Secret Dad. Raye Morgan

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СКАЧАТЬ lean on me,” she managed to get out around the catch in her breath. She knew she was quivering with a visceral reaction to his physical strength, she only hoped he didn’t notice. His body was long and hard and her own body was responding to it in a way she hadn’t felt for years—a way she hadn’t expected—a way that made her want to stop and listen to her heart beating like a captured thing in her chest.

      Dangerous. The word echoed in her mind. He was danger all right, but that didn’t mean she had to give in to it.

      “I don’t think so,” he was saying, pulling away from her so quickly, it was almost a recoil. “I don’t need help. I’ve got to do this on my own.”

      He started toward the house and she followed slowly, trying to calm herself. This was wild. She never did things like this. But her body seemed to have a will of its own today. And she had to admit—it was pretty exhilarating.

      “I’ll get out of your way,” he muttered, starting to bypass the house.

      “No,” she cried, jumping forward and slipping her hand into the crook of his arm. “You come on in the house. I’m going to feed you, at least. Look at you, practically wasting away here.”

      He turned his head and met her gaze and she felt as though he saw right through her, knew she’d grabbed his arm because she wanted to feel his muscles again, knew she wanted to keep him around as long as she could—just because. A flush filled her cheeks, but she didn’t care. That sparkling feeling was filling her with a sense of life she hadn’t had in a long time.

      “Come on,” she urged, tugging on his arm. “Come eat.”

      He came with her, but reluctantly, and he let her lead him. She knew he hated feeling weak this way, but she also had a feeling that wasn’t all there was to his hesitation. The awareness that had sparked between them earlier had come to life again when she’d broken his fall and held him for a split second, and she could tell that he felt it too, and that he wasn’t happy about it. Turning resolutely, she led the way to the house, chattering about the weather.

      “Sit down,” she told him as they entered the dining room. “I’ll have the food on the table in no time.”

      Denver hesitated as though he were about to argue, but the aroma of pot roast simmering wafted in from the kitchen and his resistance seemed to melt away. He lowered himself carefully to a seat at the table and she pretended not to be watching him out of the corner of her eye to make sure he made it. Turning, she glanced around the room. Robbie was nowhere to be seen and she set off to find out why.

      She found him in his bedroom and took him to the bathroom to wash his hands. He came willingly enough, but he seemed worried about something.

      “Mom. Who is that man?” he asked her as he soaped up, his eyes wary.

      “He’s my friend,” she told him, turning off the water to hurry him along. “Do you want to come and meet him?”

      Robbie frowned, taking his time, washing his hands as though it were a heavy responsibility. “Is he the surprise?” he asked, then shot a quick glance at her face.

      She smiled as she turned the faucet back on for a rinse. “Yes. He’s the surprise. I thought you’d like having a man come to dinner. We don’t have men around here very often, do we?”

      Robbie shook his head, thinking that over. “He’s awful big,” he said at last.

      Charlie laughed. “Yes, he is, isn’t he?”

      His freckled nose wrinkled. “Are you sure he likes boys?” he asked her.

      “Of course.” She answered without thinking, handing him a towel. “Doesn’t everybody?”

      He shook his head vehemently. “No. Mrs. Rathworth doesn’t. She always yells when I go by her house. She tells me to stay away from her yard.”

      Charlie became serious suddenly, her head to the side as she gazed at him. “Have you ever gone in her yard?” she asked.

      He shook his head. “But some of the fifth-graders did,” he told her as though in confidence. “They picked a bunch of her apples right off her tree.”

      “Well, there. You see? There’s usually a reason when someone seems too mean. It’s usually because someone has been mean to them. You have to think about that before you get mad.”

      “Okay,” he said agreeably. “Look.” He held up his hands for inspection. “All clean.”

      “Clean as a whistle,” she agreed, and they left the bathroom behind.

      She led him out into the dining area and introduced him to Denver, who nodded to the boy but seemed to look right through him. Robbie followed her into the kitchen rather than stay at the table with him, and she took advantage of his presence and loaded him up with things to carry back out for the dining table. With help from the microwave, she had everything steaming hot in minutes, and soon they were passing serving dishes and getting ready to eat. Charlie looked over the scene and smiled. Something felt good about it.

      “Cheers,” she said, raising her glass of milk to toast the other two.

      Neither of them said a word, and they raised their glasses reluctantly, but she didn’t let it spoil her mood. She basked in the glow. This was as close to a family meal as this place had ever had.

      And darn it all, this was good.

      Four

      The pot roast was out of this world. Denver had to restrain himself from closing his eyes as he savored every morsel.

      “This meat is great,” he told Charlie, though he did so awkwardly. He wasn’t one who was used to complimenting the chef. “Too bad all mothers don’t teach their daughters to cook like this.”

      She laughed. “My mother has never cooked a pot roast in her life,” she said happily, wanting to break into giggles at the thought of her formal, dignified mother in an apron with flour on her nose. “She’s probably not even sure what kind of meat you use.” She put a piece of that very same meat on her fork and regarded it kindly. “But she can plan a menu for three hundred at a charity luncheon, which is something I’ll never know how to do,” she added softly, then flushed, wishing she hadn’t said it. People must think it strange to hear her say a thing like that. She glanced at Denver to see what he was thinking.

      Denver swallowed another delicious bite and avoided her gaze, wondering how he’d forgotten. Of course, he knew all about her mother and what kind of people she came from. Charlie seemed so different now, it was hard to keep that in mind.

      He glanced down the table and looked at her. She was saying something to her son and it gave him a chance to study her without being noticed. She was pretty and quick-witted and her eyes shone with amusement most of the time. Had she always been this way? Not in his memory. He remembered how she’d looked the last time he saw her, years ago.

      It was graduation day at the Arcadana Academy. He’d gone to watch his sister, Gail, walk up on the stage and receive her diploma. He’d been bursting with pride. She’d looked just like the others, tall and slim and beautiful, full of laughter, graceful as a bird. You couldn’t tell she was any different, he’d told himself. You couldn’t see that her father СКАЧАТЬ