The Marine's Secret Daughter

* * *

When was the last time someone had left her speechless? Meg buckled her seat belt with a loud click. She brushed her hand over the bear’s plush fur. If she wasn’t careful, Riley would crawl right back into her heart. She needed to remember he was here for thirty days, and as a single mother to an impressionable little girl, she couldn’t do temporary.

And she wasn’t going to look at his hands on the steering wheel...she wasn’t. She—Damn. Her short nails dug into the palms of her hands and her mother’s words echoed in her head. You need to be careful how much attention you pay to that boy. He’ll get the wrong idea about what kind of girl you are.

Sorry, Ma, but he got the wrong idea. But now she was on a good path, a smart path and—

“I can hear you all the way over here.”

“What?” She jerked her head back, warmth spreading across her cheeks. “I didn’t say anything.”

“No, but you’re busy thinking it.” He draped his hand over the wheel, giving her a sidelong glance and a devilish grin.

If he wasn’t the most annoying... She sighed. No other man in her acquaintance sparked her nerve endings the way Riley did. Not that Loon Lake was crawling with eligible men, but enough to convince her that what she felt for Riley didn’t come along every day. “I wasn’t thinking anything.”

“Just like you weren’t talking?” He glanced over and quirked his eyebrow.

Meg sighed and shifted in the seat. Ugh. He used that one eyebrow like a sexy weapon, as if he knew that simple action tied her in knots.

“I was—Hey, you missed the turn.” She dragged in a tight breath. Good heavens, was he serious about a motel?

He gave her a dimpled grin. “I told you. We’re going to a motel.”

Those dang dimples—yeah, more ammo in his sex-on-a-stick arsenal. She shook her head. “I’m not going anywhere dressed like this.”

“Sorry, but you’ve already been somewhere dressed like that.”

“Well, thank you, Captain Obvious.” She turned her head toward the passenger-side window. As if the asthma meds hadn’t made her squirrely enough, the sight of his hands had her squirming. “But that was an emergency.”

“Ah, but the motel is an extension of the original mission.” Slowing for a red light, he turned his head to study her. “Marines don’t stop until the job is finished.”

“You got the job done. I can breathe and—” she rattled her bag “—I have more meds if anything happens.”

“You heard the doctor. No exposure to mold tonight.” The light changed and he drove through the intersection. “Afraid you won’t be able to resist me?”

She snorted. “Oh, please. If anything, I’m more likely to strangle you in your sleep.”

“Hmm...” He wiggled both eyebrows at her. “Considering you’d have to climb on top of me to have that sort of access.”

As if she needed that picture in her head. “I’m serious, Riley.”

He leaned sideways toward her. “So am I. I plan to stick to you like a foul odor.”

She rolled her eyes. “Which reminds me. I need a shower. I spent the whole day cleaning that cottage.”

He grinned, all white teeth and dimples peeking out from the stubble. “You can shower at the motel.”

She still had an ace up her sleeve and brought out her sweetest, fakest smile. “But these clothes have mold and dust and who knows what clinging to them. You heard the doctor. No more exposure means I need clean clothes.”

“That nurse gave you a top to wear.”

“Yeah, but what about the rest of my clothes? My sneakers and—”

“You’ve made your point. I should’ve remembered you don’t play fair.” He barked out a laugh, but pulled onto the shoulder of the road. “We’ll get whatever you need and you can argue with me all you want, but we’re still going to a motel.”

She swallowed hard, remembering the last time they’d ended up in a motel room together.

“Why were you cleaning the cottage?” He checked for traffic before easing back onto the road.

“I was repaying a favor.” She shrugged. “I guess karma didn’t get that part of the message.”

“Yeah, good deeds and all that.” He completed the U-turn and sped up. “So you’re living in Loon Lake full-time?”

“Yup, I’m a permanent resident.” Tomorrow, when the worst of the asthma meds were out of her system, would be time enough for the rest of the story. She had her application in with the school system, where she’d done her student teaching. She wouldn’t let Riley’s sexy dimples blind her to her priorities. She had a daughter to raise, a career to start and a life to live.

“Living at your dad’s place makes it convenient.”

“Except it’s not my dad’s place.” She was proud of owning a home and wanted to make sure he knew about it. “It’s mine. I own it.”

“Really?” His eyes widened. “You took the place on by yourself?”

That’s nothing. I lost my mother, nursed my broken heart and had your baby all by myself. “Don’t sound so surprised. In case you hadn’t noticed, I grew up while you were gone.”

He turned toward her, his gaze sweeping over her. “Oh, I noticed. All I’m saying is the winters can be harsh. That alone would create a lot of upkeep.”

“I can handle it... I am handling it.” Okay, so she was going to have to prioritize her projects due to her car dying and the flooding. Homes on the other end of the lake and ones right on the water had it worse, so she considered herself lucky.

“Your dad wasn’t interested in keeping the place for retirement?”

“No, he signed the deed over to Liam and me. I bought my brother out.” She had grabbed the chance to own a home and raise Fiona in a small town noted for its excellent school system. Here, they had a yard where Meg planned to put up a swing set and, as soon as she found an affordable one that didn’t set off her asthma, she’d get Fiona a puppy. “Neither one of them had much interest in the place after Mom died.”

Riley cleared his throat. “I was sorry to hear about your mother’s death. By the time word got to me in the sandbox, it was too late. I wish I could’ve been there for you, Meg.”

“Thanks, but I didn’t expect you.” But that hadn’t prevented her from searching each new face that came through the door.

“How has Mac been doing?”

“He’s doing great. He’s remarried and—”

“Wait. Mac remarried? Wow, I...” He shook his head. “I guess that shows how long I’ve been gone.”

She clenched her jaw. And totally cut us out of your life while you were at it. “You’ve been gone for nearly six years.”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt.” He reached over and squeezed her hand. “Tell me about Mac.”

The calluses were new...and sexy. Oh, God, she needed to stop this. Riley might press all her buttons, but she needed to remember that whiskey on his porch. Needed to remember their chemistry wasn’t enough to bind him to her. She’d tried that and failed. Their one night together bound her to him in the form of their daughter, but he didn’t know that...yet. “As I was saying, a widow moved in next door about two years ago and they hit it off right away. They got married at the end of last year when Dad retired.”

“Mac retired? I thought they’d have to wheel him out of the fire station.” He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “Do you like his new wife?”

“I like her very much. Doris is sweet and she’s been a great...” She hesitated.

“Great what?”

“Influence on my dad.” She’d been going to say “grandmother,” but this wasn’t the time or place for that explanation. “Getting him to retire and all.”

Riley squeezed her hand. “Is it hard watching him with someone else?”

“A little at first, but I’m glad he’s happy.”

“What about you, Meggie? Are you happy living here?”

“Yes, I am,” she said and meant it. She’d taken a chance thirteen months ago, uprooting Fiona from Boston to settle in Loon Lake, but they’d made a life for themselves in the quintessential New England town. The wood-covered bridge, pre-Revolutionary War architecture and town green with summer band concerts in the gazebo were the things the tourists saw, but Meg knew firsthand about the caring and kind people who inhabited Loon Lake. Fiercely independent, they never asked for help and yet assisted anyone one who might need it. She still wasn’t sure who to thank for making sure her driveway was plowed after each snowstorm last winter.

Here she could give Fiona community and recreational opportunities that might have been out of reach in Boston. She glanced at Riley, wondering what it would be like to share this life she’d made with him.

She pushed that thought aside, too tired to deal with the enormity of it tonight and the role she and her wounded pride had played in keeping father and daughter apart. She regretted that decision, but it was too late to take it back. All she could do now was hope Fiona didn’t pay the price for her selfishness.

Call me Scarlett, but I’ll worry about that tomorrow.

* * *

Riley stopped his truck in front of Meg’s place, glad she had no idea what he was thinking. Of course, she couldn’t call him any names worse than those he’d called himself during the drive from the hospital. Every time she’d shifted in her seat, he responded, thinking how she’d felt underneath him that night, how no other woman since had made him feel so special.

Nice going, Marine. The woman has a life-threatening asthma attack and all you can think about is jumping her bones.

But then he laughed to himself because that was pretty much the number one objective for a marine on leave.

Meg was white picket fences and family dinners on Sunday, and he was forward operating bases and MREs. She needed someone who was emotionally stable and reliable, not someone chasing an adrenaline rush in the latest battle zone. Putting the truck in Park and killing the engine, he said, “Tell me what you want and I’ll get it.”

“What I want is to stay home. I’ve lived with asthma all my life. I can take care of myself.”

She could fight him all she wanted, but she was staying in the motel tonight if he had to put her over his shoulder. He was keeping her safe at all costs. No more deaths on his watch. Or his conscience. “So why did I find you at the bottom of the stairs, gasping for air?”

“It wasn’t that bad. I was catching my breath before climbing back upstairs.”

“Yeah, well, life sucks. You’re coming with me to the motel. I came here because you said you wanted to get a change of clothes. You can do that or we’ll leave right now.” He hated sounding like such a hard-ass, but he wasn’t taking any chances with Meg’s safety, so he restarted the truck’s engine as a demonstration.

“All right. All right.” She unbuckled her seat belt, filling the cab with that insistent pinging noise. “But I go in and get my own stuff. I don’t want you pawing through my things.”

“Afraid of what I might find hidden in your underwear drawer?” He raised his eyebrows.

“Don’t you have something on your front porch that you need to bring inside?”

“Touché.” Earlier, he’d toyed with the idea of getting acquainted with one of those bottles tonight, but now he wasn’t taking any chances. He needed to be alert in case she had a relapse. “I’ll go take care of my stuff while you get what you need.”

He cut the engine again and she scrambled out of the truck. Her swaying hips and cute butt presented a nice view, lightening his mood without the threat of a hangover.

Remember, returning to your squad was the original mission, Marine.

“And don’t forget to come back out. Locking your door won’t stop me, Meggie. I’m very good at gaining access to barricaded buildings,” he called after her.

She paused on her way up the porch steps to look over her shoulder. “You would come in, knowing you weren’t welcome?”

He barked out a laugh. “I’ve spent much of the past six years in Afghanistan. I’m used to being where I’m not welcome.”

He loped across the distance separating their houses. Putting his bag of clanking bottles on the floor inside the door, he opened his gear bag and pulled out a bottle of ibuprofen. This was the only painkiller he was allowing himself tonight. He grabbed the duffel off the couch and grunted at the twinge in his shoulder. If lucky, Meg wouldn’t force him to take extreme measures to get her to the motel.

To his surprise, and his shoulder’s relief, she was waiting next to his truck with an overnight case. He lifted his chin toward her bag. “Your nebulizer better be in there.”

She rolled those beautiful eyes at him, but nodded. Oorah. He might be calculating Red Sox batting averages in his head before this night was over, but for now he’d savor his victory.

* * *

Checking into their room at the motel ran so smoothly, he suspected Meg had run out of steam. She hadn’t even given him more than token grief over sharing a room. Once inside, she threw her overnight case on one of the double beds, pulled out some items and headed for the bathroom.

“Calling dibs,” was all she said before shutting the door. The lock engaged with a click that echoed.

Despite the utilitarian pressboard furniture, brown tweed carpet, ugly orange drapes and matching bed covers, the room was spotless.

The shower came on and images of a naked Meg filled his head. He fisted his hands at the thought of exploring those new curves. Barely out of her teens when he’d last seen her, she’d been coltish, all legs and arms. But now...

With a muttered curse at the direction of his thoughts, he grabbed the television remote, flipping through channels until he found a baseball game. Not that he’d be able to concentrate, but at least he’d try. Lying on one of the beds, he pretended the game interested him.

The water switched off and he swung his legs off the bed and stood. Clearing his throat, he went closer to the door. “I was thinking of ordering a pizza. You interested?”

“Yeah...o-okay sure.”

She didn’t sound sure and—

Damn. How could he have forgotten they’d fed one another pizza that night? He rubbed his palms on his pants. “Look, there’s a burger joint down the road. I can—”

“Pizza is fine.”

Riley ordered and waited for her to finish with the blow-dryer before approaching the bathroom door again. “I’m going to get us some drinks from the vending machine.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

Riley took his time, hoping the fresh air would clear his head a bit. His imagination kept conjuring up images of Meg naked on the other side of that bathroom door.

He heard her talking to someone when he got back to the room and quietly pushed the door open.

Dressed in a blue fuzzy robe, she had her back to him, holding her cell phone to her ear. “I told you I’m fine. I called because I knew you’d eventually hear about it anyway. No, Liam, you do not need to talk to him. I’m a big girl. I can handle this.”

Riley set the cans on the small table, but she didn’t turn around.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, you do not need to come up here. And no, don’t call Dad. He’ll just worry and that will worry Fiona. You know what kind of radar she has.” Meg shifted from one foot to the other. “No, I don’t want them to cut their trip short. Stay out of this.”

She turned around as if realizing he was back in the room. Shaking her head and rolling her eyes, she said, “Don’t make me regret calling you. I’m fine and if you tell, I’ll hunt you down. You know I will...Yeah, love you, too.”

Slipping the phone into the front pocket on her robe, she tightened the belt. “I figured I’d better call Liam before he heard about my ER visit from someone else.”

“Would word reach him one hundred and sixty miles away in Boston?”

She shook her head. “You’d be surprised.”

A knock at the door signaled their pizza delivery before Riley could say anything more. He opened the door and huffed out a laugh. Was this kid even old enough to drive? “Hey. How much?”

“It’s...” The boy paused as he glanced over Riley’s shoulder. Then his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “Ms. McBride? Is that you? Really you?”

“Kevin?” Meg’s voice rose, along with the color in her cheeks.

Riley glanced over his shoulder at Meggie. Ms. McBride? Dear Lord, he had been gone a long time.

Riley tried to take the pizza box, but the kid had it in a tight grip. What the...? The teen, his expression a mixture of shock and disappointment, stared at Meg. Whoa, he had a crush on Meg and was reacting to finding her in a motel room with some guy. Poor kid. “Kevin, is it?”

The teen turned his attention back to Riley. “Uh, yeah, Kevin Thompson.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Kevin.” Riley clapped him on the shoulder since Kevin’s hands were full of pizza box. “Meg—uh, Ms. McBride had an asthma attack and we agreed with the doctor’s recommendation that she not be exposed to the mold in her basement until we can get it cleaned up.”

Kevin’s eyes widened. “Oh, hey, I—You’re okay now, though, right, Ms. McBride?”

“Yes, I’m feeling much better now, thank you.” Meg stepped closer. “I’m glad to see Bert gave you the job.”

“Thanks to you.” The kid ducked his head. “The way you vouched for me and all...uh...thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Meg pointed a finger at him and spoke in a motherly tone. “Just be sure your grades don’t suffer.”

“Oh, no, I promise because I really... I mean...” The kid glanced down and shuffled his feet.

Riley lifted the box from Kevin’s hands, set it on the table and decided to go with his gut. “Kevin, I might need some help with the cleanup in Meg’s—Ms. McBride’s—basement. Would you be available to help?”

“Yes, sir, I sure would.” Kevin bobbled his head, his attention now on Riley. “Are you like the one that’s in the marines?”

News did travel fast in Loon Lake, or maybe it was different now that Meg lived here full-time. He hadn’t paid attention to gossip when he’d been here as a kid. “That’s right. I’m a marine.”

Meg cleared her throat. “Won’t Bert be waiting on you, Kevin?”

“Oh, yeah, that’s right. I should get back there. Glad you’re feeling better.” The teen turned to leave.

“Wait.” Riley pressed some bills into Kevin’s hand. “Don’t want to forget to pay you for the pizza and have you be responsible.”

The boy glanced at the money. “Oh, hey, but that’s way too—”

“Keep it.” Riley shrugged. “We kept you here talking when you could’ve been collecting more tips.”

The kid shoved the wadded bills into his pocket. “Uh, yeah, sure. Thanks, man. And if you need help with the basement...”

“I’ll be in touch after I make an initial inspection,” Riley told him.

“Sure, sure.” Kevin nodded. “Well, uh...have a nice night.”

“Stay safe,” Meg called as Riley shut the door and flipped the dead bolt.

Riley turned and stared at her. “Ms. McBride?”

Her mouth twitched. “I did my student teaching at the high school.”

“I think you have an admirer.” He playfully bumped shoulders.

“If you ask me, he had a few stars in his eyes when he looked at you.” She grinned.

“Seems like a decent kid,” Riley remarked as he flipped open the pizza box, filling the air with the scent of warm dough and pepperoni.

“He is. Kevin’s had it rough, but I think he’s on the right path.”

“Bad home life?” After Riley’s parents split, each had used him as a weapon against the other. He’d hated getting shuttled from one to the other, hated new people coming into his life for short periods of time, then disappearing as each parent dated and, most of all, he’d hated the emotional void he’d had to endure as they got so caught up in their own pain and they’d ignored his. The marines had given him the structure and the sense of belonging he’d craved as a child.

“Kevin’s mom left when he was young. His dad is rarely sober and often out of work.” Meg rubbed a finger across one eyebrow. “Kevin was left to his own devices.”

“That’s gotta be rough. He’s lucky he has you to look out for him.” He set a pizza slice on a napkin and pushed it toward her before taking one for himself.

Imagine, his little Meggie an authority figure to teenagers. His chest tightened. What else had he missed? “Looks like you’ve made a place for yourself in the Loon Lake community.”

“And all the stuff that goes with it.” She heaved a sigh and sank into the wooden chair at the small round table, reaching for one of the sodas he’d bought.

He frowned. “Problem?”

“Between the ER and now the motel, gossip will be circling around Loon Lake like Martin Evers’s homing pigeons.” She pulled the soda can tab with a sharp snap and laughed. “I wish my real life was as interesting as the one everyone will be talking about.”

He settled into the seat opposite her. “I don’t see the harm, you’re an adult. And Kevin proved it by calling you Ms. McBride.”

“Yeah, still getting used to that part.” She shook her head. “Still, I would prefer not to be the subject of gossip.”

“It’s pretty harmless.” He folded his slice in half lengthwise and took a bite.

“I... I have more than myself to think of.” She ran her fingertip along the ridge of the soda can.

Riley chewed and set the rest of the slice on the napkin. Was there someone—someone special—she didn’t want to hear the gossip? “Maybe you’d like to explain that.”

She stared at her hands for a moment before looking up, meeting his gaze. “I guess it’s going to come out anyway... I have a daughter. Her name’s Fiona.”

“Oh...huh.” Well, that explained who Fiona was. But...Meg was a mother? He hadn’t seen that coming. He recalled Meg as a little girl with that mass of red hair, freckles and those beautiful eyes. Did her daughter look like her? His throat tightened with longing for something he couldn’t—or wouldn’t—name. He’d made his choice six years ago and now he had no right to any possessiveness or room for regrets.

After Meg’s first letter, he’d received orders to report to a marine expeditionary unit and spent months deep in Afghanistan’s desolate countryside. Due to a snafu, he hadn’t received the rest of her letters until getting back to a forward operating base. Someone had bundled the letters as if preparing to return them. Before he could open them, fate had intervened in the form of an IED, killing and maiming his fellow marines, and he’d decided to set Meg free without ever reading the letters, afraid he’d change his mind if he did.

“Are you and the child’s father still—” he cleared his throat before continuing “—involved?”

Chapter Three

“No, he hasn’t been a part of our lives for a long time.” Meg chewed on a pepperoni slice she’d picked off her pizza, but had trouble swallowing past the tightness in her throat. He didn’t even ask if he was Fiona’s father. Evidently, the thought never occurred to him. If he’d asked, hopped up on asthma meds or not, she would’ve confessed. But he hadn’t. She picked another pepperoni off the pizza but put it back. They were her favorite part, but that last one had tasted like cardboard. No, Meg, that was the lie you’ve been telling.

“Do you have a picture?” When he opened the soda, the tab snapped off and he tossed it aside.

Digging into her pocket, Meg pulled out her cell phone and thumbed through her photos. She found one her dad had sent a few days ago: a wide shot another tourist must’ve taken. It was a smiling Fiona standing between Mac and Doris in front of the Grand Canyon. The photo was close enough to see Fiona but not so close as to show her facial features clearly...especially her gray eyes. Riley’s eyes.

Her heart pounding, she handed him the phone. And this was a picture. What would she do when Fiona arrived in person? She was simultaneously too tired and wired from the asthma meds to think about that now.

Riley stared at the screen, a slight frown puckering his brow. Using his thumb and index finger he enlarged the image, and Meg’s fingers clenched against the urge to snatch the phone back. What was he thinking? Could he see himself like she did each time she looked at her precious daughter? Sure, everyone said Fiona looked like her, but Meg saw Riley in everything Fiona did or said.