Deep Dixie (21 page)

He leaned forward, his gaze intent, his jaw set, his large hands now resting between his knees, fingers entwined.

“
The day of my mother
’
s funeral.
”
Dixie could not look at him as she spoke. Yet she could not force from her mind the picture of his face when he
’
d handed her the doll...those strong features awash with almost palpable kindness and empathy.

So many emotions crowded up in her that she had no idea what she was saying or why. She just went on, letting the words pour quietly out.
“
As we got ready for my mother
’
s funeral, I picked up Baby Belle to take with me and I did not let her go for the next two years.
”

“
Really?
”

“
Well, I didn
’
t take her to school with me, but pretty much everywhere else I went, Baby Belle went, too. My family didn
’
t make too big a deal out of it or even seem to notice. Miss Lettie did, though.
”
She swallowed and blinked away any dampness in her eyes.
“
I think she understood more than any of my blood kin ever did how very much I missed my mother.
”

“
You have a very special bond with her.
”

Dixie wasn
’
t sure if Riley meant she had a special bond with her mother or Baby Belle or Miss Lettie, but since the statement held true of all three she simply nodded.
“
During those two years, Miss Lettie, she took some of my mother
’
s clothes and used them to make a whole wardrobe for my doll. They
’
re in that trunk there, the blue one, by your knee.
”

“
Pretty big trunk for a little doll
’
s clothes.
”

“
Guess you think I
’
m awfully spoiled, huh?
”

“
Miss Fulton-Leigh, you are talking to the father of an only child, a man trying his best to raise a motherless daughter himself.
”

Dixie started to run the edge of her thumb over her mother
’
s pearls, caught herself, then folded her hands together instead.

“
Because you
’
ve refused to listen to my side of things, you don
’
t realize that main reason I ever even entertained your father
’
s initial business offer was because of Wendy. Because of Wendy, I
need
the opportunity that being your partner provides.
”

This was no sales pitch, no slick story spun out to endear him to her, to make her lower her defenses to him. The raw edge to his every halting word told Dixie as much.

“
Miss Fulton-Leigh, I am fully prepared to uproot my entire existence, to relocate my home, and take on new business responsibilities all for the sake of my little girl. I would do anything within my powers to see to her safety, well-being, and future. I am certainly not going to call you spoiled because you have a big trunk filled with doll clothes made from your late mother
’
s things.
”

Poor little Wendy
! It was all Dixie could think. No, not
all
she could think. She marveled at this man, as well, and what he implied by his fervent confession.
“
Would it be presumptuous of me to ask what happened to Wendy
’
s mother?
”

“
After the way you
’
ve refused to talk to me about anything civil much less personal, yes, it
’
d be extremely presumptuous of you.
”

“
Oh.
”

“
However, given that I still hope that the relationship between you and I can improve and grow, I
’
d be glad to share it with you.
”
He glanced over to the casserole dish on the shelf nearby.
“
But you
’
ll have to settle for the short version for now, I think.
”

“
Agreed.
”

“
Wendy isn
’
t really...that is technically...
”
His brow creased and he fumbled with his hands.
“
My sister, Marcia, abandoned Wendy two days after she was born. Just walked out of the hospital without so much as a good-bye to my mother or a second thought about what would become of her newborn.
”

“
Oh, Riley...
”

“
I can
’
t say it came as a big surprise. Marcia has had a lot of problems but we had hoped that she
’
d overcome them, especially for Wendy
’
s sake.
”
Riley lifted his head like a man scanning the horizon for something he knew would never come.
“
That
’
s why my mother and I brought Wendy home and began taking care of her, hoping Marcia would get herself together and come back. By the time we accepted that wasn
’
t going to happen, well, I already thought of Wendy as my little girl, so we just went on that way. Her calling me daddy and me loving her like my own.
”

“
And Wendy
’
s biological father?
”

“
Her biological...
”
He swallowed so hard she could see the movement of his Adam
’
s apple.
“
Thank you, very much, Miss Fulton-Leigh for making that distinction. You don
’
t know what it means to me.
”

Anyone with eyes could see what it meant to him, but she didn
’
t say so.

“
Wendy
’
s biological father gladly signed over his rights to her then hit the road. But my sister never did sign away her parental rights.
”
Riley ground his fist into his palm, his jaw clamped down so tightly that she could see the muscle tick in coiled tension.
“
In a little less than eight weeks, I am going to walk into a courtroom and ask the state to do that for us, to sever Marcia
’
s rights so I can adopt Wendy properly.
”

A foreboding gripped Dixie. She cuddled Baby Belle close and waited for Riley to decide if he would go on.

“
This is one of the most important things I
’
ve ever done, Dixie.
”

She could only nod.

“
I
’
ve had to draw some hard conclusions over this and take what to some might seem drastic actions.
”

“
Buying into my company?
”

He nodded.
“
When I walk into that courtroom, I
’
ve got to prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that I have provided for Wendy the best home life and the most stable environment possible. Moving here and becoming a part of your organization is how I hope to do that for her.
”

He did not look her in the eye, but she could not take her gaze from him.

For one terrifying and brilliant moment, Dixie looked at this kind man, this caring father
’
s anguished face, and she saw things from a broader perspective. In that heartbeat of time, she began to wonder if Lettie had it wrong. Perhaps Riley had not been sent to help her so much as they had been meant to help each other.

She stood and looked around at nothing in particular.
“
I, uh...I think we
’
re going to have
some pretty hungry people waiting for us upstairs if we don
’
t get this casserole in the oven soon.
”

She laid her carefully preserved doll down on top of the trunk, then took up the still-frosty dish in both hands and started for the steps. As her foot reached the first tread, she paused to look over her shoulder.
“
Why don
’
t you grab Baby Belle and her clothes trunk and maybe that box of play dishes and bring them up? I have the feeling Wendy will be plenty bored with all us big folks quick enough and might like something to play with, especially
if
ya
’
ll are going to spend the night.
”

Chapter Nine

Everything was going to work out just fine. Riley knew it. He knew it down into his very bones.

Dinner preparations had gone smoothly with Dixie handling the hot foods, heating the entree and browning the rolls, on account of the temperamental oven, she
’
d explained. Riley took on the cold things, the cutting up of a salad and the iced pouring the sweet tea.

Meanwhile Wendy had occupied herself with three new fascinations, Dixie
’
s doll Baby Belle, the feisty little Miss Lettie, and that awful dog named Peachie Too. Wendy had taken to all of them with an instant enthusiasm and affection that both Miss Lettie and Peachie Too returned in kind.

Wendy assured him that Baby Belle was her first new best friend in her brand-new hometown, but Riley had to take the child
’
s word for that since he did not speak, nor even hear, the language of rag dolls. With Baby Belle beneath one arm and Peachie Too prancing at her heels, Wendy had helped set the table under the often befuddled direction of Dixie
’
s grandfather.

When Riley had joked about needing a program to keep up with everyone, Miss Lettie had croaked out a laugh and given his hand a pinching shake.
“
You don
’
t know the half of it, young man, not the half of it.
”

He
’
d have liked to quiz the delightful old imp about that. In fact, one look in those ancient eyes and he figured he
’
d found the one person who could pretty much tell him anything he wanted to know regarding anyone he wanted to know about. If anyone had answers for him about this family and its peculiarities, this woman who had raised three generations of them was it.

Unfortunately, she had not felt up to staying on and visiting and asked to take her meal in her room in front of the TV.

“
You come calling on me after supper, young lady.
”
Lettie wagged one crooked finger in Wendy
’
s direction.
“
And I
’
ll tell you a story.
”

They put the food on the table, joined hands and said the blessing, each quietly affirming their thanks with an amen until--

“
Play ball!
”
Dixie
’
s grandfather clapped his hands together.

Wendy squealed with delight.

Dixie rolled her eyes and tucked her linen napkin into her lap while Aunt Sis swooped down on the casserole dish, serving spoon at the ready.
“
Let me get a portion for Peachie Too first, so I can set it aside to cool.
”

Dixie scooted her chair close enough to Wendy to help the child tuck her napkin in. Heads together, they shared a giggle, then began to eat.

Food was passed and plates were filled. Things got quiet for a few minutes except for the scritching of silver forks over china and the occasional pop of ice in the tea glasses.

Then Sis
’
s poodle sprang up on its hind legs and began spinning around, making a sound that Riley could only compare to plaintive yodeling. Sis shushed it.
“
You
’
ll get your dinner, my sweet thing, soon as it cools down. Peachie Too wouldn
’
t want to burn her widdle tongue, now would she?
”

While Sis spoke, the dog
’
s caterwauling wound down to a soft
woo-ooo-ooo
. Two seconds
after Sis went back to her meal, the wrenching cry went up again.

Dixie
’
s chagrin at the commotion showed not in her delicate features, but in the white-knuckled grip on her knife as she spread jam on a roll for Wendy. Riley caught her eye and tried to reassure her that it did not bother him, giving her a smile and a sly wink to tell her he understood.