The Marine's Secret Daughter

Well, that answered who and what he was. His gut burned at being relegated to such a mundane role in Meg’s life.

Chapter Two (#ua6223227-7b7c-528a-8297-5fb5bb0e5b12)

“Meg gave her permission for him to be here,” Jan said into the silence.

Meg rubbed her nose and avoided eye contact with Riley, but sneaked a look at his arms folded over his well-defined chest. And yes, she knew that chest was rock-hard from when he’d caught her on the stairs.

Good grief, what was she thinking, and more to the point, why was he back here after all this time? Just her luck to have an asthma attack in the middle of cleaning up the place for—of all people—Riley. Why had she let him talk her into coming to the ER? And why had she assumed the mold in that basement had been cleaned up in the first place? If she’d known how bad it was, she would’ve refused the job. Or at least refilled the inhaler before going.

She needed to be paying attention to the doctor, but Riley’s looming presence dwarfed everyone and everything else. Well, he couldn’t overwhelm her now. His surprise appearance at the cottage had flustered her and thrown her back into the old habit of thinking he hung the moon. That’s the explanation she had for letting him bully her into coming to the hospital. But she was an adult with a good life in Loon Lake and was working hard to provide Fiona with the security every child deserved. Riley might be sexier than ever, but she couldn’t let him in. Not after he’d made it plain his presence was temporary. She had to assume the marines were still his passion, his first choice. He’d shattered her heart and she wouldn’t allow him to do that to Fiona. Meg’s job as Fiona’s mom was not only to provide but also to protect.

And yet, hadn’t she hurt Fiona by keeping her existence a secret from Riley? Hiding a child wasn’t pay back, no matter what Riley had done. Fiona had every right to know her father, and vice versa. He’d ignored her letters, but she’d planned on swallowing her pride and doing what was necessary to contact him...right up until the day that manila envelope had arrived. In it were her letters to him. He’d returned every damn one—unopened.

“Let’s adjust this a bit,” Jan muttered as she fiddled with the oxygen mask.

The movement, as much as the increased oxygen, jerked Meg back to the present.

The doctor scribbled a note and spoke to the nurse. “We need to see about getting Meghan a room for the night.”

Wait, what? A room? As in hospitalized overnight? No, no, no. With her high deductible insurance plan, she’d be in debt until Fiona left for college—longer. Meg sat straighter and tugged the mask down. “No. I can’t stay over—”

“You need this.” Riley settled the mask firmly back in place.

She tried to slap his hand away, but he wouldn’t budge.

The doctor cleared his throat. “It’s a precaution. I don’t think you should be alone tonight, Meghan.”

Riley released his hold on the mask. “I’ll stay with her.”

Meg shook her head. Fiona’s presence covered every inch of their home. She couldn’t deal with this tonight. The asthma treatments would leave her jittery and grouchy. Her dream of slinky dresses and killer heels might be dead, but she still needed some type of armor when she dealt with Riley.

“According to this, you were doing laundry when the attack occurred.” The doctor frowned. “I see mold is one of your triggers, so I assume there’s mold at your place?”

She groaned inwardly. If she said yes, the doctor would want her to stay in the hospital. If she said no, Riley would insist on staying at her place. It was a no-win situation. Maybe being in debt for the rest of her life wouldn’t be so bad. Ramen noodles weren’t the worst things in the world.

“My cottage is next to hers and it’s my understanding, sir, both basements flooded.” Riley laid his hand on her shoulder.

Meg tried to shrug it off and failed. The warmth of his fingers was scrambling her brain because she had an urge to lean into his strength. She was doing fine on her own. With her graduation from college this semester and her successful completion of student teaching last semester, she’d sent the letter of disposition required for teacher certification. Once she received certification, she could pursue a full-time position. No more cleaning cottages to pick up extra cash between subbing jobs. Sure, she’d had some setbacks with her unreliable car and the flooded basement, but nothing she couldn’t handle, and she’d already applied for a fall teaching job. Speed bumps were a part of life, but the bag with bottles of whiskey on Riley’s porch could signal more than a bump in the road for Fiona. He hadn’t been a drinker before he left so Meg had been surprised by the alcohol, but that proved she didn’t know Riley anymore and her job was to protect her daughter.

The doctor removed his glasses and slipped them in his shirt pocket. “Under normal circumstances, having some mold in the cellar wouldn’t put you in undue stress, but a second response to the same trigger would be twice as bad.”

“I’m taking her to a motel for tonight.” Riley squeezed her shoulder. “And I’ll be sure her basement gets cleaned up.”

“Sounds good.” The doctor stood and pushed the stool back. He shook Riley’s hand and patted Meg’s leg. “I’ll discharge you if you stay away from any triggers at least for tonight and use your nebulizer every four hours. Don’t hesitate to return if your condition worsens during the night. And be sure to fill your inhaler prescription.”

Meg sputtered. What made Riley think he could show up and take over? She was capable of taking care of her daughter, herself and her home, thank you very much. After her ma had died, she’d discovered a strength she hadn’t known she possessed. She’d taken care of everything after her father and brother fell apart, and she’d been barely out of her teens, all the while caring for an infant and working to finish college. She’d been handling things for a long time now and she’d—

“Keep that oxygen on while I go to see about your paperwork,” Jan said and sneaked a glance at Riley before sweeping past the curtain, her sneakers squeaking on the polished floor.

Just like that it was a done deal. Meg made a grab for the mask, but Riley stopped her. “What part of keep this on did you not understand?”

Fine. She’d talk through the stupid mask. “You don’t have to go to any trouble. I can take care of myself and see that my basement is cleaned up.”

He bent over her, one hand resting next to her head, the other near her hip. “Tonight I issue orders. You follow them.”

Before she could form a protest, he leaned closer. Dear Lord, was he going to kiss her? Her heart beat erratically and her eyes closed, as if she’d lost control of them. His firm lips touched her forehead. What did he think he was doing? How dare he! How...how... Her protests went unspoken as she tried to process his actions. Riley had kissed her. A peck on her forehead, but she’d liked it. Oh, God, she’d liked it. She had plans and Riley Cooper was not part of those. At one time he had been, but then she’d tried to tell him about Fiona and he hadn’t bothered to open, let alone read, her letters. But what about those dreams of finding someone to share all of life’s ups and downs? She shoved those thoughts aside. Why go looking for trouble or heartache?

Jan moved the curtain, jangling the rings against the metal rod. Riley straightened and stepped back. Great, now it would be all over town that Meg McBride not only sent her daughter away so she could carry on a raging affair with a hot stranger but ended up in the ER with him. A story begging for embellishment.

“Let’s get you ready to go.” Jan dropped a stack of papers next to Meg’s feet and bustled around, unhooking the oxygen and handing Meg the bra, T-shirt and her hoodie safely sealed in a plastic bag.

Riley straightened up and stepped away from the stretcher. “Ma’am, could you direct me to the nearest head...uh, restroom?”

“The head? Are you saying I run a tight ship?” Jan laughed.

Riley grinned. “Land or sea it’s the same to a grunt.”

She stepped into the hall. “I prefer the tight ship theory, but here, let me get you started in the right direction.”

Meg began dressing while Jan was giving Riley directions. Her fingers shook as she tried to get the bra on and she knew the shakes weren’t entirely due to the asthma meds. Try as she might, she couldn’t block out the fact that Riley had kissed her. She should be furious with him. So why wasn’t she?

“Here, let me help.” Jan helped her get the hooks threaded into the loops. “I must say, everyone is admiring your...uh...um...”

“He’s a friend of Liam’s and just happens to be renting the cottage next to mine.” Meg left out the part how Riley had sometimes spent summers as a child at the lake with his parents and then later as a guest of her family. That was close to ten years ago; no need to remind everyone of a silly childhood crush she’d gotten over a long time ago.

“Yeah, Lorena down at the Pic-N-Save said a hottie in a big black pickup had stopped for gas at that shiny new station off the interstate at the same time she was fueling up.” Jan straightened the papers she’d left on the bed. “Lorena was asking everyone who came in if they knew anything about him. Won’t those girls be jealous when they find out I know something they don’t.”

“Mmm.” Meg pulled the cotton scrub top over her head.

“Oh, but look at me. Goodness, I shouldn’t be talking about your...uh, friend like that.” Jan helped Meg pull her hair from beneath the shirt.

“He’s my brother’s friend,” Meg said through gritted teeth. Who was she trying to convince...them or herself?

Jan picked up the papers. “Yes. Yes. Of course. Your...um, Riley said he’d meet you at the nurses’ station.”

Meg sighed. Her life would be a lot simpler if everyone would just stay out of her business.

* * *

Riley thanked the young, dark-haired nurse at the desk. While the one motel in Loon Lake was closed for renovations, she’d suggested one not too far away and had even called to check availability.

With the room booked, now all Riley had to do was get Meg there. He knew she’d fight him on it, but he wasn’t letting her go back to either cottage tonight, nor was he leaving her alone. As far as he knew, her dad and brother were living three hours away in Boston. He might not want to admit it, but she’d scared him. And he’d been in some terrifying situations during his time in the sandbox. When he returned to his men, he wanted to do it knowing Meg was here in Loon Lake, safe and happy.

And is that your explanation for your boneheaded behavior back there, Marine?

The kiss had been spontaneous and it was a toss-up who’d been more surprised by the gesture. For a split second, the emotions he’d bottled up had threatened to consume him. He’d been afraid she’d pass out or worse before he could get her help. But he was glad he’d been there, able to help her, and that he’d finally helped someone rather than watching them die.

Look on the bright side, Marine—giving her a quick peck was preferable to clinging to her in relief.