by Linda Turner
“That’s right,” Natalie said. “They didn’t know you existed until I told them about you this morning. I couldn’t tell them about you and not be able to produce you,” she added stiffly. “That wouldn’t have been fair to them.”
“You’ve done everything right with them, Natalie. I’m the bad guy in this, not you, and I know it.” Shrugging off the grimness that had settled over him, he sighed wryly. “Would you mind if I called them once a week? Maybe on Wednesday nights?”
“Not if you’re serious about being a part of their lives,” she replied bluntly. “If this is just a passing urge, then leave them alone, Derek. They don’t deserve that.”
“I wouldn’t be here now if I wasn’t serious,” he told her. Reaching into his pocket, he handed her an envelope. “That’s a child support check. I know it should go through the courts—and I will set that up so you’ll know you can depend on it—but for now, I want you to have it.”
Stunned, Natalie took the check. “Thank you.”
“Don’t,” he said gruffly. “You have nothing to thank me for.”
Long after he left, Natalie stared at the check as if she’d never seen one before. The amount was exceedingly generous, but she hardly noticed it. Over the years she would have given anything for a tenth of what he’d just handed her—that’s how desperate she’d been. “Why couldn’t he have done the right thing when we divorced?” she asked Max, more confused than ever. “Why did it take him so long?”
“Some men are slower than others,” Max retorted. “Look how long it took me to come to my senses about marriage. I’m smarter than Derek, though,” he added with a grin. “I know a good thing when I see it.” Pulling her into his arms, he grinned down at her. “Did I tell you today that I love you?”
Smiling, she pretended to consider. “Actually, I believe you did mention it a few times.”
He grinned. “I thought I did. While we’re talking about love, what do you think about New Year’s Eve?”
“That depends. What’s NewYear’s Eve got to do with love?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” he said casually. “It’s the beginning of a new year, a new life, new beginnings. I thought it might be a nice time to get married.”
Her heart jumped into her throat. Fighting a grin, she said just as casually, “You know, I think you may be right. Were you planning on marrying anyone in particular?”
Chuckling, he snatched her close. “Minx! I thought I might marry you.”
“Good,” she laughed, “because I’m certainly planning on marrying you. For a moment I thought we had a problem on our hands.”
“The only thing I have my hands on is you, sweetheart,” he growled. “For the rest of our lives.”
ISBN: 978-1-4268-6315-8
A YOUNGER MAN
Copyright © 2006 by Linda Turner
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*The Wild West
†The Lone Star Social Club
**Those Marrying McBrides!
††Turning Points