by Leona Karr
“What man would? I mean, let’s be honest A guy wants his own kids, not somebody else’s thrust on him.” Debbie eyed Kerri suspiciously. “Are you thinking of creating some kind of a package deal, you and the kids, all or nothing?”
“No, of course not. That wouldn’t be fair to Mark.” She smiled wanly. “He’s really tried to fit into my crazy family, but I can tell that kind of zoo is not for him. I’m not certain that there’s a happy future for us when we’re starting out so far apart.”
“Good grief, if you love the man, what else is there to think about?”
Kerri laughed and shook her head. “You’re a true romantic, Debbie. I think you honestly believe that love conquers all.”
“Doesn’t it?” she asked with such sincere honesty that Kerri turned away without answering.
BECAUSE OF Kerri’s recent stay at Saint Joseph’s Hospital, she knew where the gift shop was located, and where the bank of elevators were to take her up to Ardie’s private room on the tenth floor.
With a bouquet of roses in her arms, Kerri knocked lightly on the door and poked her head into the room. “May I come in?”
Ardie was visibly startled to see Kerri in the doorway. Instant color seeped up into her pale cheeks, as she nodded.
“I hear you’re one lucky woman,” Kerri said brightly, as she came over to the bed.
“Yes, very lucky.”
Kerri handed her the flowers, and Ardie buried her nose in the fragrant bouquet. Then she smiled wanly at Kerri. “Roses are my favorite.”
“Mine, too. Let me put them in a vase so you can have them by your bedside. I remember how much I enjoyed some when I was in the hospital after—” Kerri broke off, silently cursing herself for being so stupid.
Ardie’s mouth quivered. “I’m so sorry—”
Kerri brushed the apology aside. “It wasn’t your fault. Now, tell me, how are you doing? I hear the bullet missed all the vital organs, and you got through surgery in terrific fashion.”
“I’ve had good care.”
She did look surprisingly well, her eyes were bright and her mouth relaxed. “You really look more at peace with yourself,” Kerri said honestly, remembering the frightened, tearful Ardie who had let them into Tanner’s house.
She nodded. “I am. No matter what happens, I’m glad it’s all over. I think I’ve got the courage now to change my life. I married Buddy when I was a starryeyed dancer, trying to make my way in Las Vegas, and didn’t have the sense to see what he was until it was too late to pull away. For eight years, he treated me like a puppet and I let him.”
“And how did you meet Jason?”
“Oh, he gambled at the Locust Club, and Buddy told me to find out if he had money enough to make it worthwhile pulling him into a fixed poker game. It didn’t take long to discover that he wasn’t the kind of mark that Buddy was looking for so he told me to drop him, but by then Jason and I had started to like each other, and after Buddy was killed, he was a godsend. When the care of Irene’s kids fell to me, he really took to them.” Tears flowed into her eyes. “I admit our marriage wasn’t the stuff romantic novels are made of, but we had something to give to each other.”
Kerri squeezed her hand. “I know Mark would appreciate knowing what you’ve told me. He loved his brother very much.”
“I can’t thank Mark enough for paying all my bills. And he’s promised to make sure Irene’s kids get everything they need. Did he tell you, he’s setting up some kind of trust fund for them? That means that whoever takes them won’t have to worry about money. I know they’ll find a good home somewhere. Mark said that Colorado Social Services do a good job finding guardians for displaced children.”
“I’m sure they do,” Kerri responded with a smile that had an edge to it. “And what about you? Have the authorities brought any charges?”
“Not yet, but they tell me that if I agree to testify against Dirk, and plead guilty to a lesser charge, I could get off with a reduced sentence. My testimony could even open up the investigation into Buddy’s murder and Jason’s accident I want to make things right with everyone.” Ardie eyes sought Kerri’s approval. “I’m so glad you found me.”
“So am I,” Kerri replied. What if I hadn’t taken the case? The answer filled her with mixed emotions. She’d discovered some things about herself that had nothing to do with her business.
She left the hospital, and cursing the slow rush hour traffic, she used her cellular phone to call the office and check on her voice mail. She was disappointed that Mark hadn’t called.
The last two nights, he’d called late, and seemed to have his mind on other things. She felt the distance between them widening every day that he was gone. The close bond that had been between them during the investigation was dissipating as their lives got back to normal.
When she got home, her mother asked her what kind of day she’d had, and Kerri just grumbled an answer.
“Oh, so it’s like that, is it?” Her mother nodded knowingly. “Well, you know what they say, ‘Absence makes the heart grow fonder.’”
Kerri wasn’t up to challenging any of her mother’s homilies, but she thought that one was a crock. She pulled a wine cooler out of the fridge, and took a deep swig.
“Grams and the kids are over at Cathy’s. I guess it’s just you and me for supper, honey. Why don’t you go upstairs and freshen up a bit. You’re looking a wee bit wilted.”
Her mother’s use of wilted was a euphemism for “you look like hell.” Kerri finished her drink, went upstairs and threw herself across the bed. About a half hour later, she was on the verge of taking a nap when she heard her mother calling from the bottom of the stairs. “Somebody to see you, Kerri.”
She sat up slowly. She couldn’t think of anyone but Mark who would seek her out at home, and he was still in Los Angeles.
“Coming,” she called back as she went over to her dressing table. Giving her dark curls a quick brush, she frowned at the reflection of her listless face. Feeling let down after a difficult case wasn’t all that unusual, but Kerri knew that her blues had a wider base than just business. It was almost as if she’d had a dream within her reach, only to have it grabbed away.
Squaring her shoulders, she started down the stairs, but she didn’t even make it halfway before her visitor bounded up to meet her.
“Mark,” she gasped. “I…I thought you were in Los Angeles,” she stammered.
“Ever heard of planes, darling?”
“But why didn’t you call, let me know?”
“There wasn’t time.” He halted any more questions with a possessive kiss that nearly lifted her off her feet. Then he grabbed her hand and guided her down the rest of the stairs. “Get your jacket. We’re going for a walk.”
Her mother was watching from the kitchen doorway, and laughing, shook a finger at them. “Now, don’t be late for dinner, you two. We’re having Irish stew and biscuits.”
“Sounds wonderful,” Mark said over his shoulder, as he guided Kerri out the front door.
She slipped her arm through his, and her ailing spirits made a miraculous recovery. The brisk evening air touched her cheeks, and as they walked down the street together, the colorless mood of her day disappeared. Life suddenly seemed as bright as the autumn leaves crunching under their feet.
“And what have you been up to since I’ve been away?” he asked, smiling down at her and drawing her close to his side.
“I visited Ardie today,” Kerri said, hesitating, not wanting to spoil the mood by bringing up her concern for the children, but anxious to get the matter cleared up. “Ardie told me that you’d made financial arrangements for the children.”
“That’s right. So, everything’s in place to move them.”
“Move them where? Have you already made arrangements with Social Services?”
He nodded.
She was stunned by the explosive fury that swept over her. How could he do this? Be so callous? So unfeeling? Stopping in the middle of the sidewalk,
she jerked her arm away from his. “And just where have you arranged to move them to, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“I don’t mind at all.” Raising his hand, he pointed to a Victorian house that stood at the corner of their street. “Right over there.”
She stared at the beautiful empty house with a Sold sign stuck in the front lawn. Her eyes jerked from the house back to him, and then back to the house again.
“Well, what do you think?” He grabbed her hand. “Let’s go take a look. It looks like a nice house for raising kids. And I like the neighborhood, don’t you?”
They crossed the street and he laughed at her stunned expression as he put a key in the lock. She held back as he opened the door. “What are you up to?” she asked in a breathless whisper.
He put his hands on her shoulders. “It’s simple. I love you. I want to marry you, Kerri Kincaid. And if you’ll take a chance on turning a bachelor into a family man, I promise you, we’ll live happily ever after.” His caressing eyes bathed her face. “Will you have me?”
Later, she couldn’t remember whether she actually answered him, but there wasn’t any need for words as he lifted her up in his arms and carried her inside. Then, as if she were already a bride, he kissed her soundly before he set her down.
“Wait ‘til you see the place. Timmy’s going to love the backyard, and there’s a playhouse for Patti. Ardie signed all the papers. The children will be ours once we’re married. I told the real estate agent we had to have a house in this neighborhood—near our family.”
As they walked through the beautiful, spacious house that only needed the bustle of children to make it complete, he searched her misty eyes. “You like it, don’t you?”
With a smile filled with love, and her lips raised to his, she said softly, “Yes, I like it. It’s home.”
eISBN: 978-14592-6176-1
MYSTERY DAD
Copyright © 1998 by Leona Karr
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontano, Canada M3B 3K9.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
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Table of Contents
Cover Page
Table of Contents
Excerpt
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Books by Leona Karr
Dedication
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Copyright