Accidental Family

“And I’m tending to your daughter,” Patty said, getting to her feet. “Sarah Ann is going to need clothes, though. I’m a member of a huge extended family with oodles of kids. Someone surely has clothes to fit her.”

“No, that’s not necessary,” David said. “The keys that were in my now-totaled vehicle are in the drawer there. Go to my house and get Sarah Ann what she needs.”

“I wouldn’t be comfortable going into your home, David.”

“But maybe she has a favorite toy she’ll suddenly realize isn’t with her, or a blanket she usually sleeps with or something,” David said. “She needs her own things around her. She needs her father, too, but… Hell.”

“I agree with David,” Dr. Hill said. “Sarah Ann is caught up in the adventure of being at your house at the moment, but from what you’re saying she and David are very close. I think it would be best that she at least have clothes and toys that are familiar to her until she can be united with the person who is the center of her existence.”

“Well, all right,” Patty said. “I’ll go to the house and get her some things. I’ll call you here tomorrow, David, and see how you’re doing. Maybe I should have you talk to Sarah Ann on the phone.”

“Good idea,” Dr. Hill said. “She’s too young to be allowed to visit here in the hospital, but hearing her father’s voice might be reassuring.” He glanced at his watch. “I have an appointment. David, take a nap. Patty, it was a real pleasure meeting you. David and Sarah Ann are very fortunate to have you in their lives during this crisis.”

Dr. Hill hurried from the room.

A sudden and heavy silence fell over the room, and Patty became acutely and uncomfortably aware that she was alone with David Montgomery.

Not that David Montgomery knew that he was David Montgomery, per se, nor did he have a clue that he had made hearts go pitter-patter each morning when he’d brought Sarah Ann into the Fuzzy Bunny. Well, not her heart, of course, but Susan certainly worked herself into a dither when she saw him and…

“Patty?”

Patty jerked at the unexpected sound of David’s deep, rumbly voice.

“Hmm? Yes? What?” she said.

“I just wanted to say how grateful I am that you’re taking care of my daughter. There really aren’t words to express my gratitude.” David paused and frowned. “I wish I knew what Sarah Ann looks like so I could picture her in my mind. And where is her mother? Maybe Sarah Ann is with me because it’s my turn to have her according to a visitation schedule of a divorce.”

“Maybe,” Patty said, nodding slowly.

“Do you think it would be appropriate to ask a three-year-old about her mother? You know, ‘So, Sarah Ann, where’s your mom, honey?’”

“Well, sure,” Patty said. “If the opportunity presented itself so it could be done smoothly without Sarah Ann feeling as though she’s being grilled or something. I’ll try to do that but I can’t promise anything.”

“Fair enough,” David said, then yawned. “Excuse me. It’s not the company. I’m just wiped out.”

“Dr. Hill said you should take a nap,” Patty said. “I’ll be on my way.”

“The keys to the house are in that drawer there.”

“Oh, yes.” Patty opened the drawer and removed a key chain. “Vehicle, house,” she said, looking at the keys. “I remember your address so I’m all set.”

“They told me my SUV is totaled. Some guy ran a red light and smashed right into me. I don’t remember anything about that. Hell, I don’t remember anything about anything. Dr. Hill said I shouldn’t try to force my memory to return, but it’s so frustrating not to know…. Enough of my complaining.”

“Sometimes,” Patty said softly, “things happen in our lives that we wish we could remove from our memory bank because they’re so painful and… I’m not saying I’d like to have total amnesia like you have. That must be so frightening, so awful. But I wouldn’t mind erasing some events. You know, like chalk from a blackboard.”

“Your husband…ex-husband hurt you very much, didn’t he?” David said, looking directly at her.

“Well, that’s another story,” she said. “The issue at the moment is that you’re going to take a nap and I am off to collect the children, then go to your house to get your daughter some clothes and toys. I’m still not that comfortable about going into your home but… I’ll speak with you soon, David.”

“Thank you again. Don’t give another thought to going into the house. I’m trusting you with my daughter so I’m sure not going to worry about the material things in my house. You don’t look like a hardened criminal who’s going to rob me blind anyway.”

Patty smiled. “No, I’m not. Well, goodbye for now.”

“Bye,” David said, then watched as Patty crossed the room and disappeared from view.

He sighed and closed his eyes, hoping sleep would give him a break from the physical pain he was in and from the emotional distress of having no memory, no sense of who he was, or what kind of a man he was.

Patty said he was a wonderful father. That was nice to hear and he’d believe her because it felt good. But who and what was David Montgomery the man? And where was Sarah Ann’s mother?

“Give it a rest,” he mumbled, as sleep began to edge over his senses.

Man, he’d just given the keys to his house to a woman he didn’t even know. Was that dumb? But, hell, that same woman had his child and… He trusted Patty Clark. Yeah, he did. He trusted her. But he had a feeling, he just somehow knew, that he didn’t trust easily, was wary and edgy in that arena. Why?

“Don’t…know,” he said. “All I actually know is that Patty sure is pretty. Pretty… Patty.”

David drifted off into blissful slumber.

Chapter Three

“My goodness,” Hannah Sharpe said, after Patty related what she had discovered about David’s amnesia. “That is quite a story. It sounds more like a soap opera than something taking place in real life.”

“I know,” Patty said, then took a sip of lemonade as she once again sat across from her mother at the kitchen table. “But it’s true, unfortunately, and there is no way to know how long it will be before David gets his memory back.”

“That would be so frightening,” Hannah said, frowning. “Imagine waking up in a hospital and not knowing who you are or… I’d be absolutely terrified.”

“David admitted that he is terrified,” Patty said, running one fingertip around the edge of the glass. “I thought that was very honest of him, very real. Anyway, Sarah Ann will just have to stay with me until David gets out of the hospital.”

“Oh, honey, two three-year-olds and a newborn baby is going to be a lot of work.”

“It won’t be so hard, Mom. Tucker will have someone to play with instead of wanting me to entertain him all the time. He’s going to miss going to the Fuzzy Bunny, so having Sarah Ann at the house could very well make things easier for me.”

“We’ll see,” Hannah said.

“All I can do is take this one day at time,” Patty said. “Well, I’d better gather the gang and go to David’s to get Sarah Ann some clothes and let her collect a favorite toy or blanket if she has one.”

“David can’t remember anything about where Sarah Ann’s mother is?” Hannah said.

“David can’t remember anything…period. We agreed that if the opportunity presents itself, I’m going to ask Sarah Ann about her mother.”

“Hi, Mommy,” Tucker said, running into the kitchen. “Sarah Ann and me is watching Blue’s Clues.”

“Sarah Ann and I are watching Blue’s Clues,” Patty said. “Tucker, has Sarah Ann ever said anything about where her mother is?”

“Yeah, ’cause I asked her and she said her mommy was in heaven and she doesn’t think she saw her mom before she went to heaven but she isn’t sure but that’s okay ’cause she has her daddy. I told her I don’t see my daddy too much so she said I can say hello to her daddy whenever I want to. Can I have a cookie, Grandma?”

“No more cookies, Tucker,” Hannah said. “You’ll spoil your lunch.”

“’Kay,” he said, then ran back out of the kitchen.

“Well,” Hannah said, “that was easy enough. We now know that David is a widower and apparently has been for quite a while.”

Patty nodded, then shook her head. “Did you hear what Tucker said? He’s resorting to borrowing Sarah Ann’s daddy because he doesn’t see his own very much. How Peter can turn his back on his own son and… No, I’m not going to get started on that subject.”

“Good,” Hannah said. “Fussing, fuming and raising your stress level is not going to change Peter Clark’s behavior.” She paused. “I was going to suggest you leave the kids here while you go get Sarah Ann some clothes and what have you, but I suppose she needs to be there to pick her favorite things.”

Patty nodded, then got to her feet. “Thanks for babysitting, Mom. I now have to convince Sarah Ann that staying longer at our house is super-duper. She and David are very close and I’m expecting Sarah Ann’s happy bubble to burst and the tears to start at any minute. Do you realize that David doesn’t even know what his daughter looks like? That is so grim. I feel so badly for him.”

“Why don’t I take a picture of Sarah Ann with my digital camera,” Hannah said, “then print it out on the computer? I’ll come over to your place tonight, give the kids baths and put them to bed, while you take the picture to David at the hospital.”

“Oh, I can’t ask you to…”

“I’m volunteering,” Hannah said, rising. “It will be fun. I have nothing planned because this is the night for your father to attend his monthly meeting of retired police officers with your Uncle Ryan.”

“Well, okay, thank you,” Patty said. “I’ll go get the kids and you can take Sarah Ann’s picture. That really is a wonderful idea.”

Tucker wanted his picture taken if Sarah Ann was getting hers done. Hannah printed out one each for the children, then an extra of Sarah Ann for Patty to take to David.

“Is my daddy coming now?” Sarah Ann said. “I want to show my daddy my picture.”

“Sarah Ann,” Patty said, “your daddy bumped his head and his leg and got boo-boos. He has to be where they fix boo-boos for a few days. You’re going to stay with me and Tucker until his boo-boos are better. You and Tucker can color him nice pictures this afternoon and I’ll take them to the place where they tend to boo-boos and—”

“My daddy is in the place with the doctors that give shots and stuff,” Sarah Ann yelled, then burst into tears. “I want my daddy.”

“So much for the boo-boo bit,” Patty said. “Why are they always smarter than you give them credit for? Sarah Ann, sweetie, hey, don’t cry. Your daddy is going to be fine, I promise you.”

“We’ll take care of you, Sarah Ann,” Tucker said, patting the little girl on the back.

“Yes, we will,” Patty said. “Thank you for helping, Tucker. Sarah Ann, we’re going to your house now to get you some clothes. Do you have a favorite toy you’d like to bring to our house?”

Sarah Ann’s tears stopped as quickly as they had started.

“Yes, yes, yes,” she said, jumping up and down. “I want my bear. His name is Patches.”

“Okay,” Patty said brightly. “Then we’re off. See you tonight, Mom, and thanks again.”

“Do I get a hug goodbye?” Hannah said, bending down and opening her arms.

Tucker immediately rushed into his grandmother’s arms. Sarah Ann hesitated, then followed, allowing Hannah to hug her. A short time later the three little ones were buckled up in the back seat of Patty’s car headed toward the Montgomery house.

Patty knew the general area, as it was where her grandparents Margaret and Robert MacAllister lived in their majestic home. When she got closer, she pulled to the curb and consulted a map from the glove compartment. David lived two streets away from the senior MacAllisters, who considered the entire Sharpe family part of the huge MacAllister clan.

Within minutes she turned into the circular driveway leading to a two-story white stucco home with a red tile roof and a beautifully landscaped front area that sloped down to the sidewalk.

“My new house,” Sarah Ann shouted. “I see my new house right there.”

Patty turned off the ignition, assisted the children from the car, then scooped up Sophia’s carrier.

“Do you remember where you lived before you came to your new house, Sarah Ann?” Patty said, as they started toward the front door.

“Brisco,” Sarah Ann said. “Tucker, want to play with my toys?”

“Yeah,” Tucker said.

“Brisco?” Patty said, frowning.

“Brisco,” Sarah Ann said, nodding. “There were lots of hills on the streets and stuff and it rained whole bunches.”

Patty inserted the key into the lock on the front door, hesitated, then looked at Sarah Ann.

“Do you mean San Francisco?” Patty said.

Sarah Ann nodded. “Brisco.”

“Agatha Christie, eat your heart out,” Patty said smugly as they entered the house. “Oh, your new house is lovely, Sarah Ann, very nice.”

Patty swept her gaze over the large foyer, the sweeping staircase leading to the second floor, then stepped forward to peek into the large living room that boasted gleaming oak furniture and sofa and chairs in shades of blue, gray and burgundy.

A massive flagstone fireplace was on the far wall and flanked by floor-to-ceiling oak shelves that were partially filled with books. Cartons sat by the bookcases waiting to be unpacked. Patty placed a sleeping Sophia’s carrier on the sofa.

“Come see my toys, Tucker,” Sarah Ann said, heading toward the stairs.

“One hand on the banister,” Patty said, “and go very slowly. I’ll be up in a few minutes. I just want to check the refrigerator and make certain nothing is about to spoil.”

“’Kay,” the pair said in unison.

Patty walked down a wide hallway toward the rear of the house where she assumed the kitchen was.

This was David’s house, she mused, drinking in details as she went, that he was turning into a home for him and Sarah Ann. Just the two of them, because Sarah Ann’s mother was in heaven.

Was David still brokenhearted over the loss of his wife and didn’t even know his world had been shattered because he couldn’t remember anything? That was a rather depressing thought.

Patty entered the huge, sunny kitchen and made her way through a multitude of boxes to reach the refrigerator.

Well, she thought, looking around, the kitchen was obviously not high on the list of rooms to be set to rights. She would guess that David wasn’t eager to cook, maybe didn’t even know how to do much more than make a sandwich or heat up soup. He and Sarah Ann must have been eating out a great deal since moving to Ventura, or he was bringing in take-out food.

“I’m getting to be a very good detective if I do say so myself,” Patty said aloud.

She gripped the handle to the refrigerator, then stopped, looking around again.

Strange, she thought. It was as though she could feel, sense, David’s presence in this house that was becoming a home. She could picture him here so easily with Sarah Ann trailing behind him, chattering at her daddy.

It was a very large home for two people, yet it felt right for David. He would stride through these rooms on those long, muscular legs, his blatant masculinity demanding space to move freely. He would come to this refrigerator where she was now standing, intent on finding something inside to satisfy his desire to…

A man like David Montgomery would have strong, powerful desires in any arena into which he stepped, whether it be to quell the need for food or to reach for a woman, sweep her into his arms and…

A shiver coursed through Patty.

What on earth was the matter with her? she thought, feeling the warm flush on her cheeks. She’d gone off on some embarrassing sensual trip about David sweeping a woman… Okay, Patty, admit it. The image in her mind had been David sweeping her into his arms, which was ridiculous. She didn’t entertain mental scenarios like that, for heaven’s sake, about a man she didn’t even really know or…

“Enough of this nonsense,” she said, then yanked open the refrigerator door. “Mmm. Pickings are slim.”

There was a bowl of grapes, several oranges and apples, a jug of orange juice, a carton of milk and ready-made individual containers of pudding, Jell-O and yogurt. Three eggs, a half a loaf of bread, a jar of strawberry jelly, and that was it. The freezer above held a large box of Popsicles.

“This is all for Sarah Ann, I think,” Patty said aloud. “Nope, David is not into cooking.”

Going on the assumption that David was going to be in the hospital for several more days, Patty checked the sell dates on the offerings in the refrigerator. She found plastic bags beneath the sink and packed the milk, orange juice and the small containers of desserts. That done, she headed back in the direction of the stairs, placing the bags by the front door.

She made her way up the stairs and when she reached the top level of the house she could hear Tucker and Sarah Ann laughing farther down the hallway.

Don’t get nosy, she told herself, as she passed several rooms on her way to the children. Well, one or two little peeks wouldn’t do any harm. No. But then again she might spot something that would give a clue as to what David did for a living and… No.

Sarah Ann’s room was large and sunny, a little girl’s paradise. It had a pink-and-white canopy bed, white bookshelves full of toys and books and a white dresser. The carpet was lush and the same smoky blue-gray color that she’d seen in the living room and covering the stairs and hallways.

“Sarah Ann,” Patty said, “do you have a suitcase, honey?”

“In the closet,” she said.

“I’ll pack some clothes for you while you get Patches the bear.”

“’Kay.”

Patty completed her chore in short order, then turned to see Sarah Ann hugging a faded teddy bear.

“Is that Patches?” Patty said.

Sarah Ann nodded. “He’s my bestis toy. He gots a hole one time and my daddy fixed him really good. See?”

A strange warmth seemed to tiptoe around Patty’s heart and a soft smile formed on her lips as she saw the repair job David had managed to accomplish on the precious bear. There was a strip of dark blue duct tape across Patches’s tummy, and hearts had been drawn on the life-saving bandage.

“Oh, that’s a fine job of making Patches all better,” Patty said. “Your daddy is a very good doctor.”

“He only doctors toys and my boo-boos,” Sarah Ann said. “That’s all, ’cause he’s busy when he wears a tie and doing turny stuff.”

“I’m hungry, Mommy,” Tucker said.

“What?” Patty said. Turny stuff? “Oh, hungry. Well, we’re leaving now and we’ll have lunch the minute we get home. Pick up those toys you were playing with, kiddos, and we’ll be on our way.”

He wears a tie to do his turny stuff, Patty thought, narrowing her eyes. Turny stuff. Tie. Suit and tie because he’s…

“Sarah Ann,” Patty said, nearly shouting, “your father is an attorney.”

Sarah Ann planted her little fists on her hips. “I just told you that. My daddy is a turny when he puts on his tie.”

“Got it,” Patty said. “Let’s go, my sweets. I may be the next Columbo but I still have to cook the meals.”

Just before seven o’clock that evening Patty peered through the open doorway of David’s hospital room and saw that he was propped up in bed watching the television mounted high on the opposite wall.

Goodness, she thought, the man just didn’t quit. Even beat up and bandaged and wearing a faded hospital gown, there was an earthy male sensuality emanating from David Montgomery. He wasn’t quite so pale tonight, his tawny skin standing out in stark relief against the pristine white pillow.

There was no readable expression on David’s face as he watched what she realized was national news. Maybe he had been able to become engrossed in what he was hearing, forget for a few minutes that he was a man without a memory. And she was about to break his peaceful bubble and tell him his wife was dead. Being a detective was not all it was cracked up to be.

“Hello?” Patty said from the doorway. “May I come in?”

“Patty,” David said. “Hey. Yes, come in. I didn’t expect to see you again today. This is a nice surprise.”

Man, he was glad to see her, he thought. His breath had actually caught when he’d heard her voice, seen her standing there. Patty was so lovely, so fresh-air pretty and…and he was overreacting to this woman due to the fact that she was the only lifeline he had to his reality, the slender link to his identity because she had known him before he lost his memory and she was taking care of his daughter.

That was the reason he got all hot and bothered when he saw Patty Clark. He was hanging tight to that explanation because the alternative was to admit he was having an adolescent testosterone attack, which wasn’t very flattering.

“Sit down,” David said, gesturing toward the chair next to the bed. He pressed the button on the remote control and turned off the television. “How are you? How’s Sarah Ann? My daughter. Daughter. How can a man have a three-year-old daughter and not even know what she looks like?”

“Don’t upset yourself, David,” Patty said, sitting down in the chair. “The fact that you have amnesia is not your fault.” She paused. “Dr. Hill was asking me earlier today what I knew about you while you were listening so I’m assuming it’s all right to tell you what I’ve discovered about you. You know, without breaking any rules regarding what is or isn’t said to someone whose memory is temporarily gone.”

“It had better be a temporary condition,” David said, frowning.

“I’m sure it is. I brought you a picture of Sarah Ann. Here.”

David hesitated, then with a visibly shaking hand he took the piece of glossy computer paper from Patty and stared at the image of the smiling little girl.

“Oh, look at her,” he said, awe ringing in his voice. “She’s beautiful.”

Patty smiled. “Yes, she is. She has your coloring. See? Black hair, your blue eyes. She’s very intelligent, full of energy and chatters like a magpie when the mood strikes. She’s small-boned, delicate, but that doesn’t keep her from wanting to play whatever the other kids are into. You can be very proud of her, David. She’s a wonderful little girl.”

“But…but I don’t recognize her,” he said, closing his eyes for a moment, then looking at the photograph again. “Damn it, I know she’s my daughter only because you’re telling me she is.”

“Give it time,” Patty said gently. “Oh, these are cards that Sarah Ann and Tucker drew for you after I told them you had boo-boos.”

David smiled slightly as he examined the pictures drawn with crayon on bright construction paper.

“Thank you,” he said. “Tell Sarah Ann and Tucker I really liked these, okay? I appreciate your coming all the way back over here tonight to bring me these things.”

“No problem. My mother came to the house and is doing her grandmother thing with all three of the children.” Patty drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. “David, there is something I have to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“Sarah Ann told Tucker that her mother—what I mean is… Oh, David, I’m so sorry but your wife is dead. Sarah Ann said that her mother is in heaven and she doesn’t remember seeing her before she went there. But she also said it was all right because she had her daddy.”

“My wife… Sarah Ann’s mother is dead?”

“Yes. I’m sorry.”

David looked up at the ceiling for a long moment, then met Patty’s gaze again.

“Why aren’t I registering any emotions about that? God, I hate this. I’m an empty shell. I look at a picture of my daughter and think ‘cute kid, but I’ve never seen her before.’ My wife is dead, for God’s sake, and I have no reaction beyond ‘oh, well.’”

“David, stop beating yourself up,” Patty said, leaning toward him. “You must remember that your lack of memory is not your doing.”

“Yeah,” he said, dragging a restless hand through his hair. He narrowed his eyes. “Sarah Ann said she doesn’t remember seeing her mother? Wouldn’t I have given my daughter a picture of her mother?”