.”
“Okay.” She shrugged and stared out the window. “But I figure she must not be very smart if she dumped you.”
Raven laughed. She couldn’t help herself. This kid was great. Spunky, way too smart and wise beyond her years.
Matt’s frown deepened. “Jamie, we had a deal. Stop it, already, and apologize to Raven.”
“Sorry.” Yeah, right, she was sorry.
“Hey, no problem. You know what? You’re right. I was a dope back then.”
“Does that mean you want him back?” Jamie’s tone was fierce, almost threatening and Raven wasn’t sure if the little girl didn’t want her back in Matt’s life, or if she simply didn’t want him to be hurt again.
“Jamie…” Matt’s voice took on a new firmness. A stern parental tone that relayed to his daughter enough was enough.
Jamie released a little sigh and clammed up. Matthew reached across the seat and gave Raven’s hand a squeeze. “Sorry about that. She promised to behave herself.”
Raven relished the warmth of his fingers. How long had it been since she’d actually wanted to be touched by a man? “I enjoyed the mental stimulation. You’d be surprised how little challenge I get these days.”
“Anyone want to play a game?” Jamie asked.
Matthew removed his hand from hers. Raven shifted slightly so she could look in the back seat without whiplash. “What kind of game?”
“License plates. You have to see how many different states you can find.”
Raven nodded and scanned the back of the car in front of them. “Okay. I see Michigan.”
“Hey! That doesn’t count. I go first.”
“Why do you get to?”
She gave a scowl and a breathed out a huff. “Youngest always goes first.”
“Not where I come from. When I was growing up, I always started the games, and I’m the oldest kid in my family.”
Jamie gave her that wise beyond years look again. Then nodded. “Fine. Oldest goes first. How old are you?”
“Jamie!” Matt’s face reddened.
Still loving the challenge, Raven waved off his protest. “No problem, Matt. It’s not like you don’t know my age, anyway,” she said matter-of-factly before turning back to her worthy opponent. “Thirty-five. How old are you?”
“Eight.”
“Well, then. I guess Michigan stands and I get a point.”
“Nope.” A smug grin tilted Jamie’s baby-pink lips. “Dad’s thirty-seven. So he gets first pick.”
Matthew laughed outright. “Hey, don’t drag me into this. You two can battle it out on your own.”
“Come on, Dad.”
“Nope. I’m driving. I need to concentrate.”
“But you always play.”
“Not this time.”
“Well, then,” Raven said, unable to withhold a smug grin of her own. “I guess as the oldest, I go first. Write down Michigan under my name and give me a point.”
Releasing a heavy sigh, Jamie poised her pencil. “Fine. How do you spell it?”
Raven supplied the spelling and the game moved forward.
“Florida,” Jamie said, writing as she spoke.
“Missouri.”
“Missouri doesn’t count.”
“Why not?” Raven’s competitive nature reared its ugly head.
“Because it’s our state.”
“Well, I don’t see why that makes a difference.”
A chuckle from Matt brought a flush of embarrassment to Raven’s cheek. She stuck out her tongue in his direction then turned her attention back to her little nemesis.
“Okay, if my choice doesn’t count, then I get to go again.”
Jamie gave a huff. “Fine.”
They played for the next thirty minutes. Until finally they exhausted their choices. Jamie won by two states, although Raven was highly suspicious that she hadn’t actually spied a Hawaii license plate. But short of calling the little girl an out-and-out liar, she didn’t figure she could do much about it.
Raven’s soft snoring brought a smile to Matt’s lips. Though Jamie was clearly impatient to arrive at Adventure Park, as far as he was concerned, they could stay like this forever. The rousing license-plate game had convinced him Jamie and Raven were two peas in a pod and as mother and daughter, there would be a conflict every day of their lives. Enough to provide Raven with all the “mental stimulation” she wanted until Jamie was at least twenty-one.
The thought o
f Raven sliding into the role didn’t cause him any alarm. He had no intention of letting her walk out of his life again. He glanced at her, marveling at her sleep-softened features, longing to reach out and test the smoothness of her skin. But he stopped himself short of doing just that. Politics had taught him there was a time to move in and a time to step back and watch. Today was a step-back-and-watch kind of day. He wouldn’t make a pass, wouldn’t talk about the past—unless she brought it up—wouldn’t do anything that might cause her to run away from him.
No matter her motives for reentering his life, Matthew knew she still cared for him. And though he had no intention of revealing the reasoning behind his withdrawal from the senate race, he didn’t mind baiting her a little bit to keep her around long enough to fall in love again.
“There’s the Ferris wheel. No it’s not real—wait, yes it is!” Jamie’s excited announcement jolted Matt from his thoughts. Raven shot up straight.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Jamie just saw the Ferris wheel.”
“It’s eighteen stories high,” the little girl exclaimed proudly. “You can see the whole park from up at the top. Can we ride that one first, Dad?”
Matthew’s stomach turned at the thought. How many minutes did that ride last, anyway? At least most of the roller coasters and other gut-hurling rides were only a couple of minutes in duration. Ferris wheels were a different story. Eighteen stories of slow torture. He gave a little involuntary shudder.
Raven’s sleep-husky voice emitted a low chuckle. “Still scared of heights?”
He sent her a self-deprecating grin and cut a glance her way. “Deathly.”
She slipped her warm hand inside his and smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll hold your hand.”
“If anyone’s holding his hand, it’s gonna be me,” came the voice of outrage from the back seat. “Did you two forget I’m the kid? You can’t go off holding hands and leave me in a park with a million, jillion people hanging around.”
Raven let go of his hand. “The kid’s right,” she mumbled. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”
A strong sense of satisfaction spread through Matt at her discomfiture. The fact that she’d let Jamie gain the upper hand on this one proved she was feeling things that unnerved her. That was a good thing for Matt. Maybe before this day was over she’d realize that things weren’t finished between them. Maybe she’d be willing to open up and tell him what had happened to rattle her enough that she could walk away from the strongest love either had ever known. Maybe by the end of the day, she would abandon her goal to achieve an exclusive (if what Kellie had implied was true) and once again be the love of his life.
Betrayal of Trust Page 7
