The Daddy Secret

She had to be talking about Lucas. And the fact that she’d picked up on their resemblance probably required a response, but Rick wasn’t sure what to say, so he let it slide. “Is he with Alice Reilly?”

“No, he’s alone. He rode his bicycle and left it outside. He asked if I thought it would be safe out there. He’s afraid someone might steal it.”

“That’s because he used to live in a big city.” Rick set the paper aside and stood. Then he made his way to the front of the office, where the boy stood near the fish tank.

When Lucas heard the adults approach, he turned and blessed Rick with a bright-eyed smile. “Hey, Dr. Martinez. I was just checking out the neighborhood and stopped to say hi.”

Kara, who’d followed Rick and was leaning against the doorjamb, looked first at Lucas, then at Rick, and back to the boy. She smiled before returning to her desk and whispered, “Amazing.”

Rick was definitely going to have to address the issue of his resemblance to Lucas with Kara one of these days, but not now. Not in front of the boy. And not until the week was up and he and Mallory had settled things.

“I also wanted to tell you my good idea,” Lucas said.

“Oh, yeah? What’s that?”

“When it’s summer, and lots of kids get jobs, I thought it would be cool if I worked for you. And I know just the thing I could do.”

Rick couldn’t help but smile at his spunk, but hiring him was out of the question. Even if there weren’t state laws about child labor Rick had to comply with, the clinic could get busy at times. And he couldn’t have a nine-year-old boy underfoot. “I’m afraid I don’t need any office help right now.”

“I wasn’t talking about working in the office,” Lucas said. “You could hire me to play with Buddy every day. That way, I could make sure he wouldn’t jump out of the fence, and you wouldn’t have to keep him locked in the small cage. What do you think?”

The idea was pretty wild, but Rick had to give the kid credit for ingenuity. He’d figured out a way to spend time with Buddy every day once summer rolled around.

“Actually,” Lucas said, “you wouldn’t even have to pay me, but if it was a real job, my mom would probably let me do it.”

So, he was cunning, too. He’d figured out how to get his mother’s approval at the same 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.