The Texan's Secret Daughter

by Jolene Navarro

  “Hi, Rosemarie.” He tried again, making sure to give her an easy smile. “I’m...” Your dad, father, daddy. Each word clogged his throat. None of them sounded right. “I’m so happy to meet you.”

  “You’re my daddy, right?” Her tiny, bow-shaped lips twisted to the side.

  He couldn’t breathe for a minute. “I am.”

  “Momma calls Papa Daddy. Is that what I should call you?”

  Everything below his neck locked up. He managed a nod and what he hoped was an encouraging smile. “If you want to. I like it.”

  Silence slipped between them again. What topics of conversation did a father have with a five-year-old daughter he’d never met?

  Jazmine ran her hands over their daughter’s head, pushing back her hair. “I think he has a gift for you.” She raised her eyebrows and looked pointedly at the bag in his right hand.

  “Oh. Yeah.” He lifted the bright pink bag. “I brought this for you. My sister helped me pick it out. You can call her Tía Belle or Aunt Belle. She has a little girl about your age. You have a few cousins and a couple of aunts.” Great, now he was babbling. He tried to laugh, but it sounded more like a cat caught in a trap. “Want to know a secret?”

  She nodded but didn’t step away from her mother.

  “I’m a bit nervous.” He leaned closer, stopping himself from reaching out to touch her. Nodding to the bag, he offered it to her again. “I hope you like it. If you don’t, we can trade it in for something else.”

  Taking the bag, she smiled at him. He didn’t know it was possible for a heart to hold a beat.

  Rosemarie peered into the colorful wrapping his sister had chosen for him and gasped. He wanted to know if it was a good or bad noise.

  “Momma, look! I’m naming her Zoe! She and Abby’ll be best friends.” She pulled out the dark-haired doll and hugged her. “Thank you.” Turning to her mother, she held up the doll. “Can I take her to lunch?”

  “That’s a wonderful idea.” Jazmine looked at Elijah. “She set her table for us. She wanted all her friends to meet you.”

  “Friends?” His gut tightened. “I thought...” Narrowing his eyes, he studied Jazmine. Her dark eyes gleamed like they used to whenever she messed with him.

  “Yes!” Rosemarie interrupted his thoughts. “Mary has somewhere very important to go, so Zoe can have her spot.” The little girl nodded somberly before skipping through the kitchen to the back door. Through the large glass panels, Elijah could see the ocean.

  “Come.” Jazmine followed her daughter. “She might not seem excited that you’re here, but she set the table and helped my mother make fresh lemonade. I told her how we used to drink it during the summer while we sat on the pier and watched the waves. She planned the menu.”

  “You told her about us?”

  “The good parts.”

  Swallowing the bitterness, he inhaled. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had to use his calming strategies so often in one day. “Your mother helped her? Will it be safe for me to eat?”

  One hand on the door, Jazmine paused. For a moment she studied his face with a fierce intensity. Was she going to kick him out?

  He held his breath as he waited for the verdict. “Sorry.” He made a note to lay off the mother jokes.

  “She’s a little girl. A little girl who lives in a world where everybody loves her and cares for her. Please don’t be her first heartbreak.”

  The first instinct was to deny he would ever do anything to hurt her, but then he stopped. He had blown his promises to honor and protect Jazmine out of the water. He had broken her heart.

  Rubbing the back of his neck, he glanced to the little girl. She was talking to a line of stuffed animals and dolls. “I’m in a different place now. I don’t know how to promise never to hurt her, but I’m going to do my best.”

  Their gazes stayed locked for longer than he could count.

  He must have passed her test because she nodded, then crossed the threshold. To the far right, in the shaded area on the large balcony, was a mini pink picnic table. There were purple and green chairs at each end. They were a bit higher than the yellow benches on either side, but not by much.

  Starfish, seashells and driftwood decorated the center, and pretty teacups and delicate plates were set at each place. The doll he had given her was in the middle of a militant line of other dolls and animals. She came over and took his hand.

  “This is your spot.” There was a pause. “Daddy.” She stood next to the plastic chair at the end of the table. One brow up, he eyed the little polka-dot piece of furniture. Serious doubts flooded his brain.

  With a huge smile, Jazmine took the chair opposite. Slowly, he followed suit, easing himself down onto the fragile frame. His knees came halfway to his chest.

  “So, these lovely ladies are your friends?”

  “Yes.” She went on to introduce him to each one, then picked up a small pitcher with both hands. “May I pour a drink for you?”

  “I would love that. Thank you.” He wanted to reach out and help her as wobbly hands tipped the pitcher, but he held back. He recognized that determined expression.

  Her tongue stuck out at the corner of her mouth as she concentrated, and he felt his own mouth twitch. She looked just like his sister when she was focused on a task.

  Rosemarie moved down the side of the table and poured a little in each small cup. As she served her posse, she told him how she had met each one.

  No surprise that his daughter had a very vivid imagination. He had loved reading and making up stories. His sister and cousins had been participants in many of his imaginary adventures. Uncle Frank had called him a lazy dreamer.

  The doll he had given her sat next to a royally dressed Abby. Apparently, she was the queen of all the other toys.

  There was a bowl of chips and salsa on the table. Rosemarie offered him a small plate. “Would you like some appetizer?”

  It took him a minute to figure out what she was saying. “Chips are my favorite.”

  He glanced at Jazmine, and she flashed him a proud smile. It was a good look. She wasn’t his Jazz anymore. In the last six years she had grown up, became a mother.

  Rosemarie finished serving everyone, then tucked her sundress under her as she sat. Just like a little lady. “For lunch we’re eating flautas. Momma told me how you taught her how to make them when you didn’t have enough money. She said you ate them all the time.”

  He frowned at Jazz. She had told their daughter he hadn’t had enough money to feed them?

  He smiled at Rosemarie. “I’m impressed you did your research.” Elijah was pretty sure he had never eaten with a party of stuffed toys before. Not sure how to start a conversation, he took a slow sip of lemonade.

  His daughter reached over to feed a doll, then looked at him. “Abby would like to know if you still have horses. She has a pony, but we had to leave it back home. Prince is a pretty palomino.”

  Before he said anything, a timer went off. Rosemarie popped up. “That’s the flautas.”

  Jazmine got up from her chair.

  “No, Momma. Stay here and talk with Daddy. I can get them.”

  Instead of sitting as her daughter told her to, Jazmine shook her head. “Rosemarie Daniels!”

  “Momma, I’m a big girl. I want to make lunch. I don’t need help.” She pouted.

  “You can’t open the oven by yourself, young lady. It’s dangerous.”

  With a sigh bigger than her small shoulders, Rosemarie followed her mother into the house. Elijah sat alone.

  Well, not completely alone. All the little dolls glared at him. He looked down, breaking eye contact with the toys, and stared at his intertwined fingers.

  Daniels. It tore at his gut that his daughter didn’t have his name. How did he fix this? His relationship with Jazmine might be beyond repair, but he had a seco
nd chance with his daughter.

  His ex-wife and her parents were going to have to deal with the fact that Rosemarie had another parent who loved her too. There would be no doubt in his daughter’s mind that she was loved by her father. She wouldn’t grow up with his issues.

  Now he just had to show Jazmine that he could be trusted with their daughter’s heart. She had every reason in the world to doubt him.

  Lifting his head, he found the dolls staring silently at him, judging him.

  “Yes, I know,” he whispered to the toys. On their wedding day he had promised to cherish and honor her. But in grand De La Rosa fashion, he had broken her.

  * * *

  The downstairs door opened and closed. Glancing at the clock, Jazmine frowned. It was too early for her parents to be back. Her mother had agreed to stay away for two hours. Slipping the round stone onto the cooling rack, she helped Rosemarie move the tightly rolled corn tortillas filled with refried beans onto a serving plate.

  Rosemarie looked up at her and smiled. “Papa and GiGi are here! They can meet my father and eat lunch with us.” Like a good little hostess, her expression changed to panic. “Do we have enough?”

  “We’re good. Take this out to your father.” Wow. Words she wasn’t using to saying. “I’ll be right there.”

  What was her parents doing here? Jazmine snorted as her irritation grew.

  There had been very loud complaints about her and Rosemarie meeting with Elijah alone. Her mother had wanted to be here, but Jazmine had insisted she could handle the meeting alone.

  She glanced out the kitchen window to make sure Rosemarie was safe. Her heart still bounced at the thought of Elijah being with her daughter. She needed to start thinking of her as their daughter.

  Rosemarie laughed. The sound was all joy, free of adult angst.

  He was going to be a part of her life now. She sighed. Azalea would have to learn how to deal with it.

  Elijah’s broad back was to her, so she couldn’t see his expression, but he was sitting at the kiddie table as though he did this all the time. When Rosemarie had first asked to serve lunch on her little table, Jazmine had liked the thought of making Elijah uncomfortable. To test him, see if he was ready to be a real father to a little girl.

  Part of her would have been happy if he hadn’t shown up.

  “Did you leave her out there alone with him?” Her mother’s voice was at its coldest setting.

  “I had planned to be out there, but someone didn’t stick to the plan.” Jazmine twisted the corner of her mouth as she glared at her mother. Then she realized her father wasn’t with them.

  Her heart plunged. “Is something wrong with Daddy?”

  With pursed lips, her mother shook her head. She started removing her stylish blazer. “He’s good. His friend Larry is with him, and they wanted to sit by the pool and visit. Larry will help him up the stairs in just a bit. Two hours is too long for him to be out. It was the perfect time to touch base and see how it was going.”

  Craning her neck to look out the window, she made a disgruntled noise. “It’s a bad idea to have him here alone with you. He’s an acholic.”

  “Mother, it’s the middle of the day, and I wouldn’t have let him in if he had been drinking.” She picked up the purse her mother had placed on the counter and handed it to her. “Go. I told him it would just be the three of us for two hours. It hasn’t even been thirty minutes yet. Don’t turn me into a liar. They need a chance to get to know each other.”

  “He lost that chance when he picked up a bottle.” Ignoring the elegant leather bag, Azalea walked past her toward the outside door.

  Jazmine rushed to cut her mother off. “Rosemarie has a father, and we are going to learn to deal with that. Please go back to Daddy. I’ve got this.”

  A scream came from the balcony. Both women lunged for the door.

  Chapter Five

  Jazmine stopped when she saw Rosemarie jump up and down, then throw herself at Elijah. The force of her energy unbalanced his chair, throwing him backward. With one hand he caught himself and braced Rosemarie with the other.

  Azalea was over him in a flash. She scooped up Rosemarie, pulling the little girl against her as if saving her from certain death.

  “What’s wrong, baby girl?” she fussed.

  Elijah jumped to his feet and dusted off his pants. He gave Jazmine a guilty look.

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “What happened?”

  His gray-green eyes darted from her to the Gulf. “I kinda of...um. We were—”

  “He’s giving me a horse of my very own!”

  “What!” Both women turned to him, eyes wide.

  “You promised her a horse?” Azalea glared at him. “How irresponsible are you? You never grew up, did you? You’re the same—”

  “Mother. Stop.” Jazmine turned to Elijah. “You promised her a horse?”

  “A real one, Momma. He said I can pick it out. I want a palomino.” Rosemarie craned back to look at her grandmother. “And he’s a pirate. My dad is a real pirate.”

  “I’m not a—”

  As one, the mother and daughter team turned their glares to him again. The displeasure on Azalea’s face was tangible. “You told her you’re a pirate?”

  “He owns a pirate ship.” Turning from her grandmother, Rosemarie faced her father. “Right, Daddy? And fishing boats.” With a huge grin, she touched her grandmother’s face. “We can go fishing, and he said we could go to his ranch and pick out a horse.”

  “His ranch?” Sarcasm dripped like honey from Azalea’s lips.

  Jazmine cut her mother off before the insults started flying again. “Mother, could you take Rosemarie into the kitchen? Maybe eat one of the brownies we made.”

  “But we haven’t finished lunch, and I made the brownies for Daddy!”

  Jazmine’s eyes started burning. She hadn’t thought her daughter would bond this quickly to Elijah. Of course, she didn’t know that he would give her a horse or tell her five-year-old he was a pirate. Between gritted teeth, she forced a smile. “Go with GiGi.”

  The small shoulders slumped. “Can I take Zoe?” The voice that had been so happy just a bit ago was now trembling. Big tears were building in those sweet eyes as she looked up at her father. “I made brownies for you.”

  Elijah stepped closer, then dropped down to one knee. “It’s okay. I’m not leaving without saying goodbye.” He picked up the doll and handed it to her. “Go with your grandmother.”

  It grated on Jazmine’s nerves that he stepped in and acted like a parent. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. “He’s not going anywhere, sweetheart. We’ll be inside to have a brownie in a moment.”

  Her mother scoffed and turned away. She was not making this easier.

  “Mother, be nice.” She leaned in closer. “Please, keep your personal opinions to yourself.”

  Once they were alone, Elijah righted the chair. “Listen. I’m—”

  “No. This is not the kind of thing you can just say ‘Oops, my bad’ and then go on your merry way. You can’t make that kind of promise. And why are you lying to her about being a pirate?”

  Tilting her head back, she looked to the sky for answers. God, please help me here. “Elijah, you don’t have to impress her.” She came back to his guilty face. “You’re her father. She automatically loves you until you break her heart. Don’t lie to her.”

  “I’m not lying. I do own a pirate ship.” He stuffed his hands into his pressed jeans. “I don’t captain it, so I don’t think I can claim piratehood. I didn’t tell her I was a pirate. I offered to take her out on the water. It’s fun. The crew dresses up. Pretending to be a free and reckless pirate is a safe way to create an adventure. I told her she could be the brave daughter of a pirate. But no stealing. We don’t steal.” He winked at her, trying to lighten the mood, but his smile was sad.<
br />
  He had stolen. He had taken her dreams, her heart. Falling in love with the bad-boy pirate had been exciting and fun. Each day had been a new adventure with him. It had been the greatest time of her life.

  The last few months of their marriage? Not so much.

  “I have a whole fleet. I’m living the life we used to dream about. Remember all those crazy plans for owning boats and running the ranch?” One hip propped against the railing, he crossed his arms over his chest and stared out over the water. “After I got sober, I made my dream of being a pirate cowboy come true. Crazy, right?”

  She didn’t even know how to respond to that. “You.” She pointed at him. “You own a pirate ship?” Her mouth dropped open as she thought back to last night. “The restaurant? How?”

  He took a deep breath as though he was going to confess a deep, dark secret and nodded. “I told you I wasn’t a poor ranch kid anymore. You know how they say the storms of our lives can be blessings in disguise?” His Spanish-moss eyes burned with intensity, waiting for something.

  She nodded, not sure what else to do. Elijah had never been a liar, not until he started hiding his drinking.

  He shifted and braced his hand on the railing. “I lost my office job the Monday after you left. No one would take my calls.”

  She would not feel sorry for him. She wouldn’t.

  “My uncle was not an option. I went to the pier and took any job they’d give me. Working the recreational fishing boats, I met Miguel Valencia. We had an opportunity to buy a charter fishing boat, and he became my business partner. I always loved working outdoors meeting different people. I found my place.” The smile on his lips contrasted with the sadness in his eyes.

  “That sounds like a perfect career choice for you.” He had hated working in an office. Even if it had been one of the nicest offices in the county.

  On the water behind them, a boat was making its way to the bay. “We bought one boat that had been damaged in the storm and fixed it up. We put all our profits into the business. It grew.” He pointed to the boat full of people. “That’s one of ours. Now we have four fishing boats and a sightseeing boat. We opened the Painted Dolphin and just added the pirate ship. There are several other threads to our business, and now that my uncle is dead, I’m working with my sister and cousins to expand the income for the ranch. We might sell it, not sure yet. We’re looking at hosting a fishing tournament and rodeo event as a huge community festival. We need to start small but...well, we tend to expand quickly.”