Family Ties Read online

  Still, she hated to miss a second of watching Petey grow. Ashley pushed open her office door, walked to her desk to stab the answering machine’s blinking message button. Voices filled her tiny office. The chairman of the Speech Therapists’ Committee in Kansas City wanted information about the restaurants in the area, Mr. Holden in Cincinnati needed to discuss plans for a party he was holding the first night of his convention in August, Charles…”call before you leave tonight. It’s urgent.”

  Darn. The one night she’d stayed almost an hour overtime and Charles had to have one of his emergencies. She shouldn’t complain. He was a great boss. Not many men would have given her a job and then promoted her so quickly to a position like this when she’d appeared without references.

  Not many men would have been so understanding about the fact that she couldn’t use her real name. Fortunately, he was a trusting sort, and he had bought her story, chockfull of lies as it was.

  Lies, fake identities, a made-up past. It was amazing what desperation could do to a person. Grabbing her handbag and leather briefcase, she headed for Charles’s office.

  ASHLEY SAT BACK in a flowered bamboo chair while Charles finished a phone conversation. She studied the bouquet of pink gladioli on a side table and the grains of white, sugary sand that dotted the green carpet. Sand, sand everywhere. It was the mark of a beach resort. Like her past, nothing was ever wiped totally clean.

  Finally, Charles dropped the receiver into its cradle and turned to face her. He attempted a smile, but the lines in his face were pulled into deep worry grooves.

  “Is something wrong, Charles?”

  “I hope not.” He drummed the fingers of his right hand on his desk and stared at her. “A man was here today, looking for you.”

  Her muscles tightened. “A customer?”

  “No. He had a snapshot of you and Petey that had been taken on the beach.”

  “What did you tell him?” The quaking inside her pulled at her voice, but she managed to get the words out.

  “I didn’t see him. Laurie Fischer told me about the incident. She said she didn’t tell him anything. Something about him made her think he was here to cause trouble for you. But who knows what other employees might have told him?”

  “Did he say why he wanted to see me?”

  “Not according to Laurie. When she asked him, he said it was personal.”

  Charles got up from his chair and walked over to stand beside her, concern etched on his face. Only concern meant nothing to Ashley. No one could help her. Not if what she feared came true.

  “Did Laurie say what the man looked like?”

  “She said he was tall, muscular, dark and very persuasive. Handsome, according to Laurie, though who knows what that means. Probably in his early thirties.”

  Ashley stood, the churning in her stomach so intense she trembled. Charles took her hand.

  “You can’t keep running forever, Ashley. And you don’t have to be afraid of this man, whoever he is. We can call the police. There are stalker laws to protect women in situations like this.”

  She shook her head and pulled her hand from his. Charles had no idea what the problems were. He only knew the crop of lies and semi-truths she’d told him when she came looking for a job. He knew nothing of running for dear life, of threats from a criminal who had no respect for life unless it was his own.

  “I can handle it, Charles. If he comes back, keep him here as long as you can. Tell him you are trying to reach me. Tell him anything, just don’t let him find out where I live.”

  “This is ridiculous, Ashley. I’ll go with you to get Petey. The two of you can stay with Betty and me tonight. You can call the police from our house.”

  “No. I can’t bring you and Betty into this. It’s my problem. I’ll handle it.” She started for the door.

  Charles grabbed her arm. “Please, let us help you, Ashley. For Petey’s sake.”

  This was all for Petey. Couldn’t he understand? She wrested her arm from his grasp. “Don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine.”

  As soon as the door closed behind her, she broke into a run, her high heels slipping on the carpet as she dashed down the hall and outside to her car. She had to get Petey. And then she had to get out of town. Tonight.

  You can’t keep running forever. That was Charles’s advice, but she’d run all her life from one thing or another. There was no reason to believe the running could stop now. With Petey to consider, safety was the only thing that mattered.

  Her past had caught up with her again, and there was no way out except to run so fast Lester Grant couldn’t possibly catch her. The heartless convict was convinced she had a million dollars that rightfully belonged to him, and he’d stop at nothing to get it back, not even murder. He’d proven that on her wedding day. Memories choked her, stealing her breath but strengthening her resolve.

  Once in her car, Ashley sped toward the day-care center. It had been a year since Lester had been released from the Texas prison at Huntsville. A year without any contact, but she knew he would never stop looking for her unless he found the missing money first.

  There was no reasoning with him. He’d made his demands plain, and she couldn’t deliver. The only way out was for her and Petey to disappear again, completely, leaving no trail that could be followed.

  They could do it. Even with all the expenses of raising a child alone, she’d finally scrimped and managed to save enough to get the two of them out of the country. She had their passports. She was ready to leave at a moment’s notice if Lester found them again.

  The money and the passports were locked in the portable safe in the top of her closet. That meant one quick stop at her apartment It should be safe enough if she hurried. Lester didn’t know where she lived or he wouldn’t have been snooping around the hotel. And he couldn’t have found out from anyone except Charles. The location of her apartment had been another of her necessary secrets.

  She could pull this off if she stayed calm. Pick up Petey, go by the apartment, then take the back roads to the airport in Mobile. No one would be looking for her there.

  A car stopped in front of her, blocking traffic as he waited to make a left turn. Her hands grew clammy on the wheel. She lowered the window and sucked in a ragged breath.

  Lester wasn’t going to ruin her life again. Things were different now. She had Petey. And Petey needed his mother alive and well. She planned to make sure she stayed that way. No matter what it took.

  ASHLEY OPENED THE DOOR to her apartment and sat Petey on the floor beside her. “Mommy’s going to play a game with you, Petey.”

  “Game, Mommy.”

  “Yes. The game is called Going on a Trip. I’m going to put our clothes in a big suitcase,” she said, opening the closet door and jerking a huge travel bag from the top shelf. It tumbled, falling at her feet. Petey giggled, already liking the game.

  “Pajamas, shirts, pants, diapers.” She named the items as she slung them into the bag. Petey mimicked the words after her a few times, then grew bored.

  “Play game, Mommy.”

  “Don’t you like this game?” She worked quickly, taking only the bare necessities. “We’ll finish here and then we’re going for a ride in the car. Would you like that?”

  Petey tugged at her arm. “Get cookie.”

  “Okay, sweetie, Mommy is going to get you a cookie, and then you and Bear can play with your toys while I finish packing.”

  He skipped in front of her, eager for his treat and ready to sit down with his toys. This was his home, at least it had been for the past ten months. Now she had no choice but to tear him from everything familiar. Children needed stability, routine. She knew that better than anyone. Deprivation had been a harsh teacher.

  He also needed love, and she could give that to him, no matter where they lived. She put a cookie in his chubby hand and hugged him. He was so precious. And so dependent on her. She’d never let him down.

  Minutes later, she’d stuffed two suitcases to over
flowing. Picking up Petey, she balanced him on one hip while she dragged a suitcase to the front door. It would be easier if she could just carry the suitcases to the car and come back to get him, but she didn’t dare leave him alone. He was too quick and too curious, and this was no time for a mishap.

  She opened the door and peeked down the balcony to the elevator. All was clear.

  “Go bye-bye.”

  “Yes, sweetie. We’re going bye-bye.” Her feet all but flew in spite of the heavy load. In minutes, she’d loaded the first bag into the car and rushed back to her apartment.

  Money, passports, clothes, snacks and milk for Petey. Mentally, she checked off the necessities. Blinking back a tear, she looked around the apartment for a last time. It wasn’t much by most people’s standards, but it had been home to her and Petey. He’d put together his first two-word utterance, “Love Mommy,” here in this very room.

  The persistent tear broke loose and slid down her cheek as she reached for the doorknob. The trip to the car would be slower this time. The overstuffed suitcase and her handbag were slung over her shoulder, and the cooler of milk and peanut butter sandwiches for Petey was in hand.

  Petey grabbed her free hand and curled himself around her leg. “No bye-bye, Mommy. No bye-bye.”

  “We have to go, sweetie. We’ll have fun. Just wait and see.”

  Once down the steps, she wasted no time in securing Petey in his car seat and stashing the last piece of luggage behind the seat. Slamming the car door closed behind her, she buckled her own seat belt.

  “Want Bear.”

  With shaking fingers, Ashley fit the key into the ignition and the engine roared to life. “You had Bear a minute ago. What did you do with him?” she said, backing Out of her assigned parking space and striving to keep her voice calm. Petey was upset enough already.

  “Want Bear!” Petey’s voice grew to a high-pitched whine.

  Ashley stopped the car and looked around the seat for the tattered stuffed animal. “I don’t see him, Petey. Here.” She tucked a Nerf football into the car seat with him.

  He tossed it to the floor, his feet kicking like crazy. “Want Bear,” he wailed, tears gathering in his eyes.

  Ashley scanned the back seat floor. It was no use. He must have dropped the toy bear inside the apartment.

  She’d have to go back for it. She was taking him away from everything familiar. The least she could do was make sure he had his favorite toy to comfort him.

  Fingers flying, she released the catch on his seat belt and lifted him from the car seat. She didn’t wait for the elevator. She ran up the five flights of stairs, Petey bouncing on her hip. His tears disappeared in the fun of the bucking ride.

  Unlocking the apartment door, Ashley dragged Petey inside. “Right where you dropped him,” she said, reaching to pick up the toy. “Now we have Bear, and this time I’ll hold on to him.”

  She pulled the front door open again, and then stopped dead in her tracks, shock delivering a paralyzing blow.

  “You look so surprised, Ashley. Does that mean you’re not glad to see me?”

  The blood drained from her brain and a sickening swimming sensation rocketed through her senses. She’d thought she was prepared for anything, but nothing could have prepared her for this.

  “How did you find me?”

  “It wasn’t easy. You left quite a track of lies when you ran.”

  “So it was you who was asking about me at the resort this afternoon.”

  “Who did you think it was? Or have you left so many men in the lurch, you quit keeping track?”

  “You have no right to follow me.”

  “I have every right.” He stooped and looked Petey in the eye. “Hello, little fellow.”

  “Go bye-bye,” Petey said.

  “So I see.” He tousled Petey’s dark hair and then stood, his eyes burning into Ashley’s. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?” He touched her arm. “It’s so awkward talking in the doorway.”

  Her heart jumped erratically. Almost three years had passed, and his touch was still like fire to her skin. “We have nothing to talk about,” she whispered, her breath shallow and painful.

  “We have everything to talk about. You have my son. And I’ve come to take him home.”

  Chapter Two

  Ashley stepped backward, groping for control, as Dillon Randolph’s cold stare bored right through her.

  “This discussion would go a lot better inside.” He moved closer, the muscles in his face and arms taut.

  She looked at him and for a second, his dark eyes softened to melted chocolate. The second was short-lived. Without waiting for an invitation, he brushed past her and into her living room, dwarfing the once cozy space with his tall, muscular frame.

  He let his gaze scan the room and then return to her, lingering on her face. “So this is what you preferred to Burning Pear?”

  The resentment in his words struck a new blow to her equilibrium. At one time, every word between them had been filled with love. Now all they’d shared had been reduced to harsh accusations. Bracing herself against the arm of the sofa, she met his gaze straight on.

  “Why are you here, Dillon? We said our goodbyes over two years ago.”

  “Two years and eight months ago, give or take a few days, but who’s counting?” He slid the cream-colored Stetson from his head and held it in front of him. “And I told you why I’m here, to get my son.”

  Panic knotted in her stomach. Her instincts had been right. Any love he’d had for her had died, killed by a bullet in his back. He would fight her for custody, and she wouldn’t stand a chance against his influence and power. There was only one way to deal with him. She braced herself for the part she would have to play.

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Dillon. Do you think I like living in this cramped apartment and leaving Petey with sitters from morning till night? If Petey was a Randolph, I would have come to you for financial support a long time ago.”

  “I doubt that. But I would have expected you to have the decency to tell me I had a son. I would have been wrong. Again.”

  Again. Ashley struggled for breath as an unexpected lump clogged her throat Again. Like the mistakes he’d made in marrying her, in loving her. He hadn’t needed to finish the statement. They both knew what he meant.

  Memories and regrets welled inside her. She forced them aside. She would not let him see her weakness. He would only use it to get what he wanted.

  And what he wanted was her son. Theirson.

  “Go play with your trucks, Petey,” she urged, turning him in the direction of his toy box. Tonight had been upsetting enough for him already. Besides, the less Dillon saw of him, the more likely her hastily conceived plan of denial would work.

  “He’s quite a little cowboy,” Dillon said, watching Petey toddle away.

  “A cowboy? You flatter yourself. He’s a wonderful boy. But take my word for it—there’s not an ounce of cowboy blood in his veins.” She forced the lie through clenched teeth.

  Dillon circled the room, studying each photograph of Petey. And there were more than enough to keep him occupied. Snapshots in small frames on every table, eight-by-tens from the photo lab at Sears, the thirteen ninety-nine specials, dotting every wall.

  And in all of them Petey’s lips were stretched into the devastating Randolph smile, his dark hair and eyes a milder versions of his dad’s. Even his nose, small, tanned and perfect, was a miniature copy of his father’s.

  Dillon’s fingers crawled the brim of his hat as he stopped to stare at her from across the room. “Being a Randolph, even for the few weeks you tried it, must have been hell for you.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “I think you do.” He stepped in front of her, his eyes flashing like fire. “How you must detest me, Ashley. To deny your son the Randolph name, to deny him his heritage, his own father. Or does family mean that little to you?”

  Anger boiled inside her. Dillon Randolph had it all. Love, sec
urity, roots. What could he possibly know of the longings that had died one by one inside her when she had been forced to walk away from every dream she’d ever known? Her resolve hardened to concrete.

  “Get out of my house, Dillon. Now. I’m telling you for the last time. Petey is not your son.”

  “And we both know you’re lying.” He stepped closer, his tall frame towering over her. “We can do this the reasonable way, Ashley. I’ve talked to my lawyer. If we agree between ourselves on custody arrangements, it will make things much simpler.”

  Her heart plummeted to her shoes. Custody. Even the word turned her blood to ice. “I will never agree to your taking my son away from me!”

  “Our son. I’ll fight for paternity rights, if necessary, and you know I’ll win. A blind judge could see Petey’s a Randolph. A blood test will prove it.”

  She trembled inside, struggling to keep the terror from showing in her face. Dillon had it all figured out. And, as always, he was right. A judge wouldn’t buy her denial of Dillon’s parentage any more than he had.

  “And you’re just heartless enough to pry a child from the loving arms of his mother, aren’t you, Dillon?”

  “Heartless? If I have to be. But, unlike you, Ashley, I’m a reasonable person. I would expect you to have and use liberal visiting rights.”

  Her shoulders stiffened. “Do you really believe I would come crawling back to you, begging for permission to spend an hour or two with my son?”

  “It’s a hell of a lot more fair than what you’ve given me.”

  The truth hurt. She turned away and stared out the window.

  “You can see him as often as you like,” Dillon continued, “but I want him on the ranch, with me.”

  “And what about what’s best for Petey? Doesn’t that enter into this at all? Or do you think you can legislate his feelings, run roughshod over him like you do your constituents?” Her voice rose, and Petey toddled over, toy truck in hand, and wrapped himself around her leg.