“The other kid got a week, Tess, before you jump to any conclusions about who started what. The school has a zero tolerance policy for physical fighting. Nick said for some reason this other boy had been picking on him since the accident. He said he’d been managing to handle the situation, but apparently the kid made some crude remark about Gabriela and Richard and Nick lost it.” He looked at the Bronco and Nick, hunched in the passenger seat.
“Nick did say he was sorry to disappoint you,” he added, looking back at Tess.
Tess was still trying to sort out the gist of Alec’s account but his tacked-on last sentence, said almost reproachfully—as if she didn’t deserve such consideration from Nick—stung. Rather than reply, she walked around to the passenger door and opened it.
“Nick?” she asked, bending down to talk to him. “Are you okay? Did you get hurt?”
He raised his face to expose a large red mark on his right cheek. Tess must have gasped for Nick’s face cracked in a faint smile. “You should see his face,” he whispered.
But the boast was a hollow one, Tess knew. “Come inside and I’ll see what I can do for it.”
Nick got out of the Bronco and on his way into the house turned round to say, “Thanks for coming, Alec. Sorry again. I’ll hold my temper the next time.”
Tess waited until he was inside before turning her attention back to Malone. “Did you take him to a doctor? Why didn’t you call me?”
“Whoa! The school nurse had a look and said he was fine. A bruise or black eye will be his only penalty, next to the suspension.”
“Well it sounds like this other fellow is responsible.”
“He is, but the problem is that Nick has to learn not to get drawn into fighting.”
“Has this happened before then?”
“The first week after the accident. No one blamed Nick, but he was obviously too quick to lash out. And the other boy has a history of bullying, but Nick isn’t entirely blameless. Male adolescent taunting accounts for a lot of fighting in schools.”
Tess sighed. Something else to worry about. She was about to follow Nick into the house when Alec said, “Not that it’s any of my business, but what was Walker doing out here? Besides having lunch with you?”
She wheeled around. “You’re absolutely right, it isn’t any of your business. But because I ought to feel grateful for your helping Nick this afternoon, I’ll tell you.” She took a deep breath to calm herself. “Jed came to discuss the sale of the house and its contents. He brought some letters that Nick had found, from my father to me. And he also brought lunch. Anything else on your mind?”
His eyes never wavered from her face, in spite of the dark stain of color that rose into his own. “I know that you resent my interference, although I’m not sure why. You’re right, I ought to have called you first. Nick asked me not to because he didn’t want to alarm you. The school called me because Nick asked them to. That ought to suggest something to you, Tess.”
She waited, knowing he was going to tell her that something whether she wanted to hear it or not.
“Nick doesn’t yet consider you the adult caregiver in his life. He doesn’t trust your commitment to him or to Molly.” He paused a beat. “I think he’s afraid of being hurt all over again. So it’s safer and easier to fall back on someone he knows.”
She opened her mouth to speak but couldn’t put together anything rational to say. Instead, she started toward the door.
“I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings,” he called after. “But facts have to be faced. These are just two kids here, Tess, and you’re the adult.”
She kept on walking, closing the door behind her without once looking back.
ALEC STARED at the phone on his desk. Each time his hand reached for the receiver, he snatched it back as if it had a mind of its own and couldn’t be trusted. For the third time, he read through the first paragraph of the report he’d just printed out, forcing himself to concentrate. But the day hadn’t gone well and he had a feeling in his gut that it wasn’t going to end any better.
It had started with a request from his supervisor for a meeting. She’d received a complaint that he’d overstepped professional limits as a caseworker. That he’d become too personally involved with the Wheaton case and what was his explanation? When he’d asked who’d made the complaint, she’d flushed and admitted there had been an anonymous call.
But his dismissal of the call didn’t quite go down with her. Was there anything to it? she’d asked. And if so, then perhaps he ought to review the matter and consider handing the file over to another worker. Alec had managed to keep his cool, all the while wondering who’d made the call. He convinced his supervisor that the call was nonsense but that he’d watch his step. When he left her office, he knew she’d be keeping an eye on him and the idea rankled. His friendship with his supervisor had allowed him to cross a lot of lines in his job and he’d always appreciated her faith in him. He didn’t want to lose that confidence, but at the same time, knew that it was impossible to do his best without ignoring some of the arcane and arbitrary rules that bureaucrats seemed to love.
He knew he had talents and skills to offer, especially to teenagers. His successes with his caseload had prompted the “blind eye” attitude his superiors had adopted with him. Yet he knew it was a matter of time before some new guy on the job would want to go by the book. He just hoped he could sort out the increasingly complex Wheaton case first.
Alec checked the time. Almost seven. He’d been hard at it all day, wanting to clean up some outstanding reports. He’d had to admit—to himself—that his boss did have a point. The Wheaton file was taking more of his time than it ought to. Time that ought to have been spent on other cases. He was grateful that his boss hadn’t asked for his log book because she’d have noted that at once and demanded an explanation. And what would he have said?
That the Wheaton case was more challenging and demanding than his others because—let’s face it, Malone—he was drawn to Tess Wheaton like a moth to light. He couldn’t keep his mind off her. And even though some of his thinking about her had initially been negative, he was beginning to realize that she was handling things fairly well. Her response to Nick’s fight had been guarded and cautious, but she hadn’t automatically inferred Nick had been the instigator. She’d saved the fiery part of her reaction for him, which he reluctantly admitted he probably deserved.
The other thing that bothered him was why he kept finding excuses to call or drop in. Not that he had to search hard for a reason, what with Nick providing plenty of opportunities. The fact was that too many of his thoughts seemed to drift from work to the shifting color of her unworldly green eyes. Or the way she bit her lower lip when she was troubled by something. Or the way her head tilted slightly to one side when she was listening attentively. Or the way she carried herself when she walked into a room. That graceful flow of her long, slender limbs and torso. A kind of natural undulation that was mesmerizing to watch.
So, he breathed aloud, that was his problem in a nutshell. Fixation. Obsession. Preoccupation. Call it what you like. He couldn’t pry his mind from the subject of Tess Wheaton any more than he could walk away from Nick and Molly. And that brought him full circle back to Tess and Jed Walker.
His anger at seeing the two so cozy together at the Wheaton ranch had alarmed him. At the time, he wanted to lash out at the lawyer, at her. Of all people for Tess to become friendly with in Boulder, Walker was the worst possible choice in many ways. The main one being Alec’s unbridled loathing of the man. Fantasizing about getting to know Tess Wheaton on a more personal—and intimate—level was bad enough. Imagining that Jed Walker might be the one to actually fulfill the fantasy was unbearable.
Alec tossed the report aside and groaned. He massaged the tension at the back of his neck and stood up. Time to go home, grab a late dinner and hit the sack. His route to his apartment in the university area took him past Walker’s office building and he couldn’t resist craning his head t
o check out the place, noting that lights still blazed inside. The Bronco was idling at the intersection a few yards beyond the building when Alec became aware of raised voices.
He checked the rearview mirror and saw two men out on the pavement. Alec cranked down the rest of his window and turned around for a better look. Walker and another man, whom Alec didn’t recognize, were having a heated argument about something. Probably yet another poor sucker who’s just lost his home or business to the guy, he thought.
The man raised a fist angrily in Walker’s face then pivoted round, walking Alec’s way. To Alec’s surprise, the unknown man sprinted across the intersection in front of the Bronco just as the light was changing. The close-up didn’t help with identification, but Alec figured there couldn’t be too many middle-aged guys in Boulder with spiked, bleached-blond hair.
Curious, he thought, as he took his foot off the brake and continued on home.
TESS HAD BEEN watching the clock all night. Not because she had an engagement, but because she’d promised herself to delay reading her father’s letters until everyone had gone to bed. That way, she’d have the long hours of the night to digest what she read.
By the time dinner was finished, Tess had acknowledged that a large part of her reaction to the afternoon’s quarrel with Alec Malone really stemmed from his parting words. She didn’t understand why she’d been hurt, rather than angered, at what he’d said.
She’d thought perhaps he’d call and apologize. When he failed to do so, she decided she’d misjudged the man. Obviously, he could be petty and insensitive. Nick hadn’t attempted an apology either, which bothered Tess more than she expected. When he finished helping clear the dishes, he’d mumbled something about homework and had disappeared into his room.
“Does Nick still have to do homework even if he’s spended?” Molly inquired as Tess was tucking her into bed.
“Spended? Ohhh. Suspended. Yes, he does.”
“I hope I don’t get spended,” Molly whispered. “Sometimes I feel like getting into fights at school, too.”
“You do?”
“Yes, but I haven’t yet. But some kids are mean to me. Yesterday Tiffany called me an orphan. Am I really an orphan, Tess?”
“Of course not,” Tess murmured, her reassurance belying the pounding at her temples. She kissed Molly on the cheek and paused at the door a minute longer, watching her settle in for the night, her stuffed rabbit under one arm and her thumb popped into her mouth. Then Tess turned out the light wishing, not for the first time, that Mavis McNaught was just down the hall.
Later, when the children were both safely asleep, Tess retrieved the bundle of letters from under her pillow in Molly’s room and headed for the living room. Curled up on the sofa next to the fireplace and beneath Gabriela’s portrait, she began to read.
The first letter, a scrawl of almost indecipherable writing, was dated a week after Richard stormed out of the house.
My beautiful Tess,
I’m so sorry you had to see that argument with your Mommy. I know it frightened and confused you. I also know that in your short life you’ve seen too many fights between us. That’s one of the reasons why I decided I should leave. Children shouldn’t have to live in a house of hate and fear. Your Mommy and I once loved each other very much. She was beautiful then and sweet. I don’t understand when or why we changed. Just that it happened and none of it is your fault. You’ve got to remember that. If things were different between your mother and me, I could have stayed and followed my dream there in Chicago. But my dream and hers are no longer the same. When I get settled, I will save enough money for you to come and visit me. No matter where I am! Would you like that? Until then, I will write as often as I can. And I will always always keep you in my mind and heart.
Love, Daddy.
Tess finished the letter, though the last few lines were a blur. She set it down on her lap and dug into her robe for a tissue. The letter had resurrected a vivid memory of her father. His smile and gentle way of teasing her. She could almost hear his voice in the words that were so typical of him. She picked up the next letter, noticing that it had been written two weeks after the first one, and began to read.
Later, when daylight was creeping into the house, Tess folded up the very last letter and carried the bundle, like newfound treasure, into the bedroom. Molly was snoring softly and Tess tucked the letters into her suitcase and crawled into bed. She knew she’d never sleep, but closed her eyes anyway, going over in her mind every word again. Just as she’d read every letter twice and some, a third time.
She shied away from the awful realizations the letters had revealed. That her father had made many attempts over several years to communicate with her. That Hannah had spitefully returned every letter unopened until there were no more. For the first time, Tess felt a surge of hatred for her mother. How could she have been so cruel as to deprive her of a father? Finally, Tess had discovered that the only message Richard had received from Hannah the first year after his departure had been a request for a divorce, sent through a Chicago lawyer. Richard had kept it and a copy of the Decree Nisi packaged together with his unopened letters to Tess. As if, she thought, he was parceling up his old life before going on to the next.
CHAPTER NINE
TESS SLEPT IN and missed seeing Molly off to school. When she rushed, frantic, into the kitchen, she saw that Nick had walked the girl down to wait for the bus and then come back to tidy the breakfast dishes. She didn’t dare say a word, just poured water into the coffee machine and sneaked glances at Nick as he finished loading the dishwasher and then slouched through the door back to his bedroom.
She felt hungover from the letter reading last night. Or, she mentally corrected herself, the hours she’d spent afterward lying awake and thinking about what might have been if Hannah had given her Richard’s letters. How she might have experienced a father in her life after all. She made some toast and poured a coffee, wanting desperately to talk to someone about the letters. But there was only Nick and she hesitated to bring up her past with him. He had enough trouble dealing with his own situation. There was, however, always Mavis.
Tess looked at the clock. Just after nine. An insomniac, Mavis would likely have been up since dawn. Tess poured herself a second coffee and reached for the phone.
Mavis expressed the same shock Tess had felt when she heard about the letters.
“There are about two dozen of them, Mavis. He wrote almost every two weeks the first year he was gone. The last few had been sent after we moved in with you. The post office returned them address unknown. That must have been when he gave up trying to make contact.”
“So the rest were obviously sent back by—”
“Mother.” Tess heard a soft cluck on the other end of the line. “She had no right to do that!” she blurted. “I could have had some kind of relationship with my father all those years.”
“But she was angry, hurting and not in her right mind. I’m sorry to say she wasn’t thinking of you at all.”
“It was spiteful and mean. She deprived me of a father.”
There was a heavy sigh. “True enough, lass. But there’s no putting it right now, is there?”
“No.” Tess toyed with the telephone cord.
“I’m curious, did the letters give you a better picture of your daddy? Did you remember more of him?”
Tess felt tears well up in her eyes. “Oh, I did. They were…enlightening. They made me feel—” she paused, searching for the right word.
“Good?”
“Yes. Simply good. I felt lighter somehow.”
“Got rid of some of the anger,” Mavis said.
That was it, Tess thought. Just lifted right off my shoulders. “Not all, mind you,” she said. “I mean, he could have kept on trying, especially after he became wealthy. He could have hired a private detective or something.”
“I suppose, love. But what’s the point of all those ‘could haves?’ At least now you won’t have to go the
rest of your life hating him for completely abandoning you.”
And although Tess had believed she had put the past aside and gone on with her life, she saw now that Mavis was right. She’d merely let the anger seethe deep inside. At least something good was going to come out of this trip, she realized.
“Well, my love, what else is happening there?”
“Jed Walker, the lawyer I was telling you about, suggested I go through Richard and Gabriela’s personal things. I still haven’t even taken more than a step into their bedroom and I don’t know if I can go through with it.”
“You can, lass. You’ve just got to face it and do it. How about the young lad? Nick. Maybe he can help.”
“It might be too overwhelming for him.”
“He can always say no. But he may like the fact that you’re treating him like a grown-up. I think you should ask him. Give him the choice. Listen, Tess, I’ll let you go now. Let me know how things are going and…well, maybe it’s time for you to walk into that bedroom. Time to talk to Nick, too, about his parents. He’s probably been wanting to talk but afraid to.”
Tess rang off with the promise to call again in a couple of days and headed for Nick’s room. She could hear the faint hum of music and had to repeat her knock, a bit harder this time. There was a brusque “Come in” and she opened the door. He was cross-legged on his bed, earphones clamped on his head and plugged in to his portable CD player. He grudgingly removed them when Tess walked farther into the room.
“Mr. Walker—the lawyer—wants to probate the will as soon as possible. He suggested that we sort out important and valuable papers and…and other things in your parents’ room.”
Nick paled. “You mean, like, go through their drawers and stuff? Their clothes?” His voice pitched on that last word.
“There may be some things, jewelry or pictures, that you and Molly will want to keep. And Mr. Walker needs to know if there are any legal papers he may have to deal with. If you’d rather not, Nick, that’s okay by me. But I’d like to get your opinion on what’s there.”
The Second Family Page 13
