“You expect me to swallow this? He’s had no contact with his daughter in all this time?”
“He signed away his legal rights to her because he didn’t want to pay child support,” Abby said, lowering her voice so Kimmie couldn’t hear. There was no reason she should know how little her own father valued her. “If you don’t believe me, I’ll give you Jamie Gibson’s office number. She’s the attorney who handled everything for me.”
Something flickered in the other woman’s eyes and her expression softened. “Don’t ask me why, but I believe you.”
“It’s the truth,” Abby said. One Dixon down, one to go. Relief made her knees weak and she sat down in one of the two waiting chairs. “Nora, I don’t understand what just happened. I haven’t seen Riley that distant since the first time I was in this office trying to collect my survival weekend.”
“I remember.” Nora looked uncomfortable.
“What?”
“Well…” She squirmed in her office chair. “There’s no easy way to say this.”
“Then just spit it out.”
“You remind him of his ex-wife.”
“I’m sorry I asked.” Abby blinked. “Define ‘remind.’ I’ve never done anything like she did to him.”
“No. It’s a resemblance—hair, eyes, height—that sort of thing.”
“Is that why he was so opposed to doing the weekend he’d donated?”
“Part of the reason,” Nora confirmed.
“What’s the other part?”
“He’s afraid.”
“Now I know you’re making this up.” Abby laughed, a tension reliever that was a dismal failure. “They say everyone has a twin, but I simply couldn’t be that unlucky. And Riley’s not afraid of anything.”
“I’m not making it up. And Riley would kill me for saying this. But he’s afraid of getting his heart broken again.”
“So am I,” Abby said. “But my friends made me see that sooner or later you have to take a chance, especially if you find a great guy like Riley. And one of my friends happens to be my divorce attorney.”
“No, Abby. You don’t understand.”
“Enlighten me.”
Nora leaned forward. “One of the things that made Riley such a good soldier was how much he loved it.”
“The army?”
Nora nodded. “Specifically the Rangers. He was good at it. The discipline and adventure suited him. He’d found his niche, his career. Oddly enough, the same nobility, loyalty and sense of honor that made him such a good soldier were the same virtues that cost him that way of life.”
“What do you mean?”
“He gave it up. For her.”
“Why?” Abby felt a knot the size of Delaware form in her midsection.
“Soldiers are frequently away. Deployed to hot spots around the world, sent overseas for months at a time. That lifestyle is hard on families. And he wanted to be a husband to Barb and a father to the child he considered his. His career made the odds of domestic success slim, and he didn’t want to take the chance.”
“And she let him resign his commission? She went along with his decision to end such a promising career?” Abby couldn’t believe it.
Nora nodded. “He gave up everything and she continued to take advantage.”
“How?”
“When he decided to get out, he knew he needed a plan and decided the military training he’d received would complement a security business. And Charity City was just the up-and-coming place to set up his base of operations.”
“How did Barb take advantage?” Abby glanced at Kimmie and assured herself that her daughter was still occupied.
“I’m getting there. When he was around all the time, too often she left him with the baby while she went off and did whatever she wanted.”
“At the same time he was trying to get his business off the ground?”
Nora nodded. “Then the biological father waltzes back into her life and just like that, she’s outta there.”
“She didn’t care about Riley at all.”
“Bingo,” Nora said.
“She took everything from him—the career he’d worked so hard to build, the family he’d sacrificed everything for and the child he loved.”
“The witch. If there wasn’t a child within earshot, I’d substitute a B for the W in that word.” Anger glittered in Nora’s eyes. “She took it all without a backward glance. It was clear she never cared about him and simply used him as a meal ticket as long as she needed him. So you can see why he’s gun-shy.”
“Unfortunately, yes. And Kimmie’s little bombshell was like déjà vu all over again.”
“Right in one.” Nora glanced over her shoulder at the closed door. “I’m not sure how long he’s going to be tied up, but if you want to wait—”
Abby shook her head. “I have to get Kim home. But thanks.”
“For what?”
“Explaining.”
“You’re welcome, I think.”
Abby knew she had some explaining of her own to do. But now wasn’t the time because Riley was with the client he’d kept waiting while putting her and Kim first. She’d talk to him at Kimmie’s scouting meeting. That would give her an opportunity to make him understand a few things—such as that she hated resembling the woman who’d crushed his heart. But she wasn’t that woman and her ex-husband may have called, but that didn’t mean this was a repeat of what Barb had done to him. Abby had no intention of going back to the man who’d turned his back on her and his daughter.
With a plan in place, Abby smiled confidently at Riley’s sister before ushering her daughter into the elevator. When they were alone, she remembered the dark look of betrayal on his face. The knot in her abdomen pulled tighter, and she knew it wasn’t about the elevator car plunging toward the first floor.
It was all about convincing Riley she’d had no contact with her ex-husband and wouldn’t take him back if he got down on his hands and knees and crawled all the way to the Panhandle.
Riley walked into the high school library for a quick look-see at the metal detector being installed there. Because it was lunchtime, most of the student body and faculty would be tied up in the cafeteria. But when his eyes adjusted from the bright sun outside, he saw Abby toying with a salad at her desk.
The sight of her was like a blow from a two-by-four to his midsection. She was so beautiful, it was almost painful to look at her. Because he didn’t want to see her.
And he wanted to see her more than anything.
She’d kissed him back on that camping trip. No question about it, in his mind. He’d been so sure her breathless reaction and passionate response had been genuine.
And a few days ago, when Abby and Kimmie had come to his office, the future had never looked brighter. Kim, with her precocious questions and asking him to be there for her, counting on his support. Then Abby had shyly suggested dinner, indicating her shift in policy regarding something personal. And last, the bombshell when her little girl had mentioned the father who was supposed to be out of the picture. So Riley had gotten his teeth kicked in again. And by the same scenario. Once wasn’t enough for him.
But now she was there looking at him and he had nowhere to go. Never a foxhole when you needed one. “Hi, Abby.”
“Hi, yourself.”
“I’m here to check out the new hardware,” he said, cocking a thumb at the electronic archway.
“I guess you thought I’d be at lunch. You probably wanted to slip in and out—covert-style.”
“I tried to pick a time that was the least disruptive to your students.”
Not seeing her would have been less disruptive—at least to his pulse and heart rate. His body was still reacting as if she were the sweet innocent he’d thought her to be. The woman with no ulterior motives.
“So much for a clean getaway. I decided to eat lunch in here today.” She stood and folded her arms over her chest, then leaned a hip against her desk. “Kimmie and I missed you at The Blue
bonnets last night.”
“Something came up.” He didn’t even pretend to misunderstand the statement, but he concealed the wince when she mentioned Kim.
“Something came up,” she said dryly. “Well, that certainly explains everything. Or is that what you say when you could tell me but then you’d have to kill me?”
He met her gaze and saw the anger snapping in her normally warm brown eyes. “I couldn’t make it,” he said vaguely.
“Still not clear. And buster, unless both your arms were broken, you don’t have a good enough excuse.”
“What does that mean?”
“You’re in the security business,” she said, lifting her chin toward the equipment he’d come to check. “You’ve got a passing acquaintance with gizmos. Surely you know your way around a cell phone. That’s child’s play for the average person.”
He should have called. The fact she was right made him defensive. “I don’t owe you anything.”
“Not me. Kimmie. You owe her something. You gave your word. And if that’s not bad enough, you broke a promise to a child—my child,” she said, tapping her chest. “But therein lies the problem. It’s because she’s my child that you hurt her. Because you’re angry with me. The least you could have done is give me a chance to explain.”
“There’s nothing to say.” He folded his arms over his chest. “My obligation to you is fulfilled. Kimmie got her badge—”
“How would you know? You weren’t there.” She held up her hand. “I know. You couldn’t make it. Look, Riley, just because I resemble your ex-wife doesn’t mean—”
There was only one person who could have given her that information. “What did Nora tell you?”
“That because of your commitment to your family, you gave up your career. I know you lost everything when your wife went back to her baby’s father.”
“And your point?” he said, barely holding onto his temper. He’d been an idiot then. He was an even bigger one now because he should have known better, but he’d marched in—double time—with his eyes wide open. Time to take it on the chin like a man.
“My point is that it doesn’t take a psychobabble expert to get that when you found out Kimmie’s father called, for you it was like history repeating itself.”
He looked around at the rows and rows of books. “Have you been spending too much time in the self-help section?”
“You should try it.” She walked over to the counter, which was the only thing separating them, and looked him straight in the eye. “But you could read all the books in the world and it comes down to one thing—it’s time to deal with it.”
“Is that the pot calling the kettle black?” he challenged.
“It would have been. But that day I came to your office, I’d decided to get over it.”
“I hear a but.”
“You bet there’s a but. You didn’t bother to ask questions. You simply went to the bad place.”
“Define bad place.”
“That’s where you assign me blame for something I haven’t done. I had no idea Fred called. Whether or not you believe it, that’s the truth. And I still don’t know why he did because I haven’t heard any more from him. Which is typical. And here’s some more of my point. He turned his back on his own child. There’s nothing he could say or do, now or ever, that would compel me to take him back after that. He violated a basic social and moral code, and it’s unforgivable.”
Hell of a time for him to remember she’d once told him he reminded her of her ex. “What does that have to do with me?”
“When I first met you, I jumped to the conclusion that you were like Kimmie’s father because you had a few things in common.” Her full lips tightened for a moment. “But everything you did said that you’re noble, loyal, conscientious, caring. And I felt like a jerk.”
“Look, Abby, it’s been a long time since I thought about any resemblance. I’m not judging you—”
“Yes, you are and you came to the wrong conclusion. But I’m judging you, too. And I think my first impression was right after all.”
“What does that mean?” he said. Now she was hitting below the belt.
“Kimmie’s father walked out on her. You’re doing the same thing.”
“Now wait a minute—”
“No,” she said, pointing at him. “I’m all my daughter has. If I don’t look out for her, who will? I won’t let you or anyone else get away with treating her badly. She’s just a child. She’s hurt and confused because of you. The worst isn’t that you’re just like Fred The Flake. The worst is that you made Kimmie think you were different. You made her care about you.”
“I care about her, too.”
“You have a funny way of showing it.” She brushed the back of her hand across her cheek and took a deep breath. “But then, I should have expected it.”
“Why?” He didn’t know why he asked because he knew he wasn’t going to like the answer.
“I was shocked and angry when my husband left and broke his promise to come back. But that’s nothing compared to what I feel now.”
“Which is?”
“I hate myself. I’m the worst parent in the world. I brought another man into our lives and my child has suffered because of it. And—”
She walked out from behind her counter and headed for the door.
When she started to pass him, he reached out and curled his fingers around her upper arm to stop her. “And what, Abby?”
She met his gaze and her own was glistening with unshed tears. “And I did what I said I’d never, ever do again. I fell for you.” She drew in a shuddering breath. “But I’ve learned to live with disappointment once. I can do it again.”
Chapter Eleven
Riley walked into his office to find Nora checking his calendar against a computer printout. “Good morning,” he said.
“Is it?”
“Yes?” he said hesitantly, hoping it was the right answer.
Personally, he hadn’t had a good morning—or night, for that matter—since he’d found out Abby’s ex-husband had called. He sat down behind his desk.
“Why do you look like you’re getting ready to work?” she asked.
“I own the company?” he replied questioningly.
She pointed to a hastily scribbled note on his desk calendar. “What’s DWD, and don’t even try to tell me it’s something to do with the Defense Department.”
“Driving while dysfunctional?” he tried.
“If that were true, no one would even be eligible for a license,” she pointed out. “Everyone I know suffers from varying degrees of dysfunction. We all have idiosyncrasies tending toward lunacy.” One of her eyebrows lifted, followed by a piercing look that meant she was going to make a point and he wouldn’t like it. “But for the record, I’d like to say that some of us have more degrees of dysfunction than others.”
He glanced at his scribbled note. “Look, it’s just letters. I was doodling.”
“Uh-huh.” She traced something else on the calendar. “And tell me these initials—A and K—inside a heart stand for that rifle thing.”
“I assume you’re talking about an AK-47. You know how I feel about them—”
“Don’t split hairs, Riley. What in the blazes does it stand for?”
Why did he even bother to try and sidetrack her? And he didn’t bother pretending he didn’t know what “it” she meant. “DWD means Doughnuts With Dad.”
“I’m going to take a shot in the dark here and guess it has something to do with Kimmie?”
He nodded. “School function.”
“And why is it on your calendar?” When he didn’t answer right away, she put her hands on her hips and gave him the look again. “Don’t bother to lie. I’ll know if you are.”
“I said I’d be there,” he admitted. He’d outright promised, but he didn’t want to phrase it that way.
“It’s today.”
“Yeah.”
“So what are you doing here?”
“I’m not going,” he said.
“But you promised.”
So much for his cautious phrasing. “Look, Nora, it’s complicated.”
She nodded, but the penetrating look in her eyes didn’t soften. “I can see how keeping a promise could be.”
“Here’s the thing. If I’m there, she’ll get the wrong idea. It will just prolong the inevitable. If I don’t show, she’ll forget about me by lunchtime. At first, she might be disappointed—”
He remembered Kimmie’s face when she talked about learning to live with disappointment. How many times could you knock a kid down before they stopped getting back up? He felt lower than a snake’s belly.
“Yes?”
“It’s complicated, Nora. Leave it alone.”
“I can’t. Because this isn’t about Kimmie. At least, not in a direct way. It’s about Abby, making it about you. That’s where it becomes my business.”
“What about Abby?”
“I’m going out on another limb here. This situation with her isn’t like with Barb.”
“And you know this how?”
“I just do. She said she had no idea her ex-husband called until Kimmie blurted it out here. I, for one, believe her. She doesn’t sound like a woman who’s planning on getting back together with the guy.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“You’re lying,” she accused.
She was right, although he’d eat glass before admitting it. The truth was, Abby and Kimmie mattered a hell of a lot. More than he’d meant for them to matter.
In his gut, he knew he’d never loved Barb. He’d realized it when Abby had asked him if his friendship with Barb had grown into love. He’d liked her, but loved the idea of having a family. When they broke up, it was his son he’d missed—not Barb.
But Abby was different. She lived love every single day. She was there, doing the hard stuff. Putting one foot in front of the other because she loved her child more than anything. She ran interference for Kimmie and wouldn’t let anyone dump on her because Abby cared with all her heart.
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