“Yes, honey.”

Christie took a deep breath and let it out all at once, curling up her lower lip so the air rushed up her face and lifted her bangs. She giggled as the delicate hairs danced before settling back on her forehead.

“But he didn’t know he was my daddy before you told him today.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because Stacey didn’t tell him about you.”

“And you didn’t know about him?”

“Right.”

“Couldn’t he see me when I was in her tummy?”

“Stacey left his house before you were big enough to see.”

“How did I get in her tummy?”

Erin gripped the steering wheel tightly and resisted the urge to groan. As if there wasn’t enough going on, now Christie wanted to talk about where babies came from.

“Oh, look, you can see the ocean,” she said enthusiastically, trying to distract Christie.

It worked. The four-year-old peered over the dashboard and grinned. “It’s blue and goes forever. Does the ocean end?”

“The water doesn’t stop in one place and start in another, but it gets a new name.”

Christie glanced up at her and wrinkled her nose. “The water has a name?”

“Uh-huh. It’s the Pacific Ocean.”

Christie mulled that over for a minute. Erin gave her a quick look. Her daughter had been asking questions from the moment she learned how to string words together. Her adventurous spirit was pure Stacey. Erin liked to think that Christie had gotten her quick intelligence from their side of the family as well, but after researching Parker Hamilton, she had to admit he probably had something to do with that.

He’d also given his daughter several of her physical characteristics, including the shape of her mouth and her smile. But her dimples were a Ridgeway legacy. Erin thought she and Christie moved the same way, and her daughter had the same habit of tilting her head to one side. Of course those traits could have been learned, not inherited.

The road narrowed and Erin concentrated on her driving. Parker Hamilton lived several miles outside of town. The turnoff for the private road was sudden and not well marked. From there she had a two-mile drive to the house itself. She wouldn’t want to try to find it in the dark, or during a storm. At first she’d wondered why anyone would live in such isolation, but after seeing the house, she knew why.

Hawkin’s Point was the most beautiful place she’d ever seen. The old-fashioned three-story home rose out of the grass, trees and bright flowers as if it were a magical castle. Peaked roofs topped wide windows and long balconies. The wooden structure blended with the environment, yet had enough fantasy in its design that her first thought had been she could blink and it would be gone.

Stacey had mentioned falling in love with the house in her diary and Erin understood completely. Hawkin’s Point was the kind of place the sisters had dreamed of when they’d been young and were shuffled back and forth between relatives.

“Does my daddy have other little girls?” Christie asked.

The question startled Erin. “I don’t know. I didn’t ask.” She thought for a moment. She didn’t remember seeing any toys around.

She knew he wasn’t married. As soon as she’d found his name in Stacey’s diary, she’d started investigating Parker Hamilton. He’d been a big shot in the computer world and the magazine article index in the library had given her a place to begin. She’d read about the start-up of his company while he was still in college. She knew about his rise to the top of his field, that he’d sold his company for a huge but undisclosed sum and that he continued to work on software.

The personal information had been scant, but she’d picked up the essentials. He was a widower and, as of the last article written about three months before, he’d never remarried. But no one had said anything about children.

Up ahead was the turnoff. Erin put on her signal and slowed the car. There wasn’t much traffic up here. When she’d checked to make sure the way was clear, she turned onto the private road and started down the long paved driveway. The car windows were already rolled down. She inhaled deeply and caught the scent of salt air.

“Can you smell the ocean?” she asked.

Christie took a breath, then giggled. “What does it smell like?”

“Salt, sunshine.”

“You can’t smell sunshine.”

“Sure you can.”

Christie looked skeptical. “It’s nice here,” she said. “At home it’s so hot.”

“You’re right. It’s probably going to be over a hundred back there.”

“Two hundred!” Christie said and bounced in her seat. She quieted quickly and smoothed the seat belt over her chest. “My daddy lives far from me.”

“Yes, he does.”

Erin wondered if Christie was going to ask how they were going to work that out, but then she figured that was a fairly complex thought for a four-year-old. Erin was twenty-seven and she didn’t know exactly how she was going to handle this difficult situation. She’d come up with a very logical plan, but life had taught her that the most logical solution wasn’t always the one chosen.

They wound along the narrow paved road. Tall trees and lush bushes grew on either side. In another couple of minutes, they broke through and could see the house.

“It’s big, Mommy,” Christie breathed, staring at the three-story mansion.

“I know. And it’s very pretty. Can you see the sunlight on the windows? It makes them look like jewels.”

“I like that.”

Erin glanced at the wood-and-glass structure. Once again her breath caught as she experienced the peculiar sensation of arriving at the one place she’d been searching for all her life. No wonder Stacey had fallen in love with the house and the owner. Erin was far more sensible and even she felt drawn in.

She parked in front of the house and turned off the engine. Christie clicked open her seat belt and bounced impatiently on the seat, but she didn’t open the door. She knew she wasn’t allowed outside until she was let out.

Erin stepped onto the driveway and inhaled the scent of the ocean. It was stronger here and in the still afternoon, she could hear the crash of the waves. She, her friend Joyce, and Christie had taken the coast route up. The farther north they’d driven, the more the beaches had changed. In Southern California there were long stretches of sand, with the coast highway running alongside. In the north, sandy beaches gave way to rocky shores. Large boulders jutted out of the water, moss-covered sentinels warning off the unwelcome. High cliffs soared over the ocean. Fog was a frequent visitor, adding to the character and mood of the location, if not to the temperature.

Erin walked around the car and let Christie out. Her daughter danced with excitement. “Does my daddy really live here? Does he have the whole house? Can I see every room?”

Erin laughed. “Let’s take those one at a time. Yes, your daddy really lives here and he owns the whole house. It’s very beautiful. I’m sure if you ask, he’ll be happy to show you around.”

Before she could continue, the front door opened and Parker Hamilton stepped out. Erin touched Christie’s shoulder, then glanced down and gave her a reassuring smile.

“Is that him?” Christie asked softly.

“Yes.”

Christie looked at Parker again, then up at her mother. “He looks nice,” she said in a stage whisper.

Erin gave her a little nudge. “Why don’t we go and say hello?”

Christie took her mother’s hand and started across the driveway. Parker waited for them in the doorway. His gaze settled on the child.

Erin wondered what he was thinking. She tried to imagine what she would be thinking at a time like this, but her brain wasn’t working, even though there was no reason for it not to. Parker might be fairly good-looking with dark hair and dark eyes, but he wasn’t stunningly handsome. She tried to figure out what it was about him that made her stomach twitch.

He wore his hair short, barely brushing the collar of his white shirt. The top two buttons were undone and the sleeves had been rolled up to his elbows, but that wasn’t especially provocative. Well-worn jeans hugged narrow hips and lean thighs. His legs were long and his white athletic shoes had seen better days. Her research told her he was worth more money than most people could spend in a lifetime, but he looked like an ordinary guy.

So why had her hand tingled when he’d taken it in his? Why had she found it tough to breathe or even think rationally? It must have been nerves. She wasn’t the romantic impulsive sister. That had always been Stacey.

As they neared the house, Parker took a step toward them, then hesitated. He looked uncertain. Erin realized he didn’t know what to say to his daughter. A little over four years ago, she’d been just as terrified.

Christie pursed her lips. “Are you really my daddy?”

Parker nodded and squatted down so they were at eye level. “Yes, Christie. My name is Parker Hamilton.”

“Shouldn’t I call you Daddy?”

His dark gaze raised to hers, as if asking her opinion. Erin smiled. “It makes sense to me.”

“Okay,” Parker said, his voice thick. Emotions chased across his face-confusion, terror, wonder. Erin knew just how he felt. At least when she’d found out about Christie, the girl had been an infant, not a fully formed person with independent ideas and opinions.

“Didn’t you know about me, Daddy?”

He shook his head. “Not until today.” Slowly he reached out his hand and touched her cheek.

“Are you glad?” Christie asked, cutting to the heart of the matter as usual.

“Oh, yes. I’m very glad.”

“Good. Me, too.” She gave him her best smile, the one she used to get her way. Erin was immune, but it worked like magic on Parker.

He knelt on the flagstone porch and opened his arms to gather the little girl close. She went willingly, flinging herself at him and holding on tight.

Erin watched them cling to each other. She’d prepared herself for this moment, but even so she felt a twinge of sadness. Nothing was ever going to be the same again. She and Christie were no longer just two against the world.

She studied them, the tall man and the little girl. Sunlight illuminated their heads. Parker’s hair was dark brown with no hint of any other colors. Christie’s was lighter and showed the reddish tint shared by Erin and Stacey.

Parker’s large hands dwarfed the child. He could span her back from shoulders to hip. She’d insisted on wearing her favorite shorts set for the visit-lime green shorts and a T-shirt covered with cartoon fish. Matching green ribbons held her hair in pigtails.

Christie stepped back a little and smiled. “You smell nice. Different from Mommy.”

Erin agreed. When she’d first come to the house and spoken with him, she’d noticed the faint fragrance of his spicy after-shave and the musky undertone of pure male.

There was a sound in the foyer of the house. Erin saw the housekeeper hovering in the background. Parker saw her, too, and rose to his feet. “Kiki, this is my daughter. Christie, this is Kiki. She takes care of things here.”

“Hi.” Christie studied her for a moment. “That’s a pretty color,” she said, motioning to the brightly colored jogging suit the woman wore. “Are you my daddy’s mother?”

Kiki smiled. She looked to be in her mid-fifties, with short blond hair and bright blue eyes. Her smile was warm as she bent toward the child. “I’m the housekeeper, Christie. I’m in charge of the cooking and I look after your father. Do you like cookies?”

“Yes.” Christie nodded vigorously.

“I’ve just taken some from the oven. Would you like to help me bring them to the terrace?” Kiki turned to Erin. “If you don’t mind.”

Erin glanced at Parker. He looked a little shell-shocked. They both needed a moment to catch their breath. “It’s fine. Go on, honey, but you behave.”

“Yes, Mommy.”

Christie took the hand Kiki held out and skipped next to her as they moved down the hallway. When they had disappeared, Parker shook his head, as if clearing it.

“You okay?” she asked.

“Fine.” He glanced at her. “She’s amazing.”

“Oh, she has her moments. Don’t let the charming smile fool you. Christie is a bright, curious and very sweet-natured child, but she also has her share of faults.”

Parker stared after the girl for a moment, then seemed to remember his manners. He stepped back and motioned to the house. “Please come inside,” he said, then closed the door behind her.

He escorted her to the terrace. His fingers rested on the small of her back. Erin swore she could feel the heat of that light touch clear down to her toes. The accompanying shiver made her nervous, but she was determined to ignore the sensations.