Whispered Promises (5 page)

Caitlin blinked rapidly, losing control of her emotions. She bit her lower lip as Dex's words came back to haunt her. He was right. She should have known he would not have turned his back on his child. But then, he should have known she would not have deliberately kept their daughter's existence from him.

Leaving her father's room, she closed the door behind her and went into her own bedroom. Once there, she began pulling off her clothes. She felt tired, drained and depleted of all strength and logical thought. And to make matters worse, her head had begun to ache. Emerging from the shower minutes later, she slipped into a nightgown. Her father was gone, her daughter was away, and the only man she had ever loved totally despised her.

Once again she succumbed to her tears.

Dex paced the living room in quick angry strides. Coming to a stop, he pulled the letter Dr. Flores had given him from his pocket. Opening the envelope, he was surprised to find not the missing letter—the one Caitlin claimed she'd written to him about his child—but another letter. It appeared to have been written by Halston Parker and was dated over a week ago.

Moments later, after reading the letter, Dex's jaw tightened. If Caitlin's father's words could be believed, there was a possibility that Caitlin could be in some kind of danger.

The letter stated that Halston Parker owned a piece of property near Eagle Pass; land that had been in the Parker family for generations. Halston had recently received offers on the land, which he'd repeatedly turned down. Not long after that, things began happening to him that had vindictive overtones. He'd reported the incidents to the police, but after the police investigation turned up nothing, they'd dismissed them as teenagers' mischief.

The letter further stated Caitlin didn't know anything about what had been going on since she'd been living in Fort Worth. But there was little doubt in Halston Parker's mind that whoever had been after him to sell would now begin harassing Caitlin. He had ended the letter pleading with Dex to protect her.

As Dex refolded the letter and stuffed it back in his pocket, he couldn't help wondering if any of what he'd read in the letter was true, or was it just another ploy by the old man to get him and Caitlin back together. As soon as he had some free time, he would pay a visit to the local police to see if there had been an investigation as Halston Parker had claimed. But first he had to make a telephone call.

Dex picked up the receiver of the phone that sat on a nearby table and punched in a few numbers. He needed to talk with Clayton. Hopefully, he would be able to give him some legal advice. The phone was answered on the second ring.

“Hello?”

“Clayton. It's Dex.”

“How are things going?”

“Not too good. Caitlin's father died a few hours ago.”

“I'm sorry to hear that. Please convey my sympathy.”

“You can do that yourself,” Dex replied bitterly. “I need you here as soon as possible. There's a legal matter I need to discuss with you.”

“Oh? What's up?”

“According to Mr. Parker, the divorce papers Caitlin and I signed four years ago were never filed with the courts.”

“What? I don't understand. Why?”

“He told the lawyer that Caitlin and I no longer wanted a divorce.”

“If what you're telling me is the truth, you and Caitlin may still be married.”

Dex sighed deeply. “I was afraid of that.”

“If you still want to end your marriage, it won't be a problem since you haven't lived together in four years. Under the circumstances, a judge may agree to make it effective the day of the original divorce.”

“There may be a problem with that. There's something else I think you should know.”

“What?”

“Caitlin found out she was pregnant a couple of months after I left for Australia and she'd filed for a divorce.”

There was a pause. “What are you saying, Dex?”

Dex beamed proudly. It was late in coming but he was announcing the existence of his daughter to his family for the first time, and he felt every bit a proud father. “What I'm trying to tell you is that our parents have another granddaughter. And you, Clayton, have another niece.”

“What! I don't believe it.”

“Believe it.”

“I take it you didn't know about her.”

“Of course I didn't know about her!”

“All right, all right, just take it easy, Dex. Did Caitlin say why she didn't tell you?”

“She claims she wrote me when she found out she was pregnant.”

“And I take it you don't believe her.”

“I didn't get a letter, Clayton.”

“But that doesn't necessarily mean she didn't send one just because you didn't get one. You yourself have complained about how lousy the mail service was in Australia. Just give her the benefit of the doubt.”

Dex's frown deepened. Clayton always had had a soft spot where Caitlin was concerned. “I don't know if I can do that. Because of her, I may have lost too much already.”

There was a brief silence. “Just don't be so hard on her, Dex. She's going through a lot right now. The last thing she needs is for you to make things worse. What she really needs is your support, not your anger. Lighten up. Now tell me about my niece. What's her name?”

Dex was glad to get off the subject of Caitlin. “My daughter's name is Jordan.”

“Jordan? Caitlin named her after you?”

Clayton's question caught Dex by surprise. He'd been so upset, he hadn't made the connection. Jordan was his middle name, and he had to admit it was a very unusual name for a girl. Had Caitlin named his daughter after him? “I don't know, Clayton.”

“Mmm. That's interesting. If she did, I wonder why?” Clayton asked, seemingly more of himself than of Dex.

Dex frowned. He couldn't help wondering what Clayton was driving at.

“How did Jordan take to you, Dex?”

“I haven't actually seen her yet. She went on a little trip with a friend and won't be returning until tomorrow. But I've seen a picture of her and she's beautiful.”

Clayton laughed. “She must be Caitlin's little look-alike.”

Dex chuckled. “I hate to disappoint you, little brother, but she's the spittin' image of me. She has my eyes, my nose and those Madaris lips. She couldn't look more like me if I had given birth to her myself.”

“I thought you said she was beautiful. Everyone knows what an ugly cuss you are,” Clayton replied jokingly.

“Keep talking, bro, and I may be tempted to break your nose when I see you. But seriously, there's a lot I need to discuss with you. I desperately need legal advice.”

“No problem. I'll be there as soon as I can.”

“There's something else that's bothering me, Clayton.”

“What's that?”

Dex proceeded to tell Clayton about the letter Halston Parker had left him and what it said.

“Have you told Caitlin about it?”

“No. She's pretty shaken up over her father's death. And until I'm sure what's in Halston's letter is legit, I don't want to say anything to her about it.”

“When will the services be held?”

“The day after tomorrow. I'll put off going to the police until that's over…and Clayton?”

“Yeah?”

“How about dropping by my place and packing a few things. It seems I may be here awhile.”

“What's the name of the hotel where you can be reached?”

“Until I find out what's going on, I'm staying right here with Caitlin. I blindly promised her father I would take care of her, and I'm going to keep my word.”

“Will Trevor be running the business while you're away?”

“Yeah,” Dex replied. “He's the best project foreman there is. Madaris Explorations is in good hands. I'll give him a call later to let him know where I am, so he'll know how to reach me.”

“I'm going to catch the first available flight out in the morning, Dex. I'll call you from the airport for directions to Caitlin's father's home. I'll see you then.”

Caitlin heard someone knocking on her bedroom door in the deep recesses of her mind. She opened her eyes. Moaning, she shifted her head on the pillow. Good…the sound had stopped. She felt completely awful, and in an attempt to find relief she sank back against the pillow and closed her eyes.

The knocking started again. She opened her eyes and blinked once sluggishly. Slowly pulling herself out of bed and putting on a robe, she nearly stumbled over her shoes which were tossed carelessly on the bedroom floor. Making her way to the door, she snatched it open and found Dex standing there with concern etched on his face. She thought he'd left.

They regarded each other silently. His rough and chiseled features did nothing to downplay his handsomeness. Instead they placed a greater emphasis on his detached emotions. “What are you doing here, Dex? I thought you had left.”

Dex didn't respond to Caitlin's statement. Instead, he took a good look at her appearance. He had begun worrying when she hadn't come downstairs. Studying her intently, he took in the unhealthy pallor of her skin.

“You're ill, Caitlin.” It was a statement and not a question.

“What?” Caitlin asked. Tearing her gaze from his, she crossed her arms over her abdomen, chasing away a chill.

Seeing her tremble, Dex entered her room. “I said, you're ill.”

Caitlin shook her head. “I'm not ill, Dex, just tired.”

He wasn't easily convinced. “Maybe you should see a doctor.”

“I don't want to see a doctor. All I want is to be left alone.”

“Sorry, that's not an option.” With a quick movement, Dex swept her off her feet into his arms.

“What do you think you're doing? Put me down this minute!”

“You're too weak to argue with me, so do yourself a favor and save your strength. I've made lunch, and you're going to eat it.”

“I don't want to go downstairs. I'm too tired.”

“I can believe that. When was the last time you ate anything?”

Caitlin glared up at him. “I don't remember. Maybe yesterday, I don't know.”

Dex swore through gritted teeth. He carried her over to the bed and placed her on the comforter. “Where are the serving trays kept?”

“I don't remember,” she snapped.

A slight frown touched Dex's features. “Since you aren't cooperating, I'll find them myself. I'll be back in a minute.” He left the room.

Standing, Caitlin took off her robe and tossed it on the chair across from the bed, then got back into the bed. She felt as weak as a newborn baby, and all she wanted to do was to go back to sleep. The next thing she knew, Dex had returned carrying a tray with food on it.

The aroma of the vegetable soup teased her nostrils and her stomach began growling. Sitting up, she took the tray he offered. “Thanks.”

Dex sat in a chair at the foot of her bed and watched through hooded eyes as Caitlin quickly consumed the meal he had prepared. He couldn't help but remember another time he'd served her in bed. It had been the morning after they had gotten married. His pulse began racing at the memory of them together. He never knew how truly wonderful love between a man and a woman could be until he'd made love to her. But then…his thoughts reminded him, he'd also found out later just how painful love could be.

When Caitlin had finished eating, he removed the tray, pleased that she had eaten everything. “Now try and get some rest. I'll be downstairs if you need me.”

Caitlin yawned, fighting sleep. “Downstairs? When are you leaving?”

“I'm not.”

Caitlin blinked. “What do you mean, you're not. I don't remember inviting you to stay here.”

“You didn't.” He was not ready to tell her about the contents of the letter her father had left for him. “I've decided to stick around to make sure you're all right.”

Caitlin frowned. “I appreciate your concern, but I'm capable of taking care of myself.”

“Evidently your old man didn't think so,” Dex said, gently pulling the comforter and going about tucking her in. “I made him a promise, Caitlin, and I intend to keep it.”

Caitlin yawned again. “I don't need you here.”

“Go to sleep, Caitlin.”

“No. I'll be fine. My father always thought of me as his little girl, Dex. You're the one who thought of me as a woman,” Caitlin said sleepily, barely able to keep her eyes open. “Don't you remember, you made me a woman.”

Despite his anger, a part of Dex could never forget. “Yeah, Caitlin. I remember, now go to sleep. I'll be downstairs if you need me.”

“Mmm…” she replied, drifting off into sleep.