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“I know about your mother. What about your father? Does he live in Pike?”
The question came without warning, and Lia flinched. It wasn’t that her past was a secret. She lived in a town where everyone knew everyone’s business. But she never discussed her father.
“No,” she eventually forced herself to say. She’d rather he hear the story from her than the town gossips. “He was my mother’s high school sweetheart, but when she told him she was pregnant, he swore he couldn’t be the father.” She shrugged. The truth no longer had the ability to hurt her. “And his parents stood by him, insisting my mom was . . .” She wrinkled her nose, trying to recall what her mother had told her. “I think their precise words were ‘gutter trash’ who was sleeping with every guy in town.”
Kaden hissed in disgust. “Jerks.”
“My gramps called them much worse than jerks when he paid them a visit.”
“I hope he insisted on getting support for you and your mom?”
“No.” Lia smiled. Donald Porter had been a kind, gentle man who believed the best in people. He was also generous to anyone in need. Most people in Pike adored him, but there were always those who mistook his compassion for weakness. A mistake for anyone stupid enough to mess with his family. “He showed up on their doorstep and made them sign a document giving up any legal claims to me. He was convinced my life would be better without any contact with them. At least until I was old enough to decide for myself if I wanted a relationship.”
“You didn’t?”
Lia shook her head. “My dad left town when he turned eighteen and never came back. I’m sure I could track him down, but I never had any interest.”
Kaden slowed as they neared Main Street. “I’ll ask you the same question you asked me. Do you resent him for leaving?”
“Not really. He was young, probably scared. He panicked. I consider it his loss, not mine.” She paused, realizing she wasn’t being entirely honest. There were times in her life when she’d fantasized about finding her father just to tell him that she’d had a fabulous life without him. Thankfully, she’d been so smothered in love she’d never bothered to act on the spiteful impulses. “It would probably have been different if I hadn’t had a fabulous mom and doting grandparents when I was young,” she conceded. “They made sure I never felt as if anything was missing in my life.”
He pulled next to the curb in front of the store. “You were lucky.”
She was. Kaden was not only abandoned by his mom, he’d been left in the hands of an alcoholic father. The fact that he’d not only survived but actually thrived was a testament to his fierce drive to succeed. Along with the support of his brother.
Resisting the urge to trace the beautiful tattoo on the back of his hand—or better yet tangle her fingers into the long strands of his hair—Lia concentrated on the fact that Kaden hadn’t put the Jeep in Park.
“You’re not coming in?”
He shook his head. “First, I want to visit the local diner. I think Burke lied to us. I want to ask a few questions of people who might be able to give us a clue what he’s hiding out there.”
If he was just another stranger in town, she would have warned him not to bother. The locals were polite, but they were wary of people who didn’t grow up in Pike. Kaden Vaughn, however, wasn’t just another stranger, and she didn’t doubt for a minute the men would fall over themselves to tell him whatever he wanted to know.
Quashing the regret that she couldn’t join him to hear what they might have to say, she pointed toward the nearby corner.
“Turn left at the stop sign. It’s four blocks east of here, next to the real estate office.” She unhooked her belt and pushed open the passenger door. “Try the apple pie. It’s the best in town. Probably the best in the state.”
“Can I bring you anything?”
“No, thanks.”
“I won’t be long,” he promised.
Slipping out of the passenger seat, Lia closed the door and walked into the store without allowing herself to glance back. She wasn’t a teenager with a crush on the new, cute boy in town. Or an obsessed fan who drooled over the mere sight of Kaden Vaughn.
She was a grown woman who had better things to occupy her mind than the silver beauty of Kaden’s eyes or the chiseled perfection of his features. Or at least she should, she sternly told herself.
Pushing open the door, she stepped into the store and glanced toward the woman behind the counter.
“You can take off, Della. I’ll be around to take care of any customers.”
Della readily grabbed her jacket and pulled it on before collecting her purse. “I’ll be on time in the morning, I promise.” She winked in Lia’s direction as she strolled toward the door. “Feel free to sleep in.”
Lia shook her head as the older woman left the store. Della had spent the past few years urging Lia to find a nice, decent man to marry. Now it appeared she was willing to accept a steamy one-night stand.
The question was, was Lia equally willing to accept a one-night stand?
Heading to her office, she slipped off her coat and tossed her purse on her desk. She would worry about her reaction to Kaden later. For now, she needed to get caught up on the work that was accumulating at an alarming rate.
