A Family, At Last

by Susan Crosby

  Chapter Sixteen

  She was blonde, green-eyed, slender—and wide-eyed at seeing a strange woman in Vaughn’s house.

  “Is Vaughn at home?”

  “He’s on his way.”

  “I’m Ginger.”

  “Yes. Come in.” Karyn took a step back, her hand on the door because her knees were shaking.

  Ginger hesitated. “Is Cassidy here?”

  “No.”

  “And who are you?”

  “My name is Karyn Lambert.”

  Ginger put a hand to her chest. “Are you—”

  “Kyle’s sister. Yes.”

  She hadn’t crossed the threshold yet and now seemed even more reluctant to do so.

  Karyn gestured toward the sofa. “Vaughn wouldn’t want us to talk on our own, and I’ll respect that. Come in out of the cold.”

  Ginger headed straight to the sofa. Karyn wondered if she should offer a beverage, then nixed the idea. She wouldn’t serve that woman, not even out of politeness.

  The mantel clock ticked in the silence, marking time, building tension until Vaughn’s truck came barreling up the driveway. He took a second to stomp his boots on the welcome mat, then the doorway was filled with him. He didn’t look like the Vaughn she knew. This was a man she wouldn’t want to cross.

  “Do you want to be left alone?” Karyn asked.

  “No,” Ginger said in a hurry. She held up a folded newspaper. “You’ve been looking for me,” she said to Vaughn, who crossed to the fireplace and stood, legs planted, arms crossed.

  “That came as a surprise to you? Which paper did you see it in?”

  “Meaning where have I been? San Francisco.”

  Karyn squeezed her hands together so hard they hurt. Ginger had been so close. She could’ve come to see her daughter anytime. So close.

  “How is Cassidy?” Ginger asked.

  “Like you care. How like you to drop in without calling, without finding out if Cass was here. A decent person wouldn’t cause that kind of pain and confusion. But then...”

  You aren’t a decent person. Karyn finished the sentence in her head.

  “She’s flourishing,” Vaughn continued. “I have adoption papers for you to sign. Relinquishment of parental rights, too.”

  Ginger looked at her lap.

  Vaughn took a step toward her. “You will sign them.”

  “Is my brother her father?” Karyn stood, going up beside him, needing him close when she got the answer she needed.

  Ginger shrugged. “I was seeing a few men at the same time.”

  “Did he know you were pregnant?”

  Ginger shook her head. She made eye contact with Karyn. “He asked me to contact you if there was a reason to.”

  Fury swept through Karyn. “He was alive when Cass was born, yet you never let him know—or me—when he specifically asked you to.”

  “I didn’t know if he was the father. I was getting married to Vaughn. I thought I had everything I wanted.”

  “You selfish—” Karyn stopped for a second. She wouldn’t call her names, wouldn’t sink to Ginger’s level. “You were lucky to find Vaughn. He’s an incredible, amazing father to that adorable little girl. He puts her first always, even if it means getting hurt himself. He’s doing the right thing by hunting for the biological father, even though it could create all sorts of pain for him. I’ve never met a finer man.”

  She swallowed hard. “But Kyle was a fine man, too, and if he’d fathered a child, he would’ve deserved the right to be father to that child. You denied him that. And you denied Cassidy. He was alive for three years after she was born. Years when they could have loved each other and made memories. You destroyed that with your selfishness.”

  Ginger cringed. “I admit it. I was selfish.” She shoved herself off the sofa and approached Vaughn. He studied her, wondering why he’d been attracted in the first place.

  Because she’d been pregnant and alone. The words explained and chastised.

  “Here’s the truth. I swear.” Ginger put up a hand as if she was about to give testimony in court. “I’d found out I had endometriosis. My doctor said if I ever wanted to have a child, it needed to be right then. I panicked. I didn’t have anyone special in my life. So I went to a sperm bank.”

  “What?” Vaughn shouted. Karyn grabbed his arm, holding on.

  “I got pregnant on the first insemination, then I got scared. How could I raise a child alone? So I started looking for a man to be the baby’s father. Kyle was on leave, visiting a friend. I told him we couldn’t use birth control, and I told him why. He seemed to like the idea of having a child, in case, well, in case something happened to him. So I slept with Kyle and a couple others, then I was going to choose one and say he was the father.”

  Vaughn loomed over her. “What an idiotic—”

  Ginger held up both hands, cringing. “I know. I never followed through. I figured I’d made my bed and I had to lie in it. Then you came along. I let you take care of me because you obviously wanted to, and I didn’t want to be alone.”

  Vaughn could barely breathe. Anger gripped him by the throat. He looked at Karyn and saw the same shock and rage. “Why didn’t you tell me? It would’ve been so much easier for everyone.”

  “Not for me. You offered the world to me,” Ginger said. “Life in the city. Enough money to live comfortably. If I told you I’d lied in the first place, you wouldn’t have believed anything I said, would’ve known I used you. I couldn’t take that chance.

  “Then you moved us here, to this godforsaken, barren land, and I was drying up and smelling like cattle and manure all the time. I also discovered what I’d really known all along. I wasn’t mother material. I’d had a baby because I was scared I never would, and we’re all supposed to want a baby, right? But I really never wanted one. I wasn’t any good at mothering. You even told me that.”

  He had, during one of their frequent arguments. “It was the truth.”

  “Which is why I left her with you. I did it for her and for myself. Cassidy deserved to have you be her parent, not me. You were the best one. My staying wasn’t an option. All we did was argue.”

  “And you thought continuing to stay away from Cass, to never have contact, was the right thing to do?” His body ached from the tension, but he was also aware of Karyn, of the devastating blow this was to her.

  “I did what I thought best,” Ginger said. “I know I’m a horrible person in the world’s eyes, but it’s the way I am.” She tossed her head back a little. “I’ll sign your papers. I also brought all the other documents you might need from the sperm bank.”

  Vaughn made himself breathe. He wouldn’t give her a moment to change her mind. “Sit down. I have to call a notary to come. It’ll take a while.”

  He gestured to Karyn that she should follow him into the office, but when he reached the room, she wasn’t behind him.

  He couldn’t deal with that right now, however. Ginger was in his living room. It was his chance to have Cass be officially, legally his.

  Somehow the time passed as they waited for the notary, then it was over. Everything was signed and sealed.

  He opened the front door but stopped Ginger as she moved past him. “Don’t give up on Cass completely. Leave the door open for the future. People change. Life can take some surprising turns.”

  Her eyes welled immediately. “That’s more than I deserve. But I know you’re saying that for Cassidy, not me.”

  “Just call first.”

  Her laugh was shaky. “I will. You’ve got my number if you need anything else.”

  When he shut the door, he went in search of Karyn, finding her in the guest room, her bags packed and sitting by the door.

  “Going somewhere?” he asked.

  “
I think I should leave before Cass gets back,” she said. “She’s so intuitive. She’ll know something’s horribly wrong. I can’t face her questions. And I need to leave sometime, so why not now? It’s the best thing for everyone.”

  Had he been wrong about her? How could he be that wrong? He’d thought—Well, he guessed it didn’t matter what he’d thought. “You can’t abandon her like that, Karyn.”

  “How am I going to look her in the eye? She told me she loved me. I told her I loved her. And that has nothing to do with Kyle. I love her for herself, not because I thought she might be Kyle’s—mine. She’s come to mean the world to me, so how can I say goodbye? I can’t. You’ll have to.”

  “This is on you, Karyn. I’m not shoving you out the door. You have to leave of your own accord, in your own way.”

  “So I do what? Hang around for another few days, then tell her? What do I say?”

  “The truth. That you have a job waiting for you.” He took a leap of faith that he hadn’t been wrong about her, her feelings. “Or maybe you change gears altogether. What about that ranch vacation idea of yours?”

  “That was when I thought Cassidy was my niece. It’s not really an option now. There’s no reason to live nearby.” Karyn pressed a fist to her chest. “How can you be so calm about it all?”

  “I’m not calm. In fact, I’m very upset, especially at the thought of you leaving.”

  That seemed to startle her. “I don’t want to go, but I have no claim on Cassidy. And someday you’ll get married, and I would have to relinquish my relationship to your daughter. It’s better to sever the ties now.”

  “Better for whom? Not Cass. Not me.”

  She started to say something, then hesitated. “What do you mean, not you?”

  “Let me ask you this first.”

  She waved a hand. “You are such a lawyer. Can’t you just answer my question, please?”

  “So polite.” He moved closer to her. “Are you looking forward to going back to your job?”

  “No.”

  “Why?”

  She scowled at him. “Because I like it here.”

  “Here being Ryder Ranch? The Red Valley? Or my home?”

  She didn’t answer him. She wasn’t about to tell him she loved him. She’d already said too much.

  “Cat got your tongue?”

  “I hate how calm you are.”

  “I just told you, Karyn. I’m not calm. Actually, I can’t remember being this nervous.” He moved even closer. She backed away.

  “What are you nervous about?” she asked, wary.

  “Your answer.”

  “To what question?”

  “Hold on. I’m still wrapping my head around this. It’s come as a bit of a shock to me because just a couple of days ago you were raving about your job and your town and the beach, and I figured you wanted to go home, that we were going to have to deal with some long-distance custody issues. Now you’re saying you want to live...here. Although you weren’t specific about which here.”

  “No comment.”

  He would’ve smiled, but he just told the truth, simply and straightforwardly. “I want you to stay.”

  Her jaw dropped. “Are you crazy? I can’t live with you in front of Cassidy while you take your stupid whole year to figure things out. What if you decide it’s not working? It’d be too hard on me. Too hard on Cass. You always put her first. Why are you not doing that now?”

  “Maybe I’ve learned I need to put myself first sometimes. Maybe I’ve already fallen in love with you.”

  “What? No way. I would’ve seen it.”

  “It came as a surprise to me, too. I don’t know when it happened. Maybe it was when you walked naked across my bedroom. Or maybe when you laughed with joy riding a horse for the first time. Possibly when you danced the hula with my mom and made friends with her. But I knew absolutely for sure a little while ago when you lectured Ginger. You fought the way a mother should fight for her child, something Ginger would never understand. You put Cass first. My admiration for you went sky-high. It was a quick jump from that to knowing I love you. Had already fallen in love with you.”

  “But where does that leave us? I can’t just stay here. You know I can’t.”

  “I’m not asking you to live with me.”

  She threw her arms wide. “Then what are we talking about? I find a place in town, and you visit and we have sex? I can’t do that.”

  She brushed past him, grabbed her two smaller suitcases and hurried from the room. She stormed out of the house, left her suitcases by her car and went back for the others. He could’ve at least helped her.

  But she found him sitting at the top of the stairs, blocking her path. “You didn’t let me finish.”

  “What more is there to say? Cass isn’t Kyle’s. Isn’t mine. There’s nothing to tie us anymore.”

  “My saying I love you doesn’t tie us?” Vaughn realized she’d been smacked with a big hit, finding out she wasn’t related by blood to Cass, but she wasn’t listening to him. He needed to break through the protective wall she’d put up. “Karyn, please listen. I’m not asking you to just live here. I’m asking you to marry me. Cass would be yours as much as mine. You can adopt her.”

  Her mouth dropped open, then she pressed her face into her hands. “It’s all too much for one day. You said you had to know someone for a year. Why would you change your mind? Why should I believe that?”

  He stood, pulled her into his arms and breathed in the vanilla scent that he’d begun to smell even when she wasn’t around. “That was my ego talking, my fear of getting hurt again, or worse, Cass getting hurt. But you won’t hurt us, will you? You’re just going to love us.”

  She nodded her head, her face pressed against his shoulder.

  “I wouldn’t mind hearing the words, Hollywood.”

  “I love you. So, so, so much. But I’m not painting a horse, Lawman.”

  He laughed and pulled her closer. “Deal. What do you say we go pick up Cass and tell her she’s going to be a flower girl and she can wear sparkly shoes.”

  “And get her ears pierced.” Karyn tipped her head back, beaming as he grudgingly nodded. “And for her spring break, we’ll take her to Disneyland.”

  “You drive a hard bargain.”

  “I think that’s your job.” She toyed with his shirt button, undoing one. “We don’t have to pick her up right this second, do we?”

  “Oh, it’s much too soon to end her playdate. Which reminds me,” he said as he carried her down the hall. “Mom called. They bought a time-share.”

  “Never say never,” Karyn said.

  “And always say I love you.”

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from ONE NIGHT WITH THE DOCTOR by Cindy Kirk.

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  Chapter One

  Golden beams of light shone through the windows of the two-story house situated in the mountains overlooking Jackson Hole. Although Christmas had been a month earlier, garlands of greenery and wreaths with plaid ribbons stil
l adorned the large wraparound porch.

  Poppy Westover added her serviceable Ford to the dozens of cars already parked in the clearing east of the house. Tiny snowflakes danced across the well-scooped path as she began the trek to the front steps of the house she’d passed only moments before. Ducking her head, she forged onward. The brisk north wind slapped her cheeks and ruffled her hair.

  Lights might illuminate the walkway, but the dark of the winter evening still closed in around her. By now, the party had been going on for an hour, almost two. She prided herself on being timely, but a last-minute call to secure an emergency foster placement had delayed her leaving the office.

  Poppy reached the steps of the beautifully decorated porch just as a sleek black Mercedes drove slowly past. Another late arrival. The thought that she wouldn’t be the last to show up buoyed her spirits even as she grimaced at the familiar lines of the vehicle.

  Though this was a newer version and a different color, a similar CL550 coupe had been her ex-husband’s pride and joy. Even with public transportation readily available, he’d insisted on driving the car to social functions. And there had been lots of such events. As a prominent Manhattan neurosurgeon, Bill Stanhope had been on everyone’s must-invite list.

  Poppy had grown increasingly weary of socializing with his associates and people he’d wanted to impress. People who lived an extravagant and loose lifestyle; married men and women who took lovers as easily as another glass of champagne.

  This evening would be different. Tonight she’d be among people who shared her values. Friends. Former schoolmates.

  Dr. Travis Fisher, the host of the party, had graduated from Jackson Hole High with her. Back in the day, they’d even dated briefly. Now he was married, the father of five and one of the top ob-gyns in Jackson Hole.

  Poppy rang the bell then jammed gloved hands into her coat pockets and hunched her shoulders against the wind. Thankfully she didn’t have to wait long. The door opened and a flood of warmth and delicious smells spilled out.