“Are you going to let them in?”
“Oh.” Patty hurried to the door.
Moments later she was introducing her father and uncle to David, who apologized for not rising to shake hands.
Retired or not, David thought, scrutinizing the men, they looked like cops. They were tall, trim, nicely muscled and had that elusive aura of authority about them that would announce their occupations when they walked into a room. And neither one of them was smiling.
Patty fluttered around, telling the guests to sit down, asking if they wanted refreshments which they refused, then giving up and sinking onto a chair, her hands clutched in her lap.
“It’s really a pleasure to meet you,” David said, smiling.
“Mmm,” Ted Sharpe said, frowning.
“I understand you have amnesia from the blow on the head you suffered in the accident,” Ryan MacAllister said.
“Correct,” David said, nodding. “I’m slowly remembering things, but they’re trivial, not of any great importance. I have major gaps in my memory that are difficult to deal with. It’s pretty depressing to look at a beautiful child like Sarah Ann and have to accept the word of others that she’s my daughter.”
“Mmm,” Ted Sharpe said.
“I’m hoping that you might be able to help me,” David went on.
“What?” Ted said, narrowing his eyes.
“I realize that you’re both retired police officers,” David said, “but perhaps you still have contacts on the force. Couldn’t you run some sort of background check on me? Find out more facts about who I am?”
Ted leaned forward in his chair. “You want us to check you out?”
“I’d sure appreciate it. I know my wife is deceased and has been for quite a while. I’m an attorney and moved to Ventura recently with Sarah Ann from San Francisco. Patty said I have a nice house. Am I renting it? Did I buy it? Is there a firm waiting for me to report to work? Who is David Montgomery? What kind of man am I?”
Ted opened his mouth, then snapped it closed and looked at Ryan, who shrugged.
“What’s wrong, Dad?” Patty said, raising her eyebrows. “Are you surprised by David’s request?”
“Well, I… Well…” Ted cleared his throat. “Okay. Yes, I am. I’ve already done a background check on you, David, due to the fact that I was very concerned about you being here in Patty’s house.”
“That’s fair,” David said. “I could be a con man, for all you know.” He paused. “I’m not, am I?”
Ted pulled a folded piece of paper from the back pocket of his jeans.
“No, you have no criminal record,” he said. “Not even a traffic ticket. You were a partner in a law firm in San Francisco called Fisher, Fisher and Montgomery, and sold your partnership to Fisher and Fisher several months ago after being with them for many years. You purchased the house you spoke of. You have excellent credit and are financially sound.”
“Dull as dishwater,” Ryan said, chuckling.
“What about my wife’s death?” David said.
“Hannah told me about that, but we couldn’t find anything about a death of a woman with the last name of Montgomery in the San Francisco area in the past several years.” Ted shook his head. “Not a thing.”
“Can you look further? In other states, or something?” David said.
“Not unless you remember her first name or the date of her death, or something more than we have,” Ryan said.
“I don’t,” David said. “I asked Sarah Ann what her mommy’s name was and she just frowned at me and said her name was Mommy. Well, listen, I appreciate your sharing what you found out, although it didn’t help much. I can’t begin to tell you how upsetting and frustrating this is.”
“I’m sorry we couldn’t get more information for you,” Ted said.
“Dad, you sure are singing a different tune than earlier,” Patty said.
“Well, okay, so I made a mistake, sweetheart,” Ted said. “The story you told us about how David came to be here at your house sounded pretty thin, you know. But now I realize he’s on the up-and-up.” He paused. “I think I’ll have a slice of that cake you offered earlier.”
“Make that two, please,” Ryan said. “And thank you.”
Patty went into the kitchen to prepare the snack, and shook her head as she heard masculine laughter in the distance.
Men, she thought. Now those three were all buddy-buddy. David had handled things perfectly. He had been proactive in regard to a background check, rather than waiting and being put in the less desirable position of having to react to the announcement that his personal history had been examined. Well done, Mr. Montgomery.
But despite the fact that she was glad war hadn’t broken out in her living room, it was rather discouraging that no useful information had been discovered about David. And why wasn’t there any record of the death of his wife? That was so strange.
Patty carried a tray into the living room and her father jumped to his feet to take it from her. They were all soon enjoying chocolate cake and ice tea.
“What if,” Patty said, staring into space, “David contacted this Fisher and Fisher firm and asked them why he sold his partnership and left San Francisco?”
“No,” Ted said. “Think about it, Patty. Say a cop moves to a new city, then suddenly calls the station where he had worked before and asks them why he left. He’s going to come across as a nutcase and his reputation could be blown. David talking to the Fisher duo is a very, very last resort.”
“Yep,” Ryan said.
“I understand,” Patty said. “I didn’t think it through.”
“There were three Fishers at one time,” David said suddenly. “Grandfather, father, son. Grandfather retired and I was made a full partner after years of being an associate attorney with them.”
“Go on,” Patty urged, sitting up straighter in her chair.
“That’s it,” David said. “I don’t know what any of those men look like, or why I left, or…” He shook his head. “I never know when I’m going to get a memory flash. It’s a bit disconcerting.”
“I guess all you can do is wait it out,” Ryan said.
“And hope I don’t do or say anything that makes it clear to my daughter that I don’t really remember her, or the things we’ve shared.”
“If you blow it,” Ted said, “tell her you’re having a senior moment.” He frowned. “Forget that. You’re only thirty-six. At sixty-two, Ryan and I have those moments all the time.”
“Speak for yourself,” Ryan said. “My mind is sharp as a tack.”
“Oh, yeah?” Ted said, laughing. “And who was that safety-first ex-cop who left the keys in the car when we went golfing last time?”
“That doesn’t count,” Ryan said. “I was getting into my golf zone, mentally preparing for the game ahead. There wasn’t room for things like car keys in my mighty mind.”
The three men laughed and Patty smiled as she swept her gaze from one to the next.
Oh, this was so nice, she thought. She couldn’t remember when, if ever, she’d heard so much genuine masculine laughter in this home. Peter had never seemed to really click with her family. He’d been a bit overwhelmed by the huge MacAllister clan and had seemed to come across as stiff and aloof at family gatherings.
But David? Now that her father and Uncle Ryan had determined that David wasn’t on the ten-most-wanted list, they were all getting along famously, as though they’d known each other for ages.
Which, actually, now that she thought about it, was how she felt about David herself. She liked having him here. Earlier that evening, when he’d been reading to Tucker and Sarah Ann while she had held Sophia, there had been a sense of rightness, warmth, caring in the room.
Peter hadn’t enjoyed reading bedtime stories to his son, saying he spent his workday buried in reports and endless stacks of papers, and reading a book was more of the same.
She had such fond memories of being read to by her father and now Tucker was hearing a m
ale voice recite his favorite tales, too. Tucker was definitely going to miss David and Sarah Ann when they returned to their own home, just as she would.
Patty frowned.
Just as she would? she mentally repeated. Maybe it would be best not to examine that statement too closely. Having David and Sarah Ann here was temporary. How she might feel when they left was of little importance, therefore she wouldn’t dwell on it. Fine.
Ted picked up the tray containing the empty plates and glasses, bringing Patty from her wandering thoughts.
“I’ll put this in the kitchen for you, sweetheart,” he said to her. “Then we’re out of here.”
When Ted returned from the kitchen Ryan and Patty got to their feet.
“I’m glad we came over this evening,” Ted said. “My mind is at ease now, David, about your being here. I can understand how difficult it would be to care for your daughter with a broken leg and no memory. Let me know if I can do anything to help out, like take you to the doctor or whatever.”
“Thank you,” David said. “That would be great because I feel like I’m creating a lot of extra work for Patty and I feel badly about that. I do not, however, have a magical solution to my frustrating problem at the moment.”
“Your memory is coming back,” Ryan said. “I don’t think it’s going to take very long to return completely.”
“I hope you’re right,” David said. “I’ll be getting a lighter-weight cast soon, too, and that combined with finally remembering who I am and all that goes with it will mean I can take Sarah Ann home where we belong.”
“There’s no rush, David,” Patty said. “We’re all doing just fine here.” She looked up to see that her father, uncle and David were all staring at her. “What?”
“You sound like you don’t want David and his daughter to leave,” Ted said.
“Oh, well, I…” Patty said, feeling a warm flush stain her cheeks. “Tucker is certainly enjoying having Sarah Ann here as a playmate, and I have more time for Sophia when David keeps Tucker occupied and…stuff.”
“Mmm,” Ted said, looking at her for another long moment.
“Let’s hit the road,” Ryan said.
Patty walked her father and uncle to the door, hugged both, then closed the door behind them with the promise to see them soon. As she turned to walk back to her chair she was acutely aware of the heavy silence in the room.
“That went very well,” she said, a little too loudly when she sat back down. “Don’t you think so, David?”
“Will you really be sorry when Sarah Ann and I leave?”
“Sure,” she said, picking an invisible thread off her jeans. “As I said, Tucker and Sarah Ann are having such fun together and…”
“And you personally?” David interrupted. “Patty the woman, not Patty the mother? How do you feel about us packing up and going to our own home?”
“I’ve told you, David,” she said, frowning. “I don’t separate being a mother from being a woman. There’s no point in it and I don’t intend to do it. Not again. Being a mother is the role, the only role, I center my energies on.”
“Why? Why, Patty? Because one man hurt you very badly so you’re labeling all men as scum? Do you think that’s fair?”
“I never said that,” Patty said, matching his frown. “Peter had his reasons for leaving me and making a life with a woman who meets his needs, and—”
“Wait a minute, wait a minute,” David said, raising one hand. “Are you saying that it’s your fault that Peter deserted his family? You’re taking responsibility for the breakup of your marriage?”
“I’d rather not discuss this, David,” Patty said, getting to her feet. “There’s no point in rehashing everything. I know what I know, that’s all.”
“But—”
“No. Please. Just drop it.” Patty crossed the room and turned on the television. “I want to watch the ten-o’clock news.”
Was Patty blaming herself for Peter Clark running off with another woman? David thought. Why in the hell would she do that? Peter was the one who had broken their marriage vows, not her. The man was an idiot to have left such a warm, loving and beautiful woman.
So, okay, they’d hit a bump in the wedded-bliss road, but they could have gone for counseling, or something. From where he was sitting there was no excuse for what Peter had done. But for some ridiculous reason, did Patty actually believe it was all her fault? No, that didn’t make sense, not one little bit.
“Oh, dear,” Patty said, her gaze riveted on the television. “Another bad accident on the freeway. The traffic is a menace on those roads and people drive like maniacs.”
“Yeah,” David said. “This cast on my leg is proof of that.”
“Exactly. This station is doing a special report over the next few weeks about the number of accidents in California and where the worst conditions exist. That’s very informative, don’t you think?”
“A thrill a minute,” David said, rolling his eyes heavenward.
“You’re grumpy all of a sudden,” Patty said, looking over at him. “You’ve probably been up too long and you’ve worn yourself out. Perhaps you should go on to bed and—”
“Damn it, Patty, I am not one of the children you’re caring for under this roof. I’m a grown man who is perfectly capable of knowing when he’s tired. Do you realize that at dinner you said, ‘Tucker, Sarah Ann, David, finish your trees so you can have dessert’? Maybe the kids had trees on their plates, but I was eating broccoli, thank you very much, and I don’t need to be bribed with dessert to eat it.
“I don’t want to sound ungrateful for what you’re doing for me and my daughter, but this being treated like a child could start getting old. I’m a man, Patty. This bit of yours about not separating the woman from the mother is a crock. There’s a man living under your roof at the moment and I’d really appreciate carrying on a conversation with a woman, not someone who tells me to eat my trees.”
David lifted his injured leg off the pillow and eased it onto the floor. He picked up the crutches from the carpet and leveled himself to his feet.
“Good night,” he said. “I apologize if I hurt your feelings but I had to get that off my chest. I’ll see you in the morning.”
After David had clomped out of the room, Patty shook her head.
David had definitely gotten overtired, she thought. His leg was probably aching, too, but he refused to take the pain medication the doctor gave him because he said it made him fuzzy. Well, once he tucked himself into bed and slept the night away he’d be his usual chipper self, just like a cranky Tucker was after a much-needed nap. Sure. David…
David was not three years old. David was a man. But she didn’t want to view him as a man. No. He was an injured…person whom she was capable of helping by, well, hey, by mothering him a bit. Despite his tantrum on the subject, he was wrong. He didn’t need her to perform in the role of a woman, thank goodness, because she didn’t have a terrific track record in that arena.
No, David needed mothering, needed to be cared for, have his meals prepared, his clothes washed, a quiet house while he was resting, and on the list went.
Well, she wouldn’t get in a snit about what he had said. It had to be difficult for a great big, strong guy like David Montgomery to have to rely on someone the way he was now. She’d humor him a bit, too, and not refer to the broccoli on his plate as trees.
“Ah, the weather report,” Patty said, looking at the television again. “A good mother is always aware of what to expect from the weather so she doesn’t make plans for her children that can’t be carried out because the weather does a switcheroo. Watch that cute little man tell you all about the weather, Patty.”
She narrowed her eyes, leaned slightly forward and gave her full attention to the cute little man.
Hours later David lay in bed wide awake, staring up at a ceiling he couldn’t see in the darkness. All attempts to fall asleep had failed as his mind replayed over and over the cutting words he’d hurled at Patt
y.
Where had all that anger come from? he asked himself yet again. He’d felt rotten after he’d hollered his head off, very uncomfortable, which led him to the conclusion that yelling like a lunatic was not something he did on a regular basis.
“Ah, hell,” he said, dragging his hands down his face. “I’m losing it.”
It had been a nice evening, he mused, once he’d convinced Patty’s father and uncle that he was not running some kind of scam on Patty. Ted and Ryan were great guys, fun and funny, intelligent, and he’d thoroughly enjoyed talking with them. They were part of Patty’s family and he’d connected, bonded with them, man to man, and could tell that they accepted his staying there with Patty. That had felt good—very, very good.
And that’s why he’d gotten so angry.
There it was, finally, clear as a bell. He had no past, was existing the only way he could—in the moment at hand. Once the doubts that Ted and Ryan had about him had been taken care of, they’d all relaxed and enjoyed a pleasant evening. Ted and Ryan had come to visit Patty and David, then eventually said good-night and left, like any normal family.
But once the door had closed behind the two men, he’d been hit with the reality of his situation and he hadn’t dealt with the truth of it well at all. He wasn’t part of the extended MacAllister clan. He and Patty hadn’t welcomed guests into their home.
No. He really didn’t belong here. He was a temporary addition to the household because Patty felt it was the best thing to do for Sarah Ann. And added to that cold fact was the realization that she was treating him like one more child under her care. The whole scenario had caused him to feel so damn empty, so alone, and he’d lashed out at Patty because she’d told him to eat his trees at dinner.
Well, David thought, at least now he knew why he had been such a jerk. He liked, needed, wanted to be part of a family like the MacAllisters, but he wasn’t. Maybe he had relatives somewhere, but he had the feeling he didn’t. Somehow he knew that he and Sarah Ann were it, just the two of them.
David yawned and told himself firmly to shut off his mind and go to sleep.
But…
Why was Patty so adamant about not separating the woman from the mother? Surely she was intelligent enough to know that not all men were like Peter Clark. She seemed determined to spend the coming years focused on her children. And when Tucker and Sophia were up and grown? Patty apparently knew that her attitude meant she would spend the remainder of her days alone. Why would she do that to herself? Peter was the villain in this scenario, not Patty. Why couldn’t she see that, realize she deserved to be loved, cherished, treated as the wonderful woman that she was?
Accidental Family (The Baby Bet: MacAllisters Gifts #14) Page 8
