by Brenda Novak
Josh frowned. “At that point I already knew she was okay.”
“How?”
“I saw her pulling out of Lucky’s driveway and flagged her down at the end of the road.”
“Did she say if she’d spoken to Lucky?”
“She wouldn’t tell me, which was indication enough. She mentioned that she was going to Finley’s to get some stuff for dinner, so I went home to tell Dad.”
Mike dropped his head in his hands and massaged his temples. He’d wondered at the suddenness of Lucky’s departure. Now he knew. Unfortunately, it didn’t bode well for future relations with his family.
But he hoped his mother would come around some day. Once she had the chance to know Lucky, he couldn’t see Barbara—or anyone else in the family—continuing to dislike her. Besides, he and Lucky would have an ace in the hole. They were going to have a baby, maybe two or three over the next ten years, and the mother he knew would never be able to reject her own grandchildren.
“Send Lucky another fax,” he said.
“What do you want me to say?” Josh asked.
“Tell her I want to consummate this deal right away.”
Josh grinned. “That’s it?”
“No.” Mike imagined holding a soft, squirming bundle in one arm and Lucky in the other and couldn’t help returning his brother’s smile. Life was going to change—a lot. But he was ready. Evidently the big 4-0 was his year. “Tell her I love her.”
EPILOGUE
HEARING THE DOORBELL at ten o’clock on a Wednesday morning surprised Lucky. The initial two weeks after the birth had been a flurry of excitement and activity, what with all the visits and gifts from her brothers and Mike’s friends and family, and Mike himself being home so much. But the past few days had slowed to a leisurely crawl. Although Mike appeared for lunch every day—sometimes an extended lunch because he seemed to have difficulty leaving—he worked mornings and most afternoons, which afforded her a few quiet hours with their new daughter.
The bell rang again before she could reach the front door. She parted the lace drapes she’d just bought for the Victorian to see Senator Holbrook standing on the porch. He’d called her occasionally over the past few months, to ask how she was doing. He’d even offered to go ahead with the paternity test. But there’d been so many positive changes in her life, Lucky had decided against it. Privately, she wanted to know, but she understood how worried Mike was about Gabe’s reaction. She didn’t want to cause a problem for Gabe or Reenie or anyone else. She and Mike were happy together. Her health was good; the ulcer she’d fought for more than a year before returning to Dundee was finally gone She already had more than she’d ever dreamed.
“Good morning,” she said, smiling as she opened the door.
The senator’s eyes swept curiously over her. “I hope I haven’t come at a bad time.”
“No. As a matter of fact, I could use the company. Sabrina’s been sleeping all morning.”
She invited him in, and he sat on the antique couch she and Mike had bought at an auction in Boise.
“You’ve done a lot with the house,” he said, gazing around. “It’s beautiful.”
Lucky experienced a moment of pride as she sat across from him. When she and Mike had decided to live in the Victorian, they’d seen it as a symbol of peace—the coming together of his family and hers. And it had been a good choice. She finally felt as though she belonged here. “Thank you. I’m not as good as Celeste at filling my house with fabulous paintings and other works of art, but I’m trying.”
“I’m sure she’d help you, if you’d ever be interested in shopping with her.”
“I’d like that,” Lucky said.
“Maybe we can make it a day when all three of us could go to lunch.”
Lucky hesitated. She wasn’t sure quite how to respond. The three of them? “Senator—”
“Please, call me Garth.”
“Garth, I understand why you responded the way you did in the past. Please don’t feel as if you have to make it up to me.”
His eyes strayed to Sabrina’s infant seat sitting by the door, which reminded Lucky of the day she’d bumped into him on one of her first forays into town after the birth of her daughter. He’d stopped her so he could see the baby, and had seemed oddly touched by the whole encounter. Lucky supposed she could be wrong in thinking that it held special significance for him, but something about the senator’s demeanor today seemed to confirm it.
“I think Mike’s done the right thing,” he said, surprising her by changing the subject.
“In what way?”
“He’s made it a point to let the whole town know how much he loves you, how much he respects you, and it hasn’t left any room for the past to intrude on the future.”
Lucky smiled at Garth’s comment. Mike’s actions and attitude had gone far toward neutralizing the old rumors and resentments. If someone turned away or whispered in her presence, Mike would only put his arm around her and stand taller. Even his family, his mother, had started making overtures of kindness, especially since the baby was born. “Sometimes I can’t believe I’m married to him,” she admitted. “I’ve loved him since I was sixteen.”
“I was as blind as everyone else at first, but I’m beginning to see that he’s the one who got the catch of the century.”
The unexpected compliment made her feel a comforting warmth. “Thank you.”
Garth opened his mouth to say something else, but Sabrina’s cries interrupted him. Excusing herself, Lucky went into the kitchen to scoop her daughter out of her baby swing. When she returned, Garth couldn’t seem to look at anything except Sabrina.
“Would you like to hold her?” Lucky asked.
He nodded and she put the baby in his arms.
“She’s beautiful.”
Lucky grinned. “Mike worships her.”
Garth didn’t respond right away. He kept staring at Sabrina, who seemed equally mesmerized by him.
Finally, he raised his eyes. “Lucky, I want to take the paternity test.”
Lucky blinked. “What?”
“I want to be part of your life, part of her life.”
“But what about Gabe? And Reenie?” Lucky asked.
“I’ve already told Celeste. With her support, I think Gabe and Reenie can handle the news. She keeps telling me that I’m underestimating them, that if I want to get to know you, I should do so. And I think she’s right. She even said they might benefit from having someone like you as a sister.”
Lucky had never expected to hear such words from Garth Holbrook. “I’ve never been so flattered,” she said. “But there’s still your bid for Congress, right? The election is only a couple of weeks away. A scandal could cost you your career.”
“That’s possible, but…” He gently kissed Sabrina’s head. “Some things are more important to me than a seat in Congress.”
Lucky reached out to rest a hand on his arm. “I hope you are my father,” she said and meant it.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-3669-5
A HOME OF HER OWN
Copyright © 2004 by Brenda Novak.
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and T
rademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
www.eHarlequin.com
