The Daughter's Return

by Unknown

  Maggie could imagine he’d broken more than one heart. “What does Kamila look like?”

  “She’s average height with red hair and big brown eyes.”

  “I wish you had a picture of them.”

  “Everything’s stored in Florida.”

  With that comment, he went quiet for the next half hour. They were in hilly, lush green countryside now. Everything looked picture perfect, reminding her of the valleys in the lower Alps.

  “It’s gorgeous here.”

  “That’s why it’s called the Bohemian Paradise of the Republic.” They’d come to the town of Turnov. “Are you hungry?”

  Sensing his urgency to reach his destination she said, “No.”

  “Neither am I.”

  He drove on.

  “Where are we going?”

  “To a guest farmhouse on the outskirts of a little village called Bela. It’s about four kilometers from here. Dad and Kamila loved this place so much, they planned to either buy or build a little house after he retired. She may be hiding out here, using her maiden name.

  “If I’m wrong, then I don’t know where in the hell she could be, and I don’t dare stay in the country any longer because your life is already endangered by simply being in my company.”

  Maggie didn’t say anything. She knew it would be fruitless to argue that she didn’t care about herself. He wouldn’t listen.

  Please God—let Kamila be here….

  Jake had already lost so much. His mother, his wife, his father. Two colleagues who’d obviously meant a lot to him. He’d been in several hospitals in the last year getting put back together since the explosion. Enough was enough.

  “There it is.”

  The big chaletlike dwelling sat back from the country road on verdant farmland. It looked like something out of a storybook. He drove up to the front entrance.

  “Do you want me to wait for you?”

  “No. It’ll be more normal if we look like a couple of lovers excited to be together. Let me do the talking.”

  A LITTLE BELL TINKLED when Jake ushered Maggie inside the front office. While he waited for someone to come to the desk, he reached for her and kissed her the way he’d wanted to last night outside her hotel-room door.

  Unfortunately it would have been the wrong time to give in to temptation. He’d needed to stay focused, and she was exhausted after their long flight from Salt Lake. Morning would come too soon as it was.

  But he wasn’t worried about that right now. He needed her kiss like he needed air to breathe. She hadn’t seen it coming, but her response after a quick recovery was all he could have asked for.

  “Good morning,” a woman’s voice spoke in Czech. “I’m Sabina.”

  Reluctantly, Jake tore his lips from Maggie’s and turned to the hearty-looking woman with a smile. “Hello,” he answered in kind. “I’m Lech Nowach.

  “We’re looking for my Polish cousin from Warsaw named Kamila. She said she was coming here to rent a place and find work. She has brown eyes, and the last time I saw her, red hair. But she changes it periodically so you never know. She’s about this tall.” Jake touched his shoulder.

  The woman’s eyes lit up. “She works for me, but her hair is brown.”

  Jake’s heart jumped. “Where is she?”

  “In Bela, delivering eggs to a shop.”

  “When do you think she’ll be back?”

  “Any minute. It’s time for the little one’s nap.”

  Little one? Maybe Kamila did babysitting for the owner.

  “My fiancée and I are on our way to visit Hruba Skala. Would you mind if Kamila goes with us?”

  “Of course not. She’s never had relatives drop by before. She can take the whole day off.”

  “That’s very kind of you. We’ll just wait out in front for her.”

  He turned to Maggie and started speaking in Polish in case the other woman understood. “Darling? Kamila’s here. She’ll be back in a few minutes.” Once again he surprised her by claiming her mouth.

  Maggie played along, not comprehending exactly what he was saying, but obviously understanding that something earthshaking was happening here. When he put his arm around her shoulders to guide her to the door, she slid her arm around his waist and kissed his jaw before they went outside.

  “She’s here, Maggie,” he whispered once they got in the car.

  “Oh Jake!” She touched his cheek. He would have kissed her again but he saw movement out of the corner of his eye.

  “In fact I think she’s in that truck coming toward us. Stay put.” He brushed his lips against hers before getting out of the car to stand in the path of the truck.

  It forced Kamila to park it next to the car. When she saw who it was, she leaped out of the cab and ran into his arms. He crushed her to him. “Call me Lech, not Jake, and speak to me in Polish, okay?”

  “Okay,” she said with tears running down her cheeks.

  “Thank God I found you in time. No questions now. I’ll answer everything later. You’re coming with me and Maggie. I’ve already arranged for you to have the rest of the day off.

  “Go inside and give the woman the keys. Remember I’m your cousin Lech Nowach from Warsaw. I’m here on a trip with my fiancée and thought I’d come to see you since I knew you were working here. Then come on out and get in the back seat of the car.”

  Kamila looked dazed. “First I have to get the baby from the truck. He’s in his carryall on the floor.”

  “She mentioned a little one.”

  “Yes.” Kamila threw her head back, to look him directly in the eye. “It’s your half brother, Jared. Your father said he would have called him that if he’d had another son.” Her eyes swam in tears. “He looks so much like both of you, it hurts.”

  Dear God.

  “I’ll get him while you go inside,” Jake said.

  Jake hurried around to the passenger side of the truck and opened the door. There on the floor, sound asleep, lay his little half brother who looked to be eight or nine months old. Jake remembered pictures of himself at that age and saw the strong similarity.

  Incredible. Tears sprang to his eyes to think his dad never got to see him or hold him. Incredible that Kamila had given birth at the age of forty-one. With trembling hands, he gathered up the carryall and carried him to the car. When Maggie saw him, she jumped out.

  “Who’s beautiful baby is this?” she exclaimed.

  “Maggie McFarland? Meet my half brother, Jared.”

  “Half brother…” She looked at him in stunned disbelief. “And all this time you didn’t know?”

  “I do now. Help me strap him in the seat. We’ve got to get out of here and back to the plane fast!”

  By the time they’d secured him as best they could, Kamila had climbed in the seat beside him. For the next hour, the four of them got acquainted while Jake drove. Mostly Kamila sobbed with happiness while she breast-fed the baby, who finally woke up hungry.

  He listened while Maggie phoned the embassy to alert them of their imminent arrival at the airport. The ambassador himself was waiting for them in the customs’ office.

  He smiled at Maggie. “Ms. McFarland? It’s an honor to meet the daughter of a good friend. I’ve informed the authorities that the FBI is waiting to talk to Ms. Miller in New York. Though Antonin Buric is still at large somewhere in the Czech Republic, the police commissioner has assured me they’ll do everything they can to find him.”

  The ambassador handled the whole situation with a mastery that made Jake marvel. The customs’ officials never said a word.

  “On behalf of the foundation and especially my father, I want to thank you for taking the time from your busy affairs putting yourself out to assist Ms. Miller and her baby,” Maggie said.

  “It’s what I’m here for.”

  Full of emotion, Jake clasped his hand. “Thank you, sir. We’re indebted to you for your service.”

  The older man eyed Jake with a special gleam. “That works both ways
, Mr. Hillman.”

  While Jake digested the thrust of the ambassador’s private message, the other man kissed Kamila on both cheeks. “Your horrifying ordeal is now over, my dear. You and that baby have a safe flight back to the States.”

  Jake didn’t dare look at Maggie right then. He was supposed to be a member of the foundation, not her would-be lover. The urge to crush her in his arms was so intense, he felt actual pain having to suppress his emotions.

  With her father’s connections, plus the help of the State Department, Maggie had pulled off the impossible with that incomparable McFarland flare. He was in awe of her.

  “First stop Frankfurt,” Maggie announced once she was at the controls of the jet. “As soon as we get to the hotel, we’ll do some shopping for you and the baby.”

  Kamila broke down in tears once more. “I can’t believe this has happened. It’s a miracle.”

  “Maggie makes them happen.”

  “Jake’s full of it,” she told Kamila before starting her systems check.

  “I’ll never be able to repay either of you.”

  He looked over his shoulder at his stepmother. Both mother and baby were fastened securely in their seats. Everyone he cared about in this world was right here inside the plane with him. “You’re family, so let’s never mention the word repay again.”

  With a sense of contentment he hadn’t known in years, Jake put on his headgear and fastened his shoulder strap.

  Their second stop would be New York. Maybe another miracle awaited them. Then they’d be winging west for home.

  The Bronx, New York

  August 25

  “I’VE NEVER HEARD of Marie Buric. We bought this house eight years ago from someone named Rozetti. Sorry I’m not any help.”

  “That’s all right,” Maggie murmured, trying to hide her disappointment. “What about your next-door neighbor on the right, Mr. Corelli?”

  The young mother shook her head. “Mr. and Mrs. Jamison were living there before we moved in. Maybe they remember that name. If not, why don’t you try the barbershop around the corner.” She gestured in its direction. “My husband gets his hair cut there. I have no idea how long it has been in existence, but it’s possible someone could help you.”

  “Do you remember the name of your Realtor?” When she told Jake he said, “Thanks for your help. We appreciate it.”

  “I hope you find the person you’re looking for.”

  Maggie nodded. “So do we. Goodbye.”

  With his hand cupping her elbow, Jake walked them to the Jamisons’ where Maggie could see a woman watering her flowers out front.

  Jake and Maggie introduced themselves and asked the same question. The woman shook her head. She’d never heard the name Buric or Corelli. They got the same response from everyone they talked to on both sides of the street.

  Tears welled in Maggie’s eyes. “Frankie was probably laughing his head off when he gave me this address.”

  “It’s early days yet,” Jake reminded her. “Come on. Let’s find that barbershop.”

  He took hold of her hand and squeezed it while they walked to the corner. An old-fashioned barber pole caught their attention two doors down. But the barber inside couldn’t have been older than thirty, thirty-one. He had a customer draped in the chair.

  When Maggie told him what they wanted he said, “Never heard of a Buric or a Corelli. Sorry.”

  “Thank you, anyway.”

  She rushed out of the shop ahead of Jake. He’d parked their rental car in front of the house Frankie had said was his grandmother’s. Maggie made a beeline for it, hoping she wouldn’t burst into sobs in front of Jake before they reached the hotel.

  Jake was so happy over his reunion with Kamila and his half brother, Maggie didn’t want anything to take away from it. Once she was alone in her room, she could give way to her grief.

  “This isn’t over yet, Maggie,” he said, following her into the suite that adjoined Kamila’s. “I’ll call that realty company right now and see what I can find out.” He moved to the nightstand between the beds and pulled out the directory.

  Maggie nodded, and sank back in one of the chairs placed around the table. Suddenly it seemed like all the stuffing had come out of her. He was on the phone quite a while. She closed her eyes while she waited.

  The next thing she knew, Jake had picked her up and carried her over to the bed.

  “Your shoulder—” She half moaned the words.

  “What shoulder?” He removed her shoes and laid the comforter from the other bed over her. “They’re going to call me later,” he whispered against her lips. “Go to sleep, Maggie. You need it.”

  Fourteen hours later she awakened, unable to believe it was seven o’clock in the morning! She hadn’t slept this long since junior high. That’s what a fierce case of jet lag did to you.

  She sprang out of bed to shower and wash her hair. She was starving. In case no one else was up yet, she rang for room service. The need to know what Jake had found out from the realty firm had her jumping out of her skin.

  Once she’d dressed in a clean pair of trousers and a white blouse, she packed her bag so she’d be ready to go. There was a knock on her door. Her breakfast of waffles and sausage had arrived. She needed the calories to keep her alert for the flight home.

  A few minutes later she could hear laughter coming from the other room. Jake’s deep voice followed by Kamila’s lighter one permeated the closed door.

  Anxious to talk to him, Maggie opened it. Straight ahead of her, she saw him lying on the bed facedown, playing with Jared who was wide-awake and kicking.

  The scene was so beautiful and so touching, Maggie’s eyes dimmed for a moment.

  “Come on in,” Kamila urged. “We’re about ready to go. Did you get a good sleep?”

  “It was wonderful. I hope you slept well, too, Kamila.”

  Jake sat up and stared at her. “We all needed a good one.”

  Maggie waited to hear his news, but nothing was forthcoming.

  “Don’t fall apart on me yet,” his voice grated. “The Realtor said it might take a few days to research.”

  A few days. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe next week.

  His words were like a death knell.

  The Daughter’s Return

  CHAPTER TEN

  Salt Lake City, Utah

  August 26

  “THERE! ONE CRIB ASSEMBLED. What else can I do for you?”

  “You’ve done enough,” Kamila said while she patted the baby’s back. “We haven’t even been in Salt Lake a whole day and already you’ve transformed your guest bedroom into a home for me.”

  “It’ll be your home for as long as you want. When you’re ready, I’ll help you move to your own condo or house, whatever you want.”

  She eyed him directly. “You’ve pampered me enough, Jake. Sabina wouldn’t believe it if she could see me now.”

  “You probably gave her the shock of her life when you called her from Frankfurt and told her you were on your way to the U.S.”

  “I know I did. When I explained why, she was wonderful about it. I promised to send her some money for any inconvenience I caused by leaving her literally in the lurch without help.

  “She shrugged it off, but I’m still going to do it when I can get to the bank and withdraw funds from your father’s savings account. I was blessed to be given a job and a place to live. Sabina was marvelous to me when she found out I was expecting. She saved my life, Jake.”

  “Maybe we can bring her and her husband here for a vacation.”

  “That would be fantastic. She’s never been to the States. For that matter, neither have I.” She laughed.

  “I’m still trying to absorb all that’s happened, so if there’s some place else you want to go this evening, please don’t let my being here stop you. Jared needs a bath, and then I’ll cuddle him in that new rocker you bought for me until he falls asleep.”

  “There’s no place else I’d rather be than right here with my
family.”

  “Liar,” she teased with a smile. “You remind me so much of your father, it’s uncanny.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “When we first met, he kept his distance from me for a long time. I knew he was interested, but it took him forever to make his move. You’re doing the same thing with Maggie.”

  He flashed her a glance. “Think she’s interested in me?”

  “You already know the answer to that. Don’t do what your father did and force her to wait too long. You never know what can happen.” Her voice had gone husky.

  Jake closed his eyes for a moment. Robert Halsey had been a great dad and obviously a loving husband. Thank heaven he’d left her Jared to adore. The little guy had already wrapped himself around Jake’s heart.

  “Did he know about the baby before he died?”

  “No. I never thought I could get pregnant. It just didn’t happen. Because your father was older, I stopped worrying about it and simply loved being his wife. I’d only just found out I’d conceived before Robert ended up in the hospital. I was on the verge of telling him our incredible news when he confided in me about your work in the CIA.

  “He knew he was going to die. In case you were ever exposed, he was so worried for me being alone without his protection, I promised that if anything happened to him, I’d leave and go to Bela. If I’d told him about the baby, he wouldn’t have had any peace.”

  “He died a happy man, Kamila, all because of you.”

  “Your dad was already happy when we met. I never saw anyone as proud of a son. You two were so close, I didn’t think there was room for anyone else. Please don’t let my being here interfere with your plans.”

  “Don’t be absurd. I’m glad you’ve moved in. I wouldn’t want it any other way. This is a big apartment, and it’s been like a tomb.”

  “Just be careful you don’t let Maggie think you’re shutting her out.”

  “Except for a few stolen moments, our relationship has been on a more professional basis.”

  She nodded. “I had those same stolen moments with your father in between long periods of being treated like an acquaintance. It was a very painful experience.”