Lone Star Millionaire

“Oh, there’s proof. Your parents had her checked when she was born. She’s yours.”

That was all Cal had to know. He’d done a lot of things in his life that he wasn’t especially proud of, but he’d never walked away from his responsibilities. “I have a few things to take care of. Sabrina or I will be in touch in the next day or so with the particulars. In the meantime, call the aunt back and tell her I’ll be out to pick up my daughter before the end of the week.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

No, he wasn’t sure he wanted to. He only knew he had to. “If she’s mine, Jack, I don’t have a choice.”

His lawyer sighed. “I figured as much. I’ll let her know.”

“I’m going to New York to talk to my mother. If you have to get in touch with me, the office will know where I am.”

“Will do.”

Cal was about to hang up the phone when he heard Jack call his name. “What?” he asked.

“Don’t you want to know her name?”

The question shocked him. Giving the child a name made her more real—an actual person with an identity. “Yes.”

“Anastasia Overton.”

“Anastasia? What the hell kind of name is that for a twelve-year-old kid?” He shrugged. “I know you can’t answer that one, either. Okay, Jack, I’ll talk to you later.” He hung up the phone.

Silence filled the room. Cal leaned back in his chair and swore. He pushed to his feet and stalked to the window. “What the hell is going on? How did this happen?”

He didn’t even know what he was asking. Did he mean how had Janice gotten pregnant? That would be pretty easy to answer. Maybe he meant how had the pregnancy been kept from him? Or maybe how had his parents thought they could get away with keeping news of his own child from him?

But they had, a small voice whispered inside his head. For twelve years his mother had sat in silence. She’d sacrificed her own grandchild for the greater good. At least that’s what she would tell him. He could already hear her voice.

The quiet got to him, and without thinking he turned back to his desk and hit a button beside his telephone. Less than thirty seconds later Sabrina stepped into the room.

Her usually animated face was strangely solemn. He half expected a crack, then realized that was never her style. She liked to banter and fight with him, but only on even terms. She would never attack him when he was vulnerable.

“How much did Jack tell you?” he asked.

Sabrina walked to one of the leather sofas and gracefully sank onto a cushion. He walked toward her and took a seat at the far end of the same sofa. He wanted to be close, but he found he couldn’t face her. Odd, because Sabrina knew the worst there was to know about him. Knew it and didn’t judge him. That was one of the reasons he kept her around.

“He said that you’d been involved with a young woman about thirteen years ago and she’d gotten pregnant, apparently on purpose. When you went off to grad school, she approached your parents, promising to stay out of your life if they paid her enough. They agreed. When the woman died in childbirth, the child was put up for adoption. She’s now living in Ohio with an elderly aunt.”

He faced front and braced his elbows on his knees, then clasped his hands together. “That about sums it up. Her name was Janice—the woman, not the kid.” He glanced at her. “This is one of the bigger messes you’ve had to help me clean up. I guess you’re going to be expecting a substantial raise this year.”

She gave him a slight smile. “This isn’t a mess. I would never think that. You didn’t know about this. Jack told me he’d only found out about it a couple of days ago.”

“You believe him?” He asked the question casually but suddenly found that her opinion mattered.

“Of course.” She angled toward him. “Cal, you’re nothing like your sister. Tracey is spoiled and willful. If this were her problem, she would have let the child go without giving him or her a second thought. You’re not like that. If you’d known about your daughter from the beginning, you would have done the right thing, whether that meant marrying Janice or just providing for your child.”

Her expression was earnest, her words sincere. He appreciated that. Jack had claimed not to be Cal’s conscience, and Cal agreed. But there were times he wondered if that was actually part of Sabrina’s job. Knowing that he was going to have to look her in the eye often influenced his behavior, and for the better.

“You’re right. So thirteen years after the fact, I’m going to do the right thing. But first I’m going to New York to talk to my mother.”

Sabrina raised her eyebrows. “I’m surprised.”

“That I’m going to take my daughter or that I’m going to visit my mother.”

“Both, although I’m more surprised about your mother. I don’t remember you ever going to see her.”

Cal grimaced. “We’re not what you would call a close family. I think I’ve seen her twice since my father died, and that was nearly ten years ago. She wasn’t the maternal type. Mother is very big on how things look rather than how they are. This situation proves that.”

“Have you thought this through?” Sabrina asked.

He knew she wasn’t asking about the visit. There was no reason to consider that. He needed information and his mother was the best source. After all, she and his father had been the ones to make the decision for him.

The shock was starting to fade, and he felt the first flicker of emotion since receiving Jack’s phone call. It wasn’t paternal pride at finding out he had offspring, or even curiosity at what his daughter would be like. Instead, what he felt was rage. Cold, dark rage. He told himself his parents had never considered his opinions or feelings before and he shouldn’t be surprised they hadn’t where Janice was concerned. Based on his thirty-four years as their son, nothing about their actions should shock him. Yet he was appalled at their complete disregard for his rights as a father and their callous disposal of their grandchild. As he had often thought in the past, he would have been better off being raised by wolves than Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson Langtry.

Sabrina leaned toward him. “We’re talking about a growing child. She’s nearly a teenager. Have you thought about what this is going to do to you and your life? If you really mean to take care of her, everything will have to change.”

He stood up and paced in front of the sofa. “No, I haven’t thought it through. I haven’t had time. Right now I can barely grasp the concept of having a child. I haven’t had a chance to internalize the information. But that doesn’t matter. The girl exists and she’s my responsibility. I’m not going to let her become a ward of the state. She didn’t ask for her circumstances. She’s a kid, and as far as she knows, no one in the world wants her. I might not be anyone’s idea of a perfect father, but I’m not going to turn my back on her.”

Sabrina smiled at him. “Every now and then you do something that reminds me why I like working for you.”

“So it’s not just about the money?”

“Not today.”

He shoved his hands in his trouser pockets. “The good news is, once Tiffany finds out about my daughter, I won’t have to worry about breaking up with her. She’ll run so hard and fast, she’ll leave skid marks.”

“You don’t know that. Maybe she would revel in the chance to show what she’s made of.”

Cal stopped pacing and stared down at Sabrina. Her blue gaze was steady. “I do know that,” he told her. “I went out with her for nearly two months. While I don’t know everything about her, I’m quite aware of her character. Besides, she’s too young to be responsible for a twelve-year-old.”

“But not too young to be dating that twelve-year-old’s father?”

She asked the question with a straight face, but he saw the hint of a smile teasing at the corner of her mouth.

“You never give me a break,” he complained.

“It’s not in my job description. Besides, there are enough people thrilled to do that every chance they get.”

“So you want to spend your time taking me down a notch or two?”

“No. It’s not that personal. However, my job description does include telling you the truth, even when you don’t want to hear it.”

“It’s your favorite part of the job,” he grumbled.

“Sometimes.” This time she did smile. “And I think there’s a chance you could be wrong about Tiffany. She’s not bright, but that doesn’t mean she’s heartless. She might surprise you.”

Cal didn’t want to be surprised. Even if Sabrina was right, it didn’t matter. He wouldn’t want someone like Tiffany near his daughter. Which was a pretty sad state of affairs, he told himself. He was willing to date and sleep with Tiffany, but he wouldn’t want her hanging around his kid. So what had he seen in her in the first place?