Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

The second open day at the animal shelter was even busier than the first, Molly noted with satisfaction as she let yet another family go through to the viewing pens at the back of the building. The children were all having an especially good time with the smaller animals.

It was a little after eleven o'clock in the morning, and Molly hadn't phoned Rufus, as he'd requested, when she woke up. But neither had he called her, and he had to know that she was up and would have opened the animal shelter to visitors at ten o'clock this morning.

So far this weekend, Molly had received offers for the adoption of all the dogs and cats in their care, even the hamster, and she had the names of numerous people to contact when the kittens were old enough to leave their mother. By the end of today, they would have doubled or tripled those offers of adoption. Mia would have to vet and approve the successful family, of course, before any of the animals could be released. But Molly was confident that all the adoptions would be approved for them to go to one family or another.

There had also been numerous donations to the shelter, both cash and checks, which would help to keep the shelter open for several months without the assistance of Darius Kingston or Rufus Wynter.

As Molly had expected, there had been numerous people interested in adopting Angus, the friendly West Highland terrier, as he followed her about during the morning. Molly had dutifully taken their names and telephone numbers but warned them that she believed Angus already had a home.

With Rufus, not Molly.

Because Molly wouldn't have a permanent home she could take the little dog to after this weekend.

She had already packed most of her belongings before coming down to open the shelter for the day. Not that she had much. She never accumulated anything that wasn't essential, only the things she needed and could carry in the large rucksack on her back when she decided to move on.

Always when, never if.

She was?—

"Hello, Molly."

Molly's back straightened at the sound of the female voice, a voice she instantly recognized but couldn't believe she was hearing. For that reason, her head remained tilted downward as she looked at the ledger listing the names and telephone numbers of the visitors they'd had so far today.

She had to be hearing things!

She'd been under a lot of strain the past twenty-four hours. Even more so now, with her impending departure moving ever nearer.

When the voice didn't speak again Molly slowly lifted her head, only to immediately startle back in her chair as she took in the appearance of a woman standing beside the open door into the reception area.

She was tall and slender, her red hair swept up in a smooth chignon. It was impossible to accurately guess her age, the makeup perfect on her unblemished skin, a bright red lip gloss on her bee-stung lips. Her black business suit was beautifully tailored, the blouse beneath made of soft blue silk. She wore black high-heeled shoes that Molly guessed, taking in the rest of this woman's expensive appearance, would bear that distinctive red sole of the famous French designer.

Totally unsuitable clothing and shoes for visiting an animal shelter.

There was also a saying, something about "a person's eyes never lying," and right now, Molly knew, incredible as it might seem, that she was staring into the hard and calculating brown eyes of the woman she had once called Mother.

* * *

"Dad, I don't understand why you're here and not at the shelter with Molly after what you've just told us you and Linus have discovered about her mother." Mia looked agitated.

Rufus was here because he believed he owed it to Mia and Darius to explain what was going on with one of the employees at the animal shelter before he spoke directly to Molly about it.

Or, as was probably more accurate, he was just putting off the moment when he would have to hurt Molly with the new information he had concerning her mother and the lack of information on the brother she had asked him to find for her.

Either way, he had decided to come to Mia and Darius's apartment first.

The new parents were looking suitably shell-shocked from the no doubt numerous night feeds required to care for a newborn baby. Rufus remembered that time well! Zombielike didn't even begin to describe how he and Beth had felt during those first three months after Emily was born.

The only three months he'd enjoyed as her father until two years ago.

Lilybeth was currently asleep in the baby basket beside the couch, and Rufus felt a little guilty for interrupting what should have been a rest time for Mia and Darius too.

"Dad, you need to tell Molly all you've just told us, and you need to be there for her once you have," Mia gently interrupted his thoughts. "You said this Serena woman flew to England a couple of days ago. Do you think she has any idea where Molly now lives or works? That she might even try to see her?"

Rufus and Linus had asked themselves the same question earlier. Neither of them had an answer. Except that it seemed unlikely Serena would suddenly have an interest in knowing either of those things when she hadn't given a damn about her daughter for the past seventeen years.

All they knew with any certainty was that Serena Jenkins was currently somewhere in London. Or, at the very least, England. Because, while Linus hadn't been able to find any security footage of Serena booking into a hotel, he also hadn't found any of her exiting the country during the past two days.

The unease churning inside Rufus, since he'd learned that, had increased, not decreased.

"Do you want us to come with you?" Darius offered. "We have a couple of hours before Lilybeth needs feeding again. Molly might appreciate having another woman around when you tell her all this."

Rufus had instinctively liked his future son-in-law from the moment he first met him, and that liking had only deepened since Darius and Mia were married. Darius had a quiet strength and a total devotion to Mia, and now Lilybeth's happiness, that any father-in-law or grandfather would approve of.

But in this situation?

Where Molly was concerned, Rufus knew there would always be a but.

Rufus wanted to be the one who was there to comfort Molly if or when she became upset when she learned her mother was alive and well and currently in England.

He grimaced at his daughter and son-in-law. "I honestly think that the fewer people who are present when I give Molly the news about her mother, the better. She's such a private person. She rarely talks about her present, let alone her past. To finally know, without a doubt, that her mother chose to abandon her all those years ago is sure to seriously hurt her. Linus and I also have no information, as yet, on the whereabouts of the brother she asked me to find."

"I think Rufus is right, love," Darius murmured. "Remember what it was like when Nikolai dropped the bombshell, in front of members of my family, of how he had proved beyond a doubt Rufus was your father?"

"Dramatic bastard," Rufus muttered.

Mia chuckled before sobering. "Okay, I can understand Dad's caution." She looked at Rufus. "But you'll call us if you think we can be of any help whatsoever. To Molly or to you?"

The frown cleared from his brow as his tension eased a little. "I will."

She shook her head. "How could a mother do that to her child?" She glanced over to where Lilybeth slept in her basket. "Lilybeth is still only hours old, and I don't want to let her out of my sight, even for a moment. I now totally understand your utter devastation when you thought I had died in the car crash with Mama," she added, tears glistening in her eyes.

Rufus swallowed before giving a shaky smile. "And the total joy when I found you again."

"Yes." She gave a watery smile. "I can't even begin to imagine what could have prompted Sarah Harper to leave her ten-year-old daughter alone in their apartment. Especially when she knew she had no intention of ever coming back."

Neither could Rufus.

But he intended to find out.

After he had told Molly the devastating news that her mother was in London.

* * *

Molly hadn't been back from her early lunch break for longer than ten minutes, and was once again seated behind the reception desk with Angus lying beside her, when she looked out the window and saw Rufus parking his SUV in front of the building.

Tears instantly stung her eyes, and she quickly blinked them away to instead put a politely questioning expression on her face as she looked toward the door. She couldn't, she simply dare not, show an ounce of weakness to the man she had no doubt she was in love with, but whom she now knew she had to push out of her life.

Last night had been the most wonderful of Molly's life. Rufus had been so focused on her and her pleasure, and she had never felt so wanted and cared for. Maybe even loved, just a little?

However little or big the emotion Rufus felt toward her, it was destined to die a tragic death the instant he knew the truth about her.

The conversation with her mother, after Molly took that early lunch so they could go up to her apartment and talk privately, certainly hadn't been a joyful reunion between mother and daughter. Instead, it had consisted of threats on her mother's side, and reluctant acceptance of the validity of the outcome of those threats on Molly's.

That conversation was the reason Molly now knew she had to bring forward her plans to leave London. The sooner, the better, like as soon as she had locked up the shelter later this evening.

She also believed she should deliberately distance herself from Rufus in the letter she was going to leave for him and Mia. And in such a way she made sure he no longer wished to see her again, let alone make any effort to come looking for her.

It was the only acceptable outcome for both of them.

Even if it was the most heartbreaking for Molly.

She'd always known she would have to leave, but after her mother's visit, she had no other choice but to accept her time here was at an end.

The moment she saw the wariness in Rufus's expression as he entered the building, she knew that perhaps he had guessed at some of what she was going to say. Even if he didn't know the real reason she was going to say it.

Her emotions felt far too fragile to deal with this situation face-to-face.

But, it seemed, with Rufus's arrival, she had no choice but to do exactly that.

Angus, the traitor, immediately went to Rufus's side to be stroked and petted.

Molly wished she could do the same!

Instead, she forced herself to chuckle as she rose to her feet. "He definitely wants to be your dog," she said affectionately. "Don't look so worried, Rufus," she mocked when she saw his expression was still guarded. "This isn't the Regency era, and I don't have any family to insist you have to marry me because they think you've compromised my innocence."

He looked startled for a moment before that puzzlement was quickly replaced by a frown. "You didn't call me when you woke up."

Molly forced herself not to look surprised by the accusation in his tone. "I'm sure you had more important things to do this morning than talk to me. Just as I did," she added firmly when he would have spoken. "The shelter doesn't open itself, you know, and we're especially busy with Mia not being here."

Rufus studied her for several long seconds from between narrowed lids before slowly nodding. "I see how it's going to be."

"Do you?" she challenged.

"Oh yes," he confirmed irritably. "Unfortunately for you, I'm not so easily dismissed. Especially when there's something I urgently need to discuss with you in private," he added when she would have spoken.

She gave an exasperated snort. "I've just given you a way out of any awkwardness between us?—"

"And I heard you, loud and clear," he rasped.

"Then why don't you take the hint and leave me alone?" she snapped, inwardly hating herself, but knowing she had no choice. She had to push Rufus away. She had to.

He sighed. "This isn't about us, Molly."

"Because there is no us ," she scorned in a hard voice. "I'm going to be leaving here soon, and with that in mind, I now think it best if we don't start something we can't finish."

"A little late for that, isn't it?"

"Better late than never," she replied chirpily.

"You're leaving soon, hm?" he repeated dryly. "A sudden decision, was it?"

"Not at all." She kept her chin high. "If you know my work record, and I know you do, then you'll realize that it's simply time for me to move on."

"Hm," he murmured, his eyes narrowed. "Have you had any interesting visitors this morning?"

Molly turned away from that piercing gaze. "We've had lots of visitors. I think most of the dogs will have new owners, the hamster too, and the cats and kittens have multiple people wanting them." She knew she was rambling, but there was something odd about the way Rufus continued looking at her. As if he knew… "I kept Angus back for you as you said you might want to take him," she added with feigned brightness.

"Thank you. I've decided I will be adopting him." He touched the top of the dog's head as Angus still sat beside him, doggy tongue hanging out as he gazed up at Rufus adoringly.

Molly wished she could do the same.

Maybe not so much with her tongue hanging out, but she certainly wished she didn't have to wrap this armor of coldness about her emotions in order to successfully push Rufus away.

"When I said interesting visitors," Rufus continued. "I wasn't referring to people wanting to adopt the animals," he encouraged.

Molly's heart started pounding so loudly against her rib cage, she was sure Rufus must be able to hear it. "What other visitors could there be?"

He stepped closer to the desk, still keeping her pinned in place with the intensity of his gaze. "I can detect the scent of a heavy and very expensive perfume in the room. One that should be worn by an older woman, and one I know you wouldn't wear even if someone gave you a bottle of it."

"Are you calling me cheap?" she teased.

"Drop the mask, Molly." His tone had softened to gentle reproval. "And tell me who else visited here this morning."

"I—"

"More precisely," he cut in. "Who visited you specifically this morning?"