The Daddy Secret. Judy Duarte

time.

      Mallory was going to have her hands full with him when he became a teenager. He was already trying to outsmart her.

      “So what do you say?” the boy asked.

      “Let me think about it, okay?” Rick would have to talk it over with Mallory, who might not think it was a very good idea—with or without a wage being attached.

      “Would it be okay if I played with Buddy now?” Lucas asked. “You wouldn’t have to pay me. I’d do it for free.”

      Did Mallory realize how badly the boy wanted a pet? Probably not. Should Rick go to bat for him?

      Just how involved did he want to get?

      He hadn’t decided yet, but since there wasn’t anything going on this afternoon, he didn’t suppose it would hurt to let him spend some time with the dog.

      “Sure,” Rick said. “Let’s go play with Buddy.”

      Twenty minutes later, while Buddy chased Lucas around the fenced yard in back, Rick fed and cared for the other rescue animals—three cats, a rabbit, a Nubian goat and a dun gelding. Yet he couldn’t keep from watching his son. It was heartwarming to see Lucas so happy, so carefree.

      Too bad Mallory couldn’t see him and Buddy together. Maybe she’d consider giving the dog a home. Of course, she and Buddy hadn’t gotten off on the right foot—or rather paw. And there’d definitely be a need for some obedience classes.

      “Dr. Martinez?” Kara called from the back door of the clinic. “It’s nearly five, so I’m going to start locking up.”

      “Thank you, Kara. Have a good weekend.”

      “You, too.”

      Rick turned his attention back to Lucas. It was still hard to wrap his mind around the fact that he and Mallory had conceived a child, but this particular boy, with his ingenuity, his heart for animals and all the other things Rick had yet to uncover about him, intrigued him.

      To quote Kara, it was truly amazing.

      When Lucas ran up, with Buddy on his heels, he had to stop and catch his breath before he could speak. “Did you think about it yet? Would it be okay if I came and played with Buddy?”

      “We’ll have to talk to your mom about that,” Rick said.

      “I don’t think she’ll care, especially when Brian gets here.”

      “Brian?”

      “Her boyfriend.”

      Rick had made a lot of assumptions about Mallory, all because she’d never told him much about where she’d been and what she’d done after she’d left Brighton Valley. But never once had she hinted at the fact that she had a man in her life. Not that the information was pertinent to their son, but...

      Well, for some crazy reason, it felt pertinent to Rick.

      “Where does Brian live?” he asked.

      “In Boston. But he’s going to move to Brighton Valley.”

      That was a pretty big move for a couple who were just dating. The relationship sounded serious.

      “Do you like Brian?” Rick asked.

      “He’s okay, but he’s kind of a nerd. Know what I mean?”

      “Why do you say that?”

      “Because he doesn’t like sports or anything fun. He’s not like my dad.” Lucas paused, then glanced down at his feet. When he looked up, he swiped at his watery eyes with the back of his hand.

      Aw, man. Rick didn’t know what to say, what to do.

      “My mom died, too,” Lucas added. “And sometimes it’s really hard. Mallory tries, but she’s not...” He stopped, bit down on his lip. “Well, she is, but... It’s hard to explain.”

      “Listen, Lucas. Mallory told me about Sue and Gary Dunlop. And they were your real parents. Don’t ever forget that. They loved you and chose to be your mom and dad. They stepped in when your birth parents weren’t able to.”

      Rick could have said something then about being his birth father and could have used the opportunity to explain, but he’d promised Mallory he’d wait, and he’d honor that.

      He knew he wasn’t very good at this sort of thing, but for some reason, he wanted to go to bat for Mallory. And he figured he could do that by saying what he imagined she’d say if she were here with them.

      “Mallory loves you, too, Lucas. More than you’ll ever know. And the hardest thing she ever had to do was to give you up when she did. But she chose the very best parents in the world for you. And I think she did an excellent job, don’t you?”

      Lucas sniffled and nodded.

      “Mallory is able to be your mom now. And she’ll be there for you always. I know it’s not the same as it used to be, but in time, I think you’ll see that your life will be just as good as it was—only in a different way.”

      “That’s what Mallory said.” Lucas sniffled again. “And I love her, too. It’s just that...well, you know.”

      “Yeah, I do know.” And while Rick really didn’t, not exactly, he had a pretty good idea.

      He also did know something else. Mallory had been right. Lucas had been through a lot recently. And while it might not be fair to dump too much of the past on him right now—like a living, breathing birth father—maybe it wasn’t fair to throw a potential stepfather at him, either.

      The two of them sat like that for a while, lost in their thoughts, lost in their memories and what-ifs.

      Rick wished he could tell Lucas who he really was and that he’d be there for him, too. Maybe not as a real dad or as Mallory’s husband, but he could be a substitute for Gary Dunlop.

      In fact, the more he thought about being a substitute, the more he liked it.

      That way, there wouldn’t be the same expectations. And if he screwed up, maybe it wouldn’t matter so much.

      * * *

      Rick had no idea where the time had gone, but at a quarter to six, Lucas suddenly realized he was in “big trouble” and had to hurry home. Apparently, Mallory had only given Lucas permission to ride his bike for a few minutes—and to stay “close to the house.”

      For some reason, Rick felt a little guilty, too, although he wasn’t sure why.

      As a kid, he’d never had any kind of curfew. He’d just gone home whenever he’d felt like it. In fact, sometimes it had been in his best interest to arrive after his old man—and later, his uncle—had gone to bed.

      But he could certainly understand why Lucas wouldn’t want to get into trouble. When Rick and Mallory had been dating, he’d wanted her to see his good side, too. And he’d never wanted to disappoint her.

      If he knew her phone number he’d call. He could probably get it from Lucas, but her house was just a few blocks away. So thinking that it might help Lucas if he put in a good word in for him, Rick placed the boy’s bike in the back of his pickup, then drove him home.

      They’d no more than parked along the curb in front of Mallory’s house when she rushed out onto the porch to meet them. She was wearing a pair of black slacks, a green blouse and a frantic expression.

      “Where have you been?” she asked Lucas. “I’ve been worried sick and looking all over for you.”

      “I’m sorry. I went to see Dr. Martinez at the clinic, and we just... Well, I didn’t know how late it was.”

      Mallory, her hands splayed on her hips, shot an angry glare at Rick. “Why didn’t you call and let me know where he was?”

      Rick’s first impulse was to blame Lucas for not mentioning that he had