Huntington Family Series

by Rachel Ann Nunes

  With a snort of disgust, Tyler went down the steps. Quicker than he thought possible, the man caught up to him and touched his elbow. “Please,” he said. All the gruffness was gone from his voice, replaced by pleading. “I didn’t mean to hurt her. But she really shouldn’t have come. She has no idea what she’s getting into here. Believe me when I say it’s better that she leaves. Better that she doesn’t know me.”

  “Why?” Tyler shook off his hand. “Because it’s easier for you? Are you afraid of what the police will find when we call them?”

  “I’ve never abused my daughter. Never.”

  “You’re telling this to the wrong person.”

  Derek glanced toward the Jeep, the muscles in his jaw flexing. If Tyler hadn’t witnessed the man’s callous behavior before, he might think that he was fighting tears. Derek swung his gaze back to Tyler. “Then you’ll leave? Promise? I’ll explain everything to your satisfaction, but then you take her away. Deal?”

  Tyler considered for a moment. He knew Savvy wouldn’t leave without Lexi, unless she was sure she’d be safe, but he also didn’t like the risk of exposing Savvy further to Derek. He wanted to protect her. Yet ultimately, the choice would have to be Savvy’s. “I’ll talk to her,” he said. “But no more theatrics. You explain–nicely. If not, I won’t wait for any explanation. I’ll call the police immediately.”

  “Okay then.” Derek glanced again toward the Jeep. “You want me to talk to her now?”

  Was it Tyler’s imagination or was there an eagerness in his haggard face? “Not on your life,” he said. “You go back inside and wait.”

  Derek nodded. He took the first step before asking, “What are you to her anyway? Her boyfriend?”

  Tyler’s heart lurched. He wanted to be so much more than that, if Savvy would only let him. He shook his head. “We’re just friends.”

  The first signs of a smile touched Derek’s face. “I see,” he said. “I see.”

  Tyler knew he didn’t see anything. He didn’t know all the years between him and Savvy. Derek couldn’t possibly understand his yearning for her now.

  Without responding, Tyler stalked to the Jeep. Savvy didn’t look up as he opened the door and climbed inside next to her. He reached out and to his relief, she let him pull her toward him.

  With a little sigh, she rested her head on his chest as he leaned back against the seat. “I’m so sorry,” he ventured. He smoothed her hair, as soft as silk against his fingers. Having her close this way was satisfying, and he wished it wasn’t because she’d been hurt so deeply. But she had been, and if he was any kind of a friend, he wouldn’t try to take advantage of the situation.

  “I’m sorry,” he said again.

  She blinked, and a tear escaped her left eye and slid down her cheek, curving into the side of her lip. Gently, he touched the tear, rubbing it out as he wished he could erase her pain.

  “For what it’s worth,” he started again, “we took him by surprise.”

  “He doesn’t want me here.” Her voice was calmer than he expected. Had his presence steadied her? He hoped so.

  “Maybe not for the reasons you think.”

  She lifted her head and stared at him, her eyes luminous. “Because of Lexi?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. She didn’t act afraid of him after you left. She yelled at him–said she hated him–and ran out the door. But something’s not right here.”

  She drew away from him and leaned sideways into the back of the seat. “I’m not leaving without Lexi. Or until I know for sure. It doesn’t matter what he feels for me.”

  But it did matter. Tyler could see how much it mattered.

  “Don’t look at me like that,” she said.

  “Like what?”

  “Like I’m not worth anything because my own . . . my birth father doesn’t want me.”

  He grabbed her hand, his eyes never leaving hers. “I’m not looking at you like that, Savvy. I’m looking at you and wondering how he could be so utterly stupid. You’re beautiful, smart . . . funny . . . kind . . . thoughtful . . . loyal.” Tears stung his eyes.

  A faint smile came to her lips. “You forgot obedient, trustworthy, and thrifty.”

  “And brave and clean and reverent. Yes, you’re all that. And that’s amazing because you were never even a Boy Scout.”

  Savvy’s smile grew wider. “Ah, you always did know just what to say to a girl.”

  “Not to you,” he said.

  “Yes, to me, too.” Her lips pursed slightly, and Tyler knew she was thinking of the past. Didn’t she see how he’d changed?

  “Savvy, I–”

  “I’m not leaving.” She glanced up at the house, whose windows stared back at them blankly.

  “I told him that. He wants to talk to you and explain.”

  She gave a soft snort. “He should have thought of that before.”

  “We surprised him, remember?”

  Her brows drew together. “So you don’t think we should call the police?”

  “Not yet.”

  “What if Lexi doesn’t come back?”

  “She’ll come back. She seemed genuinely worried about her father on the way here . . . and about you a few minutes ago.”

  “I don’t know,” she said, staring down the street. “She’s pulling away from me. She’s barely talked to me in the past two days–unless we’re fighting. The only time she acted like she didn’t hate me was right after we found out that Derek was in the hospital. I don’t know what I did to make her turn on me.”

  “She’s a kid, that’s all. Maybe her father can shed some light on it.”

  Savvy glanced back at the house, and two more tears spilled from her eyes. “I’d thought . . . I’d hoped he’d . . . Oh, Tyler, I wish I never had to come.”

  “Me, too. But let’s hear him out.”

  Nodding, Savvy ran her fingers under her eyes, wiping the tears.

  “You missed a spot,” he said. Reaching out, he rubbed a shiny place near her chin.

  “Thanks.” Her voice was low.

  “Hey, I need the salt.” He made a show of pretending to lick his thumb.

  “I mean, for being here.”

  He sobered. “I meant what I said back in Utah. I want to be here for you. And after it’s over I want–”

  “Don’t.” She put a finger against his lips. “Please. Not now.”

  He had no choice but to acquiesce. “Come on, then.” He opened the door and helped her out. She stopped briefly to look in the side mirror and rub her fingers under her eyes again. Then she fluffed her hair. Tyler didn’t know why she bothered; she was already the most beautiful woman in the world.

  “Remember,” he said as they went up the walk, “he’s an idiot. Okay? That’s probably the reason Lexi ran away in the first place.”

  He took her hand, though she didn’t ask him to. Derek Roathe had better be nice, he thought with determination. Or I won’t be.

  * * *

  When Derek Roathe let them in, there was no trace of anger in his face. Savvy couldn’t believe this was the man who had so recently yelled at her to leave. What is he playing at? she wondered. If he thought she would be fooled by his abrupt attitude change, he would be surprised–again. She hadn’t needed him while she was growing up, and she certainly didn’t need his approval now.

  “Come here, child,” Derek said, settling back into his easy chair.

  A warmth radiated from him. Savvy imagined it running over the gold carpet and up through her toes, legs, stomach, and chest until it erupted on her face. She was so hot that she couldn’t breathe. She let go of Tyler’s hand and stepped forward.

  Derek’s eyes ran over her face. “So you’re Savannah.”

  “Yes, I’m Savannah. Or Savvy, rather.”

  “Savvy.” He experimented with the word. “He gave you that name, your . . . your mother’s husband. We always called you Savannah.”

  Savvy knew this was true–her dad had told her the story years ago. Now only h
er mother still called her Savannah.

  Derek rubbed a thin hand over his prominent nose and down the side of his face. Savvy could see he wasn’t as thin as she’d first assumed; muscles still rippled under the skin of his arm. “Come closer, would you?”

  Savvy had paused several feet from him, but now she stepped over to the couch next to his chair and sat down. Her hand clutched the strap of her purse.

  “So many years,” Derek mumbled. “I never thought you’d–I never thought I’d see you again.”

  “Lexi came to me.” Savvy glanced at Tyler, who walked to the end of the couch but didn’t sit. His arms were folded over his chest. Savvy knew he was watching out for her, though it hardly seemed necessary. Derek might be a rude, grouchy old man, but she didn’t think they were in danger. Of course, she could be wrong.

  Derek narrowed his eyes. “I wonder how she found you.”

  “She says your son wrote to my mom some months ago and asked for the address,” Savvy said. “But Mom said the only letter she got was supposedly from an old friend of mine. I think Brenton must have pretended to be that old friend and that Lexi got the address from him.”

  “Impossible.” Derek shook his head. “If there was a letter to your mom, Lexi wrote it herself.”

  There was a sound from the hallway, and they all looked up. Savvy thought she caught a movement but couldn’t be sure.

  “Lexi? Is that you?” Derek looked at Savvy. “She must have sneaked back in through the kitchen. Come here, Lexi.”

  Lexi stepped out from the cover of the wall. Her body was hunched, looking forlorn and dejected, but her eyes were bright with curiosity. Savvy motioned with a slight hand movement and was pleased when Lexi came to sit by her.

  “Tell them, Lexi. Who wrote that letter?”

  Lexi quailed briefly under her father’s stare. Then she lifted her chin in a way that had become familiar to Savvy. “So what if I did? I wanted to meet her. Brenton would have if . . . if . . .” She stopped. “You should have called her yourself, Daddy! She’s your kid!”

  Savvy’s own feelings echoed Lexi’s. She crossed her arms over her lap, experiencing a sudden chill.

  Derek’s nostrils flared. “Should?” He shook his head. “I gave up that right when I let her be adopted.”

  “And how could you do that?” Lexi jumped to her feet, hands curling into fists at her sides. “How could you just give her away? Didn’t you love her?” The force with which she spoke hinted that there was more to her question than appeared on the surface.

  But what? Savvy wondered.

  Derek met Lexi’s eyes. “Sometimes love doesn’t mean what you think it does.”

  “Well, what about what I want?” Lexi demanded. “Savvy’s my sister, and I have the right to know her. But I might never have even known I had a sister if I hadn’t found those pictures last year! How fair is that?”

  The muscles worked in Derek’s jaw. “Life is not fair, Lexi. You should know that by now.”

  “For some people it is! Like with Savvy. Turns out that you giving her up was the best thing that ever happened to her. I met her new dad and guess what? He’s really great. And you know why? Because he fought to get her as a daughter, didn’t he? He didn’t let you whisk her away from him.”

  “You know nothing about what happened!” Derek thundered, coming to his feet. He was as tall as Tyler, but his indignation made him seem taller, threatening. “Savvy’s adoptive father was willing to do whatever it took to make her happy. That’s love. Don’t you see? He helped me understand that if I loved her I had to do what was best for her–as he was willing to do. And I knew for darn sure that she’d have a better life with them than being torn between homes. My second wife, Melinda, was no kind of a mother, and I wasn’t ready to be a father.” His voice softened, becoming almost pleading. A glance at Savvy made her understand that he was talking as much to her as to Lexi. “Imagine if Savvy’d had to grow up with that? I had to protect her–especially from Melinda. You saw what happened to Brenton over the years he had to go to her house. He never knew where he belonged.”

  “Well, that makes two of us!” Lexi was flushed now. “But I guess that doesn’t matter, does it? Soon, I’ll just be another child you threw away.” With that, Lexi turned and stalked from the room, every line of her thin body rigid with fury.

  Savvy blinked as Lexi disappeared down the hallway. What had just happened here? Her father had affirmed what her mother had told her all along, that he had loved her–loved!–but had given her up to what he deemed a better life. And to be fair, it had been a very, very good one. She’d had wonderful parents who loved her and raised her in the gospel; she’d been surrounded by siblings and a loving extended family; she had been given every educational opportunity and endless support. The only thing that had been missing was him, and if she were truthful, her dreams of him, her yearning to know him, had leant a healthy romantic air to her otherwise ordinary life.

  Derek looked down at her, his wiry body taut. “You have been happy, haven’t you?” His voice was gruff, betraying deep emotion.

  “Yes,” she answered simply, honestly. “I’ve had the best life anyone could ever have.” Then, lest she had hurt his feelings, she added, “But I have wanted to meet you.”

  He sat again in his easy chair, a wistful smile coming to his face. “I know you’ve had a happy life. I can tell by looking at you. You have a certain air.” He shook his head. “And you are every bit as beautiful as your mother was when I married her.”

  “Thank you.” Savvy felt stunned at this new side of him. What had caused him to be so awful when she’d first arrived?

  Maybe it’s all a show. Savvy wanted to push the thoughts aside, but how could she? He might be faking everything, and there were still many unanswered questions. Whatever happened, she wasn’t ready to trust this man. “I should go check on Lexi,” she said to cover her confusion.

  Derek shook his head. “Give her time to calm down. She needs that, like her mother always did. Besides, there are things we should talk about before you leave. It’ll be better if she’s not here. We can start with that cut on her leg.” His brusque manner was back, his emotions hidden.

  Savvy sat up straighter on the couch. “She as much as told me you were responsible.”

  “In a way, I was.” Derek cleared his throat, but that led to a coughing fit. “Sorry,” he said when it eased. “I’ve been ill.”

  That’s right, Savvy thought. He collapsed when he was looking for Lexi. But if he wasn’t going to say it, neither would she.

  “Let’s see, where were we? Ah, yes. Last summer I sent Lexi away to camp. I admit that it was more for me than for her.” He rubbed the side of his nose. “I, uh, needed some time to myself. She didn’t want to go. We fought, but in the end, she went to please me. One day she was out hiking and she fell. Hurt her leg pretty badly. Had sixteen stitches and came home early. To be honest, I was glad. I’d missed her.”

  Savvy guessed he believed what he was saying, but that didn’t mean she did. “She’s been gone a whole week, Derek.” Savvy stumbled over the unfamiliar use of his name, but she could hardly call him Dad. Jesse would always be her real dad. “Lexi was gone an entire week before you noticed. Frankly, I don’t see how that could happen.”

  His frown sliced two deep lines in his cheeks. “I know it sounds bad, but you don’t understand Lexi. In the summer, she’s a busy kid, and when school starts, she’s never around. She’s in drama and choir and on the yearbook committee. She has a friend she’s hardly ever without. She was supposed to be at her house from Thursday through the weekend. The kid is from a good family, and I like them to be together. It’s better than hanging out with some of those kids nowadays. Especially this boy she likes–Zeke. She actually wanted to go out with him. At her age! I had to forbid her to see him.

  “Then there were notes on the table in her handwriting, and her room looked like someone had been there. I knew she was mad at me, so as long as I knew where
she was–or thought I did–I wasn’t going to push it. When I got a message from the school, though, I went down to see what was going on. That’s when I realized she wasn’t just avoiding me. She’d taken off.”

  Derek paused, studying Savvy’s expression. “You don’t believe me, do you? Well, I’m telling the truth. There are other things that you know nothing about, and quite frankly, I’m not sure they’re any of your business.”

  Savvy keep her gaze steady. “My sister is my business.”

  “I know what I’m doing.” He lifted his chin exactly as Lexi had done, making Savvy almost want to smile.

  “What about your son?” Tyler sat on the couch in the place Lexi had vacated, his knee brushing against Savvy’s. “You said before he couldn’t have written that letter to Savvy’s mother. Why?”

  Derek rubbed his chin for several long seconds without answering. Savvy wondered if she imagined the light draining from his eyes–blue eyes that reminded her so much of Lexi’s . . . and her own. When he spoke, Savvy had to strain to hear the words. “Brenton is dead. He died in the same plane accident that took Lexi’s mother five years ago.”

  Savvy’s mouth opened in a silent gasp, followed quickly by a devastating sense of loss. Lexi’s beloved, perfect brother was dead. Never in this lifetime would Savvy have the chance to meet her half brother. They wouldn’t be able to compare life experiences. She would never be able to ask him how her father had been when he was younger and what kind of life he’d had with Derek and Melinda. She couldn’t ask if he had known about her or what their father had told him about her adoption.

  Tears filled her eyes. For a week she had looked forward to meeting Brenton, her desire further driven by Lexi’s obvious worship of her big brother. She’d had no idea that she was five years too late.

  But Derek’s next words filled her with even more shock. “Lexi believes she’s responsible for his death,” he said. “And in a way, she’s right.”