Finding Mr. Right (17 page)

“I’m glad you’re having such a good time,” he said, but Lewis only laughed harder.

“I’ve known since I was Andy’s age that the longer I wanted something, the better it was when I finally got it. Where did he and Tyra go?”

“Andy wanted to help her catch a fish, because she didn’t catch anything, and we did.”

“How are they getting along?”

“Hard to say. Andy didn’t want her to come with us, but she made cocoa for him, and he’s delighted she’s here. He doesn’t like sharing me with other people.”

“That’s understandable. I wouldn’t worry, though. She doesn’t chase him, she draws him to her. They’ll get on just fine.”

Byron stood and looked at his father. “You’re talking as if this is a done deal.”

Lewis looked into the distance. “No, but I’ve seen you with a lot of women and not one who could hold a light to Tyra. I knew that when I met her. If she’s loving—and I can see that she is—and if she’s a good lover, you’ve got a gold mine. My last word on the subject.”

“I’m not arguing with you, Dad, but we’ve got a few steeples to hurdle.”

“They can’t be too high.”

“You’re right. They’re not, but they’re troublesome.”

“Let me tell you something, son. If you’re not stubborn, and
she’s not stubborn, you should be able to sit down together and work it out. Choose a time when no one is likely to interrupt you, when you’re totally alone and likely to be for some time.”

He understood what his father said and what he hadn’t said, but he doubted that talking about it would solve it. He had to tread carefully to avoid crushing her spirit. He looked up and saw that his father watched him like an eagle watches a hawk.

“Does she love you?”

“Yes. She loves me, and I love her. That is not the problem. It has to do with our work, and she and I didn’t create the problem.”

“I see. So we’re dealing with professional pride. If I were you, I’d enjoy losing. Remember that you’re famous in these parts. Well, let’s clean up. If they don’t come back soon, I’m going to check on them.”

Byron got a pan of water from the lake and put out the fire, dumped the hibachi, cooled it in the lake, cleaned and dried it. He was putting it in the trunk of his car, along with the thermos jugs, when his father returned dragging a recalcitrant Andy.

“We only caught two fish,” Andy cried, “and I’m not ready to go home.”

“What’s the problem, Andy?” Byron asked the boy. “Have you forgotten that you do not disobey or disrespect your grandfather? Have you lost your mind? Apologize to him this minute.”

Andy wiped his eyes and handed the fish to his father. “I’m sorry, Granddaddy, but I want to stay and fish with Miss Tyra. She hasn’t caught any fish.”

“She can catch some next time,” Byron said. “We’re ready to go.” He looked at Tyra. “Did you at least get a bite?”

“Not that I know of, but Andy and I were singing so loudly that we may have frightened them off.”

He stared at her, not believing what she’d said. “No doubt about it.”

“Daddy, can I spend the night with Miss Tyra? I’ll be good. Honest I will.”

“Maybe sometime in the future, son, but not tonight.”

“You let me stay with granddad, so why can’t I stay with Miss Tyra?”

“We’ll discuss this at home, Andy. Miss Tyra will not be home this evening, for one thing. In addition, you must wait for an invitation.”

Tyra paused in the act of getting in the car and stood inches from him looking into his eyes. “Who said I won’t be home this evening?”

“I’ve hardly been near you. Either Dad or Andy has been pushing me out. I want to see you tonight. We can go to a movie or just sit in the park or on my back porch. I want to be with you.”

“Why not,” she said without the semblance of a smile. “Next week, we’ll probably be at loggerheads, and I’m going to hate every minute of it.”

He helped her into the car and fastened her seat belt. “Have no fear, Tyra. I will never do anything intentionally to hurt you.”

“I hope you’re right,” she said. “From the bottom of my heart, I hope you’re right.”

A
fter arriving at court a few minutes early, Tyra stopped at the cooler and drank a cup of water, mainly to calm her nerves. She didn’t want Byron to see her jittery and lacking her usual composure. She sat on the front row between Jonathan and Darlene, perspiring in spite of the perfect, late October Indian-summer weather. Byron walked in, elegant and sure of himself, giving the impression of a man who was lord of all he surveyed. He spoke a few words to a man who looked as if he’d drunk too many cans of beer, glanced in Tyra’s direction and smiled. Although she felt as if she’d been tied into a knot, she smiled in return.

“This is just the first hearing,” Darlene told Tyra and Jonathan. “I’m almost certain that there’ll be at least one more. Getting a final judgment in Family Court isn’t easy, and if Becky is at odds with her father, it may be especially difficult in this case.”

A few minutes later, Darlene stood, addressed the judge
and presented her case. At the end, she questioned why the state should pay for Becky’s care and confinement and for the child when Jonathan wanted to do it and had the support of his family. She also asked why Murphy Tate should be allowed to deny a child its father’s nurturing and care.

Tyra watched Byron intently throughout Darlene’s argument and Jonathan’s testimony, and noted that Byron’s eyebrows shot up repeatedly while Jonathan spoke. She couldn’t understand why Byron didn’t put his client on the witness stand, but instead, asked the judge for a recess, stating that he wanted Becky’s testimony. Murphy pulled at Byron’s coat, evidently hoping to prevent his putting Becky on the stand, but the judge ruled that since her well-being was the issue, she should be allowed to testify.

As they left the courthouse, Jonathan told Darlene, “My big brother—he’s my half brother—thinks this whole thing stinks. He’s willing to help me take care of Becky until I finish school. He’s an airline pilot.”

“Tell him to call me at work today,” Darlene said.

In the afternoon, three days later, when the case reconvened, Edward Hathaway—Jonathan’s half brother—sat with Darlene, Tyra and Jonathan. Darlene called Edward to the stand, and he testified to his younger brother’s good character and to his own willingness and ability to help Jonathan support Becky and her child. “Our mother wants to take care of Becky and insure that she receives proper medical treatment, and both our parents want her to stay with us until she is of age and can marry my brother or has the court’s permission to marry.”

Byron faced the judge. “Your Honor, a father is legally entitled, right or wrong, to deny the marriage of his underage daughter for whatever reasons he chooses. However, because of Jonathan Hathaway’s testimony as well as Edward’s, I want to call Becky Tate to the witness stand.”

He examined the girl on every point that Jonathan had made, and on each, her response agreed with his. “This is not what I’ve heard from Becky’s father, my client, and I am resigning from this case, because I have been misled.”

After questioning Becky, the judge removed her from her father’s care, made her a ward of the court and sent her to live with Jonathan’s parents until after the birth of the child at which time she should return to court for further resolution of the case.

Byron walked over to Darlene and shook hands with her. “If you get tired of that gang you work with, consider Whitley, Chambers and Jones.”

“What? You’re serious? It’ll be months before I get my feet back on the ground. Me in an outfit like that?”

“Think it over,” he said and turned to Tyra. “I’m happy for Becky and Jonathan, but I feel a bit wounded, not to speak of furious with Murphy Tate for lying to me.”

“He’s an awful person,” Jonathan said, “and she doesn’t have a mother to stand up for her. Well, we’ll take care of her now.”

Byron’s gaze swept over Tyra, drawing her to him the way a flame entices a moth. “May I speak with you?” he asked her.

“Of course,” she said, hoping that no hard feelings remained between them. “When do you want us to get together?”

“It’s a quarter of four. Do you have to go back to work?” She didn’t. “If you’ll go home with me, we can pick up Andy, have dinner somewhere, and then Andy and I will bring you home. I divide my time away from work between you and Andy, but I prefer to put him to bed as often as possible. It’s a time he particularly enjoys, and so do I.”

“Okay. I’ll call Maggie and tell her I won’t be home for dinner.”
So something still bothers him. He’s not totally at ease with me. Surely, he isn’t sore because he lost
. He shook hands with Darlene, Edward and Jonathan, winked at Darlene and, as he kissed her cheek, he said, “You two make a fine-looking couple. Get to work.”

Tyra raised an eyebrow. If she heard him, Edward probably… She didn’t finish the thought for, at that moment, Edward took Darlene’s arm and said, “There used to be a place around here where you could get the best ice cream in Maryland. Let’s check it out.”

As Tyra and Byron walked to his car, he said. “I hope Edward Hathaway isn’t married.”

“Darlene said he isn’t, and if I know her, she asked him point blank.”

“Good for her. That isn’t a thing to guess about.”

“You’re still a little peeved with me, Byron, and I’d thought that when this case was settled, we’d be over this thing.”

“I thought you and Darlene got a little heavy-handed. It’s appropriate for an attorney to get the best witnesses possible, but she filed letters from a dozen citizens, some of them very distinguished, attesting to Murphy Tate’s blighted character and, particularly, to his mistreatment of Becky. She should have made that information available to me. I didn’t raise it with the judge, because I didn’t want to hurt her. Besides, I was already having a hard time counseling Tate. He’s an immoral man and makes no excuses for that fact.”

“Then it’s Darlene you should be angry with, not me.” Whenever she reasoned with Byron, he managed to win, and he should, considering the cost of his legal education, she told herself. She tried a different tactic. “Are you going to kiss me, I mean really kiss me when you bring me home tonight?”

A grin spread over his face, and he tilted his head to the side and glanced at her. “I can pull over at the next rest stop. What do you say?”

She hadn’t expected that. “I say I don’t want the highway patrolman to take me in for indecent behavior.”

He stared at her, although his eyes twinkled with mischievously. “Indecent behavior? What are you planning to do to me besides kiss me?”

“You’re making something out of this that… You know I didn’t mean anything like
that
.”

“Anything like what? Sweetheart, if the problem is that you want to have your way with me, I can definitely arrange that”

“You’re poking fun at me.”

“Am not. You’re so easy to tease. The answer to your question is that when I take you home tonight, I’m going to kiss you until we blow a fuse and ignite a fire in the furnace.”

“Which furnace?”

“Yours, baby. If I light one in any other woman’s furnace, you’ll have my head. Why do you think I’m peeved with you?”

“’Cause you are, or were. I’m not sure about right now.”

He stopped in front of his house, checked to determine whether he could squeeze that big Cadillac into the one available parking space, and backed in. “Let’s enter through the back.”

Away from public view, he stopped walking, stepped close to her and stared down into her eyes. “You’re sweet, soft, feminine and warm, and the way you respond to me makes me feel like a king. But when I see that you’re strong, independent, competent and my intellectual equal, I become a giant of a man.” His arms went around her. “Open your mouth for me.” She did, and he slipped his tongue into her, claimed her and sent shivers plowing through her body.

Get your act together. You can’t let a man have this much power over you, and you definitely can’t let him know it.
But thrill after thrill streaked through her as he stroked her back and whispered, “Yes, I was hurt, but I know you love me. It’s all right now. You’re my whole world.”

“And you’re everything to me, Byron. Everything.”

Arm-in-arm, they walked into the house. “Byron, lord, I didn’t know you were bringing Tyra home for dinner. How’re you, Tyra?” Jonie asked. Tyra hugged the older woman. Jonie
seemed frantic over not having dinner prepared. “I’ll run out and—”

“Not so fast, Aunt Jonie. We’re going out to dinner and taking Andy with us.”

“You’ll have to let him bring along that monkey Miss Tyra gave him, because he hasn’t been two inches from it all day. All of a sudden, he’s gotten real pensive. I don’t know why.”

“I’ve been away a good deal these past couple of days. He’ll be fine.” His arm tightened around Tyra. “Let me run up and see why he’s so quiet up there.”

Andy’s fierce and clinging hug shocked Byron. The boy ordinarily enjoyed exercising his independence. Knowing that his son had missed him, he didn’t ask what was wrong but, instead, tried to make up for it.

“Take a shower and get dressed, son, we’re going out to dinner.”

Andy’s face brightened. “Are we going to Miss Tyra’s house?”

That question surprised him, and it also pleased him. “Not this time. You, Miss Tyra and I are going to have dinner in a nice restaurant.”

“Oh! Can I take Nassau, and can I wear a suit like you?”

He looked down at the pleading expression on the boy’s face and wondered what had gotten him down. “Yes to both, but we have to leave Nassau in the car while we’re in the restaurant.” Andy’s bottom lip poked out. “None of that. We do as I say, or you stay home.”

A brilliant smile lit the child’s face. “Okay, but can I go with you when you take Miss Tyra home? Can I, Daddy?”

The little rascal
. “Yes, we’re going to take her home, because we’ll be eating at a restaurant in Frederick, where she lives.”

“I know she lives in Frederick, Daddy. She told me when
she and I were fishing for catfish. I also know she has a sister and a brother, and that she doesn’t have any little children.”

That took him back a bit. “Well, if you want to eat dinner with her, you’d better get a move on.”

“Yes, sir.” Andy loved dressing like his father, so Byron laid out the boy’s navy blue suit, the same color as his own, white shirt, red and blue striped tie, black shoes and navy socks.
That ought to get him out of the dumps
.

A short time later with Nassau in his arms, Andy charged down the steps ahead of his father, raced to the living room and launched himself into Tyra’s arms. “I’m going to dinner with you and Daddy, but I can’t take Nassau into the restaurant. Miss Tyra, I love Nassau.” He stared at her. “What happened to your hair? Daddy, what happened to her hair?”

Byron laughed. “Boy after my own heart. I’ve been wondering the same thing for most of the day.”

“Oh, all right,” Tyra said. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

“Where’s she gone, Daddy?”

“I suspect we’ll see when she comes back.” He knew she went to comb out her hair, and he also knew that she was doing it for Andy. He wouldn’t have dared to complain about a woman’s hair, and he hoped she knew that.

“Gee,” Andy said in awe when Tyra returned with her hair hanging around her shoulders. “How did you do that?” She explained that and answered several more of Andy’s questions as they headed for Frederick. He decided not to interfere. Tyra had to learn to deal with the child. However, he sensed the understanding between them and drew a considerable measure of satisfaction from it.

“I guess Jonie and I have done a pretty good job with him,” Byron said to himself in the restaurant, as he watched Andy take great care to use his knife and fork correctly, chew his food slowly—something he didn’t do at home, though he’d been taught repeatedly, and to finish chewing
before he started to speak. He didn’t know when he had enjoyed an evening out with Andy so much. The child mimicked his every move, even saying thank you and no thank you to the waiter.

He nearly choked when Tyra said to Andy, “You are so precious. If I had a little boy, I’d want him to be just like you.”

“Gee,” Andy said. “I didn’t know I was being that good.”

She stroked the child’s cheek in a way that told him that she wanted badly to hug Andy.
Yes, she will love him and teach him to love her.
He didn’t know when he’d been so happy.

They left the restaurant with Andy holding their hands and dancing between them. Maybe he would finally get his life in order. He didn’t want to raise Andy as an only child, and it was time he got busy on the next one, unless he planned to crawl around on his knees at age sixty with a couple of children on his back. During the coming weekend, he intended to have a serious talk with Tyra about their future together.

Similar thoughts stirred in Tyra’s mind. She knew he was observing her relationship with his son, and she approved of it. She also knew that seeing each other occasionally was no longer enough for either of them. And since she had no intention of letting him have his cake and eat it, too, if he wanted her in his bed every night, he had to give up his single status.

“How much for your thoughts?” he asked when they approached his car. She hadn’t said a word since they left the table.

She couldn’t help grinning. “Not even gold is sufficient to tempt me to incriminate myself like that.”

His eyes gleamed with a knowing look, and she knew she might well have painted it on canvas and hung it up for him to see. “Don’t worry, you and I may not be far apart.” Her pulse shot forward at a dizzying rate, and she grasped him for support. He held her, gazing down into her eyes, with all that he felt for her blazing in his face.

“Are you going to kiss her, Daddy?”

“I’ve been trying to catch up with you, buddy.” A man in a chauffeur’s uniform stepped up to them and said, “You owe me for escort services, and I want my money, or I’ll splash it all over the tabloids that you’re my customer, and you owe me.”

Icy marbles rattle for space in Tyra’s belly, and she thought she was about to lose her dinner. She watched at Byron’s lower jaw sagged seconds before his eyes narrowed, and he advanced toward the man. “What the hell are you talking about?” He turned to Tyra. “Put Andy in the car while I straighten this out, will you.”