Shawna Delacorte – The Daddy Search (страница 1)
Which One Was The Real Nick Clayton? Letter to Reader Title Page About the Author Prologue Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Copyright
Which One Was The Real Nick Clayton?
The man her sister had described, or the one Lexi herself had observed?
There was no way you could call Nick irresponsible or callous. She could not imagine him knowingly abandoning his son or telling the boy’s mother to get out of his life.
And most devastating of all was Lexi’s sense of guilt for her personal involvement with the very man she had come to confront. What was she to believe? Her sister’s accusations, or her own observations of a man who made her tingle with excitement and caused her heart to sing?
Dear Reader,
Hey, look us over—our brand-new cover makes Silhouette Desire look more desirable than ever! And between the covers we’re continuing to offer those powerful, passionate and provocative love stories featuring rugged heroes and spirited heroines.
Mary Lynn Baxter returns to Desire and locates our November MAN OF THE MONTH in the Heart of Texas, where a virgin heroine is wary of involvement with a younger man.
More heart-pounding excitement can be found in the next installment of the Desire miniseries TEXAS CATTLEMAN’S CLUB with Secret Agent Dad by Metsy Hingle. Undercover agent Blake Hunt loses his memory but gains adorable twin babies—and the heart of lovely widow Josie Walters!
Ever-popular Dixie Browning presents a romance in which opposites attract in The Bride-in-Law. Elizabeth Bevarly offers you A Doctor in Her Stocking, another entertaining story in her miniseries FROM HERE TO MATERNITY. The Daddy Search is Shawna Delacorte’s story of a woman’s search for the man she believes fathered her late sister’s child. And a hero and heroine are in jeopardy on an island paradise in Kathleen Korbel’s Sail Away.
Each and every month, Silhouette Desire offers you six exhilarating journeys into the seductive world of romance.
So make a commitment to sensual love and treat yourself to all six!
Enjoy!
Joan Marlow Golan
Senior Editor, Silhouette Desire
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The Daddy Search
Shawna Delacorte
SHAWNA DELACORTE has delayed her move to Washington State, staying in the Midwest in order to spend some additional time with family. She still travels as often as time permits, and is looking forward to visiting several new places during the upcoming year while continuing to devote herself to writing full-time.
Prologue
“There’s nothing more to say, Mother. Nick Clayton is Jimmy’s father and he has to pay for deserting Mamie when he found out she was pregnant. You’re not going to talk me out of it. I’ll be leaving for Jackson Hole, Wyoming, first thing in the morning.”
Lexi quickly concluded her phone conversation, then went into the living room where her five-year-old nephew had plopped down in the middle of the floor to watch television. She studied him a moment as she pulled her long blond hair into a ponytail and fastened it with a rubber band. He had his mother’s looks—Marnie’s light brown hair and blue-gray eyes. Friends and family had always said if it hadn’t been for Mamie being six years older than Lexi, the two girls would have looked enough alike to have been mistaken for twins. Both girls were tall and slender, and they wore the same size clothes.
Mamie had been a good mother. What she and her son lacked in material possessions Mamie had made up for in love and attention. It was almost as if she had searched all her life for someone who needed her, someone to whom she could give her love, and she had found what she’d been seeking when her son was born. Mamie’s death had created a tragic upheaval in Jimmy’s life and left a void that Lexi tried hard to fill. A touch of sadness washed over her, but it boosted her resolve to see things through to the conclusion.
“Jimmy?” The little boy looked up at the sound of her voice. “I have some business that I need to take care of . . . out of town. You’ll be staying with Grandma for a little while. And while you’re there, she’s going to take you to the zoo.” Lexi forced an encouraging smile and tried to make her voice sound upbeat and casual, as if nothing were wrong. “Won’t that be fun?”
Lexi set about packing a suitcase for Jimmy and then packed for her own trip. She was determined and her mother was opposed and that’s the way it had been from the moment Lexi first mentioned the idea four months ago, immediately following her sister’s death. Neither of them had budged from their positions and Lexi had decided to proceed with her plan. She needed to secure Jimmy’s future while trying to make sense of what had happened.
Even though Marnie’s death was technically an accident, Lexi still held Nick Clayton responsible. Mamie had been forced to take on a second job to provide for her son. It was on her way to that second job, driving through a deluge when everyone had been warned to stay off the roads, that she had been caught in a flash flood and drowned. Now Lexi had to raise her sister’s five-year-old son. Lexi loved Jimmy as much as if he had been her own child, and she was prepared to confront the man Mamie said had gotten her pregnant, then refused to accept any responsibility. She was going to demand that this unprincipled man contribute to Jimmy’s upbringing and see to it that the little boy received a good education. Yes, indeed—Lexi fully intended to confront Nick Clayton.
Then the nagging little thought surfaced again—the one that questioned if it was possible for this to be yet another of Mamie’s exaggerations. Lexi shoved the disturbing notion aside. Surely Mamie wouldn’t have lied about something this important... surely not.
One
Lexi stared blankly out the window at the passing scenery as the shuttle van made its way along the road. The other passengers were laughing and happy, obviously looking forward to a fun-filled holiday. But hot Lexi. Fun was the very last thing on her mind. She leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes in an attempt to ease the tension headache that throbbed at her temples.
She went over the facts for what seemed like the hundredth time in the past four months. She recited them in her mind almost like a litany. Mamie had met Nick Clayton while vacationing at the Clayton’s Via Verde Dude Ranch. They had an affair that included a trip to Hawaii where she became pregnant. When Marnie told Nick, he refused to accept any responsibility. Not knowing what else to do, Marnie had confided to Lexi and finally told their mother, Colleen, that she was pregnant and the father had deserted her.
Colleen had blamed her daughter, saying it was just one more example of Mamie’s wild and irresponsible behavior to add to an already long list. Mamie and Lexi’s father had died ten years ago. Being widowed at such a young age left their mother an embittered woman. Since then, their relationship with their mother could best be described as adversarial, which only made the strained situation worse. Lexi had tried her best to be supportive, but Colleen had informed Mamie that she could not look to her for any help with this latest mess of hers. An angry Lexi wanted to confront Nick Clayton and threaten him with legal action, but Mamie had begged her not to, so Lexi reluctantly agreed to defer to her sister’s wishes.
Mamie wanted to have the baby. When Jimmy was born, Mamie had signed a document stating if anything happened to her, she wanted her sister to be her son’s legal guardian rather than their mother. Marnie had eventually reconciled with her mother but had never gotten around to changing the document. So, with Mamie’s unexpected death, Lexi had become Jimmy’s guardian with her mother there to help care for the boy.
And now, four months later and against her mother’s strong objections, Lexi had taken all her savings and spent it on a three week stay at an expensive Wyoming dude ranch—certainly not the type of place she normally would have associated with her sister’s interests. She intended to confront the man she held responsible, even though indirectly, for her sister’s death. But first she needed to check things out in person, determine for herself exactly who this Nick Clayton was. Lexi had never felt so emotionally exhausted, or as old beyond her twenty-six years, as she did at this moment.
The van turned into a long, tree-lined driveway, then came to a halt in front of a large building. “Welcome to Via Verde Dude Ranch, folks, here in the heart of beautiful Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I’ll have your luggage unloaded in just a minute.” The driver busied himself with suitcases as the passengers climbed out of the van.
Lexi took in her surroundings. The grounds were attractively landscaped and the buildings all had an appropriately rustic look, contributing to the overall atmosphere of the dude ranch. She also noted two tennis courts, several tree-shaded terraces and a large swimming pool with a children’s wading pool and a Jacuzzi.