Daniel's Desire - By Sherryl Woods Page 0,13
small town of Widow’s Cove. She’d insisted that Patrick keep the details from his wife. After all, it had happened long before he and Alice had even met.
“You can’t unring that bell,” Alice said forcefully. “I’m your best friend, or at least I like to think I’ve become your best friend since I came back to Widow’s Cove and married Patrick. You can tell me what happened.”
Molly shook her head. “I don’t like talking about what an idiot I was.”
“You could never be an idiot,” Alice said fiercely. “Come on, Molly. Spill it. You’ll feel better if you talk it out. I don’t imagine Patrick’s all that good at listening. His strong suit would be threatening to knock his brother’s teeth down his throat for hurting you.”
Molly grinned. “He did offer once or twice. I turned him down, something I sincerely regret at the moment.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have. Maybe you’d both have felt better if Patrick had taken some action.”
Molly stared at her in shock. “You’re advocating I let the two of them brawl?”
“It might have helped them get back together if they’d worked off some of the anger that’s been between them for the past few years,” Alice said. She waved off the suggestion. “But they’re not the point. You are. Tell me what happened between you and Daniel, Molly. I haven’t pressed you on this before, but I think it’s time you told me.”
Molly sighed, thinking back to her first big mistake. “I thought Daniel loved me.”
“That’s not so awful,” Alice said. “Are you so sure he didn’t?”
Molly weighed her options and concluded that she could use the advice of a woman who’d had her own struggles with a Devaney man and that complicated family history before finally winning Patrick’s heart.
“Okay, here it is in a nutshell,” she said at last. “You know that Daniel and I were together for a while.”
“I gathered that, yes. And I know it ended badly. You’ve made no secret of that.”
Molly drew in a deep breath, then summed up what had happened in as few words as possible. “It ended because he went ballistic when I told him I was pregnant. The same night we argued, I had a miscarriage and lost the baby.”
Tears promptly filled Alice’s eyes. “Oh, sweetie, I am so sorry. You must have been devastated.”
“I survived,” Molly said grimly. “But I won’t let him take Kendra away from me, not unless we know for a fact that it’s the best thing for her. The kid is hurting. It’s not that I intend to keep her for myself, for heaven’s sake, but I do want to know why she left home before I send her back to the same situation she ran away from.”
“Don’t confuse giving up Kendra with losing your baby,” Alice said gently. “The two things are not the same at all.”
“Maybe not. I just know that Daniel’s involved in both of them,” Molly replied stubbornly.
“Okay, what can I do to help?”
Molly forced a smile. “Nothing that I can think of, unless you want to stand guard at the front door and keep him out of here.”
“I doubt I’m much of a match for Daniel,” Alice said. “Anything else?”
“No, and don’t worry about it. I’ll handle Daniel.”
“You wouldn’t have to handle him if you’d just do as he’s asking and let him see Kendra. I’m sure the three of you could work this out.”
Molly knew it was a reasonable suggestion, but if she was afraid of risking it, how could she convince Kendra to trust Daniel? “I’ll try to persuade her to talk to him,” Molly finally conceded, not even trying to hide her reluctance. “But I won’t force her to do it.”
“Not good enough,” Alice said. “She’s thirteen. That’s too young to be making the kind of decisions that could affect the rest of her life. You’re the adult. You need to be smart about this, for her sake and your own.”
It was good advice and Molly knew it. In fact, when Alice had gone and Kendra emerged from the kitchen, Molly led her directly upstairs where they could have some privacy.
“Stay put,” she ordered. “You and I need to talk as soon as I serve another round of drinks.”
Kendra’s eyes widened with alarm. “Am I in trouble? What did that guy say to you? I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m not wanted for anything. I didn’t knock over some convenience store. I never even shopifted a candy bar. I swear it.”
Molly’s heart promptly melted at