Vanessa's Match

“A’course,” Betty agreed. “That poor child.”

“I could carry her wherever you’re taking her,” Rick suggested.

Vanessa shook her head. “I’m afraid she’ll wake up and you will frighten her all over again.”

The front door opened then and a middle-aged man stepped inside. “Hi—What’s going on?” he demanded.

Vanessa greeted him with gratitude. “Thanks for coming home now, Will. Could you carry Lindy upstairs?”

“Sure.” He frowned. “Is she sick?”

“No, just a little overwhelmed. Betty, will you come with us? Mr. Austin, you know the way to the library, don’t you? I’ll be down in a minute.”

The trio, with Lindy, disappeared up the stairs.

Rick turned and went into the library. He left the door open so that he could hear Miss Shaw come in.

“Hello?” a sweet voice said.

He turned around to find an attractive woman staring at him. “Uh, hello. I’m waiting to see Miss Shaw.”

“Oh. I’m her mother, Vivian Greenfield.” The petite woman crossed the room to shake his hand. “I don’t believe I’ve met you.”

Feeling like a gauche schoolboy, Rick hurriedly said, “I’m Rick Austin.”

“Oh, are you any kin to Lindy?”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m her half brother.”

“Then I’m glad to meet you. We’ve enjoyed having Lindy stay here.”

“I hope—”

“What are you doing talking to my mother?” Vanessa Shaw demanded, making it sound as if doing so were a heinous crime.

The man who had carried Lindy upstairs entered behind her and patted her on the back. “Easy, Vanessa.”

“Yes, dear, why wouldn’t I talk to one of our guests?” Mrs. Greenfield asked.

“Because, Mom, he’s the one who abandoned Lindy for nine years.”

“I thought my lawyer would take care of everything!” Rick exclaimed. “Now that I’ve found out how careless he was, how much he lied to me, I’ve fired him.”

“Too bad,” Miss Shaw returned with heavy sarcasm.

“Would you stop ripping me up? I explained what happened. I left her with her mother.”

“Yes, because she had so much character!”

The middle-aged woman stepped forward. “Darling, I don’t think you’re giving him a chance.”

“I don’t see why I should!” Vanessa retorted.

Before tempers flared further Will told them all to sit down. Then he introduced himself to Rick. “I’m Will Greenfield, and this is my wife, Vivian, who is Vanessa’s mother. I gather you’re the half brother we’ve been waiting for?”

“Yes. I wasn’t told that Lindy had tried to kill herself. And my lawyer was instructed to visit with Lindy each month when he delivered the check, to be sure she was doing all right. I told him to let me know if there were any problems. Since I never heard from him…” He paused, staring at Vanessa. “I’ll admit I should’ve checked things out, but my stepmother had…had made it impossible for me to visit in her household.”

“She made a pass at him,” Vanessa said calmly.

“How old were you at the time, Rick?” Will asked.

“Twenty-two. My father had just died and I was off balance as it was. My response to her attempt to seduce me—which was more than a pass, Miss Shaw—was to get as far away from her as possible.”

“You should’ve fought for custody of Lindy,” Vanessa interjected.

“I didn’t have a choice about that. My father made me her guardian in the will only if I survived her mother. All I controlled was the money.”

Vanessa pressed on. “Well, you certainly could have used the money as leverage, couldn’t you?”

“Vanessa, that’s not really your business,” her mother said gently.

Rick pressed his lips together. “I deserve her censure, Mrs. Greenfield. But I’m going to try to make things right. Miss Shaw, have you discussed your plan with your parents?”

He hadn’t expected to see such an expression of guilt on the confident young woman’s face.

“Mom, Will, I told him I wanted to keep Lindy here with me. I know I should’ve asked you first but—”

“Of course, dear,” her mother said. “She’s such a little darling. We’ll enjoy having her.”

“Sure,” Will agreed. “Actually, I figured you wouldn’t want to let her go.”

Rick frowned. “What do you mean? Why would you expect Vanessa—I mean Miss Shaw—to want to keep Lindy?”

Will smiled. “It’s family history. Vivian and her first husband adopted Vanessa when she was a baby. After her father died, Vanessa learned from Vivian that she had five siblings in the world. Viv hired me to find them. I fell for her and convinced her to marry me. And we found all five siblings. One died in the war in Iraq. Vivian and Vanessa have tried to have all of them move in with us,” Will added.

“And they didn’t?”

“Several of them did for a short time. But they’re all married now.”

“So why would she want Lindy?”

“Because she needs me,” Vanessa said firmly. “She’s a lovely girl, but she hasn’t been cared for and encouraged—she’s been ignored. I had to go buy her some clothes just to get her home from the hospital.”

“You mean you didn’t pack up any of her clothes?”

“Didn’t you see them in her closet?”

“Well, yes, but I presumed you’d picked out the best and packed them.”

Vanessa shook her head. “No, I bought her a couple of casual outfits to last her until I can take her shopping. And I ordered new uniforms for her school. She’d outgrown what she’d had for the past three years.”

“I’ll reimburse you at once,” he muttered.

“And Betty, our housekeeper,” Vivian began, “is in seventh heaven with a new person to cook for. She feels Lindy hasn’t been properly fed.” She paused. “Do you know if she’s had regular visits to a doctor?”

“No, I don’t.” He held up a hand in Vanessa’s direction. “I know, I know. I should have that information. As soon as I find another attorney willing to take on my personal business, I’ll—”

“Do you have someone in mind?” Vivian asked.

“No. I had no idea that I’d be needing a new one.”

“We can recommend Jeff Jacobs. His office is just a few blocks away,” she replied.

Will added, “Jeff is Vanessa’s brother-in-law. He’s a fine lawyer.”

“I need someone to give Miss Shaw temporary guardianship papers so she can take Lindy to the doctor or the hospital if necessary.”

“Temporary? You’ll leave her with me for at least a year, won’t you?”

“I’ll consider it, if the first few months go well.”

Vivian said, “We have that in place for Danny.”

Rick frowned. “Who is Danny?”

“He’s our almost-three-year-old son. In case there was an emergency and Vanessa was notified before us—though we seldom leave him—she would be able to take Danny to the hospital.”

“Did Jacobs handle that for you?”

“Yes, he did,” Will said, nodding.

“Maybe I’ll talk to him.”

“Why don’t you come to dinner tonight and we’ll invite Rebecca and Jeff, so you can meet him.”

“Mom, I don’t think…” Vanessa began.

As if her negative reaction had pushed him into making a decision, Rick said, “Thank you. I accept.”

“But what if Lindy—?” Vanessa protested.

“Surely as long as she knows I’m not taking her away from you, she can manage to be in the same room with me!” Rick said sharply.

“I think he’s got a point, Vanessa. And I remember you saying she’d have to face her brother sometime.” Will smiled at Vanessa.

“Yes, but I’m not sure she’s ready.”

“You’ll have the afternoon to talk to her, dear,” her mother said. “Betty will be thrilled to organize a dinner. I’m glad you’ve decided to join us, Mr. Austin.”

“Make it Rick, please,” he said.

“Of course, and call me Vivian.”

“I think maybe we’d better all go to first names,” Will added. “Seems we’ll be seeing one another regularly for a while.”

Before he replied, Rick turned to Vanessa. “Are you okay with that, Miss Shaw?”

She narrowed her hazel eyes. “If you insist…Mr. Austin.”

VANESSA CREPT into Lindy’s room, afraid the girl was still asleep. But Lindy was sitting at a window seat with Betty, who had stayed with her following the fainting episode. The housekeeper exited quietly.

When she saw Vanessa, Lindy seemed to shrink back.

“Do I have to go with him?” she asked in a quavery voice.

“No. He’s agreed to let you stay here with me,” Vanessa said with a warm smile.

Lindy bounded up as if Vanessa had pressed a button. “He did?” she asked incredulously. “Really?”

“Really, sweetheart.”

“Oh, Vanessa, I’m so glad! I can’t believe—”

“Wait, there’s a catch. He’s coming to dinner tonight.”

A curtain fell over her smile, and panic rose in her eyes.

“It’ll be okay, honey. He’s not as bad as you said he was.”

Lindy was unconvinced. “You’re just saying that because he’s handsome! That’s what Mom always used to say.”

“No, I hardly noticed his appearance.” But she couldn’t lie to Lindy. Hadn’t noticed? How could anyone help but notice his dark good looks? She revised her response. “Well, not much,” she said honestly. “But he explained why he didn’t come to see you.”

“Because he didn’t care about me.”

“No. I’m afraid your mother was the reason.” Under the circumstances Vanessa thought it best that Lindy know the truth. It might help the teen come to terms with her brother. “It seems she—she tried to seduce him after your dad’s death.”

While they hadn’t talked much about her mother, Vanessa had realized Anita wasn’t much of a parent. But she was all Lindy had had.

Lindy’s eyes widened in surprise. Then she looked away. A moment later she turned back to Vanessa, sadness shadowing her face. “No wonder he avoided me.”

Vanessa took her hand. “Lindy, he expected the lawyer to see you each month and determine how you were doing. The man was supposed to let him know if something was wrong.”

Lindy stared at her, saying nothing.

“Obviously, your brother should’ve checked that the lawyer was doing his job properly, but Rick fired him today when he discovered the man had lied to him.”

Lindy still said nothing.

“So, will you be all right with Rick coming to dinner?”

“Yes, of course. It’s your house.”

Vanessa paused. Then she asked, “Would you rather go back to the condo instead of staying here?”

“No!” was Lindy’s sharp reply, reminding Vanessa a little of Rick Austin.

“Okay, then, let’s go have some lunch, and later we’ll go shopping!”

“What for?”

“New clothes for tonight. Your brother is going to pay for whatever you need.”

“He doesn’t mind?”

“No, honey. He thought your mother was buying you pretty clothes. Instead your mom spent all the money on herself.”

Lindy’s eyebrows rose. “He wanted me to have pretty clothes?”

“He did,” Vanessa assured her. Tears filled her eyes at Lindy’s look of awe, and she blinked to dam them. Forcing a smile, she pulled Lindy to her feet. “Come on, let’s go eat.”

LINDY WAS SO EXCITED, she didn’t eat much lunch. She’d seldom been shopping, other than an occasional foray into Wal-Mart with an extremely limited budget. Today, Vanessa took her to the best store in Highland Park.

Because of Lindy’s fair coloring, Vanessa steered her toward a bright blue dress, modest but fashionable. “Try this one, Lindy. I think it’ll look good with your blond hair.”

The dress had cap sleeves and a heart-shaped neckline. The snug waist showed off Lindy’s slight figure and made her look a little older than her fifteen years.

“Oh, I think that’s perfect,” Vanessa said. “What do you think?”

“It’s beautiful.” Lindy spoke softly, staring at herself in the mirror.

“Okay, try on this pink dress, and the black one, too, though I think you’re too young for black.”

“Should I wear black because my mother—”

“We don’t want to be disrespectful to your mother, but frankly, she wasn’t much of a mother.”

“She wanted to look young so she could find a new husband,” Lindy blurted out, suddenly sounding wise beyond her years. “That’s why she didn’t spend any money on me.”

“Whatever her reasons, you should never have been treated that way.” Vanessa smiled at her. “And I promise that will never happen again.” They resumed their shopping, ultimately purchasing the blue and the pink dresses, not the black.

Then Vanessa took Lindy to her favorite salon for a trim and style.

“I—I’ve never been to a beauty shop,” Lindy said nervously.

Vanessa’s heart broke, but she hid her sadness. “I’ll stay with you, honey. Don’t worry, they’ll make your hair look great. You’ll see.”

Vanessa also arranged for Lindy to have her nails done. The child was overwhelmed.

“Are you sure Rick will pay for this?”

“Yes, he will. You’re still spending less than a quarter of the money your mother was spending every month. It’ll be fine.”

While the stylist was working on Lindy’s hair, she told Vanessa about a sale at another store.

“We’ll go there before we head home. I think you need some basics for your new wardrobe.”

“We’d better wait and ask Rick, Vanessa. He might refuse to pay.”

“He wouldn’t dare,” Vanessa said firmly.

“But he might think I was taking advantage—”

“Well, what do you think of your hair?” the stylist asked, interrupting their discussion.

Lindy looked in the mirror. Her blond hair was cut in layers, framing her face. “I think it looks great! I’ve never gotten it to look like that.”

“It should be easy now. And your nails look lovely.”

“Yes. I feel so—so elegant!”

“Good. That’s the whole point,” Vanessa said.

Once they were in the car, heading to the store the stylist had mentioned, Lindy balked. “But, Vanessa, I thought we would wait.”

“No, sweetie, we’re not going to wait. You’ve done without for too long.”

By the time they finally arrived home, they were laden with packages.

“I think you’d better take a shower and rest for a few minutes,” Vanessa told her. “I’ll be up later to help you get ready.”

“Oh, thank you, Vanessa. I’m so nervous about tonight!”

“You’re going to look great.”

Once Vanessa was alone, she removed the tags on Lindy’s purchases and took all but the dress the girl was wearing that evening down to Betty to be quickly laundered. She also wrote a note and took it downstairs.

After leaving the laundry with Betty, she asked Betty’s husband Peter, “Are you going to open the door for our guests tonight?” Usually Peter tended to the gardens and the cars.

“Sure will. Betty’s fixing a grand meal, so she’ll be busy.”

“Then will you please give this note to Mr. Austin and ask that he read it before he joins us?”

“Which one is Mr. Austin?”

“He’s the only one you won’t know,” she assured him.

Then she sprinted back up the stairs to get dressed herself. She’d bought a little makeup when Lindy wasn’t watching. Later, Vanessa intended to instruct her on how to apply it. But first she showered and put on a black dress that was a little more sophisticated than Lindy’s.

Her dark hair flowed around her shoulders, a perfect coiffure that she’d been wearing for a long time. Then she lightly did her makeup.

As soon as she was satisfied with her appearance, she went down to collect the laundry, now clean and folded, and brought it up to Lindy’s room.

Lindy jumped up when Vanessa entered. “You look beautiful!”

“Thanks. You’re going to look beautiful, too!”

“I don’t think—”

“Come on. I’ll show you.”

Once Lindy was completely dressed, Vanessa applied some makeup to the girl’s face. Then she turned Lindy to the mirror.

The girl stared at herself, reaching to touch the mirror. “Is this really me?” she asked softly.

In the flattering blue dress and slim heels, her hair and makeup lighting up her face, Lindy looked every bit the angel she was. Vanessa choked back her emotions. “Of course it is, honey. You got your mother’s beauty…and your father’s heart!”

“I hope so,” Lindy said softly, almost as if saying a prayer.

RICK WASN’T SURE he should’ve agreed to dinner with Vanessa Shaw’s family tonight. But he’d spent the afternoon checking on Jeff Jacobs and his partner, Bill Wallace. They’d received high marks from everyone Rick asked, so he wasn’t worried about meeting Jeff tonight.

He’d also made a few calls about Vanessa Shaw. She checked out, too. And he was grateful to her, he guessed. She was giving him a chance to redeem himself. He’d messed up and betrayed his father’s trust by excluding Lindy from his life. She’d been an adorable six-year-old, blond like her mother, and he’d figured Anita would mold her in her own image.

Maybe he could have prevented that to some extent, but it would have brought him into contact with Anita. That thought made him feel sick to his stomach. That was the reason he’d moved her and Lindy out of the house. He’d inherited it, with no stipulations. But he couldn’t live there with Anita in residence. So he’d bought her an exclusive condo and doubled the money she was supposed to get.

And felt like he’d satisfied his conscience.

Until Vanessa Shaw had come along to point out the holes in his plan. All of them affecting Lindy.

He was worried about meeting Lindy, all grown up. He figured she hated him, and he didn’t for a moment think Vanessa Shaw would try very hard to change Lindy’s feelings about him. Vanessa herself hadn’t shown him any approval.

However, he didn’t have much doubt about Vanessa being good to Lindy. She was young to be so protective of his sister, but maybe it was past time for someone to be kind to Lindy.

Still feeling guilty, he rang the doorbell at the Greenfield home, hoping the dinner would go smoothly.

An older man, one he hadn’t met, opened the door.

Rick nodded to him. “I’m Rick Austin.”

“Come in, Mr. Austin. I’m Peter, Betty’s husband. Uh, I’m supposed to give you this and wait for you to read it.”

Rick frowned as he took the note and read the flowing writing. Vanessa wanted him to know that his sister was wearing a new dress this evening and that he should compliment her on it.

He crumpled the note in his hand, leaving Peter watching him with a nervous expression.

“Thank you, Peter,” Rick said, hoping to ease the man’s apprehension. He resented the note because he knew how to behave. His own mother insisted on good manners. But maybe Miss Shaw—he corrected himself, Vanessa—had a point. He had seen his sister only once since she was six—today when she’d fainted at the sight of him. Maybe a pleasant compliment would enable things to proceed smoothly.

“Where am I to go, Peter?”

“This way, please.” He turned and started down the hall, and Rick followed.

When Peter opened a door across from the library, Rick drew a deep breath. Then, pasting a smile on his face, he entered the room.

Vivian immediately rose to greet him. Once again he was struck by the petite woman’s beauty. In her forties, she had strawberry blond hair with but a few strands of gray. She welcomed him and introduced him to Jeff Jacobs, his wife Rebecca, their children Joey and Jamie, as well as Jeff’s partner, Bill Wallace, and his wife, Chelsea, who was obviously pregnant.

Will invited him to sit down, and Rick did so. But he didn’t see Vanessa or Lindy.

Just as he was making conversation with the others, the door opened again. Vanessa, looking stunning in a chic black dress, entered the room, followed by a beautiful younger woman.

Rick stood and stared at the two women. He remembered the note he’d received. Of course, praise was due both for their appearance, but he couldn’t help seeing his stepmother when he looked at Lindy. Her blond hair and slender figure looked so much like Anita’s.

He crossed the room to greet them. “Hello, Vanessa. You look beautiful tonight.”

“Thank you,” she said coolly, and stepped aside for him to face his sister.

“You look very nice, Lindy. Like your mother,” he couldn’t help adding.

Lindy appeared stricken, and she let out a gasp.

Vanessa wrapped an arm around the child. “It’s all right, Lindy. He didn’t mean that.”

“What do you mean?” Rick demanded. “She does look like her mother.”

“The woman you hated? Does that mean you hate Lindy, too?”

“No, of course not—I mean—I don’t know her!”

“Exactly. Let me assure you, she may look like her mother, but that’s where the resemblance ends!” Vanessa exclaimed.

“Dear,” Vivian said, “aren’t you asking a little too much of Rick to react as if he knows his sister? He’s scarcely seen her in nine years.”

“And whose fault is that?” Vanessa demanded.

Jeff stood and joined Rick. “Maybe you should cut him some slack, Vanessa. He may have been careless, but he had no choice about leaving her with her mother, unless he knew of any abuse. Any court would agree with that.”

Vanessa wasn’t satisfied with legal obligations. “That still doesn’t—”

At that moment Betty stepped into the room. “Dinner is served.”

And that ended their conversation…for the time being.

Chapter Three

Vanessa had asked her mother to seat Lindy next to her, in case the girl continued to be nervous about her half brother. Vivian had done as Vanessa had asked, but she’d put Rick Austin across the table from Lindy.

However, much to Vanessa’s surprise, Lindy seemed eager to talk to her brother.

“Rick, do you still live in Dad’s house?” Lindy asked in a quiet moment.

He frowned. “Yes, of course.”

“It’s a wonderful house,” Lindy said. “I remember thinking it was like a castle.”

Rick gave her a surprised look. “A castle? It doesn’t look anything like a castle.”

Lindy withdrew immediately, and Vanessa intervened, telling Rick, “You’ll have to remember she was only six years old. Is it here in Highland Park?”

“Yes, of course. I didn’t think,” Rick said, apologizing at once. “Would you like to visit the house?” he asked Lindy. “I’ll be out of town next week, but I’ll let my housekeeper know you’d like to drop by, if you want.”

“Is it still Mrs. Abby?” Lindy asked, but her enthusiasm seemed to have disappeared.

“Yes, it is.”

Lindy turned to Vanessa. “She’s a lot like Betty, Vanessa. You’ll like her if you meet her.”

“Of course, honey, I’m sure I will. Maybe your brother will tell us a convenient time. We wouldn’t want to show up at an inappropriate moment.” She sent a pointed look to Rick to let him know she’d understood his parameters…and didn’t like them.

He squared his jaw but said nothing. Fortunately, Rebecca asked him a question that caused him to turn away.

Vanessa felt Lindy withdraw beside her, but she couldn’t follow suit. She sensed that she had to be on alert whenever the man was near. He was dangerous, in so many ways. He was way too handsome. His good looks could make a susceptible woman believe anything he said. She wasn’t susceptible, of course.

After they left the table, she whispered to Lindy, “Have you changed your mind about visiting the house?”

Lindy shrugged. “He doesn’t want me there. I’ll manage without seeing it.” Her voice showed the hurt she was feeling.

When they settled for coffee in the morning room, Vivian invited the children to join them, saying she seldom saw Rebecca’s two anymore. After the children arrived, Vanessa noticed Lindy relax for the first time that evening, losing her self-consciousness with Jamie, Rebecca and Jeff’s youngest.

A glance across the room told her she wasn’t the only one who had noticed the change. Rick Austin had his eye on his sister, too. Good. She intended to have a word with Mr. Austin before he went home tonight!

Rick leaned close to Vivian and asked a question, then Rick, Jeff and Bill stood and left the room.

She asked, “Where are they going?”

Vivian said, “Rick asked if I minded if he talked to Bill and Jeff in private.”