Ask Anyone (19 page)

“You looking for Richard?” Earlene shouted at them from across the street.

Tucker nodded. “Any idea where they are?”

Earlene cast a worried look toward Jenna, then beckoned Tucker over. Bobby felt a chill all the way down to his bones. Something was wrong if Earlene didn't want Jenna to hear what she had to say. Fortunately, Jenna had been looking in another direction when Earlene had made her surreptitious motion to Tucker.

Bobby waited with a sense of dread until Tucker started back toward them, his expression every bit as grim as Bobby had feared. Instinctively, he reached for Jenna's hand.

“What's up?” Bobby asked his brother.

“We need to get over to Daisy's right away,” Tucker said, his gaze on Jenna. “I'm sorry.”

All of the color drained out of Jenna's face. “Sorry?”

“Darcy's been hurt. She's going to be fine, but you need to know what to expect. Her arm's broken, and there are some scrapes and bruises. The doc here took X-rays and set the break, but he recommends she see an orthopedic doctor in Fredericksburg to make sure he did the job right.” His expression turned wry. “Given the state of Doc's eyesight, I'd go along with his suggestion, if I were you.”

Jenna regarded him with a shaky expression. “What happened? Did she fall? Get hit by a car? What?” she demanded, her voice climbing.

Bobby squeezed her hand. “Settle down,” he said quietly. “Remember what Tucker said, she's okay. That's the important part.”

“Having cuts and bruises and a broken arm is not okay,” she said, whirling on him. “I want to know what happened.”

“I don't know all the details. Daisy will tell us everything when we get there,” Tucker said.

“But you know more than you're saying, don't you?” she said furiously. “Tell me, dammit. She's my daughter.”

Tucker glanced at Bobby. “Tell her,” Bobby said.

“There was another run-in with those kids.”

“She was attacked by those bullies?” she said, her expression incredulous. “What kind of place is this? What kind of parents are those people we talked to? I thought they were going to put a stop to this!”

“They will now,” Tucker assured her. “They can't pass this off as a childish prank. Deputies are already rounding up the kids and their parents.”

“Let's go,” Jenna said, climbing into the car. “I want to see Darcy
now.
”

Tucker dragged out his siren, slapped it on the roof and went through town as if he were on his way to a fire, squealing to a stop in front of Daisy's. Jenna was out of the car before he'd cut the engine. Bobby would have been right on her heels, but Tucker latched onto his arm and held him back.

“I've got to arrest Ann-Marie's boy. Word is that J.C. was the ringleader.”

“Then do it,” Bobby said. “I'm going inside to check on Darcy. Come back when you have him locked up. I don't care what Ann-Marie or Lonnie say, do not let that kid out on bail, not today, or I'll deal with him myself.”

Something in Tucker's expression kept him from heading for the house the way he'd intended. “What? Is there something you're not telling me?”

“Maybe we ought to get into this someplace else,” Tucker said. “Someplace with a little more privacy than we'll have around here.”

“Dammit, Tucker, I am not leaving Jenna. And I want to see for myself how Darcy really is. Just spit it out and be done with it.”

“Bobby, don't make me do this, not here. Come out to Cedar Hill with me.”

The suggestion completely baffled Bobby. “Why on earth would I want to go to Cedar Hill now? What does Daddy have to do with any of this?”

“I'm not sure. Not entirely, anyway. Please, just come with me. It's past time for you to know about this, even if it's nothing more than some screwball idea Daddy got into his head years ago.”

Bobby studied his brother's grim expression and relented. Tucker might be mule-headed stubborn, but he wouldn't be insisting on this if it weren't important. “Give me five minutes,” he said finally.

Tucker nodded.

Bobby raced inside and found Jenna sitting in a chair with Darcy curled up in her lap, sobbing as if her heart were broken. For the first time ever, she seemed like the nine-year-old kid she was, instead of nine-going-on-thirty. Bobby knelt down beside them and stroked her hair, smoothing those silly spikes he'd actually come to love.

“Hey, kiddo, you okay?”

Darcy sniffed and turned to face him. Lower lip quivering, she nodded, though huge tears continued to spill down her cheeks. He touched her cast, which already sported a drawing signed by Tommy, as well as Daisy's flowing signature.

“Tough luck,” he told her quietly. “I'm real sorry.”

“I know. It's not your fault.”

“Maybe if I'd been here, I could have stopped it,” Bobby said, filled with more regret than she could possibly imagine.

“Tommy and Pete tried, but there were too many of them.” Her expression brightened ever so slightly. “I think I gave one of 'em a black eye, though.”

Holding her, Jenna shuddered. Bobby grazed Jenna's knuckles with his thumb. “I'm not condoning violence,” he told her. “But Darcy had to stand up for herself.”

“I know,” Jenna said.

“Look, I have to go someplace with Tucker. Will you two be okay here for a while longer?”

“Sure,” Jenna said. “Daisy can give us a ride home.”

“Of course I will,” Daisy said.

“No!”
Bobby said vehemently. “Stay right here till I get back.”

Jenna regarded him with confusion. “Why? Is there something else going on?”

“No. I just want to be sure the police have all these kids rounded up and everything's settled down. Stay here, please.”

Jenna met his gaze and finally nodded. “We'll wait,” she promised.

Bobby pressed a kiss to Darcy's damp cheek, then brushed another kiss across Jenna's forehead. Daisy walked with him to the door.

“Where are you going?” she asked, her expression worried.

“To Cedar Hill.”

That took her by surprise. “Why?”

Bobby shrugged. “Tucker's idea. He's got some bug up his behind.”

Daisy's gaze shot to their brother, who was waiting behind the wheel of his car. “Oh, no,” she whispered and took off running across the lawn.

“Now what?” Bobby muttered, trailing along behind. He arrived just in time to hear the end of Daisy's blistering tirade.

Tucker regarded her evenly. “It's time,” he said bluntly.

“It is not,” she said. “It is exactly the wrong time. Tucker, please, don't do this.”

“Okay, that's enough,” Bobby snapped. “Whatever you two know that I don't, tell me right here and now.”

Tucker sent a see-what-you've-done look at Daisy.

“Don't blame me, you idiot. You're the one who started this,” she said. “You finish it.”

“Daddy ought to be the one,” Tucker began.

“But Daddy's not here and you are,” Bobby said. “Spill it, or I swear I'm going to reach in and drag you out here and pummel this big announcement, whatever it is, out of you.”

Daisy sighed. “You might as well go ahead, Tucker. It's too late now.”

The knot of dread in Bobby's stomach, already as big as Texas, grew even bigger.

“There's a chance,” his brother began, “maybe more than a chance, that J.C. is not Lonnie's boy.”

The pounding of Bobby's heart was suddenly so loud, he could hardly hear anything else. “Then who's his father?”

Tucker and Daisy exchanged a look. It was Daisy who spoke, her voice gentle. “Daddy believes it's you.”

T
he roaring sound in Bobby's head grew louder. Surely he had to have misunderstood. Surely Daisy was not saying that she and everyone else in his family believed that Ann-Marie's son was his child.

“Are you crazy?” he demanded eventually. “Why would you even say something like that? Where's the proof? That boy's the spitting image of his…”

“Of his mother,” Daisy filled in. “Not of Lonnie. Daddy claims he put two and two together right after the birth. You weren't here then. You'd already taken off for Europe. Ann-Marie had the baby about seven months after the wedding. Instead of going around town like a proud papa, Lonnie looked as if he wanted to slug anyone who even mentioned the baby. No one was passing out cigars. But it was a long time before Daddy got proof.”

“What proof?”

“He wouldn't say, not to me anyway,” Tucker said.

“So your theory is what? That Ann-Marie found herself pregnant with my baby, and instead of running to me, she ran to Lonnie and used the baby to trap him into marrying her? Don't you imagine they must have been
sleeping together for that to have worked?” Bobby had to make an effort to keep the hurt out of his voice, but he couldn't hide the anger. “Bottom line, she was cheating on me with my best friend. He was the one she wanted to be with, not me.”

Tucker regarded him with an unflinching look. “Maybe she wasn't cheating on you until after she found out she was pregnant.”

“Then why the hell didn't she come to me?”

“I have a theory about that,” Daisy said quietly. “Daddy never approved of her. And he was embarrassed that you'd dropped out of college and taken a fast-food job to earn the money to go to Europe. I think he refused to tell her how to get in touch with you.”

“But
you
knew. So did Tucker. Did she ever come to either of you?”

Expressions somber, both of them shook their heads.

“I didn't think so,” Bobby said. “Which means she didn't really want to find me.”

“Or that Daddy paid her off to find another solution,” Tucker said. “I wouldn't put it past him.”

Bobby sagged against the side of the car and swiped a hand over his eyes. “No,” he said wearily. “Neither would I.”

“I just thought you ought to know all of this before I go to pick that boy up and take him in for questioning,” Tucker said. “Lonnie's never been a father to that kid, and if Daddy does know the truth, it's little wonder why. But somebody obviously needs to step in before it's too late.”

Bobby stared at his brother incredulously. “And you think that somebody ought to be me?”

“Who else is it going to be?” Tucker asked reasonably.

“You don't expect much, do you?” Bobby asked.

“We are Spencers,” Daisy reminded him.

“Yeah, right,” Bobby muttered. “God help us all.”

On the drive over to Ann-Marie's, he couldn't shake the image of J. C. Gates, the defiant expression he wore like a mask, the dark, troubled eyes so like his mother's in recent years. Was it possible the boy was his son? The only way to find out was to ask Ann-Marie a point-blank question. After that, though, things would never be the same. Any pretense that Lonnie was the boy's father would be dashed forever. Who knew what strain it might put on that marriage? Bobby wished there were time to talk to Anna-Louise before he and Tucker went barging into the Gates home. Maybe she would have some ideas about the best way to handle this and cause minimal harm to everyone involved.

One look at Tucker's grim expression pretty much squelched any thought of further delay.

“I can't get into this with Ann-Marie today,” Bobby told him. “Things are going to be bad enough.”

“Your call,” Tucker said. He glanced at Bobby. “Whether it's true or not, I can't go easy on J.C.”

“I know that. I wouldn't expect you to.”

“What will you do if you find out he is your son?”

“I wish to God I knew,” Bobby said. “I suppose a lot depends on Ann-Marie and Lonnie and what
they
want.”

“If the boy is yours, you have rights, too.”

Bobby nodded. “That's the one thing that doesn't make any sense to me, though. If J.C. is a Spencer, I can't imagine King turning his back on him. He would have been the first grandchild.”

“There are ways of looking out for him without publicly acknowledging him,” Tucker pointed out.

“Money, you mean.”

“Sure. There could have been a payoff or a trust fund.”

“I suppose,” Bobby said. “It just doesn't seem like Daddy not to claim what's his, even if it is one generation removed.”

Tucker glanced over at him. “Are you holding out hope that I've got this all wrong?”

Bobby couldn't honestly say how he felt. The whole idea of being a father was brand new to him. And a son who connected him to Ann-Marie turning up at this late date raised a whole string of emotional land mines he wasn't sure he was prepared to tangle with.

“I don't know what I'm hoping for,” he said candidly. “And even if it turns out to be true, I can hardly waltz into the middle of this mess and say, Okay, guys, you've really screwed things up with this kid. I'm taking over now.”

Tucker sighed as he pulled to a stop in front of Ann-Marie's. “I suppose you're right.” He regarded Bobby with concern. “You ready?”

“I'm as ready as I'll ever be.”

Bobby followed his brother up the walk, forcing himself not to lag too far behind. When he spotted Ann-Marie in the doorway, her face pale and drawn, he knew she understood why they'd come.

“J.C.'s in his room,” she said. “I heard about what happened and sent him up there. I locked the door for good measure.”

Bobby smiled despite the dire circumstances. “You thinking he can't climb out a window?”

She gave him a weary smile. “Not since Lonnie sawed off all the nearest branches a month or so ago, when we found out J.C.'d been sneaking out at night.”

“You called an attorney for him?” Tucker asked.

Alarm flared in her eyes. “It's that bad?”

“Darcy has a broken arm and other injuires,” Bobby said fiercely. “He and those thugs he runs with did that to her. Where's Lonnie?”

“He stormed out when he heard what had happened,” she said apologetically. “Said this was my doing and I could handle it.”

Bobby studied her intently. “Why would he say that? Where's he been all these years?”

Her gaze fell. That alone was enough to tell Bobby the truth. Lonnie had turned his back on J.C. because the boy wasn't his. Though he'd vowed to save that discussion for another time, he couldn't help himself. He tucked a finger under Ann-Marie's chin and forced her to meet his eyes.

“Is J.C. my son?” he asked bluntly.

He could read the answer on her face even before she spoke. Tears welled up in her eyes.

“Yes,” she said in a voice barely above a whisper.

“And Lonnie's known all these years?”

She nodded.

“Why, Ann-Marie? You could have told me.”

“I couldn't. I had to think about my family, about Lonnie and his pride. If anyone else figured it out, it would have killed him.”

“So instead you let him take out his hurt pride and anger on my son?”

“He didn't,” she claimed, but she couldn't meet his gaze. “It was as if J.C. didn't exist for him, but he never hurt him. Never. He knew I would have left him if he'd laid a finger on that boy.”

“There's more than one way to break a child's spirit,” Bobby said.

“Look, I know you two have a lot to deal with,” Tucker interrupted, “but it's going to have to wait. I need to talk to J.C. If you want a lawyer for him, Ann-Marie, call one now and have him meet us at the station.”

“He's your own nephew,” she pleaded, pulling out the one trump card she had now that the truth was out in the open. “You can't take him in.”

Tucker winced, but Bobby knew he'd never relent. It wasn't in his nature to bend the rules. “Get J.C.,” Bobby told Ann-Marie. “We'll go with him.”

“No,” she said fiercely. “Not you.”

“He's my son, dammit. It's a helluva time to find that out, but the bottom line is that I have a duty to be there.”

“Please,” she begged. “If you're there, everyone will talk about it. It will be the final straw for Lonnie. He'll leave me.”

Bobby gazed into her anguished eyes and knew that she was telling the truth. Her family would be irre
trievably broken if he stepped into the middle of this today. There would be time enough to sort things out later in a less public way.

“Does J.C. know about me?” he asked Ann-Marie.

“No. He just knows that he and his father don't get along.”

Bobby's heart ached for the boy, but maybe there was time left to repair that damage, too.

“Okay, I'll stay out of this today, but we'll work it out, Ann-Marie. Understood?”

“Yes,” she said wearily. “It's past time. I know that.”

He glanced at Tucker. “You want me to hang out here till you get him?”

“No. You can take off. Can you get back to Daisy's okay?”

“I'll walk. I need the time to think, anyway.”

Unfortunately, there weren't enough miles between here and Daisy's for all the thinking Bobby had to do. For starters, he was going to have to figure out how to keep from killing King for whatever role he'd played in this disaster.

 

Jenna kept stealing surreptitious looks at Bobby all during a very long dinner at Daisy's. If it hadn't been for Darcy and Tommy's chatter, the meal would have been uncomfortably silent. Walker was still at the station with the bullies responsible for Darcy's injuries. Bobby wouldn't even glance at his sister. Daisy looked more and more miserable. It all clearly had something to do with that family pow-wow that they'd held on the front lawn
before Bobby and Tucker had gone off to pick up J. C. Gates.

The instant everyone had finished dessert, Jenna said, “I really do hate to eat and run, but I think I should get Darcy home. She's had a tough day.”

“Mom, please,” Darcy begged. “Tommy and me were going to see who could catch the most lightning bugs.”

As appealing as the harmless activity was, Jenna couldn't imagine spending another hour with Daisy and Bobby when the tension between them was so thick it could be cut with a knife.

“Not tonight, sweetie. Maybe tomorrow.”

“But—” Darcy protested.

“I said no,” Jenna repeated firmly.

“I'll play a game with you when we get to your place,” Bobby offered. “You pick.”

“Uno,” Darcy said at once. “I'm the grand champion at that.”

Bobby grinned for the first time all evening. “Is that so? Then you haven't played with me.”

Jenna gave an exaggerated groan. “Just what I need, two people with mile-wide competitive streaks. I think I'll sit this one out.”

“Oh, no,” Darcy said. “You've got to play. It's more fun with three people.” She grinned at Bobby. “Sometimes Grandpa played with us. I beat him, too. He didn't like it.”

“Because your grandfather hates to lose,” Jenna said. “Doesn't matter whether it's a kid's game or a business deal.”

“How about you?” Bobby asked. “Are you a sore loser?”

“Nope,” Jenna told him. “But then, between Darcy and my dad, I've had more practice.”

He grinned. “Darcy, I think you and I need to throw a couple of games your mom's way tonight, okay? Her confidence needs bolstering.”

Jenna frowned at him. “Don't do me any favors, unless, of course, you'd like to throw that boardwalk deal my way.”

“We have a date to discuss that in the morning,” Bobby reminded her. “Tonight it's all about cards.”

When they got to her house, Jenna insisted that Darcy take her bath and get ready for bed before they started the card game.

“Mom, I can't take a bath. I can't get my arm wet,” Darcy countered with a triumphant look.

“She's got you there,” Bobby said.

“Okay, but you still have to get into your pj's. I'm not struggling to get you into them when you fall asleep in the middle of the card game.”

“Okay,” Darcy agreed, and ran off to change.

“Brush your teeth and wash your face,” Jenna shouted after her.

“I know, Mom,” Darcy called back with typical impatience.

Once she was gone, Jenna put on a pot of coffee and poured Darcy a glass of milk. While the coffee was brewing, she turned back to Bobby, who had that faraway expression in his eyes again.

“Want to talk about it?” she asked.

“What?”

“Whatever's been on your mind all night.”

He shook his head. “Not yet.”

“I'm a good listener. Besides, I owe you. You've listened to me enough the past few weeks.”

“This is something I have to sort out for myself,” he insisted, his voice tight.

“Sure, whatever.” Hurt by the abrupt dismissal, she turned away and started out of the kitchen.

“Jenna.” He snagged her hand as she passed him. “I'm sorry. It's a very complicated situation. There are other people involved. I can't talk about it yet. And to be perfectly honest, it could influence things between you and me.”

She stared at him. “How?”

“It just could. You'll have to take my word for it.”

Her heart began to thump unsteadily. She couldn't lose out on this deal now, not over something he wouldn't even share with her. “Is this about the deal?”

“Not directly, but it could affect you and me working together.”

She met his gaze evenly and resisted the longing to reach out and console him. He looked so miserable, but this wasn't about him. She couldn't allow it to be. “If this could affect my future, then I have a right to know,” she told him forcefully.