“What changed your mind?” Jabe asked.
“I wanted to be sure this was Chase’s decision and not yours,” she said truthfully. Well, as truthfully as she could, all things considered.
“I see. You think I have that kind of control over my son?”
“I don’t know,” she replied. After meeting Chase, Marni wondered just how much control anyone could wield over the man. “Do you?”
He shook his head ruefully. “Chase is his own man, I assure you. But I know my son. If you’re carrying his child, he’ll accept responsibility.”
She wished she was as convinced of that as he seemed to be. Could Elise have been wrong about Jabe Calloway? Could he be an ally rather than the diabolical family patriarch? That would mean, though, that Chase was the louse Marni suspected he was. In her heart of hearts, she’d hoped there would be a good explanation for Chase’s denial of Elise and her baby. Marni was a sucker for happy endings.
“When I called yesterday, Chase pretended not to know me and told me not to call again,” Marni said. “That doesn’t sound like a man who accepts responsibility.”
“That doesn’t sound like Chase.” He frowned as he studied Marni openly. “I’m sure you’re aware that Chase has had some…problems since the accident”
Accident? “When he broke his leg,” Marni said with a silent groan as she realized her mistake. She should have shown more concern for his injury or at least asked about it. Elise would have. “It looks like he’s getting around fine now. Did he break it skiing?”
“You haven’t heard then?” Jabe asked, sounding surprised. “I just assumed that you had and that was why you were here.”
He made her feel guilty. And that made her mad. “I would have sent a card, but Chase wasn’t even taking my calls.”
“That was my fault,” Jabe said. “I was the one who told Hilda to turn away your calls. I was afraid you were trying to take advantage of my son because of his injury.”
“Take advantage of his broken leg?” she asked.
“You don’t know about Chase’s memory loss?”
Memory loss?
“Chase suffered some temporary memory loss because of the accident.”
“I’m sorry, what accident was this?” she asked, wondering if he really believed she was buying the memory loss.
“A hit-and-run driver,” Jabe said. “Chase saved my life.”
Marni felt a good shot of repentance. Chase had been injured saving his father’s life and she’d thought Jabe was lying about Chase’s memory loss.
“Right after the accident, he couldn’t even remember his sisters-in-law,” Jabe said. “Now it’s just gaps in his memory, he says.”
Wait a minute. What was he saying? “You think El—I might be a…gap…in his memory?” she asked incredulously. Wasn’t that a bit too convenient?
“Fortunately, his memory seems to be coming back. What do you do in Bozeman?” Jabe asked, changing the subject.
Without thinking, she said, “I own a boutique. With my sister.”
“Really? Is it profitable?”
Oh, so he thought she’d gotten herself pregnant to get the Calloway money. “Very,” she said, then reminded herself she was supposed to be Elise, and added, “My sister runs the shop. I’m a theater stage designer.”
“Very enterprising,” Jabe said, eyeing her even more closely. “You build sets locally?”
“I just returned from a theater tour in London,” she said smugly, proud of her sister’s talents and her success, completely forgetting she was suppose to be El. “I’m not after your money, Mr. Calloway. I am more than capable financially of raising this child alone if that becomes necessary. I came here to give your son one last chance to decide whether or not he wants to be part of this baby’s life. It would appear, he’s already made his decision.”
Jabe Calloway seemed to flinch at her candor. His blue eyes took on a remote look. His face contracted in pain. For a moment, she thought he might be ill.
“Are you all right?” Marni asked in concern.
He blinked at her as if he’d forgotten she was there, took a bottle of prescription pills from his pocket, popped two in his mouth and washed them down with a glass of water on the table next to him.
“I’m fine. Just allergies. What did Chase tell you about my relationship with him?”
Another test? Marni met his gaze, wishing he hadn’t asked. “I know the two of you have never gotten along.”
“Did he tell you why?”
Marni looked at the older man, sensing something far more complex than what Elise had told her about Chase and his father. “He said you were a hard, uncompromising man who cared more about money than people and that you use your money to extract a high price from your sons.” She could see that the words hurt him, but also that they must have rung true. “I’m sorry.”
Jabe Calloway looked away for a moment and when he turned his gaze back to Marni’s, his blue eyes glistened. “Do you love my son, Ms. McCumber?”
“Very much,” she said, remembering the look on El’s face when she’d talked about Chase. “And I believed he loved me.”
Jabe nodded slowly, and with a visible effort pushed himself to his feet. “You will join us for dinner.”
“Thank you, but I have to get back—”
“I insist,” he said, cutting her off. He must have seen the look in her eye. He quickly softened his tone. “If you would be my guest for dinner, I’ll arrange for you to have a chance to speak with my son again without any interruptions.”
“I can’t see that it would do any good,’ Marni said, sounding as discouraged as she felt.
“You might be surprised,’ Jabe said. “My son is a reasonable man. Right now he’s extremely frustrated by his immobility and his inability to remember everything. He hates being cooped up. Especially here.”
“All right.” What could one dinner hurt? She owed it to El to at least give Chase a chance.
Marni worked her body out of the couch’s soft cushion and let Jabe usher her to the family dining room.
“Set another place,” Jabe ordered as he swept Marni into the room. “Next to me. Elise McCumber will be our dinner guest.”
Marni figured the latter part was addressed to the family now seated around the huge slab of an oak table. While they might not have a choice, they didn’t pretend to be happy about it. Especially Chase. He met her gaze with an irate scowl. Marni got the impression he would have gotten up and left, but someone had moved his crutches out of
