Three Hearts

by Susan Perkins

  Over the last few days, Darcy had tried to let Travis make the decisions regarding Brooke, and it seemed to be working. Very rarely did Brooke argue or try to get her aunt to countermand her father. The child was beginning to realize they stood together where she was concerned. Surprisingly Brooke seemed happy with this situation and usually asked Travis if she wanted to do something, or had a query.

  "She's sound asleep." Travis joined Darcy by the open balcony windows of their suite. "Didn't even want a book read to her tonight."

  "Just think what a livewire she'll be tomorrow though." Darcy groaned. "We'll be dragged from one end of Disneyland to the other."

  "We'll survive." Travis smiled at her. "Are you hungry? I can order something from room service if you are."

  "No, that snack we had earlier will see me through till breakfast. Travis, I'd like to say that I think you're doing a really good job getting to know Brooke, and learning how to be a father. It can't be easy for you trying to become a dad to an eight-year-old."

  "I couldn't do it without your help." Travis leaned forward and took her hand in his. "Without you, or if you had decided to make things difficult, I would still be regarded by Brooke as an outsider."

  "Nonsense." Darcy tried to pull her hand from his, uncomfortable with the close contact which made her insides tremble. "You'd have managed."

  "With a lot more difficulty."

  Instead of releasing her, Travis rose and pulled her up to stand with him. One of his hands moved to her face and his finger traced the line of her cheek, down over her jaw and caressed her lips. Wide eyed Darcy stared at him, her heart pounding in her breast, and hot, turbulent feelings stirring in the pit of her stomach. She felt powerless to stop him. She wanted him to go on and rouse her emotions to a fever pitch. Her lips parted soundlessly as his face moved closer to hers. Gently he kissed her cheek, her eyes and then her lips. His kiss became bolder as she responded by moving into the circle of his arms.

  "Darcy." His mouth breathed her name before he kissed her ear, his hands now pulling her against his body, so close she felt his excitement was as great as her own.

  Slowly he lowered her to the sofa where he pushed the hair from her face and looked intently at her. She looked back at him, and felt the love well up inside of her. He groaned.

  "Darcy, before we go further I need to ask you something." He sat up and put his head into his hands.

  "Pardon?" Darcy suddenly felt cold and alone, far removed from the romantic warmth of a few moments ago.

  "I'm Brooke's father — you're her aunt. You said that making love seemed wrong to you. I don't know how we can overcome that, unless you'd be willing to marry me." He looked at her with uncertainty. "Would you?"

  "Marry you?"

  Darcy's head was in a whirl. Travis wanting to marry her brought thrills and excitement to her breast, but a marriage such as he suggested would only be one of convenience. Convenient for him! Marriage would overcome any obstacles Brooke might raise about staying in America, because, as his wife, Darcy would also stay there. He would also destroy her fears about making love. In fact, he would gain everything, but what would she gain — nothing!

  No, that wasn't entirely true. I'd be able to be with Brooke, but at what price? Presumably once the novelty wore off, Travis would feel free to see other women and she'd be left with a broken heart. He didn't love her. He only wanted to marry her because marriage would make his problems disappear.

  "Darcy, what do you say? Shall we get married? It would solve a lot of our difficulties."

  "No!" Darcy shouted the word as she pushed him away from her and struggled to her feet. "That's not the way to solve anything, Travis. People should marry because they love one another, not because it's convenient. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed."

  TRAVIS SHOOK HIS HEAD in bewilderment. Not willing to go through the rebuttal he'd received last time he tried to make love to Darcy, he'd taken the only route he knew to her heart. An offer of marriage would ensure they'd all be together as a family, his beloved daughter and the woman he loved with a passion so great it scared him.

  Scared! That's what was wrong. She was scared of committing herself. His poor Darcy had been alone so long, with only a child for company that she'd forgotten how to respond to genuine love. She'd told him how she'd vowed not to get involved with anyone until Brooke was able to stand on her own two feet, and although she no longer had this excuse, she obviously didn't feel able to allow her feelings true freedom.

  Travis knew the main problem was lack of trust. She didn't trust him, but more to the point she didn't trust her feelings for him. He would have to show her that he really cared for her and wanted her in his life as much as he wanted Brooke.

  A good beginning would be a romantic dinner. Disneyland held lots of fantasy, but romance wasn't one of them. He would wait until they returned to San Diego. A good day out to tire Brooke and a meal ordered in from a gourmet restaurant would set the scene beautifully.

  Until they returned to his home he would back off. He'd show Darcy by his actions rather than words how much he loved her. He'd prove to her that he wanted to care for her as well as Brooke. Maybe when she believed the true depth of his feelings, she'd agree to marry him.

  DARCY LOOKED IN THE mirror the next morning and groaned. I look terrible.

  All night she'd tossed and turned, going over and over what had happened after Brooke went to bed. No matter how she looked at it, Travis was using her for his own ends. The sooner she left America, the better.

  It was all very well saying that, but leaving California also meant leaving Brooke. She'd probably never see her niece again, at least not until the child reached an age to make decisions for herself. Hopefully, she'd decide to visit her aunt when she grew up, but that was in the future. Now Darcy had to get through the day with a man she loved to distraction, but who only wanted to use her as a convenience. Plus she had to keep from Brooke the feeling that anything was wrong. She had no idea how to achieve this, but she'd have to try for her niece's sake.

  It wasn't as hard as she'd thought. Nobody remained unhappy or tense in the delights of Disneyland. Brooke insisted on going on every ride, and although Travis told her this wasn't possible in one day, she made a good try. They moved at amazing speed, queues permitting, from the Pirates of the Caribbean to Tom Sawyer Island and the Mad Hatter's Tea Party. Other attractions lured them in different directions, but Brooke seemed tireless in her search for the rides and attractions she'd heard about for so long. Now she grasped at her chance to try them all.

  At the end of the day, Travis and Darcy were too tired to say anything but goodnight to one another, and the next three days were repeats of the first.

  Darcy and Brooke slept for the entire return journey to San Diego, in fact, Travis carried Brooke to her bed when they reached the apartment as she showed no inclination to wake up.

  Now they were back in La Jolla, the tension between Darcy and Travis returned. It started when Travis asked her if she'd had any more thoughts on his suggestion that they marry.

  "I think you turned me down without giving my proposal enough thought."

  Darcy was tempted to tell him that the whole thing was ridiculous, but she decided to use the opportunity to find out more about him.

  "Let's face it, Travis, I know next to nothing about you." Before she went any further he interrupted her.

  "What would you like to know? You only have to ask and I'll tell you."

  "For a start, you say you're a civil engineer but I would have thought your car was totally impractical for work purposes." She looked at him to see how he was taking this. "And what about family? Do you have any brothers or sisters? Are your parents nearby?"

  "Okay," Travis drawled. "Let's start with the family first. As far as I know, I'm an only child. I was adopted by a couple who were unable to have children. The only thing they knew about my natural mother was that she was a teenager who got pregnant and had to let the baby go for adopt
ion. My parents died in a car crash about five years ago. They loved me and I adored them, but it does mean that I'm on my own now."

  "And your work?" Darcy prompted when Travis paused and seemed reluctant to continue.

  "You're right." He grinned. "My Mustang is not the right sort of car for my job. Put it down to a need to spoil myself once I got established. I bought it because I could, if you understand what I mean. I have an office downtown and keep a truck there for work purposes."

  "There's also the matter of your almost fiancée." Darcy kept her voice emotionless. "You were so in love that you wanted to marry her, but don't seem a bit upset that she didn't care about you enough to take on Brooke. Then you ask me to marry you. It doesn't say much for your commitment to women, does it? Especially when Brooke is also the result of a failed marriage to my sister."

  "No, it doesn't look good, does it?" Travis still had a hint of a smile on his lips and Darcy had to suppress the urge to hit him. How dare he think this was funny! "All I can say is that in the case of Kelly and my almost fiancée, I was mistaken. It wasn't love."

  "Surely the second time around, you would have known that." Darcy heard the caustic note in her voice.

  "You'd think so, wouldn't you? Infatuation is very much like love, you know."

  "Oh you're impossible." Darcy almost shouted the words at him. "I can't talk to you while you've got that silly grin on your face."

  Travis reached for her, but she flung his hand off and hurried out to join Brooke sunbathing by the pool. This effectively stopped Travis from following her and continuing the conversation.

  After this conversation, Darcy started to plan her return to New Zealand. Brooke had accepted Travis as her father, and she decided her continued presence posed a threat to the growing relationship between them.

  Secretly Darcy made her flight reservations and tried to think of an opportunity to get away from Travis and Brooke on that day. She was at her wits' end when, the day before she was due to leave, Brooke solved the problem.

  "Travis, can we go to the zoo again?"

  "Again? You've been three times already." Travis laughed, then not willing to disappoint his daughter, he gave in. "Okay, we'll go tomorrow, if that's all right with you, Darcy?"

  "Why don't you two go on your own?" Darcy suggested, sending a silent prayer of thanks to whichever deity had provided this opportunity. "I think I've had enough of playing the tourist. I really need a rest, so I'll spend the day lounging by the pool."

  Father and daughter accepted her excuse and early the next morning, they set off down the highway to Balboa Park.

  As soon as they left, Darcy started slinging clothes into her bag. Then she sat and wrote to both Travis and Brooke, leaving the two notes and Brooke's passport on the coffee table in the lounge. After checking to make sure she'd left nothing behind, she rang for a cab to take her to the airport.

  She managed to hold on to her emotions until the plane was over the Pacific Ocean, but then the tears eventually began to fall, and she spent most of the flight looking out of the window or pretending to be asleep in the hope that nobody would see how upset she was.

  "DARCY, WE'RE BACK. You'll never guess what we got the chance to do."

  Brooke's voice rang through the apartment as she raced along the hall to Darcy's room. Travis frowned. The apartment had a strange, empty feeling and when he saw the notes and passport on the table, he immediately knew what had happened.

  "Travis, she's not there and her suitcase has gone." Brooke looked worried as she re-entered the lounge.

  "Brooke, come sit by me." Travis patted the cushion beside him as he sat on the sofa. "Look." He pointed to the table.

  "She's gone home without me, hasn't she?" Tears welled in Brooke's eyes, but she made no attempt to pick up the letter from her aunt.

  "Let's read the letters and see what she says, shall we?" Travis wished he was able to let go of his emotions like his daughter, but this was impossible. He had to remain strong for Brooke's sake. "Why don't you read yours out loud?"

  Dear Brooke,

  I'm sorry I left without saying goodbye, but I knew we'd both get very upset and I think it's better this way. Travis is your father and you should be with him. He needs you, Brooke.

  I'll always feel proud that you were with me for those wonderful eight years at the beginning of your life, but now it's time for you to take your proper place, which is with your father. Travis has promised to let you call me on the telephone whenever you feel you need to talk to me. Please don't blame him for this as he didn't know I planned to leave today, so it's not his fault. Remember, Brooke, if ever you need me, I'll be here, but I doubt if you will with such a wonderful dad in your life.

  Love you forever, hon.

  Darcy.

  XXXXXX"

  Brooke burst into tears as she finished reading the letter and flung herself into her father's arms.

  "Make her come back, Daddy. Make her come back." Her sobs were heart-breaking.

  Travis was speechless. She called me Daddy! My little girl called me Daddy. Quickly he pulled himself together. Now he had to earn the title.

  "Hush, my love." He hugged her to him and stroked her hair. Gently he rocked her to and fro until she calmed down. "Sweetheart, Darcy didn't do this to hurt you. She thought she was doing it for the best."

  "But she left me!" Brooke's sobs threatened to overwhelm her again.

  "She went back to New Zealand because she knows your home is now in California. She hasn't left you. She'll never leave you, sweetheart. Darcy's only as far as the end of the phone and in a few months, you and I can take a vacation and go see her in New Zealand."

  "Promise?"

  "I promise. Now why don't we get ready for dinner? Why don't we go to that restaurant you like?"

  "I'd rather stay home and eat here." Brooke ducked her head shyly. "Can we ring Darcy after dinner?"

  "Do you remember how long it took us to fly to America?" Travis asked, gently drawing his daughter to stand between his knees. "Well that's how long it will take Darcy to get back. We'll have to wait until tomorrow or the day after before we can phone her."

  Brooke accepted the explanation and wandered off to her room to get changed. Travis picked up the child's passport and the letter addressed to him, and took them into his own room.

  Dear Travis,

  I know this isn't very fair to you, leaving so suddenly, but I think it's the right thing to do. Leaving was never going to be easy for Brooke or myself, so I really believe it's best that I'm suddenly gone. That way she won't be able to pull the emotional strings of either of us, not that she means to, of course, but it's only natural she'd want us to stay the way we are, which is impossible. Take good care of her, Travis, and love her. She needs lots of love and attention to ensure she grows into a strong young woman. You know where to reach me if you need me.

  Darcy

  "No kisses for me," Travis murmured as he reread the letter, and then put it away in his desk drawer. "Oh, Darcy, why did you do this? You didn't give us a chance."

  Over dinner, Brooke seemed quiet. Travis put it down to the upset of her aunt leaving, but apparently the child had been thinking.

  "Why didn't you and Darcy get married?" Brooke asked as she helped to put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. "We'd have been a family then and Darcy would have stayed here with us, or we could have all gone to live in New Zealand."

  "Brooke, when people get married, it's usually because they love each other."

  "Don't you love Darcy?"

  "Yes, I do. I love her very much." Travis kept to the truth, surprised at the depth of his feelings. "Unfortunately, she doesn't love me."

  "How do you know? Did you ask her?" Brooke demanded.

  "Yes, I asked her. She said no."

  "She said no she didn't love you?" Brooke sounded surprised.

  "Not exactly," Travis said after a few moments of reflection. "She said she wouldn't marry me."

  "You didn't tell
her, did you?" Brooke hopped up and down with excitement. "You didn't tell her you loved her."

  "She knows I love her, Brooke. I didn't have to tell her." Despite his words, hope sprang up in Travis. Darcy does know I love her, doesn't she?

  "Don't be silly, Daddy. You have to tell Darcy things or she won't believe you. If you didn't say the words, then she'll think you don't love her."

  Brooke stood hands on hips, lecturing him with all the seriousness of an adult and the phrase 'out of the mouths of babes' flew into Travis' mind. Fool. I've been a fool!

  "Thank you, Brooke." He hugged his daughter, then picked her up and spun her round and round. "I love you, sweetheart. I love you very much and I love Darcy very much, too."

  Brooke squealed with laughter as she spun round faster and faster in her father's arms.

  Chapter Ten

  Darcy had been home from America for a week and nothing seemed to break the depression and loneliness she felt.

  The first thing she'd done was sign the change of custody papers. Laura had suggested she wait, but Darcy was adamant. In her mind, Travis was now Brooke's legal guardian.

  As her office was officially closed until mid-January, she had no secretarial work, so she kept herself busy doing housework, gardening, walking on the beach, anything to take her mind off Brooke and Travis. Several times she'd done a whole load of baking only to realize she'd have to freeze it as she wouldn't be able to eat it all herself.

  Every time the phone rang, she answered it breathlessly, convinced it would be Travis, but it never was. She became even more depressed when she realized that neither Travis nor Brooke missed her enough to call her. The day before Christmas Eve, the phone rang and Darcy picked up the receiver then stood and stared at it, frozen into immobility by hope.