Who's the Daddy

by Judy Christenberry

  “Hi, Joe, how are you?”

  “Fine, Don. But I need a little help, so I naturally thought of you.”

  “Yeah, just because I owe you one for that missing wife case.” They kept a running tab of favors done, though they both knew it meant nothing if either needed help.

  “Right. But this one is kind of bizarre…and there’s a real time factor.”

  “I’ll help if I can. I’ve got a case kind of like that, too. In fact, I was thinking about calling you.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah, it involves an employee of Adkins Industries.”

  “So we trade. Me, first. This is the weirdest case I’ve ever heard of. This woman, my client, was in a car wreck and hit her head. She got amnesia—”

  “And she’s pregnant and doesn’t know who the father is.”

  There was a tense silence until Joe said, his voice filled with suspicion, “How do you know that?”

  “Because the guy who says he’s the father of her baby just hired me.”

  “Max Daniels?”

  “She told you about him?”

  “Yeah. She wants him to be the father. And the other guy is one of James Adkins’s right-hand guys.”

  “That would be Adrian Meadows.”

  “So, what’s your take on Daniels?”

  “I believed him. I’ve been doing some calling around, and he seems to be legit.”

  “How about we combine forces? Would it be a betrayal to your client? I think they both want the same thing.”

  “I agree. What do you have?”

  “A picture of Miss Adkins, the name of the casino, the dates. I wanted to hire you for a quick trip to Vegas.”

  “I’ll get an afternoon flight. I wasn’t sure it would be worth it with three days and not knowing the casino. My client didn’t have that information. I’ll be over to pick up the info you have as soon as I make a reservation.”

  “Great. I’ll gather everything I’ve got. While you’re gone, I’ll work on Adrian Meadows. We did a background check a couple of years ago. He came up clean, but at least we have some info on him.”

  “Right. Sounds good. The only problem we’ve got is time.”

  “Yeah. Time.”

  TIME.

  It seemed to be racing by.

  Max had done what he could, he decided, hiring Knowles. He’d liked the man. He only hoped he knew his business.

  What else could he do?

  Caroline was in the throes of planning a wedding. And he was trying to wreck her plans. Too bad all that work might go to waste. A sudden thought struck him.

  It was bizarre.

  Would Caroline agree?

  He reached for the telephone.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Daniels,” Mrs. Lamb replied to his request for Caroline. “She’s out shopping with her mother. May I ask her to call you when she returns?”

  “Yes, please. I’m at the office.” He gave her his number. “Do you have any idea when she’ll be back?”

  “I would guess around four o’clock, but sometimes shopping takes longer than you think.”

  “All right, thanks. Ask her to call as soon as she gets back.”

  He piddled around the office most of the afternoon, as he had all morning, wrestling with the desire to call Don Knowles to see if he’d made any progress. With only three days, he shouldn’t pester the man. Knowles would need all the time he could get.

  Finally, when he’d almost given up on Caroline calling, he heard her voice on the other end of the telephone.

  “How are you?”

  “Tired. Mother and Chelsea took me shopping for—for a wedding dress.”

  “Did you find one?” He felt masochistic, asking, but he had to know.

  “Yes. I’m sorry, Max, but I don’t have any choice.”

  He thought she did, but he wasn’t going to argue with her. “I’m trying to work things out.”

  “Me, too. I’m hoping something will happen, but I have to prepare for the wedding.”

  “Caroline…I have a bizarre idea.”

  “What?”

  He heard the eagerness in her voice and it warmed his heart. She didn’t want to marry Adrian any more than he wanted her to.

  “If I manage to prove Adrian is lying before the wedding, then all your work will go for nothing.”

  She gave an abrupt chuckle. “I don’t think I’ll complain.”

  “Me, neither, but it seems a shame.”

  “Max, what’s your point? Do you want me to marry Adrian?” She sounded confused and a little outraged. “Do you think this is what I want?”

  “Of course not. But I just thought—it makes sense to me for us to apply for a marriage license, too, to be prepared, in case I find proof that I’m the father of the baby.” As he intended to do, come hell or high water.

  “You want me to apply for two marriage licenses?”

  Max heard her incredulity and laughed. “I know it sounds weird, but then, the past week hasn’t exactly been normal for either of us. And if your parents are anxious for you to marry, I want to be prepared.”

  “I’m not marrying just to please my parents.”

  “And I’m not asking you for that reason,” he assured her impatiently. Why was she being so difficult?

  “I’m marrying Adrian because I owe it to my baby.”

  He squeezed the receiver, wishing it was Adrian’s neck he held in his hands. “Don’t expect a thank-you card.”

  “What?”

  “I don’t think the kid is going to be grateful. Whether he’s his dad or not! You’re making a mistake, Caroline!”

  “You think I should just wait until the baby is born, when Adrian has offered proof?”

  “No, I think you should marry me, no matter what.”

  “You’re asking me to marry you?”

  “Well, of course, I am.” He’d been planning to marry her since he first saw her. “I told you I’m the father of the baby. Of course, we’re going to marry. Just as soon as I can prove Adrian is a liar,” he finished, a touch of sarcasm in his voice. He wanted her to believe him, without his having to produce proof. But however he had to do it, he was going to claim her and his child.

  “Okay, I’ll go with you to get a license,” she suddenly capitulated. A pleading note entered her voice as she added, “Just one thing, Max.”

  “Yeah, what’s that?” he asked, willing to promise her anything.

  “Could you hurry with that evidence?”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  AFTER MAX TOLD HER he’d leave at once to pick her up for their trip to city hall, Caroline hung up the phone with a sigh.

  Another marriage proposal.

  As much as she wanted this one, she found an important ingredient missing. Max had said he was the father of her baby. He had said he wanted her. He’d proven that one, actually. But, like Adrian, he’d never said he loved her.

  She wanted to believe he did.

  Some vague sense of recognition filled her and she grasped for a memory she sensed was close. Feeling as if she were searching for something important in a dense fog, she struggled, determined not to lose that elusive feeling.

  A rap on her door disrupted her concentration. Chelsea walked in.

  “Caro, have you thought about the napkins? What do you want printed on them?”

  “Surely there’s not enough time for that,” she protested with a sigh for her lost memory.

  “With Daddy’s money, there’s always enough time. Now, what shall we put on the napkins?”

  “My name and a question mark seems appropriate,” Caroline muttered.

  “Whatever do you mean? Aren’t you marrying Adrian? This is not something to joke about, Caroline.”

  “You’re telling me.”

  “Caroline!”

  She heaved a colossal sigh. “All right, Chelsea. My choice is to print nothing on the napkins.”

  “I told you there was time. Now, do you want Caroline and Adrian, Adrian and Caroline, or t
he Meadowses.”

  “None of the above. If I have to go through with this wedding, I can do without one thousand reminders on paper napkins.” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her sister. “You don’t want to marry Adrian?” Chelsea asked, horrified. “But he’s the father of your baby!”

  “So he says. I’m not sure.”

  “Caroline! This entire situation is so distasteful. I can’t believe you have embroiled us in such a mess.”

  Caroline glared at her sister in disgust. “Oh, really! What about the time you cheated on your spelling test and got caught? You embarrassed all of us then. So don’t be so high and mighty!”

  “I can’t believe you’re still bringing that—Caroline, you remembered!”

  Her knees suddenly shaky, Caroline sank down onto the edge of her bed. “I—I guess so.”

  “Has your memory returned?”

  As if testing a sore muscle, Caroline probed the inner recesses of her mind, seeking the elusive memory she’d lost a week ago. Nothing.

  “No.” She wanted to cry, but even that release eluded her. “No, I don’t remember.”

  “Well,” Chelsea huffed, “it doesn’t seem fair that you remember my embarrassing moments but not yours.”

  She gave her sister a weary smile. “No, it doesn’t, does it?”

  An unexpected touch of sympathy filled Chelsea’s face. “Maybe you’d better lie down. You look exhausted.”

  “Thanks, Chelsea, but Max is coming to pick me up.”

  The silence that followed her response brought her head up. Chelsea was staring at her. “What?”

  “Well, I don’t mean to tell you your business, Caro, but you’re marrying Adrian in two days. Don’t you think it’s a little inappropriate to be dating Max?”

  Hysterical laughter bubbled up in Caroline. If Chelsea thought her going out with Max was inappropriate, what would she think of them applying for a marriage license? “It’s not really a date, Chelsea. We just have something we have to do.”

  “Does Adrian know?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  Chelsea crossed her arms and looked down her nose at her sister. “I know you’re older than me, but since I’ve been married for almost a year, I think I should give you some good advice.”

  “Please, don’t.”

  “Caroline! It’s very important that you and your husband be honest with each other. Don’t start your marriage by lying to Adrian.”

  “Why not? He’s lying to me,” Caroline muttered, irritation getting the better of discretion.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Have you ever seen me wear brown?”

  Chelsea looked at her with concern. “Caroline, I think you need to rest. I’ll explain to Max that you’re not well.”

  “You’ll do no such thing! I’m not crazy, which is what you’re really thinking. The picture Adrian showed me! I was wearing a brown dress in it.”

  “But you don’t wear brown.” The puzzlement in Chelsea’s voice did Caroline’s heart good.

  “Exactly!” When Chelsea still seemed puzzled, she added, “I think he faked the picture. He was in Vegas with another woman, a woman who wears brown, and he had the picture altered!”

  “But that would be lying.”

  Caroline shook her head, a weary smile on her face. “I know, little sister, I know.”

  “But why? I mean, you are attractive, Caroline, but there are other women who—I mean, you’re pregnant! Why would he claim your baby if he’s not— It makes no sense!”

  “Yes, it does. Prescott admitted he’d lied because Daddy’s going to select the second in command for his company very soon. Prescott doesn’t think he’ll have a chance if Adrian is Daddy’s son-in-law.”

  Chelsea’s mouth dropped open and she sank down onto the bed beside Caroline. “Oh, my, how despicable.”

  Caroline almost laughed. It wasn’t often she and her sister were in agreement. At least she didn’t think so.

  “But why are you going to marry him if he’s lying?” Chelsea finally asked.

  “Because I can’t show he’s lying. He’s offered proof, which is more than Max has done.” She got up from the bed to pace across the room. “Besides, Daddy wants this marriage so badly. And if Adrian is the father of my baby, it doesn’t seem fair to him or the baby to deny him his legal right just because I’ve fallen in love with Max.”

  “Can’t you explain to Daddy? I know he’s difficult but he loves you very much.”

  Caroline shrugged. “You can imagine Daddy’s reaction if I told him I can’t marry Adrian because I wore a brown dress.”

  “But you can’t take sacred vows if you don’t mean them!” Chelsea protested.

  Caroline was coming to love her little sister in spite of her irritating ways. But sometimes her naiveté drove her crazy. “I’m going to do everything I can to be sure that doesn’t happen.”

  “Good, because—”

  The distant ring of the doorbell interrupted Chelsea. Caroline jumped up and then had to steady herself. Those abrupt moves reminded her of her pregnancy if nothing else did.

  “Caroline, you must be more careful,” Chelsea warned, supporting Caroline. “I always move slowly now.”

  Complacency was another of Chelsea’s annoying traits.

  “Thanks for the warning. I’ve got to powder my nose and comb my hair. That will be Max.”

  “I still don’t think going with Max is right,” Chelsea said, following her into the bathroom.

  “Tough. I do, and that’s what counts.”

  “But about those napkins?” Chelsea was back on that again. “Plain white, right?”

  Caroline turned from the mirror and hugged Chelsea. “You get smarter every day, little sister.”

  “ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?” Max asked after several minutes of driving in silence.

  Caroline continued to stare in front of her. “Yes. I was just thinking about something Chelsea said.”

  “She went shopping with you and your mother?”

  “Yes.”

  “You were shopping all day? You must be exhausted.”

  “Not all day. But yes, I’m tired.” She didn’t mention how she’d spent her morning. What if the agency discovered nothing? Again she thought of Chelsea’s words.

  “Well, the license shouldn’t take long, and then I’ll take you to dinner and you can relax.”

  “Dinner? I’m not sure—”

  “You owe me dinner, Caroline. You canceled last night, remember?” He reached over and took her hand, carrying it to his lips.

  She shivered, reacting as she always did to his touch. Giving a halfhearted laugh, she said, “Chelsea said I shouldn’t be dating you when I’m marrying Adrian.”

  “Maybe you won’t be marrying Adrian. Maybe you’ll be marrying me.”

  Maybe. Caroline sighed. Just one more question mark to add to her life. She only seemed to deal in question marks these days.

  They had to rush to reach the office before it closed. When they entered, a gray-haired woman walked to the counter to greet them.

  “My, you just made it. We close in fifteen minutes. How may I help you?”

  Caroline was suddenly glad her father had taken care of the details of the marriage license with Adrian. She’d rather the woman not know this license would be Caroline’s second in the same week.

  “We need to get a marriage license.”

  The woman asked for their identification, gave them forms to fill out and then asked for the fee.

  “Is that it?” Max asked.

  “Yes, it is. You’ll have your license just as soon as I enter your names into the computer.”

  “Computer?” Caroline asked nervously.

  “Oh, my, yes, we’re quite up-to-date. We have everything computerized,” she explained as she typed their names into the computer. “Why, isn’t that strange.”

  “What?” both Max and Caroline barked out.

  “You’re the second Caroline Marie
Adkins to apply for a license this week.” She hit several buttons and then turned to stare at Caroline. “You live at the same address. And have the same parents.”

  “I—I changed my mind.”

  “She hasn’t made up her mind,” Max said at the same time.

  The woman stared at Max. “You knew about it? And it doesn’t bother you that your fiancée has a license to marry another man?”

  “It’s a long story.”

  “But have you already married the man? Bigamy is against the law, you know.”

  “Of course, I know,” Caroline said crossly. “I told you I changed my mind. There’s nothing illegal about applying for more than one marriage license, is there?”

  “Well, no, dear, I guess not.”

  The woman shot Max a sympathetic glance. Caroline looked the other way, unable to stand the embarrassment. The clerk took the opportunity to whisper to Max, “You really should reconsider before you pay for the license. There are lots of other women in the world. Especially for someone as handsome as you.”

  “Well, really!” Caroline protested, spinning around. “Does counseling come with the license, or does he have to pay extra?”

  The clerk gave her a glacial stare. “It’s free.”

  “Thanks,” Max said, and Caroline was incensed to see he was hiding a grin.

  “Is the license ready?” Caroline prompted.

  “Yes, of course.” The woman muttered under her breath to Max, “But you’d better think about the step you’re taking. Marriage is a serious thing.”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” Max said with a smile, taking the license and putting it into his shirt pocket. “Thanks for your help.”

  Caroline opened her mouth to tell the woman what she thought of her assistance, and Max leaned down and kissed her.

  “My fiancée says thank you, also,” he assured the woman, and pulled Caroline from the office before she could contradict him.

  “You were laughing!” she complained as the door closed behind them.

  He chuckled again as he held her close to him, his hand rubbing her shoulder. “Now, sweetheart, you’ll have to admit it was kind of humorous.”

  “No, I don’t,” she insisted stubbornly, even as she enjoyed his touch. She slipped her arm around his waist and leaned against his chest as they continued to walk. “Well, maybe I do. I think I’m so tired I’ve lost my sense of humor.”