Free Passionate Bid by Tierney O’Malley

note?”
    He leaned forward, careful not to disturb Sam, then opened the Manila envelope to retrieve the small sticky notes.
    Joanie flashed him a look of confusion. Her eyes blinking as if she were trying to rid of something stuck in her eyes.
    “Who wrote these notes if you didn”t, Joanie?”
    “I don”t know. Let me see.”
    “You don”t know?”
    “No I don”t. Let me see the notes.” Joanie looked at Sam and her eyes turned even sadder. Her green eyes lost their sparkle.
    He didn”t give them to her. “Well, I have an idea. Maybe Sam”s papa opened the envelope and wrote the note inside without telling you. Maybe he saw an opportunity for extortion, blackmail, to make money.”
    “What? He would never do such a thing!” Joanie grabbed the notes from him and the envelope. She pulled the papers out so fast he was surprised she didn”t rip them apart. He watched her, saw her eyes grow even bigger as she read the notes.
    “Well?”
    Her lips moved, but no sound came out. Shaking her head, she looked at him. “Well, maybe you”re right.”
    “Right about Sam”s papa”s plan for extortion? Why? You”re not telling me everything.”
    “Does it matter?” Joanie looked away, and then focused her eyes on Sam again.
    “Yes, it matters to me. Look at me and tell me you don”t know why Sam”s papa secretly wrote the damn notes.”
    “I told you, I don”t.”
    “Those notes are like clues, with indirect meanings. Have you any idea what he”s trying to tell me? Do you know?”
    “Doctor Ravenwood, you”re here because you want my signature. Whatever his reason for writing the note and for returning the papers is irrelevant. You”re here. I am here. Give me a pen and I”ll sign your damn papers.” Joanie stood up so fast her knee bumped on the side of the coffee table. Coffee from the two mugs sloshed and spilled on the little white doily sitting in the middle of the table.
    “Damn it,” she mumbled but he heard her clear enough.
    “What the fu…dge are you talking about, the note is irrelevant? Don”t you see? There is a reason why your man, whatever the hell his name is, wrote those—”
    “Why do you care? Why do you want to know?”
    “Joanie, if your man intends to extort money from me, of course I have to know. With him not telling you about it raises a flag. He might end up hurting you and Sam. The least I could do is to stop that from happening. I want to help.
    Besides, if someone said to you, „I have a secret to tell,” then that person changed his mind and decided to keep the secret to himself, how would it make you feel?
    It”ll bug you forever.” Sam moaned and kicked her legs. He looked down at the little girl. “She misses her papa. When is he coming back?”
    “You”re not here to talk about Sam”s papa. Let”s get this over with so you can go back to where ever you live now.”
    “Manhattan.”
    “Fine. Go back to Manhattan. Where”s the pen?”
    Sam rubbed her legs together. “How long did you two play in the woods?
    Her legs must be hurting.”
    “Doctor Ravenwood, I should take Sam back in her room. She”d be more comfortable.”
    Joanie had been hedging the topic about Sam”s papa. Sam said her papa sailed away. He looked at the child in his arms. Even when sleeping, she was beautiful. Sam”s lashes were long and dark just like his and…
    A little girl, soon to be four years old, with sharp blue eyes that reminded him of his baby pictures. Holy hell.
    “What is Sam”s full name?”
    “What?”
    “Sam”s full name, Joanie.”
    “Samantha Rose.”
    “And her last name?”
    “What”s this questioning about? Julian, let me put her back in bed, and then I”ll sign the forms. We need to hurry if you have to fly back to Manhattan tonight.” She did it again. With his suspicion gnawing his insides, he got up. “I”ll take her. Clean up the spill on the table before it ruins the wood.”
    “Julian! Damn it, what are you doing?”
    “Clean up the