The Pint-Sized Secret

by Sherryl Woods

  He reached out as if to touch her cheek, then let his hand fall away. “I hope you do, Brianna. Not just for my sake or my dad’s, but for Emma’s. This job has given the two of you stability, and I’d hate to see you lose all that because the Delacourt men are fools.”

  “Not fools, Jeb, just misguided.”

  “If you can see that, then maybe someday you will forgive us.”

  Brianna wished she could believe that, wished that this whole nightmare had never even begun, but wishing couldn’t change anything. She felt every bit as betrayed as she had when Larry had walked away from her and Emma without a backward glance.

  “I have to go,” she said.

  Jeb nodded, though there was no mistaking the regret in his eyes. “Do what you have to do.”

  What she wanted to do was hurl herself into his arms and pretend that everything was going to be okay, but that was out of the question. Instead, even though her heart was breaking, she made herself walk away.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Brianna debated long and hard about whether to return to Delacourt Oil. The decision had nothing to do with the job itself. She loved it. She always had. It wasn’t even about the potential harm that had been done to her reputation, because the people who really mattered, the industry big shots like Jordan Adams and Bryce Delacourt, had known all along that she was guilty of nothing.

  Rather, it had everything to do with the knowledge that she was bound to bump into Jeb from time to time. She knew from Mrs. Hanover and Carly that he was still very much in evidence. Apparently he and his father had made their peace. No one believed in the importance of family more than she did. Because of that, she was glad for them, even if it did complicate her own decision.

  She couldn’t go on indefinitely in this professional limbo. Jordan Adams had put his money where his mouth was. He had made her a firm offer to join his staff, which would mean moving to Los Piños.

  A few days ago she had gone for a visit and she genuinely liked the small town, liked the people in Jordan’s company, loved all of the Adamses, whom Jordan had insisted she meet. But the thought of uprooting Emma or, worse yet, leaving her over in Houston, even temporarily, was out of the question.

  “I’m sorry, Jordan,” she said when they met again after she’d weighed the decision for days. “I can’t do it, as much as I would like to. The timing just isn’t good for my daughter.”

  “I understand,” he said, though with obvious disappointment. “Once she’s back on her feet again, if you change your mind, the offer holds. You’ll always be welcome here, Brianna. I feel as if I owe you at least as much as Bryce does for my part in that whole farce.”

  When she would have spoken, he held up a hand. “No argument. And this isn’t just about that, either, in case you thought it was. You’re a fine geologist. We’d be lucky to get you.”

  He studied her, his expression serious. “Mind if I butt in on something that is none of my business?”

  She laughed. “Everyone else has. Why not you?”

  “I don’t think Emma is the only reason you’re turning me down.”

  She had a hunch she knew where he was heading and decided to nip the speculation in the bud. “Of course it’s about Emma. Everything I do has to be about my daughter’s welfare.”

  “She could get the care she needs over here, even if we had to fly in therapists,” he pointed out. “Which I would be more than happy to do. She could have a full-time nanny or a nurse and be at home with you. In some ways she would be even better off than she is now. I think she might thrive in this environment. Kids do.” His gaze locked with hers. “But you’d still turn me down, wouldn’t you?”

  Brianna winced at the accuracy of his assessment. Obviously he had sensed something in her that she hadn’t wanted to see.

  “If you love Jeb, work it out. Give him a chance to make up for hurting you. One thing Bryce had right about this family is that each and every one of us understands the power of love. We respect it. And we know it’s the one thing in life you should never back away from, especially not out of fear of being hurt.”

  “I appreciate what you’re saying, but you’re wrong. I don’t love Jeb and he doesn’t love me,” she insisted. “If he had, he would never have done what he did.”

  “What did he do that was so terrible?” Jordan asked quietly. “Think about it, Brianna. He tried to defend his family, even when it cost him the love of a woman he cared about. Isn’t that the kind of man you’d like in your corner when the chips are down?”

  Brianna sighed. “Maybe so,” she conceded. But it wasn’t going to happen. There was simply too much water under that particular bridge. She didn’t waste time pointing out that the chips had been down and Jeb hadn’t been there for her.

  “Think about what I’ve said. I don’t mind losing you, if it’s for the right reasons. Be honest with yourself, at least.”

  Brianna thought she was being honest with herself. She couldn’t love a man who’d betrayed her. She wouldn’t.

  Even if her heart said otherwise.

  When Brianna walked out of his father’s office two weeks earlier, Jeb had feared that she was just as literally walking out of his life. Letting her go without a fight was one of the hardest things he’d ever done, but he knew she needed time to heal before she would even listen to anything he said.

  When he heard she was interviewing with Jordan Adams, it gave him a few bad moments. A few days later, when his father told him that she’d made the decision to come back to Delacourt Oil, relief washed through him.

  “Give her some space,” his father advised. “Let her get her feet back under her.”

  “As if I’d take courting advice from you,” Jeb said dryly. “You must have a short memory. It was your meddling that brought us to this point.”

  “That doesn’t mean I don’t understand a thing or two about the way a woman’s mind works,” his father said defensively. “Your mother and I have been together for close to forty years now. That didn’t happen without a few rough patches. We worked them out.”

  Jeb couldn’t argue with that. The longevity of his parents’ marriage was due to more than inertia. Obviously there was a deep-rooted sense of commitment and understanding between them.

  “Okay, what would you do?” Jeb asked. “I can’t just sit idly by and wait for something to happen.”

  His father looked relieved and a little pleased by Jeb’s question. “There’s another O’Ryan female, you know.”

  “Emma?”

  “Exactly. I imagine she gets lonely from time to time. Goodness knows, her own daddy doesn’t pay her any visits. It seems to me that a smart man who’s very sure that he wants her mother would be wise to get to know the daughter.”

  “Emma and I already spend time together,” Jeb admitted.

  His father regarded him with surprise. “You do? Does Brianna know that?”

  “Not unless Emma’s told her, and I don’t think she has. I’m sure I would have heard about it.”

  His father chuckled. “Yes, I imagine you would have. She’s a cute kid, isn’t she?”

  Now it was Jeb’s turn to be surprised. “You’ve seen her?”

  “From time to time. Whenever I get a hankering to see my own grandbabies, I go and spend time with Emma. She takes the edge off the need.”

  “When did this start? She hasn’t mentioned it.”

  “Hasn’t mentioned you to me either. I guess she has her mother’s ability to keep a secret.”

  Jeb sighed. “Dad, why not go and see your own grandchildren? Dylan and Trish would welcome you.”

  “Once you’ve taken a stand, it’s hard backing down,” his father said. “Pride tends to get in the way.”

  “To hell with pride.”

  “That’s easy for you to say. You haven’t been there.”

  “Haven’t I? It seems like I’ve been apologizing to Brianna since the day we met. That stubborn woman hasn’t weakened yet, but I’ll keep going back until sh
e does. You just told me to fight for her. Can’t you do the same when it comes to Trish and Dylan and their kids? You fought hard enough to keep me here. Why not do at least as much to keep them in your life?”

  His father’s glance strayed to the framed pictures on the corner of his desk, snapshots that Jeb had brought him from Los Piños not all that long ago. He sighed heavily. “You’re right, son. You’re absolutely right. I’ve let your mother influence me on this for far too long. If she refuses to come, I’ll go alone.”

  “You won’t regret it, Dad.”

  “Thanks for giving me the push I needed.”

  Jeb left his father’s office with a sense that he’d finally accomplished one mission. It appeared that at least one family reunion was destined to take place. Now if only he could force his own reunion with Brianna, he thought his world might be just about perfect. Considering what a disaster he had almost made of everything, it was probably more than he deserved.

  Brianna buried herself in work. She wanted to prove to anyone with lingering doubts that she was absolutely and totally devoted to Delacourt Oil.

  Not that anyone in the department had dared to voice their doubts aloud. Bryce had apparently had a talk with all of them, reassuring them that the suspicions and rumors had been completely without merit. He had accepted full responsibility for the situation, though he hadn’t gone into detail. According to Roy, almost everyone had taken him at his word. He hadn’t really given them any choice.

  “Susan will never believe that you weren’t guilty of something, even though she’s not precisely sure what,” Roy said. “She’s just miffed that Homer’s term at the helm was so short-lived. I’ve heard rumblings that both of them may retire before the end of the year.”

  That was not an outcome Brianna really wanted. Homer was an excellent scientist. He stayed on top of the latest technology and was as savvy as they came in the lab. She made it a point to have a talk with him on her first day back on the job. This time she confided in him about her own situation with Emma.

  “I deliberately kept that quiet before so that no one would feel I wasn’t capable of giving my all to this job. That was a mistake. Secrets are never healthy.”

  Homer seemed taken aback, not by the revelation, but by her willingness to share it with him. “Why are you telling me this now?”

  “Because I need you here and I want you to know why. Your experience is valuable to this department. I can’t do everything. I want someone I can rely on as backup when my daughter’s needs take precedence over my job.”

  He nodded slowly. “We would have done that for you before,” he pointed out. “If only you’d asked.”

  “I know that now. But I’ve learned from my mistakes. Can I count on you, Homer?”

  “Of course. The others will pitch in, too. Delacourt Oil is a family. Despite whatever faults he might have, Bryce Delacourt has seen to that.”

  If only Homer knew just how much it was about family, Brianna thought wryly. “Yes,” she agreed. “He has.”

  Amazingly enough, her talk with Homer did make her life simpler. Suddenly things that had taken so much of her time were quickly and expertly handled by other members of the team without her even having to delegate them. She found that she could leave the office by four-thirty or five, rather than six-thirty or seven. That meant more time with Emma.

  Unfortunately, Emma increasingly had plans of her own. For a five-year-old, she seemed to have an incredibly active social life all of a sudden. She was rarely in the sunroom when Brianna arrived. Where she was seemed to be a deep, dark secret. Gretchen always made Brianna wait at the nurse’s station while she went to fetch Emma.

  But whatever was going on, Brianna couldn’t deny that her daughter appeared happier than ever. She was smiling all the time now. In fact, if it weren’t for the fact that she was still tied to that wheelchair to get around, she would have been almost her old self again.

  Her old self. The phrase lingered in Brianna’s mind. She couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to be her old self again. What had she been like a million years ago—before Larry, before the accident, before Jeb? Had she been merely innocent and naive? Too trusting? Or had her expectations simply been too high, more than any mortal could possibly live up to? Was she partly at fault for what had happened in her marriage, for what had happened between her and Jeb? She spent long, restless nights second-guessing herself.

  During the day, she spent far too much time glancing up at the sound of voices in the outer office, staring at the door, hoping that Jeb would break the silence she had imposed on him. She was growing more listless, more unsure of herself, day by day. She weighed her professional expertise against her competence as a woman and wondered if she hadn’t spent too much time favoring one over the other.

  Maybe that was why she was so terribly lonely. How was it possible for a woman who crammed so much into a single day to be so gut-wrenchingly lonely? How could she possibly miss a man who’d been in her life such a short time, a man who’d let her down?

  She supposed it didn’t really matter how. The point was, she missed Jeb.

  Enough to risk giving him a second chance? That was the debate she had with herself morning, noon and night. She still hadn’t reached any conclusion when she ran into him at a crowded restaurant near the office one day. Taken by surprise, they stared at each other. Her heart skittered as wildly as it had on their very first date. Something that might have been longing darkened his eyes.

  “Brianna,” he said.

  That was all, but it was more than enough. The low rumble of his voice caressing her name set off goose bumps. “Hello, Jeb.” Her polite tone masked her nervousness, or at least she hoped it did.

  “Are you eating alone?”

  She nodded.

  “Join me.”

  When she would have refused, he gestured toward the waiting crowd. “I’m next in line. You’ll have a long wait if you don’t accept.”

  She couldn’t think of a single valid reason to turn him down except stubborn pride. “Yes, I suppose you’re right. Fine. Thank you,” she said, just as the hostess gestured for Jeb to follow her. Brianna fell into step with him.

  After they’d been seated, she devoted her full attention to the menu, even though the words blurred and her concentration was no better than a two-year-old’s. She managed to keep up the facade, though, until the waitress came to take their order. Fortunately Brianna knew the menu by heart. She ordered a chicken Caesar Salad and iced tea, then wondered what on earth she would do until it came.

  “How have you been?” Jeb asked.

  “Busy.”

  “Busy must agree with you. You look wonderful.” His avid survey suggested that the comment was more than polite chitchat. He couldn’t seem to get enough of looking at her.

  Finally she drew in a deep breath. “This is silly. I feel as if I’m with a stranger.”

  “I don’t,” he said quietly. “Anything but.”

  “Jeb…” The rest of the protest died on her lips, when he placed his hand on top of hers and rubbed a thumb across her knuckles. The effect was shattering. Coherent thought fled, just because of that tender caress. It shouldn’t be that way, not after all this time, not after everything that had happened.

  “I’ve missed you, Brianna. It’s only been a couple of weeks, but it seems like longer.”

  He said it so solemnly, so sincerely, that she couldn’t possibly doubt him. A part of her wanted to admit that she had missed him, too, but pride kicked in. She would never let him see that this separation had cost her anything at all.

  “Have dinner with me tonight?” he suggested.

  She almost choked at the suggestion. “Jeb, we can’t even get through lunch. How could we possibly manage dinner?”

  “This was a chance meeting. It caught you off guard. Dinner would be easier.”

  “I don’t see how.” It would just be more time to suffer pangs of regret over what would never be.

&nbs
p; His gaze turned challenging. “You’re not afraid, are you?”

  The schoolyard taunt brought a brief flicker of amusement. “Jeb, we’re not ten years old. You can’t dare me to go out with you.”

  “Sure I can,” he said unrepentantly. “I just did, in fact.”

  “What would be the purpose?”

  “To spend an evening with a woman I like, share a little conversation, some good food.” His gaze locked with hers. “Start over.”

  “I thought we’d decided that starting over isn’t possible.”

  “No, that was your call. I believe anything’s possible when two people care enough.”

  Brianna sighed. “Maybe that’s the problem. Maybe I just don’t care enough,” she lied.

  “I don’t believe you,” he said at once. “Quite the opposite in fact. I think you care too much. That’s why you’re scared. I’ve already hurt you once. You’re not willing to risk it again.”

  He met her gaze evenly. “I’m not Larry. I’m not simply walking away because the going’s a little rough. I’m in this for the long haul, Brianna. Get used to it.”

  Stunned by his fierce declaration, Brianna regarded him worriedly. “What does that mean?”

  “That the days of my sitting on the sidelines to give you the space you need are over. I’m back in the game, jumping into the fray, hot on your trail.”

  She shuddered at the firm conviction she heard in his voice. He meant every word. It had been simple pretending that she would get over him when he wasn’t around to pester her. If he intended to change that, how long would her resolve last?

  Until the first kiss? Longer? Until the first time he managed to seduce her? She didn’t doubt for a second that he could. She’d gone all weak-kneed when she’d spotted him waiting in line just a few minutes ago. She’d caved in to his request that she join him with hardly a whimper of protest. When he put his mind to it, he’d be able to persuade her to do anything he wanted, no question about it.

  “I won’t have dinner with you, Jeb,” she said every bit as firmly as he’d spoken.