Daddy Lessons

by Victoria Chancellor

  Kate swallowed and he saw unshed tears in her eyes. “And when he found out about you?”

  “He claimed I wasn’t his at first, but then he said that even if I was, I wasn’t his responsibility. He and my mother didn’t have a ‘relationship,’ he claimed. He paid her hospital bill, gave her a little money and told her not to contact him again.”

  “Oh, Luke, I’m sorry.”

  “I don’t want your pity!” He shook off her arm and paced the room. “My mother didn’t want your pity. She didn’t even want his undying affection and complete loyalty. All she wanted was a little piece of his life. She was willing to settle for a smidgen of his love, but he couldn’t even give her that.”

  “I think,” Kate said slowly, “that you’re really angry because he wouldn’t give you any time or acknowledgment.”

  “You’re wrong, Kate. I’m angry that my mother wasted her life over the love of a man who didn’t love her back.”

  Kate felt as though Luke had yelled those words at her, to shake her up until she experienced his pain. She relived her own experience. She’d wasted seven years, not her whole life over a man. She’d assumed everything was fine. She’d pushed her doubts under her fine Oriental rugs and rushed out the door to Eddie’s soccer practice, oblivious that her world was falling down.

  And given a little encouragement, she might fall into the same routine with Luke. If he would just define their relationship, give her hope of a future, she’d wait and wait. And maybe it would never happen. Maybe he’d always have another priority, another crisis.

  But this conversation wasn’t about her. She had to pull herself together.

  Luke frowned at her. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. I just…I suppose I got a little too empathetic there for a moment.” She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry if I seemed as though I was psychoanalyzing you.”

  “I’ve thought about this my whole life, Kate. I loved my mother, but she was blind when it came to Ronald Simon. And yes, maybe I’m a little angry at her, but she’s gone.”

  “Yes, and so is your…so is Ronald Lucas Simon.”

  “Yes, he is. He died, and in his will, he left me, the ‘unnamed illegitimate offspring,’ five million dollars.”

  Kate felt her eyes widen. She didn’t know what to say. All those times when she’d wondered if Luke had enough money to pay for the remodeling popped into her head, but she didn’t say anything.

  “Of course, that was a fraction of what he left his legitimate family—not that they didn’t resent the bequest—but I wasn’t expecting even a dollar. It was quite a surprise, to say the least.”

  “I’m sure it was.”

  “I wasn’t sure I would accept his money at first, but then I got to thinking about what I could do with it. Something that would make my mother proud. Something that Ronald Lucas Simon would never have expected.”

  “Oh, Luke.”

  “Kate, I don’t spend a dime of his money on me. I’ve made enough to keep me and Brittany comfortable for a long time. The inheritance is for the animals, to give them a future when they had none. To give them hope when they were lost and lonely and tired.” He looked out the window to the newly green pastures and swaying trees. “My mother would have loved this place. She would have loved this town.”

  Kate felt tears in her eyes again, but this time they were about Luke and the mother he’d lost, and the love Angela had never truly realized. Kate reached out and held Luke, hugging him tight as he buried his head in her neck and held her back. They stayed that way for quite a while, until she heard him sniff and felt him wipe away a tear.

  “Kate—”

  She couldn’t stay. She had to leave. “I hate to rush off, but I’d better get back to Brittany and Eddie. I don’t want to impose on Travis and Jodie too long.”

  “Kate, there’s one more thing.” He waited until she put her purse back down, then continued. “Someone is writing a book about Ronald Simon. He’s been trying to find out who that ‘unnamed offspring’ in the will is. One of the reasons I was so secretive at first is because I didn’t want him to find me. I realize now that I have no control over someone writing a book. I still don’t want him to find us.”

  “No, that wouldn’t be good for Brittany.”

  “I hope you can understand why I thought it was best to keep to myself.”

  “I know that this town won’t do anything to take advantage of who you are or why you’re here. They can keep secrets. I’ve heard stories involving a prince that fell in love with a local girl…but that’s beside the point.”

  “The point is that I’m planning something big to introduce Brittany, me and the animals to Ranger Springs.”

  “That’s wonderful, Luke. I know you’ll find everyone very accepting.”

  He frowned. “Why aren’t you asking what I’ve planned?”

  “I’m sure you can do this on your own.”

  “I didn’t mean that I wanted you to help me again.”

  She felt as if he’d slapped her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to suggest you needed my help.”

  He strode toward her, crowding the space near the front door. Her escape. “Kate, you’ve been great,” he said, his voice low. Then he frowned again and stepped back slightly. “I mean, you’ve been a great friend. The best. I can’t thank you enough for all your help with me, the house and Brittany.”

  She swallowed her pain. “You’re welcome. Now, I really must go. I’ll ask Jodie to drive Brittany home.” Anything to keep from seeing Luke again.

  Kate placed her hand on the knob, then paused. “You’ve done a great thing, Luke. You should never feel awkward or reserved about explaining the situation to anyone.”

  And then she escaped out the front door before their tentative friendship was tested…again.

  LUKE WAVED to Jodie as she pulled away from the house, then turned his attention to Brittany. “Did you have a good time playing with Eddie?”

  “Yes, but he doesn’t have any animals. Oh, and they have a baby.”

  Luke smiled. “Yes, I know.”

  “I think I like animals better.”

  “That’s good.” Because there weren’t going to be any babies around here. No human babies, at least. Not unless he married, and he didn’t see that happening. Especially since he had gone to great lengths to establish his relationship with Kate as “just friends.”

  No matter how difficult, he’d stuck to his priorities: keep their relationship neighborly, not sexual and get Brittany accepted in the community. Besides, Kate wasn’t looking for anything serious. She kept saying how she wanted to be on her own, get her own place. She was so happy when she heard she had a job in the Ranger Springs elementary school. She didn’t want any more from him than a neighborly, cordial relationship.

  So why did he keep seeing the hurt expression in her eyes when he’d thanked her and said she was a good friend?

  He had to shake himself out of these thoughts. “Did I tell you about the potbellied pigs?” he asked Brittany.

  “Pigs? Are we going to get pigs?”

  “Next week. An animal rescue group will bring us two who need homes. One is black and one has spots.”

  “Really? Oh, thank you…Daddy,” she said for the first time. Daddy. She’d called him “Luke” before this moment. He felt as if she’d punched him, and still, he couldn’t keep a huge grin off his face.

  He put his arm around Brittany and steered her into the house. He would quit thinking about Kate, except as a friend. And he had to get ready to introduce himself, his daughter and his animals to the people of Ranger Springs.

  A FEW DAYS LATER Travis handed Kate the local paper. “I thought you might want to see this.”

  Puzzled, she took the slightly crumpled newspaper from her brother. “What did you want to show me?”

  “Just look at the third page.” He paused, then shook his head. “I’ll see you later.”

  Kate closed the screen door, then unfolded the Springs G
azette while she walked into the living room. “Oh my gosh,” she said softly as she sat on the couch. “I never thought he’d do this.”

  “What, Mommy?”

  “It’s an ad for everyone in town to come to see Mr. Simon’s ranch.”

  Eddie scampered over and bounced beside her on the couch. “Read it to me!”

  She gave her son her best schoolteacher glare.

  “Pleeeze.”

  “Okay.” She settled Eddie closer. “‘You are cordially invited to the Last Chance Ranch on Sunday afternoon from two o’clock to four o’clock to meet Luke Simon, his daughter Brittany and their four-legged friends.’”

  “Look, there’s Lollipop!” Eddie exclaimed, pointing to one of the photos arranged down the side of the page.

  “Yes, I think all the animals are there.” This was the event he’d tried to tell her about when they’d talked, which she tried not to dwell on while her son waited impatiently for her to continue reading. “The invitation also says that there will be refreshments. No donations will be accepted.”

  “What does that mean about no donations?”

  “That means Mr. Simon doesn’t want anyone to give him money for the animals.”

  “Like selling them?”

  “No, like for their feed and vet bills,” Kate replied absently. She understood now why he’d never seemed concerned about money, despite being “retired” at the age of thirty. She understood a lot of things about him, but his sharing of his past hadn’t brought them closer. No, he’d made sure she knew they were just friends. Neighbors. Nothing more.

  She folded the paper and handed it to Eddie. “You can have the invitation if you’d like.”

  “We’re going to the open house, aren’t we, Mommy?”

  Kate closed her eyes and forced away the pain. “Of course. It’s the neighborly thing to do.”

  Eddie ran off to look at the photos and Kate stayed on the couch, thinking of Luke. He didn’t expect anyone to care about him or his cause. He was willing to give, give and give some more. To the animals, to Brittany, even to Kate, in a roundabout way, by paying for her help.

  When she’d started working for him, she’d needed the money and he’d needed someone to ease his child into a new and stressful situation. Kate had responded to the little girl’s plight, never knowing how much Brittany’s life had mirrored Luke’s own childhood years. Never knowing how much she’d grow to care for both father and daughter.

  But as much as Kate responded to Luke’s past, he was a grown man now, a man unwilling or unable to love her as she wanted to be loved. She knew she could never settle for being second or third, not after her marriage to Ed.

  If she and Luke had a real relationship, they wouldn’t have drifted apart so easily. If they’d been a couple, they would have talked things through. But they hadn’t been a couple; they’d been two people focused on one goal.

  All they’d had was friendship and great sex. Was there more, or had she imagined they were falling in love?

  Chapter Sixteen

  On Sunday afternoon, Kate, Eddie, Travis, Jodie and baby Marsha piled into Travis’s old pickup truck and drove across the pasture. They figured there would be a big crowd from town, so there was no reason to clog Luke’s driveway. They parked on the other side of the fencerow, shaded by hackberry trees, and walked the rest of the way to the “open ranch.” Sure enough, it was packed with people.

  “Wow, he went all out,” Jodie said as they walked through an unoccupied pasture, dodging an occasional bluebonnet and staying far away from low clumps of blooming cactus. They climbed through the fence and stopped on the driveway, which was lined with cars and pickups. A large “moon walk” inflated jumping platform nearly eclipsed the house. White tents shielded tables laden with large metal urns of iced tea, plastic-wrap-covered platters of sandwiches, hot dogs, chips and pickles.

  “This is bigger than the Fourth of July festival!” Travis proclaimed, impressed despite his continued suspicion of Luke.

  “He told me he was planning something big,” Kate said.

  “Mommy, can I go to the petting zoo?” Kate squinted at the shaded area on the other side of the house, surprised to see Cheryl Jacks’s petting zoo set up for the children.

  “Let’s all walk over there,” Jodie suggested.

  They spent the next half hour walking around, greeting neighbors and friends, and sharing their amazement over the ranch. Kate pretended to observe all the changes, but she kept looking for Luke. She’d gotten a glimpse of him inside the barn, but lost him to the shade and the crowd. Then she’d seen him beside the pasture of the miniature horse, Precious, and her foal. But Brittany had pulled him away to meet her teacher, whom Kate recognized, and Kate’s attention had been called away by Hank and Gwendolyn McCauley. When Kate tried to see him again, he’d disappeared.

  And she became more and more irritated at herself, which she tried very hard to hide from her family.

  Eddie went off with his friend Pete and Pete’s parents, and Jodie and Travis stayed in conversations with Hank and Gwendolyn. “I’m going to get something cold to drink,” she told them, and took off on her own.

  Before she could get a soft drink and spend a few minutes alone, she saw Luke step onto the bed of his pickup. Apparently he was wired with a micro-phone, because suddenly he was asking for everyone’s attention.

  It took a few moments for the crowd to gather, the noise level to decrease enough for him to be heard. The sound of insects and birds, broken by a baby’s occasional squeal of delight, suddenly seemed over-loud in the warm, sunny afternoon. Then he began to speak, words of welcome to everyone.

  “This ranch is a special place for animals who had no place else to go,” he said, and then told them about his dream to save the old, sick or crippled performance animals.

  “I saw many animals put down during my time doing stunts. It’s not fair, and I’m going to do my best to save as many as I can,” he finished.

  The crowd applauded. “I’m not asking for any donations. I have a trust fund that provides income for the upkeep of the ranch.”

  “But what can we do to help?” someone shouted.

  Luke seemed surprised. Kate smiled as she imagined how he was feeling right now. Nervous, no doubt, at standing in front of a crowd of strangers. But maybe his heart would be warmed by the generosity of his neighbors.

  Several other people shouted out offers to help, taking center stage away from Luke. He let them speak, agreeing when appropriate. When the din died down again, he continued. “I’m humbled by your offers. I never thought anyone would want to clean out stalls or pull weeds from fencerows,” he said with a grin. The crowd laughed. He looked down for a moment, then shook his head as if clearing his thoughts. “I’ve been told this is a great town. You’ve proved my friend Hank right. And I also want to take this time to thank another friend, Kate Wooten. She helped get me and my house ready for my daughter Brittany, and I’ll be eternally grateful to her and Branson Construction, and Robin Parker. Thanks, everyone!”

  Once again the crowd applauded. Kate felt her cheeks heat, but not with embarrassment of being mentioned. She felt mortified that Luke was “eternally grateful” to her for her help. As if she’d performed a job, which she had. As if she wasn’t any different than any other friend of his, or anyone else who had worked to get the house ready. While the attention of the crowd was still focused on Luke, she turned away, determined to flee before she had to face anyone about all her “help.”

  She grabbed a can of soda, then kept walking. The shady interior of the barn, where she’d watched Luke work with the ponies and do his chores, beckoned. They’d kissed there, fallen into the hay, and even quarreled. So many memories had been packed into two weeks.

  She paused beside the empty stall where the little mare she’d named Precious stayed with the foal. Had Brittany named the baby yet? Had she made new friends at school? Did the commercial spoofing the Clydesdales get filmed, or was Luke still training
the ponies?

  In just a few weeks, Kate realized, Luke’s life had become her own—not that she’d given up her own time with Eddie and her family. Then, in just a moment of passion, everything had changed. She’d made the assumption that she and Luke were even closer, but he’d seemed angry. He’d pulled away more every time she’d seen him since, and there was nothing she could do to regain the camaraderie they’d shared as they’d worked to get ready for Brittany.

  “Taking a break?” Luke asked from behind her.

  Kate whirled, sloshing soda over her hand. “You startled me!”

  “You must have been thinking pretty hard not to hear me walk in. I wasn’t trying to scare you.”

  Kate took a deep breath and shook the soda off her hand. “I was just looking around. Uh, did Brittany name the foal?”

  Luke took the soda from her hand, placed it on a post and whipped a clean handkerchief from his pocket. Before she could protest, he took her hand in his and began to wipe her fingers. “Not yet.”

  She pulled her hand from his. “I should get back to Eddie.” She should get out of this barn, away from Luke, and sidestep the memories of everything that had happened this past month.

  “I want to talk to you, Kate.”

  “Why? Don’t you have enough new friends?” Oh, God, that was so mean. She closed her eyes, bowed her head and ran her fingers through her hair. Her head was beginning to hurt. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

  “It’s okay.” His brow furrowed. “Are you upset because I mentioned you when I spoke earlier?”

  “No, of course not,” she said, trying to appear casual.

  “Because I was trying to make people think that we were just friends, because some of them thought we were dating and that might upset you.”

  “I’m not upset!”

  “You seem upset.”

  “Well, I’m not,” she lied.

  “If you were upset, I could certainly understand, because maybe I haven’t handled things, like our relationship and my place in this town, too well in the past.” He pulled her hands down and looked into her eyes. “Kate, you were right. Everyone has been supportive. They aren’t prying into my past, just trying to get a sense of who I am. I think if I told them about my parents, they wouldn’t be judgmental or try to take advantage. I didn’t expect it, and I’m just glad you aren’t saying, ‘I told you so.’”