pulled back her shoulders, as if facing a firing squad. “Mr. Roth, we think he may have slipped out when one of the staff went out to her car to get something. It probably wasn’t intentional that he left. He saw the unlocked door and just walked through it. That’s all it would take.”
He looked stern. “I certainly hope you’re going to look at your procedures and tighten security in future.”
“I can assure you it won’t happen again, Mr. Roth.”
Cassandra watched the two of them measure each other, but she was more interested now in seeing her father. “Can I see him?”
Jane turned to her. “Of course, Mrs. Roth,” she said, back to normal. “The doctor’s already checked him over, and he’s fine. Please go inside.”
Cassandra’s heart filled with relief when she saw her father sitting on the chair in his room, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, a cup of tea by his side. The male nurse reassured them of the same thing, then left them alone.
“Oh, Dad,” she said, crouching down in front of him and taking hold of his hands. “You shouldn’t have left your room.”
Her father blinked. “Cassie?”
“Yes, Dad. It’s me.” She looked up at his beloved face. “Are you okay? Are you in pain anywhere?”
He shook his gray head, but his eyes were confused. “Should I be?”
Her spirits sank. “No, Dad.”
He looked behind her at the door. “Liam came to see me, too? And Nicole?”
She glanced behind her and saw Dominic cradling Nicole against his shoulder, watching them. “No, Dad. That’s not Liam. That’s Liam’s brother Dominic.”
Her father’s face turned mulish. “Good. I don’t like Liam.”
“Dad,” she scolded lightly, feeling herself flush.
Dominic moved forward with Nicole. “Hi, Joe. You’ve given Cassandra quite a scare.”
“I did? Why?”
Cassandra looked at Dominic with despair in her heart, then back at her father. “It’s okay, Dad. You’re fine now and that’s all that matters.” She kissed his cheek. “We’ll leave you to go to bed. You’ve had quite an evening. I’ll come see you in a few days, okay?”
They took their leave after that, with Jane promising to call if Joe developed any chest infections or illnesses from being outside in the night.
Dominic didn’t speak on the way home, but she had no doubt he would once they arrived there. Yet she still couldn’t tell him the full story about Liam paying her money to have his baby. Couldn’t even hint at it. She had to tread carefully.
So very carefully.
Once home he jerked his head toward the living room. “You go sit in there. I’ll put Nicole back to bed.”
She did what he said, and all too soon he was back.
He went straight to the bar. “Here. Drink this.” He handed her a glass, and she sipped the brandy. It burned going down her throat, steadying her nerves.
Then he sat down on the opposite chair and took a mouthful of his own drink before speaking. “Your father didn’t like Liam,” he stated, his voice neutral.
She didn’t expect that to be the first thing he’d say. “It’s amazing how Dad remembers something like that and not other things.”
“Did Liam ever visit him?”
She shook her head. “Liam was a sick man himself, remember?”
“I meant before either of them became ill.”
Did she shatter his belief about his brother?
“They met a couple of times.” She lifted one shoulder. “That’s life. Everyone’s busy.”
He drew his lips in thoughtfully. “I suspect he wouldn’t have gone to see Joe in hospital, anyway. He didn’t like to be around sick people.” He made a harsh sound. “Hell, he hated being sick himself.”
Her heart squeezed tight for a moment. “I know.” She remembered how he’d hated losing his hair during the treatment, and how he’d insisted on the artificial insemination rather than making love. She’d been grateful for the latter, not because of his illness, but because he’d already killed any love she had for him.
Dominic looked down into his glass; then his eyes lifted. “You didn’t really have any dental appointments, did you?”
Her throat went bone dry. “No.”
“You went to the nursing home?”
She nodded. “But I was still going to do volunteer work for them, as well.”
His eyes snagged hers. “Why, Cassandra? Why keep your father a secret from me?”
She took a shuddering breath. “Because Joe’s my father and he’s my responsibility.”
“You’re my wife. If you have any problems, you need to share them with me. I want to be able to help.”
Her heart turned over. “I appreciate that, but I’m used to doing things on my