Prodigal Daughter. Patricia Davids

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      She scowled at him. “You don’t sound sorry at all.”

      “Melissa, I’ve known you since you were a kid. I play golf with your dad, and your mother invites me to dinner. I’m a friend of the family, and that means all of the family. I care about you and your happiness.” The rain had stopped and he turned off his wipers.

      “I know,” she admitted, turning to stare out the window. “Things are just so messed-up right now.”

      The sounds of the tires changed as the car rolled across the bridge spanning the Cumberland River as it snaked its way through the beautiful tree-covered hills of Tennessee. Upriver she could see the hills were ablaze with fall colors of gold and scarlet, but even their beauty didn’t lift her spirits. Below her, Melissa watched two paddle wheelers moving with stately grace as they steamed past each other. Their stern paddles churned the gray river water into white latte foam behind them.

      On board, their cargo of tourists hung over the pristine white wooden rails festooned with swags of red, white and blue as they enjoyed a trip back in time. The boats were from Nashville and Davis Landing was one of several stops on their itinerary. How many times as a child had she begged her father to take her on board one of them? No matter how many times he had relented and agreed, she had never tired of the ride. What she wouldn’t give to go back to those carefree days.

      Richard reached over and laid a hand on hers. “I, for one, am glad you decided to come back, Melissa. Your family needs you. I don’t know how much you know about what’s been going on since you left.”

      “I spoke with Amy not long ago. She sort of filled me in. I know that Jeremy is only our half brother.” She cast Richard a sidelong glance. As the family attorney, had he been privy to that secret before the rest of them?

      He said, “It came as a shock to everyone. Especially to Jeremy.”

      Another major understatement. “No kidding. Did you know that Mother was pregnant when she met Dad?”

      “No, they never told me. It wasn’t until your father became so ill that anyone knew. He’d accepted Jeremy as his own child. He told me keeping the secret was his decision. I think he knows now that it wasn’t a very wise one.”

      The car left the bridge and entered the business district of Davis Landing. Old redbrick-fronted stores and black iron lampposts added to the town’s quaint turn-of-the-century charm. Just ahead, she saw the three-story brick office building that housed her family’s business, Hamilton Media. Both the Davis Landing Dispatch newspaper and the Nashville Living magazine had offices there.

      Her great-grandfather had started the paper as a local weekly in the 1920s. Under the sound business hands of both her grandfather and then her father, the business had grown to a daily paper and now included a monthly lifestyle magazine that enjoyed tremendous success locally and across the region. Except for her brother, Chris, who had decided to become a cop, all of the Hamilton children had worked alongside their father in the family business.

      “Amy said that Jeremy and Dad had a falling-out, that Jeremy quit.” As the company’s vice president, her oldest brother, Jeremy, had been her Dad’s right-hand man and everyone assumed he would take over the company when the time came. Now what would happen? Would her brother, Tim, as second in line, step in to run both the paper and the magazine?

      Richard nodded. “That’s true. Apparently Jeremy and Tim had quite a fight about it. To make matters worse, the story was leaked to the Observer.”

      “I imagine they had a field day with that. The Observer loves a good scandal and they’ve been trying to put Hamilton Media out of business for years.”

      “A smear campaign won’t accomplish that.”

      “You’re our attorney. Why don’t we sue them?”

      “Because what they printed was true.”

      She waved aside his comment. “Oh, that’s just a technicality.”

      “It’s an important one in court. We were worried about how the news leak would affect your father, but he’s holding up well.”

      “What about Mom? She must feel like her reputation is in shreds.” Melissa knew exactly how that felt.

      “Your mother’s answer was that if people who didn’t know her wanted to talk, she couldn’t stop them. She said the only thing that matters is how she is living her life today—not what she did thirty-five years ago. She’s kept her head high. Your mother is a true lady.”

      “Now I’m back to add to their troubles.” Melissa wondered if she would be able to hold her head up when her condition became known.

      “What’s wrong, Melissa?”

      “Nothing.”

      “I don’t think that’s true.”

      “Okay, it’s not, but it’s not something I can talk about right now.”

      “If I can help, you know I will,” he said gently.

      He sounded sincere. She was tempted to confide in him, to share her troubles, but she held back. “Thanks, Mr. McNeil.”

      “You used to call me Richard.”

      “And you used to call me a brat.”

      He chuckled. “Not to your face.”

      She smiled for the first time in days. “No, not to my face, but I knew you disapproved of me.”

      He stopped the car in front of the entrance to the Enclave, an upscale condominium not far from the downtown area. Turning in his seat to face her, he said, “I never disapproved of you, Melissa, but sometimes I disapproved of the things you did.”

      She couldn’t meet his gaze. Instead, she looked up at the building where three of her siblings made their homes. “The wildest Hamilton kid has a news flash for you, Richard. Recently, I’ve done a lot of things you wouldn’t approve of. Making mistakes seems to have become my forte.”

      “People can change, Melissa. It’s not too late.”

      “I hope you’re right.”

      “I know I am. Just take it one small step at a time. The Lord will carry your burdens for you if you let Him.”

      She chose not to offend him by offering an opinion on his beliefs. He was welcome to them; she just didn’t share them anymore. She pushed open the door of his car and stepped out. Hefting her duffel bag over her shoulder, she leaned down and said, “Thanks for the lift, and I’d like to ask for one more favor.”

      “Certainly, if I can.”

      “Please don’t tell my parents that you’ve seen me.”

      “Very well, but may I ask why?”

      “I’ve got to make some decisions before I see them. But don’t worry, I’ll see them soon.”

      “All right. Take care of yourself, Melissa.”

      “I СКАЧАТЬ