by Kristi Gold
“Get away from the window, Chance.”
He looked back over his shoulder, confusion calling out from dark eyes much like his father’s. “Why, Mama?”
“Because it’s not nice to stare at strangers, that’s why.”
Ignoring her, Chance continued to look out the window. “He’s got a towel on his head and a big man with him.”
“Chance Samuel Paul Hamilton, come over here right now and help me get your things together, otherwise you’ll miss the bus.”
With a sigh he turned and trudged toward her. “I just want to look at the man.”
That’s the last thing Andi wanted, at least now. She would prefer to put Sam off until she could get her child on his way to camp. Then she would deal with the questions that were sure to come—or demands as the case might be.
Andi stuffed the clothing into the nylon tote and told Chance, “Get your toothbrush and put it in the plastic bag in the bathroom with your medicine. Then pick out some books and make sure you pack your paper so you can write home.”
Chance’s lip pooched out in a pout. “Then can I meet him?”
“Not today. I’m not sure what he wants.” A less-than-truthful version. Andi knew exactly what he wanted, to see his son. “He’ll probably be gone before you’re finished packing.”
“I’ll hurry up.” With that, Chance sprinted into the hall.
Andi was right behind him, relieved that he’d gone toward the hall bathroom, not down the stairs. Her son was well behaved most of the time, although he could be determined. He came by it naturally, she guessed, considering she was much the same way. That had gotten her into trouble on more than one occasion. A particular summer night came to mind.
The doorbell sounded, jarring Andi into action. “I’ll get it,” came from the first floor.
“I’ll get it, Tess,” she called to her aunt in hopes of stopping her. “I—”
“Well good gracious! Sam!”
Too late. Andi should have forewarned Tess that they might be having a visitor, and exactly who that visitor would be.
Andi slowly walked down the stairs that ended in the entryway now containing her aunt, a bodyguard and her son’s father. Sam immediately looked up and met her gaze. She hugged her arms across her middle as she spanned the remaining stairs. When she came to the last one, she was afraid to go any farther, especially when Sam kept staring at her as if he could see all the secrets she had held in her heart for years.
Tess turned a huge grin on Andi. “Well, looky here what the cat dragged in, Andi. It’s our Sam.”
Our Sam. How odd that sounded at the moment. That’s exactly what they’d called him years ago. But he wasn’t Andi’s. Beyond that one night he never had been, nor would he ever be.
Andi managed a fake smile and spoke through clenched teeth. “I thought you would call first.”
“And give you fair warning?” he said with a cynical grin.
“What’s this get-up you’re wearing?” Tess asked with a one-handed sweep toward Sam’s robes.
He finally took his attention away from Andi, allowing her to release her breath. “My straitjacket, I’m afraid.”
“You don’t look crazy,” Tess said. “You look like a break in the clouds after the rain. Now come here and give me a hug.”
Sam complied, lifting Tess off her feet as he had so many times before. After setting her down, he asked, “You don’t happen to have any of your famous coffee on to brew, do you?”
Tess favored him with a sunny smile. “You know I always keep a pot on. Come into the kitchen and sit a spell.”
The bodyguard remained positioned at the door while Andi followed Tess and Sam into the breakfast room. Once there, Tess poured him a cup of coffee and said, “I’m going to run upstairs and check on the boy. You two have a nice visit.” She hurried away, leaving Andi alone to face her past.
Sam took the chair with its back to the bay window, the place he’d always sat during family dinners. Andi refused to sit, resenting the fact that Sam had made himself comfortable as if he planned to stay awhile. Except for his clothing, he even looked comfortable, at home, as if he’d never left. But he had left, and Andi couldn’t believe that Tess had acted as if he’d only been gone for a week or so, as if nothing had changed. When in fact everything had changed. But Tess had always loved Sam just the way she loved Andi and Paul. Just the way she loved Chance.
“Mama?”
Andi’s gaze shot to the doorway leading to the hall where her son now stood, his large brown eyes focused on the man he considered a fascinating stranger. Tess was nowhere to be seen, leading Andi to believe that her aunt had a hand in this spontaneous introduction of father and son.
Andi didn’t know what to do, what to say. But if she didn’t act normal, Chance would immediately sense something was wrong, and she didn’t want to frighten him.
She held out her hand to him. “Come here, sweetie.”
When Chance walked forward and stood in front of her, Andi braced her palms on his frail shoulders. “Honey, this is Mr. Yaman.”
Sam rose, and Andi immediately noticed the wonder in his eyes, the undeniable emotion as he looked upon his child. With his thick dark hair, his coffee-colored eyes, Chance was almost the mirror image of his father. There was no longer any use in denying the truth.
“I’m Samir,” he finally said, his smile now aimed at his child, not Andi. “You may call me Sam.”
Chance’s mouth opened in surprise. “That’s kind of like my name, the Sam part, anyway. Chance Samuel Paul Hamilton. Aunt Tess sometimes calls me Little Bit.” He sounded as if that was totally distasteful.
“You have a good strong name.” Sam sent only a cursory glance in Andi’s direction before turning his attention back to his son, but not before she saw another glimpse of regret and sadness. He was probably thinking about Paul, maybe even thinking about how much he’d missed in Chance’s life. Andi couldn’t let that sway her. She had to stay strong for her child’s sake.
Tess suddenly reappeared into the kitchen. “Don’t be scared, Little Bit. Shake the man’s hand. He’s an old friend.”
Chance looked back at Andi, and she nodded her approval, then he moved forward and took the hand his father offered. Sam’s smile revealed his pride. Andi couldn’t blame him. She had felt that way about her child from the moment he was born.
After a hearty, exaggerated shake, Chance asked, “What’s that on your head?”
“It’s a kaffiyeh,” Sam said.
“What’s it for?”
“It’s part of my official dress. I come from a country far away. I am a sheikh.”
“Well, I’ll be durned,” Tess muttered.
Chance still looked confused. “A sheet?”
“A prince,” Andi stated, grateful that Sam had enough wherewithal not to announce he was her son’s father.
Chance glanced back at her. “Like The Little Prince?”
Andi smiled over the reference to one of his favorite books. “More like Aladdin.”
“Oh.” He stared at Sam a moment longer. “Do you have a flying carpet?”
Sam laughed then, a low rich laugh that brought back more of Andi’s cherished memories. “I’m afraid I have no magic carpet.”
“Just a big black car,” Chance said, sounding awed over that fact.
Andi took Chance’s hand, determined to usher him out before he asked more questions. “Honey, it’s time to go to camp. If we don’t leave, you’ll miss your bus.”
Amazingly, Chance looked disappointed over leaving his newfound friend. He’d been bugging her for weeks, counting the days until his first trip to camp, something Andi had been dreading even though she knew it would be good for him. Now he looked as if he couldn’t care less. “Can I stay and talk to the prince a little longer?”
“How long will you be away at this camp?” Sam asked.
“Two weeks,” Andi answered for her son. “I’m sure you’ll be gone—”
“I promise I
will be here when you return,” Sam said, his eyes still leveled on his child.
Chance’s grin widened, revealing the left-sided dimple that served as another reminder of his parentage. “Can I ride in your car when I get home?”
“Most certainly.”
Andi gave Chance a nudge toward the door. “Let’s go.”
“Andrea,” Sam said from behind her. “One other thing.”
She looked back to find that Tess had taken a chair across from Sam who had seated himself once again, his hands folded before him, looking much too cozy for Andi’s comfort.
“What other thing?” she asked, although she wasn’t certain she really wanted to know.
“I will be here when you return.”
Exactly what Andi had longed for through many yesterdays, and what she greatly feared today.
Two
He had viewed the many ruins in Rome, Sacré Coeur at Montmartre in Paris, the Acropolis in Athens. Yet those experiences had paled in comparison to gazing upon his child for the first time.
Now Sam could only sit in silence, holding fast to the wish that he could recapture the years and experience every one of his son’s milestones. But that was not possible, and not enough hours existed to make up for lost time.
“Are you okay, Sam?”
He looked up from his untouched coffee and met Tess’s compassionate, gray eyes. “As well as can be expected.”
“I guess finding out about the boy kind of shocked you.”
“I knew about him before I arrived.”
Tess’s eyes widened. “You knew?”
“Did Andrea not tell you that we spoke last night following the auction?”
“Heck no, she didn’t tell me that. She only told me that some guy paid a truckload of money for her to train his horse.”
“I was the one. A small price to pay for the opportunity to know my child.” And the opportunity to once again be in Andrea’s presence, if only for a while. Perhaps he was somehow torturing himself, knowing he could never touch her, never hold her or make love to her again. Some things had not changed with the passage of time.
“How long have you known?” Tess asked.
“I found out a few months ago, when I knew I would be returning. I had someone investigate Andrea’s whereabouts. I didn’t know for certain that he was mine until I spoke with her last evening.”
“She admitted you’re his father?”
“No, but I surmised that fact because of his age and some of what she said to me. I had no doubts after I saw him.” Sam pushed the cup aside and leaned back. “How long have you known?”
Tess propped her cheek on her palm and sighed. “I knew something was wrong with Andi after Paul’s death, something more than losing her brother. I finally nagged her enough until she told me she was pregnant. The girl tried to convince me she’d been with some boy in town, but when Chance was born, that’s when I knew for sure he was yours.”
The guilt fisted in Sam’s belly and held on tightly. “It was the night Paul died, Tess. We turned to each other for comfort. Never before Andrea had I been so careless. I know that doesn’t relieve me of the responsibility, but I want you to know that I never intended it to happen.”
“I know you didn’t. I also know that Andi had her sights set on you the minute you walked through the front door that first time. Add that to her mourning Paul’s death, it’s not surprising at all.”
“That does not excuse my behavior, my failure to protect her,” Sam said adamantly. “I should never have allowed it to happen.”
Tess leaned forward and laid a hand on his arm. “It’s too late to worry about the what-I-should-have-dones. Question is, what are you going to do now?”
Sam knew what he wanted to do. He also knew what he could not do. He couldn’t get involved with Andrea again knowing what he faced on his return home. He also could not abandon his child. “I would like to take the month I have here in the States to get to know my son.”
Tess frowned. “So you’re gonna try to cram six years into a few weeks?”
“I suppose I am. I also want to set up a trust fund to make sure that his needs are met.”
Tess glared at him. “Let’s get one thing straight, Mr. Sheikh. Andi has worked like the devil to meet that boy’s needs. After the life insurance money ran out last year, she broke horses no one else wanted to break, all at the risk of getting herself hurt, or worse, just to pay the bills and put food on the table. I’ve done my part, too, and you can bet Chance has been happy, except for the diabetes.”
Searing panic rushed through Sam. “Diabetes?”
“Yeah. Guess Andi didn’t bother to tell you that, either. The camp he’s going to is a summer program for diabetic kids. It almost killed Andi to let him go, but she decided it would do him a world of good.”
“How long has he had this diabetes?”
“He was diagnosed a little over a year ago. But he’s doing okay after having a few setbacks. He’s a regular little trooper, I tell you.”
Sam experienced an overwhelming pain for his child, the need to take that pain away, if only he could. “If I had known, I would have done more. I would have sent him to the finest doctors, the best hospitals.”
“And it wouldn’t have changed a thing, Sam. He’s stuck with this disease, and we can only hope and pray that someday they’ll find a cure. In the meantime, we plan to treat him like a normal kid. Or at least I try to do that. Andi’s pretty protective.”
That much he’d witnessed earlier. “With my money, she can have more financial freedom.”
“She won’t take your money.”
“She won’t refuse as long as she knows I have our son’s best interest at heart.”
“Maybe, but you hurt her pretty badly by just running off and not staying in touch. I’m not sure how you’re going to deal with that.”
Neither did Sam, but he had to try. “After we’ve had the opportunity to talk further, I hope we can come to an understanding.”
She stared at the cup a few more moments before looking up once again. “Okay, so you want to spend some time with Chance, and I think that’s a good idea, which means you need to be close by. So the way I see it, you’ll need to move in here with us.”
Sam secretly admitted he had thought about that, living once again in the place he had considered his true home in America, but he could only imagine Andrea’s reaction. “I doubt your niece will agree to that plan.”
“Let me handle her. I suggest that you get in that limo and hightail it out of here to go and get your things. She won’t be back for another hour or so, since she’s got to stop by the feed store. That should give you enough time to settle in. You can have my room. I’ll stay in the bunkhouse.”
“With Mr. Parker?”
Tess patted her short, gray hair and glanced away. “No. Riley’s working for someone else because Andi couldn’t afford to keep him on. He still stops by now and then.”
Sam grinned when color rose to Tess’s careworn face. “He has yet to propose marriage?”
“He has, every day, but I’m too old to consider getting married.”
“But not too old to…?” Sam let his words trail off on a question, unable to resist teasing her a bit.
“Too old for a good old-fashioned tumble? No one’s too old for that, Sam. Not when it comes to someone you care about.”
Images filtered into Sam’s consciousness, visions of making love to Andrea, seeing satisfaction in her eyes, not sadness or hatred. But he could not consider something so foolish again, no matter how much he ached to do that very thing.
“Perhaps I should wait until Chance returns from camp,” he said, thinking that might be favorable to being alone in the house with Andrea.
Tess shrugged. “You could, but I figure while you’re here, you could earn your keep. The place is falling down around our ears, especially the barn. Might be nice if you could help fix the place up a bit. You could take the time to do that before Chance gets ba
ck.”
At least that would occupy his hands during the day. But during the night… “I would be happy to do that. I must admit, I’ve missed engaging in manual labor since I’ve been away.”
She sent him another questioning look. “You know, I’m surprised some girl hasn’t snatched you up.”
Sam mentally winced. “I am to be married by the end of summer.”
“Does Andi know about this?” Tess did well to keep the shock from her expression, but it resounded in her tone.
“No. I prefer not to speak about it.”
Tess stood and went to the counter to refill her coffee. “I guess you know what you’re doing.”
He knew exactly what he was doing—entering into a union with a woman for whom he felt nothing, an alliance that would benefit both their families. A life that held little promise of satisfaction all in the name of producing an heir with royal blood. “I have no choice in the matter.”
Tess carried her cup back to the table and reclaimed her seat, staring at him intensely. “You’re wrong, Sam. Life is about choices. Can you live with this one?”
Before he had returned to Andrea, he had come to accept his fate. Now that he had seen her again, he wasn’t as certain as before.
He could not consider that now. First and foremost, he had to consider his child’s well-being, to make memories that would last a lifetime. And in order to have that opportunity, he must convince Andrea to trust him again.
Andi didn’t trust Sam or his motives. Worse, she didn’t trust herself around him. Today she had cried more than a few tears seeing her son off for the first time. She wasn’t sure she had enough strength to deal with his father. But she had to deal with him. Chance’s welfare was of the utmost importance, and she intended to find out what Sam had planned in that regard.
Pulling up behind the limo, she put the truck in Park and slid out, bolstering her courage. The bodyguard was seated on the front porch glider, looking serious, his arms folded across his chest. When Andi approached, he stood.
She stuck out her hand for a formal introduction. “I didn’t catch your name.”
