A Reluctant Hero

by Dara Girard

  “She won’t talk, won’t play with Kati, won’t eat. I don’t know what to do.”

  “Give her time.”

  “I’m hoping Gabby and Mariella can help me.”

  His eyes widened. “Mariella’s coming? Why didn’t you warn me?”

  She shot her husband a glance. “Stop overreacting. Tony is stopping by, too, so you won’t be lonely.”

  The doorbell rang. He checked the window and saw the car. “Good, it’s Gabby.”

  “Mariella isn’t that bad.”

  “People say the same thing about vinegar.”

  “Come on,” she said leading him to the foyer where the housekeeper greeted Gabby and Tony.

  “Where are the kids?” Alex asked.

  “With the babysitter,” Tony said. “I didn’t think Daniella would be in the mood for them.”

  “You’re right,” Isabella said.

  The two men disappeared upstairs while Isabella led Gabby to the conservatory.

  “Dani, you have a visitor.”

  Daniella tried to smile. “Hi.”

  “I bought you some pasta salad for later today.”

  “Thanks.”

  Moments later they heard the doorbell and then Mariella’s voice. Isabella rushed out to meet her. “Dani is very fragile. Be tactful,” she said in a low voice.

  “I’m always tactful,” she said, tossing Isabella her scarf as if she were the housekeeper instead of mistress of the house. “Where is she?”

  Isabella put Mariella’s scarf away. “In the conservatory.”

  She strolled into the room and took a seat. “You need time away. Tell me where you want to go and I’ll make it happen.”

  “No, thanks,” Daniella said.

  “You should talk to him,” Isabella said. “You shouldn’t ignore his calls.”

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “You don’t have to always know what to say. Listen to what he has to say.”

  “It will be too painful. Nothing I say will matter anyway. I know what he thinks of me. Everyone he’s trusted has betrayed him and he’ll think I’m the same.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “I do. I know him.”

  “And he should know you. Daniella, you’re miserable. At least apologize.”

  “I wish I’d never gone after him.”

  “I’m glad you did. You learned a lot about yourself and Pascal.”

  Daniella gripped her fist. “I wish I’d punched him. But I blame myself. I shouldn’t have trusted him. I’ve hurt so many people. I thought I was doing something good. But I’ve failed.”

  “Have a fun rebound romance and get over him,” Mariella said.

  Isabella pinched her.

  “Or call him,” she corrected, rubbing her arm.

  “He might get back with his ex-wife now that she knows he was innocent and her husband had helped set him up.”

  “If he takes her back then he deserves her.”

  “No, he deserves only the best.”

  “That’s you.”

  Daniella shook her head. “I’ll never be able to make him believe that. I’m not sure I believe it.”

  * * *

  Trenton drove up to the stately Victorian mansion and parked. Cars spilled out the driveway; perhaps they were hosting a party. But Daniella’s roommate hadn’t mentioned that. He turned to Layla. “This won’t take long.” He took her leash and walked toward the house. He stopped when he saw a beautiful little girl come from around the back. Her eyes widened when she saw him and he heard her gasp with delight before she burst into a run—toward them. He squatted to her level, thinking that Layla had caught her interest, but instead she ran to him and hugged him.

  “Well, hello there,” he said, hiding his surprise.

  “My name is Kati. Is this your dog?”

  “Yes.”

  “We have a cat, but my Aunty Mari has two dogs and one is really big.”

  “Would you like to pet her?”

  She nodded. “She’s so pretty.”

  “So are you.”

  She giggled. “I know that.”

  He laughed. “That’s good.” He glanced up and saw two men coming around the corner. One was an older man with a limp, the other in dusty jeans. Trenton quickly stood then realized he was still holding the little girl and put her down. “Hi, I was just—” He tapped his chest. “She came up to me.”

  They stared at him, amazed, as if he’d just turned purple and grown antlers.

  He held out his hand, not understanding their reaction. “I’m Trenton Sheppard.”

  They didn’t move. “I’ve never seen her do that before,” one of the men said. “She’d usually shy of strangers, especially men. If I hadn’t seen it for myself I wouldn’t have believed it.”

  Trenton let his hand fall to his side. “For some reason kids like me.”

  “I see. I’m Alex and this is my friend Tony. You’ve already met my daughter. I know you’re here to see Daniella.”

  Trenton nodded. “Yes.”

  “Look, she’s young and kind and that Pascal guy used her so if you’re here to berate her I’m not going to allow it.”

  “I’m not here for that. I just want to talk to her, but I see you have company.”

  “Her sisters are here. You’ll get used to it. They’re very close.”

  “You sound confident that I’ll win her over.”

  Alex laughed. “After seeing what you can do to Kati, I’m convinced.”

  Trenton sighed. “I’m afraid I haven’t been as lucky with women as I’ve been with kids.”

  Kati jumped up and down, clapping her hands. “Can I show you my dollhouse?” She took Trenton’s hand.

  “Uh…sure,” Trenton said as Kati tried to lead him away.

  “Actually that’s a good idea,” Alex said. “I’ll get Daniella and meet you around the back. Tony, go with them.”

  Alex went inside the house and motioned to his wife.

  “What is it?” she said.

  He took her hand and led her to the back garden. “You’ve got to see this.” He took her to the back window and pointed while Kati sat on Trenton’s lap and put a pink boa around his neck.

  “Who is that?”

  “Trenton.”

  “Daniella’s Trenton?”

  “Yes, and Kati ran to him as if she’d known him for years.”

  “He’s very patient with her.”

  “Poor man, we should save him. I’ll go get Dani.”

  * * *

  Unlike her sister, Daniella wasn’t surprised by the sight that met her when she went out into the garden.

  “When you’re with children and animals I see your parents in you.”

  He turned and stood. “Hi.”

  “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have trusted Pascal.”

  “I’m not here to talk about that.” He held out two slips of paper. “You forgot these.”

  She took them.

  “Layla came to say thank you.”

  “And you?”

  “I’m sorry I even doubted you for a minute. It won’t happen again.”

  “I’m glad.”

  “I have a question I want to ask you but I’m not sure I have the right to when I have so little to offer you right now, but if you’re willing to wait—”

  “I’m not.”

  His face fell. “Okay, I understand.”

  “I can’t wait. I want to marry you.”

  “It’s not going to be easy. I still have an uphill battle ahead of me.”

  “And I’ll be right by your side.”

  He kissed her. “I’d hoped you’d say that.”
/>
  Daniella took his hand with the same eagerness Kati did moments ago. “Now it’s time for you to meet everyone.”

  Everyone welcomed him as if he’d already become one of the family.

  “You know there’s a penalty for marrying into this family,” Alex said loud enough for others to hear.

  “What?”

  “Getting Mariella as a sister-in-law.”

  Mariella sauntered past him like a tigress. “Neanderthal,” she said.

  “Snow Queen,” he shot back.

  “She’s harmless,” Tony said.

  “She’s a beautiful woman,” Trenton admitted. “But she looks anything but harmless. Has anyone taken up the challenge?”

  “I have,” a dark voice said behind them.

  They turned to the tall man dressed in black. Alex smiled, patting the newcomer on the back. “Ian, you’re just in time.” He jerked his thumb in Trenton’s direction. “We’re welcoming Trenton into the family.”

  Ian shifted his dark gaze to Trenton. “Sounds to me like you were giving him a warning.”

  “I thought it’s only fair. Most men aren’t as brave as you.”

  Isabella playfully pinched her husband. “Behave yourself, Lex. We don’t want to scare him away.”

  Daniella wrapped her arms around Trenton in a loving embrace. “You can’t. Nothing can scare him away.” She looked into his eyes seeing not only the man she adored, but the man she wanted to spend her life with. “He’s my hero.”

  Trenton tenderly kissed her and smiled, feeling a sense of home and a hope for a bright future with a family of his own, that he hadn’t felt in a long time. “And I’m here to stay.”

  Epilogue

  Three years later

  “Stop squirming! If you don’t sit still, I’ll burn you.”

  Daniella froze, biting back a sharp reply as her sister Mariella parted and started curling a strand of her hair with a hot curling iron.

  It was her wedding day and it had been four hours since she’d awoken at 5:30 a.m. to get ready. The makeup artist had come and gone, leaving Mariella to style her hair. Daniella secretly regretted not going to the salon as planned, but her sister had convinced her that she could save time and money by doing it herself. “So much for saving time,” Daniella mumbled, stealing a glance at the clock on the far wall.

  “Beauty takes time,” Mariella said, unfazed by her sister’s grim tone. “I just need to add some attachments.” She reached for a braided bun with burgundy highlights, and attached it to the back of Daniella’s hair, holding the elaborate upswept design in place with two twenty-four-carat-gold hair combs. “There. Finished.” Mariella sighed and rested her perfectly manicured hand on her chest, evidently pleased with herself. “God, I’m good.”

  “Shouldn’t I be the judge of that?”

  Mariella shrugged. “You’ll agree.”

  Daniella started to turn to look at herself in the mirror, but Mariella stopped her. “No.” She grabbed her sister’s arm, pulled her out of the chair and led her to the full-length mirror. “You have to see what Trenton will.”

  Daniella started to, but Isabella burst into the room before she had a chance. “Are you done yet? We only have two hours before the limousine arrives and…” Her voice fell away as she stared at her youngest sister. “Oh, you look exquisite.”

  Mariella beamed, fanning herself with her hand. “I told you I was good.”

  Isabella and Daniella shared a look then Daniella shifted her gaze to look at herself. She gasped, hardly recognizing herself in the off-the-shoulder, A-line white satin gown with hand-beaded bodice and a gorgeous silk train. She was amazed that this day had finally come when it had seemed so far out of reach only months earlier.

  She’d found Trenton sitting on the balcony of their one-bedroom apartment staring at the setting sun. They’d moved to Philadelphia to be closer to his parents and had had to depend on their financial support when Trenton decided to sue Brooks’s estate for damages, loss and mental anguish due to his conviction, which was subsequently overturned. They hadn’t expected the battle to take three years. He had a tense, quiet energy as he stared out at the horizon.

  Daniella took a hesitant step toward him. “What’s wrong?”

  He didn’t turn, his gaze transfixed by the liquid gold sweeping across the office buildings in the distance. “I’ve waited over three years for this.”

  She gripped her hand into a fist. “What?”

  He grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto his lap. “It’s over. Miller just called. He found Brooks’s three offshore accounts, which total over thirteen million dollars. Half of that will be part of my settlement.”

  Travis Miller was Trenton’s lawyer and he’d hired a private detective to find out about Brooks’s accounts. He’d claimed bankruptcy and financial hardship. Miller had also worked with Brooks’s now ex-wife, Fayola, who had married a French diplomat and moved to the Cayman Islands, and helped lead him to some of Brooks’s hidden assets.

  Daniella threw her arms around Trenton’s neck and hugged him, thrilled to see the shadow of stress and strain leave his eyes. “That’s wonderful. Want to celebrate?”

  He shook his head. “No.”

  She straightened and stared at him. “Oh, you want to call your parents first?” she asked, eager to share the good news.

  Trenton wrapped his arms around her waist before she could stand. “No. I don’t want to do that either. At least not yet.” He took a deep breath. “I didn’t expect this day to take three years, but…” He reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out a small jewelry box. “Daniella Duvall, will you marry me again?”

  “Again?”

  “Yes.” He took her hand and slid off the small ring he’d placed on her finger when they’d gone to the justice of the peace two years earlier. He replaced it with a larger stone. “I want to give you the wedding you deserve. The wedding you’ve always dreamed of.”

  Six months later he fulfilled that promise.

  Daniella took Ian’s arm and stepped into the main ballroom of the Rosewood Hotel, a massive structure designed like a Tuscan villa. No detail was missed from the lavish chandeliers overhead and gorgeous bouquets of red roses that lined the aisle, to the plush white carpet leading her to her groom. As a string quartet played the “Wedding March,” the assembled guests stood and turned to look at her.

  Trenton looked at her and stared, wondering if he’d ever be able to breathe again. The sight of her left him breathless. Only three years ago, his life was in shambles, he had no money, no career, and now he was starting a new life with a woman who had changed it in more ways than he could fathom. She had supported his decision to sue Brooks. She had stood beside him during the trial, standing by his side every step of the way. When they received the final settlement, she encouraged him to get recertified as a medic pilot and go into business with Duane to open a world-class search-and-rescue training program. She’d become not only an essential part of his life, but of him. As long as he lived, he knew his heart would beat in tune to hers.

  Suddenly she stood beside him, and he took her hand and winked. “Is this all that you’d hoped for, Ginger?”

  Daniella broke into a wide open smile, making his heart sing at the thought of the years he got to spend loving her. “Yes, Professor. You’ve made all my dreams come true.”

  * * * * *

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  ISBN: 9781459244924

  Copyright © 2012 by Sade Odubiyi

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