by Judy Duarte - The Bachelor's Brighton Valley Bride (Return to Brighton Valley)
“I guess this complicates things,” she said.
“Just a bit.”
She blew out a sigh, then pulled free of his embrace. “I guess we should call it a day and see how we feel about things in the morning.”
“Maybe so.”
Yet neither of them took a step in either direction. That is, until Lisa swung open the door and popped her head outside. “Oh, good. You didn’t leave yet, Mr. Johnson. I wanted to remind you about my game tomorrow. Since my mom doesn’t work on Wednesdays, she can’t remind you about it. And I don’t want you to forget.”
Peyton reached over and gave one of her braids a gentle tug. “I won’t forget. What time does it start?”
“Three o’clock.”
“All right. I’ll see you there.”
When Lisa shut the door, leaving them alone again, Peyton said, “I suppose that means I won’t be getting any breakfast burritos or warm muffins to eat with my coffee tomorrow. I’d forgotten that it was Wednesday.”
So had Megan, but that wasn’t a bad thing. It actually meant that they’d have more time to let things sink in.
She feared she might be falling for Peyton—as uneasy as that thought made her. And she was going to need more than a few hours to wrap her mind around that possibility.
And to decide just what in the heck she was going to do about it.
* * *
As Wednesday wore on, Clay found himself wandering around the shop, unable to get much work done. He’d been so caught up in that amazing but unexpected goodbye kiss he’d shared with Megan last night that he couldn’t seem to focus on anything else.
It might have started out as a sweet and friendly way to say I’ll see you later, but that wasn’t the way it had ended up. Instead it promised that they’d be seeing a hell of a lot more of each other. And that they’d be sharing a few good-morning kisses, too.
Damn. What was he going to do about that woman? He wasn’t about to settle in Brighton Valley, but was he ready for the alternative? Did he want to tell her who he was, then ride off with her and the kids in the sunset?
He raked his hand through his hair for the umpteenth time, then clucked his tongue. He wasn’t so sure he wanted to leave town without her.
She’d said that they would have to wait and see how they felt about things in the morning, but he sure hoped she didn’t ask him what conclusion he’d come up with, because he was still just as befuddled now as he’d been last night.
Befuddled? Hell, it was more like bewitched.
Somehow he’d managed to make it through the day. Then, at a quarter to three, he placed a closed sign on the front door, locked up the shop and made the walk to the park, where he’d promised to meet up with Megan and the kids.
It was a fairly short walk down Main Street to the town square, then another block to the park. He’d no more than stepped onto the walkway that led to the ball field, when he spotted a familiar face—Rick Martinez.
Clay had been meaning to call his old friend, but he hadn’t done so yet. A while back, Rick had asked him to help him locate Joey, his younger brother, who’d left town ten years ago and had never been heard of since.
Rick had hired a P.I., who hadn’t had any luck. And so he’d thought Clay might have better luck using his computer skills.
It wouldn’t be the first time Clay had helped the guy who’d stepped in and stopped Todd Redding’s harassment back when they’d both been at Washington High in Wexler.
After Rick had transferred to Brighton Valley High and mentioned his interest in Mallory Dickinson, a beautiful blond honor student, Clay had hacked into the BVHS computer system and found her phone number and address, along with a few other pertinent details. He’d passed it to Rick—a gift from one friend to another.
Several weeks later, Rick and Mallory started dating. Clay had been happy for his friend, although he’d felt like an outsider again. Then, when Mallory left town, and the couple had eventually broken up, Rick had been devastated. It had been enough to make a guy leery of falling in love—that is, if Clay ever found the right girl.
And now he wondered if Megan might be that girl....
“Well, look what the proverbial cat dragged in.” Rick, who’d been heading for the drinking fountain, stopped in his tracks, then extended his hand in greeting. “How long have you been in town?”
“A little more than a week. I called you a few days after I arrived, but your receptionist said you and your family were vacationing in Hawaii.”
“We just got back. I have an associate working with me at the clinic now, so I can finally take some time off.”
“I’m glad to hear it. How are Mallory and Lucas doing?”
“They’re both great.” Rick cocked his head. “But look at you, Clay. I never thought I’d see the day when you would cut your long hair, shave that beard or toss your glasses. What’s that all about? Going for a new style?”
“Actually, I’ve been trying to lay low. No one down at the store knows who I really am. In fact, I told them my name is Peyton Johnson and that I’m an accountant who was sent by corporate to help them convert to a new system.”
“When you mentioned coming to Brighton Valley to check things out at the store, I had no idea you were going to go undercover.”
“Yeah, well, it seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I’m going to have to figure out a way to come clean. I’m just not ready to do that yet.”
“Why? Do you still think there’s something underhanded going on at the store?”
“No, not anymore.” Clay told Rick about Megan, about how things were warming up between them—and how nice it was to know a woman liked him for something other than the things he could buy her or the places he could take her.
“Megan’s a nice woman. She also makes great muffins, jams and jellies. We make a point of stopping by her booth at the farmers market.”
“Yes, I know. But if our paths cross, especially if I’m with her and the kids, pretend that we’ve never met until now.”
“I won’t say anything—or call you by name. But I can’t lie for you, especially to my wife. And to make matters even more difficult, she and Megan are friends.”
“I understand. And for the record, I don’t intend to keep it a secret much longer. I’ll be coming clean soon.”
“Good,” Rick said. “That’ll make things easier, at least for me.”
“I should have realized Mallory and Megan would be friends. They both went to Brighton Valley High.”
“Actually, they never ran in the same crowds when they were in school. Megan was a cheerleader, and Mallory hung out with the honor students—that is, until she met me.”
Clay remembered those days in high school, when Rick had been aimless and prone to getting into trouble. “But at least things finally worked out for you guys.”
“It took a ten-year separation, but yeah. Things worked out great. And I’ll let you in on a secret. We’re going to have a baby at the end of December.”
“Just in time for Christmas?”
“Maybe. Or New Year’s. Either way, we couldn’t be happier.” Rick’s smile faded a bit. “Well, the only thing that would make it better would be to find my brother. Have you had any luck?”
“Actually, I finally got a lead about two weeks ago, although it isn’t much of one yet. So I hate to get your hopes up until I hear back from a guy.”
“When Joey left town, he disappeared off the face of the earth. So your lead is the first one I’ve had. What did you turn up?”
“I found a retired marine who took the same bus Joey did when he ran off. And he might know something.”
“You haven’t talked to him yet?”
“The guy lives in some remote fishing village in Mexico. He has to go into a nearby town just to get cel
l-phone service or an internet connection, and even then it’s sketchy at best. But I sent him an email, and I’m waiting to hear back. So I’ll keep you posted.”
“Great. Thanks.”
Before either man could comment further, Tyler walked toward them with Pancho on a leash. “Can I get the key to the repair shop, Mr. Johnson?”
“Sure.” Clay reached into his pocket and handed it over to the boy.
“That’s a nice dog,” Rick said. “But he’s way too thin.”
Tyler patted the top of the dog’s head. “Yeah, I know. But you should have seen him before we gave him a bath and fed him, Dr. Martinez.”
“Pancho was a stray,” Peyton explained. “The kids found him yesterday.”
Rick stooped to give Pancho a scratch behind his ear. “Tell your mom to bring him in for a free exam—and for his shots.”
“Cool. Thanks, Doctor. I’ll do that.”
When Tyler took off toward the repair shop on Main, Clay said, “I’ll pay for the dog’s exam and his shots. You don’t need to offer them a freebie.”
“I’m not going to charge either one of you. I run an animal rescue, and Pancho probably would have ended up at my place if Megan’s kids hadn’t found him first. So I would have fattened him up and made sure he was healthy before finding him a home. I’ve always been a sucker for strays.”
That was true. And Clay was lucky Rick had seen him as a stray who needed rescuing all those years ago.
Assuming a stray wandered through life looking for a place where he really fit in, then in some ways, Clay supposed he still was one.
* * *
The next afternoon while Megan went to pick up her kids from school, Clay sat in front of the computer, checking email. When he spotted one from Diablo Perro, the retired marine he’d been trying to reach, he clicked the mouse, and the message opened right up.
Yep, you found the right Mack McGinnis. And as a matter of fact, me and a couple of buddies did take the Old Gray Dog from Texas to California about ten years back. That’s one trip I’ll never forget. It was raining like hell. The bus broke down a couple of times. There was a pileup on the interstate near Tucson. Turned out okay, but I thought we’d never make it to Camp Pendleton in time and would end up in the brig. So a few of us caught a ride with a family heading to the coast. Why do you ask?
Clay had waited two weeks for this response, so there was no telling how long he’d have to wait for the next one. But he had a lead, and he wasn’t about to let it go. So he typed in the reason for his query.
I’m looking for a kid named Joey Martinez. He was on that same bus but was never accounted for in Tucson or in San Diego. He was seventeen and had been a foster kid. His brother lost touch with him and wants to find him. By any chance do you remember seeing him or know where he might have gone?
“What are you doing?” Tyler asked as he entered the back office.
Clay, who’d just clicked Send, said, “Not much. A friend of mine had asked me to look for his brother, a guy who went missing years ago. He hadn’t been able to find him, and he thought I could do it through the internet.”
“Did you?” Tyler asked. “Find him, I mean.”
“Not yet, but I might have uncovered someone who ran into him.”
“Wow. That’s cool.”
“It would be super cool if I actually found him and helped the two brothers reconnect.”
Tyler bit down on his bottom lip. “Think you could help me do that?”
“Do what? Find someone?”
“Yeah. My dad. He and my mom split up, and I haven’t seen him since. I don’t expect them to get married again or anything like that. He ended up with someone else. But he doesn’t write or call or send money or anything. And...well, it’s just that...” Tyler bit down on his bottom lip again, then looked back at Clay. “He divorced my mom, but don’t you think he’d want to have a relationship with his son?”
Clay, more than anyone, understood a kid’s desire to think that a dad or a mom or some absent person in his life adored him and was just waiting to be found. But when he’d gone in search of his own father, he’d felt worse after finding him than if he hadn’t looked for him at all.
Clay wanted to spare Tyler from going through the same heartbreaking experience, especially since he’d gathered that Megan’s ex-husband wasn’t any nobler than Professor Bradley Madigan had turned out to be.
And even if things didn’t turn out the same way for Tyler, and his dad did end up wanting to be a part of his kids’ lives, Clay wasn’t so sure he liked the idea of the guy waltzing back into the picture like some long-lost hero when he’d been anything but.
“I can’t help you with that, Tyler. Sometimes men who are weak and irresponsible disappear for good reasons. And finding them only stirs up trouble for the people who’ve moved on with their lives. My advice is to just let it be.”
Tyler glanced down and studied his scuffed sneakers for a moment, then looked up and gave a little shrug. “Okay, I’ll think about it.”
When the boy walked away, Clay went back to work. It didn’t take long before he lost himself in it, just the way he always used to.
It was kind of funny, but as eager as he’d been to slip in and out of Brighton Valley, he was finding that he’d actually missed the hands-on work. And that he didn’t mind small town life the way he’d thought he might. In fact, he liked the people he’d met.
Maybe he ought to tell Megan that the corporate office had asked him to stick around long enough to help Don ease back into a full-time position.
But was that really the wisest thing for him to do? How involved did he want to get with Megan and her kids?
After that heated kiss they’d shared the other night, he was torn between hightailing it out of here and waiting to see where another kiss might lead.
He’d barely signed off his email account, when Megan entered the back office, bringing another woman with her. Because the older woman wore a long flowing scarf on her head, the kind chemo patients wore to cover their hair loss, he suspected that she was Don’s wife.
“Peyton,” Megan said, “this is Cindy Carpenter.”
Clay got to his feet and greeted the woman with a handshake. “It’s nice to finally meet you. How’s Don doing?”
“He’s recovering nicely—thanks to you and to everyone in the Houston office. The company has been so good to us that we have no other choice but to get better.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Peyton said.
“So while I was in town, I thought I should stop by and thank you for staying to help Megan in the shop.”
“I’m glad it worked out.” Peyton looked at Megan, who tossed him a warm smile.
“Cindy was just telling me about all the things that Geekon Enterprises has done for them,” Megan said. “And I’m amazed. I guess not all big companies are so focused on the bottom line that they forget about the people who work for them.”
Clay returned her smile, although the fact was, Geekon Enterprises hadn’t been any different from what she’d expected until he’d stepped into his undercover role in Brighton Valley. And while he was still making changes in the HR departments in all the subsidiaries, like improving the health insurance and creating a sunshine fund, that wasn’t the way things were just a month ago.
“Well, I’d better go,” Cindy said. “I just came into town to pick up some groceries. And I have to get my frozen food home before it melts.”
“I’ll walk you out to the car,” Megan told her.
“Tyler and Lisa,” Cindy said, “come outside with us. I just happen to have some ice-cream bars you two can have.”
With that, both kids followed the women out the back of the shop, leaving Clay alone. But he didn’t have a chance to return to his seat before the bell on the front door jangled
again.
“Is anyone here?” Rick Martinez called out.
“I am.” Clay left his work on the desk to meet his friend.
Rick placed a bag on the counter. “I brought some special dog food for Pancho. It’s what I feed all my rescue dogs. It’s loaded with nutrients.”
“Thanks. I’m sure Megan and the kids will appreciate it.”
Rick scanned the shop. “Where is everyone?”
“They’re walking Cindy Carpenter out to her car.”
“Have you had a chance to tell Megan who you are yet?” Rick asked, lowering his voice.
“Not yet, but I’m going to. I just have to figure out how and when to do it.”
“I don’t understand. What are you waiting for?”
Clay wasn’t sure. How long did he want to continue living a fantasy? He couldn’t stay in Brighton Valley forever.
“Oh,” Rick said. “I get it.”
“Get what?”
“You’re feeling guilty about all the BS you’ve been spinning.”
“Well, it didn’t start out as BS. But yeah, you’re right. I don’t want her to see me in a bad light.”
“There’s only one reason for you to feel guilty and to drag your feet. You’re falling for her.”
Clay wanted to argue, but Rick had a point. And a strong one. “Even if you were right, I wouldn’t know how to tell her that the guy she thinks she knows and cares about doesn’t exist.”
“Doesn’t he?”
Clay clucked his tongue. “I’m not sure what’s real and what isn’t. So how can I expect her to see it all clearly? Besides, I’ve never been good when it comes to dealing with people.”
“That’s not true any longer. Look at you. You’ve built a multimillion-dollar company—or is it billions now?—from scratch. And I’ve seen pictures of some of the women you’ve had on your arm at those fancy functions you go to all the time...like that model. What was her name?”
