The Matchmakers' Daddy (Bayside Bachelors #4)

by Judy Duarte

  There was so much more to a man than met the eye.

  Of course, in Zack’s case, what met the eye was very nice, even with—or maybe because of—a five o’clock shadow that lent him a raw, dangerous air, especially under the spell of candlelight.

  Physically, he was the complete opposite of Peter, a man she’d practically handpicked when they were in college because he was so different from the dark-haired hellion who’d nearly ruined her life. She’d also chosen him because he’d been a man she thought her blue-collared, demanding-yet-impossible-to-please father would approve of. So she’d set her sights on the gentle man who hadn’t pointed out her every flaw and shortcoming.

  Other than one.

  She cleared her throat. “I’m afraid my daughters are a little…”

  “Eager to find their mother a boyfriend?” he supplied, with a chuckle and a sparkle in his eye.

  Thank goodness he’d not only broached the subject, but made light of the obvious, making her daughter’s matchmaking so much easier to address—and to set aside.

  “I’m afraid Becky has a romantic streak and has spent way too much time reading fairy tales,” she explained. “And Jessie just misses having a man around the house, even if it was only for a few minutes a day.”

  “Their father didn’t spend much time with them?”

  As had become her habit, she quickly jumped to Peter’s defense. “He was trying to build a church and was very busy.”

  “I guess that’s a good excuse,” Zack replied. “My dad didn’t have any time for me, but his reasons weren’t anywhere near as noble.”

  Diana smiled at their commonality. “My father was a long-haul trucker, so his time at home was pretty limited, too.”

  There’d been a difference, though. Her father’s absence had served to support his family the best way he knew how. To provide for them.

  Which was why, to this day, her father resented Peter for leaving her and the girls as poor as the proverbial church mice. And, to be honest, there were times when Diana resented Peter, too.

  Anger was part of the grieving process, and she’d been angry with God at first for taking Peter when he’d had such a good heart and had his whole life before him.

  But as time passed, that initial anger transferred to her deceased husband, a man who, according to her father, had been so spiritually minded, that he hadn’t been any earthly good.

  It was only at night, when she lay in bed alone, that she could admit her resentment. And then the guilt set in. How could she find fault with a man like Peter?

  Zack leaned forward and lowered his voice to an intimate caress. “Can I ask you a question?”

  She glanced across the table, saw the seriousness of his expression and was almost afraid to tell him it was okay to ask. “Sure, go ahead.”

  “What do you wish your husband would have done with your daughters?” He glanced at his hands, big hands that bore a couple of intriguing scars. Then he returned his gaze to her. “I mean, what kind of things would you have wanted your father to have done with you when you were a child?”

  He’d tossed out the question like the kind of verbal bait a counselor used to get to the heart of a person’s past, a person’s problems.

  Or maybe Zack figured they’d both had a less-than-perfect childhood in common.

  “It wouldn’t have had to be anything big or expensive, like taking a kid to a theme park. A trip to the library would have been nice, followed by a story or two. It wouldn’t have hurt him to spend a day at the playground with a picnic lunch. Or to take a walk on the shore and collect pretty rocks.” She gave a wistful little shrug of her shoulder. “It’s a matter of spending special time with a child. Attending a school play, sitting in the front row, taking pictures and clapping proudly, even if a kid forgot all her lines. Do you know what I mean?”

  Zack nodded, even though he wasn’t sure he did. He was constantly trying to think of things to do with Emily, the kind of things a daughter would enjoy with her father. But it wasn’t easy.

  As a kid, he’d moved around too much, from his grandmother’s home to a three-year stint with his old man, to foster care, to an uncle who drank himself to sleep each night. So Zack had come up short in knowing what a good father was like.

  Hell, during the time he’d lived with his old man, he would have been happy just to know his dad wouldn’t throw him against a wall or knock him on his ass for no reason at all.

  “I guess I know the kind of things boys like—video games, playing catch in the park. But men have a harder time relating to girls. Don’t you think?”

  “Maybe so. But loving a child enough to listen to her, to get an idea of what she might like or dislike, would be the first step.”

  He was already trying to do that. Emily liked going to the zoo. And playing on that big, colorful climbing structure at Burger Bob’s. But he was hoping to take her someplace Caitlin and Brett hadn’t already gone. Hoping he could come up with something that would be a first for her and him, something that would create a memory that was theirs alone.

  He supposed it was a little goofy to feel that way, but Emily was the only thing in his past that he was actually proud of, even though his contribution, so far anyway, had only been genetic.

  But he wasn’t ready to admit to Diana that he had a daughter. A kid someone else was raising because Zack had gone to prison when he was nineteen.

  Besides, Diana was probably one of the most perfect women he’d ever met. And just knowing she had an ex-con in her house might upset her.

  So, as much as he’d like to be honest with her and as happy as he was to have a sweet little girl like Emily, he kept his mouth shut.

  “So tell me about you,” she said. “I know you drive a bulldozer. Do you enjoy your work?”

  “Yeah. A lot. I like being outdoors.” He especially liked fresh air and sunshine. Prison had left him feeling a bit claustrophobic when indoors.

  She leaned forward. “What kind of things do you do in your spare time?”

  “I tinker on my car. And I read a lot.” Reading had been a habit he’d picked up while in Riverview. Back then it had helped him pass the time. He supposed it still did. He couldn’t wait until his parole was up and his life was his own again.

  And that was another reason he had no business being here, pretending to be something he wasn’t.

  “Well,” he said, pushing his chair from the table and getting to his feet. “I’d better get home and turn in. My alarm goes off pretty early in the morning. Thanks for inviting me to dinner.”

  “You’re welcome. Thanks for getting my car running. If you’ll wait a minute, I’ll get you that check for the battery.”

  He nodded, although he figured he’d just tear it up when he got out to his car. He didn’t want her to repay him—not when he suspected her paycheck never stretched far enough.

  She followed him into the house, single file, rather than two-by-two, which reminded him of the Noah’s Ark stuff that had been discussed earlier. The idea that people needed to go through life in pairs.

  Zack suspected that, if there was some kind of divine plan, it had to do with parents and children. With family units.

  After telling the girls goodbye and waiting for Diana to add her signature on a check he wouldn’t cash, he made his way to the front door.

  Her scent, something soft and alluring, taunted him.

  “Good night,” she said.

  It had been, he supposed. “Maybe I’ll see you around sometime.”

  She nodded, and he left.

  But as he strode down the sidewalk and to the Camaro he’d parked at the curb, he suddenly felt more alone than he’d ever been.

  And Zack had been alone for as long as he could remember.

  Chapter Four

  Zack had worked by himself for the last time on Saturday, but he hadn’t minded. When the rest of the crew began to trickle in next week, he’d be able to enjoy the various personalities that made up Bayside Construction
—at least, during lunch and after work.

  Neither Becky nor Jessie had shown up at all that day. He suspected that was because Diana had weekends off. Maybe she’d kept them inside. Or maybe she’d taken them somewhere.

  It really didn’t matter. He had a job to do and didn’t need the distraction, no matter how entertaining the girls had been.

  At quitting time, he’d gone to the gym, then picked up tacos at a drive-through. He didn’t go out much, like he had in his troublemaking days. He was too tried after work and too determined to keep his nose clean. After all, look what had happened to him the last time he’d been at the wrong place at the wrong time.

  So he went through the motions until Sunday morning rolled around.

  At about twenty minutes before noon, Zack parked his Camaro in a guest parking space at the Ocean Breeze condominium complex, climbed from the car and strode toward the white stucco buildings that sat amidst parklike lawns and tropical plants. He followed the hibiscus-lined sidewalk to the Tanners’ front door.

  As he stood before the woven, heart-shaped welcome mat, he lifted his hand and knocked lightly.

  He was a little early, but he hoped that wouldn’t be a problem. It had been a week since he’d seen his daughter.

  Of course, he called her every evening and talked to her before bedtime. The nightly calls had been Caitlin’s idea, and they’d quickly become something both Zack and Emily looked forward to.

  Emily opened the door, wearing a white blouse, pink pants and a bright-eyed grin. “Hi, Daddy.”

  “Hey, Sunshine.”

  She raised her arms, and he lifted her up.

  When she was at eye level, she said, “I’ve been waiting for you to come ever since I woke up.”

  He’d been waiting, too—ever since last Sunday afternoon when he’d dropped her off. “I’ve been watching the clock, too. But we don’t have to wait any longer.”

  Zack still found it hard to believe he’d had anything to do with this beautiful child’s creation. Other than big blue eyes the same color as his, she favored her biological mother. And oddly enough, she also bore an uncanny resemblance to Caitlin, the woman who’d loved and raised her.

  “Come in and talk to Mommy so we can go,” she told him. Then she called her mother. “Daddy Zack is here.”

  “I’ll be right there,” Caitlin answered from the other room.

  He carried Emily into the neat and clean living room that smelled of the potpourri Caitlin displayed in crystal bowls.

  The Tanners had gotten new furniture since he’d been here last week. The sofa was a solid green, with a floral design woven into the fabric. It was nice. Caitlin sure had an eye for decor and knew how to make a house a home.

  Would Diana decorate in the same manner, if her budget wasn’t so tight? Probably. He’d sensed something similar in the two women. Some maternal quality that helped them make a place feel comfortable and homey, whether it had new furniture or not.

  “Daddy, do you know what?” Emily asked.

  He tossed her a grin, eager to be invited into her little-girl world. “No. What?”

  “Mommy took me to visit my new school, and I got to meet my teacher, Miss Kathy. Then I got to see the playground. And you know what? You would really love it. There’s a great big slide and a swing and a sandbox.” Her eyes widened and a grin tugged at her little lips. “And guess what else.”

  He didn’t have a clue, but he wanted in on her excitement. “I can’t even imagine. Tell me.”

  “There’s a little playhouse with a kitchen inside, where we can cook pretend food, like pizza and bacon and hamburgers.”

  “That’s great. I’ll bet you’ll have fun playing and meeting a lot of new friends.”

  Emily nodded, eyes bright.

  Caitlin had mentioned putting her in preschool a couple of mornings a week. Apparently, she’d found one that she approved of. He didn’t know squat about that kind of stuff, but he trusted that Caitlin had done a lot of research before the visit.

  “Uh-oh,” Emily said. “I almost forgot my purse. And it has two quarters and some pennies in it. Can you please put me down so I can go get it?”

  “You bet.” He placed her on the floor, and she scurried off, just as her mother entered the living room.

  “Hi, Zack.”

  “I’m a little early,” he admitted, hoping she’d understand—and figuring she would.

  “That’s okay. Emily’s been ready to go since breakfast.”

  At one time, Caitlin had wanted to adopt Emily, something Zack had refused to allow. While he’d been in prison, he’d been dead-set on getting his life in order. And since he had a lot of time on his hands, he took college-level courses and managed to earn a bachelor’s degree he’d yet to use.

  But the first step in his plan, once he got out, had been to get custody of the child he’d never seen.

  He’d been prepared for a fight, if necessary. But that was before Brett Tanner had come to visit him at Riverview Correctional Facility.

  Brett, who’d later married Caitlin, had pointed out that separating Emily from the only mother she’d ever known would be unfair, if not downright cruel.

  And Zack had agreed. He’d had firsthand experience with being uprooted from a loving home.

  When Zack was only a couple years older than Emily, social services had removed him from his maternal grandmother’s care. Following a court-ordered rehab, his father had cleaned up and gotten married. So someone in the system had decided Zack would be better in a two-parent home, especially since his grandmother had been recently diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.

  It had been more than just a rough blow when Zack had been removed from Nellie Henderson’s care. It had been heartbreaking for both him and the only woman who’d ever really loved him.

  And he damn well wasn’t about to put his daughter through something like that.

  So the grown-ups who loved Emily had managed a compromise. And for the time being, visits on Sunday afternoon were okay with Zack.

  Emily, who’d returned to the living room with the strap of a little white purse slung over her shoulder, tapped his thigh. “Where are we going this time, Daddy?”

  “I heard about this neat place in Lakeside that has pony rides and a farm animal petting zoo. What do you think?”

  “Pony rides?” Her eyes grew wide, then she jumped up and down and clapped her hands. “Yea! I love ponies!”

  Emily loved all animals, which is why he’d decided Pistol Pete’s would be perfect.

  “Do you have a camera?” Caitlin asked him. “I’d really like to have some pictures for her scrapbook.”

  “I’ll get one of those disposable ones after we stop at Burger Bob’s for lunch.”

  Three hours, seven pony rides and forty-two snapshots later, Zack finally managed to talk Emily into leaving Pistol Pete’s, a small Wild West-style theme park. But not until she’d made friends with a goat, three rabbits, a pony named Hot Shot, Maxwell the llama and a parrot who was supposed to talk, but only squawked.

  “Can we come back another day?” she asked.

  “Of course.”

  He secured Emily in the car seat in back, then climbed behind the wheel.

  “Are we going to stop and see Grandma Nellie again?” she asked.

  “Yep. Maybe we should take her a chocolate milkshake.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Emily said. “She really likes chocolate.”

  His grandmother had written to him in prison, telling him she was praying for him. Zack hadn’t put much stock in that. But it helped to know that someone loved him and believed in him.

  When he was paroled, he’d gone to see her in the nursing home where she’d been living for the past ten years. And ever since then, he and Emily ended their Sunday afternoons with a visit to her.

  Grandma Nellie didn’t get too many visitors, so he tried to stop by as often as he could. He’d been a little worried about taking Emily there on that first day, since he wasn’t
sure how she’d handle being at a convalescent home. The place had been a little unsettling for Zack until he’d gotten used to it.

  But Emily had been a real trouper. In fact, she’d become a kind of mascot for the elderly residents, many of whom were confined to a wheelchair or a walker.

  “Grandma Nellie will be happy to see us,” Emily said.

  “She’ll be especially happy to see you, Sunshine.”

  Ten minutes later, they pulled into the parking lot of the Mountain Meadow Manor. Zack helped Emily from her car seat. Then before reaching for her hand, he picked up the cardboard carrier that held three chocolate shakes.

  They entered the assisted living facility and headed for the front desk.

  “We’ve come to see Nellie Henderson,” Zack said.

  The blond, fifty-something receptionist smiled. “Nellie was hoping you’d come again today. She’s out in the rose garden, enjoying the blooms. Apparently, she used to be a member of the rose society when she was younger.”

  And before arthritis had crippled her.

  “Yes, she did. And she loves roses. Thanks.” Zack led Emily down the hall and through the doorway that led to the patio.

  His grandmother had parked under the shade of a maple tree, her back to the door as she studied a rose bush in full bloom. A harvest-colored afghan was draped over her lap.

  She didn’t see them at first. And when Emily walked up to greet her, the gray-haired woman broke into a happy smile. “Well, hello there, precious.”

  “Hi, Grandma Nellie. Me and Daddy went to Pistol Pete’s, and I got to ride the ponies. And I got to pet a goat and a little lamb and lots of bunnies.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Zack’s grandmother said. “When I was a little girl like you, I had a pony of my very own. His name was Pretty Boy.”

  Emily’s eyes brightened. “I’d like a pony of my own.” She turned to Zack and laid that smile on him, the one that turned his willpower to mush and made it tough to say no.

  “Grandma used to live on a farm,” he explained. “So she had plenty of room in the yard for a pony. You live in a condominium, and I live in an apartment.”