The Texan's Secret Daughter

by Jolene Navarro

  But if all the changes she had seen in his life were true, there was no reason to run from him again. He was right. She had run last time, and she was about to run again.

  * * *

  Offshore, thunder rolled. The sunny day disappeared fast as storm clouds were propelled in from the Gulf. They had made it only a mile before the weather changed on them. Announcing they needed to head back, Elijah was met with a chorus of groans.

  After rubbing down and stalling the horses, they ran for the screened porch that covered the back of the ranch house. They almost made it before the heavens opened.

  Belle pulled out towels for everyone as lightning flashed across the sky. The girls laughed and recapped their ride, not realizing how dangerous the weather had become.

  Elijah jumped as he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. Turning, he found his sister. Belle’s brows were pulled tight.

  “Everyone’s fine and we made it safely to the porch.” Taking his hand, she squeezed it between both of hers. “I know the storms bring back the worst memories, but he’s gone. He can’t hurt us anymore. Don’t give him the power.” She pointed her chin toward the girls, now sitting with Jazmine. “Relax and have fun.”

  They would never know the fear of being locked outside during a storm or sleeping in the mud as rain poured into the shed they were locked inside. Their childhood would be filled with joy, love and adventures. Storms wouldn’t bring the monsters out of the shadows, because they wouldn’t have monsters there to begin with.

  “Knock, knock!” His cousin’s widow, Selena, opened the screen door from the kitchen. “Room for a few more?” She carried one little boy on her hip, his straight dark hair falling over his gray eyes. Two more with identical wild curls toddled out ahead of her as she guided them like a mother with three arms. The two on the ground squealed when they saw Cassie and Lucy.

  “We heard a rumor that I have a new niece, and the boys wanted to meet her.” She tried to set the one she held on the floor, but he clung to her and buried his face in her hair.

  Selena hugged Jazmine with her free arm and introduced her sons. Elijah went into the house and helped Belle gather the ingredients to make ice cream. Cassie and Lucy showed Rosemarie how to add each item to the ice cream maker. Female voices and children’s laughter filled the porch as the rain hit the metal roof.

  Selena cut a bowl full of fresh peaches.

  Elijah sat back. The women in his family were so strong. He was the weak link. Ben was an ugly but true reminder of who he was at his core. He had failed. When Jazmine and Belle had needed him, he had been drunk.

  He was one drink away from being that guy again. He wasn’t two separate people, the good guy versus the jerk. They both lived in him.

  Rosemarie ran to him with two ice creams in hand. “Did you see? We made real ice cream. Here’s yours.” She took a bite of hers, and her eyes rolled back in bliss. “This is so good, Daddy. Momma said this is why she fell in love with you.”

  Jazz bumped him until he scooted over. Sitting next to him, she nodded. “How can a girl say no to a man with homemade peach ice cream and a barn full of horses?”

  Rosemarie giggled, then ran off to join her cousins.

  They sat next to each other as they watched the kids play on the porch. Two of the triplets kept trying to run out into the storm. The other was forever hiding his shoes under something. Selena finally gave up on covering his feet, but she refused to let the children out. They turned their attention to the litter of half-grown pups in a playpen. The girls took the pups out and total complete joyous chaos ensued.

  “Jazmine.”

  Her large eyes turned to him as she took another bite of her ice cream.

  “Thank you for making sure Rosemarie...” He didn’t know how to put what was in his heart into words she would understand.

  “Elijah?” She lowered the ice cream cone as she looked directly at him. “What is it?”

  “You’ve given Rosemarie a childhood and home that is full of love. You made sure she was safe. Thank you.”

  “It’s what any mother would do.”

  “No, it’s not. I didn’t even know what a home was until you made one for us. I’d never belonged anywhere. My mother didn’t stay around to make sure we were okay.”

  He’d had a tough childhood, but... “I knew your mother left you, but you had a home. You had your sister and cousins. Despite your uncle, y’all seemed so close.”

  “We were. We needed each other to survive.” Another roll of thunder vibrated the house as lightning flashed.

  She held his hand. The warmth anchored him. The kids laughed and crawled into the daybed with the puppies.

  He couldn’t look at her. “I never wanted you to see me as less because of the way I grew up. I didn’t have a bedroom. Most nights I wasn’t allowed to stay inside the house.”

  She gasped. “You never said anything about being forced to sleep outside. That’s child abuse. Why didn’t anyone intervene for y’all? Where did you sleep?”

  He shrugged and kept his voice low. “We were De La Rosas. We were written off as damaged goods.” His jaw hard, he looked down, then tilted his head back and scrutinized the ceiling as if it held the answers. “On a good night we slept here on the porch or in the barn. Sometimes he wouldn’t let us stay there, either. Storms made him worse. We made sure to stay out of sight during storms.”

  All the moisture left her mouth as she sat next to him, perched on the edge of the bench they shared. His worst nights had been during storms.

  “When we disobeyed orders, he had a toolshed he’d lock us in for periods of time.” He turned to face her. “I’m not telling you to make you feel sorry for me. I just want to be honest about everything. Part of the reason I drank was the shame...”

  Instinct made her tuck his arm against her and pull him close so there was no space between them. The need to comfort him drowned out all other worries. Her fingers wrapped around his. “But that’s your uncle’s shame. Not yours.”

  A rough grunt was followed by a lopsided grin. “At the very least it was embarrassing. You came from such a perfect family.”

  “Elijah, no family is perfect. A child is not responsible for the actions of the adults in his life.” Running her hand up his arm, she squeezed. “There was no way you had done anything to deserve that treatment.”

  “In my head I know that. But here—” he tapped his chest “—is another story. That’s part of what I had to learn. I’m dealing with it.”

  “You hated your uncle, so why did you stay in Port Del Mar? You had to fight my parents and him to build a life here.”

  Rolling his shoulders back, he shifted away from her. “I’ve always liked a challenge.” His sarcasm wasn’t missed.

  “Some might call it stubbornness.” She let her dry tone match his but followed it with a wink.

  “Yeah. That’s a trait the De La Rosa family had in abundance.”

  “Hello, have you met my mother? Poor Rosemarie didn’t have a chance. There were times I wasn’t sure if we’d survive the terrible twos, and then she hit the threes.” Both of their gazes went to their daughter. “Man, those made the twos look easy. She was awesome at saying no, but if anyone dared say no to her, she could bring the roof down with her fits.”

  He frowned. “She was difficult? She’s so sweet and shy.” His expression had relaxed. Rosemarie was letting a puppy lick her nose as she giggled.

  “Will you tell me more about her as a baby and toddler?”

  Jazmine smiled. “She’s my favorite topic. Around new people and places she is very shy, but once she’s comfortable, watch out.” She told him of the period when Rosemarie refused to wear clothes. Then about the battle of eating anything other than chicken nuggets. Her obsessions with horses and purple. He asked questions and laughed at the more outrageous stories.

  The smile on h
is face was warm and relaxed. “Okay. So, she’s sweet, shy, smart and stubborn. All the best s words. I wish I could have been there.”

  “You’re here now, and you’ll be there for her in the years to come.”

  Years? The thought of a forever promise terrified him. Another spiderweb of electricity flashed through the clouds as thunder rolled over the land. The girls jumped and screamed, then fell into bouts of laughter.

  While they were on the beach, the storm had come in unexpectedly. What if he hadn’t gotten them back to the house in time today?

  Damian might have the right idea. His family was safer with him watching from the perimeter.

  If he made a mistake or a misstep, the collateral damage would be too high. Should he even get a house in Denver? Jazmine’s instincts had been spot-on the first time, so why was he trying to stop her from running now?

  Chapter Thirteen

  Jazmine took a deep breath as she let the quiet of her car soothe her. Ten minutes ago, she had pulled up to the beachside cottage she and Elijah had bought just months after they had married.

  With Jazmine and Rosemarie leaving for Denver soon, Elijah had wanted to make dinner for them tonight in the home they had built together.

  The home they built together. The words had bumped around in her head since he said them. They had made promises to each other, and the only thing that stopped them had been his drinking, which he acknowledged and turned over to God. So, what was stopping her now?

  For over twenty-four hours, she’d rehashed the same dialogue with herself. Her heart pounded as she sat in the car looking up at the warm lights shining out. This was where their love had grown and died. The best and the worst had all happened here.

  Since she’d been back, God had shown her the best could still be theirs if they both trusted Him. Now she was about to change their course again, if Elijah agreed.

  To her surprise, her father supported her. Her mother hadn’t said anything one way or the other but had agreed to keep Rosemarie tonight so that she could talk to Elijah about their future.

  She’d even bought a new sundress in his favorite color.

  Her barely there sandals hit the first step, and she looked down. The wooden deck and all the old loose boards were gone, replaced with all-weather decking. There hadn’t been enough money for upgrades back in the day.

  The seaside cottage sat high on the exposed pilings. It was smaller than her parents’ beach house, but the first time she saw it from the beach she dreamed of making it her home. Before they were married, she had told Elijah it should be theirs.

  She had fallen in love with the wraparound deck. The turquoise blue she had picked out looked fresh. It was a bit of a shock to see he had repainted the deck the same color. The corners of her mouth went up, easing some of her dread.

  It had taken her a while to convince Elijah that the color was perfect. It still looked good on their little beachfront house. The white trim had recently been redone, too.

  Her knees shook so hard she had to slow her pace. When her parents said the house had been sold in the divorce, she had cried. It made the end of their marriage more real than anything else.

  The outside looked the same, but the inside had to have been changed. Had other women picked out furniture or rearranged her dream home? She stopped.

  This had been a mistake. If other women had been in her home, she’d be sick. Maybe she should meet him somewhere else.

  It had been six years since she had left him, but she had never really thought about Elijah moving on without her, never thought of him building a new life inside the shell of their old one. It should have been expected, though. He was young, good-looking and now a successful business owner.

  Laying her hand on her heart, she tried to calm its rapid beating.

  This was their house, where their family belonged.

  The idea of restoring their relationship had been planted in her brain that day on the ranch. Or maybe it was in her heart. Her heart had gotten her in trouble before. But her head also told her they could have the future he’d promised her over seven years ago.

  Standing on the deck wasn’t going to get anything done. Closing her eyes, she cleared her head. God, I’m turning this over to You. I know through You all things are possible, and if he has put You first, then we can do this. We need You to guide us through these choppy waters.

  She stood and smoothed out the nonexistent wrinkles in her soft pink summer dress, then adjusted the starfish necklace.

  The windows glowed with warm light. Her heart slammed against her chest. This time, they could get it right.

  Raising her fist, she paused. Her bracelets slid down her wrist. On the anniversary of their first date, he had given her a bracelet made of natural stones. He had promised to give her one each year.

  She smiled at the pretty pieces of jewelry. Six were missing. But those six years might be the most important to their future. They had needed that time to grow up and find the strength to trust in God.

  Before her knuckles hit the textured glass. Elijah opened the door and stepped back, a huge smile on his face and a dish towel in his hand. “Sorry, I didn’t hear a knock. Have you been here long? Come in.” He looked behind her. Frowning, he stepped onto the deck and looked around. “Where’s Rosie?”

  “I left her with my parents.”

  He closed the door, confusion on his face. “But I thought we were having dinner together. Is something wrong?”

  She played with the bracelets on her arm. “No. I just wanted to talk with you alone. Talk about our future.”

  “Our future? With Rosemarie? I don’t understand.” He rubbed his palm against his worn jeans. A look of deep fear burned in his eyes. “Have your parents—”

  “No. No. It’s nothing like that. I think this is good news. I hope it’s good news.” Now she wasn’t so sure of herself. This had seemed so much easier in her head. Needing to center herself, she scanned the living area that used to be her home. The fear of seeing changes had made her avoid really looking around.

  What she found startled her. “It looks the same.”

  It was a large open room that flowed into the white kitchen. An island anchored the space between the rooms. The four stools she had found at an estate sale were still there, waiting for the family she had always imagined.

  The cream sectional was new, but the same style. The pillows had been replaced, too. But they were still the fun, tropical colors and patterns she had y spent hours selecting.

  She turned slowly, taking in every detail. “You haven’t changed anything.”

  As she took in their old living space, her hand went to her heart. There had been a few new additions that brought tears to her eyes.

  Photos of Rosemarie were framed and placed around the living room. The drawing their daughter had made for him after their horse ride hung in the dining room.

  Even the lopsided ceramic cup that she had made at Sunday school was on the island holding scissors and measuring spoons. Seeing her daughter’s work in the home she had decorated so many years ago tightened her heart and twisted it into a lump of emotion.

  Moving to the island, he draped the town over the edge of the sink and kept a wary gaze on her. “I loved everything you did here. Growing up, well, you know. For the first time, I had somewhere I belonged.” He looked at her. “A place that was made for me.”

  Until he had told her the horrible events of his childhood, she hadn’t really understood his need for a home.

  “For you and our children.” Sitting on the stool across from him, she reached over and took his hand. “Is this why you stayed here instead of leaving? You could have started over somewhere new.” Like she had done. Instead, he had stayed and fought for the dreams they had shared. Now she knew without a doubt she was ready to fight alongside him.

  He stood, walking to the sink.
“I couldn’t leave. Too many people needed me. Belle’s husband left her. Then we lost Xavier. Selena discovered she was pregnant with triplets.” One hip pressed against the edge of the counter, he turned to the window, as if studying something out in the darkness only he could see. His shoulders tensed as though the weight of the world was getting too heavy.

  “They needed me. Honestly, I had thoughts about leaving.” His gaze sought her. “There was a part of me that was hanging on to the idea that you might come back. I had to let that go. There were times I thought I’d be better off selling and starting over.”

  His chest expanded as he inhaled deeply. “The absolute truth? When we first started dating, I didn’t think I deserved you. I thought that once we were married I could relax. You’d be mine, right?”

  She slipped onto the stool and nodded.

  “But even then I was afraid you would realize I wasn’t worth the hassle. Fear drove me to hide in the alcohol. Your parents wanted me to be more. They made that clear when they got me the job in the law office. I hated every minute of it. But I couldn’t tell you.”

  “I never expected—”

  “I know. I’m not blaming you or them. It’s just what was in my head at the time. You needed someone better than me. I tried and, as we know, it didn’t work out so well.”

  Both of her hands went to her mouth. “Elijah.”

  With a sigh, he crossed the kitchen, out of her reach. “I fought to keep the house because of you.” He ran his hand over the butcher-block countertop. “The house was a reminder that you saw something in me you could love, even if it was for a short time. I lost control of my life, and I lost you because I was living in fear and hiding—or trying to hide.” Bracing his hands on the edge, he lifted his head and studied her for a minute.

  His half-cocked grin melted her heart.

  “Reclaiming my life was not easy. During the darkest days of my battle, the house became a touchstone. When my uncle’s voice got too strong, our home reminded me that, through God, I was worthy of love.”