Into the Fire - Leslie Kelly [44]
"But of course," Lacey continued once he'd moved his hand away, "I wasn't giving up on who my father was. Like any preteen acting purely on hormones and instinct, I snooped through my mother's memory box and found a newspaper photo of her and J.T. It was dated the year I was born. So I wrote to him."
"That's a hell of a lot for a twelve-year-old to take on," he said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. His usual flirtatious grin wasn't playing about those curved lips. Instead he looked sympathetic, even understanding. "I imagine the proverbial you-know-what hit the fan?"
She laughed and nodded. "Oh, you bet It took a few months while J.T.'s private investigators snooped into my background, then he finally showed up at my parents' house demanding to meet me."
"Ouch."
"Double ouch. It was during the ladies' church auxiliary club meeting, right in our living room, with my stepfather the pastor as special guest. I don't even remember what story my mother told to get everyone out of the house."
"And how did little Lacey react?"
"Much as you'd expect the lost princess in the woodcutter's shack to react. I came downstairs with my suitcase packed, ready to skip out of Smeltsville, Indiana, forever." Lacey sighed at the memory of her mother's tearstained face. "Twelve-year-olds can be incredibly self-absorbed."
Nate must have sensed her sudden doubt. He crouched next to her chair and took her hand. "You were one amazing kid."
She stared at their entwined fingers, the contact bringing to mind the sensations and emotions of Friday night and Tuesday morning. She suddenly found she'd lost her train of thought.
Nate followed her stare, then pulled his hand free and walked to his seat. "But somehow your parents kept the secret, no one found out, and the princess didn't go off to live in the palace," he said, reminding her of the subject at hand and obviously trying to get past the moment of intense awareness between them.
"J.T. told my mother he wouldn't drag her into court or fight for custody if she'd agree to a blood test and then some form of visitation," Lacey explained. "So, starting that next summer, I would go away for two weeks, to camp as far as everyone but my parents knew. And I was forbidden to discuss it with anyone, not even my brothers."
"They don't know?" he asked.
"Andrew does. He's in college now. My youngest brother, Jake, still doesn't."
Nate frowned. "I can't imagine parents asking a twelve-year-old to lie to the entire world, including her own brothers, for years on end."
"It was hardest with my grandparents. My stepfather's parents," she clarified. "I'm very close to them."
"Talk about a different atmosphere," Nate continued, shaking his head. "From minister's angel to the daughter of a millionaire playboy."
Lacey gave a rueful laugh. "Definite culture shock. Camp J.T. involved foreign vacations, presents and parties. A whirlwind fantasy, which I would enjoy right up until I got homesick for my mother, grandparents and brothers, right around day thirteen when it was time for me to pack to go home."
"I bet J.T. supplied as many water balloons as you wanted, and probably helped you throw them."
Lacey shrugged. "J.T. would have let me get away with just about anything. Unfortunately, he was child enough for both of us. All his scrapes, his affairs—well, when I was with him I felt like he needed some stable family time."
He didn't respond for a minute, then slowly nodded as he absorbed what she'd said. As for Lacey, she couldn't quite believe she'd said it. She'd spilled the entire story of her childhood to a man to whom she wouldn't have given the time of day a week ago. This was so not her. Then again, everything she'd done since the moment she met Nate Logan was so not her.
"Okay, now you know my life history, which is way more than you needed to hear."
"Is it so tough to trust me?" Nate asked, his green eyes shining with friendly interest.
No. No, it hadn't been. She found that downright amazing. She