Three Hearts Page 4

  By the time the results came through he would have wormed his way into Brooke's affections with talk of what he could offer her in America, and her niece would be only too happy to go with him, leaving Darcy on her own.

  Since the death of Darcy's mother, Brooke had been the centre of Darcy's life. She loved her and enjoyed not only teaching the child how to tell right from wrong, but also how to have fun and enjoy life. She had looked forward to her niece's emergence from childhood to adolescent and had already begun to instil in Brooke an awareness of the changes she would experience as her body developed.

  What did a man on his own know about bringing up a girl? Did he have any female relatives to help him? Had he remarried? No. He would have needed proof of his divorce from Kelly, which meant he would have turned up sooner. How can I possibly hand Brooke over to a man I know nothing about?

  Darcy made her decision. She would fight for Brooke. She'd no sooner made up her mind than doubts crept up on her. She couldn't just cut Travis out of their lives. She had to be fair to her niece if she wasn't to belittle all the values she'd tried to instil in the child.

  Brooke had the right to know her father, if, indeed, her father was Travis. The child had to be able to decide what she wanted out of life and, despite the closeness which existed between aunt and niece, Brooke would only benefit from a father's love.

  Darcy's head whirled in confusion by the time she rang Laura Godwin again.

  "My problem is I don't think the man will agree to not telling Brooke. As far as he's concerned, the test is a mere formality." Darcy shook her head. "I really need your help. How can I explain it so he can see I'm not trying to be awkward, but I'm doing it for Brooke's benefit?"

  "Your main problem is going to be Brooke herself." Laura looked thoughtful. "How are you going to explain the sudden appearance of this man in her life? With regards to Travis Denton, I think you should explain it just as you've told me. If he can't see it's for Brooke's sake, then he's not fit to be her father."

  "I'm hoping my suggestion will take away the need for any unpleasantness. If he is her father, and Brooke gets to know and love him, she'd be torn in two if the matter went to court and she knew we were fighting over her." Darcy sighed. "The only way I can see out of this mess is for him to be introduced as a friend. Wish me luck, Laura. I think I'm going to need it."

  When she finished talking to her solicitor, Darcy took a deep breath then dialled the hotel to speak to Travis Denton. As soon as he realized who was calling, he went on the offensive.

  "So pleased to hear from you, Miss Farrell." She could hear the sarcasm in his voice. "I hope you're calling to tell me when I can meet my daughter."

  "Mr. Denton, we won't know for certain that Brooke is your daughter for several weeks. Until the results are known, I think it would be totally irresponsible for either of us to tell Brooke you're her father."

  "Still fighting the inevitable, Miss Farrell?"

  "Not at all, Mr. Denton. I need to see the results to know without doubt you are Brooke's father. For all I know, Kelly had a wild affair either whilst she was with you, or immediately after she left you." Let him talk his way out of that one.

  "Point taken, Miss Farrell. If you didn't call me to make arrangements for a meeting with Brooke, then why did you call?"

  "I feel that two weeks is a long time for both of us to live with the uncertainty. However, there's nothing we can do about that. What I need to know is do you want to blast your way into Brooke's life with no thought for her feelings, or would you rather become her friend until we know if you are her father?" Darcy held her breath as she waited for his reply. His answer would tell her what sort of man he was, and what her next step should be.

  "Naturally I would like to be her friend, but you must understand, I've missed eight years of her life already and I'm impatient to get to know her."

  "I do understand, Mr. Denton, but I think you and I should work out a strategy for your first meeting with her. If we plan things beforehand, there shouldn't be any problems."

  "Problems, Miss Farrell?" Travis interrupted. "There are no problems. I merely want to get to know my daughter."

  "Look, Mr. Denton, there's no point in us continuing this conversation over the phone." Darcy heard the tension in his voice, and hastened to put forward her suggestion before he became angry. "Perhaps we should meet and talk about it. Would this afternoon suit you?"

  "Fine. I'll come to your place around one o'clock."

  Before Darcy had time to say she'd rather meet him at the hotel, Travis rang off.

  "Damn the man! Why does he have to be so bloody overbearing?"

  ON THE DRIVE TO THE Farrell home, Travis wondered what excuses Darcy would invent to delay him from meeting his daughter. She was still in denial about his paternity, and no doubt would come up with all sorts of restrictions for his first meeting with Brooke. As he drew up outside her villa, he thought of the men he'd seen coming and going from the house, and wondered if Brooke knew of Darcy's real profession, or did the child believe her aunt's story about being a secretary?

  Darcy answered the door as soon as he rang the bell and showed him into the lounge.

  "Well, Miss Farrell. I'm here. What would you like to discuss?" He tried to keep his voice emotionless, afraid his anger would show. Every time he looked at her, he thought of the men who'd touched her intimately, maybe in this very room. This made him very angry. Or was it jealousy?

  "MY MAIN CONCERN IS Brooke." Darcy's voice was low at first then gathered strength as she carried on. "I feel we should let her get to know you before we find out if you're her father."

  "Why? You don't accept I am her father, so why are you giving in so easily, Miss Farrell?" A sneer had come into his voice.

  "Look, Mr. Denton. Until now, Brooke and I have only had each other. To suddenly present her with an unknown father would be a great shock." Darcy realized the grey eyes were looking at her with disbelief and her voice rose in her own defence. "Whatever else you are, Mr. Denton, you presumably have some compassion when it comes to children, otherwise you wouldn't be trying to gain custody of Brooke."

  "Does this mean you're trying to get around me in the hope I'll give up and go away?"

  "You are the most annoying man I've ever met, Travis Denton. I'm trying to explain to you that I believe the best chance you have of getting Brooke to accept you is to let her get to know you first without any pressures. If she accepts you as a friend, she's more likely to accept you're her father, if in fact that is the case." She stood with her hands on her hips, daring him to contradict her.

  "And when she knows I'm her father, you'll be quite happy for her to come and live in California with me?" His eyebrow quirked again, whether in query or amusement Darcy couldn't tell.

  "Shall we discuss that at the appropriate time? What I need to know is if you are willing to keep silent until Brooke gets to know you."

  "Before I agree, I'd like to hear exactly how you propose to introduce me to Brooke? A long lost friend of her mother's, or an 'uncle'?" Travis' grey eyes flashed with scorn as he spat the last word, and Darcy decided she'd had enough. If they were to work together to make sure Brooke remained a happy child, then any dislike and misunderstanding between them would have to be sorted out here and now.

  "What is your problem with me? Every time you're around me, you look like you're trying to get rid of a nasty smell from under your nose. What exactly is it about me that you dislike?"

  "I would have thought that was obvious. Your choice of profession is what makes me dislike you. And the fact you carry on working even when Brooke is around." Travis Denton's voice dripped with disgust. "Oh, be honest, Miss Farrell, you know exactly what I mean. Despite the fact men come to this house, you still feel it necessary to go out on the streets and pick up even more clients. Tell me, Miss Farrell, do you enjoy your job? Do you get a kick out of it? You must make a fortune to be able to live in a house like this. I understand they cost quite a bit in their orig
inal form."

  "Are you insinuating I'm a prostitute?" Darcy's mind clicked back to their first meeting and the comments he'd made at that time. "I thought I'd explained to you that I'm a secretary."

  "Did you really think I'd take your word for that? I watched you pick up a man the first time I saw you. And you had my daughter with you. I must admit you haven't dressed in such a trashy style since then, but your outfit that evening left little to the imagination." Travis folded his arms.

  For some moments, she stood motionless, too stunned to reply, then her anger rose again to be quickly doused by a chilling thought. That's why he was so certain he would gain custody of Brooke. He is sure he can prove me to be an unfit person to have charge of a child. Well she'd show him up for the fool he really was.

  "Perhaps you'd like to see my work area, Mr. Denton?" Darcy deliberately acted coyly, a small smile playing at the corner of her mouth.

  "I hardly think that's necessary, Miss Farrell." Distaste shadowed his face again.

  "Mr. Denton, I insist." Darcy opened the door to the hallway and waited for her guest to go through. When he hesitated, she baited him even further. "Come on, Mr. Denton, surely you don't think I'd proposition the man who might be the father of my own niece?"

  Reluctantly, Travis passed her and moved along the hallway until Darcy coughed to bring his attention to her open office door.

  "In here is where I work." She went before him into the room, eager to see the expression on his face when he realized her true profession.

  Travis looked around the room, a dazed look in his eyes. "This is an office. I don't understand."

  "Then listen to the truth, Mr. Denton. I run my own secretarial agency from this office. The men you've seen coming to my front door are clients, businessmen who need typing done. I have nothing to be ashamed of and have no reason to hide my profession from Brooke." Darcy waited for an apology, but he wasn't going to give in that easily.

  "That still doesn't explain why you were dressed like a hooker the first time I saw you. Or the fact you allowed a man you obviously didn't know to pick you and Brooke up in his car." His steely gaze dared her to talk her way out of that one and Darcy rose to the challenge.

  "Very well. If you must know, I was going to a fancy dress party and the theme was 'Vicars and Tarts' so I dressed appropriately. The man who picked me up was a friend who had recently bought a new car, which is why I didn't recognize the vehicle."

  "My daughter was reluctant to get into the car. Why?" Travis wanted to know.

  "Phil, my friend, is not a favourite of hers. She doesn't actually dislike him, but would prefer me not to be too close to him."

  "And exactly how friendly are you and this Phil?"

  "Only a friend, not a lover, if that's what you're insinuating." Darcy felt he'd had enough explanations, and she led the way back to the lounge. "Now then, Mr. Denton, what are we going to do about you and Brooke getting to know one another?"

  "Suppose you tell me what you have in mind." Travis, obviously still stunned by Darcy's explanations, sat on the sofa and waited for her to speak.

  "I thought we could introduce you as a friend of mine." Darcy hurried on as Travis opened his mouth. "I know that sounds weird, but think about it. If you say you're a friend of her mother's, she'll want to know where and when you met her, what she was like and anything you might know that we didn't or couldn't tell her. She might even ask if you knew her father. It would make things very awkward later if you really are her father. This way, she won't feel any pressure to like you because of who you're supposed to be, or because you're a friend of her mother's. She'll get to know you as a person instead."

  Travis remained silent for a few minutes, then he looked at Darcy and for the first time, she saw respect in his eyes.

  "I think you're right, but may I take it one step further? If I suddenly start coming around here day after day, Brooke will think it rather strange. If I'm such a close friend, she'd surely wonder why she's never seen or heard of me before. I think it might be better if we said I'm your new boyfriend."

  Darcy's gasp exploded into the silent room. Boyfriend? What a liberty! But she quickly realized he was right. It was the only way to introduce a frequent male visitor to the house.

  "Okay, Mr. Denton, although I should warn you this might backfire on us. The reason Brooke is cool toward Phil Callaghan is because she thinks he might come between us. She may see you as a threat. Mr. Denton, are you listening to me?"

  "Yes I am, Darcy. You don't mind if I call you Darcy, do you? It would sound odd if we didn't call each other by our first names if we're supposed to be courting."

  "Very well, Mister — I mean, Travis." Darcy wondered why he'd used such an old-fashioned word as courting. "Perhaps you'd like to join us this evening? It's such a lovely day and also the end of the working week, so we're having a barbecue."

  "Sounds good to me. Will I be all right as I am?" He indicated his dark blue jeans and cream coloured knitted casual shirt.

  "Yes, that's fine." Darcy nerves tingled as she glanced briefly at his denim clad thighs and muscular arms. "Might I make a suggestion?"

  "Please do."

  Darcy heard no trace of the usual sarcasm in his voice.

  "Your rental car. You should change it. Brooke noticed it outside the Saturday before I met you at Mr. Case's office. She's an intelligent child and is bound to realize it's the same one, and then she'll guess you were the one watching us. It will destroy any chance of her accepting you as a friend or father."

  "Good point. I'll change it this afternoon. Thanks for the hint."

  "There's something else I should warn you about. Brooke has a habit of inviting her friend, Minnie, to this kind of casual family event. You might not get the chance to talk much with her."

  "No problem." Travis surprised her. "As you say, I shouldn't rush this. It will be enough that I'm able to watch her and at least speak to her occasionally."

  "Until this evening then." Darcy rose and held out her hand. "About six thirty?"

  "Fine." Daggers of fire shot up Darcy's arm as Travis shook her hand, but he let go immediately and turned towards the door. Halfway there he stopped and looked back at her. "Darcy, something's just occurred to me. We won't be very convincing if we don't touch each other except to shake hands. Maybe we should practice a bit."

  With one stride he reached her. Grabbing her shoulders, he pulled her towards him. Darcy's mouth opened in protest but Travis's lips sealed the words within her. He gradually increased the pressure until she found it hard to breathe. Valiantly, she tried to struggle out of his embrace, but her treacherous body overruled her mind and her legs trembled, draining all the strength from her. She was forced to hold onto Travis to keep herself upright. Her whole body rapidly became one tingling mass of flame as she responded to his kiss.

  Travis released her and stood back with a smile. He seemed to think her flushed and breathless reaction was funny.

  "Well I think that solves the problem." His cool tone also sounded slightly amused. "I'll see you tonight."

  Darcy stayed motionless until she heard the front door shut behind him, then her legs gave way and she collapsed into a nearby armchair. Why did my body react like that? Travis evidently considered kissing her a necessity for their 'courting' illusion, but she wasn't sure she'd be able to convince herself it was only make believe if her body betrayed her so violently every time he touched her.

  TRAVIS DROVE TO THE car rental offices but his mind insisted on playing the memory of the kiss over and over. Hopefully, Darcy hadn't realized how much it had affected him. He didn't want her to know the kiss had rocked him right down to his toes. He'd felt an urge to pick her up, whisk her to the nearest bed and make passionate love to her. Slow, enjoyable love, not the hasty joining of lust.

  When he'd finally understood she wasn't a prostitute, a feeling of great relief had flooded through him. He'd only been at fault in his initial impression of her and her revelations left the wa
y open for — what? The woman was his daughter's aunt, for goodness sake!

  What was happening to him? He had come to New Zealand determined to gain custody of Brooke and quickly return to the U.S. He looked forward to taking Brooke home and building a family life together. He didn't need her aunt competing for his love.

  After changing the car for a white Nissan, he returned to the hotel and cooled off his arousal with a cold shower then settled on the bed and began to daydream about his meeting with his daughter. At least that's how the daydream started. Travis drifted off to sleep and Brooke faded from his consciousness. Darcy entered his dream. She wasn't the woman he'd kissed this afternoon, she was a mixture of the real Darcy and the one he'd imagined.

  The dream Darcy sashayed towards him, her hips swaying in her short skirt. She posed with a hand on one hip and an inviting smile on her lips. Travis lay motionless on the bed, holding his breath, waiting to see what she'd do next.

  To his surprise she sat down in a chair and crossed one knee over the other. Out of thin air a pad and pencil appeared. Darcy had become the perfect secretary. He glanced at her crossed knees only to find the short skirt had been replaced by trousers.

  Without saying a word Darcy rose and fluttered her fingers at him as she turned her back on him. Brooke appeared beside her and she took the child's hand and headed for the door.

  "Wait." Travis leaped from the bed but before he could reach the pair, they had disappeared from the room.

  Travis woke covered in sweat. He hoped the last part of his dream wasn't a premonition of the future. He was determined to get custody of Brooke and he'd have to deal with Darcy if the need arose.

  Another cold shower was required before he dressed in the same jeans and shirt he'd worn earlier.

  At exactly six thirty, he knocked on the door of the villa. Darcy opened it and invited him in.

  "Come on through." She indicated the deck at the back of the house. "Brooke's keeping an eye on the sausages and steak whilst I get the salad."