The Secret Daughter

by Roz Denny Fox

  “No. I was fiercely loyal. I was furious at Mom for signing away our house. I’d go by there every morning and afternoon to see if Dad had come back. It was years before I understood how sick she actually was.”

  She touched Adam’s arm. “Parents can sure screw up their kids’ lives. I’ll try to be more sympathetic to Casey. Like Jackson said, none of us created this mess, but we all have to try to make the best of it.”

  Adam toyed with mentioning what Nick had said about Casey having lost a baby. But as irritated as he was at Nick, his friend had said that wasn’t for publication. Adam would respect Nick’s wishes. “Hey, off to your right is the mill.” He swung the pickup into a layby. “The gate’s chained. Unless we climb over, you can’t get any closer.”

  “That’s okay. Under the lights, it looks remarkably like Shiller’s. Well, bigger. Adam, thanks for stopping. After I complete the chore Jackson’s assigned me, I’ll ask him for permission to poke around the mill. Or maybe I’ll see if he’ll let me work there.”

  They talked sporadically on the drive home, sharing the small details couples like to exchange on a first date.

  “I already knew you liked jazz from listening to you and Tanya talk,” Noelani said during a discussion of favorite music. “Zydeco. I can’t say I’ve ever heard it.”

  “If you’re not from around here, you probably can’t distinguish Zydeco from Cajun. It’s a mix of Cajun with blues or rock. The band at the casino were playing Zydeco. They incorporated a saxophone and an electric bass with the standard fiddle and accordion. And some use odd—traditional—instruments like a washboard.”

  “Hmm.” She yawned, then apologized for it.

  “I can take a hint when I’m boring someone. Jazz and the old N’Awlins blues rev me up. I had a hard time deciding whether to renovate old homes or chuck it all and become an itinerant musician. Luc Renault did just that. You saw him at the casino. Luc struggled to raise younger brothers and supported them by playing in smoky, out-of-the-way night clubs.”

  “Music must pay better than raising cane.” She grinned to show she was kidding. “If Viv is Luc’s wife, she was dressed fit to kill.”

  “Viv comes from old Creole money. She’s a product of boarding schools and summers in France. Talk about a family uprising. Tanya said Viv’s parents threatened all kinds of dire things when she announced her intention to marry Luc. Tanya is a fountain of gossip. Don’t tell her anything you don’t want the world to know.”

  “I doubt that’ll be a problem. I’m not exactly on her A-list of friends.”

  Adam slowed his truck to turn right into the drive leading to Bellefontaine. He parked beside his garçonnière, shut off the engine and undid his seat belt. Resting his arm along the back of the bench seat, he picked up a thick strand of Noelani’s hair and brushed his thumb back and forth across the blunt tips.

  Suddenly nervous, she bent to retrieve her purse.

  Adam released her seat belt and slid her toward him across the cool leather seat. His fingers brushed her stomach, sending a shiver up her spine.

  What was he doing? After all, he’d only asked her out tonight because Jackson ordered him to. Hadn’t he?

  “I had a good time, Noelani. I’m glad you let me off the hook for my surly behavior at the casino.” Gazing fully into her confused eyes, Adam kneaded her shoulders. He’d intended to heed caution but was drawn to her by a stronger force.

  “I’d, uh, better go inside.” She fumbled behind her for the door latch.

  To hell with caution! Adam seized the moment, angled his head and fit his lips over hers. Her purse fell to the floor, popped open and dumped the contents all over their feet.

  She felt her hairbrush strike her ankle. A fleeting spark of rationality urged her to pick things up—so fleeting she hardly noticed the thought. Suddenly all that mattered was Adam’s lips. Adam’s arms. His solid chest. His…kiss. Heat built and built as her brain went numb and her body limp.

  Adam molded his chest to her soft breasts, and his hands memorized the curve of her waist, the gentle flare of her hips. His heart rate shot into high gear as her fingers slid restlessly up and down the buttons on his shirt.

  Spicy ginger filled his nostrils. And her taste…her taste was more exotic than he’d dreamed in his most fanciful dream.

  The slam of a car door cut through the odd gravitational force enveloping them both. Adam was the first to pull away. “It’s Jackson coming home,” he said in a raspy, winded voice.

  “What? Oh. Oh!” Grabbing the drooping strap on her tank top, Noelani thrust unsteady fingers through her tangled hair. As she ran her tongue over her still-damp lips, she realized they tingled with the lingering pleasure of Adam’s kiss.

  “Jackson’s heading our way,” she hissed, her panic only adding to the whirlwind in her stomach. “I’ve got to go.” Scrambling to the passenger door, she yanked hard on the handle several times, only to discover the door was still locked. “Unlock this now! Oh, jeez, my purse. Where’s my purse?”

  Adam grabbed her arm. “Calm down, Noelani. We’re certainly over the age of consent. Besides, I’m quite sure kissing’s not against the rules at Bellefontaine.”

  She was crawling around the floorboard, hunting for the contents of her purse that were strewn underfoot. Dimly she heard Adam roll down his window and hail Jackson. Muggy as the blast of air was, Noelani welcomed it because it restored some sense of balance. Crouched on the floor, she saw Jackson clearly in the yellow light falling from a carriage lamp. He had on a white shirt and skewed tie. His sleeves were rolled midway up his arms and he’d casually hooked a summer-weight suit jacket over one shoulder.

  “You just getting back from your meeting with the lobbyists?” Adam asked.

  “Yeah, those guys could talk an elephant to death. Who’s bobbing around on the floor of your truck?”

  Noelani tucked the last item into her bulging purse. She ducked and slid out the door. “I need a new purse. Darn thing fell off the seat and dumped all over creation.” Turning to Adam, she murmured, “If you find any strange things under your feet, I can only hope they aren’t embarrassing to either of us.”

  “I don’t think I’ll even ask what might fall into that category,” he drawled, knowing she’d blush, which she did, but fortunately it was dark.

  Jackson’s voice rose over their banter. “Oh, it’s you, Noelani. Did you connect with the band Nick recommended?”

  “I did. We heard some of their performance. They’re good, and they cost less than last year’s band, so I signed them up. DuPree, who’s catered your last two events, gave me a verbal okay for the date you picked. I got quotes from three printers. They all said I’d need to bring in copy. I’ll be happy to type it up on your computer, if you don’t mind running it into town.” At last her nerves had begun to settle, although her tongue still had a thick, fuzzy feeling.

  “You can take the copy by a printer. Feel free to use Maman’s car. Or Duke’s. They’re both in the garage. I’ll get you a set of keys. I have a state-wide growers’ meeting tomorrow, so I’ll be leaving home before daylight. It could last two days or more.”

  “Uh, sure. I was…uh…telling Adam good-night when you drove in.” She darted a furtive glance at him and wished she hadn’t. He’d climbed out to stand beside Jackson. Adam’s blue eyes smoldered, not hiding what had gone on between them. Noelani wondered if only her sanity had been restored. Surely he could see that there was no future in their embarking on a romantic liaison. None whatsoever.

  But there he was—his thumbs tucked in the front pocket of worn jeans, his head cocked slightly to one side, eyes burning with…something she didn’t care to name.

  She told herself not to take a second look, but she darted one quick peek over her shoulder. Adam hadn’t moved. He made an unforgettable picture silhouetted against the backdrop of a golden Louisiana moon. Wide shoulders. Not-too-bulky biceps. Just-right hips. Wavy brown hair gently ruffled by a welcome breeze.

  Noelani s
pun forward, shifting her purse and twisting her hair into a knot to give the breeze better access to her hot cheeks and damp, sticky neck.

  “I’ll go get the keys and show you to the garage,” Jackson said. “It’ll take me only a minute if you’d like to wait here.”

  “Sure. Are the cars in an outbuilding? If so, I’ll walk on ahead.”

  “They’re in the garage behind the vacant garçonnière. Not Adam’s. It’s where Nick stayed before he and Casey got married.”

  “And now they live in your grandmother’s house?”

  “Yes. Wisteria Cottage. It’s a grand old place. You’ll have to get Casey to give you a tour one of these days.”

  Yeah, right! “I’ll, uh, meet you at the garage.”

  She didn’t know if it was her imagination, but Jackson seemed to leave her waiting for longer than she’d anticipated. When he finally appeared out of the darkness, she saw why he’d been detained. He had Megan wrapped in both his arms. She clung tightly to a doll Noelani had certainly seen before. The child’s sleepy eyes, her Barbie nightgown and tousled hair told Noelani she’d at least been in bed, where four-year-olds belonged at this hour.

  “Megan heard me come in. She’s promised to go straight back to sleep when I take her back upstairs. So I’ve agreed to let her help me deliver the keys.”

  “Daddy, she’s who fixed Emmylou’s dress and gave her a new eye.” Still hugging her father, Megan offered Noelani a shy, sweet smile.

  “And we’re going to give Emmylou a new hairdo, aren’t we?” Noelani returned the child’s smile.

  Megan nodded, her curls scraping Jackson’s five-o’clock shadow. The gaze he turned on Noelani showed more than scant surprise.

  “Give me those keys before you drop them in the dirt,” she said, plucking them out of his otherwise occupied hands. “I assume one of these opens the garage door?”

  He pointed, and she undid the padlock. “Megan waited up because she wanted to tell me all about the doll. Thanks, Noelani. I gather she’s had Emmylou forever.”

  “The doll’s her talisman,” Noelani said. When Jackson quirked an eyebrow, she added, “Jackson, I suspect the doll’s disappearance wasn’t an accident. You might want to let it be known that Emmylou has a permanent home at Bellefontaine.”

  “Yeah, Daddy. I cried when I lost her. She helps me remember Mommy.”

  Noelani wasn’t sure how that news would affect Jackson. Some men would probably dispose of the doll without qualm. Jackson, however, hugged his child tight. Swaying her from side to side, he murmured, “I didn’t know that, honey bun. This weekend, I’ll see if I can find a picture of Mommy. She’s had to go away for a while. But you should have a picture of her to keep by your bed.”

  Tears pressed the back of Noelani’s eyelids as she felt along the wall for a light switch. All three of them blinked rapidly when she found the switch and flooded the interior with a blaze of light.

  Noelani emitted a gasp. She’d never imagined such big cars. At home she drove a Jeep. Or on occasion, Bruce’s imported compact. But these looked intimidating.

  “The Cadillac was Maman’s. Duke’s is the Lincoln Town Car. He treated it like a baby. He had a newer model on or…der.” Jackson’s voice wobbled.

  Faced suddenly with something that belonged to her father, something special to him, Noelani didn’t think she could make herself touch it, let alone drive it. “I, ah, have never driven a big car. But I’m a good driver. So…maybe… I’ll try your mother’s.”

  “Maman loved the small Caddy. She bought a new one every year.” Even though he had to juggle Megan, who’d dropped off to sleep, Jackson peeled two keys off a second ring. “The car key and one for the garage. Caddies guzzle gas, so I’ll find a spare credit card. To be used within reason,” he said as they left the garage.

  “I understand, Jackson. I’m well aware of our lean finances.”

  “They’re temporary,” he growled. “Since I’m taking off before breakfast, I’ll shove the credit card under your door.”

  They parted at the top of the stairs. Given all that had happened today, including those last few moments with Adam Ross, Noelani hoped the Fontaines’ financial woes were indeed temporary. The sooner she got back to Hawaii, the better. For everyone.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  THE COCHON DE LAIT GOT underway at 10:00 a.m. Noelani had been up half the night checking and rechecking final details. She wanted it to go off without a hitch. Personal pride, she told herself. It wasn’t because she needed to prove anything to Jackson and Casey. Although she admitted to herself that, deep down, proving her worth was what drove her. In her head lurked a little voice reminding her she’d been abandoned by her father and, in a way, her mother. When Duke Fontaine left, Anela Hana had lost her capacity to love. Her body bore his child, but her heart shriveled. And as the years passed, it died.

  Noelani’s tutu, a wise and practical woman, often said there were some things that just were. It was a hard concept for a kid to buy into. Because she couldn’t help thinking that maybe if she tried harder or was smarter, prettier or…more perfect, maybe…

  Blocking the old mental tape, Noelani exited the back door. Raising her head, she sniffed the steamy aroma of barbecue spices, saw Adam rounding the corner and tried to change her course.

  He set down the folding table he carried on his shoulder so he could grab her arm. “Hey, sugar pie, what’s your rush? Haven’t seen you in over a week. I told Jackson that when he gave you Angelique’s car, he created a monster.”

  She glanced guiltily away. In truth, he hadn’t seen her since the night he’d kissed her because she’d purposely engineered her schedule to avoid him. Which was no mean feat. “I’ve, uh, been busy. And I need to go check on Mr. DuPree.” Clutching her clipboard, she attempted to walk around him.

  “Liar,” he said softly. “You’ve been dodging me.”

  “You’re right, Adam. I have.”

  A range of emotions crossed his face. “Mind telling me why?”

  “I have my life. You have yours.”

  “Yeah. So? What kind of double-talk is that?”

  “In a few months I’ll be returning to Maui.”

  “Jeez, I figured since someone shipped you all your worldly possessions, it meant you’d decided to stay. I hauled four giant boxes up two flights of stairs and parked them outside your bedroom door.”

  “I—thank you, Adam. Bruce went overboard in what he sent.”

  “He did okay. I like the dress you have on. But what are these? I thought Hawaiians wore flower-things around their necks.” He ran the tip of one forefinger down a long rope of polished black nuts draped to the waist of Noelani’s flowing black-and-white flowered dress.

  “The dress is a holomuu and these are kukui nuts. My grandmother hand-polished and tied them the old way for my high school graduation.” She ran a reverent finger over the necklace, taking care to avoid contact with Adam’s hand. “She passed away two days after she saw me graduate.”

  “Aw, sugar pie, I’m sorry. What family do you have left in Hawaii?”

  “None. Grandmother’s husband and sisters predeceased her. Anela was her only child.”

  “Then your only relatives are right here.”

  She looked startled, but only for a moment, then a wry sadness stole over her. “I take it you missed the row Casey and Jackson had over my driving Angelique’s car. Even if I wanted to, there’s no hope of my ever bonding with Casey.”

  “Do you want to?”

  “I’m not sure.” She shrugged. “Yeah, I do. I’ve never been comfortable having people dislike me.”

  “Then persist.”

  “Like you? Aunt Esme told me often enough this past week that you asked why I quit eating with the family.”

  “Why did you?”

  “I spent hours making the flyer. Also, Aunt Esme’s car’s in the shop. I drove her to the hair salon, the vet and to Toodles’s groomer. She had meetings of the historical society, the garden club and he
r library committee. I did learn something interesting in the process of chauffeuring her around, though. Did you know she was once engaged to Murray Dewalt’s dad?”

  “Betty let it slip. She has no love for Esme or Roland Dewalt.”

  “I think it’s a sad story. Aunt Esme brought Angelique, who was her best friend, home from the Sorbonne on winter break to help her plan a wedding. Roland and Duke supposedly both fell madly in love with Angelique. In the end Dewalt dumped Aunt Esme for nothing, because Angelique only had eyes for Duke.”

  “Yeah, well according to Betty, Esme’s lucky she got dumped. Which says a lot. You’ve seen how those ladies bicker. But maybe you’ve never met Roland.”

  “We ran into him at the bank. He was rude to me, which was what prompted Aunt Esme’s trip down memory lane. I gather the manner in which Roland broke their engagement caused quite a rift between the Dewalts and Fontaines.”

  “It didn’t last. Murray practically lives at Bellefontaine. He’s sort of a know-it-all, but Jackson likes him. Casey and he had a major tiff recently.” He made a careless gesture. “I’m not sure what he does for a living. He has a lot of free time, if you ask me.”

  “Aunt Esme said Roland sold off half their plantation. I think they had pecan orchards and some cane. She said Dewalt used to own the refinery Duke bought.”

  “Yeah. I did hear Murray discussing hybrid cane with Casey. She’s growing some super-duper bug-and-rot-resistant cane for LSU’s agricultural department.”

  “I suppose Murray could also be involved in the development program.”

  “Maybe. Hey, why are we spending our time talking about Murray? Before it gets too crazy around here, I want to put in my request for a dance with you.”

  She flushed. “I won’t be dancing, Adam. I’m the one making sure everything runs smoothly throughout the day and evening.”

  “Are you kidding? When the music heats up, everybody dances.”

  Noelani tightened her hold on the clipboard. “You were delivering a table, I believe, and I’m about to go check on our caterer.”