High Meadow Read online

  She took a deep breath. "If you look at the situation objectively, Daniel, you will see that we acted in Ben's best interest. We knew nothing about who his father was. All Colleen told us was that it wasn't Marty—for which I thanked God every night. What were we to tell Ben? That his mother slept with an unknown man and that was how he was conceived? We couldn't be so brutal. Every child needs to feel that he was wanted, so we told him his father died before he was born, and that was why Colleen came home to us. He accepted the explanation. After all, his mother had died. Why not his father, too?"

  Daniel's stern look had not lifted with this explanation. "One day he will start to ask more questions."

  "I know that, and I have been dreading them." She smiled at him. "But now we won't have to cross that bridge. Ben will have a father after all."

  "Yes," he replied emphatically. "He will." There was no wave in the lock of black hair that had fallen across his forehead; it was as shiny and straight as Ben's. He went on, "I want him to know the truth. I want him to know that I didn't learn of his existence until one week ago. I don't want him to think I have neglected him all these years."

  "I can understand that."

  The strong fingers that were resting on the arm of his chair tightened. "Will your daughter understand as well? Or will she try to poison his mind against me?"

  "Kate is the most truthful person that I know. She is incapable of dissembling. She will tell Ben the truth."

  He lifted a sardonic eyebrow. "If she is incapable of dissembling, then she won't be able to disguise the fact that she can't stand me. It's not going to be easy to start a relationship with Ben if he thinks his mother hates me."

  "Kate doesn't hate you, Daniel. How could she? She doesn't even know you." Molly didn't like having to defend her daughter, and her voice came out sharper than she had intended.

  "She pointed that out. She said she didn't like the idea that someone she knew nothing about would be in a position to influence Ben."

  Molly gestured with her hand, and said mildly, "Surely her reservations are only natural."

  He shook his head in disagreement. "If she truly loves the boy, I should think she would be glad to know he has a father. It's not natural for a boy to be raised by two women. He needs a man in his life."

  The fact that Molly agreed with this statement didn't mean she liked hearing it from his lips. "I think you will find that Ben is a perfectly normal little boy," she said. 'And I have always thought that it would be beneficial for both Kate and Ben if she got married."

  "Why isn't she married?"

  She looked for a long moment into the lean, proud face of her grandson's father. Then, "Why aren't you married?" she returned.

  Nothing about his face changed, and she had a swift insight that, unlike Kate, Daniel was quite adept at dissembling. He said, "I just haven't met the right person."

  "Neither has Kate," she shot back.

  He gave her a charming smile. "I am looking, Mrs. Foley. I go out with women. Does Kate go out with men?"

  Molly sat straighter in her chair, and said evenly, "Kate runs a training and lesson stable, Daniel. She starts work in the barn at six o'clock in the morning, and she isn't finished until she does her last barn check at nine o'clock at night. The time she does not spend with the horses and clients, she spends with Ben. She hasn't much time for socializing."

  He looked skeptical. "Does she need to work that hard?"

  "Yes, if the farm is to produce the sort of income it produced last year. I wish she didn't have to work so hard, but she does."

  He said grandly, "Well, money will no longer be a problem. I will be happy to take care of the mother and the grandmother of my child."

  Molly leaned forward in alarm. "Daniel, please don't try to play King Cophetua riding to the rescue of the beggar maid and her mother. Believe me, nothing would outrage Kate more. She loves what she does, and she is very good at it. If you want to be friends with Kate, and surely that is the desirable course of action, don't offer her money."

  He said stiffly, "I didn't mean to insult you, Mrs. Foley."

  She smiled. "I know you didn't. But Kate is fully as proud as I'm sure you are yourself. Would you like a stranger coming in, asserting claims to your child, and offering you money?"

  He gave her a charmingly rueful look. "No."

  "Of course you wouldn't. If you treat Kate the way you would want to be treated were you in her situation, she will come around. She loves Ben very much, you know. She wants him to be happy."

  He nodded slowly.

  She changed her tone, and said briskly, "So, then, why don't you give me the name and phone number of your attorney, and we will start the proceedings needed to establish your paternity."

  He gave her a blinding smile and reached for his wallet. "I have his card to give to you."

  That smile could qualify as one of the wonders of the world, she thought with amusement as she reached out her hand to take the business card he was offering.

  She walked with him down to the riding ring and watched while he said good-bye to Ben. The little boy was ecstatic at meeting one of his heroes and chattered all the way back to the house, and the whole while she was putting away the groceries, about the wonders of Daniel Montero.

  Ben did his homework while Molly made dinner, then the two of them ate together, with Molly putting a plate in the refrigerator for Kate to eat when she came in. Ben had a bath and watched the two Nickelodeon shows he was allowed to watch in the evening, then sat at the kitchen table with his Legos while Kate ate her dinner. Then Kate listened to him read a book and put him to bed.

  Molly braced herself for the inevitable storm as she heard Kate coming back downstairs. She had put the Yankee game on after Ben's shows were finished, and she lowered the sound as her daughter came into the room.

  "I am going to kill Marty Lockwood," Kate said. "I am going to eat his heart in the marketplace."

  Her eyes were glittering. She meant it.

  Molly sighed. "Eating Marty's heart won't make Daniel Montero go away, Kate. The damage has been done."

  "Damage?" Kate said dangerously. She sat on the blue sofa and glared at her mother. "I thought you thought it was wonderful to find that Ben has a father."

  Molly prudently turned off the ball game. "We always knew that Ben had a father, dear."

  "Don't play word games, Mom." Kate ran her fingers through her short, feathery hair. "What are we going to do?"

  Molly answered calmly, "We're going to have the DNA testing done, and when Daniel's paternity is established—as it will be, Kate—we will tell Ben."

  "Ben will be thrilled." The expression on Kate's face was bleak.

  Molly leaned a little forward. "Ben will take his cue from you, dear. If you act as if you don't like or trust Daniel, then Ben won't be able to feel thrilled. The signals that you send to Ben about Daniel are very important, Kate." She held her daughter's eyes, and said slowly and clearly, "He should not be made to feel guilty about being glad he has a father."

  Kate scowled. "Mom, we don't know a damn thing about this man—other than that he's a good pitcher. He looks good, I'll grant you that, but so did Marty look good once. For all we know, Montero's the most morally corrupt person in the world. Colleen's record for picking men was not exactly stellar."

  "I know he's kind," Molly said. "He told me about Colleen, and he said nothing but good things about her."

  Kate made an impatient gesture. "There's nothing bad to say about Colleen—except that she had terrible taste in men."

  "She had his baby and never told him. Clearly he isn't happy about that."

  "Yes, and the more I think about it, the stranger I find it that he should be so determined to latch on to Ben. If he wants a kid so much, why doesn't he get married and have one?"

  "He told me he hasn't found the right person to marry yet."

  Kate snorted. "Then he's been looking in the wrong places."

  A little silence fell as Molly regar
ded her daughter. At last she said quietly, "Perhaps he's like you. Perhaps he hasn't had the time."

  Kate's lip curled. "I seriously doubt that, Mom."

  This line of discussion was going nowhere, so Molly changed the subject. "The DNA test is going to be a match. Anyone who looks at Ben and Daniel together would know that. You are going to have to face the fact that Ben has a father, Kate. And maybe that's not a bad thing. You know I have always thought it would be good for him to have a man in his life."

  "He has George."

  "George is your friend, not Ben's."

  "George is always very nice to Ben." Kate sounded a little defensive.

  "He's nice to him, but the two of them have nothing in common. All George knows and talks about is horses, which is why you find him so fascinating. Ben is just not that interested in horses, Kate."

  "I need to find a Western barn for him. Once he sees that other boys ride horses, he'll become more interested."

  "He is interested in playing soccer and in the spring he wants to play Little League. Those are Ben's interests."

  "Let's not fight, Mom."

  "I wasn't fighting. I am merely trying to point out that Daniel Montero is not going to go away, and you are going to have to deal with him. It's not his fault that he never knew about Ben."

  Kate stared at her short-nailed, ringless hands. "Maybe Colleen never wanted him to know. Maybe she knew something about him that we don't know."

  "Like what?"

  Kate looked up. "Maybe he deals drugs. He's Colombian, you know."

  Molly said with real indignation, "I can't believe you just said that."

  A little color stained Kate's cheeks. "What's your problem, Mom?"

  "What would you have said to someone who called your father an IRA terrorist just because he was Irish?"

  For a long moment the two women stared at each other. Then Kate said, "Oh, all right, so he's not a drug dealer because he's Colombian. But that doesn't mean that there isn't something unsavory about him that Colleen knew and we don't."

  "You are determined to dislike him, aren't you?"

  Kate didn't reply, but the expression on her face was not encouraging.

  "Honey, it's very important for Ben's sake that you don't appear to dislike Daniel. Let the child be happy that he has a father."

  Still Kate said nothing.

  Molly tried again. "Love is not just about giving, you know. It's also about giving up. I know it will be hard for you to share Ben, but he won't love you any less."

  "This isn't about me, Mom! It's about Ben. Do you know how terrified I am that he is going to be hurt by this man? He's a new toy for Montero just now—a kid who looks just like him. But what happens when Montero gets tired of him, or when he gets married and has other children and doesn't have time anymore for Ben? Ben's heart will break, that's what will happen." The thinly sculpted bones of Kate's face looked to be pressing against her finely textured skin. "I don't trust this man, Mom. I think he's going to hurt my child, and there doesn't seem to be a damn thing I can do about it."

  "Oh, honey." Molly went to sit beside Kate on the sofa and put an arm around her tense shoulders. "Try not to think like that. He seems to be a nice man. He went to the trouble of seeking Ben out, after all. And I like what I saw on his face when he was saying good-bye."

  None of the tension left Kate's shoulders, and the set of her mouth looked scornful.

  Molly dropped her arm. "Well, there isn't anything we can do until the DNA testing comes back."

  "No," Kate agreed. "There isn't anything we can do." All of the scorn had left her voice. She sounded desolate.

  * * *

  5

  Contents - Prev / Next

  The Yankees clinched the American League East on the day that Daniel got the results of the DNA test. His attorney phoned him while he was driving to the stadium for the game.

  "It's positive," Luis Sanchez told him. "The boy is definitely yours."

  After that, the game was an anticlimax. The good thing about clinching, Daniel thought, as he drank champagne in the celebratory clubhouse, was that the remainder of the season's games didn't mean very much, and he thought that Joe would give him some personal time if he needed it.

  The following morning, Daniel got on the phone and called his parents in Colombia. His father picked up the phone first.

  Daniel said in Spanish, "Papa, I have some news for you. I have discovered that I have a son."

  "What? Are you certain? How did this happen?"

  He drew a deep breath to steady his voice and related the entire story, concluding with the positive DNA identification. His mother must have walked into the room halfway through his explanation because he could hear his father relaying some of the information to her.

  "But this is wonderful news, Daniel! Have you seen the child?"

  "Yes. He looks like me."

  His father said to his mother, "He looks like Daniel." Then to Daniel, "Have you spoken to the aunt? How did she take the news?"

  In the background his mother exclaimed, "How could she be anything but happy?"

  Daniel thought of Kate's hostile face and winced. "She's . . . cautious," he replied.

  "I can understand that. She doesn't know you."

  "You would like her, Papa. She's a riding teacher."

  "Really?" Sharpened interest colored Rafael Montero's voice. "What kind of riding does she teach?"

  "I'm not sure, Papa, but I will find out for you."

  "Do that. Wait a moment, your mother wants to speak to you."

  Daniel braced himself and when he heard his mother's voice he said as calmly as he could, "Hello, Mama."

  "Daniel, I am so excited! I have a grandchild! How old is he? Does he really look like you?"

  "He's seven years old, Mama, and he looks very much like me."

  "I can't wait. I will see him when I come for the World Series."

  "We aren't in the World Series yet, Mama."

  "You will be. You are always in the World Series. Oh, I am so excited, Daniel! Can you send us a picture?"

  Daniel blew out his breath and looked at the painting of his parents' ranch that hung upon his office wall. "I'll try. Can I speak to Papa again?"

  "Certainly. I am so happy for you, my son."

  "Thank you, Mama. I'm happy for myself."

  His father came on the line. "Daniel?"

  "Papa, my relationship with Ben's family is very delicate just now. We have to work out custody arrangements . . . Ben hasn't even been told of my existence yet."

  His father cut in, "If you are asking me to keep your mother home, forget it."

  Daniel sighed. "Oh, all right."

  "We'll wait until the World Series. You should have things settled by then."

  "I hope so."

  As soon as Daniel hung up, he rang his attorney. Luis was out of the office, his secretary informed Daniel, but she would have him call as soon as he got in.

  Daniel pulled up some figures on the computer for his charitable foundation, but he sat staring at them sightlessly, his mind involved with thoughts of Ben.

  I wonder if I could get joint custody? Ben could live with me during the off-season and with his mother for the rest of the year.

  This pleasing fantasy kept him occupied until the phone rang, and he picked it up to hear his lawyer's voice say, "I've set a meeting for tomorrow at eleven in the office of Miss Foley's attorney in Glendale. I think it would be best for all of the principals in the case to get together and see if we can come up with a solution that will be in the best interests of the boy. Miss Foley and her mother will be there, and I'd like you to attend as well, Daniel."

  "Of course."

  "The feeling I got from Miss Foley's attorney was that she was prepared to be reasonable about money."

  Daniel made an impatient gesture. "The money is not the issue with me, Luis. The issue is that I want shared custody of my son."

  "What do you mean by shared custody?"
<
br />   "I mean that he will live with me from November through January. I have done some reading on this subject and the courts appear to be granting such custodial solutions more frequently these days."

  "The boy goes to school, Daniel. You can't just shuffle him back and forth from one school district to the other."

  This was one of the things he had just been thinking about. "That wouldn't be necessary. Glendale is not that far from Greenwich. I will drive him to school and pick him up."

  "I don't know, Daniel. I think you may be asking for too much. What about asking for one day a week and one weekend a month?"

  Daniel scowled.

  "Daniel?"

  "That's not enough."

  "We want to settle this amicably, Daniel. This is not something you want to end up in court. It won't benefit you, and it won't benefit the child to have a custody battle emblazoned all over the newspapers."

  "We won't know if Miss Foley objects to shared custody unless we ask her."

  "Fair enough. I'll draft a letter and fax it to John Burn-ham, Miss Foley's attorney. But think about another custody arrangement that you can live with, Daniel. I simply cannot see Miss Foley turning the boy over to you for three straight months a year. And you must ask yourself, will the child want to be without his mother for such a long period of time?"

  "He could see her! We both live in Fairfield County."

  "He's only seven years old. Seven-year-olds need their mothers. I know because I have one."

  Silence.

  "If I hear anything back from Burnham, I'll let you know."

  "All right. Thanks, Luis."

  "You're welcome. And good luck at the game tonight."

  "Thanks."

  "See you tomorrow."

  The two men rang off.

  Daniel was still staring at the screensaver floating across his monitor when the phone rang again. He picked it up, as he sometimes did, and said, "Hello."

  A woman's voice said, "I would like to speak to Daniel Montero, please. This is Kate Foley calling."

  Daniel's mouth went suddenly dry. "This is he."

  "I suppose you have heard the results of the DNA test, Mr. Montero."