Once in a Lifetime (24 page)

This is it, and I’ve got to make a real statement, or else.
“Every time your father mentions your name in my presence, tears pool in his eyes. Recently, he went back to State U for clues as to your whereabouts, but as in other times he’d gone there, he hit a dead end, and the life seemed to seep out of him. It’s time you ended his needless suffering and let him know you’re alive.”

She spoke in barely audible tones. “He doesn’t know?”

Alexis shook her head. “Of course not. You covered your tracks well. I didn’t know, either, until this morning. If you had a child, how would you feel not knowing whether it was living or dead, happy or starving to death?”

Melanie sniffed several times, pushing back tears. “I don’t know how to face them.”

Alexis exhaled a long breath, impatience threatening to emerge. “Stop pampering yourself, Melanie. You made a mistake, and you have to face up to it. Your family deserves better from you. With all these colleges and universities in Nashville, you can still finish school.”

“I’ve thought about it lots of times.”

Alexis stood, aware of the danger of overstaying her visit. “When I get back to Eagle Park tomorrow, I’ll tell your father where you are and about my role in this fiasco.” She handed Melanie a slip of paper. “Here’s his phone number and address. It’s your duty to get in touch with him.”

“She’ll call him,” Lawrence said, “and she and I will visit him. You can depend on that.”

Alexis thanked them both. Allen Krenner’s problem may be nearing a solution, but only the Lord knew how Telford would react to what she had to tell him. He didn’t even know she’d been a college teacher, much less the one who gave Melanie the failing grade that prevented her graduation.

“I’m not hanging around here waiting for a call from Jack Stevenson,” Telford said to himself. “It’s Friday afternoon, and if he hasn’t called by four-thirty, Tara isn’t on his schedule for today.” He gave Tara her piano lesson and played the violin for her while she gazed at him in rapt attention. After supper, he phoned Adam Roundtree. Nothing like a morning of fishing to guarantee he wouldn’t spend all day Saturday worrying about Alexis. He didn’t expect her to call him until she was ready to leave Nashville, because he figured she had her hands full doing whatever it was she went there to do. In any event, she wasn’t likely to tell him anything important until they were together.

“Adam, this is Telford. How about you and Grant going fishing with me and Tara tomorrow morning? Alexis is out of town.”

“How’s about eight o’clock? Bait early if you want fish,” Adam said.

“Right. We’ll be over there by eight.”

Grant wasn’t overjoyed at having a girl for a playmate and showed it. Tara caught a second fish before Grant caught any, gave the second one to Grant and said, “I don’t think I like you, but I caught two and you don’t have any. If you lived with us, Mr. Henry would cook you cabbage stew.”

“Looks like they don’t hit it off,” Adam said.

Telford waved a hand, dismissing that idea. “You don’t know Tara. Just wait.”

He explained Tara’s remark about cabbage stew to Adam and thought he’d have to give his friend first aid. Adam laughed uncontrollably. Then the two men watched, dumbfounded, when Grant went over to Tara and baited her hook with a worm.

“Worms are yucky,” he said. “My dad always puts the bait on for my mom.”

Tara’s face bloomed with a brilliant smile. “Thanks, Grant. I don’t like worms.”

Telford looked at Adam. “See what I mean?”

He closed his eyes, waiting for the fish to bite, enjoying a rare respite from his many business concerns. A tug at his line proved to be a false alarm, but he didn’t care; a good nap out of doors in the fresh air would make him as happy as a mess of fish.

“Mr. Adam, can Grant go home with me?”

Telford’s brow furrowed. Minutes earlier she’d told the boy she didn’t like him, and there she stood in front of Adam holding Grant’s hand, and… He scratched his head in wonder. Damned if he’d ever understand the opposite sex. He busied himself checking his line.

Adam cleared his throat. “That would be all right, Tara, but Grant’s mother is expecting him home in—” he looked at his watch “—twenty-five minutes.”

She persisted, her smile intact. “Then, can he come to see me?”

“Uh…yes, if he wants to.”

“I want to, Daddy.”

“Then it’s settled.”

Still holding hands, the children went back to their fishing lines. Adam cocked an eyebrow. “Man, she’s started early.”

Telford threw out his line and reeled it back a bit. “She practices daily on the men in our house. Doesn’t surprise me one bit.”

“Her mother must be some woman. By the way, did you and Alexis straighten out your differences?”

“You’re saying we had some?”

Adam pulled in a little fish and threw it back into the river. “Absolutely. I was there. Remember?”

“We’re working on it. She’s very important to me, and if you don’t mind, I won’t discuss her.”

Adam let go a sharp whistle. “Go for it, man. I wish you well. Bring her with you next time you come to Beaver Ridge.”

Telford thought for a bit. “Thanks. I’ll do that.”

Alexis stepped into the terminal and let her gaze sweep over the individuals waiting for arriving passengers. She saw him at once, a full head above the crowd. He smiled when she saw him, the smile of a man whose fear equaled his hope, rushed to meet her and opened his arms. She reveled in the feeling of his arms strong around her body and let him cherish her. Who knew how he’d feel by daybreak the next morning?

“Tara wanted to come with me, and I would have brought her, but Henry talked her out of it. I think they’re making a surprise for you. How do you feel, honey?”

So he wanted some indication of what to expect. “So far, so good, but there’s more to go. We’ll talk when we get…when we get home.”

He grasped both of her shoulders. “Alexis, I’m aware that you work for me, but you
live
at Harrington House. That’s your home, and it goes against my grain that you can’t accept that.”

She expected that his eyes would mirror the annoyance in his voice, but they held a warmth and a sweetness that made her heart race. Silky lashes emphasized their dreamy beauty, mesmerizing her, and without thinking, she dropped her bag, reached up and hugged him.

“You’re so…so… Heck, I don’t know. I’m glad you’re back,” he said. With her bag in one hand and his other hand at her waist, they headed for his car.

“I rented this one,” he explained. “I’ve ordered a new Le Sabre. It ought to be here in a week or so.”

“Did the police find your other one?”

“Not yet. I’m told it’s probably been chopped and sold for parts.” He flipped on the radio and headed for Route 70.

She knew his mind was on her trip, but he’d wait till they were at home and she found the appropriate time to talk. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the music and his nearness.

In her short absence, Tara seemed to have grown another inch. Her greeting to Telford, who’d only been away a couple of hours, was as effusive as that to her mother. Dancing
with excitement, she said, “Mummy, Mr. Henry and I made something for you. I went fishing, and I have a new friend. Do you know Grant Roun…?” She looked at Telford for help.

“Roundtree,” he said.

“Grant Roundtree. He’s going to be my friend. I caught three fish, Mummy, and Biscuit’s sister is going to have babies.”

Alexis hugged Tara, glanced up at Telford and saw love shining in his eyes.
I’m almost happy,
she said to herself.
If only…

“Let me change my clothes, and see what Henry has for me to do,” she said to both Tara and Telford.

“Ain’t nothin’ for you to do.”

“Henry. I was just going to look for you. Thanks for helping take care of Tara while I was gone.”

“She ain’t needed much takin’ care of.”

“We’ll talk after dinner,” Telford said. “I’ll take your bag to your room.”

“Thanks, but it’s not heavy. See you at dinner.”

Alone in her room, she tried to organize her thoughts, to choose what she’d say to Telford and how she’d say it.
I can’t be artificial about this. I’m dealing with my life.
She threw up her hands and decided to roll with the punches.

“Hope you don’t mind if I don’t join you in the den,” Telford said to Russ and Drake after dinner. He looked at Alexis. “Call me when you’re free. I’ll be in my room.”

In other words, he’d wait until Tara was asleep and they wouldn’t be disturbed. On that night, however, Tara’s excitement was at fever pitch, and she didn’t sleep until around ten o’clock.
What’s he thinking?
she wondered. At last, she could phone him.

“Is Tara asleep?”

“Finally. She was as revved up as a jet engine. Where can we meet?”

“The den. Russ is in his room.”

Alexis sat in the beige-colored wing chair that she favored, feeling as if she were on her way to her execution and hoping she didn’t show it. Telford watched her for a minute and then
dragged the Moroccan tooled-leather pouf over to her chair, sat on it facing her and took both of her hands.

“I can see that this is difficult for you, but try to remember that what I want most is an understanding with you, a relationship that isn’t marred by the past or what either of us anticipates for the future. And that’s possible only if we level with each other. What happened in Nashville?”

In his face, his whole demeanor, she saw warmth, friendliness and, yes, love. His eyes told her that she was precious to him, and she had to believe what she saw.

“I’d better start at the beginning.” She told him that she taught at State U before marrying and after her marriage broke up and, it didn’t surprise her that his eyes widened in astonishment.

“At the end of the second semester of my first year there, I posted grades and sent the record to the dean of my department and the dean of students. I had three failures…” She stopped and took a deep breath, for he had shifted to the edge of the ottoman and his hands squeezed hers as though he anticipated her next words.

“Go on.”

Hearing the edge in his voice, she felt her nerves begin to rearrange themselves. “One of…of those students was…was Melanie Krenner.”

He jumped up. “And all this time you didn’t say a word? You knew how crazy—”

“Please sit down, if you want to hear the rest of it.”

Still holding both of her hands, he did as she asked. “I’m sorry. I…I don’t know what got into me.”

“I had given her three opportunities to make up her midterm papers, but she didn’t bother and didn’t offer an excuse. If she had been doing well in her other classes, that D wouldn’t have failed her. Without a reason acceptable to the dean, I couldn’t change the grade, although she begged me to. Indeed, there was no reason to change it.

“Her sudden disappearance was a campus calamity. After I met Mr. Krenner, I decided to try and find out what happened
to Melanie and began an inquiry. As I was dressing for your reception, I got news that she was afraid to face her parents and tried to commit suicide. No. No, not that,” she said when his bottom lip dropped and a frown darkened his face.

“Her girlfriends revived her and called her boyfriend, who was a senior medical student. He got medicine for her, rented a room off campus and kept her with him as his wife until he finished his internship at a local hospital the following year. I got the name of that doctor and used Russ’s computer to trace him. Since I found three doctors by that name, I was only about seventy-five percent sure I had the right one when I left here.”

“Was he the one? Did you see him?”

“Yes, and he took me home with him to talk with Melanie, his wife.”

He jumped up, picked her up and twirled around with her. “Honey, are you sure? Are you sure? Let’s…”

“Not so fast. I’m positive it was the Melanie Krenner I knew, because I ate dinner with them and talked with her. She looks the same, only more mature. She’s still scared of facing her family, but she promised me she would call her father, and her husband, Doctor Lawrence Duckwilder, gave me his word that he will bring her here. I believe he’ll do it. I liked him.”

“You mean you’re suggesting I shouldn’t call Allen and tell him. Are you serious?” he asked, his face shrouded in a look of incredulity.

“No, I’m not suggesting that. I was hoping she would call him. Anyway, I’ll give Mr. Krenner her address and phone number.”

Suddenly, Telford braced the back of his neck with his right hand, narrowed his left eye and stared down at her. “Why was it difficult for you to give me this good news?”

“It hasn’t sunk in yet, I guess. I thought you’d hold me accountable for not speaking up about my relationship with Melanie, that you’d accuse me for having flunked her. And I hadn’t told you that I have a master’s degree in health sciences
and taught at State U for two years before I married and another two years after my marriage broke up.”

When he started pacing the floor, she knew his mental wheels had begun turning, and that she was about to get the backlash she’d dreaded.

“Why did you leave there?”

“Beginning this year, all teachers in all departments must have a doctorate. That let me out.”

“And you don’t think that just knowing what happened to Melanie would have been some comfort to Allen?”

“I didn’t know any more than he did. What good would it have done to tell him she flunked out? I had no idea as to her whereabouts, only that the school couldn’t locate her.”

He threw up his hands. “Look, I don’t mean to give you the third degree. You’ve done something good, and you took a big chance on my understanding all this.”

“I didn’t think of it that way,” she said. “As soon as I got that information, I began the next step. I had to do what was right, even if it meant you’d send me away from here and I wouldn’t see you again. And believe me, that would have been a life sentence.”

Suddenly, he stopped in front of her and grinned. “Get your coat. We’re going to Allen’s house right now.”

“All right, but I’m drained. You tell them.” She looked at her watch. “It’s almost eleven o’clock.”