Beneath the lamp he saw a framed picture of the two of them with their arms wrapped around each other. He remembered when and where it had been taken as if it were yesterday. His heart gave him a karate-sized kick, sending him back to the kitchen.
He opened the bottle and shook out the prescribed two pills for her. She swallowed them with the last of her water.
“More?”
She shook her head.
“You need to be in bed. I’ll help you.”
“No—you’ve done enough. The weakness has passed.”
Her color had improved. It was the only reason he didn’t pick her up and carry her to the bedroom.
Chase stood next to her chair. She refused to look at him. “I realize the shock has been too much for you so I’m going back to my motel. It’s only a mile from here. Just understand that I want to have a full relationship with our daughter, but I’ll honor your wishes if you decide she can’t handle learning about my heart condition.
“Please let me know one way or the other. Depending on your decision, we’ll come up with a plan to be introduced. I’m on vacation and will wait as long as it takes for your phone call.”
“I can’t give you a timetable for anything.”
“You need to keep in mind there’s an endless line of archaeologists waiting for the opportunity you’ve been offered to work in the park. Roberta’s too young to know you were singled out from all the others because of your outstanding credentials and experience in Afghanistan. Superintendent Telford is counting on you to vindicate him in adding an archaeologist with your particular expertise.”
She made no response, indicating she was barely tolerating his presence. He doubted she’d been listening.
He ground his teeth in frustration. “Before I leave, is there anything else I can do for you?”
“Nothing.” It was clear Annie wanted him gone.
“Don’t forget I’m only five minutes away if you need anything.” With those parting words he strode from the kitchen to the front door and let himself out. From now on it was a waiting game.
LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON, Annie poked her head inside the door of Roberta’s bedroom. The girls had been playing with their Polly Pocket figures. “Debbie? Your mom’s here.”
Roberta looked up from the bed. “Does she have to go?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Mom’s boyfriend is taking us for pizza and a movie.” She put the figures she brought in a little case and jumped off the bed.
“Do you like him?” Roberta asked as they walked through the house. Annie followed them.
“Not very much. When he comes over he always turns off my show so he can watch sports.”
“That’s not fair.”
Annie could have predicted her daughter would say that. They waved Debbie off and shut the door. “How soon are Grandma and Grandpa coming?”
“They’re bringing Chinese for us and should be here by seven.” It was four-thirty now, giving Annie a two-and-a-half-hour window to talk about the elephant in the room, the one Roberta didn’t know had been living with them since Monday.
She made a detour to the laundry room to pull the clean clothes out of the dryer. “Would you mind carrying the basket to my bedroom so I can fold them?”
Roberta did as she was asked and trudged behind Annie with it. “I’m glad you don’t have a mean boyfriend.” Roberta set it on the bed. Her daughter had just given Annie the opening she’d been searching for since Robert had made his demand before leaving the condo yesterday. No matter how he’d couched it, he’d let her know he was going to have his way and there was no escape.
“Would you like me to have a nice one?” she teased.
“Would you?”
Either Roberta was a crafty soul or unsure of herself. Maybe she was a little of both, because she often answered Annie’s questions with another question, thereby excusing herself from incrimination.
“I haven’t given it a great deal of thought. We’ve been happy together, haven’t we?”
Roberta nodded. “Nobody would be like Daddy.”
Annie struggled to breathe normally. “How do you know that?”
Roberta gave her one of those innocent stares that seemed to go clear through to Annie’s soul. “Because you loved him.”
In an abrupt move, Annie turned the basket upside down on the bed and started separating their clothes. Halfway through the process she sank down on the edge, praying for inspiration.
“Honey? Let’s play a game.”
“Which one?” She was carefully folding her tops and stacking them. Roberta was a much neater person than Annie.
“It’s one we’ve never tried before.”
“Okay. What’s it called?”
“What if?”
“We used to play that in kindergarten.”
“Can we do it anyway?”
“Okay.”
“I’ll start.” Annie’s heart hammered so hard, she wondered if it would pound her right into the floor. “What if you found out a miracle happened and your daddy didn’t die in that explosion?”
She’d begun folding her school pants in another pile. “I’d be the happiest girl in the world.”
“I know that. What if you learned he had a piece of metal in his heart from the explosion that the doctors couldn’t get out?”
Her hands stilled on the clothes. “You mean he could die.”
“It’s possible.”
“But he hasn’t died yet so maybe he won’t.”
Oh, Roberta…“What if it took him ten years before he could let me know he was alive?”
She lifted her head. “Why would he take so long?”
“Because he was in a war and bad people were looking for him. He didn’t want to put you and me in danger.” For the time being she had to accept Agent Manning’s explanation.
Roberta went perfectly quiet. “Are we still playing what if?” Her daughter knew the answer to that question before she’d asked it.
Annie shook her head. “No.”
Solemn eyes mixed with fear clung to Annie’s. “Is he still in danger?”
“Not in the same way he once was. That was a long time ago, but he’s been using a different name for years just to stay safe.”
She twisted her hands together like she often did when she was her most insecure. “Does he know I was born?”
“He does now.”
Roberta bit her lip. “Does he want to see me?” she asked in a quiet voice.
“Oh yes, darling. The second he found out he had a daughter, he phoned me in the hospital.” She tried to swallow but couldn’t. “Do you remember Ranger Jarvis? The one you said was so nice?”
She nodded.
This was it. “He’s your father.”
Annie could hear her mind trying to take it all in. “The ranger who rescued you?”
“Yes. He’s been a park ranger for three years, but I didn’t know it. I only saw him for a moment when they were lifting me into the helicopter. H-he wants to meet you as soon as possible.” Her voice faltered. “How do you feel about that?”
Her daughter blinked. She was in a daze. “Is he at the park now?”
An adrenaline rush made Annie so jumpy she stood up. “No. He’s staying at a motel here in Santa Rosa waiting to meet you.”
“Do you think he would come over?” Her daughter was holding in all her feelings of excitement. Annie could tell she didn’t quite believe this was happening. Who would? The whole situation was too surreal to comprehend.
“Why don’t you call him? I have his phone number, the one you wrote down. It’s in my purse.” Before she could ask Roberta to hand it to her, her daughter rushed to the dresser to get it. Annie handed her the cell phone lying on the bedside table. “If he doesn’t answer, leave him a message. I know he’ll return it.”
Roberta punched in the number and put the phone to her ear. Annie held her breath.
CHASE HAD JUST PULLED AWAY from a drive-through when hi
s cell phone rang. One glance at the caller ID showed it to be Annie’s number. His heart thudded against his ribs. This call had come sooner than he’d anticipated. How would he handle it if she shut him out for good?
He rested the sack of food on the seat and answered. “Annie?”
After a silence, “It’s Roberta.”
Warmth flooded his system. This could only mean one thing. Annie had told their daughter about him. That meant she’d told her about his heart condition. He didn’t know how much other information she’d given her, but under the circumstances it was a miracle she’d unbent enough to let them get acquainted.
“Hi, sweetheart.”
“Hi,” came the timid greeting.
“I can’t wait to meet you.”
“Me, too,” she admitted quietly.
“Are you afraid?”
“Kind of.”
“So am I. What if you don’t like me?”
A nervous little laugh escaped. “I have pictures of you.”
“I wish I’d had one of you all these years. I’m afraid I look a lot older now.”
“Like my grandpa?”
He chuckled. “Maybe not quite that old.”
“Mom told me about your heart. Does it hurt?”
Chase had to clear his throat. “No, sweetheart. I feel perfectly normal.”
“That’s good. Can you come over to our house?”
There was no other place he wanted to be. “I was hoping you’d ask. If you want, I’ll drive there right now. What do you think?”
“Mom says you can come for a little while.”
Chase took that to mean they were expecting company later, probably the Bowers. “I’m on my way. See you in a minute.”
“Okay.”
He didn’t remember the short drive to the eightplex or the walk from the guest parking stall to the condo. Before he reached it, he saw her standing in the open doorway wearing a pair of jeans and a bright red cotton top.
As he approached, they studied each other for a long time. Now that he had a frontal view of her, he detected a lot more of Annie in the oval shape of her face and the feminine way she stood and moved.
“Do I look like a grandpa to you?”
“No.”
That was something anyway. He smiled. “With those sky-blue eyes, you’re even more beautiful than I had imagined. Am I the luckiest father in the world or what?”
Her Myers mouth curved into the sweetest smile he’d ever seen.
“I never got to change you or feed you when you were a baby. Would you mind very much if I gave you a hug?”
She shook her head, causing her dark brown ponytail to swish.
He made the first move, but when he swept her into his arms and lifted her off the ground, she lost her reserve. Her arms crept around his neck and clasped him tightly. The slight weight of her body satisfied a deep ache that had been gnawing at him since he’d been torn from Annie.
“Roberta,” he murmured against her temple, giving her kisses. “I love you.” He could hardly bear it that he’d missed her first ten years.
“I love you, too.”
She broke his heart with her unqualified acceptance. “Will you be my big girl from now on?” He felt her nod. “Some of my ranger friends have children. They won’t believe it when they find out I have a daughter. I guess you realize we look alike.”
“That’s what mom says.”
He lowered her to the ground. “Where is she?”
“Inside.” She stared up at him. “Do you want to come in?”
“If it’s all right with her.”
“She said you could.”
“Then I’d like to.” Before he walked inside with her, a girl Roberta’s age came skipping down the sidewalk from another condo and asked if she wanted to play.
“I can’t. My dad’s here.”
The auburn-haired girl gazed at him in shock. “I’ve seen your pictures. I thought you…died.”
He laughed inwardly. She’d said it the way it was. “I was in an accident and Roberta’s mother thought I was dead. When I woke up in the hospital I had amnesia and didn’t know who I was. Over the years I eventually regained my memory.” That was the story he and Sid had come up with to tell everyone. “Roberta, sweetheart? Who’s your friend?”
“This is Penny.”
He smiled. “How do you do, Penny.”
“Hi.” She kept looking at him. This was what it felt like to be an alien.
“Have you two been friends a long time?”
Penny nodded.
“Penny’s dad is the football coach at St. Xavier high school.”
“That’s exciting,” Chase replied. “Do you attend all his games?”
She nodded. “Sometimes Roberta goes with our family and Dad takes us for hot dogs after.”
He glanced at his daughter. “Lucky you.”
Roberta nodded. “My dad’s a ranger at Yosemite Park,” she announced unexpectedly.
To hear her say “my dad” filled him with joy.
“You are?”
Chase chuckled at the expression of amazement on Penny’s face. Kids often responded that way. Soon after he’d started working at the park he discovered there was something of a mystique about the rangers in tourists’ eyes.
“That’s right. You’ll have to come horseback riding at the park with me and Roberta sometime. We’ll take a picnic with us and I’ll show you a fabulous beaver pond. There’s an old granddaddy beaver we’ve named Methuselah because he’s been around so many years. When he slaps his big tail, it’s so loud it scares all the animals away.”
Suddenly it was his daughter who looked awestruck. “How soon can we go?”
“Whenever you want.”
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Annie appear in the entry. He’d been waiting. Every time he saw her, those old feelings of desire took over.
“Hi, Penny. How are you?”
“Good. Does your arm still hurt?”
“Not when I wear the sling.”
“Mom!” Roberta cried. “Dad’s going to take us horseback riding!”
“So I heard.”
Chase had a feeling she’d been listening and had decided to break things up when the conversation started to get out of her control.
Roberta must have heard Annie’s guarded answer. On cue she said, “I have to go in now, Penny, but I’ll call you later.”
“Okay. See ya. Don’t forget.”
“We won’t,” Chase assured her. “It was nice to meet you, Penny.”
“You, too.” She hurried down the sidewalk.
Annie flicked him a glance out of shadowed blue eyes. “Come in. We need to talk.”
His words exactly.
He ushered Roberta inside and shut the door. It was déjà vu except that they congregated in the living room. Roberta sat next to him on the couch. Annie stood behind one of the chairs. Negative tension radiated from her.
“Honey?” she began. “Before you start making any plans with friends, we have to be very careful about what we say. Not even your grandparents know your father is alive yet. Whatever we tell people has to be the same story. No one can know he was once Robert Myers.”
“Your mother’s right,” Chase corroborated. “We’ll tell everyone I lost my memory and barely got it back. That’s all people ever have to know. As for you, Roberta, you have to be told the truth. You know there’s a war in the Middle East, right?”
She nodded.
“After the explosion, I was in a hospital in Switzerland for a long time. After that I fought in the war for our country.”
“You did?”
“Yes. But one of the terrorists who’d planned the attack on my parents recognized me and word went out that I was still alive. That’s when the CIA flew me to the States and turned me into a park ranger to keep me safe. For three years everything has been fine, so I don’t want you to worry about being in danger.
“When you visit me, it will be in the park where m
y colleagues are on the alert for all bad people and terrorists living in our country. In fact you’ll probably be safer at my house than here in Santa Rosa because of the tight security. Chief Rossiter was a marine in Iraq. He knows the danger to me and has heightened security to keep us all safe.”
Annie finally sat down in the chair. “After we move to San Francisco, we’ll work out a schedule so you can go see your father when it’s convenient for us and for him.”
“But now that Daddy’s here, I don’t want to move to San Francisco.”
Chase kept his head bowed. Did you hear that, Annie?
“It’s all decided,” she declared in a no-nonsense tone. “Grandma and Grandpa have been making plans for us.”
Roberta slid off the couch and stood up. “I know I told you I didn’t want you to work in the park, but I’ve changed my mind.”
“You can’t just change your mind. I’ve already turned down the job offer.”
Her daughter’s eyes filled with tears. “Can’t you get it back? All you have to do is call them up and tell them you’re feeling better now.”
Nothing pleased Chase more than to watch Annie squirm over this.
He raised his head, focusing on her. “It’s not too late. For the last three weeks I was acting head ranger for the park while the Chief was on his honeymoon. I’m the one the new superintendent asked to arrange for your flight over the park. All I have to do is say the word and the position is still yours.”
“You were the head of all the rangers?” Roberta questioned while her mother looked poleaxed.
“I’m the assistant head ranger. When the Chief has to leave the park or go off duty, I’m in charge.”
Her face beamed. “I can’t wait to tell Debbie.”
“Who’s Debbie?”
“My best friend.”
“I’d like to meet her. In fact I’m anxious to get acquainted with all your friends. They can come to my house anytime and sleep over with you. Of course if you lived in the park too, your house would be right around the corner from mine and you could run back and forth between us.”
She gave a little jump of happiness.
As long as he’d gone this far to undermine Annie’s plans to stay away from him, he might as well go all out. “You’ll be a welcome addition to the school. The kids in the Yosemite Valley are homeschooled.”
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