Читать онлайн книгу «My Baby, Your Son» автора Anne Peters
My Baby, Your Son
Anne Peters
Fabulous FathersHER CHILD?April Bingham had just discovered that the baby she'd thought she'd lost was aliveand living with his father, Jared O'Neal. Now she was back in her hometown to become a real mother to little Tyler, but Jared hadn't exactly welcomed her home with open arms.The stubborn man evoked longings April hadn't felt in yearsnot only for heart and home, but for an enduring happiness she'd never thought possible. Could April convince mistrustful Jared that the passion they'd once shared had not only created a wonderful little boy, but a love to last a lifetime?Fabulous Fathers. First he'll have to open his heart.
Table of Contents
Cover Page (#u31d57085-db30-5e13-b65e-7574e3f6dde3)
Excerpt (#u22745440-ffde-5081-855a-e0903a2aaf9c)
Dear Reader (#u526983ac-78ba-5fd0-935b-a56bdce94789)
Title Page (#u1e70873c-08b3-5206-beae-36aa1dc9129b)
About the Author (#u60777ff0-d949-589e-9004-46bdecfd9152)
Dear Reader (#u4dbbf196-d451-5473-9752-a503e3ab6ea7)
Prologue (#u9eeef0e3-7a4f-5b6e-8d9c-a274a572797e)
Chapter One (#u3ad1423f-6627-53ab-94f6-8341e5d3b783)
Chapter Two (#u5c128e44-d397-59d9-bf7f-70b84b4e1dde)
Chapter Three (#u46684cd6-7f7a-5e0b-a2c5-f6989863a6d8)
Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
Until you marry my mother?
April asked Jared incredulously. Thats what our son said?
His very words. Jared paced the cedar deck. Look, dont get me wrong, he said. Im all for getting alongfor Tylers sake, he felt compelled to add.
Of course. Tyler needs to understand that marriage is out of the question.
Somehow, hearing what he had already surmised didnt cheer Jared as much as it should. Though she was right, of course. There was no way. There couldnt be. Right.
We need to show Tyler how it is between us.
Uh-huh. Though outwardly attentive, and conceding that what she said made perfect sense, Jared once again found himself listening with only half a mind. The other half, and all of his body, kept straying into forbidden territory.
He watched Aprils lips move as she spoke and all he could think of was how much he wanted to kiss her.
Dear Reader,
Love is always in the air at Silhouette Romance. But this month, it might take a while for the characters of Mays stunning lineup to figure that out! Heres what some of them have to say:
Ive just found out the birth mother of my son is back in town. Whats a protective single dad to do?FABULOUS FATHER Jared ONeal in Anne Peterss My Baby, Your Son
What was I thinking, inviting a perfectalbeit beautifulstranger to stay at my house?member of THE SINGLE DADDY CLUB, Reece Newton, from Beauty and the Bachelor Dad by Donna Clayton
Ive got one last chance to keep my ranch but it means agreeing to marry a man I hardly know!Rose Murdock from The Ranchers Bride by Stella Bagwell, part of her TWINS ON THE DOORSTEP miniseries
Would you believe my little white lie of a fianc just showed upand hes better than I ever imagined! Ellen Rhoades, one of our SURPRISE BRIDES in Myrna Mackenzies The Secret Groom
I will not allow my search for a bride to be waylaid by that attractive, but totally unsuitable, redhead again!sexy rancher Rafe McMasters in Cowboy Seeks Perfect Wife by Linda Lewis
We know Sabrina would be the perfect mom for uswe just have to convince Dad to marry her!the precocious twins from Gayle Kayes Daddyhood
Happy Reading!
Melissa Senate
Senior Editor
Please address questions and book requests to: Silhouette Reader Service
U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269 Canadian: P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie, Ont. L2A 5X3
My Baby, Your Son
Anne Peters
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ANNE PETERS
shares her Pacific Northwest home with her husband, Manfred, and their aged dog, Adrienne. Anne treasures her family and friends, her private times, her creativity and, last but by no means least, her readers.
Dear Reader,
I wasnt even twenty-one the first time I held Tyler. It had only been seven months since April told me she was pregnant, seven months since I panicked and shed left, seven months to get used to the idea of fatherhood. But I hadnt thought about it because though I knew I had fathered a child, I could pretend it hadnt really happened because April was gone. I didnt see the baby grow inside of her, didnt feel his first kick, didnt bond with him the way other expectant fathers get a chance to do.
All of which made the reality of fatherhood, of actually holding in my arms the life Id helped to create, more overwhelming and powerful than I have words to describe. I was thrilled, I was awed, I was scared. And, just like that, I grew up.
He, not I, became my reason for being. His happiness, not mine, came first Selflessness, I learned, is part of fatherhood. But so is jealousy, I came to find out when April reappeared on the scene. And fear, fear of loss.
It took me a while to realize that fatherhood combined with motherhood results in parenthood. And that since parenthood is the natural order of things, there can be no losses, only wins.
FatherhoodI guess it made a man out of me.
Regards,
Jared ONeal
Prologue (#ulink_d122a7ad-f576-5021-a28e-07d89a80e6b7)
New York City
Excuse me, Miz Bingham
Yes? With a sigh, April turned her attention from the stunning view of Central Park in June to the shriveled- potato features of Spuds Miller, her twin brother Marcuss portly factotum. Is the limo here?
No, maam. The old man extended a bulky manila envelope. This just came for you by messenger.
Oh? April accepted the package without enthusiasm. One of the drawbacks of being a renowned concert pianist was being inundated with a barrage of musical scores from struggling composers and wannabes. Usually, though, there were people around to intercept them. Wheres my mother?
Miz Rhinegold and Mr. Marcus are in the den, having one of theiruh, discussions.
I see. April grimaced. And here I thought wed for once be able to make an uneventful getaway.
Yes, maam.
With an inward smile at the old mans pointedly non- committal attitude, April glanced down at the envelope. Harper and Tymes, Attorneys At Law, she read, and asked Spuds with a frown, Isnt that the firm that handled Aunt Marjes will?
I believe so, yes. Much more than a servant, Spuds Miller was up on everything that concerned the Bingham family, but believed in keeping a low profile. A Mr. Cur- tis, I believe.
Exactly. Puzzled, April tore open the envelope. Let- ting it drift to the floor, she stared at the leather-bound volume in her hands. The initials M.B.S. were stenciled on the front in faded gold.
Marjorie Bingham Smythe. A small catch roughened her voice. Oh, Spuds, I cant count the times Ive watched my aunt write in this journal.
Yes, maam. Spuds bent to retrieve the discarded en- velope, peered inside and extracted a folded sheet of vel- lum. It appears theres a letter to go with it.
Thank you. One-handedly, April shook it open. In an undertone she read, Darling April, by the time this reaches you, Ill be dead and buried. Cliff House and the rest of my estate will have been settled, divided equally between Marcus and you. Ive kept aside this diary for your eyes only.
Aprils voice faltered. In silence she rapidly scanned the few lines that followed and looked up. I need to sit down.
She groped for the nearest chair. Spuds rushed to pull it close. Shall I
No, April interrupted with an emphatic shake of the head. Just leave me. Please, I
Of course. Ever discreet, Spuds was already on his way. Not to worry.
Her gaze once again on the letter, April made no reply. From its pages, she read with eyes gone gritty and with the blood pounding in her ears, you will learn that a terrible secret has been kept from you, a secret I find I cannot bear to take with me to the grave. Darling April, your baby, your son, is alive.
Chapter One (#ulink_ff6337ec-a528-59ad-af18-4dce6801fb7b)
Capstan, WA. One week later
April hadnt meant to stop at the school. She was on her way to Cliff House, which was to be her home for the next several months, at least. But driving by the school yard shed noticed the Little League baseball game in progress and something had urged her to pull over and watch.
Nostalgia? Yes, but something else, too. Something less definable but more compelling. Something that had her threading her fingers through the chain-link fence and straining to see.
Just to the left of her, a scattering of spectating friends and family dotted the bleachers behind the backstop. Shouts of encouragement and advice for the batter blended with the twhack of the ball connecting with the catchers mitt and the umpires gravel-voiced call. Steeerike!
It was all so familiar, so very much like those other ball games during those other summers a decade and more ago, that April half expected to see her brother Mark in the dugout and Jared ONeal winding up for the pitch. Why, even the blue-and-white uniforms of the Capstan Gulls hadnt changed.
Strike two!
As jeers and cheers from the bleachers followed the um- pires cry, April stared transfixed at the young Capstan pitcher going through his spiel. Posturing and posing, look- ing this way and that before tucking his knee against his chest, he wound up for the next killer pitch. Watching, April experienced a sense of dj? vu so acute, she blinked to dispel the illusion that it was young Jared up there on the mound. The way the boy stood, moved, the way he tugged on the bill of his cap and cocked his head just that little bit
Oh, God. Realization struck like a slap, making her body actually jerk away from the fence before her knees turned to mush and her fingers clung more tightly to the cutting cold wire for support. It was him, she thought wildly. It was Tyler. Her son. And Jareds.
As if to confirm it, a raucous shout drew her attention to the left and she saw Jared ONeal surge to his feet on the bleacher at the far side of the backstop. Cupping his mouth, he yelled something else to the boy, something April was too unnerved to try to decipher. Riveted, she watched him bend to the smiling woman next to him who had remained seated. He made some kind of comment and the woman nodded, smiling agreement.
Jared ONeal. Betrayer of her love. Co-conspirator in the theft of her child. Still, seeing him unexpectedly like this, tanned and virile in frayed cutoffs and faded T-shirt with a Seattle Mariners cap covering most of his dark, wavy hair, Aprils heart twisted painfully in her chest. He was grinning that crooked little grin that tugged one corner of his mouth up and the other down.
That grin, that she noticed with another painful tug on the heartstrings, was matched by an identical one from the boy on the field. Their son. Her baby
The image blurred. April closed her eyes and willed back the tears. Pouring over Marje Binghams diary these past few days, she had done more crying than shed known she had tears for.
The enormity of the crime that had been committed against herfor there could be no other way to describe ithad all but annihilated her emotionally. She had yet to deal with the ramifications, had yet to confront her mother and demandwhat? To have the clock turned back? And herself made whole again?
It was the knowledge that it was too late, that something precious was irretrievably lost, that had had her crying all those tears until she was sick. But in the course of that grief she had come to realize that, for now, concerns of the pres- ent and the futurenamely, getting her son back into her lifehad to take precedence over those grievances of the past.
She had confided in no one but her attorney the real reason she would be staying at Cliff House. Let Grace think it was merely for the purpose of the good long rest Dr. Shimon had prescribed. Not even Marcus knew, for he would have felt compelled to come and take charge. And she was done with that, done with depending on anyone but herself. Done being a pawn of those who, for all their protests that they meant well and knew what was best for her, had run her life for far too long. Her mother. Her pub- lic. Her handlers. Her muse.
The time had come to take charge.
But, ohApril pressed her forehead to the backs of her hands still clutching the fence and let out a shivery breath. Here and now, confronted by the man and the boy in the flesh, she was forced to acknowledge that taking charge was not going to be as uncomplicated and straightforward as she had imagined.
For one thing, she hadnt counted on the twist of pain and, worse, that tug of attraction she felt at her first sight of Jared ONeal after nearly ten years. With everything that stood between them, all the hurt and the betrayal, she had convinced herself she hated him. Or, at the least, felt in- difference. Why, before reading the diary, she had barely even thought of him in years. Yet now.
Now she knew that they had a son. It was as simple and as complicated as that.
Tyler. Eagerly, hungrily, Aprils eyes sought him out once again. He was standing next to another boy who was stockier, shorter. He was off the field. Her heart swelled at the beauty of him. Her child. She caressed him with her gaze. How fine he looked. How perfect.
As perfect as his father had seemed to her once upon a time. And yet, not really so much like Jared at all. Except perhaps in his mannerisms, his posture and hisattitude.
April smiled to herself with a surge of something she thrilled to realize was maternal pride. That boy had attitude, all right. Out there on that playing field he was cocksure and all male, just like his father had been as a boy.
How incredible to think that this fine boy was something she and Jared had created. Together. And how much stranger still to have shared the ultimate intimacy with a man and to now realize that she had never really known him at all.
Disturbed by her curious thoughts and feelings, April redirected her attention to Jared once again. She saw that he was still on his feet, conversing now with a man on his right who looked familiar. Another face from the past Conan ONeal, Jareds older brother. Jared was using his hands to make a point and April remembered that this had always been his way. She was struck by how large he seemed. Had he always been this tall? Thisimposing?
Surely not. Though hed always been athletic and well- muscled, maturity had filled him out. Life and the elements had carved lines into a face that was still handsome. More handsome than it used to be, if she were honest. Sunglasses shaded his eyes.
Wishing she were wearing hers, too, April knew the ex- act moment he became aware of her scrutiny. He stopped talking and abruptly swung his head in her direction. They stared at each other for what seemed to April like forever but was probably no more than a second or two.
Aprils fingers grew numb, so tightly were they clutching the fence. Her heart beat so hard, she shook. Her breath became trapped in her chest as she watched an expression of outraged disbelief replace the shock of recognition on Jareds face before, with a jerk, he turned away.
April stayed frozen for another heartbeat or two. And then, with an involuntary gasp of dismay, she spun away and blindly strode back to her car.
Jared ONeal felt blood roaring in his ears, hazing his eyes. He couldnt recall ever having been this shaken. April Bingham? Here?
Unwilling to accept what his eyes had seen, he gave his head a hard shake. And then he spun around to look for her once more. She was gone. If she had even been there in the first place.
You all right?
Huh? Jared blinked at his brother as if hed forgotten the other man was there.
You act like youve seen a ghost, Conan said, follow- ing suit when Jared rather abruptly sat down.
Maybe I did. Propping his elbows on his knees, Jared blew into his nested fists as he struggled to put a lid on emotions that roiled and bubbled like lava in a volcano, ready to erupt. Get a grip, man, his mind cautioned, as fear and anger andGod help hima lingering surge of heat threatened to completely unravel him. It couldnt have been her. And even if it was, didnt you always know shed show up here one of these days? It doesnt mean anything. She doesnt know anything.
Jared?
Yeah. Jared slanted his brother a glance. He managed a semblance of a grin. Im probably crazy, but I thought I sawNah.
He shook his head. He wouldnt say it, wouldnt even breathe her name. He took a deep breath, slapped his hands on his knees and sat upright. Forget it. The heat must be getting to me or something.
He turned to Addie Mansfield, sitting on his left. Got any more sodas in that cooler of yours?
Sure.
Inwardly wincing at her eager rush to dig out a can of pop and hand it to him, Jared forced another quick smile. Thanks, Ad.
Watching her hand another cold can to his brother, he almost wished he could fall in love with her. Addie was a good woman, a good mother to her boy, and with that mane of flaxen hair framing her wholesome girl-next-door face she wasnt too hard on the eyes, either. In fact, she looked a whole lot like Regina.
And nothing at all likeApril Bingham.
Suddenly the cola tasted like bile. He set it down on the floor boards so hard, it sloshed all over his runners. Damn, he muttered fiercely.
Only to hear his brother say, Kids a pitcher, not a hitter.
What? Jared stared at him, uncomprehending.
Tyler. Conan gestured impatiently toward the game. So he struck out. Thats no reason for you to sit here cussing.
Oh, for Thoroughly exasperated, with himself most of all, Jared choked back the rest of the expletive and forced himself to watch the game. Or, at least, to look as if he were watching it. They were in the ninth inning. The Gulls were at bat. Tyler was back in the dugout
And what the hell would April Bingham be doing back in town?
The question intruded on his honest desire to concentrate on the game because, when it came right down to it, Jared knew he hadnt seen a ghost. It had been April, all right, over there by the fence. Ten years hadnt really changed her much. She still wore that hair of hersshades of ash streaked with goldfalling in waves from a middle part to halfway down her back.
And anyway, over the years hed caught her on TV a few times. Concert specials with the likes of Pavarotti and other opera greats. The kind that took place in cities like London and Paris and Rome.
So what in blue blazes would the kind of star she had become want in a backwater like Capstan? To take stock of her recent inheritance? Behind the dark shades, Jared squeezed his eyes shut. Grinding his back teeth, he thought, Fat chance. The womans presence spelled trouble, pure and simple. He could feel it in his gut.
The feeling stayed with him through sundaes and banana splits with the team at the Dairy Queen. And it lingered during the subsequent drive home with his nine-sometimes- going-on-thirty-year-old son who seemed to have a weighty problem of his own to deal with, if his fidgeting was any- thing to go by.
Dad?
Hmm? Taking his eyes off the road a moment, and dragging his dark thoughts away from the subject of April Bingham, Jared sliced an inquiring glance toward his son.
Tommys mom is real nice, isnt she?
Real nice, Jared concurred, wondering what was up. He didnt have long to wait to find out.
Any chance youd wanna marry her?
Addie? What the hell? Jared tossed his son another look. This one from beneath raised eyebrows. Any, er, special reason you feel that I should?
Well Tyler, sprawled in a position only someone of his young years could assume, squinted into the sun. Tommyn meve been talkin
Sthat so?
Moms been dead almost a year
Thats true. If only thoughts about Reginas fatal car accident still haunted every waking hour of his days.
An Tommy says his mom really likes you.
I like her, too. Jared kept his eyes on the road and his face straight. The conversation and his sons unsubtle efforts at matchmaking might seem amusing to him, but this was obviously something very close to Tylers heart. The question was how to make it clear to the boy gentlythat as far as he was concerned, he and Addie Mansfield were just good friends. Being single parents and not by choice in either of their casesthey had a lot to talk about, a lot of notes to compare. And he really did like her.
But who knew better than he that, in the long runor even in the shortfriendship and affection were poor sub- stitutes for what his younger brother Sean called the Big L?
Itd be kinda neat, havin a brother, Tyler said wist- fully.
I can see how youd feel that way. Being the middle child of a mixed bunch of six, Jared certainly could sym- pathize. Having brothers and sisters is a lot o fun. Most of the time. On the other hand
Tommyd really like a brother, too, Tyler interrupted Jareds attempt at rationalization through platitudes. An he says his dad wouldnt mind if you married his mom on account of he divorced her to go farmin.
Farming? Jared frowned. Last hed heard, Thomas Mansfield, Sr., was a traveling salesman out of Seattle. You sure?
Yup. Tylers nod was emphatic. Miz Mansfield even said. She said, That mans always lookin for greener pas- tures.
Oh. I see Jared cleared his throat. He briefly de- bated setting Tyler straight on those greener pastures, but decided to leave well enough alone. You guys sureve been talking, havent you?
Uh-huh.
Trouble is Jared cleared his throat once again people dont just up and marry somebody just because their kids think it would be a good idea. I mean, I like Tommys mom a whole lot, but
Tommy says she really likes you, too.
Jared acknowledged the interjection with a smile and a nod, but continued to make his point as though Tyler hadnt interrupted. Like I said, it takes a heck of a lot more than liking each other for two people to get married.
Oh, Tyler said dejectedly. You mean like you gotta be in love, right?
Thats right. Jared affectionately rubbed his sons bristly short fair hair. Howd you get so smart, anyway?
But Tyler wasnt to be diverted. He ducked away from his fathers hand, angling around in the seat and facing Jared with arms folded across his chest and his chin stuck out. I know that Mom wasnt my real mom.
So? Puzzled as to where this unexpected turn of the conversation was leading, and unaccountably wary, too, Jared sent his son a frowning glance. Thats never been a secret in our family, so whats your point?
Tyler returned the frown in spades. I heard Grammy and Auntie Colleen talkin in the kitchen a while ago and Grammy said how sad it was that you werent ever really in love with Mom. So how come now you say people oughta be?
What? The shock of what hed just heard from his son made Jared almost put the truck into the ditch. What in the hell had his mother been thinking of, making a state- ment like that? Even though it was true, he damned well didnt appreciate having his private life bandied about by a couple of gossip hens like his mother and sister. Within earshot of his son, yet.
Struggling to control the swerving pickup, he eased it to a stop on the shoulder. He rammed the gear into Park, draped an arm across the steering wheel and turned to his son. Now listen, Tyler
No, Dad, Tyler shocked him by obstinately interrupt- ing. I wanna know why cant you just be with Miz Mans- field like you were with Mom?
Because its not that simple. And one marriage with- out passion is enough in any mans lifetime.
Engaging in a weighty exchange of glances with his tru- culent offspring, Jared wondered how he could ever have imagined hed be able to raise this boy to manhood without ending up in a corker of a discussion like this at one time or another.
Butdamn it. Jared wiped a hand across his mouth, then kept it there as he continued to contemplate his son and thought of how he never would have dreamed of tackling one or the other of his parents on issues like love, or sex, or any of the other off-the-cuff debates he suspected he and Tyler would engage in over the years.
Jared supposed it was because thered been no need somehow when he was growing up. Things were as they were, as they always had been. Mom was Mom. Dad was Dad. Both of them had always been solid as the earth, and had been expected to be. Period.
Tylers young life on the other hand, for all Jared had done his damnedest to maintain a stable environment, had lately been a series of uncertainties and change. Inevitably, they had shaped the boys perceptions, made him wary. And while he, Jared, would do his utmost to shield him from further upheaval.
Were you in love with my real mom, Dad?
Huh? Involved in his own dark ruminations, Tylers softly voiced question completely blindsided Jared. He was still fumbling to regain his emotional equilibrium and for- mulate a response when Tylers next words knocked the pins out from under him again.
I got a picture of her.
Though Tyler whispered the words, had he yelled them at the top of his lungs, Jared could not have heard them more clearly. Nor been more staggered.
Of my real mother, I mean, Tyler added. Mom gave it to me before she died. An she told me itd be okay if I looked at it. An I do now, sometimes.
Big and somber, Tylers brown eyesso like Aprils, Jared grudgingly concededmet his own thoughtfully nar- rowed ones. Shes real pretty.
Yes, she is. What had Regina been thinking of, giving Tyler that photo? Which photo? Jared couldnt remember keeping one around for her to find, never mind pass on to his son. What kind of picture is it?
A real nice one. From outa a magazine.
Oh. Jared was perplexed. Regina had obviously clipped the pictureshe had known about April, of course. But what he couldnt figure out was why she would have wanted Tyler to have it. For all intents and purposes she had always been Tylers mother.
Shes never coming back here, is she? Tyler said.
Who, Mom? Jareds mind was still on Regina. Re- member we talked about that. I thought you understood
No, Tyler interrupted with querulous impatience. I dont mean that. I mean the other one, the real one. The one in the picture.
Oh. Jared heaved a sigh, thinking, That one is out here now, but youll never see her if I can help it.
Well, son, its like this. He stalled, furiously wracking his brain for an answer that resembled the truth but wouldnt devastate his son. And maybe Mom already told you
That shes famous, Tyler interrupted glumly. Yeah, I know. His motions listless, he plucked at a loose thread on his shirt. His voice, usually so full of swagger and chal- lenge, grew small enough to break his fathers heart Didnt she wanna be my mom, Dad?
Yes, of course, she did. Damn April Bingham to hell for causing all this grief. Its just that, well, she plays the piano way better than most anybody else and so people all over the world want to hear her play and that takes up all of her time. See, thats what being famous is.
Is it bettern being a mom, Dad. Do you think?
No. Almost violently, Jared reached across the seat and hauled the boy into his arms. No way, he said fiercely, willing conviction into his voice even as he damned the woman who had chosen fame over mother- hood.
And whod better not have come back here to try to make up for lost time.
Never, he said, clenching his teeth to keep from giv- ing voice to the wave of protective tenderness and love that flooded him because he knew it would embarrass this tough little guy. But he hugged him hard. After all, in spite of his sometime swaggering ways, Tyler was just a grieving little boy who, less than a year ago, had lost the only mother he had ever known. And his grandfather, too.
Being a mom or a dad is the very best thing in the world to be, Jared declared in a voice rough with emotion. And dont you let anybody tell you different. You hear?
Okay. The word was little more than a soggy snuffle.
Jared rubbed his chin on his sons cropped head. And about Tommys mom he murmured. Shes a great friend and thats exactly the way Id like to keep things. Besides He tightened his embrace around the wiry little body, relishing the closeness while poignantly aware that soon adolescent pride wouldnt allow him to hold his son like this anymore. Arent we okay, youn me and Grammy? Huh? Dont we have lots of good times, the three of us?
I g-guess so.
Damn straight, Jared enthused in a voice that even to him sounded just a shade too hearty. And things can only get better.
Two days later Jared wanted to eat those words. He and Tyler had spent one of those daysSundayin Portland visiting Reginas mother as well as seeing to a few things at their house, which as yet was unsold. Which was no wonder since Jared had not yet been able to bring himself to put it on the market. In fact, everything in it had been left exactly as it was when he, Regina and Tyler had made their home there.
Walking through it, watching Tyler rejoice in rediscov- ering this or that treasured toy, Jared fleetingly debated if the most effective way to avoid April Bingham might not be to move back there. But he just as quickly nixed the notion for two reasons. One, the house was like a monu- ment to the bittersweet sterility of his marriage to Regina. And two, it had never been his way to run from a problem.
Or at least, it was not anymorecourtesy of the painful lesson he had learned ten years ago.
His busy Monday had been punctuated by bouts of anx- iety. In fact, it got to the point where hed been on the verge of dropping everything and tearing over to Cliff House to demandwhat? That April Bingham explain her reasons for coming to her own house?
Ridiculous. Youre getting paranoid, Jared, mboy. Lu- dicrous, to be obsessing over a problem that, for all he knew, existed only in his mind! The woman had a house here. She was on vacation.
And still he didnt believe it.
So now it was Tuesday, and somewhere in the course of his morning rounds to the neighboring farms he had man- aged to convince himself that April would have contacted him by now if she was going to. In this somewhat improved state of mind, he stopped at the post office, which was actually no more than a large cubicle partitioned off from Mulrooneys Supermarket.
He was collecting his mail, or trying to. Jean Ivers, Cap- stans aged postmistress and gossip queen, was making it difficult Little got by old Jean, who had made it her business to eyeball every piece of mail, coming or going, for as long as Jared could remember.
Your Popular Mechanics came today, she was saying as she handed Jared the magazine. And you might want to take a look at this here big white envelope right off.
Its from a lawyer, she added after an expectant pause during which Jared said nothing as he turned the envelope over. Out of New York City.
So I see. Jared pocketed the letter, ignoring Jeans visible disappointment with a flash of amusement that was quickly replaced by a rekindled feeling of unease. What the hell could a New York City lawyer want from a small-fry country veterinarian like himself?
Whatever it was, Jareds gut told him he wasnt going to like it.
He was not about to share his apprehensions with Jean Ivers, however. Hows old Mouser handling that thyroid medication I prescribed? he asked, directing a pointed glance at the huge tabby snoozing on a shelf by the back wall. Any side effects?
None I can tell. Jean flipped through the rest of Jar- eds mail, clearly dissatisfied with his evasiveness but, as he immediately found out, not so easily put off.
Weve got us a celebrity in town, she said with a speculative glance from above her half-moon glasses. She handed him a couple more pieces of mail like a miser dol- ing out alms to the poor. Id say these are bills.
Looks like. Jared pocketed them, too.
April Binghams the celebrity, Jean went on. She gets mail from New York, too.
Sthat so? No way was Jared going to give the old bag the satisfaction of appearing intrigued. Well, its a big place. He pushed away from the counter, one hand outstretched. Id best take the rest of my mail now.
Jean reluctantly handed it to him. She got herself a letter from that same attorney. she said. Aint that pe- culiar?
Her words arrested Jareds movement. A letter from the same attorney?
You two wouldnt happen to be in business together or somethin, would you?
Come again? Jareds brows snapped together. What was the woman talking about?
Well, it coulda been, she said defensively. I mean, the two o you were pretty thick there, a while back, she noted pointedly.
Good grief, Jean, Jared snapped, mentally wishing all the gossips in the world to the moon. We were kids then. And anyway, youre thinking of Colleen. She and April
Oh, no, sonny boy! None o that. Jean waggled a finger. It wasnt just your sister the gal was friends with, though I do recall them being like two peas in a pod. No, Im thinking of that one summer in particlar. An I recall the entire town gettin such a charge out of watchin you and that Bingham girl spoonin and carrying on
She sighed, an expression of indulgent reminiscence re- aligning the network of wrinkles on her face. Everbody thought the two of you were so cute.
Cute. Given what he and April had felt for each other at the time, Jared shuddered at the description.
Jean sobered. Course she never came back after that.
Tell me something I dont know.
Until now. Jeans shrewd eyes narrowed on Jared who was grinding his back teeth in frustration.
Guess she had bigger fish to fry, Jean commented while studying Jared with that speculative gleam he knew all too well, and detested. Times like this he wished he had stayed in Portland, that he hadnt come back to Capstan after the accident, though he knew it had been the best solution all around.
Guess she did. So. Jared slapped his palm on the counter. Gotta go.
Good morning, Mrs. Ivers.
Jared froze.
Speak o the devil, Jean said sotto voce.
Jared ignored that. He stood rigid with tension and grit- ted his teeth as, preceded by a subtle scent that brought on an immediate rush of memories, he sensed and smelled April Binghams approach. Her voice, more husky than he remembered, held a tentative note that hinted at uncertainty. It reminded him of how shy she used to be. How easily hurt and sensitive.
Yeah, but not so sensitive she couldnt dole out a whole lot of pain to a whole lot of people.
Damn her to hell.
Drawing up every ounce of self-control, Jared forced himself to calmly turn and face her. She stood about a foot away, looking sleek as an ocelot in something as mundane as jeans and a shirt. And for all her hesitant manner, she met and held his gaze with her head held high.
Hello, Jared, she said.
Chapter Two (#ulink_8ad95a9b-9589-55f6-a4e2-355f00b9a3dd)
April was proud of the steadiness of her voice. Inside, she was aquiver with nerves. These past two days at Cliff House had been as much heaven as hell. Heaven was find- ing it as warmly familiar as a cozy old blanket. Hell, the fact that Marje was no longer there to make it home.
Heaven had been the nostalgia, the memories of glorious summers that seemed so much more real and immediate here, now. Hell were those selfsame memories for they in- cludedno, prominently featured, Jared ONeal.
Thinking of him had invariably started her agonizing once again about how to approach him about Tyler. Should she go with her feelings, those of outrage and hurt at his betrayal, and coldly demand an accounting? How could you not have let me know that our child is alive? And living with you? Should she corner him, pin him down? Insist he give her an answer, demand access to her child?
Or should she go with the advice of her attorney, which was to keep past grievances out of it and negotiate?
Her legal position, short of a messy lawsuit, was shaky. Her signature was on the document giving the child up for adoption. Jared ONeal was the name she had declared as the childs father on the birth certificate. He had every right to the boy, whereas she.
I have every right, too, she had exclaimed. I didnt know.
Which is why in this instance ignorance just might be an excuse under the law, her attorney had mused. If it should come to a suit But be warned, the cost in terms of publicity and emotional trauma will be high for all con- cerned.
By this morning, April had made up her mind to ap- proach Jared with an olive branch in hand. After all, he had always been a reasonable, a most compassionate, person.
Now, however, confronted by the mask of ice that was Jared ONeals face, and raked by a gaze that was clearly intended to freeze her out, April wanted nothing so much as to turn tail and run, to let her lawyer have at him.
But through years of performing before an audience, pre- ceded by a lifetime of the strictest discipline, she had per- fected the ability to appear poised and serene in even the worst of circumstances.
And so she managed to maintain a pleasant smile as the postmistress said, We were just talkin about you, Miz Bingham. Werent we, Jared?
Jareds reply was a noncommittal mutter. He still hadnt returned Aprils greeting.
When April realized that he had no intentions of ac- knowledging her presence at all, the stab of hurt this caused both angered and surprised her. She would have thought her defenses stronger than that. She had worked so hard to shore them up. As an entertainer, having her work con- stantly scrutinized and torn apart by fans and critics alike came with the territory. Shed had to develop an elephants hide or perish as an artist.
So why would the rudeness of this one man cause her even a moments discomfort?
The answer was as obvious as it was immutablethe man was the father of her child. That made him, if no longer special, at least different from every other man in that he had once possessed her heart and body. They had been in love.
Or, at least, she had beenif indeed that fairy-tale state existed. In those glorious days that long-ago summer, sev- enteen years old and incredibly naive, she had believed it did.
But now, at twenty-eight, she knew better than to put her faith in fairy tales. First Jared ONeal and, later, Montgom- ery Cedars, had shattered her girlish illusions.
Still, she had hoped that the bond between Jared and herself, tenuous though the events of the past might have made it, would enable them to deal with each other civilly. At least where Tyler was concerned.
And so, maybe the twinge of pain Jareds barely veiled contempt was causing her was merely disappointment at having that hope dashed. Not that she would let him see he still had the power to wound her.
Im glad to run into you here, she told him, keeping her tone civil, though it took some effort. I was going to call you later today.
Really? His tone was one of complete disinterest. A sick pet?
No, of course not. I
In that case, youll excuse me. Brushing past her, Jar- ed strode out the door without a backward glance.
Stunned, April almost let him get away with it. But then she recalled the promise she had made to herself, the prom- ise to take charge. Jared!
Leaving the postmistress looking intrigued, April hurried after him. She caught him out on the sidewalk. Jared.
He neither turned nor stopped walking.
April half ran to come abreast of him. Id like to talk to you.
Theres not a word you can say that I want to hear.
Oh, really? April snapped, his scorn blasting the last of her good intentions to smithereens. Gritting her teeth and blessing her long legs, she grimly matched his stride. How does the word conspiracy strike you?
No response.
Or maybe the term kidnapping would be more appli- cable.
That stopped him in his tracks.
April stalked past him, then spun around. Folding her arms across her chest, she met his glare without waver. I will have you charged with either or both, she said. If you force me to.
Youre nuts.
Maybe. She angled her chin in a gesture of challenge.
Jared ground his back teeth.
Neither blinked as they stared coldly into each others eyes. April was damned if she was going to give him even a glimpse of her shattered nerves because she knew shed be lost if she did. He would emotionally flatten her like a steamroller for the simple reason that he could. After all, she was the vulnerable one in the showdown to come. She wanted what he already had.
Kidnapping what? he finally demanded, as though he didnt already know the answer, ludicrous though it was. Or who?
Tyler. The name came out of Aprils constricted throat in a croaky whisper. Angry with herself for the innate cowardice that even now made her want to retreat from this confrontation, April cleared her throat. I want Tyler.
Tyler is nothing to you, Jared growled, doing his ut- most to control a burgeoning rage he knew was caused by fear as much as anything else. Nothing.
He is my son.
Your son? The harshly whispered pronoun was laced with such bitterness and suppressed rage, April instinctively shrank back.
But not far enough. Jared gripped her arm. Jerking her out of the path of other pedestrians, many of whom were eyeing them with avid curiosity, he all but dragged her into the relative privacy of a recessed store entrance. There, his formidable bulk shielded April from inquisitive glances. She doubted, however, that hed arranged it that way out of chivalry. He was clearly livid.
Now you listen to me, he snarled, impaling her with his eyes. That boy is mine. Only mine. His face was as close as a lovers, but there was nothing in the least lov- erlike in his expression. You gave away any claim you had when you got rid of him like so much excess bag- gage.
No! With a strength fueled by desperation, April yanked her arm out of Jareds grip and raised her hands beseechingly. Jared, for heavens sake. You know I never did that. My mother
Ah, yes, Jared interjected with a grimace of distaste. Your mother.
Did what she thought was best, April defended out of habit. Certainly not out of conviction. But believe me, I knew nothing about any of it.
Yeah, right. Jared averted his face so he wouldnt have to look at her to see the distress that could almost make him believe she was telling the truth. Almost. Poor April, always the innocent victim.
No!
Damn straight, no! Jerking his face back toward her, Jared spoke through clenched teeth. As in no way. No way do I believe you, and no way are you getting your hands on my son. He is not a thing you can keep or reject like the ring you tossed back in my face.
The ring? April stared at him, bewildered. He could only mean his fraternity ring. Shed been on cloud nine the day he had given it to her as a token of his love. And she had sunk into the depths of despair the day it had disap- peared.
Which had been the same day she had confessed to her mother that she was pregnant. Her last day at Cliff House. Because the very next morning, her mother had put her on a plane to London. Marjorie had written in her journal that day.
I think Grace is overreacting. And my little April is so distressed that I telephoned Joshua in London and pleaded with him to intervene on his daughters behalf. I am heartbroken but not really surprised that, as usual, my brother shirked his responsibilities and refused
Reading it all these years later, April had cried. Her fa- ther was dead and could answer no questions, but she had often wondered why hed been so seemingly content to give her mother free reign.
Perhaps if hed taken a stand, she would not now be in this untenable situation with Jared ONeal.
What are you talking about? Biting her lip, April blinked back the moisture that had risen into her eyes. In his present frame of mind, Jared would probably see her tears as a sign of weakness and guilt. I never tossed that ring
Of course you didnt. That would have taken courage. Jareds jaw flexed, remembering. No, you had your mother do it for you.
Youre wrong. April felt as though she were in a quagmire of misunderstandings and trickery, and sinking fast. What was he talking about? When would her mother have done this? Why? Grace had sworn to her that she hadnt seen the ring.
And she had also sworn, as shed hustled the heartbroken and hysterical April to the airport, that she hadnt seen Jar- ed. More lies?
Oh, Mother. Aprils shoulders sagged beneath the weight of so much treachery, so much manipulation. Jared
Spare me. Jared didnt want to hear her excuses, her lies. I dont give a damn, about you or the ring. Though just for the record, its in my desk drawer. Come by and check it out. Or, better still, Ill mail it to you since I cant stand the sight of it.
Or of you. Though he didnt say it, it was there in his face for April to see. She shivered. Then why do you keep it?
To remind myself never to get into a situation like that again.
Did it work? April was surprised to hear herself ask. She fully expected Jared to snarl some scathing reply.
But he didnt. He contemplated her in brooding silence for several long seconds during which April could hear every one of her heartbeats as loud as a drum. Such a ter- rible pain clouded his eyes that April couldnt help but be touched by it. She reached out to him with her hand, un- formulated words of regret, perhaps even apology, on her lips.
But before she could either touch him or speak, Jared pivoted and walked away.
It struck her anew then, the enormity of all she had lost. And she ached. She grieved. She mourned the loss of in- nocenceher own as well as Jaredsthat inevitably was the legacy of betrayal.
Oh, Jared, she murmured, and her throat burned like acid from her unshed tears. To hide her emotions, she turned to stare without focus at the window display in front of which she found herself. It consisted of tools of some sort. Nothing April would have recognized even had she tried. Or cared.
There is so much I didnt know, she thought wearily. And such a lot that Jared knew nothing of. Why couldnt he have been reasonable? Why couldnt he at least have given her a chance?
She closed her eyes and tried to gather strength. The confrontation had drained her, left her raw. It was exactly the kind of thing she had been told by her doctor to avoid.
Rest, rest, and still more rest was what he had prescribed after her collapse on the concert stage in the middle of her most recent tour. Exhaustion had been cited as the cause. April had been ordered to take a minimum of three months off.
It had caused a rescheduling nightmare, this breakdown of hers. Her mother had had to pull strings, call in all sorts of favors, to arrange for this inconvenientGraces word hiatus.
Well lose a fortune in ticket sales, she had fumed, pacing the floor of the Paris hotel suite. Though April was sitting right there on the brocaded settee, it was Dr. Shi- mons and Marcus Bingham she was addressing. Not to mention the damage to Aprils reputation should it get out that shes a temperamental diva, an unreliable performer. Really, April, are you sure?
Positive, the doctor had said in Aprils stead.
To which Marcus, who had rushed to Paris from Beijing when hed heard of his sisters collapse, had added, If youd stop being Aprils manager long enough to be her mother, Mother, maybe youd have recognized the state of her exhaustion and this so-called calamity could have been avoided. Though personally I think its the best thing that couldve happened to her.
Meaning?
Meaning shes a human being, Mother, not a robot. When was the last time you allowed her more than a one- week break?
When she asked for it, Grace had snapped. Which she is too much of a professional to do very often. April knows she is getting on
Oh, yeahshes in her dotage.
And that younger talent is constantly nipping at her heels. She cant afford to rest on her laurels.
Not that youd let her.
Even now, thousands of miles away and standing in front of a hardware store, April shivered at the harshness of the exchange between mother and son. Mark was one of the few people whom Grace couldnt intimidate, bully or de- feat, but their arguments always made April cringe. Espe- cially when, as was often the case, she was the cause or subject of it.
Mark was her twin; but he was also her best, her only, friend. Gracewhich she insisted Mark and April call herwas her mother, her manager, but more than that, her taskmaster. Relentless, unceasing, she had always de- manded everything April had it in her to give. And then just a little bit more.
Only Mark ever dared to try to interfere with Graces ruthless ambition. Only Mark seemed to recognize the price for it April had paid all her life. But even he had never been able to slow Grace down. Though not for lack of trying.
Dear, grouchy Marcus. Older than she by several minutes, he took his role as older brother very seriously. During her summers at Cliff House, where he had lived with their Aunt Marjorie all year round, Mark had always defended her against the teasing and taunts of some of the rougher kids in town. Kids who called the shy, bookish girl from New York who didnt even know how to swim or play catch, dumb. Or stuck-up.
But never when Mark was around. Or Jared. Or even.
Colleen? Startled because it seemed as though her thoughts had conjured her up, April stared into the face of the woman stepping out of the store.
Hello, April. Hostility laced the voice and turned the otherwise unchanged face of her girlhood friend into that of a stranger. I saw you out here with my brother. Havent you done enough?
W-what? April stammered, shocked by the unex- pected attack.
You heard me. Obviously distraught, Colleen pressed a hand to her throat. A diamond-studded wedding band winked in the sun. Why have you come back? What do you want?
For a moment April couldnt speak. Even you, she thought, and somehow the pain of Colleens rejection sliced even deeper than Jareds had done. Perhaps because in the olden days, in Colleens eyes at least, April had been able to do no wrong.
Do you have children, Colleen? It hurt to speak.
And the non sequitur obviously took the other woman aback. Whyyes, I She gestured distractedly toward the door behind her. Ralph and I have a daughter.
Ah. April nodded, her gaze briefly shifting to the sign above the door. Simpson Hardware. Of course. April re- membered thenRalph Simpson. He and Colleen had dated that last summer, that same fateful summer when she and Jared
How old is she?
Five.
Do you love her?
Well, of course. What a question. Butlook. April Clearly agitated, Colleen came a step closer. Dont do this.
Do what? Anger was a welcome change from the hurt. What am I doing, Colleen, that you yourselfas a motherwouldnt do in my shoes?
Well, for one thing Colleens eyes, so much like her brothers in their brilliant indigo blue color, sparked now with indignation and resentment. I would never have given up my child in the first place.
Im sure you wouldnt. Defeated, suddenly, and un- bearably weary, April thought, Whats the use? Still, before turning to go, she added quietly, But then, knowingly, I wouldnt have, either.
Confound it, Conan, thats not what I called you to hear.
Raking a hand through his hair and letting it rest on the back of his neck, Jared paced the narrow confines of his fathers den like one of the restless cats in his boarding kennel.
From the other end of the line, the eldest ONeal off- spring was sounding equally incensed. Then get yourself another lawyer and bankrupt yourself, he shouted. Not to mention devastate your son. My advice stands. Click.
Jared winced as Conan abruptly broke the connection. Perching on the edge of the desk, he let out a sigh of ex- asperation. Damned hothead! Cradling the cordless phone in his hands, he scowled down at it.
What? his mother prompted. Knitting, she sat by the open window through which a desultory breeze was trying valiantly to cool the room. The day had been uncommonly hot.
Jared didnt look up from his dark contemplation of the phone. He hung up on me.
Thats not what Moms asking. Colleen, carrying a tray of glasses in one hand and a frosted pitcher of lem- onade in the other, walked into the room. We want to know what he said you should do about April and that letter from New York.
Why? So you can gossip about it with all of your friends?
What? Colleen exchanged a bewildered glance with her mother and demanded, What are you talking about?
Nothing. Jared gestured impatiently with his hand as he belatedly realized this was hardly the time to vent his ire about the conversation between the two woman that Tyler had overheard. It would only make this miserable day more hellish still. Im just mad, thats all.
So tell us why. What did Conan say thats got you so bent out of shape?
He says, Go along with it. Says, Dont try to fight it. Or her!
Frustrated, Jared waved away the glass of lemonade Col- leen held out. Too restless to sit, he once again paced. Can you beat that? After giving away her kid, after nine years of nothing, the woman waltzes back into our lives with the intention of staking a claim and, according to some fancy New York lawyer, it would behoove me to let her get away with it if I dont want to find myself hauled into court.
Gripping the window frame, he stared out into the night
With which Conan agrees, Maeve stated rather than asked. She put aside her knitting and caught her sons free hand. Jared. Gently, she uncurled the fist he had formed. Would it be so bad?
Yes. Vehement, Jared bent and gripped his mothers shoulders. His eyes bored into hers. Mom, you were there.
Yes, I was.
He was tiny.
Not much more than a handful, Maeve quietly agreed. She returned Jareds burning gaze with one that was loving and true.
Because his eyes threatened to fill, Jared closed them. He hung his head. His hands spasmodically squeezed his mothers shoulders. He was only hours old when they gave him to you, remember? Completely helpless. Needy. Damn it, Mom With a strangled sound of anguish, Jar- ed straightened and turned away. His fingers speared into his hair and stayed there as he tilted his head toward the ceiling.
How could she do it? he asked raggedly. Tyler needed her. He could have died. How could she justgive away her own child?
She says she didnt, Colleen hesitantly put in. When I challenged her on it today, she told me she didnt do it willingly.
She winced when Jared rounded on her with a snarl. So unwillingly makes it all right?
Well, it certainly puts a different light on things.
If its true. Jared leveled a finger at his sister. And since when are you back to being her champion?
Im not That is Averting her eyes from Jareds accusing ones, Colleen sought support from their mother. I guess I want to believe her, Mom. She seemed so gen- uinelybroken up. I felt
Sorry for her? Jared smacked his palm against the windowsill with a snort of disgust. You always were a bleeding heart, sis, where April Bingham was concerned.
And you werent? It was Maeve who asked that ques- tion, shocking Jared into swinging around to stare at her.
Erect and still formidable, Maeve stared back. All those years when that poor little girl would come to us seeking refuge from that harridan of a mother, who was it went out of his way to comfort and amuse her when Colleen was not around?
Maeve leveled a finger at his chest You, Jared. You always had time for her, always understood her. Shielded her. Coddled her. There was nothing, you said, you wouldnt do for her. And she for you.
Mother
No, Jared, Maeve cut short her sons attempt to in- terrupt. Youre my son and I love you. I stood by you and so did your father, God rest him, throughout that whole mess. But that doesnt change the fact that you were not blameless in all that transpired. You were twenty years old. You knew what an innocent April was, for all she was seventeen. You also knew she worshiped the ground you walked on and would give you anything you asked, in- cluding
Too straitlaced to speak of sex, even to her grown chil- dren, Maeve faltered. With a wave of the hand, she settled for, Well, you know what I mean. She loved you, Jared.
I loved her, too, Jared flared. And kindly remember Im not the villain in this piece.
But youre sure that April is? Maeve had come to stand beside him at the window.
Behind them, Colleen noisily blew her nose. You should have told her youd marry her.
Oh, sure. Jareds short laugh was bitter. I tried that, remember? And got tossed out on my ear.
You should have told her right away. And youll recall it wasnt April who sent you packing.
Oh, no. It was galling to realize the memory still hurt. As always, she let her mother handle that little unpleas- antness.
Jared. Taking Jareds callused hand in her own work- toughened one, Maeve gazed down at her son with sorrow- ing reproof. You know as well as I do that no one lets Grace Rhinegold do anything, least of all April. Grace just does, and let nobody dare try and stop her.
She waited for Jared to meet her eyes. It was Grace who handed me the baby, son, in that posh and private London clinic. I never told you this because you never wanted to hear the details, and anyway I thought, What was the point?
So why are you telling me now, Ma? Jared didnt like the direction this conversation was taking. After all these years of blaming April, despising April, was he now ex- pected to forgive and forget?
Angry, suddenly, he shook off his mothers hands, rounding on her and Colleen. Why are the two of you all of a sudden working so hard to convince me that she is the victim here instead of me?
Were not, Colleen exclaimed defensively. She wiped at her cheeks. Its just that
Its just that theres more to consider here than your hurt feelings or Aprils, Maeve interrupted with some im- patience. As far as Im concerned, Tylers well-being is the only thing that matters.
Which is exactly my point! Jared leveled a rigid fin- ger at his mother. What do you think its going to do to Tyler when after a month, two months, or three, the famous Ms. Bingham gets tired of languishing in our backwater town and bored with playing Mom, and hightails it back to the bright lights? Huh?
He grimly forestalled the defense he saw Maeve draw breath to offer. Which she will.
And if she doesnt?
She will. Convinced of it, Jared stared hard at his mother in an effort to convince her, too. He noted with a pang that his fathers death had scarred his mothers face, just as the simultaneous death of Regina had irrevocably scarred his own soul. Though not for the same reason.
She will, he repeated, but quietly this time. Loving his mother for all she was and all she had done for him and for TylerJared bent and kissed her cheek. Im sorry, Ma, but Id stake my life on that.
But, son, Maeves hand kept him from straightening. Dont you see? If you fight her, its not your life that youre putting at stake. Its Tylers.
They looked at each for a long time, mother and son, as the truth of Maeves words wrestled with the bitterness in Jareds soul. And when, with an oath, Jared finally straight- ened and turned away, Maeve gestured to Colleen and qui- etly led the way out of the room.
Chapter Three (#ulink_8270ec26-1fe0-5c73-96f1-ea3f19928afe)
April was lying down with an ice pack on her head when the phone rang. Even though she had set the volume control at the lowest setting, the whirring sound reverberated through her head with all the force of one of Mozarts cres- cendos. Not since the collapse that led up to this prescribed rest period had she suffered a migraine of this magnitude. She had felt it coming on in the aftermath of her encounter with Jared ONeal and Colleen Simpson. The stress, her overwrought state, all were like poison to her constitution. Only the hope that the call might be about Tyler motivated her to pick up the phone. Indeed, it was the only reason she had not unplugged it.
Gagging back nausea, she kept her head as still as pos- sible as she groped for the handset on the low table next to her with her eyes closed. Lo?
Hello, erApril?
Jared. April tensed. Pain lacerated her skull. It seared both of her eyes like a hot poker and drove an involuntary groan from her lips.
Whats the matter? Something like alarm sharpened Jareds tone. It assaulted Aprils ears and head like a ham- mer blow. April?
Please, she croaked. Not so loud.
Are you sick? Jared asked in a more moderate tone thatincongruously to Aprilheld an unmistakable note of concern.
M-migraine, April whispered hoarsely. But never mind that T-Tyler?
Yes. Jared cleared his throat. Hes, uh. Well, hes the reason Im calling. But look, it can wait until
No Heedless of her head, dizzy with pain, April rose up on one elbow as though that would lend force to her whispered plea. Please. Is it all right? Are you going to let me see him? Talk to him? When?
Well, it cant be right away.
Not right away? Gasping, her disappointment an even more devastating pain than the one in her head, April col- lapsed back against the pillows.
You see, hes gone camping with my sister Leslies family for a couple of days. There was a pause that gave April time to realizeand appreciatethe fact that Jared was trying to establish some sort of rapport. His next words bore that out.
You remember Leslie, he said with a strained, self- conscious little chuckle. Shes the one who was always practicing the clarinet in the hayloft and spooking the cows.
Yes April also recalled that Leslie was two years older than Jared, the second oldest, after Conan, of the six ONeal offspring.
Theyll be back Wednesday or Thursday.
Two more days, maybe three. It seemed like such a long time. Though she knew it was foolishshe had waited this long, what did a couple more days matter?April felt tears of disappointment sting the backs of her eyes.
She refused to let them fall, even when Jared added to the devastating letdown by saying, And Ill also need some time to talk to him. I need to prepare him. I mean, he knows you exist, but we cant just spring your imminent entrance into his life on him out of the blue.
I understand. The suppressed tears constricted her voice. Youll, umyoull let me know?
Right.
Thank you, April whispered, but Jared had already severed the connection.
With a tremulous sigh, April let the phone slip out of her hand. She lay perfectly still, letting the fact that Jared had decided not to fight her soothe her like a balm.
Not till a pool of water had collected in each of her ears did she realize that holding back the tears hadnt worked.
At his end, Jared, too, was distraught. It had been a dif- ficult phone call to make on all levels. He put down the phone and, with his elbows propped on his fathers desk, cradled his head in his hands, thinking, I dont think I can do this. I dont want to do this.
He didnt want to trust April. Didnt want to risk Tyler getting hurt. But most of all he didnt want to get sucked in once again by April Bingham and her problems. He didnt want to care.
Damn. Pinching the narrow spot between his eyes, he bowed his head and sucked in a number of ragged breaths.
So she still got those headaches. Was he to blame for this one?
Jared dug his nails into his scalp, remembering the first time he had seen her with one. He had been looking for her to ask her to go swimming. Her aunt had come to the door.
I dont know, Jared, Marje had said in that elegant British way of hers. April is terribly upset.
What happened?
Her mother rang. From England. She announced her imminent arrivalshell be here two days from nowand Im afraid April isnt taking it well. She was so enjoying her holiday, poor lamb.
And now itll be back to the salt mines, Jared had thought. Where is she?
April? She fled upstairs to her room, white as a sheet.
Can I see her? Please?
Marje had considered this for a moment before tossing up her hand. Sure. Why not. If anyone can cheer her, itll be you.
As Jared bounded up the stairs, she had called after him, Mind, you leave the bedroom door open!
Jared knocked on the door, then right away pushed it open and stuck in his head. April?
No answer. A quick scan of the room revealed that it was empty. Puzzledmaybe shed gone to the bath- room?hed hovered in the doorway, and thats when he heard it. A keening sort of whimper. And it came from the direction of the closet.
Two strides took him there. He wrenched open the door. There was April. Curled into a tight little ball with her arms wrapped around her head, rocking, moaning.
April. Honey Dropping to his knees, Jared reached for her.
No She shrank away, curling more tightly into her- self. The d-doorthe lightoh, please.
Jared had crawled into the closet with her, closed the door, and held her. Held her.
But who was holding her now? Who had held her all the times in between until the pain went away?
Damn you, April Bingham. Jared leapt to his feet and charged out of his fathers den as though pursued by a stampede of cattle. I dont want this, you hear me? Not again. Never again.
He ran to the stable and, hands shaking, saddled his horse. Only one thing could get his emotions and priorities back where they belongeda long, hard ride through the surf.
But it didnt help this time. April Bingham stayed with him as though he were holding her in the saddle in front of him the way he had so often done in the past.
And when, hours later, he cantered past the stairs that led from the beach up to Cliff House and saw April stand- ing up on the cliff, silhouetted against the purpling sky, he knew his emotional troubles had only begun.
He is cooperating, April said to her attorney who had called to follow up on the letter to Jared he had copied her on. Or, at least, thats more or less what he indicated to me two days ago.
More or less? Greg Hoskins queried. What does that mean?
Well April quickly related details of her phone con- versation with Jared, ending with, I havent seen or talked to him since.
Any chance hes intending to renege?
No.
You sound pretty sure for a woman whos been be- trayed the way you have.
Oh, I am sure, April said. And anyway, Ive since found out that Jared wasntI mean, he apparently didnt know. Well, Im just sure, she said again when it occurred to her that Jareds ignorance of the fact that she had not been responsible for Tylers release for adoption was irrel- evant with regard to her attorney.
Does this newfound confidence in Dr. ONeal mean you no longer deem it necessary to investigate him?
Well, no. I suppose it wouldnt hurt to make sure weve covered all the bases.
Im glad to hear you say that, Ms. Bingham. Wouldnt want any unpleasant surprises at some future date, would we?
No. Disturbed, April gnawed on her thumbnail. Jar- ed would not be pleased if he found out we were doing this.
Perhaps not, the attorney allowed. However, theres no reason to think that he would. Find out, I mean. These things are handled with discretion and confidentiality, if thats whats worrying you.
Hmm. April bit down on her nail too hard and, vexed with herself, jerked her hand away. She had half a mind to cancel the investigation after all. She had still been reeling from all shed found out and girding herself for battle, so to speak, when she had authorized it initially. Discover the opponents weaknesses and capitalize on them, had been the rationale. The way things stood now, however
She sighed. Well, if youre sure it wont cause prob- lems?
Positive.
The word went around and around in Aprils head like a circling vulture for quite some time that afternoon. Maybe she should have called the thing off.
Still fretting about it as she left the post office later that afternoona substitute had been in for Jean Ivers, thank Godand feeling another headache coming on, she finally told herselfEnough.
If Jared had nothing to hide, he would never know shed had him checked out. And in the unlikely event something objectionable should turn up, then, well
Childish shouts and laughter abruptly snagged Aprils attention.
Hey, Charlie, watch this!
Heck, thats nothin, man!
Turning her head toward the sound, she realized she was at the school yard where the Gulls played baseball. Sure enough, several uniformed youngsters were already on the field, tossing balls, swinging bats, warming up for a game or practice.
A leap of excitement quickened Aprils pulse. Eagerly, wondering if Tyler would by chance be one of the kids, she looked around more closely. And thereher heart skipped a beatthere he was.
.
.
, (https://www.litres.ru/anne-peters/my-baby-your-son/) .
Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, , , , PayPal, WebMoney, ., QIWI , .
Anne Peters
Fabulous FathersHER CHILD?April Bingham had just discovered that the baby she'd thought she'd lost was aliveand living with his father, Jared O'Neal. Now she was back in her hometown to become a real mother to little Tyler, but Jared hadn't exactly welcomed her home with open arms.The stubborn man evoked longings April hadn't felt in yearsnot only for heart and home, but for an enduring happiness she'd never thought possible. Could April convince mistrustful Jared that the passion they'd once shared had not only created a wonderful little boy, but a love to last a lifetime?Fabulous Fathers. First he'll have to open his heart.
Table of Contents
Cover Page (#u31d57085-db30-5e13-b65e-7574e3f6dde3)
Excerpt (#u22745440-ffde-5081-855a-e0903a2aaf9c)
Dear Reader (#u526983ac-78ba-5fd0-935b-a56bdce94789)
Title Page (#u1e70873c-08b3-5206-beae-36aa1dc9129b)
About the Author (#u60777ff0-d949-589e-9004-46bdecfd9152)
Dear Reader (#u4dbbf196-d451-5473-9752-a503e3ab6ea7)
Prologue (#u9eeef0e3-7a4f-5b6e-8d9c-a274a572797e)
Chapter One (#u3ad1423f-6627-53ab-94f6-8341e5d3b783)
Chapter Two (#u5c128e44-d397-59d9-bf7f-70b84b4e1dde)
Chapter Three (#u46684cd6-7f7a-5e0b-a2c5-f6989863a6d8)
Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
Until you marry my mother?
April asked Jared incredulously. Thats what our son said?
His very words. Jared paced the cedar deck. Look, dont get me wrong, he said. Im all for getting alongfor Tylers sake, he felt compelled to add.
Of course. Tyler needs to understand that marriage is out of the question.
Somehow, hearing what he had already surmised didnt cheer Jared as much as it should. Though she was right, of course. There was no way. There couldnt be. Right.
We need to show Tyler how it is between us.
Uh-huh. Though outwardly attentive, and conceding that what she said made perfect sense, Jared once again found himself listening with only half a mind. The other half, and all of his body, kept straying into forbidden territory.
He watched Aprils lips move as she spoke and all he could think of was how much he wanted to kiss her.
Dear Reader,
Love is always in the air at Silhouette Romance. But this month, it might take a while for the characters of Mays stunning lineup to figure that out! Heres what some of them have to say:
Ive just found out the birth mother of my son is back in town. Whats a protective single dad to do?FABULOUS FATHER Jared ONeal in Anne Peterss My Baby, Your Son
What was I thinking, inviting a perfectalbeit beautifulstranger to stay at my house?member of THE SINGLE DADDY CLUB, Reece Newton, from Beauty and the Bachelor Dad by Donna Clayton
Ive got one last chance to keep my ranch but it means agreeing to marry a man I hardly know!Rose Murdock from The Ranchers Bride by Stella Bagwell, part of her TWINS ON THE DOORSTEP miniseries
Would you believe my little white lie of a fianc just showed upand hes better than I ever imagined! Ellen Rhoades, one of our SURPRISE BRIDES in Myrna Mackenzies The Secret Groom
I will not allow my search for a bride to be waylaid by that attractive, but totally unsuitable, redhead again!sexy rancher Rafe McMasters in Cowboy Seeks Perfect Wife by Linda Lewis
We know Sabrina would be the perfect mom for uswe just have to convince Dad to marry her!the precocious twins from Gayle Kayes Daddyhood
Happy Reading!
Melissa Senate
Senior Editor
Please address questions and book requests to: Silhouette Reader Service
U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269 Canadian: P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie, Ont. L2A 5X3
My Baby, Your Son
Anne Peters
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ANNE PETERS
shares her Pacific Northwest home with her husband, Manfred, and their aged dog, Adrienne. Anne treasures her family and friends, her private times, her creativity and, last but by no means least, her readers.
Dear Reader,
I wasnt even twenty-one the first time I held Tyler. It had only been seven months since April told me she was pregnant, seven months since I panicked and shed left, seven months to get used to the idea of fatherhood. But I hadnt thought about it because though I knew I had fathered a child, I could pretend it hadnt really happened because April was gone. I didnt see the baby grow inside of her, didnt feel his first kick, didnt bond with him the way other expectant fathers get a chance to do.
All of which made the reality of fatherhood, of actually holding in my arms the life Id helped to create, more overwhelming and powerful than I have words to describe. I was thrilled, I was awed, I was scared. And, just like that, I grew up.
He, not I, became my reason for being. His happiness, not mine, came first Selflessness, I learned, is part of fatherhood. But so is jealousy, I came to find out when April reappeared on the scene. And fear, fear of loss.
It took me a while to realize that fatherhood combined with motherhood results in parenthood. And that since parenthood is the natural order of things, there can be no losses, only wins.
FatherhoodI guess it made a man out of me.
Regards,
Jared ONeal
Prologue (#ulink_d122a7ad-f576-5021-a28e-07d89a80e6b7)
New York City
Excuse me, Miz Bingham
Yes? With a sigh, April turned her attention from the stunning view of Central Park in June to the shriveled- potato features of Spuds Miller, her twin brother Marcuss portly factotum. Is the limo here?
No, maam. The old man extended a bulky manila envelope. This just came for you by messenger.
Oh? April accepted the package without enthusiasm. One of the drawbacks of being a renowned concert pianist was being inundated with a barrage of musical scores from struggling composers and wannabes. Usually, though, there were people around to intercept them. Wheres my mother?
Miz Rhinegold and Mr. Marcus are in the den, having one of theiruh, discussions.
I see. April grimaced. And here I thought wed for once be able to make an uneventful getaway.
Yes, maam.
With an inward smile at the old mans pointedly non- committal attitude, April glanced down at the envelope. Harper and Tymes, Attorneys At Law, she read, and asked Spuds with a frown, Isnt that the firm that handled Aunt Marjes will?
I believe so, yes. Much more than a servant, Spuds Miller was up on everything that concerned the Bingham family, but believed in keeping a low profile. A Mr. Cur- tis, I believe.
Exactly. Puzzled, April tore open the envelope. Let- ting it drift to the floor, she stared at the leather-bound volume in her hands. The initials M.B.S. were stenciled on the front in faded gold.
Marjorie Bingham Smythe. A small catch roughened her voice. Oh, Spuds, I cant count the times Ive watched my aunt write in this journal.
Yes, maam. Spuds bent to retrieve the discarded en- velope, peered inside and extracted a folded sheet of vel- lum. It appears theres a letter to go with it.
Thank you. One-handedly, April shook it open. In an undertone she read, Darling April, by the time this reaches you, Ill be dead and buried. Cliff House and the rest of my estate will have been settled, divided equally between Marcus and you. Ive kept aside this diary for your eyes only.
Aprils voice faltered. In silence she rapidly scanned the few lines that followed and looked up. I need to sit down.
She groped for the nearest chair. Spuds rushed to pull it close. Shall I
No, April interrupted with an emphatic shake of the head. Just leave me. Please, I
Of course. Ever discreet, Spuds was already on his way. Not to worry.
Her gaze once again on the letter, April made no reply. From its pages, she read with eyes gone gritty and with the blood pounding in her ears, you will learn that a terrible secret has been kept from you, a secret I find I cannot bear to take with me to the grave. Darling April, your baby, your son, is alive.
Chapter One (#ulink_ff6337ec-a528-59ad-af18-4dce6801fb7b)
Capstan, WA. One week later
April hadnt meant to stop at the school. She was on her way to Cliff House, which was to be her home for the next several months, at least. But driving by the school yard shed noticed the Little League baseball game in progress and something had urged her to pull over and watch.
Nostalgia? Yes, but something else, too. Something less definable but more compelling. Something that had her threading her fingers through the chain-link fence and straining to see.
Just to the left of her, a scattering of spectating friends and family dotted the bleachers behind the backstop. Shouts of encouragement and advice for the batter blended with the twhack of the ball connecting with the catchers mitt and the umpires gravel-voiced call. Steeerike!
It was all so familiar, so very much like those other ball games during those other summers a decade and more ago, that April half expected to see her brother Mark in the dugout and Jared ONeal winding up for the pitch. Why, even the blue-and-white uniforms of the Capstan Gulls hadnt changed.
Strike two!
As jeers and cheers from the bleachers followed the um- pires cry, April stared transfixed at the young Capstan pitcher going through his spiel. Posturing and posing, look- ing this way and that before tucking his knee against his chest, he wound up for the next killer pitch. Watching, April experienced a sense of dj? vu so acute, she blinked to dispel the illusion that it was young Jared up there on the mound. The way the boy stood, moved, the way he tugged on the bill of his cap and cocked his head just that little bit
Oh, God. Realization struck like a slap, making her body actually jerk away from the fence before her knees turned to mush and her fingers clung more tightly to the cutting cold wire for support. It was him, she thought wildly. It was Tyler. Her son. And Jareds.
As if to confirm it, a raucous shout drew her attention to the left and she saw Jared ONeal surge to his feet on the bleacher at the far side of the backstop. Cupping his mouth, he yelled something else to the boy, something April was too unnerved to try to decipher. Riveted, she watched him bend to the smiling woman next to him who had remained seated. He made some kind of comment and the woman nodded, smiling agreement.
Jared ONeal. Betrayer of her love. Co-conspirator in the theft of her child. Still, seeing him unexpectedly like this, tanned and virile in frayed cutoffs and faded T-shirt with a Seattle Mariners cap covering most of his dark, wavy hair, Aprils heart twisted painfully in her chest. He was grinning that crooked little grin that tugged one corner of his mouth up and the other down.
That grin, that she noticed with another painful tug on the heartstrings, was matched by an identical one from the boy on the field. Their son. Her baby
The image blurred. April closed her eyes and willed back the tears. Pouring over Marje Binghams diary these past few days, she had done more crying than shed known she had tears for.
The enormity of the crime that had been committed against herfor there could be no other way to describe ithad all but annihilated her emotionally. She had yet to deal with the ramifications, had yet to confront her mother and demandwhat? To have the clock turned back? And herself made whole again?
It was the knowledge that it was too late, that something precious was irretrievably lost, that had had her crying all those tears until she was sick. But in the course of that grief she had come to realize that, for now, concerns of the pres- ent and the futurenamely, getting her son back into her lifehad to take precedence over those grievances of the past.
She had confided in no one but her attorney the real reason she would be staying at Cliff House. Let Grace think it was merely for the purpose of the good long rest Dr. Shimon had prescribed. Not even Marcus knew, for he would have felt compelled to come and take charge. And she was done with that, done with depending on anyone but herself. Done being a pawn of those who, for all their protests that they meant well and knew what was best for her, had run her life for far too long. Her mother. Her pub- lic. Her handlers. Her muse.
The time had come to take charge.
But, ohApril pressed her forehead to the backs of her hands still clutching the fence and let out a shivery breath. Here and now, confronted by the man and the boy in the flesh, she was forced to acknowledge that taking charge was not going to be as uncomplicated and straightforward as she had imagined.
For one thing, she hadnt counted on the twist of pain and, worse, that tug of attraction she felt at her first sight of Jared ONeal after nearly ten years. With everything that stood between them, all the hurt and the betrayal, she had convinced herself she hated him. Or, at the least, felt in- difference. Why, before reading the diary, she had barely even thought of him in years. Yet now.
Now she knew that they had a son. It was as simple and as complicated as that.
Tyler. Eagerly, hungrily, Aprils eyes sought him out once again. He was standing next to another boy who was stockier, shorter. He was off the field. Her heart swelled at the beauty of him. Her child. She caressed him with her gaze. How fine he looked. How perfect.
As perfect as his father had seemed to her once upon a time. And yet, not really so much like Jared at all. Except perhaps in his mannerisms, his posture and hisattitude.
April smiled to herself with a surge of something she thrilled to realize was maternal pride. That boy had attitude, all right. Out there on that playing field he was cocksure and all male, just like his father had been as a boy.
How incredible to think that this fine boy was something she and Jared had created. Together. And how much stranger still to have shared the ultimate intimacy with a man and to now realize that she had never really known him at all.
Disturbed by her curious thoughts and feelings, April redirected her attention to Jared once again. She saw that he was still on his feet, conversing now with a man on his right who looked familiar. Another face from the past Conan ONeal, Jareds older brother. Jared was using his hands to make a point and April remembered that this had always been his way. She was struck by how large he seemed. Had he always been this tall? Thisimposing?
Surely not. Though hed always been athletic and well- muscled, maturity had filled him out. Life and the elements had carved lines into a face that was still handsome. More handsome than it used to be, if she were honest. Sunglasses shaded his eyes.
Wishing she were wearing hers, too, April knew the ex- act moment he became aware of her scrutiny. He stopped talking and abruptly swung his head in her direction. They stared at each other for what seemed to April like forever but was probably no more than a second or two.
Aprils fingers grew numb, so tightly were they clutching the fence. Her heart beat so hard, she shook. Her breath became trapped in her chest as she watched an expression of outraged disbelief replace the shock of recognition on Jareds face before, with a jerk, he turned away.
April stayed frozen for another heartbeat or two. And then, with an involuntary gasp of dismay, she spun away and blindly strode back to her car.
Jared ONeal felt blood roaring in his ears, hazing his eyes. He couldnt recall ever having been this shaken. April Bingham? Here?
Unwilling to accept what his eyes had seen, he gave his head a hard shake. And then he spun around to look for her once more. She was gone. If she had even been there in the first place.
You all right?
Huh? Jared blinked at his brother as if hed forgotten the other man was there.
You act like youve seen a ghost, Conan said, follow- ing suit when Jared rather abruptly sat down.
Maybe I did. Propping his elbows on his knees, Jared blew into his nested fists as he struggled to put a lid on emotions that roiled and bubbled like lava in a volcano, ready to erupt. Get a grip, man, his mind cautioned, as fear and anger andGod help hima lingering surge of heat threatened to completely unravel him. It couldnt have been her. And even if it was, didnt you always know shed show up here one of these days? It doesnt mean anything. She doesnt know anything.
Jared?
Yeah. Jared slanted his brother a glance. He managed a semblance of a grin. Im probably crazy, but I thought I sawNah.
He shook his head. He wouldnt say it, wouldnt even breathe her name. He took a deep breath, slapped his hands on his knees and sat upright. Forget it. The heat must be getting to me or something.
He turned to Addie Mansfield, sitting on his left. Got any more sodas in that cooler of yours?
Sure.
Inwardly wincing at her eager rush to dig out a can of pop and hand it to him, Jared forced another quick smile. Thanks, Ad.
Watching her hand another cold can to his brother, he almost wished he could fall in love with her. Addie was a good woman, a good mother to her boy, and with that mane of flaxen hair framing her wholesome girl-next-door face she wasnt too hard on the eyes, either. In fact, she looked a whole lot like Regina.
And nothing at all likeApril Bingham.
Suddenly the cola tasted like bile. He set it down on the floor boards so hard, it sloshed all over his runners. Damn, he muttered fiercely.
Only to hear his brother say, Kids a pitcher, not a hitter.
What? Jared stared at him, uncomprehending.
Tyler. Conan gestured impatiently toward the game. So he struck out. Thats no reason for you to sit here cussing.
Oh, for Thoroughly exasperated, with himself most of all, Jared choked back the rest of the expletive and forced himself to watch the game. Or, at least, to look as if he were watching it. They were in the ninth inning. The Gulls were at bat. Tyler was back in the dugout
And what the hell would April Bingham be doing back in town?
The question intruded on his honest desire to concentrate on the game because, when it came right down to it, Jared knew he hadnt seen a ghost. It had been April, all right, over there by the fence. Ten years hadnt really changed her much. She still wore that hair of hersshades of ash streaked with goldfalling in waves from a middle part to halfway down her back.
And anyway, over the years hed caught her on TV a few times. Concert specials with the likes of Pavarotti and other opera greats. The kind that took place in cities like London and Paris and Rome.
So what in blue blazes would the kind of star she had become want in a backwater like Capstan? To take stock of her recent inheritance? Behind the dark shades, Jared squeezed his eyes shut. Grinding his back teeth, he thought, Fat chance. The womans presence spelled trouble, pure and simple. He could feel it in his gut.
The feeling stayed with him through sundaes and banana splits with the team at the Dairy Queen. And it lingered during the subsequent drive home with his nine-sometimes- going-on-thirty-year-old son who seemed to have a weighty problem of his own to deal with, if his fidgeting was any- thing to go by.
Dad?
Hmm? Taking his eyes off the road a moment, and dragging his dark thoughts away from the subject of April Bingham, Jared sliced an inquiring glance toward his son.
Tommys mom is real nice, isnt she?
Real nice, Jared concurred, wondering what was up. He didnt have long to wait to find out.
Any chance youd wanna marry her?
Addie? What the hell? Jared tossed his son another look. This one from beneath raised eyebrows. Any, er, special reason you feel that I should?
Well Tyler, sprawled in a position only someone of his young years could assume, squinted into the sun. Tommyn meve been talkin
Sthat so?
Moms been dead almost a year
Thats true. If only thoughts about Reginas fatal car accident still haunted every waking hour of his days.
An Tommy says his mom really likes you.
I like her, too. Jared kept his eyes on the road and his face straight. The conversation and his sons unsubtle efforts at matchmaking might seem amusing to him, but this was obviously something very close to Tylers heart. The question was how to make it clear to the boy gentlythat as far as he was concerned, he and Addie Mansfield were just good friends. Being single parents and not by choice in either of their casesthey had a lot to talk about, a lot of notes to compare. And he really did like her.
But who knew better than he that, in the long runor even in the shortfriendship and affection were poor sub- stitutes for what his younger brother Sean called the Big L?
Itd be kinda neat, havin a brother, Tyler said wist- fully.
I can see how youd feel that way. Being the middle child of a mixed bunch of six, Jared certainly could sym- pathize. Having brothers and sisters is a lot o fun. Most of the time. On the other hand
Tommyd really like a brother, too, Tyler interrupted Jareds attempt at rationalization through platitudes. An he says his dad wouldnt mind if you married his mom on account of he divorced her to go farmin.
Farming? Jared frowned. Last hed heard, Thomas Mansfield, Sr., was a traveling salesman out of Seattle. You sure?
Yup. Tylers nod was emphatic. Miz Mansfield even said. She said, That mans always lookin for greener pas- tures.
Oh. I see Jared cleared his throat. He briefly de- bated setting Tyler straight on those greener pastures, but decided to leave well enough alone. You guys sureve been talking, havent you?
Uh-huh.
Trouble is Jared cleared his throat once again people dont just up and marry somebody just because their kids think it would be a good idea. I mean, I like Tommys mom a whole lot, but
Tommy says she really likes you, too.
Jared acknowledged the interjection with a smile and a nod, but continued to make his point as though Tyler hadnt interrupted. Like I said, it takes a heck of a lot more than liking each other for two people to get married.
Oh, Tyler said dejectedly. You mean like you gotta be in love, right?
Thats right. Jared affectionately rubbed his sons bristly short fair hair. Howd you get so smart, anyway?
But Tyler wasnt to be diverted. He ducked away from his fathers hand, angling around in the seat and facing Jared with arms folded across his chest and his chin stuck out. I know that Mom wasnt my real mom.
So? Puzzled as to where this unexpected turn of the conversation was leading, and unaccountably wary, too, Jared sent his son a frowning glance. Thats never been a secret in our family, so whats your point?
Tyler returned the frown in spades. I heard Grammy and Auntie Colleen talkin in the kitchen a while ago and Grammy said how sad it was that you werent ever really in love with Mom. So how come now you say people oughta be?
What? The shock of what hed just heard from his son made Jared almost put the truck into the ditch. What in the hell had his mother been thinking of, making a state- ment like that? Even though it was true, he damned well didnt appreciate having his private life bandied about by a couple of gossip hens like his mother and sister. Within earshot of his son, yet.
Struggling to control the swerving pickup, he eased it to a stop on the shoulder. He rammed the gear into Park, draped an arm across the steering wheel and turned to his son. Now listen, Tyler
No, Dad, Tyler shocked him by obstinately interrupt- ing. I wanna know why cant you just be with Miz Mans- field like you were with Mom?
Because its not that simple. And one marriage with- out passion is enough in any mans lifetime.
Engaging in a weighty exchange of glances with his tru- culent offspring, Jared wondered how he could ever have imagined hed be able to raise this boy to manhood without ending up in a corker of a discussion like this at one time or another.
Butdamn it. Jared wiped a hand across his mouth, then kept it there as he continued to contemplate his son and thought of how he never would have dreamed of tackling one or the other of his parents on issues like love, or sex, or any of the other off-the-cuff debates he suspected he and Tyler would engage in over the years.
Jared supposed it was because thered been no need somehow when he was growing up. Things were as they were, as they always had been. Mom was Mom. Dad was Dad. Both of them had always been solid as the earth, and had been expected to be. Period.
Tylers young life on the other hand, for all Jared had done his damnedest to maintain a stable environment, had lately been a series of uncertainties and change. Inevitably, they had shaped the boys perceptions, made him wary. And while he, Jared, would do his utmost to shield him from further upheaval.
Were you in love with my real mom, Dad?
Huh? Involved in his own dark ruminations, Tylers softly voiced question completely blindsided Jared. He was still fumbling to regain his emotional equilibrium and for- mulate a response when Tylers next words knocked the pins out from under him again.
I got a picture of her.
Though Tyler whispered the words, had he yelled them at the top of his lungs, Jared could not have heard them more clearly. Nor been more staggered.
Of my real mother, I mean, Tyler added. Mom gave it to me before she died. An she told me itd be okay if I looked at it. An I do now, sometimes.
Big and somber, Tylers brown eyesso like Aprils, Jared grudgingly concededmet his own thoughtfully nar- rowed ones. Shes real pretty.
Yes, she is. What had Regina been thinking of, giving Tyler that photo? Which photo? Jared couldnt remember keeping one around for her to find, never mind pass on to his son. What kind of picture is it?
A real nice one. From outa a magazine.
Oh. Jared was perplexed. Regina had obviously clipped the pictureshe had known about April, of course. But what he couldnt figure out was why she would have wanted Tyler to have it. For all intents and purposes she had always been Tylers mother.
Shes never coming back here, is she? Tyler said.
Who, Mom? Jareds mind was still on Regina. Re- member we talked about that. I thought you understood
No, Tyler interrupted with querulous impatience. I dont mean that. I mean the other one, the real one. The one in the picture.
Oh. Jared heaved a sigh, thinking, That one is out here now, but youll never see her if I can help it.
Well, son, its like this. He stalled, furiously wracking his brain for an answer that resembled the truth but wouldnt devastate his son. And maybe Mom already told you
That shes famous, Tyler interrupted glumly. Yeah, I know. His motions listless, he plucked at a loose thread on his shirt. His voice, usually so full of swagger and chal- lenge, grew small enough to break his fathers heart Didnt she wanna be my mom, Dad?
Yes, of course, she did. Damn April Bingham to hell for causing all this grief. Its just that, well, she plays the piano way better than most anybody else and so people all over the world want to hear her play and that takes up all of her time. See, thats what being famous is.
Is it bettern being a mom, Dad. Do you think?
No. Almost violently, Jared reached across the seat and hauled the boy into his arms. No way, he said fiercely, willing conviction into his voice even as he damned the woman who had chosen fame over mother- hood.
And whod better not have come back here to try to make up for lost time.
Never, he said, clenching his teeth to keep from giv- ing voice to the wave of protective tenderness and love that flooded him because he knew it would embarrass this tough little guy. But he hugged him hard. After all, in spite of his sometime swaggering ways, Tyler was just a grieving little boy who, less than a year ago, had lost the only mother he had ever known. And his grandfather, too.
Being a mom or a dad is the very best thing in the world to be, Jared declared in a voice rough with emotion. And dont you let anybody tell you different. You hear?
Okay. The word was little more than a soggy snuffle.
Jared rubbed his chin on his sons cropped head. And about Tommys mom he murmured. Shes a great friend and thats exactly the way Id like to keep things. Besides He tightened his embrace around the wiry little body, relishing the closeness while poignantly aware that soon adolescent pride wouldnt allow him to hold his son like this anymore. Arent we okay, youn me and Grammy? Huh? Dont we have lots of good times, the three of us?
I g-guess so.
Damn straight, Jared enthused in a voice that even to him sounded just a shade too hearty. And things can only get better.
Two days later Jared wanted to eat those words. He and Tyler had spent one of those daysSundayin Portland visiting Reginas mother as well as seeing to a few things at their house, which as yet was unsold. Which was no wonder since Jared had not yet been able to bring himself to put it on the market. In fact, everything in it had been left exactly as it was when he, Regina and Tyler had made their home there.
Walking through it, watching Tyler rejoice in rediscov- ering this or that treasured toy, Jared fleetingly debated if the most effective way to avoid April Bingham might not be to move back there. But he just as quickly nixed the notion for two reasons. One, the house was like a monu- ment to the bittersweet sterility of his marriage to Regina. And two, it had never been his way to run from a problem.
Or at least, it was not anymorecourtesy of the painful lesson he had learned ten years ago.
His busy Monday had been punctuated by bouts of anx- iety. In fact, it got to the point where hed been on the verge of dropping everything and tearing over to Cliff House to demandwhat? That April Bingham explain her reasons for coming to her own house?
Ridiculous. Youre getting paranoid, Jared, mboy. Lu- dicrous, to be obsessing over a problem that, for all he knew, existed only in his mind! The woman had a house here. She was on vacation.
And still he didnt believe it.
So now it was Tuesday, and somewhere in the course of his morning rounds to the neighboring farms he had man- aged to convince himself that April would have contacted him by now if she was going to. In this somewhat improved state of mind, he stopped at the post office, which was actually no more than a large cubicle partitioned off from Mulrooneys Supermarket.
He was collecting his mail, or trying to. Jean Ivers, Cap- stans aged postmistress and gossip queen, was making it difficult Little got by old Jean, who had made it her business to eyeball every piece of mail, coming or going, for as long as Jared could remember.
Your Popular Mechanics came today, she was saying as she handed Jared the magazine. And you might want to take a look at this here big white envelope right off.
Its from a lawyer, she added after an expectant pause during which Jared said nothing as he turned the envelope over. Out of New York City.
So I see. Jared pocketed the letter, ignoring Jeans visible disappointment with a flash of amusement that was quickly replaced by a rekindled feeling of unease. What the hell could a New York City lawyer want from a small-fry country veterinarian like himself?
Whatever it was, Jareds gut told him he wasnt going to like it.
He was not about to share his apprehensions with Jean Ivers, however. Hows old Mouser handling that thyroid medication I prescribed? he asked, directing a pointed glance at the huge tabby snoozing on a shelf by the back wall. Any side effects?
None I can tell. Jean flipped through the rest of Jar- eds mail, clearly dissatisfied with his evasiveness but, as he immediately found out, not so easily put off.
Weve got us a celebrity in town, she said with a speculative glance from above her half-moon glasses. She handed him a couple more pieces of mail like a miser dol- ing out alms to the poor. Id say these are bills.
Looks like. Jared pocketed them, too.
April Binghams the celebrity, Jean went on. She gets mail from New York, too.
Sthat so? No way was Jared going to give the old bag the satisfaction of appearing intrigued. Well, its a big place. He pushed away from the counter, one hand outstretched. Id best take the rest of my mail now.
Jean reluctantly handed it to him. She got herself a letter from that same attorney. she said. Aint that pe- culiar?
Her words arrested Jareds movement. A letter from the same attorney?
You two wouldnt happen to be in business together or somethin, would you?
Come again? Jareds brows snapped together. What was the woman talking about?
Well, it coulda been, she said defensively. I mean, the two o you were pretty thick there, a while back, she noted pointedly.
Good grief, Jean, Jared snapped, mentally wishing all the gossips in the world to the moon. We were kids then. And anyway, youre thinking of Colleen. She and April
Oh, no, sonny boy! None o that. Jean waggled a finger. It wasnt just your sister the gal was friends with, though I do recall them being like two peas in a pod. No, Im thinking of that one summer in particlar. An I recall the entire town gettin such a charge out of watchin you and that Bingham girl spoonin and carrying on
She sighed, an expression of indulgent reminiscence re- aligning the network of wrinkles on her face. Everbody thought the two of you were so cute.
Cute. Given what he and April had felt for each other at the time, Jared shuddered at the description.
Jean sobered. Course she never came back after that.
Tell me something I dont know.
Until now. Jeans shrewd eyes narrowed on Jared who was grinding his back teeth in frustration.
Guess she had bigger fish to fry, Jean commented while studying Jared with that speculative gleam he knew all too well, and detested. Times like this he wished he had stayed in Portland, that he hadnt come back to Capstan after the accident, though he knew it had been the best solution all around.
Guess she did. So. Jared slapped his palm on the counter. Gotta go.
Good morning, Mrs. Ivers.
Jared froze.
Speak o the devil, Jean said sotto voce.
Jared ignored that. He stood rigid with tension and grit- ted his teeth as, preceded by a subtle scent that brought on an immediate rush of memories, he sensed and smelled April Binghams approach. Her voice, more husky than he remembered, held a tentative note that hinted at uncertainty. It reminded him of how shy she used to be. How easily hurt and sensitive.
Yeah, but not so sensitive she couldnt dole out a whole lot of pain to a whole lot of people.
Damn her to hell.
Drawing up every ounce of self-control, Jared forced himself to calmly turn and face her. She stood about a foot away, looking sleek as an ocelot in something as mundane as jeans and a shirt. And for all her hesitant manner, she met and held his gaze with her head held high.
Hello, Jared, she said.
Chapter Two (#ulink_8ad95a9b-9589-55f6-a4e2-355f00b9a3dd)
April was proud of the steadiness of her voice. Inside, she was aquiver with nerves. These past two days at Cliff House had been as much heaven as hell. Heaven was find- ing it as warmly familiar as a cozy old blanket. Hell, the fact that Marje was no longer there to make it home.
Heaven had been the nostalgia, the memories of glorious summers that seemed so much more real and immediate here, now. Hell were those selfsame memories for they in- cludedno, prominently featured, Jared ONeal.
Thinking of him had invariably started her agonizing once again about how to approach him about Tyler. Should she go with her feelings, those of outrage and hurt at his betrayal, and coldly demand an accounting? How could you not have let me know that our child is alive? And living with you? Should she corner him, pin him down? Insist he give her an answer, demand access to her child?
Or should she go with the advice of her attorney, which was to keep past grievances out of it and negotiate?
Her legal position, short of a messy lawsuit, was shaky. Her signature was on the document giving the child up for adoption. Jared ONeal was the name she had declared as the childs father on the birth certificate. He had every right to the boy, whereas she.
I have every right, too, she had exclaimed. I didnt know.
Which is why in this instance ignorance just might be an excuse under the law, her attorney had mused. If it should come to a suit But be warned, the cost in terms of publicity and emotional trauma will be high for all con- cerned.
By this morning, April had made up her mind to ap- proach Jared with an olive branch in hand. After all, he had always been a reasonable, a most compassionate, person.
Now, however, confronted by the mask of ice that was Jared ONeals face, and raked by a gaze that was clearly intended to freeze her out, April wanted nothing so much as to turn tail and run, to let her lawyer have at him.
But through years of performing before an audience, pre- ceded by a lifetime of the strictest discipline, she had per- fected the ability to appear poised and serene in even the worst of circumstances.
And so she managed to maintain a pleasant smile as the postmistress said, We were just talkin about you, Miz Bingham. Werent we, Jared?
Jareds reply was a noncommittal mutter. He still hadnt returned Aprils greeting.
When April realized that he had no intentions of ac- knowledging her presence at all, the stab of hurt this caused both angered and surprised her. She would have thought her defenses stronger than that. She had worked so hard to shore them up. As an entertainer, having her work con- stantly scrutinized and torn apart by fans and critics alike came with the territory. Shed had to develop an elephants hide or perish as an artist.
So why would the rudeness of this one man cause her even a moments discomfort?
The answer was as obvious as it was immutablethe man was the father of her child. That made him, if no longer special, at least different from every other man in that he had once possessed her heart and body. They had been in love.
Or, at least, she had beenif indeed that fairy-tale state existed. In those glorious days that long-ago summer, sev- enteen years old and incredibly naive, she had believed it did.
But now, at twenty-eight, she knew better than to put her faith in fairy tales. First Jared ONeal and, later, Montgom- ery Cedars, had shattered her girlish illusions.
Still, she had hoped that the bond between Jared and herself, tenuous though the events of the past might have made it, would enable them to deal with each other civilly. At least where Tyler was concerned.
And so, maybe the twinge of pain Jareds barely veiled contempt was causing her was merely disappointment at having that hope dashed. Not that she would let him see he still had the power to wound her.
Im glad to run into you here, she told him, keeping her tone civil, though it took some effort. I was going to call you later today.
Really? His tone was one of complete disinterest. A sick pet?
No, of course not. I
In that case, youll excuse me. Brushing past her, Jar- ed strode out the door without a backward glance.
Stunned, April almost let him get away with it. But then she recalled the promise she had made to herself, the prom- ise to take charge. Jared!
Leaving the postmistress looking intrigued, April hurried after him. She caught him out on the sidewalk. Jared.
He neither turned nor stopped walking.
April half ran to come abreast of him. Id like to talk to you.
Theres not a word you can say that I want to hear.
Oh, really? April snapped, his scorn blasting the last of her good intentions to smithereens. Gritting her teeth and blessing her long legs, she grimly matched his stride. How does the word conspiracy strike you?
No response.
Or maybe the term kidnapping would be more appli- cable.
That stopped him in his tracks.
April stalked past him, then spun around. Folding her arms across her chest, she met his glare without waver. I will have you charged with either or both, she said. If you force me to.
Youre nuts.
Maybe. She angled her chin in a gesture of challenge.
Jared ground his back teeth.
Neither blinked as they stared coldly into each others eyes. April was damned if she was going to give him even a glimpse of her shattered nerves because she knew shed be lost if she did. He would emotionally flatten her like a steamroller for the simple reason that he could. After all, she was the vulnerable one in the showdown to come. She wanted what he already had.
Kidnapping what? he finally demanded, as though he didnt already know the answer, ludicrous though it was. Or who?
Tyler. The name came out of Aprils constricted throat in a croaky whisper. Angry with herself for the innate cowardice that even now made her want to retreat from this confrontation, April cleared her throat. I want Tyler.
Tyler is nothing to you, Jared growled, doing his ut- most to control a burgeoning rage he knew was caused by fear as much as anything else. Nothing.
He is my son.
Your son? The harshly whispered pronoun was laced with such bitterness and suppressed rage, April instinctively shrank back.
But not far enough. Jared gripped her arm. Jerking her out of the path of other pedestrians, many of whom were eyeing them with avid curiosity, he all but dragged her into the relative privacy of a recessed store entrance. There, his formidable bulk shielded April from inquisitive glances. She doubted, however, that hed arranged it that way out of chivalry. He was clearly livid.
Now you listen to me, he snarled, impaling her with his eyes. That boy is mine. Only mine. His face was as close as a lovers, but there was nothing in the least lov- erlike in his expression. You gave away any claim you had when you got rid of him like so much excess bag- gage.
No! With a strength fueled by desperation, April yanked her arm out of Jareds grip and raised her hands beseechingly. Jared, for heavens sake. You know I never did that. My mother
Ah, yes, Jared interjected with a grimace of distaste. Your mother.
Did what she thought was best, April defended out of habit. Certainly not out of conviction. But believe me, I knew nothing about any of it.
Yeah, right. Jared averted his face so he wouldnt have to look at her to see the distress that could almost make him believe she was telling the truth. Almost. Poor April, always the innocent victim.
No!
Damn straight, no! Jerking his face back toward her, Jared spoke through clenched teeth. As in no way. No way do I believe you, and no way are you getting your hands on my son. He is not a thing you can keep or reject like the ring you tossed back in my face.
The ring? April stared at him, bewildered. He could only mean his fraternity ring. Shed been on cloud nine the day he had given it to her as a token of his love. And she had sunk into the depths of despair the day it had disap- peared.
Which had been the same day she had confessed to her mother that she was pregnant. Her last day at Cliff House. Because the very next morning, her mother had put her on a plane to London. Marjorie had written in her journal that day.
I think Grace is overreacting. And my little April is so distressed that I telephoned Joshua in London and pleaded with him to intervene on his daughters behalf. I am heartbroken but not really surprised that, as usual, my brother shirked his responsibilities and refused
Reading it all these years later, April had cried. Her fa- ther was dead and could answer no questions, but she had often wondered why hed been so seemingly content to give her mother free reign.
Perhaps if hed taken a stand, she would not now be in this untenable situation with Jared ONeal.
What are you talking about? Biting her lip, April blinked back the moisture that had risen into her eyes. In his present frame of mind, Jared would probably see her tears as a sign of weakness and guilt. I never tossed that ring
Of course you didnt. That would have taken courage. Jareds jaw flexed, remembering. No, you had your mother do it for you.
Youre wrong. April felt as though she were in a quagmire of misunderstandings and trickery, and sinking fast. What was he talking about? When would her mother have done this? Why? Grace had sworn to her that she hadnt seen the ring.
And she had also sworn, as shed hustled the heartbroken and hysterical April to the airport, that she hadnt seen Jar- ed. More lies?
Oh, Mother. Aprils shoulders sagged beneath the weight of so much treachery, so much manipulation. Jared
Spare me. Jared didnt want to hear her excuses, her lies. I dont give a damn, about you or the ring. Though just for the record, its in my desk drawer. Come by and check it out. Or, better still, Ill mail it to you since I cant stand the sight of it.
Or of you. Though he didnt say it, it was there in his face for April to see. She shivered. Then why do you keep it?
To remind myself never to get into a situation like that again.
Did it work? April was surprised to hear herself ask. She fully expected Jared to snarl some scathing reply.
But he didnt. He contemplated her in brooding silence for several long seconds during which April could hear every one of her heartbeats as loud as a drum. Such a ter- rible pain clouded his eyes that April couldnt help but be touched by it. She reached out to him with her hand, un- formulated words of regret, perhaps even apology, on her lips.
But before she could either touch him or speak, Jared pivoted and walked away.
It struck her anew then, the enormity of all she had lost. And she ached. She grieved. She mourned the loss of in- nocenceher own as well as Jaredsthat inevitably was the legacy of betrayal.
Oh, Jared, she murmured, and her throat burned like acid from her unshed tears. To hide her emotions, she turned to stare without focus at the window display in front of which she found herself. It consisted of tools of some sort. Nothing April would have recognized even had she tried. Or cared.
There is so much I didnt know, she thought wearily. And such a lot that Jared knew nothing of. Why couldnt he have been reasonable? Why couldnt he at least have given her a chance?
She closed her eyes and tried to gather strength. The confrontation had drained her, left her raw. It was exactly the kind of thing she had been told by her doctor to avoid.
Rest, rest, and still more rest was what he had prescribed after her collapse on the concert stage in the middle of her most recent tour. Exhaustion had been cited as the cause. April had been ordered to take a minimum of three months off.
It had caused a rescheduling nightmare, this breakdown of hers. Her mother had had to pull strings, call in all sorts of favors, to arrange for this inconvenientGraces word hiatus.
Well lose a fortune in ticket sales, she had fumed, pacing the floor of the Paris hotel suite. Though April was sitting right there on the brocaded settee, it was Dr. Shi- mons and Marcus Bingham she was addressing. Not to mention the damage to Aprils reputation should it get out that shes a temperamental diva, an unreliable performer. Really, April, are you sure?
Positive, the doctor had said in Aprils stead.
To which Marcus, who had rushed to Paris from Beijing when hed heard of his sisters collapse, had added, If youd stop being Aprils manager long enough to be her mother, Mother, maybe youd have recognized the state of her exhaustion and this so-called calamity could have been avoided. Though personally I think its the best thing that couldve happened to her.
Meaning?
Meaning shes a human being, Mother, not a robot. When was the last time you allowed her more than a one- week break?
When she asked for it, Grace had snapped. Which she is too much of a professional to do very often. April knows she is getting on
Oh, yeahshes in her dotage.
And that younger talent is constantly nipping at her heels. She cant afford to rest on her laurels.
Not that youd let her.
Even now, thousands of miles away and standing in front of a hardware store, April shivered at the harshness of the exchange between mother and son. Mark was one of the few people whom Grace couldnt intimidate, bully or de- feat, but their arguments always made April cringe. Espe- cially when, as was often the case, she was the cause or subject of it.
Mark was her twin; but he was also her best, her only, friend. Gracewhich she insisted Mark and April call herwas her mother, her manager, but more than that, her taskmaster. Relentless, unceasing, she had always de- manded everything April had it in her to give. And then just a little bit more.
Only Mark ever dared to try to interfere with Graces ruthless ambition. Only Mark seemed to recognize the price for it April had paid all her life. But even he had never been able to slow Grace down. Though not for lack of trying.
Dear, grouchy Marcus. Older than she by several minutes, he took his role as older brother very seriously. During her summers at Cliff House, where he had lived with their Aunt Marjorie all year round, Mark had always defended her against the teasing and taunts of some of the rougher kids in town. Kids who called the shy, bookish girl from New York who didnt even know how to swim or play catch, dumb. Or stuck-up.
But never when Mark was around. Or Jared. Or even.
Colleen? Startled because it seemed as though her thoughts had conjured her up, April stared into the face of the woman stepping out of the store.
Hello, April. Hostility laced the voice and turned the otherwise unchanged face of her girlhood friend into that of a stranger. I saw you out here with my brother. Havent you done enough?
W-what? April stammered, shocked by the unex- pected attack.
You heard me. Obviously distraught, Colleen pressed a hand to her throat. A diamond-studded wedding band winked in the sun. Why have you come back? What do you want?
For a moment April couldnt speak. Even you, she thought, and somehow the pain of Colleens rejection sliced even deeper than Jareds had done. Perhaps because in the olden days, in Colleens eyes at least, April had been able to do no wrong.
Do you have children, Colleen? It hurt to speak.
And the non sequitur obviously took the other woman aback. Whyyes, I She gestured distractedly toward the door behind her. Ralph and I have a daughter.
Ah. April nodded, her gaze briefly shifting to the sign above the door. Simpson Hardware. Of course. April re- membered thenRalph Simpson. He and Colleen had dated that last summer, that same fateful summer when she and Jared
How old is she?
Five.
Do you love her?
Well, of course. What a question. Butlook. April Clearly agitated, Colleen came a step closer. Dont do this.
Do what? Anger was a welcome change from the hurt. What am I doing, Colleen, that you yourselfas a motherwouldnt do in my shoes?
Well, for one thing Colleens eyes, so much like her brothers in their brilliant indigo blue color, sparked now with indignation and resentment. I would never have given up my child in the first place.
Im sure you wouldnt. Defeated, suddenly, and un- bearably weary, April thought, Whats the use? Still, before turning to go, she added quietly, But then, knowingly, I wouldnt have, either.
Confound it, Conan, thats not what I called you to hear.
Raking a hand through his hair and letting it rest on the back of his neck, Jared paced the narrow confines of his fathers den like one of the restless cats in his boarding kennel.
From the other end of the line, the eldest ONeal off- spring was sounding equally incensed. Then get yourself another lawyer and bankrupt yourself, he shouted. Not to mention devastate your son. My advice stands. Click.
Jared winced as Conan abruptly broke the connection. Perching on the edge of the desk, he let out a sigh of ex- asperation. Damned hothead! Cradling the cordless phone in his hands, he scowled down at it.
What? his mother prompted. Knitting, she sat by the open window through which a desultory breeze was trying valiantly to cool the room. The day had been uncommonly hot.
Jared didnt look up from his dark contemplation of the phone. He hung up on me.
Thats not what Moms asking. Colleen, carrying a tray of glasses in one hand and a frosted pitcher of lem- onade in the other, walked into the room. We want to know what he said you should do about April and that letter from New York.
Why? So you can gossip about it with all of your friends?
What? Colleen exchanged a bewildered glance with her mother and demanded, What are you talking about?
Nothing. Jared gestured impatiently with his hand as he belatedly realized this was hardly the time to vent his ire about the conversation between the two woman that Tyler had overheard. It would only make this miserable day more hellish still. Im just mad, thats all.
So tell us why. What did Conan say thats got you so bent out of shape?
He says, Go along with it. Says, Dont try to fight it. Or her!
Frustrated, Jared waved away the glass of lemonade Col- leen held out. Too restless to sit, he once again paced. Can you beat that? After giving away her kid, after nine years of nothing, the woman waltzes back into our lives with the intention of staking a claim and, according to some fancy New York lawyer, it would behoove me to let her get away with it if I dont want to find myself hauled into court.
Gripping the window frame, he stared out into the night
With which Conan agrees, Maeve stated rather than asked. She put aside her knitting and caught her sons free hand. Jared. Gently, she uncurled the fist he had formed. Would it be so bad?
Yes. Vehement, Jared bent and gripped his mothers shoulders. His eyes bored into hers. Mom, you were there.
Yes, I was.
He was tiny.
Not much more than a handful, Maeve quietly agreed. She returned Jareds burning gaze with one that was loving and true.
Because his eyes threatened to fill, Jared closed them. He hung his head. His hands spasmodically squeezed his mothers shoulders. He was only hours old when they gave him to you, remember? Completely helpless. Needy. Damn it, Mom With a strangled sound of anguish, Jar- ed straightened and turned away. His fingers speared into his hair and stayed there as he tilted his head toward the ceiling.
How could she do it? he asked raggedly. Tyler needed her. He could have died. How could she justgive away her own child?
She says she didnt, Colleen hesitantly put in. When I challenged her on it today, she told me she didnt do it willingly.
She winced when Jared rounded on her with a snarl. So unwillingly makes it all right?
Well, it certainly puts a different light on things.
If its true. Jared leveled a finger at his sister. And since when are you back to being her champion?
Im not That is Averting her eyes from Jareds accusing ones, Colleen sought support from their mother. I guess I want to believe her, Mom. She seemed so gen- uinelybroken up. I felt
Sorry for her? Jared smacked his palm against the windowsill with a snort of disgust. You always were a bleeding heart, sis, where April Bingham was concerned.
And you werent? It was Maeve who asked that ques- tion, shocking Jared into swinging around to stare at her.
Erect and still formidable, Maeve stared back. All those years when that poor little girl would come to us seeking refuge from that harridan of a mother, who was it went out of his way to comfort and amuse her when Colleen was not around?
Maeve leveled a finger at his chest You, Jared. You always had time for her, always understood her. Shielded her. Coddled her. There was nothing, you said, you wouldnt do for her. And she for you.
Mother
No, Jared, Maeve cut short her sons attempt to in- terrupt. Youre my son and I love you. I stood by you and so did your father, God rest him, throughout that whole mess. But that doesnt change the fact that you were not blameless in all that transpired. You were twenty years old. You knew what an innocent April was, for all she was seventeen. You also knew she worshiped the ground you walked on and would give you anything you asked, in- cluding
Too straitlaced to speak of sex, even to her grown chil- dren, Maeve faltered. With a wave of the hand, she settled for, Well, you know what I mean. She loved you, Jared.
I loved her, too, Jared flared. And kindly remember Im not the villain in this piece.
But youre sure that April is? Maeve had come to stand beside him at the window.
Behind them, Colleen noisily blew her nose. You should have told her youd marry her.
Oh, sure. Jareds short laugh was bitter. I tried that, remember? And got tossed out on my ear.
You should have told her right away. And youll recall it wasnt April who sent you packing.
Oh, no. It was galling to realize the memory still hurt. As always, she let her mother handle that little unpleas- antness.
Jared. Taking Jareds callused hand in her own work- toughened one, Maeve gazed down at her son with sorrow- ing reproof. You know as well as I do that no one lets Grace Rhinegold do anything, least of all April. Grace just does, and let nobody dare try and stop her.
She waited for Jared to meet her eyes. It was Grace who handed me the baby, son, in that posh and private London clinic. I never told you this because you never wanted to hear the details, and anyway I thought, What was the point?
So why are you telling me now, Ma? Jared didnt like the direction this conversation was taking. After all these years of blaming April, despising April, was he now ex- pected to forgive and forget?
Angry, suddenly, he shook off his mothers hands, rounding on her and Colleen. Why are the two of you all of a sudden working so hard to convince me that she is the victim here instead of me?
Were not, Colleen exclaimed defensively. She wiped at her cheeks. Its just that
Its just that theres more to consider here than your hurt feelings or Aprils, Maeve interrupted with some im- patience. As far as Im concerned, Tylers well-being is the only thing that matters.
Which is exactly my point! Jared leveled a rigid fin- ger at his mother. What do you think its going to do to Tyler when after a month, two months, or three, the famous Ms. Bingham gets tired of languishing in our backwater town and bored with playing Mom, and hightails it back to the bright lights? Huh?
He grimly forestalled the defense he saw Maeve draw breath to offer. Which she will.
And if she doesnt?
She will. Convinced of it, Jared stared hard at his mother in an effort to convince her, too. He noted with a pang that his fathers death had scarred his mothers face, just as the simultaneous death of Regina had irrevocably scarred his own soul. Though not for the same reason.
She will, he repeated, but quietly this time. Loving his mother for all she was and all she had done for him and for TylerJared bent and kissed her cheek. Im sorry, Ma, but Id stake my life on that.
But, son, Maeves hand kept him from straightening. Dont you see? If you fight her, its not your life that youre putting at stake. Its Tylers.
They looked at each for a long time, mother and son, as the truth of Maeves words wrestled with the bitterness in Jareds soul. And when, with an oath, Jared finally straight- ened and turned away, Maeve gestured to Colleen and qui- etly led the way out of the room.
Chapter Three (#ulink_8270ec26-1fe0-5c73-96f1-ea3f19928afe)
April was lying down with an ice pack on her head when the phone rang. Even though she had set the volume control at the lowest setting, the whirring sound reverberated through her head with all the force of one of Mozarts cres- cendos. Not since the collapse that led up to this prescribed rest period had she suffered a migraine of this magnitude. She had felt it coming on in the aftermath of her encounter with Jared ONeal and Colleen Simpson. The stress, her overwrought state, all were like poison to her constitution. Only the hope that the call might be about Tyler motivated her to pick up the phone. Indeed, it was the only reason she had not unplugged it.
Gagging back nausea, she kept her head as still as pos- sible as she groped for the handset on the low table next to her with her eyes closed. Lo?
Hello, erApril?
Jared. April tensed. Pain lacerated her skull. It seared both of her eyes like a hot poker and drove an involuntary groan from her lips.
Whats the matter? Something like alarm sharpened Jareds tone. It assaulted Aprils ears and head like a ham- mer blow. April?
Please, she croaked. Not so loud.
Are you sick? Jared asked in a more moderate tone thatincongruously to Aprilheld an unmistakable note of concern.
M-migraine, April whispered hoarsely. But never mind that T-Tyler?
Yes. Jared cleared his throat. Hes, uh. Well, hes the reason Im calling. But look, it can wait until
No Heedless of her head, dizzy with pain, April rose up on one elbow as though that would lend force to her whispered plea. Please. Is it all right? Are you going to let me see him? Talk to him? When?
Well, it cant be right away.
Not right away? Gasping, her disappointment an even more devastating pain than the one in her head, April col- lapsed back against the pillows.
You see, hes gone camping with my sister Leslies family for a couple of days. There was a pause that gave April time to realizeand appreciatethe fact that Jared was trying to establish some sort of rapport. His next words bore that out.
You remember Leslie, he said with a strained, self- conscious little chuckle. Shes the one who was always practicing the clarinet in the hayloft and spooking the cows.
Yes April also recalled that Leslie was two years older than Jared, the second oldest, after Conan, of the six ONeal offspring.
Theyll be back Wednesday or Thursday.
Two more days, maybe three. It seemed like such a long time. Though she knew it was foolishshe had waited this long, what did a couple more days matter?April felt tears of disappointment sting the backs of her eyes.
She refused to let them fall, even when Jared added to the devastating letdown by saying, And Ill also need some time to talk to him. I need to prepare him. I mean, he knows you exist, but we cant just spring your imminent entrance into his life on him out of the blue.
I understand. The suppressed tears constricted her voice. Youll, umyoull let me know?
Right.
Thank you, April whispered, but Jared had already severed the connection.
With a tremulous sigh, April let the phone slip out of her hand. She lay perfectly still, letting the fact that Jared had decided not to fight her soothe her like a balm.
Not till a pool of water had collected in each of her ears did she realize that holding back the tears hadnt worked.
At his end, Jared, too, was distraught. It had been a dif- ficult phone call to make on all levels. He put down the phone and, with his elbows propped on his fathers desk, cradled his head in his hands, thinking, I dont think I can do this. I dont want to do this.
He didnt want to trust April. Didnt want to risk Tyler getting hurt. But most of all he didnt want to get sucked in once again by April Bingham and her problems. He didnt want to care.
Damn. Pinching the narrow spot between his eyes, he bowed his head and sucked in a number of ragged breaths.
So she still got those headaches. Was he to blame for this one?
Jared dug his nails into his scalp, remembering the first time he had seen her with one. He had been looking for her to ask her to go swimming. Her aunt had come to the door.
I dont know, Jared, Marje had said in that elegant British way of hers. April is terribly upset.
What happened?
Her mother rang. From England. She announced her imminent arrivalshell be here two days from nowand Im afraid April isnt taking it well. She was so enjoying her holiday, poor lamb.
And now itll be back to the salt mines, Jared had thought. Where is she?
April? She fled upstairs to her room, white as a sheet.
Can I see her? Please?
Marje had considered this for a moment before tossing up her hand. Sure. Why not. If anyone can cheer her, itll be you.
As Jared bounded up the stairs, she had called after him, Mind, you leave the bedroom door open!
Jared knocked on the door, then right away pushed it open and stuck in his head. April?
No answer. A quick scan of the room revealed that it was empty. Puzzledmaybe shed gone to the bath- room?hed hovered in the doorway, and thats when he heard it. A keening sort of whimper. And it came from the direction of the closet.
Two strides took him there. He wrenched open the door. There was April. Curled into a tight little ball with her arms wrapped around her head, rocking, moaning.
April. Honey Dropping to his knees, Jared reached for her.
No She shrank away, curling more tightly into her- self. The d-doorthe lightoh, please.
Jared had crawled into the closet with her, closed the door, and held her. Held her.
But who was holding her now? Who had held her all the times in between until the pain went away?
Damn you, April Bingham. Jared leapt to his feet and charged out of his fathers den as though pursued by a stampede of cattle. I dont want this, you hear me? Not again. Never again.
He ran to the stable and, hands shaking, saddled his horse. Only one thing could get his emotions and priorities back where they belongeda long, hard ride through the surf.
But it didnt help this time. April Bingham stayed with him as though he were holding her in the saddle in front of him the way he had so often done in the past.
And when, hours later, he cantered past the stairs that led from the beach up to Cliff House and saw April stand- ing up on the cliff, silhouetted against the purpling sky, he knew his emotional troubles had only begun.
He is cooperating, April said to her attorney who had called to follow up on the letter to Jared he had copied her on. Or, at least, thats more or less what he indicated to me two days ago.
More or less? Greg Hoskins queried. What does that mean?
Well April quickly related details of her phone con- versation with Jared, ending with, I havent seen or talked to him since.
Any chance hes intending to renege?
No.
You sound pretty sure for a woman whos been be- trayed the way you have.
Oh, I am sure, April said. And anyway, Ive since found out that Jared wasntI mean, he apparently didnt know. Well, Im just sure, she said again when it occurred to her that Jareds ignorance of the fact that she had not been responsible for Tylers release for adoption was irrel- evant with regard to her attorney.
Does this newfound confidence in Dr. ONeal mean you no longer deem it necessary to investigate him?
Well, no. I suppose it wouldnt hurt to make sure weve covered all the bases.
Im glad to hear you say that, Ms. Bingham. Wouldnt want any unpleasant surprises at some future date, would we?
No. Disturbed, April gnawed on her thumbnail. Jar- ed would not be pleased if he found out we were doing this.
Perhaps not, the attorney allowed. However, theres no reason to think that he would. Find out, I mean. These things are handled with discretion and confidentiality, if thats whats worrying you.
Hmm. April bit down on her nail too hard and, vexed with herself, jerked her hand away. She had half a mind to cancel the investigation after all. She had still been reeling from all shed found out and girding herself for battle, so to speak, when she had authorized it initially. Discover the opponents weaknesses and capitalize on them, had been the rationale. The way things stood now, however
She sighed. Well, if youre sure it wont cause prob- lems?
Positive.
The word went around and around in Aprils head like a circling vulture for quite some time that afternoon. Maybe she should have called the thing off.
Still fretting about it as she left the post office later that afternoona substitute had been in for Jean Ivers, thank Godand feeling another headache coming on, she finally told herselfEnough.
If Jared had nothing to hide, he would never know shed had him checked out. And in the unlikely event something objectionable should turn up, then, well
Childish shouts and laughter abruptly snagged Aprils attention.
Hey, Charlie, watch this!
Heck, thats nothin, man!
Turning her head toward the sound, she realized she was at the school yard where the Gulls played baseball. Sure enough, several uniformed youngsters were already on the field, tossing balls, swinging bats, warming up for a game or practice.
A leap of excitement quickened Aprils pulse. Eagerly, wondering if Tyler would by chance be one of the kids, she looked around more closely. And thereher heart skipped a beatthere he was.
.
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