The Texan's Twins

Jackie stepped forward and took the girls by the hand. “Come on, sugars. The sooner your mom gets her work done, the faster she’ll come get you.” She glanced at Reid, then back to Danica. “Are you okay? Do I need to call anyone?”

“No. Really, I’m good. Reid is here to help.” Crossing her arms, she swallowed back any tears that would expose the desperation she was trying to hide. “Call me once you’re in the car if you want, and I’ll let you know when to expect me.”

Her sister hesitated. “Bobby’s here?”

“Yes, along with Stephanie and a couple of interns. We just released the cat, lots of people are here. I’m good.”

Watching her daughters leave with her sister, her gut burned. Maybe he’d go away if she ignored him. She felt him move next to her. His breathing was hard enough to brush her unprotected neck. Closing her eyes, she prayed, with every bit of energy in her body. If she could, she would drop to her knees.

She did not want to deal with this.

“I’m a father? Why didn’t—”

She turned on him, her fingertip against his chest. “You, Reid McAllister, are not a father. You made me a mother, then you left. That does not make you a father. Don’t you dare try to act like the victim here.” Heat ran through her limbs.

Devastation flared in his eyes. Years ago, he shared dreams of forging a family with her, the type of family he had only seen on television. Reid had talked about being the kind of father he’d wanted to be, a good father. He’d wanted to do things differently than his parents.

At the time, she was foolish enough to believe him.

Danica stared him down, the gray in his eyes glossed over until only a dark green burned. So let him get angry. She didn’t care. Her rage heaved and pulled against the shackles she’d locked it under years ago.

Her finger thrust against his rock-hard chest. “I waited for you.” Her voice shook. She squared her shoulders. “When I took the first pregnancy test, I was alone. I’ve been alone every step of the way, except for my family. My girls are Bergmanns, and that’s all they know. You showing up on my doorstep does not change the fact they don’t have a father. They never did, and they’re fine, better than fine. They have my father. The kind of man I want them to know.”

Mouth open, he didn’t say a word. Deep in the back of his throat, his voice emerged. “They’re mine.”

“No. You gave up that right when you decided it was easier just to vanish than tell me what was happening. I’m not talking to you about them.” Unable to deal with his self-inflicted wounds any longer, she marched past him and into the office. Slamming the door felt better than it should.

She didn’t have time for this drama or his wounded pride. “He should have thought of that before he drove a suspicious car across state lines.”

“Who are you talking to?”

Stephanie’s voice caused her to jump. She forced a laugh. “Just myself.” She looked around. “Where is everyone? What are you doing in my office?”

“Oh, they’re putting everything away, and Sarah is checking on the bats. I wanted to get the updates on the paperwork.” She leaned her perfectly dressed hip on the corner of the worn, outdated desk. “How are we looking financially?”

Danica moved past her and bit down on the inside of her cheek. This was not what she wanted to deal with right now. “We have a board meeting soon. I’ll be able to give a full report then.”

“I spoke with Dorothy. As your friends and board members, we’re worried. Do we have enough money to hire a vet tech?” Stephanie started looking through some photos Danica had taken for the grant. “He’s a convicted criminal. Is it smart to have him around so many drugs and exotic animals?”

“He needs community hours, and we need him for the grant. James trusts him. Sorry I don’t have time to go deeper, but I have lots of work that still needs to be done before the end of the day.”

Her temper was on the edge of exploding, but it wasn’t Stephanie’s fault. Plus, she really couldn’t afford to be rude to her. Not only was she Linda’s only living relative, but she stood by her side as a major advocate for the sanctuary.

“I’m sorry. I know your aunt’s dream for this place is as important to you as it is to me. But right now, I don’t have time. I promise I have a report, and I will answer all of your questions then.” She took a breath. “Thank you for helping today. I know you also have a busy schedule with your law firm.”

“Danica, are we going to move the cub?” Reid stood at her door. He wasn’t looking at her, though. He seemed to be staring at Stephanie.

“Seems the felon needs you. Shouldn’t leave him unattended for long. I have to go anyway. I’ll see you at the board meeting.” She ignored Reid as she went out the other door.

Danica swallowed, or tried to anyway. The ball of fear and worry hung in her dry throat. She shouldn’t have rushed Stephanie out. Maybe she could call Bobby, so someone would be between her and Reid.

“I’ll be with the cub.” Not giving her a chance to reply, Reid turned on his booted heel and left.

Bracing her hands on the edge of the desk, she hung her head. “God, please give me the wisdom to handle this the best way for the girls.” Her wounded heart wanted to lash out at him and make him pay, but that wouldn’t help anyone. As good as it would feel to scream and throw breakables against his head, she knew it would just destroy her in the long haul. More guilt was the last thing she needed right now.

With a deep breath, she turned to face the door leading to Reid and the baby bear. There was no reason for her to feel guilty. For six years, she’d stayed strong. God had been preparing her for this day. Danica swallowed any emotions that might give him an opening to her heart and stepped into the room with her husband.

Chapter Four (#u621185ce-64f6-5df7-8615-4880a3441ad0)

Reid held the bottle as the baby bear clung to him. He took a deep breath, pushing his lungs past their comfort zone. Releasing all the tension, he counted to five. Held it. Again.

It wasn’t working.

No matter how he tried to center his breathing, the word daughters bounced around in his head. The double image of the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen ricocheted in his thoughts.

Two curly-red-haired girls. He had two daughters with the same color of eyes as his mother. Two daughters who were already five years old. Five years he could never get back. Anger threatened to abolish all his good intentions.

Danica was right. He’d walked out on her when she needed him most. He’d ruined his own life. A life that not only shined with Danica as his wife but two precious girls who...

His family had ridiculed him for trying to make a better life, for reaching over his head for things that belonged to other people. Not him.

The night he was arrested they had been proven right. There was no escaping his family blood.

But daughters? What did he do with that information? Even after seeing them, he still couldn’t believe it. He wanted to yell and hit something.

He stroked the bear’s fur and looked down, into her trusting eyes. Centering his thoughts and turning to God was what he needed to do now.

As much as he wanted to blame Danica, he couldn’t. The mistake was his, and now he had a great deal to prove to her.

The rocking chair creaked as it rolled back and forth. Reid leaned his head back. The peeling paint on the old wood panel revealed decades of colors just painted on top of each other. It needed to be sanded and repainted. No one had ever taken the time to do the job right. Layers of paint had been slapped onto each other, covering the old stains.

If she had the supplies to make repairs, he could work on restoring the old wood. Words were not going to regain the trust he’d lost. It was going to take a lot of work and time to show her he could be counted on.

His mother had put her husband above her children. Each time his father got out of prison, his mother took him back, no questions asked. A corner of his lip twitched as he looked down at the bear. “Danica made it clear I wasn’t getting anywhere near her babies. I think she might be the definition of mama bear.”

“Are you talking to the bear?” Not making eye contact, Danica marched across the room. She gave no indication she had actually heard what he said.

“No one else will talk to me.”

A snort came from her as she pulled bottles and assorted supplies out of the cabinets. “When you finish with the feeding, we’ll move her out to the enclosure.” With jerky fast motions, she stuffed them in the bag. “I’ll wait in the Jeep that’s parked out back.” Without a glance at him, she flung the bag over her back and left.