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Overwhelmed yet again by the new reality he faced, Simon slowly rolled up the window and took his key from the ignition. He would take Mrs. Averill’s advice and talk to Kit again before he drove out to the ranch. He was going to have a lot of explaining to do when he finally saw his parents, and he wanted to be able to give them straight answers to the questions he had no doubt they were going to ask.
If anybody could tell him what he needed to know about Lucy and Nathan, it had to be Kit Davenport. Getting past her anger and hostility would be a challenge, but one he was ready to face. He hadn’t been able to think straight earlier. But he was ready now to present his case to her in a calm and deliberate manner.
With an odd sense of anticipation—all things considered—Simon walked the short distance back to the diner, savoring as best he could the lovely day. The sun had begun to warm with the first taste of summer heat, in counterpoint to the still-crisp, cool air coming off the snow-covered mountains of Glacier National Park, reminding him of how much he’d longed for just such days after the long frozen winters of his childhood.
He hadn’t minded trading months of ice, snow and subzero temperatures for the mist and drizzle of Seattle…until now. He had forgotten how invigorating late spring and early summer could be in this quiet town he’d once called home. But he would remember now, and come back more often. In fact, his parents would insist on it so they could see their grandson.
Having no doubts at all that Mitchell and Deanna would welcome the new addition to their family with open arms, Simon strode into the Dinner Belle Diner with renewed confidence in his mission. He was more determined than ever to sort things out with Kit. He would let her know, too, that he’d be making arrangements to take over Nathan’s care. He didn’t want her to be overburdened any longer.
Fewer people remained in the diner than when he’d first stopped by, and none gave him more than a cursory glance as he walked through the door again. He saw immediately that the playpen was empty. Kit no longer stood behind the counter, either, but Simon fully expected the ding of the bell above the door to bring her out of the kitchen. Instead, a slightly older woman bustled into the dining room to greet him, her blond hair bouncing around her shoulders.
Simon recognized her after a moment as the diner’s longtime part-time waitress, and met her startled look with a slightly sheepish smile.
“Hey, Bonnie Lennox, good to see you again.” He greeted her in his most cordial tone.
Seeming unable to help herself, Bonnie smiled, too, as she paused by the counter.
“Well, hey to you, too, Simon Gilmore. I thought I saw you sitting outside in that fancy black SUV parked at the curb a few doors down the street. What brings you to the Dinner Belle Diner?”
Though her tone was friendly, as well, the look Bonnie gave him was weighted heavily with reserve.
“Back to the Dinner Belle Diner, actually. I was here a little earlier as you may have heard from Kit,” he said, testing the waters.
“She did mention that you’d stopped by,” Bonnie admitted, her face flushing slightly at being caught out.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t get off to a good start, and then I bolted like a scared rabbit. Finally got my head together, though.” He allowed his smile to widen encouragingly. “Could you let her know that I’d really like to talk to her again if she’s not too busy?”
“Well, I’m not sure that’s possible.” Bonnie hesitated, hands clasped at her waist. She looked as uncomfortable as she sounded. “We’re a little shorthanded today and folks are going to be coming for lunch real soon—”
“It’s okay, Bonnie, I’ll talk to him,” Kit said, appearing suddenly in the kitchen doorway, holding Nathan in her arms. “George is here now. He can finish up the lunch prep.”
Simon had suspected that Kit had been lurking just out of sight in the kitchen, and he couldn’t blame her for it. Now eyeing her openly as she spoke to Bonnie, he tried to measure how receptive she might be.
She hadn’t changed a lot in the years since he’d last seen her, but she had changed in ways that were definitely distinctive. She had cut off her mouse-brown, shoulder-length hair, highlighted it with threads of honey-blond and now wore it sensibly short and fashionably spiked. No longer hidden by a heavy fall of hair, her fragile features stood out in a striking way. Her wide green eyes, especially, were lovelier than he remembered. She had never been plain, but now she was truly pretty. She seemed much more confident, but also, understandably, much less lighthearted.
“We can talk upstairs, although I’m not really sure it’s necessary.”
With all-too-obvious reluctance, Kit finally met Simon’s gaze, the look she gave him one of grudging tolerance. Then she headed toward the staircase that led up to the apartment above the diner where she had lived with her mother.
Simon had been up there a few times in the past, but always with Lucy, never on his own.
“Oh, I’d say it was necessary,” he said.
He understood and accepted her suspicion of him. But he meant her no harm, as he intended to prove to her soon enough. He was there to help her, not hurt her.
“I can’t imagine why.” She ducked her head as she led the way up the creaking wooden steps.
“Don’t be coy, Kit. It doesn’t become you,” he advised, suddenly tired of sparring with her verbally.
“I’m not—” she protested.
“You are,” Simon stated unequivocally. Then, his gaze now on Nathan, peeping over Kit’s shoulder at him with bright, inquisitive eyes, he added, “But just so you know for sure, I’m here because of Nathan. He’s my son and I’ve come to collect him.”
Already halfway up the steps, Kit faltered as he spoke. Luckily he was able to catch her as she stumbled and save her from a bad fall. Hands on her forearms, he steadied her gently as she tried to regain her balance. The look she gave him—glancing back at him—held more hostility than gratitude. But still, combined with the feel of her warm, soft, bare skin against the palms of his hands, it sent an unexpected jolt zinging through him.
Reflexively he tightened his grip on her, the urge to pull her closer seeming to come out of nowhere almost more than he could resist—just as the urge to kiss her had been earlier. Contrarily Kit responded by jerking free of his grasp with something akin to a snarl. Then she continued up the steps without another word or another glance in his direction.
His male ego slightly bruised from her prickly retreat, Simon trailed after her, trying to keep his overactive libido in check. Good thing she’d had sense enough to shrug him off or he would have likely done something stupid. He had no idea what had come over him, but he had to be crazy to even consider hitting on Kit Davenport, especially under the circumstances. Yet for the time it took him to reach the top of the stairs, his eyes glued to her slender derriere, Simon Gilmore could think of little else.
Only when they were face-to-face again in the living room of the modestly furnished apartment, and Nathan gurgled and waved his teddy bear at him in seeming invitation, did Simon give himself a firm mental shake.
He wasn’t there for Kit. He was there for his son, and it was time to let her know it in no uncertain terms.
Chapter Three
K it had anticipated that Simon would return to the Dinner Belle Diner. She just hadn’t expected to see him again quite so soon. Since he hadn’t come back immediately after their initial confrontation, she had thought she’d have at least a day or two to marshal her resources before he showed his face at the Dinner Belle again. In fact, she had counted on at least having a chance to talk to Isaac Woodrow, the local attorney who was working with her to finalize Nathan’s adoption.
Kit had been sure that Isaac would be able to calm her fears regarding Simon and any rights he might choose to claim. Because Simon couldn’t possibly have any rights at all where Nathan was concerned—not to Kit’s way of thinking, at least—and certainly not at this late date.
He had heartlessly abandoned Lucy during her pregnancy even though he’d known she was carrying his child. And he hadn’t done anything since then to indicate that he’d given his own child the slightest bit of thought. Then he’d popped back into town and strolled into the diner, cocky as could be, ready to be welcomed home like a hero rather than the cowardly jerk he’d proven himself to be.
As if, Kit had thought, wanting to scrub the taste of his kiss from her lips.
He’d fled fast enough when confronted with proof of his irresponsibility—no big surprise there. But now he was back again, ready to talk to her. That was just fine and dandy with her. She had a lot to say to him, none of it good, and she knew she’d feel better once she’d gotten the bulk of the ill will she felt toward him off her chest.
Convinced that she had the upper hand, Kit had felt comfortable enough inviting Simon into her home. She’d been too smug, too soon, though, as she’d quickly discovered.
Climbing the staircase to the apartment, following along behind her in seeming docility, Simon Gilmore had neatly turned the tables on her. He had spouted absolute nonsense about collecting his son, as if Nathan were a parcel he’d forgotten at the post office. He had scared her so badly, she’d teetered on the wooden steps. And though he had caught her easily, saving her from a fall, his consideration offered her no reassurance at all.
Instead, the touch of Simon’s hands on her had triggered something even more frightening deep inside of her.
For the space of several heartbeats, Kit Davenport had been tempted to lean on Simon Gilmore. She’d had to be so strong for so long all on her own. She had nursed her mother through a terminal illness, and at the same time, she had managed to keep the Dinner Belle Diner open for business. Then she had taken on full responsibility for an orphaned toddler she truly loved.
The lure of Simon’s masculine strength—offered with seeming kindness and solicitude—had been almost more than she could resist. How easy she had found it in those few moments to believe that he meant her no harm. She had thought of him as a friend once, he had seemed to remind her. He could be her friend again if only she would let him.
But then Kit had remembered that he’d been no friend to Lucy, and wouldn’t be to her, either. Not as long as he thought he had the right to take Nathan away from her. Lucy had taken special care to name her as the little boy’s guardian. Surely that, alone, would negate any claim Simon attempted to make, and surely her attorney would agree.
Maybe she should tell Simon she’d rather not talk to him, after all. Maybe she should confer with Isaac first just to be certain of her rights. Better yet, maybe she should send Simon to see Isaac. As a family law attorney in practice for many years, Isaac Woodrow would know a lot more about her legal standing than she. He could speak not only with knowledge but also authority, and he could make sure Simon didn’t harass her in any way during the time he remained in Belle.
Having regained her confidence, Kit turned to face Simon as he closed the apartment door. She was fully prepared to ask him to leave, but the look he directed her way in the instant before Nathan distracted him was so resolute that her breath caught in her throat. He was a man with a mission, and he wouldn’t be easily deflected. Short of causing a scene that would embarrass them both, she doubted she’d be able to get rid of him until he, personally, was ready to go.
Talking to him would cost her little more than time, and she might even gain some peace of mind. Altruistic as he now seemed, Simon couldn’t possibly know all that was involved in raising a child. Once he realized how much time, energy and emotion good parenting required, odds were he’d bow out just like he had three years ago.
She would only pitch a fit if Simon tried to take Nathan away from her, Kit decided. Bonnie and George were close by. They would come to her rescue if need be.
Though watching Simon’s expression soften as he gazed at Nathan, Kit couldn’t believe he’d ever threaten her or harm her physically. He had always been a patient man. He had also treated everyone he knew with kindness and understanding—including Lucy, even when her behavior toward him had been careless and chaotic.
Running out on her, as he had the one time she’d really needed him, had seemed totally out of character to Kit. But the fact remained that he had—proof, as far as Kit was concerned, that he wasn’t nearly as good or kind or decent as she’d once believed him to be.
“It’s time for Nathan to have his lunch,” Kit said, maintaining a pragmatic tone, but only with great effort. “Why don’t you join us in the kitchen? We can talk while I feed him.”
Simon seemed to fill the apartment’s cozy living room with his masculine presence. Though nicely furnished and quite comfortable under normal circumstances, it certainly wasn’t spacious. At least not spacious enough for a woman, namely her, who would have rather not been in close quarters with a man, namely Simon, whom she considered more of an enemy than friend.
Unfortunately, the kitchen was smaller still. Kit’s mother had rarely used it, preferring, as she had, to cook in the diner’s larger and better-equipped facility. Kit didn’t cook there, either. She mostly just reheated whatever leftovers she brought up from the diner for herself and Nathan.
Giving the little boy his meals in the upstairs kitchen had become a part of their routine, though—one that Kit was loathe to disrupt. She had learned that any change in routine tended to make Nathan extremely fussy. Not unusual, considering he’d lost his mother, and certainly understandable. Upsetting him in order to keep Simon at a distance that would be nominal at best simply wasn’t necessary.
“Can I do anything to help?” Simon asked, following her as she headed for the kitchen doorway.
“I’m used to managing on my own,” she answered in a tart tone, bristling at him all over again before she could stop herself.
She didn’t like feeling crowded on any front, and just then Simon seemed to loom large—his broad shoulders and powerful physique making her feel ill at ease. He wasn’t being obnoxious about it, and he’d meant well, offering to help, but still…
“Of course, you are,” he said, pausing just inside the kitchen doorway, obviously aware of her discomfort. “I just thought you might be glad to have someone lend a hand for a change. But I’ll stay out of your way if that’s what you’d prefer.”
She was making a difficult situation even more so by behaving in such a disdainful manner, Kit thought, drawing a calming breath as she settled Nathan into his high chair and fastened the safety straps. Simon was right. She regularly wished she had someone to help her.
“You can get one of the bottles out of the refrigerator and put it in the bottle warmer on the counter to heat up,” she said, her tone now slightly conciliatory.
“So he still takes a bottle?”
Simon seemed genuinely interested as he followed her instructions without any fumbling or bumbling.
“Only after he’s eaten lunch. It helps him settle down for a nap. He gave up his bedtime bottle about six weeks ago. He decided one night that he didn’t want it.”
Moving efficiently around the tiny kitchen, managing somehow not to bump into Simon, Kit took a container of chicken noodle soup out of the refrigerator, dumped it into a pan on the stove and lit the burner. She gave Nathan a cracker to tide him over, opened a fresh jar of apple juice and poured some into a sippy cup. He reached for it eagerly, babbling in a happy voice.
“He seems like a good baby,” Simon ventured, stirring the soup with the spoon she’d left in the pot.
Very domestic, she acknowledged to herself, stepping around him to get a bowl from one of the cabinets above the counter. He had only taken a few seconds to figure out how to work the bottle warmer, too. He certainly deserved an A for effort, but that didn’t change the fact that he’d treated her best friend like dirt.
Reminded that she owed Simon no appreciation at all, Kit reached up to open the cabinet, and much to her chagrin, brushed against him accidentally. The physical contact, slight as it was, sent a shaft of heat through her. Startled, she almost dropped the bowl as she spun away from him.
Seeming equally off-kilter, Simon winced and shifted to the side, away from her, as well. Embarrassed, Kit plunked the bowl on the counter and turned to take a spoon from the drawer by the sink.
“He’s very good…all things considered,” she said, not really caring that she sounded snappish again.
Kit could feel Simon’s gaze on her as he continued to stir the soup. She could also sense that he was eyeing her with renewed frustration. Better that than getting too comfortable around her, she thought. It wasn’t her responsibility or her intention to make the present situation easy for him. He hadn’t earned easy from her, and as far as she was concerned, he never would, no matter how her body betrayed her with girlish longing.
The young man she’d secretly desired years ago had proven to have feet of clay. He had used Lucy, then abandoned her, and he would probably do the same to her if she gave him half a chance.
“Looks like the soup is ready,” he said. “Do you want me to spoon some of it into the bowl?”
“Yes, please.”
Kit stood by in silence as Simon carefully filled the bowl halfway. Then she picked it up off the counter and carried to the table. She sipped a spoonful, testing to make sure it wasn’t too hot, then offered some to Nathan. Sitting with her back to Simon, she tried to pretend he wasn’t there. Finally he moved to the chair across from her and sat down with an audible sigh.
“I didn’t know Lucy was pregnant with my child,” he said, his voice low but steady, commanding her attention with his simply spoken, and utterly unbelievable, statement.
Kit’s first instinct was to lash out at him in anger. He had a lot of nerve saying such a thing to her. He couldn’t honestly think he’d gain ground with her by spouting such a ridiculous lie. She wasn’t stupid, after all, and she’d been Lucy’s best friend. There had been no secrets between them—not where Simon Gilmore was concerned.
Remembering how upset Nathan had been the few times Lucy raised her voice in front of him, Kit managed to keep her emotions in check, however. There was no need to throw a tempter tantrum and cause the child to cry. Not when she could make her point just as forcefully in a calm, quiet manner.
“Give me a break, Simon,” she said, her voice low, as well, but heavily laced with sarcasm. “You knew Lucy was pregnant when you left Belle three years ago. She told you about the baby the last time you were together, and you took off like a shot the very next day. You abandoned her and you abandoned your child and you didn’t give either of them a second thought. Don’t come around here now, trying to change history. It’s not going to work—at least not with me.”
“I’m not trying to change history, Kit,” Simon insisted.
Sitting forward in his chair, his hands gripping the edge of the oak table, he seemed unwilling to let the matter drop. Kit bit back another caustic comment with a grim twist of her lips, and glanced at him with exasperation, her look all but shouting “Oh, please.”
“I’m not,” he said again, his voice suddenly turning hard and cold as steel. “It’s true Lucy told me she was pregnant the last time I saw her, and I did leave town the next day. But there’s something Lucy also told me that she evidently didn’t bother to share with you. It’s the real reason why I left town the way I did, and the main reason I haven’t really wanted to return.”
“Lucy and I didn’t keep secrets from each other,” Kit insisted, making no effort to hide her continued distrust of him. “We were best friends…always.”
“I didn’t think Lucy kept secrets from me, either, and we were a hell of a lot more than best friends. But I know now that she did.”
“That doesn’t mean she kept secrets from me, too,” Kit shot back defensively.
“Just hear me out, okay?” Simon pleaded, his frustration evident though his voice was still low. “Then you can decide how honest Lucy Kane really was with us.”
“Okay, fine. Say whatever it is you have to say. Just don’t expect me to believe you,” Kit advised.
With a negligent shrug of her shoulders, she turned her attention to feeding Nathan.
“The night Lucy told me she was pregnant she also told me the baby wasn’t mine,” Simon began, only the slightest bit hesitant. “She said she’d been seeing someone else over the summer, someone she said that she loved more than me. She also told me he was the one who had fathered her baby.”
Kit stared at Simon then, unable to hide her surprise. Lucy—seeing someone else? Impossible—
“I didn’t want to believe her, Kit,” Simon continued insistently. “In fact, I refused to believe her until she looked me straight in the eye and said it all again, just as calm as you please. She told me to have a nice life in Seattle, then she gave me a little kiss on the cheek by way of goodbye. Talk about a kick in the teeth.”
Simon’s version of how he and Lucy had parted company was too outrageous to even be considered. Yet the look of anguish Kit saw in his eyes before he glanced away was so genuine that she couldn’t dismiss what he’d told her. The thought came to her that he might just be telling her the truth, and with that thought came a cold rush of fear.
Lucy hadn’t really wanted to go with Simon to Seattle. She had admitted as much to Kit more than once that summer. But would she have lied to him about her pregnancy so she wouldn’t have to? Though Kit didn’t want to think her friend could have been so cruel or so deceptive, Simon’s revelation had set off a tremor of uncertainty that was already beginning to shake her faith in her friend.
“Yeah, I left Belle, Montana, in a rush, all right,” Simon added in a musing tone when Kit made no comment. Sitting back in his chair, he crossed his arms over his chest defensively. “I couldn’t get away from here fast enough. I wouldn’t have come back now except my parents called and told me I had some family business that needed tending. They didn’t give me any details, but I’m guessing they’ve been thinking what you and half the town must have been thinking of me lately. Only it’s not true, Kit. I didn’t intentionally abandon Lucy or my child. That’s not the kind of man I am, and you, of all people, should know it.”
Mechanically, Kit finished feeding Nathan his soup, saying nothing though her thoughts whirled a mile a minute.
She was no longer convinced that Simon was lying to her. He’d told his side of the story with too much sincerity for her to dismiss it as a fabrication. There was also no reason for him to go to so much trouble offering excuses. No one had asked him to take responsibility for Nathan’s welfare.
Well, she hadn’t, and she wouldn’t in the future, but maybe his parents would. Only it wasn’t going to be necessary. Once the adoption was final, Nathan would be her child, legally, and she was more than capable of caring for him all on her own.
Finally Kit glanced at Simon again as she helped Nathan take another drink from his cup. He eyed her stubbornly in return, still waiting for her to respond. She wasn’t sure what to say to him. The truth Lucy had told her was so different from his truth. Maybe it warranted repeating.
“Lucy told me that you knew the baby was yours. She told me that’s why you left town. She said you didn’t want to be tied down to a wife and family. She bawled like a baby when she told me you’d gone, and she was miserable for a long time after you left.” Pausing, Kit frowned and looked away again. “It’s unlikely she was seeing someone else—highly unlikely. She was either with you or me or both of us that summer, and she was working at the diner, too. She wouldn’t have had time to fit in a secret lover, and if she had, I’m sure she would have told me. We were so close….”
“I thought we were close, too, Lucy and I, but obviously I was wrong,” Simon said. “She lied to me, Kit, and she lied to you, too. You can either admit it to yourself, or not, but that’s the one basic truth in the whole damned mess she created.”
“But why?” Kit demanded fiercely, suddenly more afraid than ever. “Why did she lie to us? She must have had some good reason.”
