The Marine's Secret Daughter. Carrie Nichols

       Chapter Two

      “Meg gave her permission for him to be here,” Jan said into the silence.

      Meg rubbed her nose and avoided eye contact with Riley, but sneaked a look at his arms folded over his well-defined chest. And yes, she knew that chest was rock-hard from when he’d caught her on the stairs.

      Good grief, what was she thinking, and more to the point, why was he back here after all this time? Just her luck to have an asthma attack in the middle of cleaning up the place for—of all people—Riley. Why had she let him talk her into coming to the ER? And why had she assumed the mold in that basement had been cleaned up in the first place? If she’d known how bad it was, she would’ve refused the job. Or at least refilled the inhaler before going.

      She needed to be paying attention to the doctor, but Riley’s looming presence dwarfed everyone and everything else. Well, he couldn’t overwhelm her now. His surprise appearance at the cottage had flustered her and thrown her back into the old habit of thinking he hung the moon. That’s the explanation she had for letting him bully her into coming to the hospital. But she was an adult with a good life in Loon Lake and was working hard to provide Fiona with the security every child deserved. Riley might be sexier than ever, but she couldn’t let him in. Not after he’d made it plain his presence was temporary. She had to assume the marines were still his passion, his first choice. He’d shattered her heart and she wouldn’t allow him to do that to Fiona. Meg’s job as Fiona’s mom was not only to provide but also to protect.

      And yet, hadn’t she hurt Fiona by keeping her existence a secret from Riley? Hiding a child wasn’t pay back, no matter what Riley had done. Fiona had every right to know her father, and vice versa. He’d ignored her letters, but she’d planned on swallowing her pride and doing what was necessary to contact him...right up until the day that manila envelope had arrived. In it were her letters to him. He’d returned every damn one—unopened.

      “Let’s adjust this a bit,” Jan muttered as she fiddled with the oxygen mask.

      The movement, as much as the increased oxygen, jerked Meg back to the present.

      The doctor scribbled a note and spoke to the nurse. “We need to see about getting Meghan a room for the night.”

      Wait, what? A room? As in hospitalized overnight? No, no, no. With her high deductible insurance plan, she’d be in debt until Fiona left for college—longer. Meg sat straighter and tugged the mask down. “No. I can’t stay over—”

      “You need this.” Riley settled the mask firmly back in place.

      She tried to slap his hand away, but he wouldn’t budge.

      The doctor cleared his throat. “It’s a precaution. I don’t think you should be alone tonight, Meghan.”

      Riley released his hold on the mask. “I’ll stay with her.”

      Meg shook her head. Fiona’s presence covered every inch of their home. She couldn’t deal with this tonight. The asthma treatments would leave her jittery and grouchy. Her dream of slinky dresses and killer heels might be dead, but she still needed some type of armor when she dealt with Riley.

      “According to this, you were doing laundry when the attack occurred.” The doctor frowned. “I see mold is one of your triggers, so I assume there’s mold at your place?”

      She groaned inwardly. If she said yes, the doctor would want her to stay in the hospital. If she said no, Riley would insist on staying at her place. It was a no-win situation. Maybe being in debt for the rest of her life wouldn’t be so bad. Ramen noodles weren’t the worst things in the world.

      “My cottage is next to hers and it’s my understanding, sir, both basements flooded.” Riley laid his hand on her shoulder.

      Meg tried to shrug it off and failed. The warmth of his fingers was scrambling her brain because she had an urge to lean into his strength. She was doing fine on her own. With her graduation from college this semester and her successful completion of student teaching last semester, she’d sent the letter of disposition required for teacher certification. Once she received certification, she could pursue a full-time position. No more cleaning cottages to pick up extra cash between subbing jobs. Sure, she’d had some setbacks with her unreliable car and the flooded basement, but nothing she couldn’t handle, and she’d already applied for a fall teaching job. Speed bumps were a part of life, but the bag with bottles of whiskey on Riley’s porch could signal more than a bump in the road for Fiona. He hadn’t been a drinker before he left so Meg had been surprised by the alcohol, but that proved she didn’t know Riley anymore and her job was to protect her daughter.

      The doctor removed his glasses and slipped them in his shirt pocket. “Under normal circumstances, having some mold in the cellar wouldn’t put you in undue stress, but a second response to the same trigger would be twice as bad.”

      “I’m taking her to a motel for tonight.” Riley squeezed her shoulder. “And I’ll be sure her basement gets cleaned up.”

      “Sounds good.” The doctor stood and pushed the stool back. He shook Riley’s hand and patted Meg’s leg. “I’ll discharge you if you stay away from any triggers at least for tonight and use your nebulizer every four hours. Don’t hesitate to return if your condition worsens during the night. And be sure to fill your inhaler prescription.”

      Meg sputtered. What made Riley think he could show up and take over? She was capable of taking care of her daughter, herself and her home, thank you very much. After her ma had died, she’d discovered a strength she hadn’t known she possessed. She’d taken care of everything after her father and brother fell apart, and she’d been barely out of her teens, all the while caring for an infant and working to finish college. She’d been handling things for a long time now and she’d—

      “Keep that oxygen on while I go to see about your paperwork,” Jan said and sneaked a glance at Riley before sweeping past the curtain, her sneakers squeaking on the polished floor.

      Just like that it was a done deal. Meg made a grab for the mask, but Riley stopped her. “What part of keep this on did you not understand?”

      Fine. She’d talk through the stupid mask. “You don’t have to go to any trouble. I can take care of myself and see that my basement is cleaned up.”

      He bent over her, one hand resting next to her head, the other near her hip. “Tonight I issue orders. You follow them.”

      Before she could form a protest, he leaned closer. Dear Lord, was he going to kiss her? Her heart beat erratically and her eyes closed, as if she’d lost control of them. His firm lips touched her forehead. What did he think he was doing? How dare he! How...how... Her protests went unspoken as she tried to process his actions. Riley had kissed her. A peck on her forehead, but she’d liked it. Oh, God, she’d liked it. She had plans and Riley Cooper was not part of those. At one time he had been, but then she’d tried to tell him about Fiona and he hadn’t bothered to open, let alone read, her letters. But what about those dreams of finding someone to share all of life’s ups