Kitabı oku: «Angel Mine»

Eyes flashing a challenge, Heather smiled at him. “You don’t think it’s pure coincidence that I showed up in Whispering Wind, where you happen to live?”

“Not in a million lifetimes,” Todd said. “I saw the look on your face in there. You weren’t the least bit surprised to see me. You knew I was here.”

“You always were brilliant.”

He ignored the sarcasm in her voice. “Get to the point,” he said.

Though he wanted badly to deny it, he had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach that he already knew the reason for her arrival. He prayed he was wrong, but what if he wasn’t?

“Okay,” Heather said at last. “You want the truth, here it is.”

Suddenly Todd didn’t want to hear the truth, after all. He wanted to finish his day in blissful ignorance. It was too late, though. Heather clearly had no intention of remaining silent now that he’d badgered her for the truth.

Her expression softened ever so slightly and her voice dropped to little more than a whisper, as if by speaking softly she could make the words more palatable. “I figured it was time you met your daughter.”

“Energetic pacing, snappy dialogue and an appealing romantic hero.”

— Publishers Weekly on After Tex

Angel Mine
Sherryl Woods

www.mirabooks.co.uk

For Kristi and Ron on their first anniversary—

May your love and your family continue to grow.

For Kerri and Tom as they marry—

May you share a lifetime of blessings and joy.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

1

Despite her name, there was nothing the least bit angelic about Heather Reed’s toddler, not when she was tired, anyway. And on this unseasonably warm early May afternoon she was exhausted and hot and hungry. Heather should have known that disaster loomed before she even considered taking Angel with her to the store. Not that she had any choice in the matter. She just should have anticipated something like this. It was the way her day had gone.

Screaming as if she was being tortured, Angel threw herself onto the floor in the cereal aisle. Why? Because she was in pain? No. Because she was close to starvation? No. Simply to express her displeasure over her mother’s refusal to buy her some sickly sweet product that was not only overpriced but would probably induce cavities after the first bite.

Heather debated what to do. She could snatch her up and run out of the crowded grocery store on New York’s Upper West Side before anyone recognized her as an actress who’d spent a year as a hated villain on a popular soap opera. Or she could 8 Sherryl Woods wait out her daughter’s full-blown tantrum and endure the stares.

Embarrassment won. She’d taken enough abuse from enraged fans over that soap role. If anyone recognized her, they’d likely assume she was being deliberately cruel to her daughter. Who knew where that could lead? Some soap fans had a hard time distinguishing between reality and fiction. By the time the truth could be sorted out, Heather’s reputation would be in tatters.

Abandoning her half-filled shopping cart, she grabbed Angel and raced past startled shoppers and checkout clerks, not pausing until she was almost home. Setting her suddenly silent daughter on her feet on the sidewalk a block from their apartment building, she gazed down into tear-filled eyes and tried to feel some remorse over having been the cause of such apparent misery.

She couldn’t.

Angel was the joy of her life…most of the time. But there were days—and today was definitely one of them—when Heather would have given anything for another adult to share the responsibility of raising her little girl, she thought as they walked the rest of the way home at a slower pace.

They had been in the stupid store in the first place because Heather had forgotten to pick up cereal the day before, and Angel had started the day with a breakfast of scrambled eggs, most of which had ended up smeared on her clothes and in her hair. That had necessitated another bath and a change of clothes before Angel went off to day-care and Heather headed for her waitressing job in a neighborhood deli, where the customers were only slightly less demanding and messy than her daughter. Her boss had docked her an hour’s pay because she was five minutes late and warned her that the next time would be her last. Since her finances were already stretched to the limit, the threat carried a lot of weight.

To make matters worse, she’d gotten off early to go to a callback for a bit part in a new Broadway production, only to discover that the producer’s girlfriend had been given the role overnight. Her acting career was in the middle of a frustrating lull of monumental proportions. Her self-esteem was slip-sliding away at an astonishing rate.

Angel’s tantrum—nothing unusual in and of itself—had merely capped off a truly lousy day, but it was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. Plain and simple, Heather didn’t see how she could do this single-mother routine much longer, not without losing her shaky grip on sanity.

She’d thought the worst of it had been the sleepless nights, when feedings had seemed to come every few minutes and colic kept Angel awake and cranky. Then the torments of potty training had replaced that. That accomplished, she’d been absolutely certain the rest would be smooth sailing.

Instead, she was discovering that the problems never went away. They merely changed. Her admiration for single moms had increased by leaps and bounds in the past couple of years. In the past ten minutes she’d concluded she was simply one of those who couldn’t hack it. At this rate she’d have high blood pressure and nervous tics by the time she turned thirty.

“That cuts it,” Heather announced to no one in particular as she stood on the sidewalk in front of her apartment. “I cannot do this alone for one more day.”

Once the admission had been uttered, an astonishing sense of relief spread through her. Independence was one thing. Foolhardy stubbornness was something else entirely.

She gazed at Angel, who stared back solemnly.

“We’re going to find your daddy,” she informed Angel as she brushed a stray wisp of silky hair from her child’s forehead. “Let him figure out how to cope with you. Coping is what he does best,” she said, fondly recalling all that cool competence. She figured he might be taken aback by the discovery that he was a daddy, but he would rally. He always did.

Angel’s expression promptly brightened. “Daddy?”

It was a word that already fascinated her, even though she couldn’t possibly understand its meaning. Angel automatically gravitated toward any male in a room, as if she sensed that he—or someone like him—was what was missing from her life.

“Yes, Daddy,” Heather said firmly.

She knew for a fact that Todd was in Wyoming, working for media mogul Megan O’Rourke, who was giving Martha Stewart a run for her money in the world of TV, books and magazines. His promotion to executive producer of Megan’s television show had been announced in all the trade papers a few months earlier. Heather hadn’t been particularly surprised by the news. Todd always succeeded at whatever he set his mind to.

Of course, there had been a time when, like her, he’d wanted to be an actor. He’d claimed to want it with the same passion she did. He’d been good, too. Better than she’d been, she was forced to admit.

As much as Heather had believed in her own abilities, as much as she’d wanted desperately to be a star, she’d known she was likely to be relegated to bit parts in off-off-Broadway productions. Her skills ran to light comedic parts, not leading-lady roles. And while she could sing on key, she didn’t have the showstopping voice for starring in musicals. She’d been willing to make do with that, because she couldn’t imagine any other career, any other place to live. She loved the energy of New York, no matter how small a role she might have to take to stay there.

Todd, however, had been destined for stardom. He’d just gotten sidetracked along the way by the lures of a weekly paycheck.

That had been one of the biggest hurdles they’d faced in their relationship. Four years ago she had been a free-spirited dreamer, willing to live on peanut butter and macaroni-and-cheese for her art. Todd had been steady and reliable and practical. He actually worried about having enough money for rent, decent food and vitamins. Over her objections, he’d let a temporary job with Megan O’Rourke turn into a full-time career. Heather had been disillusioned and saddened by his choice, by the sacrifice of their shared dream. Unable to accept his argument that he had done it for their future, she had split up with him soon afterward. On some level she had hoped that without his sense of obligation to her and their relationship, he might rediscover his old dream. He hadn’t.

The breakup had come before she’d discovered she was pregnant. It was just as well, too. Todd would have wanted to do the right thing, even if it derailed both of their lives.

At the time she had been absolutely certain that she and her baby would both be better off on their own. She’d been taking care of herself—surviving—for a very long time. Struggling to be a working actress was second nature to her. Struggling to be a working actress with a baby would simply complicate things a little. It wouldn’t actually worsen the struggle.

Or so she’d thought at the time.

Then, despite her optimism, practicality had set in. She’d had more trouble—more than she wanted to admit—putting food on the table. She might be able to survive on one meal a day at whatever restaurant she was working in part-time, but the baby couldn’t. She’d taken jobs she’d hated—acting and otherwise—to make ends meet. Day-care costs were prohibitive and ate away at her paltry earnings. At night reliable baby-sitters were all but impossible to find at a price she could afford. Angel had spent more than her share of time in dingy backstage dressing rooms being tended by willing stagehands, who’d passed her around like a football as they went about their duties.

As a result, Angel was amazingly adaptable, but the constant demands were beginning to take a toll on Heather. She didn’t need a man in her life, especially not a man as rigidly organized as Todd, but Angel could certainly use a father’s influence. And much as she hated to admit it, they both could use additional financial support. She didn’t want her baby suffering because she was trying unsuccessfully to live out a dream.

After a day like today, the prospect of sharing responsibility with Angel’s daddy, something she’d vowed never to do, held an overwhelming appeal. She would have given almost anything just to have a single uninterrupted hour to soak in a bubble bath.

Not for the first time, she wondered what Todd would think of his daughter. They’d never talked about kids, so she had no idea where he stood on the subject. But how could he resist his own child? Angel had her daddy’s stubborn chin, his brown hair and soft-green eyes the color of sage. Three now, she was healthy and strong, and her crooked little smile could brighten the darkest day.

But, oh, was she willful! She was definitely developing her own personality. Heather gazed at that precious, tear-streaked face and fought a smile. Angel had gotten that stubborn streak from her mama, no doubt about it. If Angel’s temperament stayed true to form, Heather would never have to worry about her daughter turning into anybody’s doormat. Just like her mother, Angel never hesitated to express her opinion about anything and everything. What she lacked in vocabulary, she more than made up for in volume.

Envisioning how Angel would undoubtedly disrupt her daddy’s tidy, organized life gave Heather the most enjoyment she’d had in weeks. Todd might not be thrilled to see her again, but as rock-solid and dependable as he was, he wouldn’t be able to turn his own daughter away. Heather was absolutely, one-hundred-percent confident of that.

Her decision made, Heather didn’t stop to consider her plan beyond that. She figured if she gave up her apartment, which was no big loss, she’d have just enough money in the bank for a couple of plane tickets to Wyoming and a motel room. Maybe she’d even find a job and hang around for the summer, avoid the New York heat and humidity. After that, well, she’d play it by ear, the way she usually did.

But deep inside, something told her it was going to be the smartest investment of time and money she’d ever made.

The corner office at the new national headquarters of Megan’s World Productions in Wyoming looked as if it had been plucked right out of midtown Manhattan. Todd Winston had worked incredibly hard to see that it did. He wanted every aspect of the decor to remind him of the city he loved, the city he’d reluctantly left behind when Megan O’Rourke had moved her media empire west and made him an offer too good to pass up.

It wasn’t the money she’d offered him that had overcome his resistance. Oh, no. It was the way she’d turned those big blue eyes of hers on him and pleaded. She’d said she needed him, that she couldn’t live without him, that he was the best, the only person she could trust. He was such a sucker. A vulnerable woman got to him every time, but Megan was about as vulnerable as General Patton. He’d remembered that belatedly.

Of course, there was no question that he was the best and that she did need him. So he’d stayed and done his level best to pretend he was still back East.

Modern art graced his office walls, along with framed posters of New York. In moments of real nostalgia, he could almost convince himself that those were the views outside the office. He’d actually framed one skyline scene behind an old window he’d found at a flea market. As illusions went, it wasn’t half-bad.

Only rarely did he look outside and risk the sight of a stray cow peering back at him. That and the wide-open spaces reminded him all too vividly that he was a very long way from home and way, way out of his element. The sound of rain splattering on the refurbished warehouse’s tin roof could shatter the illusion in a heartbeat. Fortunately it had been a dry few months.

In general, though, he thought he’d adapted pretty well. He owned a Stetson, cowboy boots and a pair of jeans. Much as he hated to admit it, he’d discovered the outfit was actually comfortable.

Recently he’d nearly decided to stop bugging Megan for hazardous-duty pay, but then he’d recalled the driving he had to do to get anywhere in this godforsaken, spread-out land. The thought of getting behind the wheel of a car had almost been enough to make him quit and head back to a city where it was possible to get everywhere on public transportation.

Over the years, though, he had prided himself on never giving in to panic, on doing what had to be done in any and all circumstances. He’d told himself that this was just another role he had to learn to play. Only by distancing himself in that way had he been able to get his license.

Then he’d reluctantly gone car shopping. Megan had recommended an outrageously expensive but sturdy sports utility vehicle. He’d found himself gravitating toward something slightly less ostentatious, something a true westerner would drive.

He’d walked out of the showroom with a great big, fancy pickup truck. That sucker could haul a lot of hay, maybe even a dead moose. Not that he had any intention of loading it up with either. As he’d driven off the lot, he’d been convinced he was doing a darn fine job of turning himself into the image of a rancher. Who would ever have thought it possible? Certainly not him, not in his wildest dreams. And while he would never in a million years admit it to his boss, he loved that truck. He just hated getting behind the wheel.

He glanced up at the television monitor in his office in time to see Megan and Peggy pull a perfect chocolate raspberry soufflé from the oven. His mouth watered. The town of Whispering Wind might not have the caliber of restaurants he’d frequented in Manhattan, but the recipes Megan and Peggy whipped up on their cable show almost made up for it. Unfortunately the show was taped and that soufflé was a distant memory. This week’s tapings were heavy with summer salads, which were healthy enough but hardly appealed to his taste for the exotic.

“Can you believe how incredibly well that soufflé turned out?” Megan asked, walking into his office just in time to see the close-up of the finished product. “It never ceases to amaze me that I can actually cook when I put my mind to it.”

“You don’t cook. You let Peggy do all the tricky stuff,” Todd reminded her with a grin. “Boiling water tests your skills. That’s why you refuse to let the housekeeper out at the ranch retire. Whispering Wind doesn’t exactly cater to your best culinary achievement—ordering in.”

His boss frowned at him. “Have you forgotten who’s in charge around here?” she asked with feigned indignation. “Besides, I was cooking all alone on the show for quite a while before we asked Peggy to take over those segments.”

“All alone?” he repeated skeptically. “I seem to remember finished products being prepared by expert chefs so you wouldn’t look like an idiot at the end of the show.”

“Okay, okay, so cooking isn’t my strong suit, which brings me to the reason for dropping in. What would you think of spinning Peggy’s segment off into a full half-hour show? The response has been terrific. The audience is growing. Requests for recipes are up and that catalog we put together to sell gourmet ingredients is doing terrific business. Maybe we ought to capitalize on all that.”

“How’s Johnny going to feel about that? They’re just beginning to get their marriage back on track. A show of her own will eat up a lot of Peggy’s time.”

Megan frowned at the mention of her best friend’s rocky marriage. “It’ll be up to Peggy, of course, but I think she needs to maintain as much financial independence as she can. It was only when Johnny began to see that she could walk away from him that he finally started to shape up. If you ask me, the relationship is still on shaky ground.”

“Okay, so the ball is in Peggy’s court on that one. How about you? Don’t you have enough on your plate without starting up another television show?” Todd asked, even as the idea began to take hold in his imagination.

Megan’s friend had turned out to be a natural in front of the camera. The viewers loved her. Advertisers clamored for the available commercial spots during her segments. Selling her show to the syndicator would be a breeze. And, to be perfectly frank, she was a whole lot less demanding than the woman seated in front of him. Peggy was a nurturer. Megan was a type-A control freak.

“It wouldn’t be on my plate,” Megan said. “It would be on yours. You’re the executive producer around here.”

“That’s my name on the credits,” he agreed. “But you’re in charge. You still oversee every detail on the show and for the magazine. You vowed to let up once you married Jake, but I haven’t seen any evidence of it.”

“I’m letting up now,” she said, an uncharacteristic blush on her cheeks.

“And I’m a full-fledged cowboy,” Todd retorted, not believing her for a minute. Megan was far too obsessive-compulsive to give up any control of her empire.

“No, I am letting up,” she insisted, then took a deep breath and blurted, “I’m pregnant.”

Todd stared, then jumped up and let out a whoop as he scooped her out of the chair and spun her around. He was genuinely delighted for her. The ultimate career woman, Megan had taken a long time to realize that she was mother material. Thrust into the role when she’d assumed guardianship of her grandfather’s illegitimate eight-year-old daughter less than a year ago, she’d panicked, then thrived, ultimately proving that she could handle career and motherhood without missing a beat. Over time she and Tess had built a better relationship than most kids had with their natural parents. She’d even found room in her heart and in their lives for Tess’s biological mother, Flo.

“Congratulations! It’s about time,” he enthused.

“We haven’t been married that long,” Megan reminded him. “Just a few months.”

“From what I’ve heard it only takes one night, especially if you’re not planning on it. What does Jake think? Never mind. He’s probably over the moon. How about Tess?” he asked.

“Still full of surprises. Jake and I worried how she would react, since she’s just beginning to believe that I intend to be a real mother to her. Apparently, though, she thinks this is something we’ve done especially for her. She’s looking forward to having a little brother or sister she can boss around. Says it’ll be even better than all those kittens she’s managed to sneak into the house.” She surveyed him intently. “How about you? Think you’re ready to be a godfather?”

Taken by surprise, his palms began to sweat. “Me? You can’t be serious. I can’t even remember the last time I set foot in a church. What kind of role model would I be?” he asked, dismissing the idea out of hand.

“Who else would we want? Jake agrees. You’ve been with us through thick and thin. We want to share this with you. And you can always start joining us in church on Sundays. You’ll feel perfectly at home by the time the baby gets here.”

Todd regarded her uneasily. As thrilled as he was for her and Jake, this was definitely a twist he hadn’t anticipated. It made his stomach constrict just thinking about it. How could he tactfully decline something most people would consider an honor?

“I’m flattered, really I am, but maybe you’d better think that over,” he said carefully. “I haven’t spent that much time around kids. I’d probably mess it up.”

“You’re wonderful with Tess.”

“She’s a real person. This would be a baby.”

“Not forever,” Megan pointed out. “We’re counting on him or her growing up eventually.”

On the verge of a full-fledged anxiety attack, Todd murmured, “Call me when that happens.”

Obviously the depth of his uneasiness finally sank in. Megan studied him with that probing, take-no-prisoners look she usually reserved for tough on-air interviews. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“Like I said, I’m flattered, but I really don’t think I’m the best candidate.”

But Megan was not willing to let the subject drop. “I’ve known you for a long time. It’s not like you to turn down a new project just because it’s unfamiliar turf. You were on my case from the beginning when it came to Tess. You didn’t let me back away from that challenge, just because I was scared out of my wits. So why should I let you?”

“This isn’t a new project or a half-grown kid,” he said tightly. “It’s a baby, a helpless little baby. I’m telling you I can’t do it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Megan, how many ways do I have to say it? No. Not in this lifetime. Never. Forget it.”

“Okay, okay,” she said, backing down. “There’s a long time to go. Maybe the idea will grow on you. Maybe you’ll change your mind.”

“I won’t,” Todd insisted, his gaze steady. Megan would simply have to understand that this time he couldn’t be badgered or cajoled into giving in. There was only one thing he couldn’t or wouldn’t do for her and this was it.

“Find someone else, Megan.”

“But—”

“I mean it. I love you. I respect you. I would do almost anything in the world for you or Jake. But I will not be godfather to your baby.”

Her gaze narrowed, then turned speculative. “Why do I sense that there’s more going on here than you’ve said?”

“Because you can’t take no for an answer?” he suggested. “It’s some genetic flaw, I think.”

“I’m not giving up on you,” she retorted, undaunted by his attitude. “It only took a few weeks to turn you into a cowboy against your will. The baby’s not due for eight more months.”

Todd sighed at the determined gleam in her eye. Megan on a mission was a force to be reckoned with. But just this once, he figured he was even more highly motivated than she was. If nothing else worked, he would resort to the truth. Then she wouldn’t allow him within an arm’s length of her baby.

2

Todd was living here? Heather gazed up and down the main street of Whispering Wind and wondered if she’d somehow landed on the set for Annie Get Your Gun. The downtown was no more than a few blocks long and dominated by a handful of old-fashioned storefronts, ranging from a diner and a general store to a hardware store and a feed-and-grain supplier. Feed and grain? Something told her that wasn’t a gourmet grocery, catering to vegetarians.

The place did have a certain rustic charm, she supposed, but Todd, here? Todd Winston, the ultimate yuppie even when he hadn’t had a dime, in a town that didn’t have a Starbucks or department store in sight, much less a skyscraper? Where was he buying his designer shirts? Where was he going for sushi? Where were the theaters? Megan O’Rourke must have the persuasive skills of a hostage negotiator.

“Mama?” Angel tugged on her hand and gave her an imploring look. “Want ice cream. Now.”

Now was Angel’s second favorite word after no. It usually meant trouble was just around the corner unless Heather complied with her wishes. Since it was a tantrum that had brought them here, Heather was willing to do almost anything to avoid one now.

“In a minute, sweet pea,” she said, trying to buy a few minutes to look around, to absorb not only the simplicity of the town, but the fact that the temperature seemed close to freezing even though it was already mid-May. She shivered and tugged her sweater more tightly around her, then checked the zipper on Angel’s coat which she had a way of tugging down.

“Now!” Angel repeated. “Want ice cream now!”

Heather sighed. She had barely had time to breathe since dropping their belongings off at a motel on the outskirts of town. Angel had been too excited to take her usual afternoon nap. This walk was supposed to settle her down, so Heather could have some quiet time to make plans, including coming up with a less expensive alternative to the car she’d been forced to rent at the airport.

On the flight to Laramie, she’d given more thought to exactly how she needed to handle things with Todd. She couldn’t expect to drop Angel on his doorstep and simply walk away. Father and daughter were going to need time to get to know each other, time for Todd to accept the situation. Spending the summer sounded about right.

Surely after three months she and Todd could come to some sort of an agreement. Shared custody, maybe. Child-support payments. She wasn’t sure exactly what was fair, which meant she probably ought to see a lawyer before making contact with Angel’s daddy. She’d noticed a sign for an attorney—Jake Landers—right across the street. She doubted there was more than one in a town the size of Whispering Wind.

“Mama!” Angel’s face was scrunched up, indicating that tears were on the immediate horizon.

“Okay, baby, let’s get ice cream.”

As they walked down the block to the ice-cream parlor Angel had spotted thanks to the colorful giant cone out front, Heather noticed the Help Wanted sign in the window of the diner. Now that she’d had a look around the town, something told her that waitressing was about the best she could hope to do here. It wasn’t as if she wasn’t used to it.

“Baby, let’s stop in here for a minute,” she said, turning Angel toward the diner.

Angel let out a wail that could have put a car alarm to shame.

“I’m sure they have ice cream in here, too,” Heather consoled, for once undaunted by the building sobs. She hunkered down and touched a silencing finger to Angel’s lips. “But if you don’t stop that crying right this instant, you won’t get any. Okay?”

The tears magically stopped. “Okay,” Angel said agreeably, as if that had been her plan all along.

The Starlight Diner was spotless, but there was no mistaking the wear and tear on the red vinyl seats, the initials that had been scratched on the Formica tabletops, the jukeboxes in every booth that boasted hits from the sixties. It was the kind of place where generations of teens had probably courted, where old men came daily for a cup of coffee and local news. It had tradition written all over it. Some of the places she’d worked in in New York might have been fancier, but they had opened and closed faster than a bad Broadway play.

At nearly two o’clock in the afternoon, there was only a lone customer left at the counter, a man wearing a rumpled pin-striped suit and black leather cowboy boots. His gaze followed the waitress as she briskly wiped tables, but the woman seemed to be deliberately avoiding him.

Heather slid Angel into a booth, then sat across from her. The waitress, a tall, thin woman with short-cropped gray hair and a ready smile, came up with an order pad in hand. She grinned at Angel.

“Hey, there, aren’t you a cutie. I haven’t seen you in here before. I’m Henrietta Hastings, by the way,” she said to Heather. “What can I get for you?”

“Ice cream for her. Chocolate, if you can bear the thought of half of it winding up on the table or floor.”

“Honey, you’d be amazed at how much winds up on the table or floor, put there by folks a whole lot older than this little one. Don’t worry about it. Messes are just part of the business. Now, how about you? Ice cream, too? Although, if that’s what you’re after, I’d recommend you head on down the street. They have a fancier supply than I carry in here.”

“I’ll have coffee for now and maybe some information?”

Henrietta tucked her pencil behind her ear. “Sure. What can I tell you?”

“Do you know if the job’s still available, and if it is, when I might be able to talk to the owner?”

The woman looked as if Heather had just offered her a million bucks. “The job’s open and you’re talking to the boss. Let me get that ice cream and coffee and we’ll talk. It’ll give me a chance to get off my feet. The lunch hour was a real bitch today.” She scowled in the direction of the remaining customer as if he were one of the primary offenders. “Half the people couldn’t make up their minds, and the half that could didn’t like what they’d ordered when it turned up. We’ve got a new cook who keeps trying to gussy up the old standards. I almost had a rebellion when he tried to put avocado on the burgers. I should have known better than to hire someone whose last job was in southern California.”

She went back behind the counter to pour the coffee and dish up the ice cream, still pointedly ignoring the man seated on a stool near the register.

“More coffee, Henrietta,” he said.

“You don’t need it,” she retorted. “Besides, you’ve got court in ten minutes.”

“They can’t start without me, can they?” he shot back.

“Might be better if they did,” Henrietta replied.

The man sighed heavily. “Okay, how much do I owe you?”

“Same as yesterday and the day before that. You’re in a rut, old man. Just leave the money on the counter and don’t bother with a tip. I don’t want your handouts.”

She marched past him with Heather’s order. The man watched her starchy movements with a resigned expression, put a couple of bills beside his plate and left.

“Are you that way with all your customers, or is he special?” Heather inquired curiously.

“Foolish old man,” Henrietta muttered, her gaze following him nonetheless. “He’s a judge. Harry Corrigan. Thinks he’s God. I’m here to tell him otherwise.”

Heather hid a smile. “Interesting.”

Henrietta turned her attention from the departing judge to Heather. “I haven’t got time to waste talking about the likes of him. Tell me about you.”

Heather gave her the short version, leaving out any specific mention of Todd. An hour later she had the job, a place to stay—in the rooms upstairs—and a new friend.

“This is just temporary,” Heather reminded her.

“Girl, you’ve told me that half a dozen times. You’ll go when the time is right and I’ll be no worse off than I am today. Who knows, maybe you’ll decide to stay. You could do worse than Whispering Wind. It’s a nice little town for raising kids. And I imagine Buck over at the service station can find you a deal on a used car.”

Heather knew with absolute certainty that staying wasn’t an option, but she’d been as honest about that as she could be. “Thank you. You’ve been very kind.”

“Kindness has nothing to do with it. You’re bailing me out of a jam. I’m tired of working dawn to dusk, seven days a week. Having you around to share the load will be like going on vacation.”

“Maybe so, but I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. I never expected to be lucky enough to find work on my first day in town.”

“You want to run across the street and see Jake now, you go right on and do it,” Henrietta told her. To her credit she hadn’t asked Heather why she needed a lawyer when she’d barely set foot in town. “Business won’t pick up for a while yet. I can keep an eye on Angel for you.”

Heather hesitated. She hated taking advantage of a woman who’d already been so generous. “Angel can be a handful,” she warned.

“Believe me, you don’t know the meaning of the word until you meet the two hellions I’ve got living with me.”

“You have kids?” Heather asked, surprised. She would have thought Henrietta was old enough for grandchildren, not little ones of her own.

“Oh, they’re not mine, if that’s what you’re thinking. It’s a long story and best saved for another day. They’ll be along any minute once they’ve finished with their tutor. Both of them are smart as whips, but they missed a lot of classes a while back. They’re getting caught up after regular school lets out. They can keep Angel company till you get back.”

“If you’re sure…”

“Go. You might as well get whatever’s on your mind taken care of. Much as he tries to demonstrate otherwise, Jake’s a good lawyer and a decent man. He’ll do right by you.”

“I won’t be long,” Heather promised. There was no need to reassure Angel about her absence. She’d already crawled into Henrietta’s lap, where she was being rocked to sleep.

Maybe for once in her life, Heather concluded, she had done exactly the right thing. Not only was Angel going to gain a daddy, but it looked as if she was going to pick up an extended family, as well, something there had been little time for Heather to cultivate in New York.

And if the byplay she’d observed between Henrietta and the judge was anything to go by, the next two or three months would be downright entertaining.

The secretary in Jake’s office regarded Heather with fascination.

“Honey, do I know you? You look real familiar to me.”

“I doubt it,” Heather said. “This is the first time I’ve ever been here.”

The woman continued to stare, then snapped her fingers. “Wait. I know who you are. Hold it a sec. It’s right here.” She opened a file drawer in the desk and began tossing things out of it until she finally came up with an old issue of Soap Opera Digest, the one with Heather’s picture on the cover. “I knew it. That’s you, isn’t it?”

Heather couldn’t decide whether to be flattered or dismayed. She had played dozens of parts in her career, but it appeared that that particular one was going to follow her forever. Unfortunately there was no denying that she was the woman on the cover. “Afraid so,” she said finally.

“Well, I’ll be. What on earth are you doing in a one-horse town like Whispering Wind? I’m Flo Olsen, by the way. If you’re here to see Jake, he’s out. Of course, he’s usually out. That man works less than any human being I’ve ever known, and now that Megan’s pregnant, he’s impossible. He hovers over her like he thinks she’s going to break. She keeps calling here and begging me to come up with some big emergency that’ll get him into town and out of her hair, but I ask you, what sort of an emergency is a lawyer likely to have around here?”

Her expression brightened. “Of course, telling him that a famous actress is here to see him ought to do the trick. Just a sec. Have a seat. I’ll track him down.”

Heather sat. Since the only apparent reading material was the soap magazine, she had little to do but stare around at the office, which was surprisingly well-furnished for a man who supposedly did very little work. Suddenly what Flo had said clicked.

“Did you say his wife’s name is Megan?” she asked Flo when the secretary had hung up, her expression triumphant.

“Yes. Megan O’Rourke. I’m sure you’ve heard of her. She’s our very own local celebrity. Have to say she and I didn’t hit it off too well at first. She’s my little girl Tess’s legal guardian. Tess’s father was Megan’s granddaddy. He was taking care of Tess for me when he died, and he specified in his will that Megan was to take over.”

A grin flitted across her face as she told the story. “Sounds like something that would happen on a soap, doesn’t it? Leaving Tess with Tex O’Rourke wasn’t one of my best moments, but everything’s working out now. I get to spend a lot of time with Tess, but Megan and Jake are real good to her. I think things happen for a reason, don’t you?”

“I do,” Heather said, since nothing more seemed to be expected. This situation was getting increasingly fascinating. She couldn’t help wondering, though, just how wise it was to spill her secrets to the man married to Todd’s boss. She knew how much Megan relied on Todd. How would she feel about anything or anyone who upset the man’s orderly existence? Just to protect her own interests, would she throw a monkey wrench into Heather’s plan?

Heather was still debating what to do an hour later when Jake Landers finally came through the door, looking harried and nothing at all like a lawyer. Instead, in his worn jeans and chambray shirt, he fit her notion of a rugged cowboy to a T. Rugged and handsome, Jake exuded masculinity.

“What’s the big emergency?” he asked Flo.

Flo jerked her head in Heather’s direction. “You have a client.”

Jake gave Heather a once-over, then focused his attention on Flo once again. “I thought I told you not to schedule any appointments without consulting me, not until this baby thing is wrapped up.”

Heather stifled a grin at his naive belief that there would be a time in the near future when the “baby thing” would be wrapped up. Wasn’t she here precisely because that never happened?

“Your wife is pregnant, not sick,” Flo told him. “I’m sure she can spare you for a few minutes. Besides, this isn’t just any client. This is Heather Reed.”

When Jake failed to look impressed, Flo added pointedly, “Liza Whittington, you know, on ‘Heart’s Desire.’”

Jake looked more perplexed than ever. “Excuse me?”

“On television,” Flo said. “The soap. The one I watch during lunch.”

Understanding dawned, though the man hardly looked as if he’d finally realized he was in the presence of greatness as Flo seemed to be implying. He shot an apologetic look at Heather. “Sorry. I don’t watch a lot of daytime TV.”

“It’s okay. I’m not on anymore, anyway.”

“Jason shot her,” Flo said. “Good riddance, too.” She regarded Heather apologetically. “Sorry, but you have to admit you were a real schemer.”

“The worst,” Heather agreed. It was what had made the part so appealing initially. It had been a chance to play against type. Usually she was somebody’s perky sister. Only later, when she’d realized the ramifications with the fans, had she regretted the decision to take the role.

Jake appeared to have heard enough about the soap opera. After one last scowl at Flo, he motioned for Heather to follow him.

In his office, he gestured toward a credenza along the wall. “Coffee?”

She shook her head. He poured some for himself, then took a seat behind an impressive desk. That desk, combined with the bronze sculpture she recognized as a Remington, reassured her that despite his reportedly lackadaisical ways, Jake Landers was very successful at what he did. But could she trust him?

Right now he was studying her with what she supposed passed for an appropriately somber, lawyerly look, though on the soaps the men cast as attorneys rarely had such a twinkle in their eye.

“What can I do for you?” he asked. “I don’t do a lot of entertainment law.”

“I seem to remember that you played a big role in getting that syndicator to back down when he threatened to pull the plug on your wife’s syndication deal,” she said, recalling what she’d read in the trade papers at the time. She’d followed the story avidly, just as she did anything that might include a mention of Todd. Of course, if anyone had accused her of that, she would have denied it.

Jake grinned. “Let’s just say that in that instance I was highly motivated.”

Heather fiddled with her bangle bracelets, something she did only when she was nervous. Finally she said, “Look, maybe you should tell me about this lawyer-client confidentiality thing before we get started.”

He nodded. “Okay. Anything you tell me, I am ethically bound not to repeat.”

“Not to anyone?”

“Not to a living soul.” He regarded her closely. “You haven’t killed someone, have you?”

Startled by the question, Heather stared at him to see if he was serious, then caught that twinkle back in his eye. Normally, she enjoyed black humor, but at the moment she was way too tense to appreciate it.

“No, of course not,” she said. “Nothing like that. It’s just that you know the other person involved.”

“I do?”

“Todd Winston.”

Jake nodded slowly, apparently digesting that. “Is he in some sort of trouble?”

She grinned at his disbelieving expression. “I know. Hard to imagine, isn’t it? Dudley Do Right in trouble.”

“Todd strikes me as a very ethical man.”

“He is,” she agreed, then took a deep breath and added, “He’s also the father of my child.”

Jake very nearly choked on the sip of coffee he’d just taken. “Would you mind repeating that?”

“Oh, I think you heard me.”

“Does he know about this?”

She shook her head.

“I see.”

“Is this going to be a problem for you?” she asked, regarding him with concern. “I know how tight he is with your wife. That’s why he and I broke up, in a way.”

Jake held up his hands. “Whoa! Back up. What does Megan have to do with this?”

“Nothing, not directly, anyway. It’s just that when Todd went to work for her and gave up the dream we shared to be on Broadway together, it pretty much ended our relationship. We split up.”

“And you had his baby?”

She nodded. “After he’d left.”

“And he doesn’t know?” Jake asked again, as if he might have misunderstood her the first time.

“Nope.”

“How old is this child?”

“She’s three.”

Jake whistled. “Does he know you’re here now?”

“Not yet. I just got in. I took a room at a motel, but Henrietta gave me a job at her place across the street. She said I could use the apartment upstairs for as long as I’m here.”

“You don’t plan to stay?”

“Only long enough to settle things with Todd.”

“Settle things how?”

Her bangles clinked noisily. “I’m not exactly sure. That’s why I came to see you. I can’t manage on my own anymore. Angel’s the greatest blessing in my life, but she’s a handful. And trying to be an actress doesn’t exactly bring stability. She deserves to have more than I can give her. It took me a long time to admit that. It’s not too late, is it?”

“No. I’m sure we can get you child support. Fortunately, I have an in with his boss.” Jake allowed himself a smile. “I’ve seen the books. I know what she had to pay him to get him to move out here. You won’t have any financial worries.”

“That’s not it,” Heather said, leaning forward in her chair. “Not exactly. I know with money I could hire a nanny or something, but I want Todd to help out. Maybe shared custody. Angel needs to spend time with her daddy.”

“Oh, boy,” Jake murmured, but not so low that Heather missed it.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“You sounded like you don’t think he’s going to go for that.”

“Really, I shouldn’t have said anything. This is a different situation entirely.”

“Different from what?”

“Never mind. Heather, let me think about this. Can you stop by tomorrow? We’ll go over your options and decide on the best course of action.”

“Sure. What time?”

“Make it eleven. Megan’s taping then, so I can get away from the studio for an hour and still be back to see that she eats a proper lunch.”

Heather bit back a smile as she recalled what Flo had said about his hovering. “I’ll be here. I won’t have long, though, since I imagine Henrietta will want me to help with the lunch crowd.”

“Folks around here show up promptly at noon, leave by one. You’ll be okay.”

“What about the judge? I notice he was there much later than that.”

Jake chuckled. “The judge tries to snatch whatever private moments he can with Henrietta. His schedule drives everyone at the courthouse nuts. She doesn’t seem to appreciate the gesture, though.”

“I noticed.”

“Did she run him off again today?”

“Pretty much.”

“Henrietta has a stubborn streak, but so does the judge. He’s been after her for years now. My bet’s on him.”

“Even though she’s held out for years?” Heather said skeptically.

“Believe me, if Henrietta really wanted him gone, he’d be gone. She’s just tormenting him.”

“An interesting technique.”

“It’s certainly fun for the rest of us,” Jake said. “Now, as for Todd, if you run into him in the meantime, try not to get into anything with him just yet. We need a plan first.”

“No problem. You’ll probably see him before I will,” she said.

He glanced toward the window, which faced the town’s main street. “Oh, I doubt that,” he said dryly. “Where’s your daughter right now?”

“With Henrietta.”

“Well, don’t look now, but Todd is about to join them.”