Prodigal Daughter

by Patricia Davids

  “I’m not sure.” Besides her parents, she had three brothers and two sisters who would soon know about her condition. No doubt they were all angry with her for running away when their father was ill and the family was in such turmoil. For an instant, she considered getting out of the car and heading back to the bus station. It would be easy to just ride away from the painful confrontations ahead of her, but her seldom-used common sense kicked in.

  A hundred and twenty-four dollars was all she had left of the money her sister, Amy, had sent. It wouldn’t last long. It certainly wouldn’t be enough to get a place to live while she looked for a job.

  “I take it things aren’t going too well for you and…what is his name?”

  “Dean Orton. No, things aren’t going well for us.”

  That had to be the understatement of the century. She was twenty-three years old, single and pregnant. She had no money, no job and her baby’s father was long gone.

  It wasn’t fair. All she had wanted was a life free of the expectations tied to being the daughter of Wallace Hamilton. She thought Dean would give her that life. She desperately wanted to love him and be loved in return. His dreams of making it big with his rock band had sounded exciting and exotic.

  If he had been surprised by her sudden offer to travel on tour with him, he hid it well. Life on the road with Dean was a far cry from her family’s successful publishing business and the strict Southern upbringing she had known.

  Only Dean hadn’t really loved her. All he wanted was a piece of the Hamilton fortune. When she realized that, she had been heartbroken. And she discovered that having morning sickness in a run-down motel on the outskirts of Detroit wasn’t exotic at all.

  “I’m sorry things didn’t work out for the two of you,” Richard said, turning on to Mill Road and heading toward the bridge that led to Davis Landing.

  She scowled at him. “You don’t sound sorry at all.”

  “Melissa, I’ve known you since you were a kid. I play golf with your dad, and your mother invites me to dinner. I’m a friend of the family, and that means all of the family. I care about you and your happiness.” The rain had stopped and he turned off his wipers.

  “I know,” she admitted, turning to stare out the window. “Things are just so messed-up right now.”

  The sounds of the tires changed as the car rolled across the bridge spanning the Cumberland River as it snaked its way through the beautiful tree-covered hills of Tennessee. Upriver she could see the hills were ablaze with fall colors of gold and scarlet, but even their beauty didn’t lift her spirits. Below her, Melissa watched two paddle wheelers moving with stately grace as they steamed past each other. Their stern paddles churned the gray river water into white latte foam behind them.

  On board, their cargo of tourists hung over the pristine white wooden rails festooned with swags of red, white and blue as they enjoyed a trip back in time. The boats were from Nashville and Davis Landing was one of several stops on their itinerary. How many times as a child had she begged her father to take her on board one of them? No matter how many times he had relented and agreed, she had never tired of the ride. What she wouldn’t give to go back to those carefree days.

  Richard reached over and laid a hand on hers. “I, for one, am glad you decided to come back, Melissa. Your family needs you. I don’t know how much you know about what’s been going on since you left.”

  “I spoke with Amy not long ago. She sort of filled me in. I know that Jeremy is only our half brother.” She cast Richard a sidelong glance. As the family attorney, had he been privy to that secret before the rest of them?

  He said, “It came as a shock to everyone. Especially to Jeremy.”

  Another major understatement. “No kidding. Did you know that Mother was pregnant when she met Dad?”

  “No, they never told me. It wasn’t until your father became so ill that anyone knew. He’d accepted Jeremy as his own child. He told me keeping the secret was his decision. I think he knows now that it wasn’t a very wise one.”

  The car left the bridge and entered the business district of Davis Landing. Old redbrick-fronted stores and black iron lampposts added to the town’s quaint turn-of-the-century charm. Just ahead, she saw the three-story brick office building that housed her family’s business, Hamilton Media. Both the Davis Landing Dispatch newspaper and the Nashville Living magazine had offices there.

  Her great-grandfather had started the paper as a local weekly in the 1920s. Under the sound business hands of both her grandfather and then her father, the business had grown to a daily paper and now included a monthly lifestyle magazine that enjoyed tremendous success locally and across the region. Except for her brother, Chris, who had decided to become a cop, all of the Hamilton children had worked alongside their father in the family business.

  “Amy said that Jeremy and Dad had a falling-out, that Jeremy quit.” As the company’s vice president, her oldest brother, Jeremy, had been her Dad’s right-hand man and everyone assumed he would take over the company when the time came. Now what would happen? Would her brother, Tim, as second in line, step in to run both the paper and the magazine?

  Richard nodded. “That’s true. Apparently Jeremy and Tim had quite a fight about it. To make matters worse, the story was leaked to the Observer.”

  “I imagine they had a field day with that. The Observer loves a good scandal and they’ve been trying to put Hamilton Media out of business for years.”

  “A smear campaign won’t accomplish that.”

  “You’re our attorney. Why don’t we sue them?”

  “Because what they printed was true.”

  She waved aside his comment. “Oh, that’s just a technicality.”

  “It’s an important one in court. We were worried about how the news leak would affect your father, but he’s holding up well.”

  “What about Mom? She must feel like her reputation is in shreds.” Melissa knew exactly how that felt.

  “Your mother’s answer was that if people who didn’t know her wanted to talk, she couldn’t stop them. She said the only thing that matters is how she is living her life today—not what she did thirty-five years ago. She’s kept her head high. Your mother is a true lady.”

  “Now I’m back to add to their troubles.” Melissa wondered if she would be able to hold her head up when her condition became known.

  “What’s wrong, Melissa?”

  “Nothing.”

  “I don’t think that’s true.”

  “Okay, it’s not, but it’s not something I can talk about right now.”

  “If I can help, you know I will,” he said gently.

  He sounded sincere. She was tempted to confide in him, to share her troubles, but she held back. “Thanks, Mr. McNeil.”

  “You used to call me Richard.”

  “And you used to call me a brat.”

  He chuckled. “Not to your face.”

  She smiled for the first time in days. “No, not to my face, but I knew you disapproved of me.”

  He stopped the car in front of the entrance to the Enclave, an upscale condominium not far from the downtown area. Turning in his seat to face her, he said, “I never disapproved of you, Melissa, but sometimes I disapproved of the things you did.”

  She couldn’t meet his gaze. Instead, she looked up at the building where three of her siblings made their homes. “The wildest Hamilton kid has a news flash for you, Richard. Recently, I’ve done a lot of things you wouldn’t approve of. Making mistakes seems to have become my forte.”

  “People can change, Melissa. It’s not too late.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “I know I am. Just take it one small step at a time. The Lord will carry your burdens for you if you let Him.”

  She chose not to offend him by offering an opinion on his beliefs. He was welcome to them; she just didn’t share them anymore. She pushed open the door of his car and stepped out. Hefting her duffel bag over her shoulder, she leaned down and s
aid, “Thanks for the lift, and I’d like to ask for one more favor.”

  “Certainly, if I can.”

  “Please don’t tell my parents that you’ve seen me.”

  “Very well, but may I ask why?”

  “I’ve got to make some decisions before I see them. But don’t worry, I’ll see them soon.”

  “All right. Take care of yourself, Melissa.”

  “I will. Goodbye.”

  As he drove away, Melissa felt as if her only friend were leaving her in front of the lion’s den. Facing the building, she looked up at the six-story structure with renewed qualms about the wisdom of this move.

  “The truth is, I don’t have much in the way of options,” she muttered.

  She squared her shoulders and walked through the front doors. The uniform-clad guard on duty was one who knew her on sight. He nodded in her direction, then went back to reading the paper. The Observer, she noticed, not her family’s paper, the Dispatch. Even burly security guards liked a little scandal, it seemed.

  She took the elevator to the fourth floor and quickly found Amy’s apartment. Standing in front of her sister’s door, a dozen doubts flew through Melissa’s mind. What if Amy wouldn’t let her stay? What if she insisted on telling Mom and Dad about the baby? What if none of the family wanted her back?

  “One small step at a time, Melissa. That’s all you have to do,” she whispered, remembering Richard’s words.

  Taking a deep breath to quell the butterflies in her stomach, she raised her hand and knocked on the door.

  Chapter Two

  Melissa rapped on the door again, then waited, fighting down the urge to run. She was the bad penny, returning to bring more trouble to her already overburdened family. Maybe this hadn’t been such a good idea. She took a step back, but the door opened before she could vanish.

  Amy stood framed in the doorway, looking at first startled, then genuinely pleased. She grinned and Melissa knew she had made the right decision after all. She took a step toward Amy and found herself enveloped in a warm and welcoming hug. She cherished the feeling as she returned her sister’s embrace.

  A second later, Amy drew away but kept her hands on Melissa’s shoulders. Her hug was immediately followed by a firm shake. “It’s about time. Where have you been? When you didn’t show up after I sent you money, I thought you’d changed your mind.”

  “I did change my mind. About a dozen times, and then I changed it back again. I wasn’t sure anyone would want to see me after the way I took off.”

  “Of course we want you home. Everyone has been worried sick about you, Mom most of all.”

  “How is she?”

  “Holding up. You know Mom. She’s the Rock of Gibraltar in our family.”

  “She is that.” Melissa’s voice dropped to a whisper. “And Daddy, how is he?”

  “He’s had a hard time of it. He’s lost weight and he’s pale but he’s as stubborn and determined as ever. It hurt him when you ran off with Dean.”

  “You don’t have to tell me that Daddy doesn’t like Dean. I think that was partly the reason I started going out with him.”

  “Now that you’re back, you should go see Dad.”

  Shaking her head, Melissa looked away. “I can’t. Not yet.”

  Amy took Melissa’s hand. “Look at me, standing here scolding you instead of inviting you in. Come on, I have some people I want you to meet.”

  Melissa hesitated. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you had company. I should have called first. I’m not feeling up to meeting strangers.”

  “These people aren’t strangers. They’re going to be part of your family, too.”

  Amy pulled Melissa inside and steered her toward the condo’s spacious kitchen. A man and a young boy rose to their feet beside the table strewn with pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

  “Bryan, Dylan, I’d like you to meet my sister Melissa. Melissa, this is Bryan Healey and his son Dylan.”

  Melissa was bewildered to hear both love and pride in her sister’s voice as she introduced the pair. The man’s name sounded familiar. She searched her memory and then asked in surprise, “The same Bryan Healey you dated in high school?”

  “The very same,” he admitted with an engaging grin.

  Taking a closer look at Bryan, Melissa saw a man of about thirty with thick auburn hair. His deep brown eyes assessed her in return and she had the sinking feeling that he knew all about her.

  “Hello, Melissa. I’m pleased to meet you.” He held out his hand and she took it. His handshake was firm and his voice was definitely friendly, no matter what he was thinking.

  The boy with tousled auburn hair, glasses and freckles across his nose wormed his way in front of his dad and held out his hand. “Hi. I’m Dylan. I’m five. Amy is going to marry my daddy and be my mother ’cause my real mom is in heaven. Do you wanna help put our puzzle together?”

  Melissa turned her startled gaze to Amy. “What?”

  Amy blushed but nodded. “That wasn’t exactly how I intended to tell you, but yes, it’s true. Bryan and I are engaged.”

  Melissa fought down a stab of jealousy. She loved her big sister and wanted her to be happy, but this news coming so soon on the heels of her own unhappiness was bittersweet. She gave Amy a quick hug. “Congratulations. Wow, both you and Heather have gotten engaged.”

  Amy took a deep breath. “And someone else.”

  Puzzled, Melissa waited for more of an explanation.

  Bryan laid a hand on Amy’s shoulder. “I think Dylan and I will take off. You and your sister have a lot of catching up to do. Come on, son.”

  “Aw, do we have to?”

  “Yes,” he said. “Melissa has been out of the loop for a while and it’s going to take some time to get her up to speed.”

  “What’s a loop? Do we got a loop, Dad?”

  “Never mind. Go get your jacket.” Bryan bent to place a quick kiss on Amy’s cheek. “Call me later.”

  “I will, and thank you.”

  After he and Dylan left, Melissa sank onto Amy’s plush cream-colored damask sofa. “Okay, sis, bring me up to speed.”

  Amy swept her chin-length blond hair back behind her ears. “The news about the rest of the family can wait. How are you? You sounded so distraught when you called.”

  “I was, but I’m better now. We can talk about me later. Tell me what the others have been up to.”

  “My sister, Melissa, doesn’t want to talk about herself. That’s a first. All right, but I’m not exactly sure where to start.”

  “Start with Jeremy. How is he? Where is he?”

  “He called not long ago. I think I told you he left to go looking for his biological father’s family. He has located his grandparents in Florida.”

  “This is so totally strange. Out of all of us, Jeremy is the most like Dad.”

  “I know. I was as stunned as everyone else, but truthfully, it hasn’t changed the way I feel about him one bit. He’s still our brother.”

  “You’re so right, but it makes me wonder what else Mom and Dad haven’t told us. You implied that you and Heather weren’t the only ones to get engaged. Who else has taken the plunge?”

  “The twins started it all.”

  She stared at her sister in shock. “Heather and Chris? No way. To whom?”

  “Heather is engaged to Ethan Danes.”

  “I know you said Ethan on the phone, but do you mean she landed that hunky photographer at the magazine? How did that happen? Heather is so shy, she practically blends into the wallpaper.”

  “Not anymore. She received an amazing makeover the same day Ellen Manning, the magazine’s now ex-makeover expert, took off for greener pastures. You wouldn’t believe the change in Heather. She has really come out of her shell. I know it wasn’t easy for her, growing up between us.”

  “Between the homecoming queen and the drama queen, you mean?”

  Amy chuckled. “Something like that. Heather isn’t as outgoing as you or I, but she has a heart of g
old. That’s what Ethan fell in love with, not her new look.”

  “And Chris?”

  “That is a slightly longer story. I don’t know if you remember the woman reporter the paper hired a few months before you left, Felicity Simmons?”

  “Is she the one with long, red hair?”

  “That’s her. She was working on a story about political corruption when she began receiving threats. At first she blew it off, but it soon became apparent that she had a stalker.”

  “Let me guess. Brother Chris rides in on a white horse and saves the damsel in distress.”

  “I think it was his police cruiser, not a horse, but you’ve got the picture. It turns out that an aide to Mayor Whitmore had been taking payoffs from a local developer in a land scheme. When Felicity got too close to the truth, he tried to scare her away. When that didn’t work, he tried to kidnap her.”

  “Such wild goings-on in peaceful old Davis Landing. Who would have thought it? Is anyone else in the family getting married?”

  “Not at the moment, but Tim is dating Dawn Leroux.”

  “His administrative assistant?”

  “That’s right. I think Mom is hearing more wedding bells, but there hasn’t been anything official. Enough about our siblings. I want to talk about you.”

  “There isn’t much to talk about. I messed up again, only this time in a big way.”

  “Tell me what happened. You weren’t making a lot of sense when you called.”

  “I know. By the way, thanks for wiring me the money. I don’t know what I would have done otherwise. It meant a lot to me. I wasn’t sure anyone would want me back after this last stunt.”

  “Of course we want you here. We’re your family. We love you. I told everyone you had called and they were all glad you were okay.”

  Melissa looked at her sister in sudden panic. “You didn’t tell them I was pregnant, did you?”

  “Of course not. You asked me not to say anything and I didn’t. But you should go see Mom, at least.”

  “I will. In a day or two.”

  “Good. Now, tell me about Dean.”