Lone Star Millionaire Read Free Page B

“Otherwise— Sabrina, what’s wrong?”
    She’d gone pale. She didn’t have much color in her face, anyway, but the little that was there had drained away, leaving her ashen.
    â€œIs it Tracey?” he asked, knowing his older sister was usually responsible for any trauma in his life.
    â€œNo. It’s your lawyer.” She motioned to the phone. “You’d better talk to him.”
    Before he could ask her anything else, she rose and crossed the room, then let herself out. Cal frowned. He couldn’t think of a single thing he and his lawyer had to discuss that would require privacy. Sabrina knew almost all of his secrets. It was part of her job.
    â€œJack,” he said, when he’d picked up the receiver and released the hold button. “What’s going on?”
    â€œAre you sitting down, Cal?”
    He didn’t like the sound of that. “Get to the point, Jack. Whatever you said chased Sabrina from the room, and she’s pretty unflappable.”
    â€œOkay. Do you remember a woman named Janice Thomas? You had a relationship with her back in college.”
    Cal frowned as the memory fell into place. “That was about twelve or thirteen years ago. Between college and grad school. We went out for a summer. What does that have to do with anything?”
    â€œIt seems she had a baby. A daughter. From what I’ve found out, when she discovered she was pregnant, she approached your parents. She wasn’t interested in marriage as much as money. They agreed on a very tidy sum with the understanding that you would never know about the child. Unfortunately, Janice died in childbirth. The baby was given up for adoption. Her adoptive parents were killed in a car accident nearly a year ago. She’s been living with an aunt in Ohio, an older lady who no longer wants responsibility for the girl. That’s why I’m calling. I thought you’d want toknow. If you don’t take the girl, the aunt is going to make her a ward of the court.”
    Cal knew intellectually there weren’t any fault lines in Houston, so the sudden tilting he felt couldn’t be an earthquake. But that’s how it seemed. As if his whole world had just been jolted from its axis.
    â€œCal, are you still there?” his attorney asked. “Did you hear me? You’ve got a twelve-year-old daughter.”
    A daughter? From Janice? The enormity of the information stunned him. Nothing made sense. A child? Him? No wonder Sabrina had left the room.
    â€œI heard you, Jack.” He’d heard, although he didn’t have a damn clue as to what he was going to do now.

Chapter 2
    â€œI don’t know what to say,” Cal told his attorney. He turned in his chair so he was facing the window, but he didn’t even see the view. Instead, images of Janice filled his mind. He remembered her as being of average height and pretty. They’d met while interning for the same oil-and-gas firm one summer. “Are you sure about this? Why didn’t she tell me she was pregnant?”
    â€œLike I said, she was after money, not matrimony. I guess she knew about the trouble your parents had with Tracey and figured they would be willing to pay her off. One of the retired partners here at the firm prepared the paperwork, Cal. I’ve seen it. In fact, telling you this raises some issues regarding attorney-client privileges within the firm. But this is important enough that I’m willing to deal with any backlash. Janice was offered a sizable amount to keep quiet and stay away from you. If she hadn’t died unexpectedly, she wouldn’t have had to work again for life.”
    Nothing made sense. Cal tried to pick a rooftop outside and focus on it, but the task was too difficult. Janice had gotten pregnant? She’d gone to his parents instead of him? She hadn’t wanted to get married, she’d just wanted the money?
    â€œI don’t want to believe any of