Ethan's Daughter

by Rachel Brimble

  Besides, she was a beautiful woman. Interesting.

  But there was no way he was going down that complicated road. His priorities were Daisy and his work. That was more than enough.

  “Do you need a hand?” Leah called from the living room, then laughed. “Sorry.”

  He smiled as he joined her. “I’m fine. And dinner is served.”

  “Great, I’m starving. Is Daisy asleep?”

  “Out like a light. Her adventure tonight wore her out.” He placed the trays and food on the coffee table. “Thanks again for—”

  “Hey. No more gratitude. You’ve thanked me enough.” Leah unpacked the food. “What would you like? I’ll dish up while you figure out how you’re going to explain to me what happened here tonight.”

  He narrowed his eyes at her back. Clearly, the woman was going nowhere until she had some answers. He reached for his wineglass and took a sip. “There’s not much to tell.”

  She passed him a loaded plate and a fork, her gaze steady. “Nice try, but you failed the return abysmally. Try again.”

  Turning, she began filling the second plate. Ethan appreciated her glossy hair, the exposed nape of her neck. She was someone he hadn’t expected or asked to turn up in his life, but she was here and deserved some honesty. He cleared his throat. “My ex-wife was here. She left just before you arrived.”

  Leah stilled for a moment, before sliding onto the couch next to him, pulling her tray onto her lap and sipping at her wine. “I see. That must’ve been the woman who ran past me and Daisy on the hill. I’m surprised Daisy didn’t recognize her.”

  Immediate nausea rose in Ethan’s throat. “Daisy saw her?”

  “I assume so.”

  Ethan closed his eyes. “Then it’s just as well she hardly remembers her.” He opened his eyes, his anger at Anna resurfacing. “Daisy was only two when her mother left.”

  “I see.”

  “Anyway, she freaked when I started bleeding. Until that point, she was quite happy to wave a knife in my face.”

  Leah’s brow furrowed before she turned to her food and speared some chicken. “You said she left when Daisy was two. Hasn’t she seen Daisy at all in between?”

  “No.”

  “Never?”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  Ethan frowned. “Excuse me?”

  Her cheeks flushed. “Sorry.” She briefly closed her eyes, before opening them again. “I just mean it’s unusual for a mother not to have contact with her child. Unless...” She pushed her glasses farther onto her nose. “Is she dangerous? Your ex-wife?”

  “No.” Ethan slumped his shoulders and pushed his tray onto the table, his appetite vanishing. “At least, not until tonight. As far as I know.”

  “I see.” She waved her fork toward his plate. “Eat something. You need food in your stomach.”

  He dutifully picked up the tray and scooped up some rice and chicken. As he chewed, he watched her do the same and wondered what was going through her mind. He could assume, from her posture, that she was calm, but the faint blush on her cheeks could indicate unease. He swallowed and pushed on with what he’d decided to tell her. Nothing more, nothing less.

  “I haven’t seen or heard from Anna in five years. I have her address and send her pictures of Daisy from time to time, copies of her report cards, that sort of thing. Anna never replies.” He clenched his jaw. “So, when she turned up here tonight, I knew she had to be in some sort of trouble. But she’s gone now and she won’t be back.”

  “Because you refused to give her what she wanted?”

  “Yes. I don’t want her near Daisy in that state. I don’t want her here, period.”

  “You must’ve liked her at some time. You married her, after all.”

  Ethan shrugged as better memories, good memories, surfaced. Of the days when he and Anna had been dating; of their wedding day, with Daisy already safely cocooned in her mother’s womb. He sighed. “Sure. I loved her more than any man should ever love a woman. Unfortunately, my life at the keyboard and my following success, along with Anna’s role change from model to mother, meant she and I saw our future together differently.” He sighed. “She didn’t exactly take to motherhood. Even if she hadn’t walked out, our divorce was inevitable.” He returned his tray to the table, picked up his wine. “I just wish Daisy would’ve featured somewhere in Anna’s plans.”

  Leah’s hazel eyes bored into his before she blinked and took a sip of wine. “But she’s Daisy’s mum. If, eventually, she wants back in her life—”

  “She’ll have to earn her way back. It wasn’t Daisy who brought Anna here tonight, and I want no part of whatever she’s gotten herself into. She chose to walk away from us. Her mess is her own.”

  “I see. Eat.”

  Leah turned back to her food and they ate in silence, each bite like sandpaper in Ethan’s mouth. He refused to tell her any more. She knew enough to accept that he had the situation under control. She could eat her food, drink her wine and leave.

  As much as he hated treating her that way, it would be better for both of them in the end. The next problem was convincing her he could change his own bandages and snip out a few stitches when the time came.

  She cleared her throat. “Don’t you think you should at least let the police know what happened here? In case she comes back?”

  Ethan clenched his jaw. “No, absolutely not.”

  “I’m reading between the lines, but how can you be so sure she won’t knock on your door again? Won’t want to see Daisy?”

  He put down his fork and slid his tray onto the table. “The woman has no care for her daughter. No care for anything but herself.”

  “But—”

  “No, Leah.” Now he was annoyed. “I’ll call you a cab.” He walked into the kitchen, the heat of her stare burning into his back.

  He squeezed his eyes shut and pushed his thumb and forefinger into his brow. Goddamn it. She didn’t deserve to be spoken to that way. It was Anna. This was what she did, what she made him.

  Cursing, he punched in the number of the local taxi company. “King’s Korner, Clover Point. Great. Thanks.” He ended the call and tossed his phone onto the counter, his hand throbbing.

  “I’ll wait outside.” Leah stood at the doorway in her jacket, her purse on her shoulder and her arms crossed.

  “Leah, you don’t understand. I can’t tell you—”

  “It’s fine. Forget it.” She nodded. “I’ll be back tomorrow to change that dressing. Make sure you keep a check on that daughter of yours. She’s a beauty.”

  Ethan stood stock-still as the front door slammed. He couldn’t just leave her to wait outside.

  “Shit.” He hurried into the hallway and yanked open the front door. “Leah, wait...”

  But she was gone.

  CHAPTER THREE

  LEAH FILLED HER thermos with coffee and then stared through the window. The sun shone bright and inviting across her flower-filled garden. The clouds were few, which would have made a walk to the hospital tempting if it weren’t for the trepidation that had kept her awake half the night. A full ten-hour shift loomed ahead, before she “dropped in” on Ethan James at the end of it. Fighting with how best to help him and his gorgeous daughter had resulted in fitful tossing and turning until dawn. Yet she still hadn’t picked up the phone to call the police.

  If something happened to Ethan—or God forbid, Daisy—who was to say the hospital wouldn’t be legally in their rights to haul Leah’s ass to the police? Not to mention the added weight of failure that would be loaded onto her conscience.

  Picking up her coffee, she walked to the table and rechecked her purse for everything she’d need that day. Phone. Check. Wallet. Check. Her thoughts wandered once more. She knew several members of Templeton
’s police force through their dealings at the hospital, but calling them might bring a whole new load of trouble to Ethan.

  He struck her as a man who knew his own mind, yet there was an underlying vulnerability to him. As if he, like her, worried that one wrong move would bring his whole world crashing down. Leah frowned. She could only surmise the aura surrounding him came from the recent reappearance of his ex-wife.

  Sighing, she shrugged into her jacket. Maybe she could have a quiet word with Cat Garrett, the town’s detective inspector. Kind, savvy and exceptionally discreet, Cat would advise her. Leah had spoken to Cat numerous times throughout her time in Templeton and the inspector had proved to be someone Leah could rely on should she need police involvement at the hospital.

  She liked to think that Cat would help if Leah called or visited the station.

  She could make her questions purely hypothetical. Then surely nothing worse could happen for Ethan and Daisy?

  Leah left the kitchen and walked into the hallway. Her instincts were usually good and trustworthy, but the flash of pleading she’d seen in Ethan’s eyes continued to make her doubt her next move.

  Lifting her keys from the hook by the door, Leah walked outside and glanced at her watch. Seven thirty. Maybe she should swing by the station now, and instead of involving Cat at this stage, speak with the desk sergeant instead? That would ease her conscience. At least a little.

  The possibility of walking tossed to the wayside, Leah got into her car and headed across town.

  Fifteen minutes later, she pulled open the door to the police station and entered the lobby. Relieved that it was empty of anyone but the desk sergeant, Leah lowered her shoulders and smiled. “Good morning.”

  The sergeant looked up from his paperwork. “Good morning.” He returned her smile and laid down his pen. “How can I help you?”

  Leah put her purse on the counter that separated them and cleared her throat, trying her best to look impassive. “I would like some advice, actually.”

  His gaze turned somber. “Oh?”

  “Yes. I have a...” She cleared her throat. “...hypothetical situation that I’d like to run by you, if that’s okay?”

  “Hypothetical?”

  She smiled. “Absolutely.”

  Skepticism burned in his gray eyes. “I see. Go ahead.”

  Leah took a breath. “Okay, so I’m a nurse.”

  “Yes.”

  “Say I knew someone who’d had a run-in with someone else that resulted in an assault with a knife. Nothing serious, but the person who suffered the injury doesn’t want to involve you guys, doesn’t want to press charges...”

  Why was she hesitating over this? She was the type of woman who made snap decisions all the time. Who looked at a situation and immediately sensed what came next. With Ethan James, everything felt different. Unexplained. Dangerous. Not him, but everything she’d seen in his eyes. The pleading, anger, apology and gratitude. The list went on.

  The sergeant coughed. “Miss...”

  She blinked. “Dixon. Leah Dixon.”

  “If this hypothetical person doesn’t want to press charges, there’s not a lot we can do unless you can persuade him or her to speak with us. Is there more to this situation? Something that worried you enough that you came in here?” His gaze softened. “We’re here to help. You should know that better than most.”

  She leaned closer. “What if it wasn’t an isolated incident? Is there anything the police could do to ensure this person’s safety?”

  “Without him or her speaking to us? No. Even if you told me this person’s name, we don’t have the resources to protect against a what-if or maybe. My advice to you is to persuade this person to come to the station as soon as you can before anything else happens. Until then, there’s nothing we can do.” He frowned. “I get the impression you’re genuinely worried, Miss Dixon. Do what you can to help, but until a person wants that help, it can be a difficult job.”

  She swallowed. “And if this person has a child living with them?”

  Concern darkened his gaze. “Then they most definitely need to come and see us.”

  She sighed and briefly closed her eyes. “Okay.” She stepped back from the counter. “Thank you, Sergeant.”

  “Miss Dixon?”

  Leah turned back to the counter. “Yes?”

  “If you think a child could be in genuine danger, I recommend you call social services, but before you do that you need to be certain you’ve got the situation correctly assessed.”

  Leah held the sergeant’s gaze as her mind replayed the sincerity in Ethan’s gaze, the doubt and loneliness that emanated from him. Not to mention the deep care he had for Daisy. She exhaled. “This hypothetical person is a good person, Sergeant. Someone who might have been thrown into a bizarre state of affairs through no fault of their own.”

  He raised his hands in surrender. “Then I’ll leave my advice with you, but I can’t say this conversation hasn’t raised my concerns.”

  She nodded. “I’m sure everything will be fine, but if I need your help again, I’ll come straight back here. Okay?”

  “As you wish.”

  Turning, Leah left the station, walked across the parking lot and got into her car. She breathed deep and started the engine. Come what may, she’d see Ethan tonight, and hopefully, what to say or do next would become clear. Then she could go back to her life pre–handsome author...and his little girl.

  * * *

  ETHAN PRESSED HARD on the delete key of his laptop and watched the pathetic paragraph he’d written disappear. The morning’s work had been painful, both physically and mentally. One-handed typing and a head full of nothing but real life, rather than fiction, meant nothing good would be written anytime soon.

  He got up from his chair, grabbed his phone and wandered downstairs into the kitchen.

  Filling a glass with water, he drank deep. The possibility of getting any worthwhile work done was zilch until he spoke with Anna. He couldn’t leave the situation as it was, no matter how much he might want to.

  He couldn’t turn away from Anna as she had him. What if something happened to her? Did he really want to have to explain to Daisy how her mother had asked for his help and he’d refused?

  Refilling his glass, he picked up his phone and headed outside into his back garden. Although the sun shone, a cool breeze whispered its first scent of autumn, and as Ethan sat at his outside table, the prospect of another long winter continually working indoors pressed down on him.

  As much as he maintained his self-inflicted solitude, his past mistakes were not Daisy’s. They were his...as was his seemingly endless anger and resentment. Having Leah Dixon sweep through his house like a tornado made him realize that he had to change the reclusiveness he’d created, for Daisy’s sake, if not his own. How long did he think she would accept his word on everything? Forever? Of course she wouldn’t. He might be nudging toward his midthirties, but he still remembered teenage rebellion well enough.

  Sliding his phone onto the table, Ethan leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

  Over breakfast that morning, he’d raised Daisy’s disappearance the night before with his daughter. Her explanation hadn’t been one he’d expected. What a fool he was. She’d gone looking for some friends to play with, saying the only ones she had she saw at school or the occasional birthday party. To his shame, felt more acutely since yesterday, he hadn’t allowed her to have friends over, no matter how many times she’d asked. Their home was their haven. He didn’t need friends, but now he saw that Daisy did.

  He’d brought that loneliness to her.

  His phone rang and Ethan sat bolt upright, as though whoever was on the line knew of his complete lack of good parenting and had called to pass sentence. Caller ID unknown.

  He pressed Talk. “Ethan James speak
ing.”

  “Ethan, it’s me.”

  He closed his eyes. “Anna.”

  “You have to help me. I don’t have anyone else to go to with this. You know that.”

  “How do I know that?” He gripped the phone. “I don’t know anything about you. Not anymore.”

  “So? You could still help me.”

  He snapped his eyes open. “No. I’m not getting involved in whatever this is. Call the police if you’re scared. I don’t want you around Daisy.”

  “Daisy, Daisy, Daisy. Life isn’t always about her, you know. If I call the police everything will be worse.”

  “For who?”

  “All of us.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  “I’m just saying—”

  “That you thought the best course of action would be to come to my home, your daughter’s home, brandishing a knife. Was that the safer option?” Anger simmered deep inside. “You’re unbelievable.”

  “I didn’t have a choice. If Harry finds me—”

  “Your boss, right? The man you are so scared of you saw fit to attempt stabbing me to illustrate your point.”

  “I didn’t stab you. You grabbed the damn knife.”

  Ethan tightened his grip on the phone. “Why do you want this money? To get away from this guy and his cronies?”

  “Yes. He’ll kill me if I don’t, Ethan. I’m serious.”

  Thoughts of what Anna’s death could mean to Daisy in the future, what it would mean to his guilt, slithered through his conscience. “Run everything by me again. I might be more receptive to what you have to say without you holding a knife while our daughter is upstairs.” He grimaced. Or more like when Daisy was alone at the beach or with Leah Dixon.

  “Okay. Well, Harry isn’t only my boss. He’s my boyfriend and the head of a gang here in Bristol.”

  “What sort of a gang? I assume the guy’s at least past his twenties?”