A Touch of Passion (boxed set romance bundle)

by Uvi Poznansky

  While Annie’s mind wandered, Debbie asked to go to the bathroom and was quite incensed when Annie offered to go with her.

  “The door’s is right there. I can go by myself. I’m not a baby.”

  Thinking back to the shrinking violet Debbie used to be when she and Max had first arrived, she proudly agreed. “Sorry. My mistake. Sure, sweetie, go ahead.”

  “She’s come a long way with your help, Annie. She idolizes you.”

  Annie reached for the other woman’s hand and held on tight. “No more than I care for her. She’s a wonderful little girl, and I promise I’ll be good to her.”

  “I know that, child. I’ve always known it. That’s why I came to find you.”

  ❋

  Debbie opened the stall and saw a beautiful woman looking in the mirror, applying her lipstick. She had pretty long blonde hair and brown eyes just like her own.

  “Hello.” What made her say something was the look on the woman’s face. She seemed stunned.

  Finally, the lady answered, “Hello. What’s your name?” Her voice was kinda croaky like the time Debbie had tonsillitis.

  “Debbie Walsh. I’m here with my new mama and my grandma. We’re going to buy a wedding dress, ‘cause my daddy’s getting married in a coupla days.”

  The lady’s smile took a long time appearing. “That’s nice. Do you like your new mama?”

  “Oh, yes. She’s very good to me. I want to be just like her when I grow up.”

  For some reason, the other lady’s eyes filled with tears, and she turned away. It made Debbie feel really sad. Without thinking, she gently rubbed the arm clinging to the side of the counter. And then she quietly left the room.

  Chapter Thirty-four

  That night, their last together without a houseful, Clint and Annie sat together on the couch, her legs over his, his arm around her. First, Rose said her good-nights, and then the kids went to their rooms to play for a little while, until it was story time. Suddenly, they had a few minutes to catch up on their day.

  “Did you find a nice dress this afternoon?” Clint had seen the ladies, all giggling, carrying a multitude of parcels with bridal shop logos written all over the bags.

  “We did. I found the perfect dress. Considering I’d waited until the last minute, I thought I’d have to take whatever I could get. It wasn’t like that at all. When we walked into the shop, I saw the one I wanted on a mannequin and they had my size. How lucky is that?”

  “Considering you’re so tiny, I’d say darn lucky.” He loved that she was a small-built woman. One with enough energy to put him to shame and enough pluck to take on anyone who she thought was hurting someone she loved.

  He gently drew her face to his for a kiss. Within a few seconds, the flame grew and breathing heavily, he had to pull away. “It never fails.”

  “What never fails?” She leaned her head back against the cushion and turned his way, her face flushed, her eyes molten with passion.

  “That every time my lips get on your body, I want to make love to you.”

  She sighed. Her eyes sparkled. “Me too. I think we have it bad.”

  “And may we never recuperate.” He grinned and was tickled when she burst out laughing.

  “My Annabelle.”

  “Don’t call me that. It’s a cow’s name,” she teased.

  “Hold it. Doesn’t belle mean beautiful in French?”

  “Oh, you are a devil.”

  He smirked, proud to have caught her in his trap. “You ain’t seen nothing yet, darlin’.”

  “You know you have to take that silver tongue of yours and have a talk with your daughter.”

  His smile faded and he responded with a groan. “I know.”

  “Clint, you have to be the one to tell her. Dan still hasn’t gotten any definite news from the courts, and Cathy has been surprisingly quiet. It all makes me very nervous.”

  “I just hate to hurt her. She’s always believed she was my little girl.”

  “Nothing’s changed. You have to make her understand that she’s still Debbie Walsh. All you’re doing is taking away the blackmail element that Cathy could use. Think, if she got to Debbie, the damage could be irreversible. We can’t chance it. Better for her to hear the truth from her daddy.”

  One more kiss and Clint stood up to go to his daughter’s room. He felt about a hundred years old. All of a sudden, Debbie ran into the room and flung herself on the sofa beside Annie. Totally at ease, she laid her head on Annie’s lap, and her bright smile made him swallow back the rush of emotion he couldn’t seem to control.

  Annie’s gesture let him know that he should tell her now, with her there to support him. Good! He wouldn’t have to deal with this alone.

  ❋

  “If you’re not my daddy, then Max’s not my brother?” Debbie’s bottom lip quivered. She shot upright, her back stiff and she stamped her feet. Her arms waved in a distinctly un-Debbie-like way and mutiny appeared on her face. Tears streamed in an unrelenting downpour. Her hissy-fit beat anything Clint had ever witnessed from his normally well-mannered little girl. Now what? He beseeched Annie with a begging look she ignored on purpose. Fine. He’d deal!

  “Baby, calm down. I’m going to be adopting you, right?” He crossed his fingers where she wouldn’t see them. “So, legally, I’ll be your daddy, and he’ll be your brother.”

  “But not really. I don’t have any brothers. I’m really an orphan.” For a girl who never raised her voice, when she screamed, they both took notice.

  “Don’t be silly!” A cough caught his attention, as it was meant to, and he lowered his roar. “We’re your family.”

  “You! Are! Not! I don’t have a real mama or a daddy, and, now, I don’t even have a brother. So, I’m an orphan.” By this time, the little monkey had worked herself into such a state that her performance tired her out. With the last stamp of her small, slippered foot, she stomped up the stairs, bawling loudly. The words she left behind would have been heartbreaking if they had been true. “I’ve got nobody of my own.”

  Clint held his hands out to Annie. Then he plunked down on the sofa next to her and swiped at his forehead. “She’s pretty upset.”

  “Yes! She sure is.”

  “Someone should go and talk with her.”

  “I’d say that would be a darn good idea.”

  “Woman to woman.”

  “She’s a little girl.”

  “You want me to go.” He sighed, making it last a long time and ending with a muffled groan. He sent her a winning smile that faded when she ignored the invitation to smile back. “You’re really gonna make me?”

  “You’re her daddy. Just remember, she needs some cuddles and a lot of reassurance.”

  “You’re so good at that mushy stuff. Look how much you’ve reassured me of your love. And as my wife, you’ll help me through thick and thin.”

  “You’re wasting time, sweetheart.” She leaned over to pat his cheek. “Never doubt that I love the hell outta you. Now git!”

  He opened the door slowly to Debbie’s sky-blue bedroom that Max and she had helped Annie paint, and listened. He couldn’t hear any crying. Instantly, his heart revved up and he swung the door wide expecting that she might have bolted.

  But she hadn’t. Instead she sat up on the bed, leaning against the pretty material-covered headboard and smiled her welcome.

  He arched his neck to both sides, not liking the tension building. “Can I come in, baby?”

  “Sure, Daddy. I thought you’d never get here.”

  “You expected me?”

  She gave him the kind of look kids give to parents, instead of saying duh! Then she patted the bed beside her. “Come and sit here.”

  Taking his time, he approached her. As he sat where she’d directed, he made out the ravages from her earlier tears and his hand automatically reached to wipe away the telltale marks. “You were pretty upset downstairs.”

  “I got mad. It feels kinda nice to get mad and not be scared of g
etting in trouble.”

  “Did you used to be scared?” Uncomfortable to be made to face such truths about his own family, he waited for her answer.

  Nonplussed, reverting to her old self for a short time, she hesitated as if not sure what to say. Honesty won out. “Yes. I thought you wouldn’t like me if I made too much noise.”

  Memories flooded. Him riding her most evenings to stop chasing Dawg and making such a racket. “Daddy’s working, Debbie, keep it down.”

  “No. It’s not your fault, Debbie. Your daddy’s a fool.” He rammed his chest with an accusatory finger. “I didn’t realize how wonderful it sounds to hear you kids having fun. I was just imitating my own daddy, Jake. What I forgot is that as much as he yelled at me to pipe down, I never listened.”

  Debbie crawled forward and made herself comfortable on his knee. Clint had often seen Max do the same with his ma during story time, and his whole inside felt mushy. His little girl had the self-confidence to act the same way with him, and the gladness made him content. “I’ll pipe down when you’re working, I promise.”

  “No, just when Grams is sleeping. The rest of the time, you can yodel as loud as you want. Deal?”

  “Deal!”

  Clint knew he had to approach what had happened downstairs. Though it made him panicky, he supposed he needed to know what had prompted her turn-around from a hysterical, heartbroken little girl into this cheerful angel wrapped in his arms. “About Max not being your brother…” He waited and she didn’t take the hint. Blasted females had him figured out. “We should talk about your frettin’.”

  “Okay!” She nestled closer.

  “Once the adoption is final, Max will be your brother.”

  Pushing against him, she straightened, her expression alarmed. “But not a real brother, right?”

  Shaking his head, he leaned back to see her face. “I thought you wanted him to be your brother. What am I missing here?”

  A coy look swamped her features, and a satisfied smile lit up her face. “I decided I don’t want Max for a brother now.”

  Huh? What’s going on? “Why not?”

  “Cause, I’m gonna marry him, and I can’t if he’s my real brother. But don’t tell him, okay? It’s gonna be a surprise.”

  ❋

  When Clint returned to the den where Annie waited, his face was swathed in smiles. It gave him the appearance of his younger self and made her heart trip before restarting at a much faster pace.

  “Guess that wasn’t so hard after all. I was sitting here feeling guilty for making you man up, and I think—maybe—it’s good that I did.”

  “You won’t believe it? When I got to her room, the little monkey was sitting up on her bed, as pleased as punch, waiting for me to come to her.”

  “’Cause she knew you would. She’s feeling a lot gutsier since it’s dawned on her that no one or nothing could ever take her away from you. A girl’s gotta feel very confident in her folks to pull the stunt she just did. Made me real proud, she did.”

  “You wouldn’t believe it. Like a princess holding court, she offered me a seat beside her on the bed, even patted the place where she wanted me to sit. Then she levelled me with the big guns.”

  Annie waited, loving the grin he shared with her. Full of pride, he said. “She’s now quite happy that Max isn’t her brother. Not her real brother.”

  Annie couldn’t stop the disappointment grabbing hold and making her feel sad. “I’m sorry she feels that way.”

  “Oh, don’t let it get you down. The reason she’s happy is because, now, when they grow up, they can get married.”

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Anne’s wedding day dawned bright and sunny. They’d expected the heat but the sweetness in the air was a bonus. Truckloads of flowers in big urns had been delivered and were now being set up around the gardens. The huge tent was already installed, with the air conditioning turned on to keep the guests comfortable.

  They had decided to invite everyone they knew well in town, and a few hundred people were expected to share the day. André had arrived the afternoon before and was thrilled with the new family dynamics.

  Since Anne had gone alone to the airport to pick him up, they’d had a chance to catch up on the way home. She’d assured him then that she was fine with selling her half of the patisserie shop to her partner, Sophie. Now that her future was here on the ranch, there was no need for her to keep her share. With Clint’s help, she’d decided on a fair settlement and would give her friend a reasonable timeline for payments.

  Actually, it was then that she and Clint had decided their honeymoon would be a week’s trip to Paris. While there, she’d get the ball rolling on settling her affairs. Also, they could pack and ship the personal things that her and Max would need in their new home.

  Their only concern had been leaving Rose alone in the house with the children. Although she seemed fairly strong, they both noticed her strength waning towards the end of the day. Often, she would nap during the afternoons, and her bedtime was early.

  Clint’s foreman, Jeff, and his wife Mary, had agreed to oversee the daily chores and make sure that everything ran smooth while they were away. Both Clint and Anne felt comfortable leaving them in charge.

  But it would be difficult for Rose alone with the children to amuse. Anne had come up with the perfect solution. Her father could stay the week with Rose, and help look after Max and Debbie. While driving, she’d told him her idea and was not at all surprised when he willingly agreed. That would free her and Clint to have their week alone at the apartment.

  Now the day had come and Anne silently thanked her fiancé, who had insisted that they hire as much help for the day as necessary. He suggested they get the barbecue catered by the local restaurant that normally didn’t provide that service but occasionally would for a local. They even had the tavern owner set up the bar and the band, and had an army of cleaners scurrying around the house and the gardens the day before so that everything was ready.

  This morning, the children were beyond excited, especially Debbie, who had a long silky dress to wear, one they had picked out at the bridal shop where Anne had found her perfect gown. Being a pastel blue, it suited the little princess. She’d tried it on numerous times already, until Rose had finally told her to hang it up so she wouldn't get it dirty before she wore it as a flower girl.

  While the women had shopped for their wedding clothes, Max had gone with Clint to get fitted for an outfit that was totally western-style dress wear. They each had black leather vests to match their new hats, white shirts and black pants that fit over their identical black boots. Anne had seen their gear when they’d proudly shown off their purchases, but couldn’t wait to see them all dressed up later today.

  Anne, with the help of Clint the night before, had groomed her horse so she would be perfect to carry her to the arbor where they’d arranged the altar. Now, the long walk from the house to the garden area, which they had set up for the celebrations, wouldn’t need to be travelled by foot. This way she’d conserve her strength for the rest of the long day and into the late hours.

  Finally, reclining in her bathtub, bubbles all around, Anne took these few moments for herself to calm her nerves. Everything was ready. Then why did she have such a heavy feeling inside? Worry had been eating away at her for the last day or so. Something was going to happen, and she had no doubt it would be Cathy who would be responsible for the result.

  They hadn’t heard from the woman, and that alone was disturbing. Her last threat to Clint had been taken seriously. He’d maintained that Cathy had meant every word she’d said. The woman had no decency, no heart.

  Anne, having a difficult believing that any mother could be so cruel, had argued but still, Clint disagreed. Though he hated to be threatened, in fact had diffused her blackmailing ploy, if it came right down to him keeping his daughter, he’d pay anything.

  The anxiety had cast a shadow over their day, and Anne needed to come to grips with the idea of su
ch cruelty. She stepped from her bath and wrapped herself in a large, fluffy bath-sheet. While drying her hair with another towel, she didn’t hear the footsteps that approached.

  It was the cough that let her know she had a visitor. Wheeling in fright, through the open door she saw the very woman who had created her unease reclining on the side of her bed, waiting for her. Cathy had a cigarette lit and was puffing away while the smoke curled into the air and formed a circular cloud over her head.

  Anne came toward her, feeling at a distinct disadvantage for not being dressed. The smell of her flower-blossom bath soap wafted with every movement she made. She tucked the edges of the towel more securely, and, feeling her legs weaken, she leaned against the doorway.

  “How did you get in here?” Anne had to say something since Cathy just stared.

  Cathy smiled, not meanly but without humor. “Don’t forget, this was my home for a year after Clint and I got married. I know my way around here very well. Hell, I used to sneak around this place with no problem. Besides, there’s a small army out there, one more stranger didn’t make any difference.”

  “If you went to so much trouble to get in here, you had to have a reason. You came to me. So, what is it you want?”

  Cathy nonchalantly waved at a document lying on the bed beside her. “I brought you a wedding gift.”

  “What is it?” Anne waited and when Cathy only grinned, she moved forward and reached for the papers. As soon as she saw Debbie’s name and the word custody as part of the title, she knew this was the form that the lawyer had tried to get Cathy to sign—the form giving Clint the legal custody of Debbie. Quickly, she scanned the contents for a signature and found it on the bottom line.

  The sense of fear she’d lived with, for the last while, instantly disappeared. Anne felt such a huge swell of happiness seep in that she couldn’t stop herself from flinging her arms around the other woman and holding on for dear life. “Thank you, Cathy. Thank you for proving me right.”