A Piece of Texas Trilogy

by Peggy Moreland

  Stephanie pulled her into her arms. “That’s not true. Your father loves you very much.”

  “But that’s just it,” Meghan sobbed. “He’s not my father. Mom lied to him. She said she told him she was pregnant and the baby was his so he’d have to marry her.”

  Stephanie set her jaw hard enough to crack a tooth and hugged Meghan tighter against her chest. “I don’t care what your mother told you. Wade loves you. Don’t you ever doubt that for a minute.”

  Swearing, Wade yanked his battery charger from the adapter on his dash and hurled it out the window. Of all times for the stupid thing to break, this had to be the worst. He dragged a hand down his face and focused on the road, trying to think what to do. Seeing a gas station up ahead, he wheeled his truck into the parking lot and braked to a stop in front of a pay phone hanging on the side of the building.

  Jumping out, he fished a quarter from his pocket, fed it into the slot, then punched in his cell phone number, silently praying Stephanie had called and left him a message telling him Meghan was home. When the recorded message started, asking him to leave a message, he quickly punched in the numerical code to take him directly to his voice mail. Pressing the phone to his ear, he listened. “Oh, no,” he moaned and braced a hand against the wall to hold himself upright while he listened to a man, who identified himself as an Austin police officer, inform him that his daughter, Meghan Parker, was currently being held at the Austin Police Department on Seventh Street.

  Wiping a shaky hand over his brow, he waited for the next message to begin.

  “Wade, it’s Stephanie. I talked to Meghan and she’s at the Austin Police Department on Seventh Street, right off I-35. She’s fine,” she added quickly, “though understandably scared. I’m leaving now to go and stay with her. They won’t release her to me, so you need to get to Austin as soon as possible.”

  Swearing, he dropped the receiver and jumped back into his truck. He was going to kill Angela, he told himself. If he ever got his hands on her, he was going to wring her lying neck. He knew she was behind this. How she’d pulled it off, he didn’t know. But if Meghan was at a police station, Angela was the one responsible for her being there.

  The door of the interview room flew open and Wade rushed in. He took one look at Meghan curled against Stephanie’s side, then whipped his gaze to Stephanie’s, the blood draining from his face.

  Realizing that he thought Meghan was hurt, she shook her head. “She’s fine,” she whispered. “Just exhausted.”

  Meghan lifted her head and blinked. “Daddy?” she murmured sleepily. Tears filled her eyes when she saw Wade, and her face crumpled. “Oh, Daddy. I’m so sorry.”

  Wade crossed the room in two strides and gathered her up in his arms, fitting her legs around his waist. “It’s okay, baby,” he soothed, then had to bury his face in her hair and gulp back his own tears. “Thank God you’re all right. That’s all that matters. You’re safe.”

  Meghan clung tighter to him. “I just want to go home, Daddy. Please take me home.”

  “Don’t worry, sweet cheeks,” he assured her and headed for the door. “I’ve already cleared things with the police. We’re good to go.” He stopped at the doorway, as if only then remembering Stephanie was there, and glanced back, a brow lifted in question. “Do you need a ride?”

  Stephanie rose, realizing that now that Wade and his daughter were reunited, her services were no longer needed. Though she should have been relieved that all had seemingly turned out well, she felt an inexplicable sadness.

  She forced a smile. “No, I have my car.”

  Stephanie debated her options as she drove north on I-35 toward Georgetown, relieved to be leaving Austin behind. She was too tired to drive all the way to her home in Dallas, yet there was no place for her to sleep at her parents’ house. All of the furniture had either been hauled away by the charitable group she’d donated it to or was currently sitting in a storage facility in Dallas.

  Seeing a sign for a motel at the next exit, she slowed, considering stopping and getting a room. She sped up and passed the exit by, deciding that after the night she’d just spent, she needed the comfort and familiarity of her parents’ home, even if it did mean she’d have to sleep on the floor.

  Upon arriving, she parked beneath the shade of a tree near the back door rather than hassle with raising the garage door, Climbing out, she moaned softly as she stretched out the kinks sitting so long had left in her body. Hoping to find something she could use as bedding, she opened the rear doors of her SUV and dug through the items she kept stored there. She found a paper-thin blanket in the bag of emergency gear, tucked it under her arm, then dug around some more until she unearthed the inflatable neck pillow she used when traveling on airplanes. As an afterthought, she picked up the box containing her father’s letters and headed for the house.

  Once inside, she walked from room to room, feeling like Goldilocks as she searched for the most comfortable place to sleep. Deciding that the carpet in her bedroom was the cushiest, she set the box on the floor, then sank down beside it and blew up the neck pillow. Satisfied that she’d done all she could to make herself comfortable, she stretched out on her side, tucked the neck pillow beneath her cheek and drew the thin blanket up over her shoulder.

  She released a long, exhausted breath, drew in another…and slept.

  “Daddy?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Mom said that you and Stephanie used to be engaged.”

  Wade tensed, then forced his fingers to relax on the wand he held and twisted, closing the blinds and blocking out as much sunlight as possible from Meghan’s room so that she could get some rest. “Yeah, we were.”

  “Mom said she broke y’all up so that you’d have to marry her.”

  Adding yet another item to the long list of reasons Meghan had already given him during the drive home to despise his ex, Wade crossed to sit down on the side of his daughter’s bed. “In a way, I guess she did,” he replied, not wanting to burden her with the details.

  Tears welled in her eyes. “It was my fault, wasn’t it? Because Mom was pregnant with me, you had to break your engagement to Stephanie.”

  He leaned to brush her hair back from her face. “No, sweet cheeks,” he assured her. “The fault was mine. You had no part in it.”

  “You still like her, don’t you? Stephanie, I mean.”

  He smiled sadly and drew his hand to cup her cheek. “Yeah. I guess I always will.”

  “You could still get married, couldn’t you? I mean, it’s not like you’re married to Mom anymore.”

  He dropped his gaze, not sure how to answer. “It’s more complicated than that.”

  She pulled herself up to sit, dropping her arms between her spread knees. “How?”

  He hesitated, searching for a way to explain why he couldn’t marry Stephanie that wouldn’t make his daughter feel as if she were to blame. “Marriage is a big commitment,” he began.

  She rolled her eyes. “Duh. Like I don’t already know that.”

  Chuckling, he scrubbed a hand over her hair. “If you’re so smart, then you tell me why I should marry her.”

  “Because she’s a hottie.”

  He choked out a laugh. “Hottie?” He shook his head. “Only a shallow man marries a woman for her looks.”

  “That’s not the only reason,” she said drily, then lifted a hand and began to tick off items. “She’s smart, hip and really, really nice.” She dropped her hands, her eyes filling with tears. “She came all the way to Austin to stay with me because I was scared. And she held me real tight when I cried, just like a real mom would. She made me feel safe, loved. Even knowing how bad I’d been, she didn’t yell at me or anything. She was just…nice.”

  Wade stared, wondering if Stephanie’s kindness to Meghan was a sign that she no longer resented his daughter. “Meghan?” he said hesitantly. “If Stephanie and I were to get married, she would become your stepmother. How would you feel about that?”

  Megh
an frowned, as if she hadn’t considered that aspect, then smiled. “I think that would be really cool.”

  “Are you sure? Now think about this before you answer,” he warned. “She’d be living in our house with us, and I’m sure she’d have her own set of rules she’d expect us to follow. Consequences, too,” he added, remembering his conversation with Stephanie about cursing.

  She drew back, eyeing him warily. “Gosh, Dad. You make her sound like some kind of witch.”

  He shrugged. “I just want to make sure that you understand that if Stephanie and I were to marry, I would expect you to give her the respect any mother deserves.”

  She lifted a brow and looked down her nose at him. “Any mother?”

  He rolled his eyes, knowing she was referring to Angela. “You know what I mean.”

  “I will. I promise.” She gave him a push. “Go and ask her. I’ll bet she says yes.”

  He gaped. “Now?”

  She flopped to her back and pulled the covers to her chin. “Why not? It’s not like you have anything better to do.”

  He rose slowly, fighting a sudden attack of nerves. “No, I guess I don’t.”

  Wade wasn’t sure if he’d find Stephanie at her parents’ house, but he figured that was as good a place as any to start his search.

  He prayed it was a good sign when he found her SUV parked beneath the shade tree near the back. Unsure how she’d respond to another proposal, he crossed to the front door and knocked. He waited, shifting nervously from foot to foot. When he didn’t receive a response, he lifted a hand above the door and felt along the edge for the key. Finding it, he unlocked the door and let himself in.

  He glanced around and was shocked to see that the house was empty, not a stick of furniture or a box in sight. Realizing that Steph had completed the job she’d come to do and would be leaving soon made his stomach twist with dread.

  Runt trotted out from the kitchen and bumped his nose against Wade’s hand.

  “Hey, Runt,” he said and gave the dog a distracted pat as he looked around. “Where’s Steph?”

  In answer, the dog started down the hall. Wade followed, his hands slick with sweat, his throat dry as a bone.

  At the door of her bedroom Runt dropped down on his haunches and looked up expectantly at Wade.

  “Good boy,” Wade murmured and gave the dog a pat as he leaned to peek inside.

  Guilt stabbed at him when he saw Steph asleep on the floor with only a blanket for cover. Silently kicking himself for not thinking to ask her to come to his house when they’d left the police station, he tiptoed into the room and sank down to his knees at her side.

  “Steph?” he whispered and gave her arm a nudge.

  She moaned softly and pulled the blanket over her head. “Not now, Runt,” she complained. “I’m sleeping.”

  Biting back a smile, Wade stretched out on his side to face her. Careful not to startle her, he lifted the edge of the blanket. “It’s not Runt, Steph,” he whispered. “It’s me. Wade.”

  She blinked open her eyes. Blinked again, then tensed. “Is Meghan okay? Has something happened to her?”

  He laid a hand against her cheek, touched by the alarm and concern in her voice. “She’s fine. When I left, she was sleeping.”

  Obviously relieved, she closed her hand over his and let her lids drift down. “Good. Poor baby was tired.”

  Poor baby. Hearing her use that one endearment told Wade all he needed to know. He eased his body closer to hers. “Steph? I need for you to wake up.”

  “Tired,” she moaned. “So tired.”

  “I know you are, sunshine, but there’s something I need to ask you.”

  “Can’t it wait?” she complained.

  Chuckling, he placed a finger on her eyelid and forced it up. “No, it can’t,” he told her firmly.

  Heaving a sigh, she rolled to her back and scrubbed her hands over her face. “What?” she asked wearily.

  He sat up in order to better see her. “I wanted to thank you for going to Austin and staying with Meghan until I could get there. That meant a lot to me.”

  Yawning, she rolled back to her side and pulled the blanket over her shoulder. “You’re welcome.”

  “Meghan sends her thanks, too.”

  “Poor baby,” she murmured sympathetically. “I can’t imagine how frightened she must have been.”

  Because he knew only too well the kind of horrors his ex had subjected his daughter to, Wade scowled. “Yeah, she was scared all right.” Heaving a sigh, he focused on Steph’s face again. “Meghan said that you were really nice to her. Held her tight, like a real mom would.”

  Though her eyes remained closed, a tender smile curved Steph’s lips. “That’s really sweet. She’s a good kid.”

  “You think so?”

  Something in his voice must have caught her attention, because Steph opened her eyes and looked up at him. “Yes, I do.”

  “You said before that you didn’t think you could live in the same house with her. Do you still feel that way?”

  Her gaze on his, she slowly pushed herself up to an elbow. “Wade, what are you saying?”

  He dipped his chin, shrugged. “Meghan and I had a little talk before I came here. She seems to think we should get married.”

  Her eyes shot wide. “Meghan said that?”

  “Yeah. Angela told her that we were engaged before, and Meghan was worried that it was her fault that our engagement was broken.”

  She shifted to sit and dropped her face onto her hands. “Oh, no,” she moaned. “That is so unfair, so wrong. Angela should never have said that to her. Meghan wasn’t to blame.”

  “Don’t worry. I straightened Meghan out. I told her it was my fault, that she had nothing to do with it.”

  She opened her hands enough to peek at him. “And she believed you?”

  He lifted a brow. “What choice did she have? It’s kind of hard to argue with the truth. It was my fault.”

  She dropped her hands to frown. “No, it wasn’t. It was Angela’s.”

  He lifted a shoulder. “No matter who was to blame, I don’t regret the decision I made. I only have to look at Meghan and know I did the right thing.”

  “Oh, Wade,” she said, her face crumpling. “After all that woman put you through, you never once turned your back on Meghan.”

  “And I never will,” he said firmly. He caught her hand and squeezed. “And I hope you won’t either.”

  Her tears welled higher. “I won’t. I couldn’t.”

  He gulped and gripped her hands more tightly. “There’s something you need to know. Something that might make you angry. I probably should’ve mentioned it before, but I didn’t think it was my place.”

  A soft smile curved her lips. “If it’s about Bud leaving you his land, you needn’t worry. I already know.”

  His eyes widened in surprise. “You knew?”

  “I met with Bud’s lawyer. He told me.”

  “And you’re not mad?”

  She shook her head. “No. Surprised, yes, but not mad. Bud willed you his land because he knew you would love it as much as he did.” She sputtered a laugh. “And I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t do it in hopes it would bring us together.”

  Smiling, he nodded. “That sounds like something Bud would do.” Growing solemn, he shifted to kneel before her and brought her hands to his lips. “Stephanie Calloway, would you do me the honor of marrying me and becoming my wife?”

  She stared at him as if afraid this was a dream she would wake from.

  “Will you?” he prodded.

  Laughing, she flung her arms around his neck. “Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!”

  He squeezed his arms tightly around her and buried his face in her hair. “I’ve waited so long to hear you say that,” he murmured, then drew back to look deeply into her eyes. “We’re going to be a family. You, me and Meghan.”

  A sharp bark had him glancing toward the doorway, where Runt sat, looking at him expectantly.


  Smiling, he added, “And Runt.” He turned to look at Steph again and the smile melted from his face. “I love you, Stephanie Calloway.”

  “No more than I love you, Wade Parker.”

  He framed her face between his hands. “We’re going to make it this time. Nothing is ever going to separate us again.”

  “Nothing,” she promised and lifted her face to his.

  Epilogue

  Stephanie turned her hand slowly, watching as light from the bedside lamp caught the emerald-cut diamond of her ring and made it shimmer. It was the same ring Wade had slipped on her finger almost thirteen years ago. His mother’s ring. Two weeks after he’d placed it on her finger, she’d ripped the ring off and thrown it at him. Closing her eyes against the unwanted memory, she curled her fingers to her palm as if to protect the ring and silently vowed never to take it off again. Ever.

  Sighing, she opened her eyes to look at the ring again, then dropped her hand and reached for the last stack of letters sitting on the bedside table. She’d read them, just as she’d promised herself she would, and only one remained before she could say she’d read them all. Slipping the last envelope from the stack, she pushed back the flap and pulled out the folded pages. As she opened them, a torn piece of paper fell to her lap.

  “What’s this?” she murmured and picked it up to examine it. Finding a jumble of handwritten words on one side, she turned it over to look at the back. Impressed into the paper was a notary’s seal and a woman’s signature. Helen Thompson. Frowning at the unfamiliar name, she flipped the paper back over and tried again to make sense of the words. She quickly gave up. Whatever message was originally written on the piece had lost its meaning when the document was torn.

  Hoping to find an explanation in her father’s letter, she set the piece of paper aside and smoothed open the pages of the letter over her propped up knees.

  Dearest Janine,

  I’m enclosing part of a document that I want you to have. I have no idea if it’ll ever be worth anything, but keep it somewhere safe, just in case. I never mentioned it to you before, but I honestly thought the guy who gave this to me was either crazy or drunk. Maybe I’d better explain.