A Man Not Her Own Read online

  Mitch sipped his coffee. “Bad day. Bad week.” Bad life.

  “So, what’s in the envelope?” Marco waved it in front of Mitch’s nose. “Hmm?”

  “Photographs.”

  “Mind if I have a look?”

  Mitch shrugged. “Be my guest.”

  Marco opened the flap and took out the handful of photos, whistling under his breath. “Holy Cow!” he said. “I knew Sarah Cooper was a mighty fine looking woman, but damn, Mitch, you’ve made her look downright beautiful.”

  “She is beautiful. She’s beautiful inside and out.” Mitch stirred his coffee. God, he felt like crap. He’d felt like crap ever since he’d walked out on Sarah. He missed her, damn it. His body yearned for her. He’d never felt this way about a woman. Hell, he’d never loved a woman before.

  “You’re in love, aren’t you?” Marco asked.

  “Yes, except it doesn’t matter.”

  Marco frowned. “What the hell do you mean by that?”

  Damn his brother’s degree in psychology. “I’m not the right man for Sarah. She needs a good man. I’m not good, Marco. I’ve never been good.”

  “Bullshit! If you weren’t a good man, you wouldn’t have taken Lindsey into your home. You wouldn’t have uprooted your glam life in Los Angeles and brought her back to Stone Creek to be near family.”

  “That doesn’t prove anything. I didn’t have much choice.”

  “Listen to you. Always blaming it on not having a choice. You always have choices, man. You could have packed her up and sent her to live with Ma.”

  “Yeah, like I would do that.”

  “Exactly. You would not do that because you’re one of the good guys, Mitch. Others in your shoes would have shirked their responsibilities to their kid.”

  Mitch stretched his aching shoulders, trying to ease a kink that had settled beneath his neck. “Lindsey’s my daughter. We’re the same blood. I owe her. I don’t have that connection with Sarah.”

  Marco waved the photos of Sarah under Mitch’s nose. “You love the woman. If that’s not a connection, I don’t know what is. If you weren’t a good guy, you wouldn’t have kept her secrets and helped her out.”

  Mitch snorted in his cup. “I had my own agenda when I decided to help her. That makes me a bastard in the worst sense. I ended up hurting her.”

  “But you didn’t mean to hurt her, and you don’t have to hurt her now. Don’t tell me she isn’t crazy about you.”

  “How would you know?”

  Marco slid the photos back in the envelope. “Pictures don’t tell lies, Mitch. I never thought you were a stupid fool. But I’m fast changing my mind.”

  ****

  “So what do you think happened?” Josh asked. For like the hundredth time this summer, Lindsey thought. She and Josh were sitting in his game room, playing his favorite video game. Sarah had asked Lindsey to stay with him while she worked late. This was a lot better than sitting at home, watching Mitch slam things around, grunting and cursing.

  “It’s complicated, JC.”

  “Well, if they love each other, why don’t they kiss and make up? I mean, yuck, kissing. But that’s what people do when they’re in love.” He scrunched up his cute little freckled nose. “I’m never going to fall in love.”

  Lindsey laughed. “Yes, you will. By the time you fall in love, you won’t think kissing is yucky.”

  He snorted. “Yeah, like I believe that.”

  They sat for a little while, Josh concentrating on the game. Lindsey wasn’t really into it. She was busy devising and discarding all sorts of plans to get Mitch and Sarah to at least talk to each other. It had been almost two months since disaster had struck.

  If they were talking to each other, maybe they’d come to their senses and figure out they were meant to be together. Then Lindsey’s dream of belonging to a real family—with a mother, father and kid brother—would have a chance of coming true. Damned if she was going to sit around without at least trying to do something.

  “Hey, JC,” she said, after Josh had won the game. “Do you like Mitch?”

  He was busy searching through his stack of games. “Yeah, he’s okay. Why?”

  “I mean, if Mitch and your mom make up and get married, then he’ll be your dad. What do you think about that?”

  He looked at her kind of funny, his freckled nose all scrunched up again. “Does that mean you’d be my sister?”

  “Well, duh.”

  He sat back on his knees. “I’ve been thinking about it a little. Mom’s been real sad since my dad died. But when she and Mr. Mitch were hanging out together, she was real happy. Now she’s sad again. Almost like after the funeral.”

  Lindsey sighed. “Mitch isn’t happy either. We have to get them talking to each other. Then maybe they’ll realize how stupid they’re being.”

  Josh’s eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets. “We’re kids. What can we do?”

  “I have a plan. We might get in trouble, but it’ll be worth it if they get back together. What do you think?”

  Josh grinned. “I think I’m going to like having you for a sister.”

  ****

  Saturday night, Mitch was home. Alone. Not entirely alone, yet close enough. Lindsey had been cooped up in her room since after supper. She’d seemed preoccupied while they ate and hadn’t talked much. She’d been jittery, too. After scarfing down three pieces of pizza, she’d run upstairs and slammed her door.

  Damn, he’d never understand women. Teenage women, especially. Grown women, in particular.

  He’d tried watching a movie, except he couldn’t concentrate. He’d taken a shower to relax, but that hadn’t helped either. If he still drank, he’d sure be drinking right now. He’d like nothing better than to get rip-roaring drunk. Drown his sorrows. Numb the empty feeling in his chest.

  Instead, he sat on the sofa, feet propped on the coffee table, nursing an orange juice. Pretty pathetic.

  He might as well go to bed, but he knew he wouldn’t sleep. Maybe he’d read a book. If he could drum up enough energy to get up and get one.

  Yeah. Pathetic was putting it kindly.

  The phone jarred the silence with its loud ring. Lindsey would get it. It was usually for her, anyway. She had several good friends now. And she’d been hanging out with Thomas a lot, since the band trip. Mitch didn’t like that too much, yet he had to let Lindsey live her own life.

  The phone rang for the fourth time. He’d have to answer it. He should let the machine get it, but thought he needed to get some exercise, before his butt became permanently attached to the sofa.

  “Yeah, hello.”

  “Mr. Defalco? It’s Thomas.” Who else? “Could you give Lindsey a message for me?”

  “Why don’t you give it to her yourself?”

  “Uh, I’m on my way out of the house. Could you tell her I won’t be able to pick her up for church in the morning? Something’s come up. Could you tell her tonight? Thanks.”

  Click.

  Mitch stared at the receiver and shook his head as he put the phone back on the cradle. Teenage boys were a different breed, too. He walked to the stairs. “Hey, Lindsey!”

  No answer. He glanced at the clock in the hallway. Not even ten yet—she couldn’t be asleep. Probably had her headphones on and chatting with friends on the computer.

  He ran up the stairs and knocked on her door. “Hey, Lindsey.” Mitch waited about ten seconds before opening it. She wasn’t at the computer and she wasn’t in her bed. The lamp on the nightstand was on and there was a note propped on her pillow.

  A sick feeling landed with a thud in his stomach as he walked across the room, picked up the note and read: I’m with JC, was all that was written on it.

  Mitch crumpled the note in his hand. What the hell was going on?

  He left the room, ran down the stairs and out the door, over to Sarah’s and rang the bell. It took her forever to answer. The outside light flipped on before she opened the door.

  He hadn’t b
een this close to Sarah since he’d left her that Sunday morning after spending that glorious week making love. As she stood before him behind the screen door, he eyed her up and down; hungry for more than the fleeting glimpses he’d had during the last couple of months. She looked fragile, sad, and hurt. He cursed himself for having done this to her.

  “Mitch, what is it?” she said through the screen door.

  “Is Lindsey over here?”

  She looked at him like he was crazy. “No. I haven’t seen her all day.” Sarah opened the door and let him in the house. “Is something wrong?”

  “I don’t know. She isn’t in her room and I found this on her pillow.”

  Sarah scanned the note, then looked up from the scrap of paper. “I don’t understand. Josh has been in bed for the past couple of hours. He said he was tired.”

  “Have you checked on him lately?”

  Her eyes widened. “You don’t think he’s gone, too?”

  Mitch shrugged. “Go check.”

  She ran up the stairs. He heard a door open, then silence. In the space of three heartbeats, she was running back down, carrying a piece of paper, a frantic look on her face.

  She tried to speak, but couldn’t. She shoved the paper at him and started pacing around the foyer, wringing her hands.

  Mitch read the note printed in a little boy’s not-so-neat handwriting: I’m with Lindsey.

  Sarah stopped pacing. “What does this mean? What in the world are they doing?”

  “Hell, if I know. I’m new to this parenting gig. You’re the kid expert. What do you think it means?”

  She bit the tip of her thumb and shook her head. “I don’t know, but I’m not going to sit around doing nothing. I’m going to look for them.”

  “My thoughts exactly. We’ll take my motorcycle.”

  Sarah shook her head. “I’ll take my car and follow you.”

  “Right. I’ll meet you out front.”

  Mitch pushed his bike from the garage, noting that Lindsey’s car was missing. How had she pulled out of the garage without him noticing? Probably while he’d taken that shower. This whole situation was beginning to look like a well-planned set-up.

  Waiting at the end of Sarah’s driveway, he watched her get in her car, except she didn’t start it. After a couple of minutes, she got out, slammed the door shut, then disappeared inside the house. The garage doors lowered as she came stomping out the front door, a frown marring her forehead.

  “Something wrong with your car?” he asked, when she stopped in front of his bike. She’d never looked more beautiful, even with the frown. Man, he had it bad for this woman.

  Sarah couldn’t speak for a moment—her eyes were shooting sparks. “Josh must have left the door open this afternoon when he was looking for his lost book. The battery’s dead.”

  Yep, a well thought out plan. “I’m going to kill Lindsey,” he muttered under his breath.

  Sarah raised startled eyes to his. “What? Why?”

  “Think a minute. This whole thing stinks to high heaven. The notes. The dead battery. The phone call. Damn, Thomas is in on this, too.”

  “What do you mean? What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying that my daughter and your son are trying their hand at a little matchmaking.”

  Sarah’s mouth dropped open, then a martial light shone in her eyes. “I’ll kill Josh.”

  “Yeah, well. We have to find them first. Hop on. The sooner we find them, the sooner we can deal with them.”

  “I’m not getting on that thing with you.”

  “Scared, Sarah?”

  She narrowed her eyes, the martial light shining brighter. “Damn you, Mitch Defalco. This is exactly what they want us to do. Maybe we should wait them out.”

  “We could do that. But I’d much rather find them and give them a piece of my mind.”

  Sarah sighed and looked up at the night sky. Mitch wanted to kiss her exposed neck. He shifted uncomfortably on the seat.

  “You’re right,” she said. “Josh is so going to get it when I find him. I’ll ground him for the rest of his life.”

  She hitched up her skirt and swung her leg over the bike, sitting as far away from him as she possibly could. He would take care of that as soon as they were on the road, he thought with a grin. He couldn’t wait to feel Sarah’s arms around him again. He revved the engine and took off fast. She immediately grabbed hold of him. And it felt wonderful.

  Oh, yeah, he was one sorry bastard.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “How long before they’ll come looking for us, do you think?” Josh asked, as he hunkered down in his sleeping bag, settling himself in the backseat of Lindsey’s car.

  Lindsey checked her watch. “Thomas should have called Mitch by now. I’d say an hour. Maybe two. Depends on how long it takes them to figure it out.”

  “Well, if they go to your grandma’s first, then it won’t be long. But if they look other places, then we might be waiting for hours.”

  “Whichever, we’ll be fine here,” Lindsey said. “We’ve got a great view of the lake and lots of snacks in the car, and we’ve got our sleeping bags to keep us comfy. We could camp up here on the bluff all night. We’re perfectly safe.”

  “What if they don’t come find us? What if they just wait?” Josh sat straight up in the back seat, his eyes wide. “Oh my God, what if they call the police?”

  The kid was a worrywart. “I don’t think they’ll do that,” Lindsey said. “Sooner or later, they’ll talk to Grandma Viv. She knows exactly where we are. And if this doesn’t work out, we’ll have to think of something else, won’t we?”

  Josh leaned back again. “Right. I’m going to be in big trouble, though. I hope it works out, because then I won’t mind so much, being in trouble. If it doesn’t work out, then that’s gonna suck.”

  Lindsey reached over the back of her seat and ruffled JC’s hair. “At least your mom won’t be thinking about getting rid of you. After this is over, Mitch might decide I’m too much trouble to keep around.”

  Josh shook his head. “Mr. Mitch won’t do that. If he didn’t want you around, he wouldn’t have brought you to Stone Creek. He wouldn’t have bought you the guitar or the camera or this car. You’re his daughter, Lindsey. He can’t get rid of you. Not now. He’s trying to make a home for you.”

  Lindsey wished she could believe that. Deep down inside, she was still scared. And thinking up this harebrained scheme might be what it took for Mitch to decide he didn’t want her for sure. So this was kind of a test. Not only was she trying to get Mitch and Sarah together, she also wanted to make sure Mitch really wanted her, really loved her, like she had grown to love him.

  Josh leaned forward and put his hand on Lindsey’s arm. “Mr. Mitch is your dad now. Even if this doesn’t work between him and Mom, you two are still a little family. Like me and Mom are a little family. But it will be cool if this works out and makes us one big family.”

  Lindsey smiled in the darkness. “How did you get to be so smart, JC?”

  Josh shrugged. “Just because I’m a kid doesn’t mean I’m stupid. Pass the Cheetos, please.”

  ****

  Sarah hung on for dear life as Mitch zoomed down the road leading out of Stone Creek. For the last couple of hours, they’d fruitlessly searched the entire town, stopping at all the likely places the kids would think to hide only to come up empty-handed.

  Until they’d gone to Viv Defalco’s house.

  Mitch’s mom had invited them in, a mischievous twinkle in the dark brown eyes she’d obviously passed on to her son.

  “It took you long enough,” she said, standing in the dimly lit living room, wearing a brightly colored caftan.

  “What do you mean it ‘took us long enough’?” Mitch said. “You know where they are?”

  “Of course, I know,” Viv said.

  “Are they safe? Are they okay?” Sarah’s nerves were shot and she didn’t know whether she was more angry or frustrated or what.


  “They’re perfectly safe.” Viv patted Sarah’s arm. “Lindsey has her cell phone, you know.”

  “I tried to call her,” Mitch said. “She didn’t answer.”

  Viv made a sympathetic clucking noise. “I don’t expect she would answer your call. She told me she would keep it on, though. In fact, they’ve been checking in every thirty minutes or so.”

  Mitch’s jaw tightened. “Mom, this isn’t a joking matter. Those two kids are pulling a prank that could get them hurt or worse.”

  Viv shook her head. “Oh, Mitch, they’ve taken precautions to protect themselves. You need to ask yourself why they went to all this trouble. They know they’re going to face your wrath and are willing to risk punishment. Do either of you know why?”

  Mitch lasered his gaze on Sarah and she felt the heat and the hopeless resignation directed her way. He broke eye contact and shoved his fingers through his hair again. “I have a pretty good notion what they’re up to.”

  Viv looked from Mitch to Sarah. “Your children see something, want something, that both of you are letting slip away.”

  Sarah watched the emotions and confusion pass over Mitch’s rugged features. Would any of this make a difference? Would it make him realize how stubborn he was being, what they were giving up?

  “This is between Sarah and me. It has nothing to do with the kids.”

  Viv smiled a sad smile. “It has everything to do with the kids. Everything that affects you, affects Lindsey. It’s part of being a parent.”

  Mitch took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. “Tell us where they are. We’ll deal with it when we find them.”

  So now Sarah sat behind Mitch on his motorcycle with her arms wrapped tightly around his waist, because he was going ninety to nothing down the road that would lead them to Coyote Lake and Mitch’s special spot—the one he’d taken Sarah to on her first motorcycle ride. The one he’d shown Lindsey on some of their practice drives.

  Sarah tightened her hold around the man she loved because it felt so good to touch him again and because she didn’t know what the night would bring. This might be the last time she hugged him. Or it could be the beginning of something wonderful...