Destined to Be a Dad

She lightly tugged at her earlobe—a familiar gesture between them that had the desired effect of stopping Casey from arguing. For the moment, at least. Her daughter’s expression said she was clearly gearing up for round two.

Oh, a tub full of bubbles was sounding better all the time.

“Here, you take the key and let me carry those.” Liam relieved Casey of the luggage and gestured for them to head down the stairs first. “Let’s get you two settled. Casey, you know the way.”

As she followed her daughter, Missy wondered what Liam meant by that last statement.

“We came home earlier for dinner,” Liam said, falling into step beside her as they strolled down the lighted stone path that led around the side of the house. “Dad barbecued and then everyone headed back to the rodeo.”

Missy nodded, a bit mystified that he’d known what she’d been thinking. “Everyone but you.”

“I had a business emergency to deal with.” His voice turned low. “And I was waiting for you.”

A pang of...something she didn’t wish to label hit her right in the chest. She wrapped her arms across her middle against the chill that danced over her skin, raising goose bumps. The silky blazer and tank top she wore underneath were perfect for southern California in August, but the nights were cool here in Wyoming.

Yes, that had to be the reason for her body’s reaction to Liam’s words.

“Don’t worry, it doesn’t look anywhere near the same.”

Again, meant for her ears only, and she knew exactly what he was talking about. “It’s fine.”

“A lot has changed since you were here—”

“Yes, of course, it has.” She secretly hoped the attic space had been redone as extensively as Elise Murphy described. “As I said, it’s fine. Wait—what is—” She stopped short and pointed at the dark object just outside the reach of the outdoor lighting. “Is that a helicopter on the other side of the lot?”

“It’s for the family business,” Liam said. “A couple of my brothers and I are the pilots.”

She now remembered seeing something about it on the company’s website, but she’d had no idea... “You fly, too?”

Liam grinned, gesturing with her suitcase, and Missy started walking again, her heels clicking against the stones. The sturdy pathway continued through the large grassy yard and forest of trees at the back of the house.

She wondered how far it went. Years ago there’d been only a dirt trail that led from the oversize backyard down to the river. When they rounded the corner of the house, Missy stumbled to a stop. “Oh, my.”

“I told you things have changed a bit.” Liam’s voice flowed over her shoulder. “And I wasn’t just talking about the boathouse.”

She turned to him. “I can see that. I wasn’t expecting—”

“Isn’t it neat? You should see it in the daytime.” Casey spun around, coming dangerously close to the edge of an oversize in-ground pool. “They’ve got their own neighborhood back here!”

Yes, Missy could see that. The transformation of the yard was stunning.

“You might remember all we used to have was a simple wooden deck, but my folks wanted a complete outdoor entertainment space. Over the years they added the stone patio, fire pit, pool and the connecting pathways,” he said as he led the way. “We boys built the gazebo back there to celebrate their fortieth wedding anniversary a few years ago. Mom said it was the perfect final touch.”

Missy tried to take it all in. The care and thought that had gone into renovating the acreage was evident. Outdoor lights offered a soft glow, making it easy to see everything from the landscaping to the entertainment areas. Lighted pathways veered off in different directions through clusters of trees that gave each of the log homes a sense of privacy despite their relative closeness to each other.

“And the log homes,” she said. “I’m guessing from what your mother said, you and your brothers all still live here.”

“Not all of us. Adam has his own ranch down the road and Ric is currently stationed overseas, but yeah—” Liam grinned, and then shrugged. “I guess the rest of us figured the Murphy ranch was as good a place to settle down as anywhere else in town. At least we’re not all still in the main house.”

“Well, it’s certainly big enough for everyone,” she said, eyeing the house more closely.

Missy listened to him describe who lived where as they passed his brothers’ homes, Casey a few steps ahead of them. The path sloped downward and led to the lake, and the trees got closer together. When the boathouse with its familiar wooden dock came into view, her stomach clenched.

“So that must leave this one as yours, right?”

Casey’s question pulled Missy’s gaze from the boathouse to a two-story log home that sat a bit farther back into the trees.

“Yes, that’s my place,” Liam said.

“Wow, it’s big for one person. Since no one’s mentioned it, I’m guessing you’re not married.”

“Casey!”

“It’s okay.” His gaze lingered on Missy for a moment before he looked at their daughter. “And you guessed correctly, I’m not. I was—twice, actually—but neither one stuck.”

Twice? He’d married again? Not an unusual occurrence, but the news still surprised her.

“So do I have any younger half siblings running around?”

“Nope, just a handful of cousins, I’m afraid.”

“Bugger, I always wanted a little sister.” Casey shrugged and headed for the boathouse. “Used to bother my mum for years over that. Of course there was little chance of it happening. She rarely, if ever, dated after my father died.”

Missy gasped and pressed a hand to her forehead, embarrassed at her daughter’s directness but also to block out Liam’s dark gaze as he turned to look at her. “Cassalyn Elizabeth—”

“Oh, it’s never a good thing when she brings out the full name.” Reaching the end of the boathouse, Casey jerked her thumb around the corner. “Your mum said stairs would lead up to the flat. Is this them?”

“Yes, a light should come on when you get to the top...” His voice trailed off as Casey disappeared, her footsteps echoing up the stairwell. “Is she avoiding me all of a sudden?”

“No, it’s me she’s trying to get away from.” Missy couldn’t stop from stealing glances at the beautiful front porch on Liam’s home, so close now that it seemed to tower over them as they walked along the back side of the boathouse. “I apologize for her rudeness.”

“Like I said, it’s okay. I have a feeling she’s going to have quite a few questions for us in the coming days.”

“You’re probably right.” She followed him around the corner of the building, surprised when she saw a second-level porch had been added to the front of the boathouse that faced the water, creating a covered area over the three boat slips she remembered. “My, more changes.”

“I told you.”

“Yes, you did. Well, I should—” She stopped when the glow from the outdoor lighting suddenly disappeared, leaving them in darkness except for the light coming from the upper landing. “What—what just happened?”

“It must be ten o’clock. The lights are on a timed system with the majority of the accent features going off for the night. Don’t worry—the outside lights on everyone’s homes, as well as the pathways, are motion activated, in case you need anyone for...well, anything.”

Meaning she was to go to him? The queen would give up the throne first. “Well, as I was saying, I should get upstairs and answer some of those questions.”

Liam studied her in silence. Was he going to insist on being part of this discussion? Missy honestly didn’t think she had the strength to include him, as terrible as that sounded.

Not after everything that had happened today.

Being back in Destiny, staying in the boathouse, standing so close to him she could reach out and touch—

“Yes, I guess you should,” he finally said. “Let me take the bags up for you.”

“I’ll take them.” Casey reappeared, clomping down the stairs. “Sorry for popping off like that. I think the time difference has me a bit knackered.”

“If memory serves, that means tired, right?” Liam asked with a grin, handing over the luggage. “And apology accepted.”

Casey smiled, and then turned to head back upstairs. “You coming, Mum? Wait until you see the loo! There’s a giant claw-footed tub that sits in front of a huge glass window looking right out over the water.”

Missy faltered, grabbing at the handrail as she started to follow. She swung her gaze back to Liam, even as she called after her daughter’s departing figure. “There—there is?”

Liam retreated, the shadows not completely hiding the way his mouth lifted at one corner. “When I said it didn’t look the same, I wasn’t talking about the entire space. Some things are exactly how they used to be.”

* * *

It was after midnight and she should be lost in dreamland, but Missy couldn’t slow her mind enough to allow sleep to come.

Her talk with Casey had gone surprisingly well, her daughter handling the story of what happened all those years ago between Missy and Liam with ease. Of course, her anger with her grandparents was palpable, mixed with even more tears over her grandfather’s recent death, leaving the poor girl confused about what she should be feeling.

Still, she seemed more interested in what had happened sixteen years ago here in Destiny. Missy shared some of what her time here had been like. But after one too many yawns from Casey, Missy had pleaded exhaustion herself and shooed her daughter off to the smaller of the apartment’s two bedrooms.

After checking and finding her daughter sound asleep, Missy then took that bubble bath she’d been longing for, memories be damned. So what if the tub stood in the exact same spot it had sixteen years ago?

The antique hadn’t been in working order back then. Not that they had let that stop them on a stormy afternoon, lining the tub with old quilts and sharing a picnic there, the roomy fixture big enough to fit both of them comfortably. So comfortably that they’d—

Okay, so the bubbles did little to relax her. Nor did the cup of Earl Grey tea she’d made after finding a selection of loose teas and a darling little pot in the cozy kitchen.

Setting the empty cup in the sink, Missy crossed the parlor, drawn to the French doors that led to the covered porch. She hoped a few moments in the fresh air would clear away her whirlwind thoughts as she slipped outside, closing the door behind her.

She tightened the sash on her dressing gown. The air was cool as she walked to the porch railing, drawn by the full moon lighting up the night sky and dancing over the gentle current of the river-fed lake.

Leaning forward, she gazed up at the stars shining overhead, so clear and bright. Not a sight she saw often from her London neighborhood. Years ago, her first glimpse at a Wyoming sky at night had made her feel much as she felt right now.

Lost and alone. Small. Insignificant. The same emotions that had swamped her the day she’d discovered she was pregnant and had no idea who the baby’s father was.

She’d prayed it was Liam. Hoped and prayed for weeks, even after her parents and Stanford had learned about the pregnancy. She’d debated constantly over getting in touch with Liam while having no idea how to explain the crazy situation.

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