Angel Mine. Sherryl Woods

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СКАЧАТЬ by leaps and bounds in the past couple of years. In the past ten minutes she’d concluded she was simply one of those who couldn’t hack it. At this rate she’d have high blood pressure and nervous tics by the time she turned thirty.

      “That cuts it,” Heather announced to no one in particular as she stood on the sidewalk in front of her apartment. “I cannot do this alone for one more day.”

      Once the admission had been uttered, an astonishing sense of relief spread through her. Independence was one thing. Foolhardy stubbornness was something else entirely.

      She gazed at Angel, who stared back solemnly.

      “We’re going to find your daddy,” she informed Angel as she brushed a stray wisp of silky hair from her child’s forehead. “Let him figure out how to cope with you. Coping is what he does best,” she said, fondly recalling all that cool competence. She figured he might be taken aback by the discovery that he was a daddy, but he would rally. He always did.

      Angel’s expression promptly brightened. “Daddy?”

      It was a word that already fascinated her, even though she couldn’t possibly understand its meaning. Angel automatically gravitated toward any male in a room, as if she sensed that he—or someone like him—was what was missing from her life.

      “Yes, Daddy,” Heather said firmly.

      She knew for a fact that Todd was in Wyoming, working for media mogul Megan O’Rourke, who was giving Martha Stewart a run for her money in the world of TV, books and magazines. His promotion to executive producer of Megan’s television show had been announced in all the trade papers a few months earlier. Heather hadn’t been particularly surprised by the news. Todd always succeeded at whatever he set his mind to.

      Of course, there had been a time when, like her, he’d wanted to be an actor. He’d claimed to want it with the same passion she did. He’d been good, too. Better than she’d been, she was forced to admit.

      As much as Heather had believed in her own abilities, as much as she’d wanted desperately to be a star, she’d known she was likely to be relegated to bit parts in off-off-Broadway productions. Her skills ran to light comedic parts, not leading-lady roles. And while she could sing on key, she didn’t have the showstopping voice for starring in musicals. She’d been willing to make do with that, because she couldn’t imagine any other career, any other place to live. She loved the energy of New York, no matter how small a role she might have to take to stay there.

      Todd, however, had been destined for stardom. He’d just gotten sidetracked along the way by the lures of a weekly paycheck.

      That had been one of the biggest hurdles they’d faced in their relationship. Four years ago she had been a free-spirited dreamer, willing to live on peanut butter and macaroni-and-cheese for her art. Todd had been steady and reliable and practical. He actually worried about having enough money for rent, decent food and vitamins. Over her objections, he’d let a temporary job with Megan O’Rourke turn into a full-time career. Heather had been disillusioned and saddened by his choice, by the sacrifice of their shared dream. Unable to accept his argument that he had done it for their future, she had split up with him soon afterward. On some level she had hoped that without his sense of obligation to her and their relationship, he might rediscover his old dream. He hadn’t.

      The breakup had come before she’d discovered she was pregnant. It was just as well, too. Todd would have wanted to do the right thing, even if it derailed both of their lives.

      At the time she had been absolutely certain that she and her baby would both be better off on their own. She’d been taking care of herself—surviving—for a very long time. Struggling to be a working actress was second nature to her. Struggling to be a working actress with a baby would simply complicate things a little. It wouldn’t actually worsen the struggle.

      Or so she’d thought at the time.

      Then, despite her optimism, practicality had set in. She’d had more trouble—more than she wanted to admit—putting food on the table. She might be able to survive on one meal a day at whatever restaurant she was working in part-time, but the baby couldn’t. She’d taken jobs she’d hated—acting and otherwise—to make ends meet. Day-care costs were prohibitive and ate away at her paltry earnings. At night reliable baby-sitters were all but impossible to find at a price she could afford. Angel had spent more than her share of time in dingy backstage dressing rooms being tended by willing stagehands, who’d passed her around like a football as they went about their duties.

      As a result, Angel was amazingly adaptable, but the constant demands were beginning to take a toll on Heather. She didn’t need a man in her life, especially not a man as rigidly organized as Todd, but Angel could certainly use a father’s influence. And much as she hated to admit it, they both could use additional financial support. She didn’t want her baby suffering because she was trying unsuccessfully to live out a dream.

      After a day like today, the prospect of sharing responsibility with Angel’s daddy, something she’d vowed never to do, held an overwhelming appeal. She would have given almost anything just to have a single uninterrupted hour to soak in a bubble bath.

      Not for the first time, she wondered what Todd would think of his daughter. They’d never talked about kids, so she had no idea where he stood on the subject. But how could he resist his own child? Angel had her daddy’s stubborn chin, his brown hair and soft-green eyes the color of sage. Three now, she was healthy and strong, and her crooked little smile could brighten the darkest day.

      But, oh, was she willful! She was definitely developing her own personality. Heather gazed at that precious, tear-streaked face and fought a smile. Angel had gotten that stubborn streak from her mama, no doubt about it. If Angel’s temperament stayed true to form, Heather would never have to worry about her daughter turning into anybody’s doormat. Just like her mother, Angel never hesitated to express her opinion about anything and everything. What she lacked in vocabulary, she more than made up for in volume.

      Envisioning how Angel would undoubtedly disrupt her daddy’s tidy, organized life gave Heather the most enjoyment she’d had in weeks. Todd might not be thrilled to see her again, but as rock-solid and dependable as he was, he wouldn’t be able to turn his own daughter away. Heather was absolutely, one-hundred-percent confident of that.

      Her decision made, Heather didn’t stop to consider her plan beyond that. She figured if she gave up her apartment, which was no big loss, she’d have just enough money in the bank for a couple of plane tickets to Wyoming and a motel room. Maybe she’d even find a job and hang around for the summer, avoid the New York heat and humidity. After that, well, she’d play it by ear, the way she usually did.

      But deep inside, something told her it was going to be the smartest investment of time and money she’d ever made.

      The corner office at the new national headquarters of Megan’s World Productions in Wyoming looked as if it had been plucked right out of midtown Manhattan. Todd Winston had worked incredibly hard to see that it did. He wanted every aspect of the decor to remind him of the city he loved, the city he’d reluctantly left behind when Megan O’Rourke had moved her media empire west and made him an offer too good to pass up.

      It wasn’t the money she’d offered him that had overcome his resistance. Oh, no. It was the way she’d turned those big blue eyes of hers on him and pleaded. She’d said she needed him, that she couldn’t live without him, that he was the best, the only person she could trust. He was such a sucker. A vulnerable woman got to him every time, but Megan was about as vulnerable as General Patton. He’d remembered that belatedly.

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