by Leger, Lori
“It happened, sir. So who’s the fool here, me or you?”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Don’t take my word for it, Mr. LeBlanc. Ask Drake, or better yet, ask Tiffany.”
“How could I not know that?” Daniel asked, obviously in shock.
Red replied in a cold, dry tone. “I don’t know. How could you not know that your daughter has been neglected all her life by her own parents?”
He heard a deep sigh on the other end of the phone. “Well, it seems as though I’ve got a lot to be held accountable for. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life but the biggest one, by far, was marrying Monica Reed. For the past thirty-eight years, she’s made my life a living hell.”
Red’s jaw worked in agitation. “You could have made a difference in their lives, you know. You could have shown them a little affection instead of letting the hired help provide the only love they ever saw at home.”
“I always assumed Monica took care of that. I should have known.”
“Yes sir, you should have,” Red growled in anger.
Daniel cleared his throat noisily. “It’s obvious that we do indeed need to talk, Mr. McAllister. I admire you for wanting to talk man to man. I’ll make time to see you at any point during the day tomorrow.”
“That’s fine, sir. Tiffany has decided to go into the hospital tomorrow, so I won’t leave until after she does. I’ll be there around ten. Oh, and Tiffany doesn’t know about this.”
“I’ll be waiting for you. Do you want this to be just you and me, or would you like to meet with her mother, also?”
Red paced the floor with his phone to his ear. “I’ll leave that up to you. It doesn’t matter to me one way or the other.”
“You know, my son is quitting the law firm and opening his own practice in Lake Coburn. Is any of that your doing?”
“No sir, I believe he wants to be close to his sister.”
“I believe it’s more than that.”
“It may well be, but I assure you, I had nothing to do with it. You’ve had over three decades with both of your children, Mr. LeBlanc. If they don’t feel any kind of bond to you by now, you and your wife have no one to blame but yourselves.”
Daniel cleared his throat uneasily. “I suppose you’re right about that.”
“You can reach me at this number. You let me know if you want to meet at your home tomorrow or your office—either is fine with me,” Red told him.
“I’ll call you after I’ve spoken to my wife,” Daniel sneered before they ended the call.
By the time Tiffany got out of the shower Red was showered, dressed and waiting for her. She walked into the kitchen dressed in comfortable jeans and a dark green sweater. She reached into the cabinet for a glass.
“You know, babe, if you want to remodel this place, we can do that. Or even sell it. Maybe you’d like to build one day?”
She looked horrified at the last suggestion. “Are you kidding? I love it here. When I came out here for Jackson and Giselle’s wedding, I fell in love with the place. My being able to come home to this ranch and you…well, that’s damn near perfection.”
“Only near perfection?” he asked, pulling her into his arms. “What’s missing?”
She reached her arms up around his neck and pulled him close for a kiss. “Babies, Mr. McAllister. Lots and lots of babies.”
Red was halfway to his destination the next day when Daniel LeBlanc called to tell him to meet him at his office in downtown Houston. He arrived on time and walked confidently into the high rise reception area of the law firm at ten a.m. sharp.
A secretary showed him into Daniel LeBlanc’s plush inner office and he stood, calm and straight backed as the large man behind the desk rose and walked over to meet him. They surveyed each other carefully; the older man in his western cut business suit, and Red, cool and confidant in a pair of dark blue jeans, long sleeve shirt, tie, and sport coat.
“You’re taller than I thought you’d be, sir,” Red told his new father-in-law.
“I guess I could say the same for you, young man.”
“I see where Tiffany and Drake get their brown eyes and curly hair,” Red told the man who looked to be about the same height and build as his father.
They both reached out their hands at the same time and clasped in a firm hand shake. “Daniel LeBlanc, it’s nice to meet you.”
Red cocked his head slightly. “Scott McAllister, Sir. That remains to be seen.”
Daniel jerked back in surprise. “You shoot straight from the hip, don’t you, Son?”
Red nodded. “Yes Sir, I do. The fact of the matter is that your daughter is far too important to me not to take this seriously. I won’t allow her to be hurt by you or your wife anymore. I’m here to tell you that if you have any intentions whatsoever of trying to interfere in our marriage, she will cut you out of her life like the two of you never existed. Tiffany is happy with me, and my parents already love her like a daughter. I have seven siblings who adore her like another sister. I promise you, Sir, if you and your wife interfere, you won’t be missed.”
Red shook his head before continuing. “Now, personally, I’d prefer not to see that happen. I’ve always imagined that I’d have a good relationship with my in-laws, but I can live without it if she doesn’t want anything to do with you.”
His father-in-law listened quietly while Red laid out the ground rules regarding Tiffany.
Once he’d finished speaking, the older man nodded. “Drake’s right, Tiffany’s chosen well by you. My son is an excellent judge of character.”
“If you ask me, I’d say your daughter is.”
Daniel nodded. “Point taken, Scott. I know this isn’t a good excuse, but I grew up in a family with no sisters and a hard man for a father. He was hard on me and my brothers, and a real son of a bitch to our mom. When I got married, I didn’t know how to relate to women—either wives or daughters.”
“Was it arranged by your parents?” Red asked, his tone slightly more bitter than he intended.
Daniel shook his head vehemently. “Not by my parents. I came from working class people. I did find out later that Monica’s parents pushed her to marry me. I’d made my fortune early in the oil fields, before attending law school. Monica’s mother, like her mother before her, always emphasized the importance of marrying into money. I thought we would grow to love each other over the years.” He pointed for Red to sit in the leather chair and made his way back behind his desk. “Not since then have I been so monumentally wrong,” he said, shaking his head. “It didn’t take me long to figure out what a cold hearted bitch I’d married. By then Tiffany and Drake were born, and my wife said I could do whatever I wanted to on the side, but that if I divorced her she’d take me to the cleaners. I worked too damned hard for my money to lose it to her and her money grubbing mother. The women in that family can be terrifying, if you want to know the truth.”
“That’s still no excuse for you neglecting your children.”
“Look, I told you, I had no idea how to relate to a daughter. Monica hired nannies to raise Tiffany, and believe me, some of them were harsh. The one time I did put my foot down was when I went over Monica’s head and hired Melinda Dawson. I dared my wife to fire her.”
Red nodded in quiet approval. “Tiffany loves Melinda. She said she’s the nearest thing to a mother they ever had.”
“I know that. My mom recommended her because she knew she would be good to them. Monica hated Melinda because she was my mom’s choice, and mine. After a while, my wife just distanced herself completely from them. I, like a fool, trusted her to do what was best for them. That’s my shame.”
“Have you spoken to your wife about any of this yet?”
The older man clenched his jaw. “No. I wanted to cool down awhile before seeing her, and I decided I wanted to meet you first. But you can bet your ass I will. I’m not happy about that college thing. Tiffany never complained.”
“Who would she have gone to, sir? T
he nanny?”
“If she’d come to me I’d have corrected the situation, you know. I’d have made sure she went to whatever college she wanted to attend.”
“I’m sure if she felt that was an option she’d have done so. Eighteen years of indifference has got to be difficult to overcome.”
Daniel sighed in defeat. “You’re right, of course.”
Red decided to cut him some slack. “She ended up where she wanted to be and did what she wanted to do. I’m proud she did it all on her own.”
“Just as you did,” Daniel told him.
“I had both academic and sports scholarships for grades and baseball, but my parents made sure that none of us had to work through school. They thought it was important we were able to concentrate on school work. It must have been difficult for Tiffany. She made it through medical school on student loans and odd jobs.”
Daniel shook his head in exasperation. “I’m sorry as hell for that, I really am. But, I’ve always been proud that she chose to go to LSU. I thought maybe she went because she knew I’d gone there. Now I find out that she really didn’t have a choice at all, did she?”
“That’s one choice she’ll never regret, if it’s any consolation. She told me once she bleeds LSU purple and gold.”
Daniel’s face broke out in a broad smile. “I hear she’s the best orthopedic surgeon around.”
Red puffed up with pride. “She is, but I need to know, sir, are you going to interfere in our marriage?”
Daniel shook his head. “I wouldn’t dare. I truly hope she can find the happiness she never had in our house.”
“Then, call me Scott, please. Or Red, if you prefer. All my friends call me Red.”
Daniel guffawed and slapped him on the back. “I like you, Red. Tell me, how’s my daughter doing since her escape yesterday?”
“She’s fine. She spent enough time in the truck with that lunatic to know she had to get out of there as quickly as possible. Do you know that she convinced him to take her instead of my mother?”
“No! How did that happen?”
Red related the entire story to him and watched as Daniel had to sit down at one point. It almost seemed as if he was going to be sick.
“My God, she could have been killed.”
“She could have, yes.”
Daniel’s eyes narrowed. “Did he die quickly?”
Red nodded. “My dad said too quickly, and it was a much kinder fate than he would have chosen for him, but it’s done, none the less.”
“I have to agree with your father on that one. Where is Tiffany right now?”
“She’s at the hospital, working. She had asked for some time off, but now that everything is all cleared up, she decided to go back. She would prefer to take some time off for our honeymoon. By the way, we’ll be having our marriage blessed on the day after Christmas and will have a big reception at my new club in Lake Coburn. I’ll leave it up to you as to whether or not you’ll attend. We don’t know the details, but I’ll make sure to send an invitation to your home.”
“Send it to my office or my country home. If you send it to my wife’s home in Houston, I’m sure I’d never see it.”
“I’ll send it to your office then.” Red stood up to leave and suddenly remembered something. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small flash drive. “I brought this for you.”
“What the hell is that?” the elder man asked.
“This contains a file showing my assets. I wanted to prove to you that I can be a good provider to Tiffany. I can download this to any computer so that you can look at it at your convenience. Or you can keep it.”
Daniel grimaced and shook his head. “I wouldn’t know what to do with that. They give me a new computer every year but damned if I can do much with them.”
Red laughed. “You sound just like my dad. Maybe I could print out the report for you?”
“If you feel it’s necessary. I already know everything I need to know about you.”
Red shook his head and sat down at the man’s computer. He transferred the files and printed them out. Five minutes later, he handed him the stack of neatly printed sheets.
“Now, that’s more like it,” Daniel told him. “Drake keeps telling me I need to learn how to work that damn thing but I’m too old to start learning anything new.”
“You’re never too old to learn.”
Daniel smiled and nodded. “Red, is there anything I can do for the wedding? It’s traditionally the bride’s parents who pay for everything, isn’t it?”
“Don’t worry about that, sir, I’ve got it under control.”
“How about the honeymoon? Have you two planned anything, yet?”
“No sir, we haven’t had a chance to think about it yet.”
“Why don’t you let me pay for it? It would mean a lot to me if you did. You two can go anywhere in the world. I’d pay first class for everything.”
“We don’t need your money, Sir. It might be a good idea if you called her first before offering. I didn’t tell her I was coming here today, but regardless of her answer, I thank you for the offer.” He walked to the doorway. “I’ve got a club opening coming up, and I’ve been neglecting it.” He gripped the older man’s hand firmly. “It turned out to be nice meeting you, after all, Sir.”
Daniel’s face broke out in a wide grin. “Thank you, Red. That means a lot.”
Tiffany walked in around five fifteen that afternoon. She dropped her bag at the door and walked straight into Red’s waiting arms.
“Mm, it feels good to hold you,” he groaned, holding his wife close while wondering how to broach the subject of this morning’s visit.
“It feels good coming home to you,” she said, reaching up to kiss him.
“Makes me happy hearing you say that, Babe. Are you hungry?”
“Starving. What’cha cooking?”
“Chicken gumbo.”
“Perfect weather for it, the temp is dropping fast out there.”
“I just got home around four. It won’t be done for another hour or so. Can you wait that long?”
She nibbled on his earlobe. “I can think of something to pass the time while we wait.”
He grinned and turned to lead her to the bedroom.
Forty-five satisfying minutes later, Tiffany lay curled up against her husband, one ankle wrapped possessively around his leg. “I tried calling you to meet me for lunch today, but you never answered. Was your phone turned off?”
“Yeah, I was in the middle of something.” He cleared his throat. “I went to see your father today.” Her reaction was a wall of icy silence as she pulled away from him.
“Let me explain.”
She turned on him. “Why would you do that without talking to me about it first?” Her tone was as stiff and unwelcoming as her posture.
“I wanted to get it out of the way without concerning you with it.”
“Concerning me? You don’t think you talking to my father is my concern?” She climbed out of the bed, wrapping herself in her robe and looking for her slippers.
“Doc, what’s the problem?”
“I don’t like anyone sneaking around behind my back, Red. If I wanted that I could have stayed with Tanner.”
“Babe, I told you I wanted to contact him.”
Tiffany pulled a set of clothes from the tall boy chest of drawers, clothes she’d just unpacked the night before. “And I told you I didn’t want him to be a part of my life anymore.” She swung around to face Red. “Why the hell would you do this now?”
Red swung his legs over the bed and sat up. “Don’t you want to know what he had to say?”
“I don’t even want to hear what you have to say,” she said, her tone flat and hard.
The slam of the bathroom door echoed throughout the spacious room. Still somewhat dazed from her actions, Red stared in shock at the closed door. The shower started and he forced himself to rise from the bed, wondering how the hell to fix this situation he’d gotten hi
mself into. He grabbed his clothes, and stopped to stare at his reflection in the mirror. “You were warned, dumb ass, but you didn’t listen.”
Tension, thick and heavy, pressed down on Tiffany’s chest as she tried to eat her supper. Red sat across from her at the snack bar with a bowl of gumbo in front of him. He pushed the spoon around, looking like he had no more of an appetite than she did. Married a little over twenty-four hours, and they’d already had their first argument. She would have expected this with Tanner but sure as hell not Red. She pulled her gaze away quickly as Red looked up.
“How’s the gumbo?” he asked.
“Good.”
“Need anything? More tea?”
“No.”
“Doc, I’m sorry.”
“You should be.”
“I thought I was help—”
“I didn’t ask for your help,” she blurted, whipping around to face him. “I specifically told you I didn’t want anything to do with him. Didn’t I?”
Red nodded. “You did. I’m an ass.”
“You won’t get any arguments from me,” she said, with an adamant shake of her curls. Tiffany’s mobile phone rang and she cursed lowly while reading the caller I.D. “Great. Just. Flipping. Great.” She pushed her stool back from the counter and put her phone to her ear, all the while glaring at Red. Taking a deep breath, she braced herself, both mentally and physically, before answering. “Hello Father.”
“Hello, Tiffany. How are you?”
“I’m fine.” She didn’t bother removing the iciness from her tone.
“Do you have time to talk?”
“I’m in the middle of supper.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll call back.”
“No, we may as well get this over with. I seem to have lost my appetite, anyway.”
“Aw—hell—”
“Talk, Dad. I have things to do.” When she began to load the dishwasher, Red placed his hands on her shoulders and attempted to guide her gently toward the hallway, presumably to the master bedroom. She pulled away angrily and sat instead at the island, giving him a brusque shake of her head as he shrugged, then took over cleaning the kitchen.
The ensuing phone silence grew heavier. It seemed neither she nor her father knew what to say next.