A Child of Her Own

by Beverly Barton

  “Yeah, she always was,” Rick said.

  So the roses were from Lori Lee’s many admirers, huh? The guys she dated could afford to send her flowers by the dozens. If he gave her his one puny little rose, she’d probably laugh in his face. Who was he kidding, thinking he could compete with men like Powell Goodman and Jimmy Davison? They could offer her everything. What could he offer her? Nothing but himself and another woman’s child. Why on earth would she want either?

  “We’ve got to go, sweetie,” Rick told Darcie. “I’m taking my best girl to McDonald’s for hamburgers. Remember?”

  “I haven’t forgotten,” Darcie said, then looked at Lori Lee. “I wish you could go with us, but I suppose you’ve already got a date.”

  Rick opened his mouth to speak, to somehow find a way to take back his daughter’s invitation, but Lori Lee responded first. “Yes, I do have a date. Mr. Davison and I have reservations at Dale’s for dinner.”

  “Good night, then,” Rick said. “We’ll meet you here Saturday morning bright and early.”

  Lori Lee watched Rick and Darcie as they left the studio. Just before helping his daughter up into the truck, Rick dropped something on the ground. With her heart thumping loudly in her ears, Lori Lee hurried across the room and looked out the front door. There on the sidewalk in front of Rick’s battered pickup truck lay a single yellow rose. She waited until he pulled out of the parking place and drove off up Main Street, then she rushed outside and picked up the flower. Clutching it to her breast, she walked slowly back toward the studio. Standing under the awning, she lifted the rose to her lips and stood there watching as the red taillights of Rick’s truck disappeared in the darkness.

  She had never expected Rick to do something as sentimental and romantic as bring her a single rose for Valentine’s Day. Somehow, it didn’t fit the image she had of the former bad boy.

  Her studio was filled with dozens of perfect red and pink roses, all gifts from men who could easily afford them, men whose secretaries had no doubt ordered them.

  Rick Warrick had brought her a single yellow rose—her favorite flower. How had he known?

  And why, oh, why, did his gesture mean so much to her if the man meant nothing?

  Cursing under his breath, Rick slammed the truck’s hood, then kicked the front tire. Damned worthless piece of garbage. If he could afford a decent vehicle, he wouldn’t be in this situation.

  Darcie rolled down the window, stuck her head out and asked, “What’s the matter, Daddy?”

  “Looks like I’m stuck here, sweetie.” Rick tried to calm the anger in his voice. “The radiator has sprung a leak. It’ll take about three hours for me to take it off, get it repaired and put it back on. I’m sorry, Darcie, but you’ll have to ride with Lori Lee. I’ll drive down later.”

  Lori Lee had just told the caravan of parents and Dixie Twirlers to head on out, that she would follow them shortly. On these trips, they tried to travel as a group, in case anyone had car trouble.

  “What’s the problem?” Lori Lee asked Rick as she pulled her car to a stop beside the truck.

  “Daddy’s radiator’s got a leak and he says I should ride with you,” Darcie said.

  “I hope you don’t mind taking her with you.” Rick opened the truck door and lifted Darcie down onto the sidewalk. “I’ll get her stuff.”

  “I don’t mind taking her.” Lori Lee adored Darcie, and that was the problem. Several of the twirler mothers had mentioned how attached Lori Lee was to the child, and Mara Royce had even accused her of playing favorites. Despite the circumstances, her allowing Darcie to ride to Clanton with her was bound to create some jealous feelings.

  “I should be able to get the truck fixed and be on the road behind y’all in a couple of hours at most.” Rick ruffled Darcie’s long, blond curls. “I can’t miss my best girl’s first performance, can I?”

  “If you don’t mind leaving the truck here, you’re welcome to ride with me, too. That way, you won’t miss anything.” The moment she issued the invitation, Lori Lee wished she could take it back. Dear Lord, if some of the parents would object to her chauffeuring Darcie to and from Clanton, what would they say about Rick riding with her?

  “Yes, Daddy. Please. Leave your truck. You can fix it tomorrow.” Darcie looked up at her father pleadingly and he knew he could refuse her nothing.

  “Are you sure you don’t mind?” he asked.

  Lori Lee pushed the automatic release button and opened her trunk. “Put Darcie’s things in the trunk and hurry. We need to get going.”

  Rick’s gut instincts warned him that he was making a mistake, but what the hell. It wasn’t every day he and Darcie would get to spend several hours alone with Lori Lee. He wasn’t sure who was happier at the prospect, he or his daughter.

  During the competition, Rick felt uncomfortable sitting with the other parents. Several had made it perfectly clear he was an unwelcome intrusion. Everyone else simply ignored him, everyone except Deanie Webber and her husband, Phil, who not only spoke to him but invited him to sit with them.

  One twirler mother, a divorcée whose name he couldn’t remember, kept flirting with him, and when he continued to ignore her, she’d moved over and sat by him. More than once, he overheard Mara Royce make comments about the fact he and Darcie had ridden to Clanton with Lori Lee, and wondered if something was going on there, or if not, then was he fooling around with Sherry’s mother.

  Finally Deanie Webber took pity on him and came to his rescue when she overheard the flirtatious brunette at his side proposition him. She not only got rid of his unwanted admirer, she gave Mara Royce something else to think about besides Lori Lee and him.

  “Hon, Mara needs to speak to you,” Deanie told the woman. “She wants your opinion on a routine she plans to suggest to Lori Lee. Of course, I said your little Sherry should have the lead part, but she wants Steffie—”

  “Catch you later, handsome,” Sherry’s mother said as she jumped up and made her way up the bleachers.

  “Thanks,” Rick said. “I thought she was going to crawl in my lap any minute now.”

  Deanie laughed. Rick liked the way she laughed. Fullbodied and genuine. “Someone should have warned you about Bitsy. And as for these other yokels, don’t let them bother you. Given time, most of the folks will come around. They just don’t know quite what to think of you.”

  “Yeah, I suppose you’re right. A lot of them remember me from school, and the others have heard about my hoodlum days.”

  “I think you should know that Mara Royce is none too happy that Lori Lee is so taken with Darcie.” Deanie placed her hand on Rick’s arm. “Darcie is a beautiful child, and very talented. But Mara doesn’t see it that way. She’s going to assume that Darcie’s being given special treatment for some personal reason.”

  “Are you saying that Mrs. Royce can cause trouble for Lori Lee?” Rick asked.

  “Mara thinks her Steffie should be the center of the world, and anything or anyone that gets in the way of that is in danger from Mara.”

  “She sounds like a real bitch to me, and her kid has to be a spoiled brat.”

  “Right on both counts,” Deanie said. “But don’t be surprised at anything Mara says or does.”

  “Yeah. Thanks for letting me know who my enemies are.”

  When the competition ended, the Dixie Twirlers had captured first place in several events, including Twinkle Toe’s Halftime Show Dance Line. All the girls were giddy with success; most parents were proud and happy.

  While Lori Lee gave the girls an after-competition pep talk inside the gym, the parents loaded all the twirlers’ paraphernalia into their vehicles. A light cold drizzle had begun falling, and the night air was frigid.

  Just as Rick opened Lori Lee’s trunk, he heard someone approach him. Turning around, he saw Dr. Eugene Royce, a bald, heavyset, fortyish man staring at him.

  . “Yeah?” Rick noticed Mara Royce standing several yards away, watching her husband.

  “I, er, t
hat is, we thought someone should speak to you about Lori Lee.” Eugene cleared his throat. “We’re very fond of her. Think the world of her. She’s a fine woman.”

  “I agree.” Rick placed the twirler equipment in the trunk and closed the lid.

  “I’m glad you know the kind of person Lori Lee is,” Eugene said. “I’m sure you didn’t intend to, er, that is...we don’t want you to get the wrong idea.”

  “The wrong idea about what?” Rick asked, towering over Eugene a good five inches. “The wrong idea about Lori Lee? Or the wrong idea about why you’re trying to warn me to stay away from her?”

  “We’re not warning you, just advising you.” Gazing into Rick’s eyes, Eugene took a step backward. “Surely you realize how unsuitable you are for Lori Lee. She’s not your kind.”

  “And what is my kind?”

  “Well, someone, er, that is, someone less—”

  Rick stepped forward, glowering at the other man. “Tell your wife that there is absolutely nothing going on between Lori Lee Guy and me. Ms. Guy has been kind to me and my daughter, out of the goodness of her heart.” Rick grabbed Eugene’s shoulder, clutching tightly. “And if anyone starts spreading any lies about Ms. Guy, I won’t like sit.”

  Forty-six girls, ranging in age from three to fourteen, raced out of the gymnasium, squealing when they felt the icy sleet peppering down on them.

  Deanie Webber rushed toward Lori Lee. “Get over there, quick.” She pointed toward the parking lot where Rick stood gripping Eugene Royce’s shoulder. “I don’t know what’s going on, but Rick looks awfully upset, and Mara is standing over there glaring a hole in him.”

  “Oh, damn!” Lori Lee said. “Keep Darcie with you and Phil until I find out what’s going on.”

  Lori Lee ran over to her car, halting at Rick’s side. “Hey, we’d better get going before the roads ice over. We’ve got a three-hour drive ahead of us.”

  Rick gave Eugene’s shoulder a hard squeeze. “Glad we had this little talk, Dr. Royce. Just remember what I told you.” Releasing the other man’s shoulder, Rick turned to Lori Lee. “Where’s Darcie?”

  Eugene scurried off toward his wife, whose sharp, angry voice was masked by the sound of clinking sleet hitting the parking lot pavement.

  “She’s with Deanie,” Lori Lee said. “What was going on here? You looked like you wanted to hit Eugene.”

  “If I thought that bitch of a wife of his would feel the blow, I’d have hit him.” Rick snorted. “She sent him over here honestly thinking he would intimidate me.”

  Grinning, Lori Lee lifted the hood of her coat over her head. “Eugene is a wealthy, respected orthodontist and he and Mara are social royalty around here. There are a lot of people who are very intimidated by Eugene and Mara’s social standing.”

  Seeing the humor in the situation, Rick laughed, then grabbed Lori Lee by the arm. “You get in the car, honey, out of this sleet. I’ll go get Darcie.” He unlocked the car with the remote, then opened the door and assisted Lori Lee inside. “How about letting me drive home? I’m sure you’re a good driver, but with the weather like it is, I’d—”

  “You drive,” she told him. “Now, get Darcie and let’s head for the Shoals.”

  By the time they were a few miles outside of Birmingham, Lori Lee realized they were dealing with more than a little rain mixed with sleet. Trees and power lines were icing over and the highway was getting slick. The radio stations announced that an unexpected winter storm had hit North Alabama. Interstate 65 was closed north of Cullman and most state highways were impassable.

  Deanie called Lori Lee from her cellular phone and they discussed the situation, agreeing that the Dixie Twirlers and their parents would have no choice but to spend the night in Cullman.

  Unfortunately the twirlers from the Shoals area weren’t the only stranded travelers seeking refuge. As they drove from motel to motel, the twirlers’ caravan began to split up, taking rooms wherever they could find them. When Rick asked at the front desk of the Comfort Lodge, he was told they had one room left, so, without consulting Lori Lee, he handed the desk clerk his credit card and registered them as Mr. and Mrs. Warrick.

  When he returned to the car, he found Darcie asleep in Lori Lee’s lap, her little head resting on Lori Lee’s breast.

  He opened the passenger door and said, “I got us a room.” He lifted Darcie into his arms. She roused briefly, smiled at her father, then curled up against his chest.

  While they walked down the motel corridor, Rick noticed Lori Lee glancing at the single key he held in his hand.

  “They just had one room left,” he told her. “I figured we’d better take it. I know it’ll be kind of awkward, but it’s the best I could do.”

  “None of the other twirler parents are staying here, so no one will know,” she said.

  “Yeah, no one will know.”

  He unlocked the door to their room, flipped on the light switch and carried Darcie over to the nearest double bed. Lori Lee rushed ahead of him and turned down the covers. When he laid Darcie down, Lori Lee sat on the bed beside her and removed the child’s shoes and jacket.

  “She’s worn out.” Lori Lee pulled the sheet and blanket over the child, then caressed her plump, rosy cheek. “I was so proud of her today. She did the routine perfectly. Better than some of the girls who’ve had much more practice.”

  Darcie’s eyelids fluttered. She opened her eyes and looked up at the two adults hovering over her. “Hi, Daddy. Hi, Lori Lee.”

  “Hello, sweetheart.” Lori Lee playfully flipped the end of Darcie’s nose with her index finger.

  “Did Daddy get us a room?”

  “He certainly did.”

  Darcie yawned. “I’m hungry.”

  “I noticed some vending machines down the hall,” Rick said. “You ladies get comfortable and I’ll go see what I can round up for us.”

  “Look in my purse and get some money,” Lori Lee said. “I think I’ve got plenty of quarters and dollar bills.”

  “If I need your money, I’ll come back and get it.” Rick opened the door. “Lock up until I get back.”

  After securing the door, Lori Lee removed her coat and hung it on a rack in the closet. If anyone had told her when she left Tuscumbia this morning that she’d be spending the night in a Cullman motel with Rick Warrick, she’d have told them they were crazy.

  Well, crazy or not, here she was. Of course, there was no way anyone could find out that she had shared a room with Rick, and besides, the two of them were hardly alone. Darcie was their chaperone.

  She glanced at Rick’s daughter, who had closed her eyes and fallen back to sleep. Lori Lee smiled, her heart warmed by Darcie’s sweet presence.

  Ten minutes later, Lori Lee opened the door when Rick knocked. He balanced two cups of coffee, a carton of milk and three sandwiches in his hands. Packs of cookies and assorted pastries stuck out of his jacket pockets.

  “Shh...” Lori Lee removed the sandwiches from the top of the drinks. “She went back to sleep almost immediately.”

  “Today was a big day for her,” he said. “She was so excited, she didn’t sleep hardly any last night and she got me up before daylight this morning.”

  “She may wake up later starving to death.” Lori Lee placed the sandwiches on the dresser, then reached out and took the cups, one at a time, and set them down.

  Rick emptied his pockets, then removed his coat, tossing it on the lone chair in the room. “I hope you can drink your coffee black. I couldn’t find any sweetener or creamer. If you want, you can use some of Darcie’s milk.”

  “Black will be fine.” She removed the lid from one of the foam cups, sat on the edge of the bed and sipped the coffee.

  Lori Lee and Rick ate their sandwiches in relative silence, each occasionally glancing over at Darcie. The child had curled into a fetal position, with her body facing the wall.

  Lori Lee picked up their trash and threw it into the wastebasket, then excused herself. While she was gone, Rick r
emoved his shoes and unbuttoned his shirt. He supposed he had no choice but to sleep in his clothes. Of course, he doubted he’d get much sleep. Not with Lori Lee lying in the bed next to his.

  She emerged from the bathroom, her face scrubbed clean of makeup and her hair brushed free and hanging in soft waves down her back.

  “I’ll sleep with Darcie,” she offered. “As big as you are, you might be more comfortable in a bed by yourself.”

  “Thanks.” He surveyed Lori Lee from head to toe, sizing up every curvaceous inch of her lush body. If his daughter wasn’t asleep in the room with them—Dammit, man, don’t even think it! Get your mind on something else. You’ll spend the whole night hard and hurting if you let yourself think about making love to Lori Lee again.

  He watched her take off her shoes and crawl under the blanket beside Darcie. After removing his boots, he turned down the covers on the other bed, got in and flipped off the table lamp. He lay there unmoving for a while, trying to think of anything except Lori Lee.

  After mulling over repairing his truck, figuring out how much money he’d have to borrow to buy out Bobo’s part of the business and wondering what kind of season the Braves would have that year, Rick could still hear Lori Lee tossing and turning. Was she having as difficult a time as he was going to sleep? Was she lying over there doing her damnedest not to think about him? Was she remembering what it had been like when they’d made love?

  His sex grew hard and heavy. He groaned silently, cursing himself for a fool. Maybe he should put on his coat and boots and run around outside in the sleet until he cooled off. He tossed back the covers, sat up and threw his legs over the side of the bed, facing the window. Spearing his fingers through his hair, he scratched his head and stood.

  “Rick?” Lori Lee whispered his name.

  “Sorry I disturbed you,” he said softly. “I can’t sleep. Thought I’d get up for a while.”