Whispered Promises

“If you felt that way, why did you marry me? Why didn’t you turn me down when I asked you to become my wife?”

“Because I wanted to be with you. You swept me off my feet, Dex, and at the time, nothing else mattered, not the short time we’d known each other, nor how my father would react to the news of our hasty marriage. There were so many things we didn’t know about each other.”

Dex’s jaw hardened. “We knew enough. You should have known the most important thing about me, Caitlin. You should have known how I felt about you. I didn’t want an affair with you for those three weeks. I wanted more, I wanted forever. I made the mistake of thinking that you did, too.”

“No, Dex, you didn’t make a mistake. I did want forever. But after you left for Australia, I began having my doubts about a lot of things. And when you didn’t answer my letter, I accepted what I thought was your decision not to want your child. I continued on with my life. But I never once gave up hope that one day you would want to see her. I’ve not once kept Jordan in the dark about you, even when I thought you didn’t want her. She began asking questions about her daddy when she noticed all of her friends had fathers and she didn’t. She knows all about you. Although I didn’t have any pictures of you to show her, Jordan knows who her father is.”

Dex frowned. She was right about not having any pictures. There hadn’t been a lot of time for any. The only photo of them together had been the one his mother had taken when he’d taken Caitlin home to meet his family.

He moved toward the window. He looked below at the empty street. “And just what did you tell my daughter about me? That I didn’t want her? That I deserted her? That I deserted you?” he asked coldly.

Caitlin folded her arms tightly in front of her. “No,” she replied softly. “I never gave Jordan the impression you were a terrible person, or blamed you because the three of us weren’t together. When she began asking about you, I told her you worked in a country far away, and that maybe you’d come back to see her one day. She accepted that.”

Dex took a minute to put a cap on his anger before turning to face Caitlin. “And when she got older, and I didn’t show up, what lie would you have told her then?”

Caitlin met his cold gaze head-on. “Whatever was necessary.”

A strained silence saturated the room as Dex stared at Caitlin. “Where’s she now?”

Caitlin took a deep breath, her thoughts in chaos. She looked at him. “She’s with Marsher Logan, Dad’s neighbor. She took Jordan with her to visit her own little granddaughter who lives in the country. They’ll be back tomorrow.”

Dex thought about Caitlin’s response. He would get to meet his daughter for the first time tomorrow. He continued looking at Caitlin. His anger escalated. She had stripped him of three years of his daughter’s life because she hadn’t chosen his love over her father’s. Angered beyond control, he stormed past her and out of the room.

Caitlin blinked rapidly, losing control of her emotions. She bit her lower lip as Dex’s words came back to haunt her. He was right. She should have known he would not have turned his back on his child. But then, he should have known she would not have deliberately kept their daughter’s existence from him.

Leaving her father’s room, she closed the door behind her and went into her own bedroom. Once there, she began pulling off her clothes. She felt tired, drained and depleted of all strength and logical thought. And to make matters worse, her head had begun to ache. Emerging from the shower minutes later, she slipped into a nightgown. Her father was gone, her daughter was away, and the only man she had ever loved totally despised her.

Once again she succumbed to her tears.

Dex paced the living room in quick angry strides. Coming to a stop, he pulled the letter Dr. Flores had given him from his pocket. Opening the envelope, he was surprised to find not the missing letter—the one Caitlin claimed she’d written to him about his child—but another letter. It appeared to have been written by Halston Parker and was dated over a week ago.

Moments later, after reading the letter, Dex’s jaw tightened. If Caitlin’s father’s words could be believed, there was a possibility that Caitlin could be in some kind of danger.

The letter stated that Halston Parker owned a piece of property near Eagle Pass; land that had been in the Parker family for generations. Halston had recently received offers on the land, which he’d repeatedly turned down. Not long after that, things began happening to him that had vindictive overtones. He’d reported the incidents to the police, but after the police investigation turned up nothing, they’d dismissed them as teenagers’ mischief.

The letter further stated Caitlin didn’t know anything about what had been going on since she’d been living in Fort Worth. But there was little doubt in Halston Parker’s mind that whoever had been after him to sell would now begin harassing Caitlin. He had ended the letter pleading with Dex to protect her.

As Dex refolded the letter and stuffed it back in his pocket, he couldn’t help wondering if any of what he’d read in the letter was true, or was it just another ploy by the old man to get him and Caitlin back together. As soon as he had some free time, he would pay a visit to the local police to see if there had been an investigation as Halston Parker had claimed. But first he had to make a telephone call.

Dex picked up the receiver of the phone that sat on a nearby table and punched in a few numbers. He needed to talk with Clayton. Hopefully, he would be able to give him some legal advice. The phone was answered on the second ring.

“Hello?”

“Clayton. It’s Dex.”

“How are things going?”

“Not too good. Caitlin’s father died a few hours ago.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Please convey my sympathy.”

“You can do that yourself,” Dex replied bitterly. “I need you here as soon as possible. There’s a legal matter I need to discuss with you.”

“Oh? What’s up?”

“According to Mr. Parker, the divorce papers Caitlin and I signed four years ago were never filed with the courts.”

“What? I don’t understand. Why?”

“He told the lawyer that Caitlin and I no longer wanted a divorce.”

“If what you’re telling me is the truth, you and Caitlin may still be married.”

Dex sighed deeply. “I was afraid of that.”

“If you still want to end your marriage, it won’t be a problem since you haven’t lived together in four years. Under the circumstances, a judge may agree to make it effective the day of the original divorce.”

“There may be a problem with that. There’s something else I think you should know.”

“What?”

“Caitlin found out she was pregnant a couple of months after I left for Australia and she’d filed for a divorce.”

There was a pause. “What are you saying, Dex?”

Dex beamed proudly. It was late in coming but he was announcing the existence of his daughter to his family for the first time, and he felt every bit a proud father. “What I’m trying to tell you is that our parents have another granddaughter. And you, Clayton, have another niece.”

“What! I don’t believe it.”

“Believe it.”

“I take it you didn’t know about her.”

“Of course I didn’t know about her!”

“All right, all right, just take it easy, Dex. Did Caitlin say why she didn’t tell you?”

“She claims she wrote me when she found out she was pregnant.”

“And I take it you don’t believe her.”

“I didn’t get a letter, Clayton.”

“But that doesn’t necessarily mean she didn’t send one just because you didn’t get one. You yourself have complained about how lousy the mail service was in Australia. Just give her the benefit of the doubt.”

Dex’s frown deepened. Clayton always had had a soft spot where Caitlin was concerned. “I don’t know if I can do that. Because of her, I may have lost too much already.”

There was a brief silence. “Just don’t be so hard on her, Dex. She’s going through a lot right now. The last thing she needs is for you to make things worse. What she really needs is your support, not your anger. Lighten up. Now tell me about my niece. What’s her name?”