A Father's Promise

by Marcia Evanick

  The small box clutched in his hand felt inadequate as a missed-you gift. He had been rushing around the hotel in Atlanta when he passed the window of a jewelry store next to the restaurant where he had just had dinner. It was an expensive shop geared to tourists and hurried businessmen and women who never saw more then the inside of the airport, taxis and the hotel. The blaze of green caught his eye and halted his feet. The shimmering emerald stud earrings that blazed with an inner fire reminded him of Sydney. The depths of her beautiful green eyes blazed with the same inner fire when he was deep inside her, loving her.

  He placed the box on the top of her bureau, walked over to the window and stared out into the night. This evening when he had pulled up in front of the St Claires' home he had felt as if he was coming home. His son had been waiting with hugs and kisses. Sydney had been standing there silently with a certain gleam in her eyes. A gleam that promised a warmer welcome once they were behind closed doors. Even Thomas had seemed happy that he had returned.

  Was this what a real family felt like?

  The small rural town of Coalsburg had had that friendly, homey feel to it as he had driven through on his way home. John, the police chief, had waved to him. So had Georgette, who had been closing up her toy shop. Harvey, driving some big old Buick, had beeped and one of the other officers had passed him on his way out of town and tooted his horn.

  He liked the warmth of the town and thought it would be a great place to raise Trevor. But it wasn't to be. Trevor's illness required the top doctors, the top hospitals, the top everything if he was going to win this battle. The nearest hospital to Coalsburg was thirty-seven miles. He had checked. Trevor's illness had to take precedence over everything, including his own happiness.

  The sound of the closing bedroom door was soft, but he heard it anyway. He needed some time to pull his emotions under control before he turned around and faced Sydney.

  Less than a moment later he felt warm, gentle hands stroke his back. "Are you looking at anything in particular?" Sydney's breath feathered his ear as her hands continued their journey over his shoulders.

  He felt some of the tension melt away under the heat of desire. Tomorrow would take care of itself. Tonight there was only Sydney. He pulled his gaze from the darkness and studied her reflection in the window. Sydney looked like some wanton angel. She had on her oversize white robe, her hair was a wild mass of dark curls. If an artist captured her right at this moment on canvas there could only be one title to the picture—Tempting Angel.

  He felt the last of his strain fade as her hands slid around his waist and up his chest. "Yeah, I'm looking at an angel."

  Sydney's gaze shot to the window. He could tell the instant she realized he was referring to her. She smiled a slow easy smile.

  "I'd say you're suffering from jet lag." Tempting fingers made their way down his chest to toy with the drawstring of his pajama pants.

  "Atlanta's in the same time zone as Pennsylvania." He felt his body come to life beneath her gentle touch.

  Sydney's lips were warm and teasing as they left a trail of kisses down the side of his neck. "So why did it feel like you were half a world away?"

  He turned and hauled her up against his chest. He couldn't stand it a minute longer. With a rough expletive toward the Fates, he lowered his mouth and savored Sydney's heat.

  Somehow Sydney managed to yank his T-shirt over his head and undo the tie on his pants. Her robe slid off her shoulders with a minimum of effort, which was remarkable considering he was too busy kissing every available inch of her body to pay it much attention.

  The bed was soft and comfortable, but neither of them noticed. Pillows fell to the floor, protection was rolled on, and someone made a begging little plea. He wasn't sure which one of them had moaned, but it probably was himself. He was not above begging.

  Within three minutes of claiming her mouth, he was deep inside her watching the emeralds once again form in her eyes.

  The emerald gleam of her gaze shattered as she climaxed beneath him. He felt her body's contractions cradle him more deeply inside, forcing him to join her in that place over the edge.

  Some time before dawn, emerald fire gleaming on Sydney's earlobes and he totally exhausted from her inspired and heartfelt thanks for the gift, he heard her whisper into the darkness, "Welcome home." Her words matched his sentiments exactly.

  * * *

  "Oh," cried Norma Hess. "No wonder the poor girl ran away. Her parents would have never approved."

  Ellis looked at Norma and tried to rein in his frustration. Time was running out. He had been back from Atlanta for two days now, and nothing new turned up. It wasn't for the lack of Thomas's efforts. The man was obsessed with finding Trevor's grandfather.

  He had been afraid of that. Thomas and Trevor had become very good friends and now Thomas's desire to locate his son's grandfather had nothing to do with proving he wasn't Ellis's father. And Ellis knew it was more than just a matter of solving the mystery and keeping his police skills honed. It had to do with Trevor—only Trevor. Thomas had realized that Trevor, his new little friend, could die without that bone marrow transplant. The older man's panic had turned into an obsession, just like his had done.

  At least Thomas and he were working toward the same end. The same results. Find Trevor's natural grandfather, no matter what. Of course the "what" consisted of talking to everyone who had been alive and living in the town when his mother was here. Norma and her friend Vivian were the twelfth and thirteenth persons they had talked to since he had been back from the business trip.

  "Cathy's parents would have never supported her, either financially or emotionally." Vivian shook her head.

  "We're sorry, Ellis, but your grandparents weren't the shining example of humanity they thought they were. They held poor Cathy up as some symbol of purity and never let her forget it." Norma appeared apologetic.

  "It's all right, Vivian and Norma. You're not telling me anything I haven't known already. I knew why my mother chose to raise me on her own, and from some of the stories I've heard, I can only thank her."

  "Good, good." Norma took a sip of her coffee and nibbled on the edge of a cookie. "It was such a long time ago, you understand."

  "We've got years to go before we can retire, Alzheimer's hasn't set in yet, but boy, do we feel old," added Vivian with a rusty laugh.

  Thomas chuckled. "Nonsense, you two. I don't feel old, and I'm older than you both." Thomas pushed the cookie plate back into the center of the table. "So you can't remember anything about Cathy and who she might have been seeing? She left this town four months pregnant. Surely someone had to have seen her with someone."

  Norma shook her head. "Cathy wasn't very social in school."

  "The only time I saw her actually talk to anyone was at church. She seemed more comfortable there than at school." Vivian reached for another cookie.

  "Who did she talk to at church?" Ellis asked. The crumpled list of members was tucked safely into his pocket. "Can you remember anyone in particular? Some boy from the youth group or bible-study class?"

  "She didn't really talk to any boys." Vivian chewed for a moment. "I remember she used to lock up the church after we all went home. She always wore the key around her neck during youth group. It was as if her parents didn't trust her not to lose the thing."

  "Who did she lock up with?"

  "Arthur Graystone, he used to head the youth group back then."

  "Mayor Graystone?" Thomas's voice held a certain edge to it. Ellis identified immediately with that edge. Dear old Mayor Graystone had once again popped up in connection with his mother.

  Yesterday, Andy Reamer, who ran the pharmacy, remembered seeing Arthur Graystone with someone who looked like Cathy out near Lookout Point one night. But the thought of Arthur with the minister's daughter had been so absurd that Andy realized he must have seen wrong and mistaken Cathy for Graystone's wife, Sophie. It still had struck him as strange, because he couldn't for the life of him think of one
good reason why Arthur and his wife would go parking. He had dismissed the whole thing from his mind years ago and hadn't remembered it until Thomas had brought up Arthur's name.

  "He wasn't the mayor back then," Norma supplied another tidbit of information. "He use to drive Cathy home when the meetings were done and everyone went home."

  "How old would Arthur Graystone have been back then?" No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't picture his mother and some old married man together.

  "Oh, he was what, twenty-five or twenty-six?" Vivian glanced at Norma for confirmation. "But I do know he was one handsome-looking man back then. Still is for that matter."

  "Oh my, yes," Norma said. "Sophie Bradshaw could have had her pick of men from miles around, but no one suited her but Arthur."

  "Only the best for Sophie," echoed Vivian.

  "Do either of you remember if Arthur was happy back then? I know him and Sophie are still together, but you know how sometimes marriage can be a little shaky in the beginning." Thomas was rubbing his jaw.

  "Sophie was delirious. Daddy had given them that big old house as a wedding present." Norma wrinkled her nose.

  "And a maid," added Vivian. "Can you imagine someone in Coalsburg receiving a maid for a wedding present?" Vivian took another sip of her coffee. "I remember the maid because quite frankly I was jealous."

  "So, Sophie was rolling in newfound marital bliss." He wanted answers and he didn't give a flying fig about Sophie or how many maids she had received. "What about Arthur?"

  "Arthur got what he wanted when he married Sophie. He got the manager's job at the mill with a hefty salary, a fancy sports car, a new house and Sophie. What more could the man want?" Vivian seemed to think that was all that made a man happy.

  Ellis knew different. It took love. It took a family to make a man happy. "But was he happy, Vivian?"

  "Yes."

  "No," Norma said as she frowned down at her coffee. "In the first couple of yeas of his marriage, Arthur wasn't happy. He had been bought, and he knew it."

  "He was one of the deacons at my grandparents' church the year I was conceived," Ellis said, glancing at Norma, who seemed to be the more perceptive of the two. "Was he a very religious man?"

  "He was the deacon because that's what Sophie's father told him to be. Sam Bradshaw wanted the best for his daughter, so he was bound and determined to mold Arthur into the best." Norma slowly nodded her head. "Sam succeeded too. Today Arthur Graystone is Coalsburg's mayor and leading citizen."

  "In your opinion, Norma, do you think Arthur was capable of having an affair with my mother?"

  "Saints!" cried Vivian, clearly outraged by such a suggestion.

  Norma handled the question with a sense of calmness. "Yes."

  "Oh my." Vivian shuddered. "Do you mean to tell me you think Arthur might be your father?"

  He didn't know what to think. Arthur Graystone's name didn't mean a thing to him. All he was interested in was the possibility of the man being his father. So far Graystone was the only candidate. Ellis shuddered and let Norma answer.

  "He could very well be," Norma said.

  "That would explain a lot of things," Thomas said. "Cathy never would have had her parents' support once the scandal of her being pregnant ripped through the town. Arthur never would have claimed the child and forfeited the golden egg he had found with Sophie. But worse yet would have been Sophie's wrath. Spoiled, pampered and rich Sophie Bradshaw Graystone would have ripped the young and innocent Cathy Carlisle to shreds and picked her perfectly capped teeth with the bones."

  Vivian and Norma shuddered and whispered in unison, "Amen to that one."

  Ellis leaned back in his chair and smiled. He had a name! Finally, he had a name!

  * * *

  Chapter 11

  « ^ »

  Ellis stopped the car at the sight of the ten-foot-tall black iron gates guarding the brick driveway leading to Arthur Graystone's home. His glance shot to the brass plaque neatly screwed into the brick wall supporting the open gates. The plaque proclaimed this was Graystone Manor. A more presumptuous display of wealth he had never seen. A manor in the middle of Coalsburg. He almost chuckled at the thought but he was afraid he might choke on the gesture. He was about to meet his father, or at least the man Thomas and he thought was his father.

  The pieces seem to fit. Arthur Graystone and Catherine Carlisle had been seen together quite a few times. More important, they were seen together at the time she had conceived him. Arthur Graystone was the only man who had been linked to his mother, besides her own father. He had to be his father. Trevor's hope lay beyond those imposing black gates.

  He glanced at Sydney, who was sitting silently beside him staring at those same black gates. She didn't have to come, but she had insisted. Not only had she set up the appointment with the mayor, she had contacted Thomas's sister, Mary, to come stay with Trevor and her father. He reached out, took her hand and skimmed his thumb over her pounding pulse. "Relax, Sydney."

  Sydney gave him a look that clearly said he had lost his mind. "Aren't you nervous at all?"

  "Let's say I'm anxious."

  "Because you're about to meet your father for the first time?"

  "No, because I'm about to find out if Trevor has a chance." He was also anxious because there was a very good chance, should Graystone admit to being his father, that he would punch the son of a bitch for what he had done to Catherine Carlisle. He would have to control that impulse until after the results of the blood test were in. That is, if Arthur agreed to taking one.

  "It doesn't mean anything to you that Arthur might be your father?"

  He shook his head. "Not a thing, Sydney. Just because a man has a sperm count doesn't mean he's a father. It takes a heart and a whole lot of love to be a father. Arthur Graystone obviously lacks in both of those departments." Sydney, of all people, should know that. She called Thomas, the man who couldn't be her or anyone else's natural father, Dad. His gaze returned to the open gates and the winding driveway beyond. "I'm only here because of Trevor. He's the only thing that matters." He released her hand, shifted the car into gear and headed up the driveway.

  Graystone Manor was one impressive-looking house. It was all brick with black shutters and gleaming brass everywhere. Circular marble steps led to the front door.

  He parked the car on the circular driveway and opened Sydney's door.

  "Does he always conduct mayoral business from his house?" As far as Arthur Graystone knew, Sydney's request for an appointment had to do with the town's business. Sydney had thought, and Ellis had agreed, that the first step was to get in to see Arthur. The second step was to confront him about Catherine.

  "Coalsburg can't afford to build a city hall or any kind of administrative offices. The town meetings are held in the hall at the firehouse, but Arthur prefers to do business out of his home." Sydney smoothed a wrinkle out of her skirt. "Arthur and Sophie both like to impress people with their wealth."

  "Do you think Sophie is going to be home?" He didn't want to confront Arthur on his infidelity while his wife was in the room.

  "No." Sydney followed him up the grandiose marble steps. "I know for a fact she's attending the monthly women's group meeting at their church. Sophie never misses a meeting. She's their president."

  He reached up and tenderly touched her cheek. "Smart and beautiful."

  Sydney grinned. "Remember that."

  A chuckle escaped his throat as he pressed the doorbell. When he had first met Sydney, that comment would have caused her to blush. A very becoming blush that would have intrigued his senses. Sydney was now more relaxed in their relationship, more natural. The woman standing beside him now not only intrigued his senses, she captured his heart.

  The door was opened by a woman wearing a plain green dress. He wouldn't class it as a uniform, but it was surely meant to be one. "Yes, may I help you?"

  "My name's Sydney St. Claire. We have an appointment with the mayor." Sydney smiled pleasantly at the woman.
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  "Come in, please." The door opened wider as the woman took a step back. "I believe he's expecting you."

  He followed Sydney into the foyer and felt his curiosity pique. A sweeping staircase curved its way to the second floor and a crystal chandelier the size of a Cadillac hung from the thirty-foot-high ceiling. Antique settees were placed at just the right spot and gilt-framed portraits followed the stairs upward. He counted three fresh-flower arrangements as the woman walked them across the foyer to a closed door.

  The woman knocked lightly, opened the door and announced, "Your ten o'clock appointment is here, Mr. Graystone."

  "Good, show them in, Claire." Arthur Graystone's voice emerged from the room.

  Claire took a step back. "Mr. Graystone will see you now."

  For some absurd reason, he felt as if he had just been granted an audience with the great Wizard of Oz. He had to wonder if all the stress he had been under was finally getting to him. He gave Sydney an encouraging nod as they both entered the room.

  Arthur Graystone rose from behind his massive teak desk. "Sydney, welcome."

  Sydney reached for Arthur's outstretched hand and gave it a polite shake. "Hello, Arthur, I would like you to meet Ellis Carlisle."

  He watched Arthur's face, looking for any sign of recognition to his last name. There was none. Graystone had a poker face, displaying only a small glimpse of curiosity as he shook his hand. The only gesture he could pick up on was the fact that Arthur Graystone didn't once meet his gaze. The man seemed unusually interested in Ellis's right shoulder. "Mr. Mayor."

  Arthur released his hand and smiled a politician smile. "Mr. Carlisle. Won't you both have a seat." Arthur waved to the two empty chairs in front of his desk. When they were both seated, he returned to his position behind the desk and sat. "So, Sydney, what can I do for you?"

  Sydney folded her hands and placed them on her lap. "I'm afraid this is of a private matter, Arthur."

  "Oh?" Arthur arched one gray eyebrow but he didn't seem particularly surprised.