A Family For Ronnie (Harlequin Treasury 1990's)

by Julie Caille

  Her mother looked horrified. “Oh, Alicia, I could wring that old woman’s neck! What a thing to tell a child! Of course we wanted you. It’s true you weren’t planned, but when I found out I was expecting, I wanted you, and so did your father. And we’ve always been proud of you. Sometimes we haven’t understood you, but we’ve always loved you, and not a bit less than Caroline. You never had to earn our love, darling. You’ve always had it.” Her expression grew stubborn. “And if Luke Garrick is the man you want, then you have my full support. All we have to do is figure out how to bring the thing about.”

  * * *

  Surrounded by the aroma of freshly baked pumpkin pie, Luke lay on his side and aimed his flashlight into the dark recess at the base of Sharon Redford’s dishwasher. He didn’t know much about dishwashers, but it shouldn’t take long to find out what was wrong. As long as it had wires or mechanical parts, he could figure it out. He’d had that ability for as long as he could remember. He only hoped the problem was something simple because a replacement part might be hard to track down on the day before Thanksgiving.

  “I can’t thank you enough,” Sharon was saying. “The perverse thing just knew I was going to have company, so it decided to break down. My mother and stepfather are coming. Nancy’s bringing her latest young man, and Michael’s invited his new lady friend. Counting you and Ronnie, that’ll be eleven people! I need my dishwasher if I’m going to stay sane.”

  “I’ll do what I can,” he answered, glancing up at his distraught neighbor. “I owe you. You’ve done a heck of a lot for me and Ronnie.”

  One hand holding a can of diet soda, Sharon dragged over a kitchen stool and perched on its edge. “I just wish I could do more,” she said with a sigh.

  “Why?” he asked in amusement.

  “I don’t know. I always want to set the whole world right for everybody. Have you heard from Alicia?”

  Luke’s hand tightened on the flashlight, but he didn’t look up. “Ronnie had a letter from her last week. She’s heading down to her parents’ house for the holidays.”

  Nearly a minute of silence passed before Sharon cleared her throat. “Forgive me if I’m out of line, but it seems like you miss her an awful lot.”

  “Yeah, I miss her,” he admitted after a few brittle seconds.

  “For a while there I thought maybe the two of you were going to, you know, get together.”

  Luke set down the flashlight and sat up, gazing miserably at his open toolbox. “That’s kind of hard to do when she’s getting married to someone else.” Somehow he kept his voice neutral. Part of him desperately wanted to drop the subject, while the other part vibrated with the need to talk.

  “You mean Nick Easton?” Sharon sounded surprised. “She’s not marrying him. Didn’t you know that? She turned him down weeks ago.”

  Alicia wasn’t going to marry Easton. Luke’s breathing stopped while he rolled the news around in his mind, trying to take it in. She had turned Easton down. Nice, safe, charming Nick Easton with his expensive clothes and high salary.

  “No, no one told me,” he said at last. Attempting nonchalance, he added, “Any idea why?”

  “I don’t know. I expect she didn’t love him.” Sharon sipped her soda, watching him with shrewd eyes. “My best guess is that she’s in love with someone else.”

  “If you mean me, I don’t think so.”

  “What makes you so sure?”

  Embarrassed, he only shrugged. He couldn’t tell her of that bungled proposal. Nor could he tell her that he’d declared his love only to have it thrown back in his face.

  “Has it occurred to you,” Sharon said in a careful tone, “that part of the problem might have been Christina?”

  His heart gave a queer, sideways lurch. “What?”

  “I said—”

  “How do you know about Christina?” His whole body had gone stiff, even his lips, so that he could barely form the words.

  “From Alicia. You didn’t know that she knew?”

  “No. No, I never mentioned Christina to her. Not once.”

  “You’ve got the woman’s picture in your room,” Sharon said gently. “You could scarcely expect Alicia not to notice.”

  He shook his head, feeling like a damned moron because he hadn’t thought about it. It had never even occurred to him that she would think that he and Christina... Oh, God. “She should have asked me, damn it!”

  “I agree. I would have, but Alicia’s different from me. She holds things in. She keeps to herself. And she’s proud. A bit like you, isn’t she?”

  Luke’s thoughts whirled. Maybe Christina wasn’t the reason Alicia had turned him down, but she must have colored Alicia’s perceptions of everything he’d said and done. All at once, he remembered the message on the answering machine, and comprehension struck with the force of an electric shock. She must have heard it. He remembered how funny she’d acted when he’d walked in the house her first night back. Nothing had been right between them from that moment on.

  He expelled a long, harsh breath, but his chest still felt tight. How could he have been so stupid, so foolish? Of course, if she’d seen the picture, she’d leap to the wrong conclusion. He couldn’t blame her. Christina was a beautiful woman.

  But when had she seen it? When she’d slept with him, the lights had been off. And in the morning, she had been making love with him, not exploring the surface of his dresser. “I didn’t think she went in my room,” he muttered.

  “She did your laundry, didn’t she? Didn’t she have to go into your room to put it away? Didn’t she change the sheets on your bed? I seem to remember her telling me she was doing those things for you. Very wifely, I thought it.”

  He gave a choked laugh. “You must think I’m pretty dumb.”

  “Of course I don’t.” Sharon’s tone was kind. “Jim doesn’t always notice the things I do for him, either, but that’s all right because I point them out.” She tilted her head, regarding him with open curiosity. “So aren’t you going to tell me?”

  “Tell you what?”

  “Just who the heck is Christina anyway?”

  Luke closed his eyes. “She’s my sister,” he said in a hollow voice.

  * * *

  Alicia removed her gaze from the stained-glass windows of her parents’ church as the minister invited the congregation to bow their heads in silent prayer. She shut her eyes, enjoying the low, soothing organ music in the background. Peace seeped into her soul. She was glad they’d decided to attend the Thanksgiving Day service.

  Her head bowed, she prayed for her parents, for Caroline and Richard, for Luke and Ronnie, then for herself. She would try to be a better daughter, to be more patient. With a sense of wonder, she recalled last night’s conversation. She still couldn’t quite believe her mother’s change of attitude. Losing Caroline had changed her mother, made her more open-minded. In the end, they had talked until midnight. They had reminisced about Caroline, wept together and comforted each other, finally taking a step toward healing their scarred relationship.

  Alicia linked her fingers and turned her thoughts to the source of her heartache. According to Ronnie’s letter, Luke loved and missed her. She hadn’t dared to believe it. When she called on the phone, it was Ronnie she got. When she wrote to Ronnie, it was Ronnie who wrote back. In all these weeks, Luke hadn’t made any effort to contact her...but then she hadn’t made any effort to contact him, either.

  Perhaps it was her tranquil surroundings, or perhaps it was the lingering effects of last night’s conversation with her mother. Whatever the case, she felt stronger, more able to cope with the knowledge that she’d been unfair to Luke. She’d wanted him to say he loved her, but she’d been afraid to say the words herself. She hadn’t asked about Christina because she’d measured Luke by Kenny’s yardstick. And when he’d finally told her he loved her, she’d done the unforgivable: she’d told him he couldn’t love.

  But he could and did love. He loved Ronnie. He’d loved Richard. And he loved
her, too. The truth hit her square between the eyes, clearing her vision so that for the first time she saw the situation as it really was. Of course Luke loved her. Everything he’d done, everything he’d ever said, even in anger, should have made her realize. The tenderness of his lovemaking showed it. His behavior toward Nick showed it. His actions when she’d been injured showed it. A hundred other examples flitted through her head. The simple truth was that Luke was better at showing than telling because—again realization struck—he was as afraid of rejection as she was.

  For an instant, she despaired. Then she opened her eyes and looked around and felt a blaze of new hope. Anything was possible. Mistakes could be forgiven. The moment she got back to the house, she was going to call Luke.

  The decision made, she closed her eyes and offered up one more prayer, a prayer of gratitude and thanksgiving. And as she did so, she felt bathed in sunshine, as though the golden warmth of a summer’s day had somehow crept into the church.

  On the ride home, Alicia gazed out the car window, rehearsing what she would say to Luke. It wouldn’t be easy, but she would find the words. She would tell him she loved him, she needed him, she wanted to come back to Houston and be his wife.

  “Whose car is that in our driveway?” Mrs. Brant asked suddenly.

  Alicia glanced around, and her heart almost stopped beating. She didn’t recognize the car, but the tall figure leaning against it was achingly familiar. So was the little boy sitting on the hood. “I can’t believe it,” she whispered.

  “It’s Ronnie!” her mother exclaimed. “Look, Edward, it’s our grandson! And that’s Luke!”

  “Yes, Margaret, I see,” replied Alicia’s father, his voice just a little uneven. He pulled into the driveway next to the subcompact rental car and shut off the engine.

  As her parents hurried from the Buick, Alicia found she couldn’t move. Even her brain felt paralyzed. Outside the car, her father and mother exclaimed over Ronnie and pumped Luke’s hand.

  Ronnie broke away and pressed his face to the window glass. “Aunt Alicia, Aunt Alicia, I’m here to visit you just like I promised! I flew in an airplane!” Somehow she got the door open. However, instead of letting her out, Ronnie hurled himself into the back seat and flung his arms around her neck. “I missed you so much,” he said in a small voice. “Writing letters isn’t the same.”

  Alicia hugged him tight. “I know what you mean. Nothing is as good as this, darling. I’m so happy to see you. And so surprised!”

  From the corner of her eye, she saw her mother say something to Luke and embrace him. Then the car door widened again, sending another sweep of chill air rushing inside.

  “Come on, squirt. Let your aunt out of the car.”

  “Okay.” The child climbed out and began to dance around the driveway.

  Thunder roared in Alicia’s ears as, attacked with something akin to stage fright, she looked down at Luke’s boots. Her gaze traveled up, past a pair of long, jean-clad legs, past a black leather jacket, to the beloved face shadowed by the brim of a cowboy hat. His gray eyes gazed into hers, and in their depths she saw an echo of her own uncertainty.

  He held out a hand.

  Heart hammering, she accepted it and stepped out onto the blacktop. For a moment, neither of them moved a muscle.

  And then they were clinging to each other, their mouths fused in a greedy kiss that seemed destined to last a lifetime. At the perimeter of her awareness, she knew that her parents were discreetly urging Ronnie toward the house, but right now she didn’t care if the whole universe stood witness to their joy. All that mattered was that Luke was here, in her arms, melting against her, his strong, hard body pressed against her own pliant one. He had come for her, he was here, he was hers, and nothing else mattered.

  “Oh, Luke,” she gasped, bright stars rocketing in her head. “I was going to call you. Today. As soon as I got inside the house.” Her fingers threaded through his black hair, her voice shaking as she confessed, “I couldn’t bear it any longer. I couldn’t bear to lose you a second time.”

  “You haven’t lost me. I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere without you.” He crushed her against him, his mouth raining kisses over her face and eyelids and hair. “Oh, Alicia, I’ve been such a fool.”

  “No, I have. Luke, I love you.”

  “I love you.” His hands cupped her face, his thumbs sculpting her cheekbones as he looked straight into her eyes. “Sharon said you knew about Christina. Alicia, she’s my sister.”

  “Luke, you don’t have a sister.’

  “Yes, I do. I just never told you.” He glanced around, his expression wry. “Is there somewhere private we can talk?”

  “The house? Or if you’d rather, we can go to the park.”

  “The park, unless you’re too cold.”

  She smiled up at him. “I actually feel pretty warm right now. I think that kiss singed a few of my nerve endings.”

  “It was supposed to.” His eyes gleamed, then he shook his head in amazement. “This feels like a dream. Do you know how hard it is to get tickets the day before Thanksgiving? I just sat in the airport and prayed for a miracle, just a couple of no-shows so we could get on that plane. And the miracle happened. I guess the man upstairs is on our side, Alicia.”

  “I think you’re right,” she said in a soft voice. “I think you and I are meant to be.”

  His arm around her shoulders, they wandered down the sidewalk toward the little neighborhood park that served as a playground for local youngsters. For a while, they spoke only of their love and need for each other, then Luke broached the subject of his sister.

  “You know my dad ran out on my mom, and my mom died when I was six. Christina was just a baby, about one and a half. I remember I loved her very much and felt very protective toward her.” He sighed. “I always let you believe I didn’t have any relatives. Well, that’s not true. My mother had a sister living in California. Aunt Gertrude came to the funeral, mainly to look us over.”

  “Look you over?” Alicia glanced at him with a frown.

  “She and my mother hadn’t spoken in years. Aunt Gertrude thought my mother had married an uneducated loser and expected the offspring, as she called us, to be as disappointing as my father.” When he paused, Alicia could sense the turmoil within him. “My aunt sat me down at the kitchen table and quizzed me about my letters and numbers. She wanted to find out if I was smart enough for her to bother with. Needless to say, I didn’t pass her test. She humiliated me. She told me I was as slow-witted as my father and that she wouldn’t take me to live with her. She took Christina but sent me out to foster care. I never saw my baby sister again until three years ago, when I hired a P.I. to track her down.”

  “Oh, Luke.” Alicia stopped dead, her eyes brimming. “Oh, Luke, that’s horrible. How could your aunt do such a thing?”

  He shrugged. “That’s just the way she was. Anyhow, when I contacted Christina, I found out she didn’t even know I existed. My aunt had never told her she had a brother. So it took a while, especially since she lives out of state. We’ve found opportunities to meet and get to know each other. It was tough going at first, but we’ve formed a bond.” He cleared his throat. “This is hard for me to talk about, you understand? Even now, just thinking about Aunt Gertrude sends shivers down my spine.”

  Alicia slid her arms around his waist, hugging him through the dual layers of coat. “Of course I understand. And I can’t tell you how sorry I am that I rejected you. I thought you didn’t love me. I didn’t understand, but now I do and...and I love you even more, if that’s possible.”

  He smoothed back a lock of her hair, then pressed a kiss to her brow. “I should have told you about Christina. I meant to, after I gave you my ring.”

  She gazed up at him, tears blurring her vision. “Do you still want to give it to me?”

  “Aw, Alicia, how can you ask that? I want you, babe. I’ve always wanted you.” His voice cracked. “I’ve loved you ever since I first set eyes
on you, and I never stopped loving you even for a minute. I apologize for that other proposal. I was hurting so damn bad I didn’t know what I was saying. You should have picked up that whiskey bottle and bashed my head with it.”

  “I thought about it,” she said shakily, “but I was afraid you’d get cut.”

  One corner of his mouth lifted. “It might have brought me to my senses.” He slipped a hand into an inner pocket and withdrew a tiny white box. “All these years I’ve saved this. It’s not much, just a quarter carat, but...at least I know it fits.”

  Her hands shook so badly she almost dropped the box, yet somehow she got it open. And there it was. The ring she had once worn rested, not on velvet, but on a layer of smooth white cotton. Yet this plain gold band with its tiny diamond represented the only thing she had ever wanted.

  “What do you mean it’s not much?” she said in a trembling voice. “You wonderful, foolish man, it’s everything. It’s beyond everything. It’s precious. You’re precious. Oh, Lord, I’m going to c-cry....”

  Luke slipped the ring onto her finger, then applied himself to comforting her in the most effective and delightful way. This took several minutes, glorious minutes in which Alicia was hardly aware of cars driving past them on the street just a few feet away.

  “Are you cold?” Luke murmured at last.

  “Not a bit,” she assured him with a tremulous sigh. “But I suppose we should go back. Mother planned dinner for two o’clock and I’m sure she needs help in the kitchen.”

  “Oh, yeah, your mother. How do you think she’s going to like having me back in your life?”

  “Don’t worry. I think she’s already accepted it.” She bit her lip. “Luke, I told Mother. About your dyslexia, I mean. You’ve every right to be angry.”

  To her relief, he only made a slight grimace. “No, I’m not angry. How could I be? Do you realize that was the first time your mother ever hugged me?”