Her lungs folded in on themselves. Air. She needed air. Clumsily, she stumbled her way outside with Colton on her heels.
“Look, Naomi.” The sound of Mark’s voice hadn’t changed in ten years. It still had that deep rumble, that coarse edge. “I know you hate me. I completely failed when I walked out on you and Gracie. I was a loser.”
She didn’t argue. That was an accurate description for a guy who had walked out on his wife and infant daughter…
“But I’ve gotten myself together. I’ve got my own landscaping business now.”
As if that changed anything! In the silent pause, she heard her own breath hiss into the phone.
Colton squeezed her shoulder. “What’s he saying?” he mouthed.
She ignored him and concentrated on remaining upright.
“I’ve changed a lot,” Mark said firmly. “And I want to see my daughter. I want to know her. I want that more than anything.”
“She’s not your daughter,” Naomi whispered. “She’ll never be your daughter. You left. And she knows nothing about you.” She squeezed her eyes shut to alleviate the pounding in her forehead. She should’ve found out the truth a long time ago. She should’ve done a paternity test when Gracie was born. All of these years with no word from him and now he wanted to waltz in and change everything…
She sank to an iron bench in front of the brick building. Without missing a step, Colton sat next to her, his arm positioned protectively around her shoulders.
“I know I haven’t been her father,” Mark said, filling her stunned silence. “I know I don’t deserve to be now. But I never terminated my parental rights. I never legally gave her up.”
Fear dug its claws into her heart. “You have no rights,” she choked out. He’d never cared…
“Yes. I do.” He said it almost apologetically. “I’ve met with a lawyer.”
She glanced up at Colton for reassurance, but obvious concern had etched lines into his forehead.
“Look,” Mark went on. “I don’t want it to be like that. I’d rather you and I could work this out. Together. Everything can be on your terms. I’ll do whatever you tell me to do as long as I can have a relationship with her.”
She gripped the phone with both hands, afraid she’d drop it. “And what would that look like?” she demanded. “You obviously don’t live in Topaz Falls.” God, she was not about to let her daughter go off to Denver every weekend to spend time with a man she didn’t even know.
“I’m not sure what it’s supposed to look like yet,” he said quietly. “We can decide that together.”
“Together?” A bitter laugh tripped up her throat. “Together? I’ve done everything alone for ten years. Everything.” She’d scraped together money to buy diapers and formula. She’d found a place to live, a way to support herself. She’d taught Gracie to walk and talk. She’d taught her to follow the rules, to be a good person. She’d held her while she cried, while she was sick with a fever and the stomach flu. “I figured it all out by myself,” she fumed. “And you know what, Mark? She doesn’t need you. Not now. Not ever. It’s too late.” Her thumb moved to the off button.
“Don’t be like this.” There was a warning in his tone. “Please. Don’t make me get the courts involved. It doesn’t have to be that way.”
The courts. She grabbed Colton’s hand and strangled it in her own. He couldn’t get the courts involved, could he? “You can’t just come waltzing into her life like this. She doesn’t know you. She doesn’t even know anything about you.” She’d never told Gracie much about Mark. Her daughter hadn’t asked much. She didn’t need to because she had a whole community of people who loved her—who’d been enough for her. Naomi had built that. She’d given her a safe place in the world.
Her eyes found Colton’s, searching for reassurance, but his uneasy gaze wandered away as though he was already thinking through the next steps.
“Listen.” Mark sighed. “I’m not going to let this go. I want—”
She stabbed the off button and held the phone tightly in her hand, staring at it. She couldn’t listen to him anymore. Couldn’t even begin to understand what he was asking of her. “I can’t believe he called. I can’t believe he wants to see Gracie.”
“I always worried he’d pull something like this.” Colton stood and hoisted her up to her feet.
She tottered around on stiff legs. “I should’ve listened to you. I should’ve made sure he could never claim any rights to her.” Years ago, Colton had tried to get her to legally terminate Mark’s parental rights, but she hadn’t seen the need. She never dreamed he’d come back. In fact, it’d almost been a relief when he left. She never should’ve married him. She’d never loved him. And she’d always hoped Gracie wasn’t his daughter, anyhow.
“The thing is, Naomi…” Colton tipped up her chin until she could look into his dark eyes and read the worry. “He has a case. My guess is he’s found a good lawyer. He knows he could fight for visitation rights or shared custody.”
“How is that possible?” she breathed. “How could anyone give him custody after he walked away? He never called. Never sent money. Never even sent her birthday cards…”
Colton slipped an arm around her as though he sensed she needed the extra support. “It’s not fair, but unfortunately the courts don’t always care about what’s fair. The state likes to see kids stay connected to their birth parents. If you work with him, at least you’ll still have some control. It sounds like he’s willing to grovel and bend over backward to make this happen.”
Even though the hot sun beat down on her head, she shivered. “God, Colton. You really don’t think the courts would be on my side, do you?”
His grim expression answered for him. Right now, he wasn’t her friend. He was a lawyer. A worried lawyer. “I can hire a private detective in Denver to check up on him. See if there’s anything we can use against him. But if he’s really gotten his shit together, they might let him have a shot at sharing custody.”
This couldn’t be happening. Not now. They’d been fine for ten years. She sank to the bench again, trying to take in deep, even breaths. “I don’t know if he’s Gracie’s real father,” she murmured.
Colton leaned down as though he hadn’t heard right. “Pardon?”
“He might not be Gracie’s father,” she said louder, stronger. “I was with Lucas two nights before he got arrested.”
“Whoa.” Her friend slowly sank to the bench. “How’d you neglect to mention that all these years?”
For the same reason she hadn’t told anyone else. “It was humiliating. And I was so scared. Lucas was gone. For good.” At the time, she’d thought that being with someone—having the baby with someone—would be better than doing it on her own. “All these years, I’ve had my doubts Gracie is Mark’s daughter. Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but maybe not.”
“Does Lucas know that?” Colton demanded as though still offended she’d left him in the dark.
“No,” she admitted. “I…I wrote him a letter and told him, but he never even opened it.” Anger battled back the deep sadness that rose inside of her. If he hadn’t shut her out, things would be so different. She was sure of it.
“So you married Mark even though you didn’t know if Gracie was his?” He didn’t speak condescendingly, but his words raised her defenses anyway.
“Yes,” she snapped. “Because Lucas was gone. And I wanted Gracie to have a father.” But Mark hadn’t been ready for it. Naomi had started bonding with the baby the moment she’d found out she was pregnant, but he’d kept his distance.
“Lucas has been back in Topaz Falls for months,” Colton reminded her.
“And I haven’t found the right time to tell him everything.”
“The right time?” Her friend gaped at her, his eyebrows raised nearly to his hairline. “He’s been here on and off since last fall. But you haven’t found the right time to tell him?”
She stared across the street, watching the willow branches in fr
ont of the library sway in the wind. “I’m going to. Tonight. We’re already planning to meet.”
“You should’ve told him a long time ago,” Colton said, pacing while he glared down at her. “If Gracie is Lucas’s daughter then Mark has no rights to her. He can’t fight for custody.”
Which meant she could protect Gracie from him. Things could stay the way they were. “What do I have to do?” she asked, rising to her feet, suddenly willing to scale Topaz Mountain if it meant she could keep Mark out of Gracie’s life. “How can I find out for sure?”
“You have to submit a DNA sample from one of them. Send it to a lab.”
“Okay.” That didn’t sound so hard. “I’ll ask Lucas tonight. After I tell him.”
Colton nodded his approval. “In the meantime, I know a private detective in Denver who can check up on Mark. If he does happen to be her biological father, maybe my guy will find something we can use.”
“Great. Yes. A private detective.” The comfort of a plan evened out her pulse. “What else can I do?”
“You make sure you tell Lucas as soon as possible,” Colton said as though he trusted her about as much as he trusted a Russian spy. “Because this is serious. You likely don’t have much time before Mark tries to contact you again.”
She looked down at her phone, still pressed tightly against her palm. “How long will the genetic testing take?”
“If I call in some favors and rush it, I can probably hear back from the lab within a week. Two at the most. But you’ve got to do this tonight.”
“I will—”
The receptionist stuck her head out the door. “Ms. Sullivan? Mr. Hollingsworth will see you now,” she said as though annoyed she’d had to track Naomi down.
“Right.” She dug a water bottle out of her purse and took a quick sip in hopes of soothing the terrified squeak that kept breaking through her voice.
“Come on.” Colton led her back inside, where they veered down a short hallway. She focused on the breathing techniques she’d learned when she was pregnant and hoped her face wasn’t splotched with emotion.
Mr. Hollingsworth greeted them at the door to his office. He was a grandfatherly type, short and stout with the white mustache of a gentleman.
“Naomi, Colton.” He shook both of their hands before inviting them in. The office was as small as a closet but held two straight-backed chairs. The walls were decked out with pictures of his family.
“I know you’re both busy, so we’ll make this as quick and painless as possible.” He retrieved a manila folder from a drawer and handed it over. “I’m pleased to tell you that we’ve decided to grant your business loan. We have all the paperwork ready to go.” His twinkling eyes smiled at her. “I hope you brought a pen.”
She tried to smile back, tried to claim the happiness that should’ve been hers in this moment. The start of a dream she’d had for herself a long time ago. But the shock of Mark’s call filled her with a cold fear. What if he got visitation? Shared custody? Would she be able to stay in Topaz Falls? Or would she have to move to Denver?
“I brought a pen,” Colton finally said, giving her hand a squeeze. He fished it out of his briefcase and handed it to her.
“Do you have any idea when you’ll open the inn?” Mr. Hollingsworth asked politely.
“Hopefully before Christmas.” She managed a polite smile. Topaz Falls was famous all over Colorado for its festive Christmas celebrations. “But I haven’t officially given my notice at the ranch, so I’ll see how much longer they’ll want me to stay to wrap everything up.”
“I’m sure they’ll miss you,” the loan officer said dutifully. “It sounds like you’ve done great things for them.”
And they’d done great things for her. “I’ve loved working there, but they’re starting a new chapter and so am I.” At least she hoped so. She hoped Mark wouldn’t screw this up for her.
“Well, let’s get you started so we can all get out of here in time for lunch,” Mr. Hollingsworth said, sliding the first legal-sized paper across the desk.
She signed paper after paper, doing her best to listen as Mr. Hollingsworth explained the terms of her loan.
“Well, this is it,” he eventually announced, sliding one last paper across the desk. “Congratulations, Naomi. I’m sure the bed and breakfast will be a huge success.”
“Thanks,” she said, rising from the chair. The weight of uncertainty draped her shoulders. Somehow she shook the man’s hand, even though hers trembled. One week ago, everything had been so certain: She’d open the bed and breakfast and she and Gracie would start a new life—a new adventure. Now she had no idea what would happen. Whether she’d be forced to spend half of her life away from her daughter…
“Come on.” Colton positioned himself at her side, leading her out of the office and down the hallway.
They stepped out in the sunlight and she finally gasped in a panicked breath. “Oh my God, Colton. Oh my God.” She gripped his arm so tightly she had to be cutting off his circulation. “What if he gets shared custody? What am I going to do?”
He plucked her fingers off his suit coat and steered her to face him. “You can’t worry about that,” he said with authority. “Not yet. Talk to Lucas first. We need to get this all sorted out before Mark has time to do anything else.”
“Right.” She took his arm again and started to walk down the sidewalk. “I’ll talk to Lucas.”
She only hoped he didn’t hate her when he found out the truth.
Chapter Six
Lucas couldn’t remember the last time he’d been early anywhere, but he found himself standing outside Darla’s chocolate and wine bar exactly ten minutes before he was supposed to meet Naomi.
All day, the minutes had crawled by. He and Lance had spent most of the afternoon evaluating each of the bulls and deciding which ones to sell off in order to free up enough cash to make the new purchase. Lucas had even called up a few of his contacts to generate some interest so they could unload them quickly. They’d gotten a lot accomplished, though he wasn’t quite sure how, given the way his thoughts kept drifting back to that kiss with Naomi.
Craving another taste of her lips, he pushed through the doors and scanned the restaurant. There were a few patrons at the bar—tourists it seemed—but otherwise it was pretty empty. He hadn’t been in here before this—hadn’t exactly had a reason to go to a swanky wine bar—but he had to admit it was a nice place. In contrast to the country clutter most business owners in Topaz Falls stockpiled, Darla seemed to prefer a modern and clean look. The floors were a bronzed concrete and the tall pub tables were made from old wine barrels. Contemporary prints hung on the walls, giving it a much higher-end feel than the Tumble Inn.
“Hey, Lucas,” Darla called from behind the bar. “You want to take that table over there by the window?”
He glanced to where she was pointing. The table for two sat in a quiet corner, somewhat secluded, though it had a great view of Main Street and the mountains beyond. The sun was still bright for seven o’clock, illuminating the reddish cliffs of Topaz Peak.
“That’d be great,” he said. As one of Naomi’s closest friends, Darla obviously knew why he was here. The way Naomi and her friends got together so often, he wasn’t surprised.
He’d no sooner made it to the table than Darla stood there with her notepad. “So how you doing?” she asked with a twinkle in her eye.
Yep, she definitely knew about their date. And she seemed happy about it, which meant maybe he could mine her for some information. “I’m good,” he said, taking a quick glance at the menu. “How about you? Things going well around here?” He might be out of practice at buttering up a woman, but hopefully it was like riding a bike.
“Things are great.”
It was nice to have someone in town smile at him instead of look at him with a scowl.
“It was quiet this spring, but things are starting to pick up,” she said hopefully.
Spring was typically a slow season aro
und Topaz Falls, muddy and sloppy with all of the snow melting. But temperatures still tended to be too cold for people to enjoy the summer activities that made the town famous.
“Good. That’s great.” He set down the menu. “I think we’ll take a bottle of your most expensive Shiraz and whatever chocolates you recommend to go with it.”
Her dark eyes went wide. “Really? Are you sure? That’s a three-hundred-dollar bottle of wine.”
What was three hundred dollars when he was finally getting Naomi all to himself? “I know.” He handed her the menu. “It’ll be worth it. Right?” he probed. Naomi was warming up to him. She’d stopped running. Hell, she’d even let him kiss her.
Glancing around, Darla pulled out the chair across from him and sat. “Naomi is worth every penny,” she agreed.
“Do you think she’ll like the wine?” he asked, easing a deeper question into his tone. Darla knew Naomi better than anyone. Surely they’d discussed this date. Surely she knew exactly how Naomi felt about him.
“Yes. I think she’ll like the wine.” She leaned in closer. “A word to the wise, though, Lucas. Keep an open mind, okay? Think before you say anything tonight.”
“Huh?” That wasn’t exactly what he’d expected her to say. “What do you mean? Why wouldn’t I have an open mind?”
Her lips pursed as though she was considering something. “Just…this moment will define a lot for you two. Okay? Remember that—”
Before he had time to ask what the hell she was talking about, the bells above the door jangled and Naomi walked in.
God, just the sight of her knocked the air out of him, leaving room for nothing but pure astonishment. She was radiant…wearing a long, flowy skirt with a tight shirt underneath a light open sweater. Her cheeks were pinker than usual, and he wondered if it had anything to do with the same passion that was now streaming through him.
She scanned the restaurant and saw him, though her expressionless face made it difficult to interpret how she felt.
As she approached the table, he stood. “Hey.” He would’ve liked to kiss her again, but that would have to wait. She seemed distracted. Was she nervous?
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