by Melody Anne
Before she could say anything further, he cut in. “Yes, there are some problems. My children can be very spoiled. They are doing much better now, but some of us are still struggling a bit. I have faith that it will all work out, however.”
“I would have loved having siblings. I really would have loved having a mom and dad. Sometimes we aren’t given what we truly want, or think we need most, but I think in the end it all works out for the best,” she said while lifting her hand and placing it on his arm in a comforting touch. For just a moment, she forgot this man wouldn’t want or need her advice, or her comfort.
“What is your name, young lady?”
“Haley Sutherland.” She realized she was gripping his arm and instantly tried to remove her hand.
“What other questions do you have for me,” he asked while placing his hand over hers. She relaxed, feeling an odd connection with this gentle man.
“What is the one thing you want more than anything else?”
For a brief moment, he was silent, and Haley hoped she hadn’t overstepped again.
“I want my children to be happy and married, to have children of their own and to live their lives to the fullest without throwing away their futures,” he said with a wistful note in his voice.
“I don’t think that’s asking for too much. From only speaking to you for a few moments, I have a feeling that you will make a wonderful grandfather.” She gave him her best smile, then decided she’d monopolized enough of the kind man’s time.
“You are a sweet girl, Haley. Let me give you a small token as an early graduation gift,” he said.
“Oh, I have three semesters left,” she corrected him, not wanting to accept anything from a stranger who had shown her nothing but kindness.
“Well, that’s why it’s an early gift. I have a few extra tickets for the drawing for two weeks at the Catalina Couture Resort,” he said, placing the tickets in her hand and folding her fingers over them.
To say no again would be rude, so Haley smiled up at him, never dreaming that she might win.
“Thank you. You’ve been very kind.” With a smile, Haley turned and wandered around the room. At the end of the night, when her name was called, she was so stunned she didn’t know what to think or do.
It wasn’t until she was writing up her report that she realized she’d forgotten to get the man’s name. It was too late now. She hoped her professor would still accept the paper and not make her suffer through something like that again.
Present time
“That was my dad?”
“Yes, I didn’t recognize him when he was here because he was clean shaven and not wearing the glasses, but his voice sounded so familiar that I knew I must have met him before. I just didn’t know where.”
“Do you think...? No. There’s no way…” he trailed off.
“What?” she asked, needing to know why he suddenly looked so full of suspicion.
“He couldn’t have fixed that drawing, could he?”
Haley thought about it for a moment and didn’t see how that was possible. “No. Why would he want to, anyway?”
“Maybe he was trying to set us up.”
“But…he didn’t know anything about me. That makes no sense, none whatsoever. Besides, how was he to know my next class was human sexuality and I’d have to approach another stranger and ask for a date?”
“You weren’t asking me for the date. You were asking me to teach you how to be with another man,” he growled as he pinned her down on the mattress.
“That was the best decision I ever made,” she said. How she loved the man who’d taught her so much.
“Yes, it was. Now, I have a few more lessons to teach you…”
He spent the rest of the day teaching her how very much he honored her with his body. We may as well start the honeymoon now, she thought with a satisfied smile. Yes, Haley had changed. The shy, frightened girl she’d been was slowly being replaced by this confident woman she was becoming. It was all thanks to the faith of a lonely old man, who happened to like meddling in his children’s lives, and of course, thanks to Crew, who would forever be her true love for always having confidence and faith in her.
Epilogue
Three months later
“Oh, my gosh, seriously, you guys are not teenagers!”
Lucas glanced up and grinned at his fifteen-year-old daughter, Jasmine. He couldn’t believe how much time had passed since the day she was born. Nearly sixteen now and just as much a beauty as her mother. She was also as stubborn as any of the Anderson males.
“I am simply giving your mother a kiss,” he said and nuzzled Amy’s neck.
“Honestly, I’ll need therapy,” Jasmine said with a roll of her eyes, but there was a sparkle in them, too. For all her protests, she lived in a very loving home, and she was a well-rounded and idealistic young woman. She just couldn’t let her parents know that she thought their constant need to hold each other even after sixteen years was beautiful. Saying ewwww was more fun.
“You’ll soon be sneaking off to kiss boys yourself, young lady,” Amy said, making Lucas tense up.
“Over my dead body!”
“Oh, Lucas. Our baby girl is no longer a baby. If you’d quit scaring all her male friends, she might actually get her first kiss,” said Amy, running a soothing hand over his arm, though it was doing nothing to soothe him.
“Jasmine’s far too young to be kissing anyone,” he stated emphatically.
“Oh, so you hadn’t kissed anyone by the age of sixteen?” Amy challenged.
“That’s beside the point,” he said.
“I think I’ll go kiss a boy right now just to show you both how gross you look doing it all the time, and in front of me,” Jasmine said with a smirk.
“Good. I need someone to kill.” Mark joined in the conversation as he entered the room.
“Hi, Uncle Mark. It’s about time you got here. I can’t wait to come spend the weekend with you and Aunt Emily,” Jasmine said and launched herself at her favorite uncle.
“It’s good to see you, squirt. What in the hell is this talk of you kissing boys?” he demanded, though his eyes were soft as he looked down at her. They had a close bond. Mark had a softer spot for Jasmine than any of the other nieces and nephews.
“I was just trying to prove a point to my parents about how disgusting it is to see old people smooching all the time. Not that you’ll help me, because you and Aunt Emily are just as bad. But, for some reason, it’s just not as gross catching the two of you.”
“That’s because I’m so much younger and better-looking than your old stuffed shirt of a father,” Mark said and puffed out his still-magnificent chest.
“You are still quite the looker, babe,” Emily said, joining them and giving him a brief kiss.
“Ugh. I’m going to find Uncle Alex. At least he has some manners,” Jasmine told them, then skipped away.
“Should I tell her that he’s currently hiding in the closet with Jessica?” Mark said with laughter.
“Nah, let her face even more trauma when she finds them,” Lucas answered.
Placing their arms around their wives, Lucas and Mark led them into the great room, where their huge family was gathering.
Over the past fifteen years, the Anderson family had certainly grown a lot larger. With Lucas marrying his beautiful wife Amy, and then Alex and Mark following in his steps, the clan had more than doubled in size.
When their Uncle George had come back to town with their four cousins, it had grown even more, especially as the cousins had married one by one, and then started having their own children.
The holidays were never quiet, and the home of their father, Joseph, was filled with love and laugher, just as he wanted it.
“Hey, Cousin, can you give me a hand? Isabelle is throwing a major fit, and you know how she adores you.”
Lucas laughed at the panicked look on Austin’s face. Isabelle, who was five years old now and an only child, was a holy terror.
Lucas adored her.
“Of course. She just needs her Uncle Lucas,” he said confidently
“Thank you,” Austin said in relief. “I swore up and down to Kinsey that I had everything under control. I don’t know how she manages to keep everything running so efficiently, but my hat’s off to that woman,” he said as the two of them walked out front, where Isabelle’s impressive vocal cords could be heard echoing from the front driveway.
Two of the employees were standing guard at the vehicle, but both looked as if they’d rather be flayed alive than reach into the car and try to get the screaming child out.
“Why is she so upset?” Lucas asked as they approached.
“I forgot her blankie,” Austin said, as if afraid the world would implode because Isabelle’s favorite pink blankie had been left behind.
“Ooh, I see how much trouble you’re in. It’s a good thing Uncle Lucas can make it all better.” Walking up to the large SUV, Lucas leaned in and smiled at a screaming Isabelle. “Hey, darling, did your daddy make you mad?”
She quieted as soon as she saw Lucas, and then the tears started in earnest as she looked pitifully up at him with her big blue eyes. She could already milk a situation for all it was worth.
“Daddy…for…forgot…my…blankie,” she sniffled in between sobbing hiccups.
“I’m sorry, baby. Let Uncle Lucas take you inside, ’cause I have a surprise for you,” he said.
She looked up at him with a bit of curiosity and her crying dimmed. Lucas could hear Austin sigh heavily behind him.
“Su…su…surprise?” she asked, still not sure whether she was willing to leave the car.
“Yes, surprise. But, only big girls get it.” That was all it took. Because she was the youngest of all the cousins, Isabelle’s major goal in life was to be a big girl.
Lucas knew that Grandma Katherine and Grandma Esther and all the children’s aunts and moms had spent all year making them new quilts. They’d used pieces of their newborn clothes and nursery blankets, and other cherished fabrics. Their grandmothers wanted to give these gifts to each of them on Thanksgiving, not Christmas, when the abundance of toys would make the quilts seem less special.
The women had all put their hearts into the project, and Lucas had a feeling it was going to become a family tradition for any new members of the family to receive one the year they were born.
While Lucas calmed Isabelle and Mark hunted Alex down to offer help in the sitting room, their new cousins began arriving. The entire family was happy to meet new kinfolk, and knew that Joseph, George and Richard were particularly jubilant.
As they rounded the corner, Lucas bumped into someone he hadn’t met yet.
“I’m sorry,” he said as he brought up his hand to protect Isabelle’s head.
“This house is huge, and I was admiring a painting, so wasn’t paying attention. I’m Crew Storm,” said the man, whose arm was around a petite blonde.
Lucas shifted Isabelle to his hip so he could shake Crew’s hand.
“Lucas Anderson. I’m one of your many cousins,” he replied.
“I’ve heard all about you, Lucas. It’s a pleasure to finally put a face to the name. This is my fiancée, Haley Sutherland.”
“Hello, Crew,” Amy said as she joined them. “Haley, would you like to join us women in the library?”
Lucas beamed at his wife. She always had a friendly smile for everyone, and he knew she would welcome his new family with open arms.
Haley gave Amy a tentative smile as she released Crew’s arm and followed Amy away.
“Congratulations, Cousin. She’s beautiful,” Lucas said and slapped him on the back. The two of them went to the playroom so they could hand off Isabelle to her grandmother and then go together for a cigar and a drink.
Meanwhile, Joseph, George and Richard sat in the den sipping cognac from crystal glasses as they enjoyed the warmth of the fire.
“Richard, I can’t even tell you how thankful I am this year that we’ve discovered a new brother. You are a person I’d call friend even if you weren’t blood,” Joseph said, his voice choking just the slightest. He quickly took a sip from his glass and looked at the leaping flames.
“I couldn’t be happier to know you. But I have decided to forgive my parents. What they did was wrong on so many levels, but they loved me, and I know I’m the man I am today because of the way they raised me. It saddens me to have missed the opportunity to meet my real parents, but I’ll learn all about them through the both of you. Our kids will now get to know each other, and our grandkids will be close, as well.”
“Speaking of grandkids, congratulations on the upcoming nuptials of Crew and Haley. That is wonderful. You may have your first grandbaby by Christmas next year,” George said. “I wish our kids had gotten engaged without us having to push them.”
“Oh, Crew needed a little push. I met Haley and fixed the drawing for her to get two weeks at Crew’s resort,” Richard said with a beaming smile.
“Brother, you are a man after our hearts. You must tell us what happened,” Joseph said, leaning back. The three of them were roaring with laughter by the time Richard finished his tale.
“So now that you have one child married off, what are your plans for the other four?” Joseph asked, his eyes lit up.
“Well, a few months ago I met this real sweet girl who’s graduating at the end of spring term with her bachelor’s in biochemistry. She’s going on for her master’s in oceanography sciences, but she has the summer off, and she’s fascinated by sunken treasures. It just so happens that my boy Ashton owns a boating business out of Seattle. I’ve given her a card and told her he’d be more than happy for some work.”
“It sounds like she’ll be too busy for a family,” George stated as he took a puff from his cigar.
“Nonsense, Brother. She’s such a sweet thing, and in need of a man to help her let down her hair. I think sparks are going to fly between the two of them.”
“Well, then, we have some work to do,” Joseph exclaimed, and he leaped from his chair. The thought of matchmaking again sent his blood pumping.
There was nothing like family — and finding true love for those you loved so dearly.
The three men walked from the room toward the warmth and laughter of their still-expanding clan. It was a new day — and the sun continued to shine for the Andersons.
The End
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The next book in the Lost Andersons Series, Hidden Treasure – Book Two, is coming November 2013. In the meantime, catch up with the characters in one of Melody’s other series listed in the beginning of this book. Here’s a sneak peak of The Tycoon’s Revenge, available now.
The Tycoon’s Revenge – Book One
Chapter One
Derek Titan looked around the crowded room and had to force himself not to yawn. He couldn’t stand attending events where everyone drank too much, laughed too loud and tried far too hard to impress each other.
Derek knew he was what women considered a real catch. Hell, a stupid magazine had done a write-up on Seattle’s most eligible bachelors and placed his picture as number one. He’d been furious and had tried to have himself taken out of the article, but his attorney had spouted some crap about freedom of speech. Since the article appeared, even more materialistic females approached him.
The magazine listed his net worth as equal to Bill Gates. They’d also said he was tall, dark and handsome. He stood over six feet, with broad shoulders and muscles that rippled throughout his entire body. He hated gyms, but he ran every morning, and sometimes in the evenings too. He’d discovered, at a young age, that running was a great form of relieving his stress.
He knew the second best way to relieve stress was to take a woman to bed. The minute he was done with her, he walked away, though. There
were many women who tried to get him to stay, but no one held his interest longer than it took him to button up his pants.
After his heart had been shattered by Jasmine, he wasn’t interested in any other woman. He figured once he got his revenge, then he’d think about settling down.
A woman breezed by him wearing entirely too much perfume, and he snapped back to reality. He sighed as he grabbed a glass of wine from a passing waiter.
These parties were all about who had the most to offer. The women were on the prowl, and the men were fishing. He wasn’t interested. If he wanted a woman, he could have one at any time. He wasn’t interested in superficial wannabe socialites.
He watched as a couple of ladies passed by in low-cut gowns, dripping with diamonds. They were trying to catch his eye, and normally he’d make their day by flirting a little, giving them the impression they stood a chance. Today wasn’t that day. He had a raging headache, and he was pissed he’d been summoned.
“There you are, boy. What are you doing hiding in the corner?” Daniel Titan, his father, walked up and questioned him.
“I’m wondering why I’m here when I’d rather be home with a scotch and my feet up,” Derek replied.
“You’re here because you received a request from your father. I have some things to discuss with you later,” Daniel said in his no-nonsense voice.
“And it couldn’t wait?” Derek questioned.
“Oh, live it up a little. You’re always so busy adding a few more million to your bank account you don’t stop to smell the roses,” his father admonished him.
“I live it up plenty. Hell, I was in Milan last week.”
“You were in Milan on business. That doesn’t count,” his dad told him, a bit exasperated.
“For me, the ideal time is mixing business with pleasure,” Derek told his father with a waggle of his brows. Both men relaxed. “Seriously, Dad, I do have a headache. What’s so important it couldn’t wait until morning?” Derek asked.