Jack recognized her voice instantly. He paled, doing a double take. “Mrs. Vanausdale?”
Austin muttered a curse and guided her inside, forcing Jack to back away. Candice stood in the center of the living room, too stunned to move. Austin and Jack were brothers? But why hadn’t Austin told her? Why say they were just friends? Could this be the reason he looked so worried? He thought she’d be angry because he hadn’t told her? He’d mentioned a brother, but not that it was Jack!
Confused, Candice stared at Austin’s tight expression. “What’s going on?”
“Jack is my brother. My half brother. Same lousy mother, different lousy fathers.”
Jack protested, “Hey, mine wasn’t so lousy. At least he didn’t—”
“Shut up. She’s already heard the sordid details about my father.”
This much was true, at least. “Austin, why didn’t you tell me about Dr. Jack?”
“It’s Dr. Jekyll,” Austin corrected, still unsmiling. “I think you’ll agree with me when you hear what he has to tell you.”
Slowly, she turned to Dr. Jack, who looked about as bad as Austin. Same fearful gaze, same tight jaw. Yes, there was some resemblance, but one that urged her to run for her life.
“What is it you have to tell me, Dr. Jack? Is it—” Her breath caught. “Is it something about my baby?”
“Sit down, Mrs. Vanausdale.”
“I don’t want to sit down. I’m perfectly fine.”
“I think you’d better sit—”
“Dammit, Jack, just tell her and get it over with!”
The raw agony in Austin’s shout had Candice spinning around to face him. She locked her gaze onto his and said, “No, Austin. If there’s some bad news about my baby, I want you to tell me.” He’d had the last five days to tell her. Why hadn’t he?
For a long moment, neither moved, and Jack was temporarily forgotten.
“Austin?” It was a whisper of hope. Until that moment, she hadn’t been completely aware of how much she depended on him to keep the darkness at bay. How much she trusted him, loved him, and feared losing him.
Austin stuck his hands into his pockets, his voice unsteady as he said, “Howard was… sterile.”
“What?” Candice stumbled back a step, fighting a sudden bout of dizziness. Surely she hadn’t heard him right. “What did you say?”
Jack rose quickly and led her to a chair. Candice let him, feeling numb. When Jack started away, she grabbed his hand and forced him to look at her. “Is he telling the truth?” she demanded.
He nodded. “Howard came to me about six months before he died.”
“Six months…” Candice shook her head, trying to absorb the shock of Austin’s announcement and make sense of it all.
“He knew he was sterile, you see. Some kind of accident he had a few years before he met you.”
“So what… how… why did he come to you?” Oh, she was afraid she knew but prayed she was wrong. Howard wouldn’t do this to her, would he? She could see Austin standing very still, and she wondered how long he’d known. He looked as stunned as she, which didn’t make sense.
Jack straightened and stepped away as if he feared she might explode. He hesitated, then said, “He gave me a list of requirements for a donor.”
“Donor.” Candice whispered the word. “Go on.”
“He did this for you, because he’d promised you a baby, and he didn’t want the media finding out that he couldn’t father children.” Jack shrugged and slid his gaze away. “He never meant for you to find out.”
“Then why…” Of course. The paternity test. Dr. Jack had known what a shock it would be for her to find out from a stranger. How compassionate of him. If she could just forget his part in this deception, she might even manage to be grateful. But it had been wrong of Howard not to trust her, and wrong of Dr. Jack to go along with Howard.
And terribly painful to realize that Austin, of all people, had known and had not told her.
“There’s more.”
She jerked her head up. “More?”
Jack began to pace. When she looked at Austin, she saw that he still hadn’t moved. The only sign of life was the burning intensity of his gaze and the tiny flickering of a muscle in his jaw.
The sight of that guilty tic chilled her more than the sight of Jack pacing swiftly to and fro.
“The qualifications Howard demanded of the donor were nearly impossible to match.” Jack waved a frustrated hand in the air in remembrance. “He wanted intelligence, an excellent physique, blond hair, athletic traits, artistic talent.” He paused for breath. “There aren’t many donors who meet the high standards of Mr. Vanausdale, I’ll tell you.”
But Candice was no longer listening to Jack’s complaints about Howard’s unreasonable demands, because she realized he had just described someone awfully familiar to her.
Someone she loved and trusted with her very heart.
Austin Hyde.
Chapter Twenty
Hope is a fragile emotion, a wisp of nothingness that can be squashed in a flash or lifted in a heartbeat, Austin thought as he watched Candice sway in her chair.
And for him, all hope was lost.
“Jack, leave us alone for a while.”
Jack stopped pacing, glancing at Austin in surprise. “But I haven’t told her the—”
“Get lost,” Austin said in a carefully controlled voice. He felt on the edge of violence, like a storm about to unleash its fury. If Jack wasn’t careful, he would get caught in the deluge.
“Austin, don’t you want me to tell—”
“She knows.”
“But I haven’t told her—”
“I said, she knows. Now get lost!”
Finally, his words got through to Jack, who turned to look at Candice, his eyes widening on her pale face. With a wince and a grimace, he hurried out of the room.
Austin approached Candice and knelt before her. He wanted to touch her, but he didn’t dare. She looked brittle enough to shatter.
Accordingly, he kept his voice soft and level. “Are you okay?”
The tiny laugh that escaped her taut lips was harsh and quick. She arched a brow above eyes curiously bright. “Why wouldn’t I be? I just found out that my husband didn’t trust me, and that instead of telling me the truth, he went behind my back and ordered a perfect baby. As in everything else, Howard never considered my feelings.”
It was true, all of it, so what could he say?
“How long have you known?”
He wasn’t ready for the question. He didn’t think he would ever be. “Jack told me the day we first met outside the clinic.” After a slight hesitation, Austin continued. “At first I was upset, but once I knew you, I forgot about being mad and started thinking about the baby, about us.”
She locked her fingers together in her lap, obviously trying to hold the tears inside. Austin started to reach out, but she shook her head in warning. “No. Don’t touch me. Everything is a lie, isn’t it? Your kindness, and—” She choked but managed to recover. “Everything you did was because of the baby, wasn’t it? You didn’t want your baby raised by someone like your mother, so you were making sure that I fit your requirements. I guess you and Howard have a lot in common.”
Austin flinched. It was a low blow, but he deserved every damned bit of it. He should have come clean, should have told her the truth at the beginning.
He didn’t know what to say.
“And making love to me was another test, wasn’t it Mr. Hyde? You wanted to see if there was any warmth in me, despite my alleged blue blood, right?” Her voice lowered to a whisper, but she might as well have shouted. “Well? Did I pass?”
Austin searched for moisture in his mouth and finally swallowed dry. “If it had been a test, you’d have passed with flying colors. But I made love to you because I wanted to. Because I couldn’t resist you. It had nothing to do with the baby.” When she looked incredulous that he should utter such a lie, he gripped her shoulders and held
her still as his gaze burned into hers. “I love you. Don’t you know that?”
With a surprisingly strong jerk, she broke free. “I told you not to touch me. No, I don’t know, because I don’t believe you. How can I? You’ve lied to me, tricked me, and manipulated me. Really, Austin, you didn’t have to go to such extremes.”
Oh, why wouldn’t she listen? “I admit that I tricked you into trusting me, but that was before I got to know you. It wasn’t long before I realized that I liked you, and not long after before I knew it was more than that. I love you, Candice, and it doesn’t have a damned thing to do with the baby!” One glance at her stony expression and Austin knew she wasn’t listening. He ran a frustrated hand through his hair and stood. “Maybe you’re just looking for an excuse.”
She reeled as if he’d slapped her. “An excuse? An excuse for what? An excuse for trusting you? An excuse for believing in you? No, it’s you, Austin, who’s found an excuse. Why don’t you just admit that it’s the baby you want, not me?”
“And what good will wanting you do me?” Austin asked, losing his temper. “I’m just a painter, someone beneath your lofty class.” He almost regretted his words when she paled another shade, but he couldn’t stop until he’d purged his own fears. “One of the reasons I didn’t tell you is because I was afraid of losing you. Having a fling with the handyman is one thing; having a future with him is another, isn’t it?”
Candice rallied, color returning to her face in a heated rush. She jumped to her feet. “Who’s the real snob here, Austin? Sounds like you’re the one who judges people by how much money they have.” Finally, the tears drifted over her bottom lashes and rolled down her cheeks.
Austin turned, his gaze following her stiff walk to the door. Still in her disguise, she reminded him of a teenager with an attitude. God, he loved her. For richer or for poorer, for better or worse… Somehow, he would have to convince her of his love, but right now he suspected she was too stunned by both Jack’s news and his own apparent deception.
At the door she paused and ripped the cap from her head, sending her hair cascading around her shoulders. Despite her fury, she was breathtakingly beautiful.
“Money is not the most important asset a person can have, Austin. Love is. I learned that lesson the hard way.”
With those words, she sent his cap sailing through the air. He caught it, wishing he could erase her haunted expression.
“I’ll be in the camper,” she said, “while you talk to your brother.”
“Candice, I—”
The slamming of the door left him talking to the air. And left his heart in shambles.
The story broke with a vengeance, and the reporter Candice had promised an interview to took full advantage of the hype by printing his own story, complete with photographs of Candice and Austin by the pool.
Candice simply didn’t care anymore—about the publicity, the scandal, or the Vanausdale money. She wasn’t even curious about how the media came by the information.
During the following week, she tried to forget Austin. She tried, but she couldn’t. Everywhere she turned, she was reminded of him. The hedges shaped in the form of animals, the Oriental rugs, Tiny and her puppies, the doghouse, the rocking chair he’d retouched for the nursery—and the nursery itself. The nursery was the very essence of Austin.
She thought about redoing the room, to erase her poignant memories, but as she surveyed its kaleidoscope of colors, its unique decor, the bear paintings on the walls, she knew she wouldn’t change a thing.
Austin Hyde might have ripped a hole in her heart, but he had taken up permanent residence there. She couldn’t bring herself to destroy a single brush stroke.
With a sigh, she sat in the rocker by the window and examined the framed paintings. There were eight in all, each dancing bear dressed in a different costume, from the mismatched clothing of a hobo to the formal attire of a tuxedo. Her favorite was the bear wearing faded jeans and a worn cotton shirt open to the waist. His engaging grin and casual outfit reminded her of Austin.
Austin. She missed him terribly, and with each passing day, the hollow feeling in her chest grew bigger.
When she’d realized that Austin was the father of her baby, her first reaction was swift and irrefutable. She had been elated, delirious. After all, it was exactly what she had been wishing for. Yet, almost immediately, ugly doubts had stolen in and crushed her joy. Doubts about why he had befriended her, then later, made love to her. Maybe Austin himself didn’t realize that everything he’d done had been for the sole sake of the baby.
Oh, sure, she’d believed him when he confessed he’d been upset with Jack for doing what he did. And she could understand why he’d changed his mind about the baby after he’d had time to adjust to the idea.
And while it would make her the happiest woman in the world to believe that he loved her, she feared it was an illusion, maybe one he believed in himself.
Mrs. Merryweather came into the room as the natural light began to dim, throwing shadows onto the nursery floor. “So there you are. I’ve been looking all over the place for you.”
Candice glanced at her, then returned her gaze to the paintings on the wall. She pushed the rocking chair with one foot, finding a small measure of comfort in the soothing motion.
“Our Mr. Hyde’s got talent, doesn’t he?” Mrs. Merryweather said, following the line of Candice’s vision. “A bear from every walk of life.” She craned her neck at the ceiling. “And that circus—it’s unbelievable.”
Candice agreed without much spirit. “He’s a very good artist. The baby will love this room.”
The housekeeper frowned. “He didn’t do this just for the baby, Mrs. Dale. He did it for you.”
Candice felt a spark of energy stir to life. She swung her gaze to Mrs. Merryweather. “How can you say that? He knew he was the father all along. I should have suspected something, the way he knocked himself out doing things for the baby. And the camping trip? Just another manipulative plan to win me over and to soften the blow.”
“Hmm.” The housekeeper moved to the chest of drawers and turned the lamp on. “The way I see it, he did it all for you because he knew how much you wanted this baby. I don’t know how you can blame the man for being confused, considering how things happened. Don’t forget, he was just as surprised as you were, only a bit sooner.”
Candice had told the housekeeper everything, leaving out only the most intimate details; there was just so much humilation she was willing to share. “He should have told me sooner.”
“Would you have believed him?” She didn’t give Candice time to answer. “I don’t think so. And if you had believed him; you didn’t know him, and you would have been shocked to find out your baby’s father was a total stranger. Instead, he waited until you two got to know each, didn’t he?”
Candice stopped rocking. “How do you know he would have told me at all if that reporter hadn’t taken those pictures and Raymond and Donald hadn’t demanded a paternity test?”
Mrs. Merryweather clucked her tongue. “You know Mr. Hyde better than that. I think he was bursting to tell you, but he was afraid.”
Austin had tried to say as much.
“I came to find you because there’s something I think you should see, but give me a moment to fetch Lucy. She’s missed her morning swim since Mr. Hyde started working on the pool.”
Still pondering Mrs. Merryweather’s insights, Candice waited for the housekeeper to return with the ferret before following her onto the patio. Lucy scrambled down, heading as fast as her little legs could scurry to the pool.
The ferret didn’t jump in as Candice expected her to. Instead, she hovered on the edge, then whirled and came running back in their direction. Mrs. Merryweather laughed and scooped her up.
“They’re not real, sweetheart.”
Bewildered, Candice stared at the housekeeper. “What’s not real? Why didn’t she jump in?”
“Come see for yourself. It was another one of Mr. Hy
de’s surprises, and I hate it that he’s not here to see your face.”
Me, too, Candice thought, wondering when the ache would lessen. She sighed. Not as long as she was constantly reminded of Austin and his crazy way of surprising her. She followed the housekeeper to the edge of the pool and looked down into the clear blue water.
Wonder rounded her eyes. Illuminated by the underground pool lights, dolphins, Manta rays, whales, and a school of brilliantly striped fish appeared to be moving beneath the gently lapping water.
It took a moment for Candice to realize the gorgeous creatures had been painted onto the walls and floor of the pool.
“They look real,” she breathed finally, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. “No wonder Lucy wouldn’t jump in.”
Mrs. Merryweather chuckled. “Poor man wore himself out to get this done before you got suspicious. He may not be good with words, and he might be clumsy at showing you how he feels, but he sure can express himself with a paintbrush.”
“Yes, he can.” To Candice’s dismay, she felt silly tears sting her eyes.
Mrs. Merryweather patted her shoulder, and Lucy tried to reach her face with her tongue from the safety of the housekeeper’s arms. Candice laughed, but the sound emerged as a sob. “I can’t seem to stop crying these days.”
“It’s normal. When I was pregnant, everything used to make me cry. Good and bad. Jim walked around feeling guilty all the time for no reason.”
Suddenly, a shadow fell across the water to her left. It wasn’t Mrs. Merryweather, because she stood on her right.
Candice turned, her breath hitching at the sight of Austin standing behind her. Big and silent, disturbing and wonderful.
“Well, I’d better get Lucy inside and feed her a little supper,” the housekeeper said briskly, seeming not at all surprised by their unexpected visitor. The next moment, she’d disappeared through the patio doors, leaving Candice alone with Austin.
A week. An entire week had passed, and Candice soaked up the sight of him, not caring if he knew she stared or if he could see the hunger in her eyes.
He spoke first. “I’m glad you like the pool.”
Mr. Hyde’s Assets Page 24
