Second Time Around Read online

  “You bet I do. Puppies are my favorite things in the whole world.” He shot a quick glance at Quinn. “Are you going to be okay?” he murmured softly. “You’re white as a sheet.”

  Quinn merely nodded, his gaze still on his son.

  Zack took Duncan’s hand, then turned back to Quinn. “Are you going to leave again?”

  “No, Zack. I’m not going to leave.”

  Apparently satisfied, Zack headed around the house, dragging Duncan with him.

  “Quinn? What’s going on? Why are you here?”

  “He’s beautiful, Lanie.”

  “He always has been.” Her tone could have frozen salt water. “If you’d ever bothered to come see him, you would have known that.”

  Chapter Four

  Feeling as though he’d aged twenty years, Quinn sank back onto the edge of the passenger seat. “And how the hell was I supposed to come see him when you didn’t bother to let me know we had a child?” Tiredly, he rubbed his face. The shock and turmoil of the last two days was finally starting to hit home. “I didn’t think even you could do something like keep my son’s existence from me.”

  Her eyes narrowed, anger turning the gray to a flashing steel color. “Right, Quinn. You expect me to believe you didn’t know about him when you’ve been sending him presents every Christmas and on his birthday?” Indignation rang in her voice.

  Slowly, he shook his head. “I don’t even know when his birthday is. Edward must have sent the gifts.”

  “If this is supposed to be some kind of joke, I don’t think it’s funny. Or is this your way of finding an excuse for ignoring him all this time?”

  “I wasn’t ignoring him. What I said is the truth. And if you hadn’t shown up with that letter from the court, Edward would have never told me.”

  “But— He promised— You signed the custody papers!” She took a shaky step forward and gripped the Jeep’s door as if it were the only thing keeping her on her feet. “Oh, God. I don’t know why this surprises me, but it does. I didn’t believe even Edward could be that cruel.” Her gaze searched his face. “You honestly didn’t know?”

  “If I’d known, nothing could have kept me away, and I sure as hell wouldn’t have given up custody of my child.” He pulled himself to his feet. “Can we go inside? There’s a lot we have to talk about.”

  “I think we’d better.”

  When she turned toward the house, Quinn fell into step beside her. His gaze swept the ranch, noting the white fences, the horses grazing here and there. “It still looks the same,” he murmured.

  “I had a new stable built last year,” she answered absently. They climbed the steps onto the porch and Lanie opened the front door. “Let’s go into the office. We’ll have more privacy there.”

  Before they reached the office there was a flurry of footsteps at the end of the hall, and Quinn suddenly found himself enveloped in the arms of a sobbing woman.

  “Mr. Quinn! Land sakes, I can’t believe it’s you. I didn’t think you was ever coming back.”

  He returned the hug, nearly lifting the stout woman off her feet. “Martha, my love, you should have known I could never stay away from your cooking. Every time I think about your lemonade my mouth waters.”

  She stepped away from him, swabbing her eyes with a corner of the apron she was never without. “Now look what you’ve gone and made me do. I must look a fright.”

  “You always look beautiful to me.”

  “Still got that smooth tongue, I see.” The cook beamed up at him. “And that boy of yours is just like you. He reminds me of you when you were that age. Always wanting to know ‘why.’ It’s enough to worry a body to death.” She barely paused for breath. “I’m going to cook all your favorites for supper tonight. You will be here for supper, won’t you?” She looked hesitantly at Lanie, but his wife’s gaze was fixed on the floor, bottom lip clenched between her teeth.

  Their conversation barely impinged on Lanie’s consciousness when he answered, her thoughts in a frantic whirl. All these years of pain and resentment, thinking he cared nothing for their child, and he hadn’t even known Zack existed.

  “I’ll be here, Martha, and I brought a friend with me. His appetite is even worse than mine so cook plenty.”

  “Now don’t I always, Mr. Quinn? When has anyone left my table still hungry?”

  Fighting twin urges to either collapse in hysteria or wail with the injustice of it all, Lanie pushed the office door open. “Why don’t you get started on that, Martha? Mr. Quinn and I have some things to discuss. And would you call down to the barn and ask Sherry to keep an eye on Zack for me? He’s supposed to be showing Quinn’s friend the puppies, but he’s just as likely to have him in the pen with Gator.”

  “Reckon you got some talking to do, at that.” The cook tucked a strand of gray hair behind her ear and waddled back to the kitchen, still mumbling to herself. “Man gets better-looking every time I see him. Ought to be a law against things like that. ‘Bout time he showed up. That youngun’ needs his daddy…” Her voice faded as she vanished into the kitchen.

  “Come in.”

  Lanie waited as Quinn went by her. He headed straight for the black leather sofa and sat on one end, carefully stretching his leg along the entire length of the couch.

  “Who’s Gator?”

  “Our bull.” She closed the door and turned. “He’s not one you want to be around on foot, but for some reason Zack is fascinated by him.”

  She perched on the front of the desk, so many problems streaking through her mind she didn’t know how they would ever sort them out. Mentally, she reached up and grabbed one thought from the maelstrom. “If I’d had any idea that Edward wouldn’t tell you, I would have found a way to let you know, Quinn. It was never my intention to keep Zack from you.” Her tone was as tense as the rest of her body.

  Pushing away from the desk, she paced across the room in agitation. “I should have known, should have realized something was wrong. No matter what happened between us, you aren’t the type to ignore your own child.” Her eyes closed briefly. “I can’t believe I was stupid enough to trust Edward with something this important. I know what he’s like.”

  “Yes, you do.”

  “You don’t understand, Quinn. I blamed you for not being here when Zack needed you. I blamed you for not caring enough to be here when he was born, and when he was a year old and I thought he was going to die from pneumonia, I hated you because you couldn’t even call the hospital to ask about him.” She swiped angrily at her eyes. “I tried to convince myself it didn’t matter, that I loved him enough for both of us, but it wasn’t true. It did matter. For Zack and me both. Do you know what his favorite video is? The one we made at the lake right after we got married. He’s almost worn it out rewinding and playing the parts with you in them.”

  “So that’s how he recognized me.” Quinn put both feet back on the floor and leaned forward, elbows on his knees as he rubbed his face. “You could have made him hate me. I expected it.”

  She shook her head violently. “No, I couldn’t. I refused to do that to my son. It was bad enough that I knew, that I hurt for him. I couldn’t have stood hurting him, too.”

  When he lifted his head and looked at her his eyes were full of the same pain she was feeling. “I came as soon as I knew. I know it doesn’t make up for the last four years. They’re gone and I can’t get them back. But I’m here now. I want to know everything about him, and from here on out, I will be his father.”

  With his last words the pain in his eyes was replaced with what she could only describe as challenge. A shiver of apprehension ran down her spine as the words he hadn’t spoken hung in the air between them. He, not Jared, would be Zack’s father.

  “I would never stop you from seeing him, Quinn.” She hesitated, then took a deep breath, praying she had misunderstood him. “He’s still a little young to be away from the ranch, but I’m sure we can work out a visitation schedule. The bunkhouse isn’t in use most of the yea
r. You can stay there when you want to see Zack. When do you have to go back to Chicago?”

  Quinn rose and moved across the room until there was a bare inch separating them. Her breath caught in her chest when he gripped her shoulders and looked intently into her eyes.

  “I’m not going back to Chicago. And I’m not going to Vegas to get a divorce. I’m staying right here. I just found my son, Lanie. No one is taking him away from me again, and I won’t settle for ‘visitation rights’. I want him all the time.”

  “No.” She twisted away from him, anger lending strength to the movement. “You can’t do this, Quinn. You can’t take him away from me. I won’t let you. He’s my son. If you force me, I’ll call the sheriff and have you thrown off the ranch.”

  The smile that curled his lips was sardonic. “You can try. But since the ranch is still mine, I don’t think you’ll succeed.”

  “What do you mean, the ranch is yours? I have the deed. It’s in my name.”

  He turned and walked to the window, staring out at the barns. “When you filed for divorce the ranch was your settlement, but you could only claim ownership after the divorce was final. Since it never was, the ranch still belongs to me. And there’s another little item everyone seems to be forgetting. I never signed the agreement. Under the circumstances, forgery shouldn’t be too hard to prove.”

  “You bastard.” Her fists clenched so tightly the nails dug into her palms, every line of her body rigid. She caught back a sob of rage. “I never wanted the ranch. You were the one who insisted I take it. But to blame me for the divorce? That’s pretty low even for you.”

  The laugh that escaped her was bitter. “Is that one of the lies you’re going to use when you try to take Zack away from me, or are you just planning on buying the judge? Do you have any idea what it was like for me, Quinn? I’d just found out I was pregnant. All I wanted to do was talk to you, to share my excitement and joy with the father of my child. Instead I got slapped with divorce papers and a restraining order. You’re damn right I took the ranch. For our child, not for myself. But if you think I’m going to give you Zack in exchange for a few acres of land then you’ve underestimated me. I’ll pack our clothes and live in a car before I’ll let you take him.”

  He turned to face her, his skin suddenly pale under its bronze tint. “I didn’t file for divorce. You did.” Even though the words were spoken softly, there was a tense edge to them that he couldn’t hide.

  “I did not! Do you think I’m so stupid I wouldn’t remem…” Her words trailed off as she stared at him. She’d always been able to tell when Quinn lied to her. He wasn’t lying now. He believed what he was saying.

  “Oh, my God,” she whispered. “Edward.” Her hands flew to her cheeks as she shook her head violently. “It doesn’t matter. He just speeded up what we both knew was coming. The only important thing right now is Zack.”

  She was wrong, Quinn thought dazedly. It did matter. It mattered a hell of a lot. He felt as though someone had tied his feet to the floor, bound his arms to his sides while shock after shock ripped through his body. Unable to move, all he could do was try and control the emotions that were threatening to tear him apart. Lanie hadn’t wanted the divorce any more than he had. He closed his eyes as the realization pounded through his head straight to his heart. Edward had tricked them both. Not only had he deprived Quinn of his son, he’d taken away the life he and Lanie should have had, a life together. No matter what she thought, they would have worked things out. Because he knew something she didn’t. The night he’d had the accident he hadn’t been going to Chicago. He’d been coming home. Home to her and the ranch.

  The rest of her words washed over him like a wave over rocks as she continued to talk. He was aware of them on some level, but they had no effect on him. This changed everything. He’d come here to claim the son he’d never known he had. Was it possible he could reclaim the wife he’d never wanted to lose? The wife who was engaged to another man? Would he be able to live with himself if he didn’t at least try? The answer to that one was easy. No, he wouldn’t.

  “Have you heard a single word I’ve said?”

  He opened his eyes and looked at her. The elaborate curls she’d worn in Chicago were gone, her glossy hair pulled into a braid that reached the middle of her back. Her face was pale, but the light of battle still raged in her eyes. She looked like a warrior princess who had exchanged her regal garb for faded jeans and worn boots.

  Sweat beaded his forehead and palms at what he was about to do. It probably wasn’t fighting fair, but he never hesitated. He’d use any weapon, any advantage he had to make this work. “Sit down, Lanie.”

  Her hands went to her hips. “Don’t tell me what to do. I’ve never taken orders from you and I don’t intend to start now.”

  He took a deep breath. “Fine. Then stand there.” Restlessly, he moved to the desk and picked up a picture of Zack. It must have been a recent one because he looked just as he had earlier, in the front yard.

  “Fighting isn’t going to solve a thing.” He traced Zack’s face with one finger. “You want a divorce, and we both want Zack.” Replacing the picture, he looked at her over his shoulder. “There’s a way we can work this out.”

  “How?” Her eyes had gone all dark and wary. “I’m not going to let you take Zack no matter what.”

  This time it was Quinn who rested on the desk, crossing his arms over his chest as he studied her. “I want three months. Three months to see if there’s any chance we can make our marriage work. Three months to get to know my son. I don’t think that’s too much to ask, under the circumstances.”

  “Too much to ask?” She stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. “I’m supposed to be married in six weeks, for God’s sake!” She threw her hands up in the air and resumed her pacing. “This is crazy.” Abruptly, she came to a halt. “What if I just say no?”

  He shrugged. “Then you leave me no choice. I’ll fight the divorce, and I’ll sue you for custody of Zack. Either way, you aren’t getting married in six weeks, Lanie. It’ll be long and messy, and Zack will be the one who gets hurt. Is that really what you want?”

  “And what if I agree and it still doesn’t work out? It won’t, you know. I love Jared and have every intention of marrying him, no matter how long it takes.”

  “Then you don’t have anything to worry about, do you? If you still feel the same way after three months, I’ll get that quickie divorce you want, and we can work out a custody agreement. I won’t give Zack up, either, but maybe we can reach a peaceful solution where he’s concerned.”

  Quinn could see the “no” trembling on her lips and interrupted before she could utter it. “You don’t have to give me an answer right now. Think about it. You may even want to talk to your lawyer first.”

  “Why are you doing this? I don’t understand! In Chicago you were all ready to hop the next plane out to get that divorce.”

  “That was before I knew about Zack.” He lifted his hands and massaged his temples. “But Zack isn’t the only reason. Maybe you’re right. Maybe we would have ended up getting the divorce anyway. However, I’d like to know for sure that it’s our decision, not something we were tricked into. Thanks to Edward, we’ve lost five years. Will three more months make that much difference?”

  He hesitated, and when he spoke again his voice had softened. “We were best friends for a long time, Lanie. There wasn’t anything we couldn’t talk about, no problem so big we couldn’t handle it together. I’ve missed my friend. If nothing else, I’d like her back. Give us the chance to work this out. For our sakes, and for Zack’s.”

  Her eyes squeezed shut for an instant before she looked at him again. “This is blackmail, you know.”

  “I know.”

  “But you’re going to do it anyway, aren’t you?”

  “I’ll do anything I have to do.” He smiled. “I’m no gentleman, remember?”

  She jammed her hands into her front pockets and looked down at the floor,
to all appearances icy calm. But he knew her too well not to recognize the signs of inner turmoil. The tightened mouth, the stubborn set to her chin, the stiff shoulders.

  Suddenly she looked up. “You’re right. I need time to think about this, and I need to talk to Sara.”

  The sound of Duncan’s deep voice followed by Zack’s giggles drifted through the tightly closed door and Quinn stood.

  “Sara?”

  “Sara Carson. You should remember her. She’s my lawyer now.”

  “I remember her.” He moved to the door. “Just let me know what you decide. I’m going to put my things in one of the guest rooms upstairs, and then I want to start getting acquainted with my son.”

  * * * * *

  Lanie waited until the door closed behind him, then moved around the desk and collapsed onto the chair, burying her face in both hands. Damn him. He knew exactly what buttons to push where she was concerned. The truth was, she had missed their friendship as much as he claimed to, had grieved over its loss.

  She’d lost count of the times she’d turned to share something with him, had reached for the phone to call him before she remembered he wasn’t there for her anymore. As much as she loved Jared, she hadn’t been able to bring herself to let him get that close. True, they had been friends first, but not the kind of friendship she’d had with Quinn.

  Jared. Dear God, he was coming over tonight. Lanie reached for the phone. He wouldn’t be home this time of the day, but she could leave a message.

  Waiting for his recorded voice to end, she began. “Jared, there’s been a change of plans. Instead of you coming over tonight, I’ll drop by your house after I get Zack in bed.” She rubbed her eyes. “I need to talk you. Quinn is here, Jared, and I don’t know what to do.” A sigh escaped her. “I’ll tell you about it when I see you. I love you.”

  She dropped the phone into the cradle, waited a beat, then picked it up and dialed another number.

  “Doris? It’s Lanie McAllister. Is Sara in?”

  “Hi, Lanie,” the motherly voice replied. “No, I’m sorry. She’s in court this afternoon. Can I give her a message for you?”