The Daddy Secret

by Judy Duarte

  “Yes, but it wasn’t your place to speak for me. It was mine. And you went way too far in trying to help. For that reason, you’re grounded.”

  “What’s grounded mean?”

  “It means that you’re getting a time-out from the computer. You won’t be able to use it unless I’m seated beside you. And even then, it will only be for homework purposes. You’ll also lose your privileges for watching television and from any and all electronic devices.”

  “For how long?”

  The rest of your life, she was tempted to blurt out. But that would have been her anger talking. So she reined it in and said, “I’m not sure yet. After I cool down, I’ll give you an actual date.”

  Apparently his conscience must have finally kicked in because he didn’t put up any more argument. Instead, he shut off the game and disconnected it from the television, just as she’d asked him to.

  “Why would you do something like that?” she asked. “Don’t you like Brian?”

  “He’s okay. It’s just that I like Rick better. He loves you, and I was helping him fight for you.”

  Rick loved her? Surely Lucas was mistaken. He’d merely connected some dots that hadn’t been there.

  But what had he meant when he said he was helping Rick fight for her? Had Rick been working on the boy? Had he put Lucas up to hacking into her email account?

  She couldn’t believe Rick would encourage their son to sabotage her relationship with Brian. Of course, the two of them had had plenty of time to talk privately last night when they’d been outside with the dog.

  But still, Lucas had gone beyond anything she would have ever done as a child. But then again, she didn’t have a rebellious bone in her body.

  His father did, though.

  The more she thought about the probability of Rick’s involvement, the angrier she grew. She’d been so complacent, so eager to please those around her that she’d allowed herself to be manipulated by everyone she’d ever loved. Even her nine-year-old son thought he could force her hand.

  “You know,” she added, “I’m also going to forbid you to visit the veterinary clinic for the time being.”

  “You’re grounding me from my dad?” Lucas asked, his eyes growing wide in disbelief. “You can’t do that.”

  Intellectually, she knew that she couldn’t, that she shouldn’t. But emotionally speaking, it certainly seemed like the right thing to do. At least, as far as she was concerned.

  Because right now, Mallory needed a time out, too—from Rick Martinez.

  Chapter Eleven

  Ever since Clay Jenkins had called this morning, Rick hadn’t been able to do much more than stare at the television screen, and it wasn’t even on. He’d never been prone to dark moods, but the news he’d received—or the lack of it—had really sent him into a tailspin.

  He took a sip of his morning coffee, which had gone cold, just like the only lead he’d had to Joey’s whereabouts, a friend who’d said he’d dropped him off at the bus depot in Wexler the day he ran away from home.

  Yet despite Clay’s amazing tech skills and a thorough internet search, he hadn’t been able to find any other clues. Once Joey had boarded that bus and left Brighton Valley ten years ago, he’d vanished somewhere between Houston and California.

  How did a guy disappear like that?

  Rick supposed Joey might have changed his name and created a brand-new life for himself, which is what he hoped he’d done. After all, Joey had been pretty angry at Rick when he’d left town.

  The other alternative—that Joey had met an untimely death—was hard to consider. In fact, the possibility had haunted him for years. What if Joey’s body hadn’t been found? Or, if it had, what if it hadn’t been identifiable? There’s no way anyone could have notified his next of kin, so he would have been buried in a potter’s field with other unknown and unclaimed victims.

  Several times after Clay’s call, Buddy had nudged Rick’s hand with a cold nose, trying to get a pat. Rick had complied, just as he was doing now.

  At first he’d figured the dog was just trying to get some attention, but now he wondered if Buddy had sensed his sadness and was actually trying to cheer him up.

  That being the case, Rick gave his furry friend’s ears an affectionate rub. “You’re a good dog, Buddy. At least, you try to be.”

  Buddy laid his head on Rick’s knee and looked up at him with sympathetic eyes. All the poor dog wanted was to find someone who’d love and accept him, someone who’d give him the chance to return the affection.

  The dog wasn’t different from a lot of lonely people in need of a family—or just in need of someone to love them back.

  Still, in spite of Buddy’s efforts, Rick couldn’t seem to kick his guilt, sadness or...

  Hell, he didn’t even know what it was. He supposed it was an almost overwhelming sense of loss. Joey had been the only family Rick had ever truly felt close to. And it was looking more and more like his brother was lost to him forever.

  And then there was Mallory, who’d once represented the family he’d hoped to create. He’d written her off years ago, then that hope had been rekindled when he found her again. But it looked as though she was still lost to him.

  He had Lucas, though. And that in itself was enough to lift his mood.

  Imagine that. Rick had a son, a boy who looked a lot like Joey. An inquisitive, creative and loyal kid who might even have a bit of a rebellious streak, similar to the one Rick once had.

  It tickled the heck out of him to think that he and Mallory had created such an amazing child.

  He wasn’t sure what kind of a father he would be, but he’d certainly try his best not to ever let his son down. And while he might not live in the same house with Mallory and Lucas, he definitely planned to be a part of the boy’s life.

  A big part.

  Would their relationship ever develop to the point that Lucas would want to call him Dad?

  Rick knew he’d probably never hold a candle to Gary Dunlop, the man who’d adopted Lucas and who’d set the Daddy benchmark, but he was sure going to try.

  Buddy gave his hand another nudge, and Rick smiled. “You and I are in the same boat. We’re both strays in need of a family. But as long as we’ve got each other, we’ll be okay.”

  Buddy gave a little bark, as if voicing his agreement.

  “Well, enough of this,” Rick said. “I’m not going to waste any more time feeling sorry for myself this morning.”

  With that, he got to his feet, went into the kitchen and dumped the rest of his coffee into the sink. He’d no more than returned to the small living area when a knock sounded.

  Buddy barked again, then trotted to the door.

  Rick had no idea who’d be coming by his place on a Saturday morning. When he reached the door, he slipped his hand through Buddy’s collar to hold him back before answering.

  As he swung open the door and spotted Mallory on his porch, his heart slipped into overdrive. She was wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a pink T-shirt. With her hair pulled back in a ponytail, she looked more like the girl he’d gone to school with rather than the professional social worker she’d become.

  He would have tossed her a bright-eyed grin if she hadn’t been glaring at him.

  Should he invite her in? Something told him she didn’t expect him to, so he held off.

  “What’s the matter?” he asked.

  “Did you know that Lucas wanted me to break up with Brian?”

  Apparently Lucas had been working on her, too. But she didn’t look too happy about it. “Yes, he mentioned something about that.”

  Her scowl deepened to a frown, causing a deep crease to mar her brow. “Did you tell him that my relationship was my business and not his?”

  Buddy lunged forward, his tail waggi
ng, as if to welcome her. But Rick held him back. “I’m not sure if that came up. For the most part, I just listened to him.”

  “And encouraged him?” She crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one hip.

  “I didn’t discourage him, if that’s what you mean. What are you getting at?”

  “Sometime last night, Lucas signed into my email account and sent a Dear John letter to Brian—or rather a Dear Brain letter. He misspelled a few words. So, fortunately, Brian realized it hadn’t actually come from me.”

  Rick couldn’t help but chuckle at how the misspelled words had backfired, about how Lucas had gotten caught.

  When Mallory’s eyes widened and she gasped, his chuckles ceased.

  “I can’t believe you’d take something like that so lightly. Lucas hacked into my email account, Rick. He violated my trust. Getting involved in my personal relationship like he did was way out of line.”

  When she put it that way, Rick could see why she’d be upset. “I’m sorry, Mal. I wasn’t trying to make light of the situation. It’s just that the way he got caught was kind of funny.”

  “I need you to back me up on this. He can’t interfere in my life like that.”

  She was right, but to be honest, Rick liked knowing that his son had chosen him over Brian.

  “I can back you up,” he said, “but don’t you think he should be allowed to voice an opinion?”

  “Yes, if he says something to me privately and respectfully. But he can’t try to influence my decisions or dictate my choices.”

  “I agree.”

  Her stance seemed to soften a bit—finally. But she didn’t smile, didn’t unfold her arms.

  Like Rick, even Buddy seemed to grow still, to lay low and gauge her mood.

  “Did you punish him?” Rick asked.

  “I took away the computer. He can only use it for homework—and then, only when I’m seated beside him. He’s also lost the PlayStation, as well as the television.”

  “It looks like you have it handled, then.”

  “Yes, but I still need your support.”

  “I’m not sure what you want me to do. You punished him. And the way I see it, the punishment more than fits the crime. Why do I need to get involved at this point?”

  She stiffened again. “Because I also told him he couldn’t stop by the clinic for a while.”

  Now it was Rick’s turn to take offense. What was she saying? That she’d grounded Lucas from seeing Rick, too? Not that he hadn’t wanted to punish the boy for letting Buddy out the other day. To be honest, he’d actually considered restricting his visits to the clinic or the rescue yard in order to teach him a lesson, but that was different. Completely different.

  “Did you hear me?” she asked. “If Lucas stops here, I want you to send him home. And to reprimand him.”

  Rick hadn’t been called on the carpet like this since he’d been in high school. He’d bristled at it then, and he didn’t like it any better now.

  In spite of his feelings for Mallory, and his agreement that she did have a point, he found himself crossing his own arms. “No, Mallory, I can’t go along with that.”

  “I’m sorry, Rick, but this is serious. I don’t want Lucas to grow up to have little regard for a person’s privacy. He needs to learn respect and common courtesy and...”

  And all the things Rick hadn’t learned growing up?

  His eyes narrowed, and he shot a glare right back at her. “Apparently, you’re going to have to be the disciplinarian, Mallory. You seem to know all the rules.”

  She shook her head and clucked her tongue. “What kind of father are you?”

  Mallory couldn’t have struck him any harder if she’d swung a baseball bat and hit him right between the eyes.

  He wanted to object, to tell her she wasn’t being fair, that she was punishing him, too. But, as she turned and walked away, as Buddy barked and fussed, Rick held onto the dog’s collar, as well as his temper, and kept his mouth shut.

  After all, that probably would make it easier on all of them.

  He’d given up his paternal rights before, thinking it was for the best.

  Maybe that had been the right decision all along.

  * * *

  Mallory arrived ten minutes late at the Picadilly Café in Wexler, thanks in part to her decision to stop by Rick’s place before meeting Brian. But she’d been so angry with Lucas and so determined to confront Rick that nothing else had mattered.

  After parking her car, she joined Brian at one of the outdoor umbrella-shaded tables in front, where he was already having a cup of coffee.

  Fortunately she’d called to let him know she was running a little behind schedule.

  “I’m sorry you had to wait,” she said, as she took a seat across from him.

  “I’ve gotten used to it.”

  In the past he would have said that it wasn’t a problem, but clearly that was no longer the case. And as annoyed as she’d been with him earlier, she really couldn’t blame him in the scheme of things. “That’s just it, Brian. You really shouldn’t have to wait on me.”

  “I know.”

  The waitress stopped by with two menus. “Can I get you some coffee?” she asked Mallory.

  With as topsy-turvy as her tummy was, especially after the ugly confrontation with Rick, she was leery about eating or drinking anything. But she wanted to move things along. “I’d like some hot tea, please.”

  When the woman left them, Mallory glanced down at her paper placemat. She fiddled with the scalloped edge for a moment, then forced herself to face things head-on. “I want you to know that I think the world of you, Brian.”

  “Here it comes. The big But.”

  They both knew where this conversation was going, but that didn’t mean she planned to disregard his feelings.

  Brian sat back in his seat. “Let me help you out. You moved back to your hometown and decided to reconcile with your high school sweetheart.”

  “I’m afraid it’s not that simple. Moving back here has been a real eye-opener for me in many ways, but you also mentioned something last night that really struck a chord.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You said that I withdrew from you whenever things got tough. And you were right. It was completely subconscious on my part. You offered me your shoulder to lean on, which was a gift. But I failed to use it—or to appreciate it.”

  “So what do you think that means?” He leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table, while he held his coffee mug with both hands. “It tells me that you’re not as emotionally connected to me as you should be.”

  “Unfortunately, I think you’re right.”

  Their eyes met, and the walls she’d built up between them seemed to lower, allowing them both to face the truth.

  “I’ve been having second thoughts, too,” he admitted. “My brother and I had a long talk while we were fishing at the cabin. He’d been telling me all along that I was going to get hurt if I didn’t realize that you weren’t all that into me. I thought about it a couple of days, then decided to come out and see for myself whether a move to Texas was really in my best interest. And I see that it isn’t. You’re not in love with me, Mallory. And I doubt that you ever really were.”

  “I wanted to be,” she said. “I really did. You’re a great guy.”

  The waitress stopped by with Mallory’s tea. “Are you ready to order?”

  Brian ordered a bagel and cream cheese, saying he wasn’t really hungry.

  “I’ll have the same,” Mallory said, doubting she’d be able to do more than take a couple of bites.

  “So what about Rick?” Brian asked. “Are you still in love with him?”

  Was she? She’d been fighting her feelings for so long that she wasn’t sure what she
felt for him.

  “I still care about him,” she admitted, “but I don’t think we’ll be seeing much of each other.”

  “Why?” Brian asked.

  “Because I stopped by his place before I came here to meet you. I wanted him to take a more active role in punishing Lucas for sending that email. And I implied that he might have even encouraged the interference.”

  “Was he involved?”

  “He said he wasn’t. But we had words, and things ended badly.”

  Rick had never been angry at her before, but this morning he’d been furious. So there was no telling what she could expect from him.

  His father had walked out on the family when Rick had been a child. And his brother had run away as a teenager and never come back.

  Rick had been so opposed to the open adoption, that he’d signed over all parental rights and had pretty much washed his hands of her and Lucas. At least, it had felt that way.

  No, she had a feeling that any chance she and Rick had of rekindling their romance was over. She’d pretty much made sure of that when she’d turned on her heel and walked away.

  The only one who’d seemed interested in chasing after her had been Buddy, but Rick had held him back.

  * * *

  Rick stuck close to home all weekend, but instead of putting Buddy back in his pen during the day, he let him stay in the house or by his side. After all, how else would the dog learn to be a family pet if he wasn’t allowed to be one?

  In spite of Rick’s concerns, it had worked out okay. The dog had stayed out of trouble. In fact, just as Lucas had said, Buddy didn’t run off as long as he had someone to stick close to.

  As Sunday wore on, it seemed that Rick and Buddy had formed a bond of some kind. Or maybe Rick just appreciated having someone to talk to, someone who seemed to understand—even if that someone had floppy ears, a cold nose and four legs.

  By late that afternoon, Rick realized that Buddy did best when he wasn’t kept in a cage. But what was he going to do with the dog when he was seeing patients—or when he started going out on calls to various local ranches?