Return of the Prodigal Son

by Ruth Langan

  Donovan shook his head. “Keep it.”

  The boy stopped in his tracks, his mouth open in surprise. “You mean it?”

  “Yeah.” Donovan couldn’t help chuckling at the look of pure astonishment on the boy’s face. “I saw those pictures you snapped last time we were in the woods. They’re good. I think you might have a future in photography.”

  As Cory moved along beside Donovan, he wasn’t certain if his feet were touching the ground. When they reached his house he went dashing inside, shouting, “Mom. I’m home.”

  Andi walked into the kitchen. When she realized her son wasn’t alone, she felt her cheeks grow hot. “Hi, Donovan.”

  “Andi.” He remained by the door.

  “Look what Donovan gave me.” Cory held out the camera.

  Andi took the camera from his hand and looked it over, then shot a look at the man before shaking her head. “This is far too expensive…”

  “Too late.” Donovan held up a hand to cut off her protest. “I’ve already given it to him.”

  “But this is…”

  “A gift. From me to Cory. There’s nothing you can say that will change my mind.” He grinned at the little girl who came dashing down the stairs. “How was your visit with Doc Carrington?”

  “I sat really still in the chair while he counted my teeth. And he said I was so good I could choose two toys from the toy chest.”

  “Two? I’m impressed. So, what did you pick?”

  She reached into the pocket of her pink-checked jeans and pulled out a little duck. “You wind him up and he walks across the table and says quack.” While she was explaining, she proudly gave a demonstration.

  “Pretty neat.” Donovan was grinning from ear to ear. “What else did you get?”

  “This.” She dug in her other pocket and retrieved a tiny lipstick.

  He arched a brow. “Is that real lipstick or just pretend?”

  “It’s real gloss,” the girl said proudly. “It tastes like bubble gum.”

  “So do you wear it or eat it?”

  Taylor giggled. “I wear it. But Mama says I can only wear it on special occasions.”

  “Like on your sixteenth birthday?”

  “You’re silly.” Taylor dissolved in giggles.

  At the sound of her daughter’s laughter Andi realized just how much she’d missed this. And missed the man who brought such joy to her children.

  She looked over at Donovan. “I hope you’ll stay and eat with us. I brought pizza from town.”

  “Pizza.” Cory stopped examining his camera long enough to declare, “I’m starving.”

  Donovan nodded. “Now that you mention it, so am I.”

  “You’ll stay?” Andi’s smile bloomed. “It’ll just take a few minutes to heat it up.”

  “While you’re doing that, the kids and I will set the table, right after we wash up.” He turned to Cory. “Think you can tear yourself away from the camera long enough to lend a hand?”

  Reluctantly Cory set the camera aside and went to wash. Afterward the two children helped Donovan set the table. By the time the pizza was hot, their mouths were watering.

  While Donovan passed around the hot slices, Andi filled a platter with sizzling fries. Except for a few sighs of pleasure, the four of them fell silent as they devoured their meal.

  After his third slice, Donovan leaned back and sipped strong hot coffee. “There were times when I would be in a jungle eating nuts and berries, or in a peasant village eating rice and beans, and I’d find myself so hungry for pizza I could almost taste it.”

  Taylor nibbled stringy cheese. “Why didn’t you just order some?”

  “They don’t have pizza shops in jungles, Taylor,” Cory said importantly.

  “They don’t?” Taylor looked to Donovan for confirmation.

  “Cory’s right. There are plenty of little towns and villages in the world where they’ve never even heard of fast food.”

  “What do they eat when their mamas don’t want to cook?”

  Donovan chuckled. “I hope you never have to find out.” Just then his smile widened when Andi placed bowls of chocolate ice cream in front of them, along with a dish of chocolate chip cookies.

  “Double chocolate.” Donovan dipped a spoon in the ice cream, then bit into a cookie. “It doesn’t get much better than this.”

  Across the table Andi found herself thinking the same thing. The sound of her children’s laughter was like a soothing balm to her wounded soul. All it took was a word from this man and the children changed before her eyes. Today was a perfect example. All the way to town Taylor had speculated on the toys in Doc Carrington’s office. Not once had she worried about meeting a stranger. And all because of the seed Donovan had planted.

  After dinner the four of them worked together clearing the table and loading the dishwasher, before the children headed out on the back porch.

  “There’s coffee left, Donovan.” Andi held up a clean cup. “Want some?”

  “Sure.” When she handed him the coffee their fingers brushed. Instead of pulling away, she paused to lay a hand over his. “Thanks for taking Cory hiking today. He was so excited. But the camera…”

  He stopped her with a finger to her lips that had something dark and dangerous flaring in his eyes. “I want him to have it.”

  “All right.” She stood perfectly still, wishing it were his mouth on hers, instead of his finger.

  She wondered if he could read the desire in her eyes.

  “Mama.” At the sound of Taylor’s shout, both she and Donovan hurried to the porch.

  Taylor pointed to the darkness. “Mama, I saw a little light.”

  “I saw one, too.” Cory was out of his chair and racing to the edge of the porch.

  Seconds later they saw another one and then another.

  “What are they?” Cory asked.

  “Fireflies.” Donovan leaned a hip against the porch railing. “When we were kids, my brothers and sister and I used to catch them in jars and watch them light up.”

  “You did?” Cory turned. “Could we try?”

  “I don’t see why not.” Andi left, returning minutes later with two glass jars. “Just remember that you if you catch any, you have to turn them loose after they’ve performed their little trick for you.”

  “We will.” Cory handed a jar to his little sister, and the two dashed out into the darkness, chasing the tiny lights.

  Suddenly Cory shouted, “I caught one.”

  The two children hurried up on the porch, and the four of them gathered around, watching as the tiny firefly gave off its sparks, lighting up the jar.

  “It really does light up.” Cory was as fascinated as his little sister.

  After a few minutes Andi said, “I think you’d better set this little firefly free.”

  Cory took his hand away from the top and the insect flew off, leaving little sparks of light in its wake.

  “Will you help me catch one now, Cory?” Taylor held up her empty jar.

  “Sure. Come on.” Cory took her by the hand, and the two of them danced across the backyard.

  Andi settled down on a glider, listening to the sound of her children’s laughter.

  When Donovan joined her he touched a finger to her cheek. “What’s this? Tears?”

  She sniffed. “Happy tears. Listen.”

  He lifted his head. “I don’t hear anything except the kids.”

  “That’s just it. For so long now all I heard was whining and complaining, and often, late at night, the sound of their crying. In just these few short weeks all our lives have changed. Taylor used to hide behind my skirts whenever she had to meet anyone new. Today she shook the dentist’s hand and sat quietly in the chair while he examined her teeth. And Cory.” She shook her head. “He’s been so unhappy for so long. And suddenly it’s as though the sun has come out after a year of angry storm clouds.”

  “I’m glad.” He set aside his empty cup and drew an arm around her shoulders. “So. Now that
you’ve described your children, what about their mother? How’re you holding up, Andi?”

  She turned to him with shining eyes. “Don’t you see? If they’re happy, I’m happy. I can’t bear to see them suffering. And it’s all because of you, Donovan. Ever since we came here and met you, our lives have changed.”

  “I wish I could take the credit. But the truth is, since meeting the three of you, my life has changed for the better, too.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. Really.” He tipped up her face and brushed his mouth over hers.

  The rush of heat was so intense, he felt as though he’d been thrust into a furnace. The need for this woman was an ache, sharp and deep, that had him sucking in a breath on the pain.

  Against her lips he whispered, “You know I want you, Andi.”

  “I know.” She lifted a hand to his cheek and moved back so she could look into his eyes. “What frightens me is that I want you, too.”

  She saw the quirk of his lips before he pressed his forehead to hers. “That’s a relief. I’d hate to think this was a one-sided relationship.”

  “It isn’t a relationship.” She drew back, hating the way her body strained toward his. Even now, with a single kiss, she had to struggle against the most amazing tug of desire that had her blood heating, her bones melting.

  “What is it?” He reached over, twirling a strand of her hair around his finger.

  “It’s a friendship, I hope. And maybe, in time, it can be more.”

  “Time.” He couldn’t hide the frustration in his voice.

  “I need time, Donovan. Time to grieve my loss. Time to help my children through their own grief. And time to be sure that what I’m feeling isn’t just loneliness.” The mere touch of his hand on her hair had ribbons of fire and ice curling along her spine. Her voice trembled. “How would you feel if you found out that I’d used you to satisfy my own needs?”

  His smile was quick and dangerous. “I’m willing to sacrifice my body, if that’s what it takes.”

  “Oh, you.” She framed his face with her hands. “What am I going to do with you?”

  “You could start by kissing me.”

  She brushed her lips over his, intending a light, teasing kiss. But the moment their lips met, everything changed. One moment they were laughing. The next they were locked in an embrace that had all the breath backing up in their lungs as they took the kiss deeper.

  Andi gave herself up to the pleasure. Oh, it felt so good to be held in these strong, capable arms. So right to be here with this man.

  “Mama. Donovan.” Little Taylor’s voice had them moving apart. “I finally caught one. Look.”

  The little girl came rushing up the steps with Cory behind her. “Look at the light.”

  Donovan and Andi went through the motions of watching the firefly, until at last the children released it to the darkness. But all the while they felt the electric charge that shot between them each time they touched.

  A short time later, as Donovan walked along the gravel path to his house, his thoughts were as dark as the night that closed around him. He’d never wanted anything, or anyone, as desperately as he wanted Andi Brady. But she was right, of course. If this relationship were to move to another level, the choice had to be hers.

  He just hoped he didn’t slowly go mad while she made up her mind.

  Chapter 9

  It was barely dawn, but Donovan had been up for hours feeling tense and edgy. He’d been reading through the Adam Brady file before going to bed. Something he’d read had begun playing through his mind while he slept. It was a pattern in his life since early childhood. At rest, his mind took over and worked through whatever knotty problems he had to deal with, until all the tangles were gradually unraveled. Now he found himself wide-awake and sifting through the report again.

  He flipped through another page, then stopped and reread the paragraph a second time. His eyes narrowed in thought. It wasn’t much. But it was a question that needed answering. He tapped a pencil against the desktop. This wasn’t something he could accomplish by going through channels.

  He booted up his computer and sent an e-mail to an old friend who still had access to government files. There was no way of knowing when, or even if he would get a reply.

  Rubbing a hand over the stubble on his chin he headed toward the bathroom to shave and shower. Half an hour later, while he sipped fresh coffee, he checked his e-mails and found an answer.

  His fingers flew over the keys as he responded. After several more e-mail exchanges, he shut down his computer. As he reached for the keys to his car he was shaking his head in amazement. It would seem his fellow patriots, who had once called themselves The Lost, were still connected. If only by the slimmest of threads.

  “Mom.” Cory slammed into the house and held out a wrinkled piece of paper. “Donovan isn’t home. This was taped to his door.”

  Andi read the handwritten note:

  “Gone to D.C. Don’t know when I’ll be back.”

  Cory was reading over her shoulder, though he already knew what it said. He looked crestfallen. “Why didn’t he tell us?”

  “Maybe something came up unexpectedly.” She managed a smile, even though she was as distressed as her son. “After all, he doesn’t owe us an explanation every time he makes a move.”

  “I know. But he didn’t say a word about this last night.”

  She was thinking the same thing. Aloud she merely said, “I’ve been meaning to scrub the barbecue. I think this would be a good day to tackle it. Want to help?”

  He shrugged. She could see that his heart wasn’t in it. Neither was hers. But she’d always found solace in work. Maybe it would help Cory to stay busy.

  “Come on,” she coaxed. “Afterward, I’ll cook burgers.”

  “Okay. I guess.” Cory glanced at the note again, then walked away.

  Suddenly all the joy had gone out of his day.

  As Donovan turned off the highway and drove through the little town of Prattsville, he touched a hand to the dark growth that shadowed his lower face.

  He hadn’t expected to be gone for three days. But once he got to D.C. he knew he wasn’t going to leave until he had all the information he wanted. It had been far from easy. If not for his old connections, it would have been impossible to access the government’s files and come up with some of the material that was listed as classified.

  Donovan had mastered the art of using his clout only when it was absolutely necessary. There were plenty of people in Washington who owed him favors. He rarely called in his markers. But when he did, old friends responded and seemed almost gleeful at the prospect of breaking a few rules. After all, that had been one of the traits that had brought them all together in the first place. Their ability to think on their feet, to defy logic, to question authority, had brought them to the attention of a top-secret organization hoping to recruit enthusiastic members. Donovan and his cohorts had seen themselves standing tall and proud against any and all aggressors. Even, at times, their own government bureaucracy.

  He turned onto the gravel path and slowed his car when he saw two figures up ahead.

  Cory and Taylor looked up, then started running toward him.

  “Donovan. You’re back.” Taylor’s voice was high-pitched with excitement. “Mama. Look. Donovan’s back.”

  Andi was sweeping the front porch. She set aside her broom and walked out to the road, hoping she didn’t look too eager to see him.

  “Hi.” Donovan brought his car to a stop and lowered the window.

  Taylor stood on tiptoe to peer inside the car. “Where’d you go, Donovan?”

  “I had some business in D.C.”

  “We missed you. Didn’t we, Mama?”

  Andi had no chance to reply before Taylor said, “We were afraid you were never coming back. Weren’t we, Cory?”

  “Yeah. You were gone a long time, Donovan.” The boy’s tone was accusing. He was studying the dark beard that covered the man’s cheeks a
nd chin, and the rumpled clothing that gave him the look of something untamed and more than a little dangerous. “Did you sleep in your car?”

  “At a friend’s place.” Donovan was working hard at not staring at Andi. But it wasn’t easy. She looked so good. She was wearing some kind of pink gauzy shirt that clung to her breasts and was tied at her midriff. Below that were shorts in the same material. Between the shorts and blouse was a tantalizing expanse of pale flesh.

  “A girlfriend?” Taylor asked innocently.

  Andi’s hand paused midway to her throat.

  “No. A guy I used to work with.”

  She felt her heart resume beating. And though she wasn’t aware of it, her smile was back. “If you haven’t had dinner yet, we were getting ready to eat. I’m making fried chicken.”

  “And biscuits.” Taylor added.

  Donovan touched a hand to his beard. “Do I have time to go up to the house and shave?”

  Andi hoped she didn’t look as eager as her children. “Take all the time you want.”

  “Can Cory and I go along?” Taylor turned pleading eyes toward her mother.

  She was shaking her head. “I don’t want you pestering—”

  Donovan gave her a quick smile. “Let them come. They can open up the house and let in some air while I clean up.”

  She relented. “As long as you don’t mind.”

  Cory was already opening the car door and helping his little sister inside to ensure that their mother didn’t have a change of heart. With their seat belts fastened, they waved as Donovan pulled away.

  Taylor turned to watch her mother climb the steps of the porch. “Mama missed you, Donovan.”

  “Now how would you know that?”

  “She talked about you a lot. And sometimes when she thought we weren’t looking, she’d stare up the hill at your house.”

  Donovan had to take a moment for his heart to settle. Thank heaven for little tattlers. “I missed her, too. I missed all of you.”

  “You did?”

  He was aware of two pairs of honey eyes watching him in the rearview mirror with a hunger that did strange things to his heart. One of them looked hopeful. The other looked as angry and hurt as ever. “Yeah. I did. A lot.”