she said fervently. “No matter what! I promise!”
* * *
But life has twists and turns, and fate isn’t always kind. Or so it seemed. A few days after Esther had been to the doctor for a blood test and had her pregnancy confirmed, a tall, dignified man in a very expensive suit, with a silver-topped cane, walked into the Gray Dove and asked if a woman named Esther Marist worked there.
Esther was called out of the kitchen, where she’d been helping the cook clean up a minor disaster on the grill.
She stared at the old man, frowning curiously. He seemed to be doing the same, his face bland and his blue eyes blazing. For a few seconds, she was afraid he was one of Darrin’s friends.
“I’m Esther,” she said hesitantly.
The old man let out a sigh. He moved closer. “Yes, you look like your mother.” His blue eyes filmed for just a few seconds and he looked away, clearing his throat. “I don’t suppose she spoke of me.”
“I’m sorry, sir, but who are you?” Esther asked.
He turned back to her. “I’m Blalock Cranston. Your mother’s father. Your grandfather.”
She bit her lower lip. She’d thought her whole family was dead, that she had nobody left. And here was the grandfather she’d never known. Tears bled from her eyes.
The old man moved closer, hesitantly, just as Esther flung herself into his arms and bawled.
Luckily, it was midmorning, and only a couple of cowboys were in the restaurant. But Esther wouldn’t have cared if it had been full. She’d never been so happy, not since she’d married Butch.
“My girl,” the old man choked. “I’m so happy . . . to have found you, at last. Some attorney from here called me. I was on my estate in Jamaica. I had my pilot fly me right over. Damned hard, finding this little town on any map, but the driver I hired seemed to know right where it was.” He drew away. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea what sort of trouble your mother was in. We lost touch many years ago.” He grimaced. “I didn’t know your father, Esther. If I had, well, a lot of misery could have been avoided. I found out many things about his life, after he was gone. He must have been a fine man. The fact that he didn’t come from a founding family shouldn’t have mattered. Not at all.”
She managed a smile. “He was a wonderful father. I mourned him. I still do.” She looked up at the old man. “I’m married, you know. He isn’t from a founding family, either, but he’s a good and kind man and he loves animals.”
He smiled back. “And that’s not a bad reference.”
“He loves children, too, which is a good thing.” Her hand flattened against her stomach. “Because we’re pregnant. We only found out for certain a couple of days ago.” She laughed. “So you’ll be a great-grandfather!”
He didn’t look displeased at all. He patted her on the shoulder. “I’ll try to be a better grandfather than I was a father,” he promised. “I’d love to meet your husband.”
“He comes in for lunch,” she said, “every day.”
“Then I’ll be back for lunch. We have many things to talk about.” He leaned down so that they couldn’t be overheard. “Your mother’s murderer is in a passel of trouble, and his friends have all deserted him. So the lawyers think he’s without means to pursue that will your mother left you.”
“Oh, I hope so,” she said fervently. “If they came after me, they might hurt Butch. He’s a war veteran,” she added quietly. “He lost an arm overseas, but it doesn’t even slow him down. He’s a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.”
“A brave man,” he replied. “I served in Vietnam. Seems like a hundred years ago,” he added, and there was a bleakness about his expression. “So. I’ll see you both at lunchtime!”
She grinned. “That’s a date!”
The owner of the café and the cook and the other waitress gathered around her excitedly when the old man left to climb into a stretch limousine that was parked at the curb.
“Who is he?!” they exclaimed.
“My grandfather!” Esther told them. “I thought he was dead. I didn’t even know who he was! It’s just so exciting!”
They all laughed. “Well, he seems to be a gentleman of property, if that’s the right phrase,” the owner teased.
Esther hesitated. “He has an estate in Jamaica, and I believe he’s very wealthy. Oh, dear, what am I going to tell