Her head jerked up. “What?” She met his gaze, not sure if he’d spoken or if she’d imagined it.
“Remember I said my father ran off with another woman? Well, it was Gretchen Goodrich.”
She had no idea how to respond to that so, as usual, she took the easy route. “Oh.”
Ben shifted in his seat, crossed one leg over the other and inhaled deeply. He looked as troubled as she felt, and she resisted the urge to lean over and kiss his troubles away. That would probably be inappropriate, anyway, considering the bomb he’d just dropped.
“My father was always looking for a get-rich scheme, according to my mom. After he got Mom pregnant, he searched for any reason to get away from her. Spending the rest of his life in Cobb Valley, stuck with a wife and a kid, didn’t appeal to him. So he made excuses to leave, phony business trips, visits to nonexistent relatives. Apparently he met Gretchen during a trip to Vegas. She was nineteen at the time, vacationing with her family.”
Maggie paused. “The Hunters, right? I read on the ’Net that they own a salad dressing empire or something.”
“You read right.” Ben’s mouth twisted in a wry smile. “I’m sure that’s what attracted my father to her in the first place.”
“So they got together?”
“They got married,” he corrected. “Of course, dear Dad neglected to tell his new wife that he’d already tied the knot with someone else.”
“What happened?” she asked, curious.
“Long story short, Gretchen and my father were married for two years before her parents finally stepped in. They weren’t pleased with the marriage to begin with, but once my father tried to control the trust fund Gretchen received when she turned twenty-one, her father did some digging and found out about my mother and me. They had him arrested.”
“For…bigamy?”
“Theft, actually. When the truth came out that his marriage to Gretchen wasn’t legal, he tried to run off with a wad of cash and some of her jewelry. He was behind bars for a few years.” Ben let out a sigh. “He had a heart attack in prison and died.”
“Did you and your mother know about Gretchen?”
“Mom did, but she never told me, and the Hunters made sure to keep the scandal under wraps. I only found out when Gretchen contacted me six months ago. She was diagnosed with breast cancer, and she’d been thinking about her life, her past. She said she’d never stopped feeling guilty for being the reason my dad abandoned his family. I guess that’s why she wrote me into her will.”
Ben reached for the coffee cup on the poker table and took a long sip. He set down the cup and glanced over with a pained expression. He looked so solemn, so downcast, that this time she didn’t stop herself from reaching over and touching him. She squeezed his hand and then interlaced their fingers.
“So why didn’t you just tell the truth, to the press, I mean?”
His fingers tightened over hers. “I thought about it, but there was my mom to consider.”
“What do you mean?”
“Gretchen left me that fortune to ease her own guilt, but to me, it’s just a reminder of what a cad of a father I had. Money isn’t going to make the memories go away, especially for my mother.” Ben let out a strangled groan. “Damn it, just knowing the money will be released to me after Gretchen’s estate goes through probate makes me feel like I’m betraying my mom. Like I’m profiting from her pain.”
Oh God. The vulnerability etched on his features left Maggie speechless. How was this the same man who’d practically ordered her to give him a place to stay? How was this the same man whose arrogance drove her crazy?
“Not to mention,” he added, “if I tell the media the truth about Gretchen and me, the vultures will camp out on my mom’s doorstep and demand to know how she feels knowing her husband left her for an heiress. I can’t do that to her.” He released a heavy sigh. “Let the press think what they want of me, as long as they leave my mother alone.”
Maggie swallowed. Hard. Once, twice. After the third gulp she stopped fighting herself and leaned forward to plant a soft kiss on his lips.
“What was that for?” Ben murmured after she’d pulled back.
She sighed. “That was for being far more decent than I gave you credit for, Ben.”
The second they stepped out of the gate at the airport, Ben saw the reporters. Rather than the usual folks waiting for friends and families to walk out of the gate, they were greeted by a crowd of vultures with microphones and cameras. Angry flashbulbs exploded in front of his eyes. A slew of questions assaulted his ears, each one bringing a jolt of fury.
He swallowed back the rage and glanced over at Maggie, who looked startled. Her green eyes widened as the mob closed in on them. “What the…”