“You’re the father.”

These words bring the Men of Wildfire series to an emotional conclusion!

Katie Ashmore thought she’d be a single mom forever...until hotshot crew firefighter Reese Hartnett comes home. Now Katie can’t hide her secret—their six-year-old daughter! Learning he’s a dad gives Reese hope there’s a reason he survived the wildfire that killed his crew. And though he’s bonding with little Chrissy, Reese wants more. He wants forgiveness...and a forever family.

LEIGH BALE is a Publishers Weekly bestselling author. She is the winner of the prestigious Golden Heart® Award and is a finalist for the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence and the Booksellers’ Best Award. The daughter of a retired US forest ranger, she holds a BA in history. Married in 1981 to the love of her life, Leigh and her professor husband have two children and two grandkids. You can reach her at leighbale.com.

Also By Leigh Bale

Men of Wildfire

Her Firefighter Hero

Wildfire Sweethearts

Reunited by a Secret Child

Lone Star Cowboy League

A Doctor for the Nanny

The Road to Forgiveness

The Forest Ranger’s Promise

The Forest Ranger’s Husband

The Forest Ranger’s Child

Falling for the Forest Ranger

Healing the Forest Ranger

The Forest Ranger’s Return

The Forest Ranger’s Christmas

The Forest Ranger’s Rescue

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

Reunited by a Secret Child

Leigh Bale

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-08250-1

REUNITED BY A SECRET CHILD

© 2018 Lora Lee Bale

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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Version: 2020-03-02

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“Why didn’t you tell me I had a daughter?”

His gaze burned into hers, as if he could see inside her tattered heart.

“Frankly, I didn’t plan to ever tell you. But then I saw you on the news and I thought...”

“You thought I might die and Chrissy would never know her father.” He ran a hand through his hair. “A daughter... I can’t believe it.”

Katie tried to forget all the hurt and resentment she felt toward Reese. But it pained her to know that he’d never wanted her. Then or now.

“Back then I was young and thoughtless,” he said. “Now all I can do is ask for your forgiveness.”

She didn’t trust Reese. But she knew she had to try. “It’s in the past.”

“Not for me. I just found out that I’m a father. I need time to adjust.”

She didn’t want him adjusting. Frankly, she didn’t know what she wanted. All she knew was that she didn’t want trouble. But as she looked at Reese, she was certain trouble was unavoidable.

Dear Reader,

We were each sent here to earth to learn obedience to God’s will, to keep His commandments and to learn to live by faith. But sometimes, that is easier said than done.

In this story, Reese Hartnett returns to his hometown, seeking answers and solace after losing his entire hotshot crew during a wildfire. After being raised by an abusive alcoholic father, Reese turned his back on God and has lived a lonely life free of good works and service to others.

When we face trials in our lives, it’s easy to cling to our hurt, anger and pride. When we humble ourselves, that is when the Lord can do His greatest work in our lives. The power of prayer is great and the power of repentance is real and absolute.

I hope you enjoy reading this story and I invite you to visit my website at www.leighbale.com to learn more about my books.

May you find peace in the Lord’s words!

Leigh Bale

Wait on the Lord: be of good courage,

and he shall strengthen thine heart:

wait, I say, on the Lord.

—Psalms 27:14

To Nancy, Joyce, Sally and Debbie...

my childhood friends. We sure had some

fun times, didn’t we?

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

Dear Reader

Bible Verse

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Extract

About the Publisher

Chapter One

Wide, yellow ribbons fluttered among the cottonwoods bordering the north perimeter of the tarmac. The low hum of the prop plane’s engine escalated Reese Hartnett’s tension. Gazing out the small, oval window inside the plane, he gripped the armrests with tensed fingers. He’d been raised here, in the sleepy little town of Minoa, Nevada, but it wasn’t his home anymore. He had no family here now. No friends, either. But he didn’t know where else to go.

And honestly, he’d felt compelled to return. After what he’d been through, he longed to see his mom. If only she were still alive. Coming home was the best way to be close to her again. To go to the cemetery to pay his respects and apologize for hurting her when he’d left so unexpectedly.

He squinted as a spray of morning sunlight glinted against the metal siding of the hangar. Someone had tied a large hand-painted sign across the front of the building. He could easily make out the words: Welcome home. Our hero.

Reese knew the sign was for him. No doubt the media had put it up, staging a warm greeting in hopes of getting his story. He sure didn’t believe the people of this town had put up the sign. Not when they remembered his past history as a juvenile delinquent. Nor did he feel like a hero. Not when his entire hotshot crew had died two weeks earlier, fighting a wildfire in Colorado. Nineteen members of the Garlock Hotshot Crew should still be here with him. His buddies. Laughing and joking. Inseparable.

Because Reese had been the lone survivor, everyone considered him brave. But he wasn’t. He was just an ordinary man who happened to survive. Even now, he could see no logical reason why he had lived when all his friends had died. And every night, he hoped he’d awaken and it would all be a bad nightmare.

The plane jostled him out of his gloomy thoughts as it taxied across the concourse. He was late. He should have arrived in Minoa two days earlier, but he’d been delayed by the ongoing investigation. Forced to spend extra time answering questions at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. But he didn’t mind. The media was hunting for him and he’d been grateful for the opportunity to avoid them. The news report he’d seen on TV last night indicated they’d done their research and knew the name of his hometown. Since he hadn’t shown up in Minoa on schedule, they wouldn’t know where he was. They’d be confused. Searching for him elsewhere. He hoped.

He sat quietly, gazing at the black asphalt. The plane came to a bumping stop. A few more minutes, and the attendant opened the door. Releasing his seat belt, Reese stood and flipped open the overhead bin. He shouldered his duffel bag, then stepped off the plane. He’d left this monotonous town as soon as he’d graduated from high school. The next day, to be exact. And he hadn’t been home since. Eager for his freedom. Desperate to flee his father’s drunken rages. The only thing he missed about this place was his mother. She’d taught him about God and how to pray, but it never seemed to take. He’d never cared about the Lord...until recently.

He looked around at the barren desert that budged up against the narrow airport strip. Clumps of sage and rabbitbrush covered the landscape, punctuated by an occasional piñon or juniper tree. Farther out, Cove Mountain stood like a sentinel guarding the valley below. The Western United States had been having a severe drought. With his practiced eye, Reese could tell the region was prime for another wildfire. All this area needed was a single strike of lightning or a careless camper for the place to go up in flames. And that thought terrified Reese. Because he didn’t believe he could ever fight wildfires again. So what would he do to earn a living? He didn’t have a clue. Fighting wildfires was all he knew. The only thing he’d ever been good at.

Adjusting the weight of his heavy pack, he headed toward the hangar. In an airport this size, there was only one building. Ed Hayden, the caretaker, should be inside. There were no taxis or rental cars in this town, so Reese had called ahead to ask for a lift. Ed had agreed to drive him into town. Otherwise, Reese would just hoof it. As a hotshot, he’d hiked many miles through rugged terrain that would leave most men gasping. He was in prime physical condition and the five-mile walk would be easy. The solitude might do him some good, too.

Inside the hangar, he passed by a forklift and another prop plane. The heavy smell of fuel made him crinkle his nose.

“Hello? Is anyone here?” He paused to listen for a moment.

No one responded. A scuffling noise came from behind him. He turned. A woman stood silhouetted in the doorway leading out to the parking lot. Although her face was in shadow, his guard went up like a kite flying high. The words journalist and media flashed across his brain. He was so weary of being hounded for an interview that he’d become cynical and wary. Surely the reporters were no longer expecting him. Ed had told him that several journalists had been by every day, waiting for him. He’d hoped when he hadn’t shown up that they’d all left town.

The woman took a step into the sunlight. Dressed in a modest, flowered sundress and strappy sandals that accented her shapely ankles, she seemed vaguely familiar. His gaze shifted to her side. She held the hand of a little girl perhaps six years of age. He thought there was something familiar about the child, too. Something he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“Hello,” the woman said, her voice low and strangely soothing.

“Hi, there,” Reese returned, trying not to sound grouchy. Right now, he didn’t want to talk to anyone but Ed Hayden.

“You look lost,” she said.

“Nope. I’m just not sure where I’ll be tomorrow, and that’s not the same thing.”

“Isn’t it?” She tilted her head to one side. A spray of sunshine gleamed off her long auburn curls. Her lovely mouth curved in a slight smile that didn’t quite reach her gentle brown eyes.

Yeah, he was sure he knew her, but what was her name? It was on the tip of his tongue, like the sweet taste of his mom’s homemade sugar cookies.

The woman looked at him with an oddly penetrating gaze. As though she could see deep inside his blackened heart and knew every one of his failings. Every flaw. Every regret.

“You don’t recognize me, do you?” she asked.

He took a deep, impatient breath through his nose. “Sure, I do.”

But no, he didn’t. And a flush of embarrassment heated his face. Right now, he needed to think what to do next. To go to his motel room and be left alone until he could figure out another career for himself. That was all he wanted.

She took a step closer and held out her hand. “I’m Kathleen Ashmore. You and I graduated from high school together.”

Ah, yes. It all came flooding back like the rush of adrenaline when he was fighting fires. Katie Ashmore. But, boy! She’d changed. A lot. Gone was the plain, gawky girl with disorderly red hair, freckles, thick glasses and frumpy clothes. The class valedictorian. Her test scores had been off the charts. She’d had a scholarship to at least two Ivy League schools and wanted to be a pediatrician, as he recalled. So what was she doing here?

Reese blinked, stunned by her transition. Surely this couldn’t be dreary little Katie Ashmore. No sirree. This woman had a gorgeous figure and delicate features any man would notice. She’d become a stunner in the looks department. The drab duckling had become an elegant swan. In fact, with her brains and beauty, he had no doubt she could do anything her heart desired.

“Of course I remember. You tutored me in math.” He forced himself to relax. He smiled, wondering if she might give him a ride into town. He definitely wasn’t eager to ask. The last thing he wanted was an old classmate hanging around him, asking questions about the wildfire and his crew.

“And science,” she said.

“Yeah, right.”

How could he forget? He’d been an athlete at their high school, with a scholarship to the University of Nevada in Reno. His mom had wanted him to study electrical engineering, but he didn’t want to go to school. Not in those days. He’d longed to get away from his father. He’d always thought that work experience was as good as a formal education. So he’d chosen hotshot wildfire fighting. More action. More fun.

What a fool he’d been. Too stupid to recognize that hard work and determination would get him further ahead than partying with friends and sliding through life with a minimum of effort. He’d soon discovered that firefighting was intense, difficult work. But he’d come to love it. Until two weeks ago, he’d planned to work his way up and one day be promoted to superintendent. But things were different now. He no longer knew what he wanted.

The little girl with Katie was looking at him with a critical eye, as though she could see deep inside him. Again, he felt a familiarity with her that he didn’t quite understand.

“You’re the firefighter I saw on TV. The one that survived,” the child said, her voice soft and matter-of-fact.

“Yeah,” he said, a hard lump of sandpaper in his throat.

“I’m sorry you lost your friends,” the kid said.

Reese couldn’t detect a single ounce of guile in her voice. Her compassion seemed sincere. And coming from an innocent child, her words touched him like nothing else could.

“Yes, we were both sorry to hear about your hotshot crew. I’m glad you’re okay,” Katie said. Her expressive eyes crinkled at the corners, telling him she was genuinely concerned.

“Thanks, but I’d rather not talk about it,” he said, trying not to sound too abrasive. After all, it wasn’t their fault.

“I understand. Are you headed into town?” Katie asked.

“Yeah,” he said, glancing around. Where was Ed?

During high school, Katie had tutored him a couple nights each week. He’d been smart enough, but he’d talked her into doing his homework and writing his research papers. She’d stared at him with doe-eyed adoration. He could have talked her into doing anything, and he had. He’d used her, taking her most precious gift. Now he felt guilty and embarrassed by it all. He’d been such an idiot. He never should have taken what belonged to her husband. He should have studied harder. Should have been kinder, more diligent and responsible.

“You used to wear glasses,” he said.

She nodded. “I wear contact lenses now.”

He paused, liking the change. “Are you home visiting your family?”

“No, I still live here,” she said. “In fact, I never left town. I...I work for my father at his motel and also write articles for the Minoa Daily News.”

Reese tensed. Another reporter. Just what he’d come here to avoid. But he couldn’t figure out why she’d stayed in Minoa. Why she’d chosen to be a journalist for a shabby newspaper office when she could have gone to almost any college and studied biology or physics. Her father owned the Cowboy Country Inn, one of the two motels in town. In fact, Reese had made a reservation to stay there while he was visiting. But he couldn’t envision this attractive woman cleaning rooms for a living.

He brushed past her. “Sorry, but I don’t have a story for you.”

“That’s not why I’m here,” she called to his retreating back.

He stopped. Turned. “Then what do you want?”

She hesitated. “This is Chrissy.”

Standing behind the little girl, Katie rested her hands on the child’s slender shoulders. Chrissy smiled, showing a tooth missing in front. She lifted a hand to wave, her long reddish-blond ponytail bouncing. Very cute. A smaller version of her mother. With startling green eyes.

Reese waved back impatiently. “Hi, there, Chrissy. Glad to meet you.”

And he was. She was a child, after all. Looking at him with an open honesty and casual frankness that told him she didn’t want anything from him. Probably the first person he’d met in the past two weeks that didn’t want a news story, a special feature, or to know the details of what had happened to him. She just wanted to be friends. But the introduction didn’t explain what Katie was doing here. Not that Reese cared. He’d rather not ask. It wasn’t his business, after all.

“Do you need a ride?” Katie asked.

Since Ed still hadn’t appeared, Reese released a pent-up breath and resigned himself to accepting her help. “I guess I do. Are you headed into town?”

“We are.” She took Chrissy’s hand and stepped out into the sunshine.

Reese followed as she walked toward a blue midsize hatchback parked nearby. At the vehicle, he paused.

“One thing, though,” he said.

She opened the driver’s door and helped Chrissy climb into the back seat. “And what’s that?”

“No questions about the fire. I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Not to anyone. Especially not a reporter.” His voice sounded low and grumpy. He didn’t mean to be so harsh, but he thought maybe it was for the best. He had to set some boundaries.

She frowned. “Okay, I got it.”

She turned to buckle Chrissy into her booster seat. Without asking, he tossed his duffel bag into the back and climbed into the passenger seat. Katie got in and started up the engine, put the car in gear and backed out of the parking place.

As they rode into town, he gazed at her pretty profile. She stared out the windshield, her shoulders squared, her delicate hands gripping the steering wheel like a lifeline. Just two weeks ago, he might have thought about asking her out on a date. But right now, all he wanted was to be left alone.

* * *

He was watching her. Katie could feel Reese’s eyes on her as she headed out onto the county road that would take them into town. A glint of sunlight struck the black asphalt. Momentarily blinded, she blinked and tried to ignore the man sitting so close beside her. Trying to remember why she’d come here in the first place.

Focus! she told herself. She mustn’t forget that her main priority was Chrissy, not a drop-dead-gorgeous hunk from her past. Until last night, she hadn’t been sure that Reese would come home. Not until her father had told her about his motel reservation. He knew she needed to speak with Reese in a place where there weren’t lots of people around. Not many flights came into the quiet airport, so it was easy to find out when he might be landing.

Thinking he might need a ride, she’d driven out here to pick him up. But nothing had prepared her to see him again. The shock. The resentment. The longing. Those feelings were still tied up inside her stomach like knots of rope.

There’d been a time during high school when she would have given anything to have him notice her. Back then, she’d been happy to do his homework. Delighted that he needed her for something. She’d loved him from afar, hungering for his attention. A girlhood crush. And when his date at the graduation dance had flirted with another boy, they’d quarreled. In retaliation, Reese had taken Katie’s hand and pulled her outside the school gymnasium with him. Katie had known he was trying to make his girlfriend jealous, but she’d gone along willingly, euphoric when he’d kissed her in the dark shadows. At the time, she hadn’t cared about his reasons or the consequences. But his affection had been short-lived. The very next day, she’d learned that he’d left town without even saying goodbye to his mom. Katie had sold herself short, but never again. Now she had a child to raise, and Chrissy was everything to her.

“Can I turn on the air?” he asked.

She nodded. “Of course.”

He reached out and twisted a knob on the dashboard, hiking the air conditioner to high. The whooshing sound seemed to taunt her.

She glanced at Reese, longing to study the subtle changes to his face. She hadn’t seen him in seven years. Gone was the teenage kid she’d known in high school. Now he was a fully matured man. Shockingly handsome, with short dark hair and an endearing half smile that still had the power to melt her frozen heart. He’d filled out more, his chest and shoulders wider and more muscular. He had big hands and quiet eyes. As though he were keeping a dark secret hidden from the entire world.

His eyes also held a glint of insecurity and deep, wrenching grief. He seemed to have lost his way, which couldn’t be true. Reese Hartnett had always been so self-assured. Living in the moment. Louder and bigger than life. Never caring about anything or anyone. And Katie hated that she had loved him once. Hated that she was compelled to come and see him now. No matter how much she regretted the past, it was finally time to tell him the truth.

“How long are you in town for?” she asked, forcing herself to focus on the road ahead. His reservation at the motel was “open,” which meant he had no scheduled departure date.

He jerked a shoulder. “That depends.”

“On what?”

“On how many questions people ask. I’m hoping everyone just leaves me alone.”

“Oh,” she said, feeling a bit hurt and offended at the same time. “Well, I suppose your old friends will want to talk to you, to find out where you’ve been and what you’ve been up to.”

“My friends are all gone now,” he said.

She thought he was teasing, but the look on his face told her he was serious. He’d gone pale and a flash of pain filled his eyes. She couldn’t think of one old friend of Reese’s who hadn’t been wilder than a March hare. Most of them had left town, which could be a blessing. She hated the thought of him falling back in with a rough crowd. But right now, she thought he was probably talking about his hotshot crew.

“Losing both of your parents and now your team members must have been difficult for you. I’m sorry for your loss,” she said.

He didn’t respond, and she adjusted the flow of the vent and took a gulping breath of fresh air. They entered town and she drove down Main Street. Reese sat up straighter, but he pulled a baseball cap out of his back pocket and tugged it low over his forehead as he looked out the window with interest. They passed the Rocklin Diner, the only restaurant in town. The two grocery stores still sat facing each other on either side of the street, and then the redbrick bank and post office.

Reese released a long sigh. “I see that nothing has changed.”

“Not much,” Katie agreed.

Except for maybe the two of them.

“We got a new swimming pool last summer, over by the high school,” Chrissy said.

“That’s right. It’s real nice. You’ll have to try it out sometime,” Katie said.

Reese nodded but didn’t comment.

“We don’t go to the pool in town. We’ve got our own pool at the motel. Mommy’s teaching me to swim,” Chrissy continued, her voice filled with delight.

“Is that right?” Reese asked in a conversational tone.

“Yep, and I’m getting good at it. I can float on my back all by myself and even duck my head under without getting water up my nose,” Chrissy said.

“That’s nice.” Reese flashed a brooding smile that used to turn Katie’s brains to mush. But no more. No, sirree. She was over this guy.

He glanced at Katie. “Who did you marry? Anyone I know?”

Here it was. She hadn’t expected to talk about such personal things so soon. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Before she could respond, Chrissy answered for her.

“Mommy’s not married.” The girl sat forward, her expression innocent.

He quirked one eyebrow at the child. “She’s not, huh?” He shifted his gaze over to Katie. “Are you divorced, then?”

A fist of emotion clogged her throat. Her face felt flushed with heat. And once again, that old crushing anger filled her. Anger because Reese had used her, then cast her aside. She’d meant so little to him. And yet it was not entirely fair to be upset at him for something he didn’t even know about. She was mostly angry at herself for getting herself into trouble. For ever trusting him.

“I’d rather not talk about it,” she said.

His eyebrows spiked.

“Mommy’s never been married,” Chrissy supplied.

Katie flinched. Maybe she shouldn’t have brought her daughter along on this visit. Maybe she should have met with Reese in private first. But she’d wanted to see how he acted around the child before telling him that he was Chrissy’s daddy.

“Sit back and put your seat belt back on, young lady.” She gave her daughter a stern look in the rearview mirror.

Chrissy pursed her lips but sat back obediently in her booster seat and reclicked the belt into place.

Reese hesitated, the corners of his eyes crinkling, so that Katie thought he might smile. But he didn’t.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to pry,” he said.

Katie held her breath for several moments, forcing herself not to blurt it all out. He’d assumed because she had a child that she was married.

“I understand you’re staying tonight at the Cowboy Country Inn. Do you want me to take you straight there, or somewhere else?” Katie asked, glad to change the subject.

She’d come here with the single purpose of speaking the truth, but something held her back. After all, she wasn’t sure what to expect once Reese found out that Chrissy was his daughter. For all Katie knew, he might yell and scream and start throwing things. She didn’t want Chrissy subjected to anything unpleasant. It would be best if the little girl wasn’t present when she told Reese.

“Just take me to your inn. I figured it would be the best place for me to stay. Is Rigbee’s Motel still a dive?” he asked, a slight smile curving his handsome mouth. Was he teasing her?

“Oh, no, it’s a real nice place now. The bedbugs come at no extra charge,” Katie quipped.

His vivid green eyes were tinged by a bit of reckless laughter. “In that case, I’m glad I chose the Cowboy Country Inn.”

“Yes, my dad told me you’d made a reservation. Our rooms are always clean and comfortable,” Katie said.

“Does Rigbee’s have bedbugs?” Chrissy asked from the back seat.

Looking in the rearview mirror, Katie saw that her daughter’s expressive green eyes were round with disbelief. Eyes that looked so much like her father’s. Living in a motel, the little girl had heard all about bedbugs and cleanliness standards. It was their family business, after all.

“No, honey. We’re just joking,” Katie said.

“Because they’re our competition?” the girl asked.

“Yes, honey,” Katie said.

“Or maybe not,” Reese mumbled under his breath.

Katie chuckled as she turned the corner and headed toward home. “We’ve had a lot of reporters staying at our place.”

A flash of panic filled Reese’s eyes and his back stiffened.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “When you didn’t show up earlier this week, they all checked out this morning. I’m sure they’ve left town by now.”

She hoped. The pushy journalists and their cameramen had been a nuisance in their quiet town. Incessant questions about Reese and listening in on private conversations. She’d found one man hiding behind the ice machine. He’d given her the willies.

Reese relaxed as she pulled into the parking lot. Katie loved the old motel where she’d grown up and was now raising her own child. It wasn’t fancy, but it was clean and well maintained. And in that moment, Katie thought she was crazy to have gone to the airport to pick up Reese. Her life was boring and lonely, but at least she and her daughter were secure here.

What must she have been thinking? She’d kept her daughter’s paternity a secret for all these years, telling no one except her parents. Now that her mom was gone, only her dad knew the truth.

Two weeks ago, Katie had heard on the national news that Reese had lost his entire hotshot crew. And knowing that he’d almost died had changed something inside her.

Ever since she’d started kindergarten, Chrissy had been asking questions about her father. Why the other kids at school had a dad, but she didn’t. Why he never came to her dance recitals, or took her to the park. Katie had been surprised that her daughter missed her father’s presence in her life, even though Papa Charlie was always there. And that had made Katie realize it wasn’t fair for Chrissy to never meet her dad. To never know who he was. For good or bad, the girl had a right to know. So Katie had decided to tell Reese. But she had to proceed with caution. She had a lot to lose.

Within moments, they pulled into a parking spot. A long row of quaint, freshly painted doors sprawled out before them. A large, old-fashioned buckboard wagon sat near the main office, its side painted bright red, with the name of the motel written across it in tidy black letters. Antique milk cans filled with bright pink petunias stood like sentinels along the paved walkway leading to the front entrance. Charming and attractive. A homey place to stay.

“Here we are,” Katie said.

“It still looks the same. The milk cans are new,” Reese said.

“Yes, we put them in a couple of years ago.”

“I helped Mommy plant the flowers yesterday,” Chrissy chimed in.

“You did, huh? They look real nice.” Reese spoke in a kind tone and the child beamed happily.

Katie opened her door and hopped out, suddenly eager to get away from this man she could neither forgive nor forget. She needed time to think. Now that Reese and Chrissy had met, she had to plan how to tell him. She’d wait until Chrissy wasn’t around and find the right moment.

Turning, Katie reached into the back to help the little girl out of her booster seat. Reese popped his seat belt and stepped out, too, then lifted his duffel bag from the rear.

“Come to the office and Charlie will get you checked in,” Katie called.

Without waiting for his acknowledgment, she headed in that direction, forcing herself not to look back to see if he followed. He did. Like the pull of a magnet, she could feel him behind her, his gaze seeming to drill a hole through her spine.

She wasn’t sure she wanted him staying at the Cowboy Country Inn, but maybe it was for the best. Katie had to figure this out. But no matter what, she knew that telling him the truth would be the hardest thing she’d done yet. And once she did, nothing would ever be the same again.

Chapter Two

“Did you tell him?”

Katie dropped the mechanical pencil she’d been holding. It hit the computer keyboard and bounced onto the floor. Swiveling around, she picked it up, then sat back and stared at her father. Charlie Ashmore stood in the open doorway to the motel office, gripping his walking cane with one hand.

“Dad...” She spoke in an annoyed tone, hoping he’d take the hint and leave her alone. But he didn’t budge.

“I’d like to know. I don’t want to accidentally say something I shouldn’t while he’s staying here,” he said.

Katie chose to ignore his comments. “Did you get him situated in a room?”

“Yes. Milly took him some extra towels and a key to the pool. He walked down to Rocklin Diner to get something to eat.”

The restaurant was six blocks away. Maybe Katie should have offered Reese some lunch, but her mind was swirling with emotions. She told herself that she didn’t want him here. But deep in her heart, she was glad to see him again, grateful that he hadn’t died in the wildfire that had killed his crew. She refused to consider why she cared. Surely it was just because he was Chrissy’s father. Somehow, she knew it was something more. Something she couldn’t explain even after all these years.

“Maybe it’s not a good idea for him to stay here,” she said.

Charlie shrugged. “Why not? I know how difficult this situation is for you, but it was inevitable that he would come home for a visit someday. Besides, where else was he going to stay?”

He didn’t mention Rigbee’s Motel. He didn’t have to. It wasn’t a joke that they’d been accused of having bedbugs. Knowing her father was right didn’t make her feel any better.

“Where’s Chrissy?” Katie asked.

“In the living room watching TV.”

The living room. A large suite of rooms they’d converted for their own use. It included a soft sofa, two recliners, a bookshelf and a wide flat-screen TV. It wasn’t fancy, but it was clean and comfy, and they were happy, most of the time. With a few maids to clean the rooms, Charlie oversaw the front reception desk, while Katie did the books. They made a good team, running the Cowboy Country Inn together. But just now, Charlie’s mouth was stretched into a straight, solemn line that made his white mustache twitch.

“Did you tell him?” he asked again.

Katie’s gaze clashed with her father’s. “No, I didn’t.”

“Why not?” he persisted.

She looked away, an impatient sigh squeezing from her lungs. “I couldn’t tell him with Chrissy sitting there listening in.”

“You could have left her home with me,” he suggested.

She shook her head. “No, I wanted to see them together first. I want to proceed with caution. Telling him might be a mistake.”

“Why?”

“What if he causes trouble?”

Charlie shook his head. “I don’t think Reese is the type of man to do that. Not about his own child.”

She didn’t think so, either, but she wasn’t sure. After all, he was a fully grown man now, and she knew nothing about him. How he’d been living his life. If he was married or divorced. If he had other children somewhere. Nothing.

“He wasn’t a very nice person in high school,” she said.

“With his background, can you blame him?” Charlie asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Have you forgotten about his father?”

She crinkled her eyebrows. “No, I remember.”

Everyone had known Hank Hartnett. Passed out in the middle of the sidewalk. Causing a brawl in the bank when his account was overdrawn. The bruises on his wife’s face. And sometimes on Reese’s face, too. The man was a constant source of gossip. The town drunk.

“But that doesn’t excuse Reese’s actions. We don’t know him anymore. What if he takes me to court? He might try to take Chrissy away and then what would I do?” Katie met her father’s gaze, trying to keep the fear she was feeling from showing in her eyes.

Charlie’s stiff demeanor softened as he limped over to the desk and squeezed her arm. “Ah, honey. You’re worrying too much about this. I don’t think Reese would do something like that. Right now, I think he’s hurting. He just needs a place to lie low, where he can receive some kindness and understanding.”

Katie brushed a hand across her forehead, trying to keep her composure. She didn’t like this situation. Not one bit.

Charlie sat on a corner of the desk, one gnarled hand resting in his lap. “I looked into his eyes. He’s still got a lot of kindness there. Did I ever tell you about the time I saw some of his friends picking on a stray dog?”

“No,” she said.

“The poor animal looked scrawny and half-starved. Reese was only about ten years old at the time. His friends were throwing rocks and hitting the dog with a stick. Reese got so angry at them. He defended the dog. In fact, he took the animal home with him. Next thing I knew, his mom was down in town buying dog food. And you know what he named that mangy old mutt?”

She shook her ahead.

“Duke. He treated that dog like royalty. I saw them together a few months later and couldn’t believe the transition. Duke had filled out and looked happy and healthy. He followed that boy everywhere, completely devoted to him.”

Katie didn’t really care about a stray dog right now. “And your point is?”

“My point is that there’s goodness inside of Reese. I’ve seen it. His mom attended church every Sunday, fighting to keep her family together. She had to be a remarkable lady to stay with that no-good husband of hers. But I have no doubt her teachings rubbed off on Reese, whether he liked it or not. It’s still there inside of him. He just has to let it come out.”

Katie snorted. “I doubt that’s going to happen.”

“Why don’t we give him the benefit of the doubt?” Charlie suggested.

She pursed her lips and turned back to her work, trying to focus on the computer monitor. The electronic spreadsheet swam before her eyes, the numbers a blurry haze. She’d been working on the ledgers for over an hour and had accomplished nothing. Finally. Finally, she could tell Reese exactly what she thought of him. And yet words failed her somehow.

She glanced at her father, feeling annoyed. “This isn’t a simple matter, Dad.”

“Ah, honey. You take things way too seriously. Can’t you forgive him? After all, he doesn’t even know he has a child,” Charlie said.

True. And that left Katie feeling a tad guilty.

“Maybe if he hadn’t left town so fast, I could have told him I was pregnant,” she said.

“You could have tracked him down,” Charlie pointed out.

She jerked her head up. “How? Even his mom didn’t know where he’d gone. I asked. She was brokenhearted. It was horrible for him to leave the way he did. No forwarding address. No way to find him.”

Charlie folded his arms and gazed at her quietly. “Are we talking about how he left his parents, or how he left you?”

She blinked, wanting to cry. Wanting to scream and kick and yell. It had hurt her so deeply when she’d found out Reese was gone. It was obvious that their one time together had meant a lot more to her than it had to him. Of course, he’d been drinking heavily that night. Maybe he didn’t even remember what had happened between them. But she did. She could never forget.

Charlie quirked one bushy eyebrow. “I know you’ll tell him when the time is right.”

Maybe. Maybe not.

She tried to forget the past, but it wasn’t easy. Overnight, her full-ride scholarship had been flushed down the tubes. It wouldn’t pay for diapers and childcare. And giving her baby up for adoption wasn’t an option for her. So she’d stayed here in Minoa to raise her child. Without a husband. Living in a town where she’d become a pariah. No one wanted to date her. No one knew who Chrissy’s father was. For years, Katie had kept the gossip mill busy. And now Reese had walked back into her life.

A crash came from outside in the parking lot, as though someone had tipped over a large garbage can. Both Katie and Charlie whirled around. Someone yelled and then a low roar of voices permeated the small office.

“What on earth is that?” Charlie said.

Chrissy came running into the room, her eyes wide with fear, her little chin quivering. “Mommy! There’s a strange man looking in my window.”

At that precise moment, a man’s face appeared at the window in the office. Cupping his hands around his eyes to shut out the sunlight, he peered inside.

“Hey! There’s someone in here,” he yelled.

A large black camera lifted toward them, its red light blinking. And in an instant, Katie understood. Somehow, the media had found out that Reese was staying here.

“That does it,” Charlie said. “Call 9-1-1 and tell the police we’re being swarmed by reporters.”

“Reporters?” Chrissy said.

“Yeah, I figured it was just a matter of time before this happened, but I thought Reese would be safe for a day or two. Call the police.” Charlie limped toward the door, his jaw hard.

Turning toward the desk, Katie reached for the phone. As she dialed the numbers, she couldn’t help wondering where Reese was and what might happen next.

* * *

Reese heard the cacophony before he saw the myriad of people milling around the parking lot at the Cowboy Country Inn. He’d been hungry, so he’d walked the short distance to the Rocklin Diner and gotten a sandwich. Wearing a baseball cap pulled low across his face, he’d escaped recognition. No questions to answer. No big deal. Now he was beat. He hadn’t been sleeping well and longed to lie down and close his eyes for a million years.

“There he is!” someone yelled.

Reese lifted his head and paused. A small crowd of people stood in the parking lot of the motel. With a glance, he took in two camera crews and reporters running straight toward him. A news van with Channel 6 written on the side was parked directly in front of his room. A woman gripping a microphone in one hand pounded on his door. How had they found out which room he was staying in? Surely Katie or Charlie wouldn’t tell them.

For two brief moments, Reese thought about making a run for it. His hesitation cost him dearly. The swarm came at him like a trampling herd. He found himself surrounded, the reporters thrusting their mics into his face. The flash of cameras caused him to blink.

“Mr. Hartnett, can you tell us about the last few minutes before your hotshot crew died?” one of them asked, holding a recorder in front of his nose.

“How did it happen, Reese? How did it make you feel?” another one said.

They packed closer, vying for his attention. Reese felt the blood drain from his face. He tensed, his body cold and shaking. His stomach churned. This was exactly what he’d tried to avoid: a media frenzy. He wasn’t about to discuss his personal feelings with anyone. In fact, he’d rather forget the incident ever happened.

“Break it up. You’re on private property. I want you all to leave.” Gripping his wooden cane, Charlie Ashmore pushed his way into the group, a deep scowl pulling at his eyebrows.

The reporters ignored Charlie, jostling him so that he stumbled. Reese snatched the man’s arm to steady him. “Are you okay?”

Charlie met his gaze and nodded.

“What was it like, watching your crew die like that?” someone asked.

Reese shuddered as memories sliced over him like slivers of ice. His ears rang with the screams of dying men.

“You have no right to ask him such personal things. You need to leave right now.” Katie came out of the motel, brandishing a broom like a warrior. Chrissy stood close beside her mother, her eyes wide.

Katie took a sweep at two of the reporters’ legs and they jumped back. Anger flared across her face, her long auburn hair whipping about her shoulders like a flame. She was absolutely gorgeous in her fury.

“You get out of here, all of you,” she ordered.

“We don’t mean any harm. We’re just after a story,” one of the journalists said.

“I don’t care what you’re after. You need to leave. I’ve just called the police,” she said, throttling the broomstick with her hands.

Confusion fogged Reese’s brain. Katie was defending him? He couldn’t believe it. They’d been friends in high school. Sort of. Not really. But that was a long time ago. And he admitted silently that he’d never treated Katie very well. He’d been pretty drunk the night of their graduation when he’d used her abominably. He barely remembered the details, but he still knew what he’d done. So why was she standing up for him now?

“Look, I don’t want any trouble. I have nothing to say. There’s no story here, so you might as well leave.” Reese spoke above the dull roar.

He held up his hands, as if to ward them off. Like a wolf scenting blood, they moved in closer.

“You heard him, folks. You need to pack it up and go home,” Charlie boomed. Lifting his cane, he used it to push his way through the throng.

Reese made a break for it but found his path blocked by a short, stocky man holding a digital recorder. “What does it feel like to be the only one who survived?”

Bruce Miller. Reese recognized the award-winning reporter immediately. He was with the National News Registry. Headstrong, assertive and unwilling to take no for an answer. Bruce had been dogging Reese for two weeks. When he wasn’t carrying on an interview, he held a plump, stinky cigar clenched between his teeth. The guy was relentless.

In the jostling crowd, Charlie bumped against Bruce. “I asked you to leave.”

“You don’t have to be so pushy about it.” Bruce glared his disapproval.

A shrill siren sounded, growing louder as a squad car pulled into the parking lot. Tilting his head to one side, Reese breathed an audible sigh of relief. With the police here, Katie leaned her broom against the outer wall and stood with Chrissy beside the office door. Her cheeks were a pretty shade of pink, her eyes crinkled with concern. For him. No, surely he imagined that. She was just worried about all the people standing in the parking lot of her motel. It was bad for business, after all.

Reese gravitated toward her, grateful to see a familiar face. Right now, he felt adrift in a stormy sea of doubt, with multiple leaks in his life raft. She was like a lifeline, reeling him in. For the first time in a long time, he needed someone else’s help, and that left him feeling strangely humbled.

“What’s going on here?” Martin Sanders, the chief of police, got out of his squad car and strode toward the mob.

Reese hesitated. As a teenager, he’d had plenty of altercations with this officer. So had his father. Reese couldn’t remember the number of times his dad had been locked in a cell overnight for being drunk and disorderly or writing a bad check. Either Reese or his mom had always bailed him out. Most of the money Reese made working summer jobs had been taken by his dad to buy booze. Instead of buying new school clothes, Reese’s mom had let out the hems in his old pants and mended his threadbare socks and shirts. Being poor because of his father’s penchant for drink had taken its toll on Reese’s morale. He hated being the child of a drunkard.

Chief Sanders looked older now, with gray at his temples, but he was still big, tall and capable. He tugged up his duty belt, laden with a gun, handcuffs and a Taser. It was obvious from his fierce demeanor that he knew how to handle himself with these reporters.

“Thanks for coming, Chief Sanders. I’ve asked them all to leave, but they’ve refused,” Charlie said.

“What’s the big deal? We just want an interview,” Bruce Miller called.

Sanders turned and looked at Reese. “Are you the cause of all this ruckus?”

Reese nodded. “Yes, sir, but I don’t mean any harm.”

As the policeman sized him up, recognition flashed in his eyes, followed by a glaze of distaste. Reese couldn’t blame him. No doubt the lawman remembered every rotten act he’d committed when he was a youth. Destroying property, tagging fences with spray paint, getting drunk with his friends. In retrospect, Reese didn’t know why he’d done such things. It was as if he’d wanted to get back at his father for all the pain he caused at home.

“Do you want to give them an interview?” Sanders asked.

Reese shook his head. “No, sir. I have nothing to say to any of them.”

A thought occurred to him and he suddenly knew how they’d found him. Over an hour earlier, Milly Carver had delivered extra towels to his room before he went to lunch. No doubt the maid had blabbed that he was here and news had spread like wildfire.

Sanders faced the crowd. “You heard him, folks. You’ll have to leave now. Most of you are from out of town. I suggest you get in your cars and keep on going.”

“I’d like another room here for the night,” Bruce said.

“Sorry, but since you checked out this morning, I have no rooms available for any of you,” Charlie said.

Reese hated to be the cause of the man losing business.

“If you take the main road into Carson City, I’m sure you’ll find accommodations there, or in Reno. Or you can stay at Rigbee’s Motel down the street,” Charlie said.

“Yeah, sure,” Bruce groused.

They all grumbled but slowly drifted away, leaving Reese in peace.

“Take him inside the office.” Charlie nudged Katie, but she didn’t move, seeming frozen in place.

“Come on. Follow me.”

Reese looked down and found Chrissy holding his hand. Locking her jaw and lifting her chin with determination, she led him into the relative safety of the reception room. There was something familiar about the way she tilted her head, but he couldn’t figure it out. Nor did he understand why this child and her mother were trying to protect him. He wasn’t used to being rescued.

Inside the office, Reese breathed a sigh of relief. He could still hear the reporters outside and Chief Sanders’s booming voice as he directed them to pack up their equipment. Maybe Reese should leave town, but he hadn’t gone to the cemetery to visit his mom yet. He wanted to stay at least long enough to pay his respects to her. So, what should he do? Where could he go?

“Thanks for that,” he said to Charlie and Katie. Highly conscious that Chrissy was still gripping his hand, he politely withdrew.

“They’ll just come back. What can we do?” Katie asked her father.

Charlie shrugged. “He’ll have to leave, of course.”

“But where will he go?” she said.

Reese chuckled. “You know, I’m right here. You don’t need to talk as though I’m not listening to your conversation.”

Katie licked her bottom lip. “I’m sorry, Reese. I’m just concerned, that’s all. I don’t want trouble.”

“Neither do I,” he said.

“What do you want to do, then?” she asked.

“You’re right. I can’t stay here, that’s for sure,” he stated.

“Don’t be sad,” Chrissy said. “Mommy says that things always have a way of working themselves out. We just need to have faith.”

“Yeah, thanks.” Reese gave a stiff smile.

He couldn’t believe that this little girl was trying to comfort him. He found the child endearing, but her clinging presence also made him uncomfortable. He didn’t know why she seemed to like him so much.

“What about Cove Mountain?” Charlie asked.

Katie glanced at her father, her eyebrows drawn together in a frown. “Are you sure?”

“Of course,” Charlie said. “It’s a great place to hide out. It’s rugged and isolated enough that most reporters would get lost trying to find it. Without four-wheel drive, their cars would bottom out on the washboard roads and they’d end up with a broken axel.”

“Cove Mountain? You mean your cabin up there?” Reese said.

He recalled that the Ashmores had a log cabin in the lovely mountains surrounding the town. Reese had been there a few times with his Boy Scout troop, before he’d become too wild to enjoy fishing and hiking. The times he’d been there had been idyllic. That was when he’d decided that he wanted to fight wildfires. About twenty miles outside town, the three-room cabin was tucked back in a forest surrounded by tall Douglas fir and pine trees.

“Yes, our cabin. You’ll go to Cove Mountain,” Charlie said with finality.

“Are you sure you want to do that?” Reese asked, conscious of little Chrissy listening intently to every word.

“I am,” Charlie said. “If we’re careful, no one will discover you. Katie can take you in the back way. There’s no cell phone service, but Martha Murdoch lives near the cabin and she has a landline you can use in an emergency. She’ll notice smoke coming from the chimney, but she’ll think it’s us. Even if she finds out you’re staying there, she hates gossip and won’t bother you.”

“That sounds fine. I’ll pay you rent,” Reese said.

Charlie shook his head. “That’s not necessary. It’s too rustic for us to charge a fee.”

“Why are you helping me?” Reese asked. He could hardly believe this generosity. After all, he’d done nothing to deserve it.

“Because you’re a Minoa boy, and we take care of our own,” Charlie said.

Once again, Reese was touched by this family’s kindness toward him. He had no idea how he could ever make it up to them.

“Thank you,” he said.

Speaking those words felt good. Mainly because it’d been a very long time since he’d said them to anyone.

“You’re welcome.” Charlie reached into a desk drawer and pulled out a set of keys, which he handed to Reese. “Katie will drive you up there. It’s a pretty deserted road.”

“Come on, let’s get going,” Katie said, her frown still firmly in place.

“I want to go, too,” Chrissy said.

“Not this time, bug. I need you to stay here and help me watch the front desk.” Charlie reached down and tickled the girl’s ribs.

Chrissy giggled and swatted playfully at her grandpa’s hand. “You don’t need me, Papa. I want to go with Mommy and Reese.”

“Not this time, sweetie,” he insisted firmly.

Katie met her father’s gaze. A flash of doubt filled her eyes and she looked away with a slight huff. Reese couldn’t be sure, but he sensed that Charlie had purposefully set Katie up so that she could be alone with him during the ride to the cabin. Nah! Surely he imagined that. What possible reason would Charlie have for them to be alone?

Turning, Reese followed Katie out the back door, watching her closely. The years had been kind to her and he couldn’t get over how gorgeous she was.

“Let me grab my things,” he said.

She nodded and he peeked outside the office. No media in sight. Chief Sanders had done his job.

Reese took the opportunity to quickly race to his room, snatch up his duffel bag and return to the office. He laid his room key on the counter.

Charlie smiled. “See you later.”

“Yeah, later,” Reese said.

Katie led him out the door to the alleyway. She looked back and forth, to ensure no one was there to watch them slip inside the garage. As she climbed into the driver’s seat of her father’s old truck and started up the engine, Reese felt suddenly light of heart. He was glad to get away from the crush of media. For some insane reason, he felt safe with this woman and her family. But if the stern set of Katie’s shoulders and the deep frown curving her lips were any indication, Reese didn’t think she returned the sentiment. She disapproved of him, just as he disapproved of himself.

Chapter Three

“You sure pack light,” Katie said.

She shifted the truck into gear and eyed Reese’s duffel bag, which sat between them on the seat. Pulling out of the garage, she looked both ways, hoping to avoid being seen. She headed out on the old dirt road that would lead them to the outskirts of town and up toward Cove Mountain.

“I don’t need much.” Reese spoke in a subdued tone.

She took a deep inhalation and caught his spicy scent. The truck bounced against the rutted road. They drove in silence for some time, passing a green meadow of new grass and blue lupines. Tall willow trees swayed gently in the breeze.

“I’m surprised you stayed here in Minoa all these years. I thought you were planning to go to college,” Reese said.

“I was.” She couldn’t look at him. Sudden tears burned her eyes and she blinked fast to clear them away. A gloomy, lost sensation enveloped her. She thought she’d gotten over feeling sorry for herself. So why the unexpected emotion?

“You must have had Chrissy pretty young. Is she why you stayed?” he asked.

“Um, yeah,” Katie said.

The road climbed steadily in elevation, the terrain becoming rocky, the piñons and junipers giving way to tall evergreens.

“Why couldn’t you take her with you?”

When she didn’t answer, he looked at her. A flush of anger heated her skin. She didn’t owe this man any explanations. Not without blurting the entire story of how he’d left her pregnant at the tender age of seventeen, and she’d been completely dependent upon her parents for financial and emotional support. Barely out of high school. No job. No way to support herself and her unborn child.

She had to tell him. Her faith in God had sustained her through the long, lonely years, but she wasn’t feeling too generous toward Reese at the moment. She doubted this wound would ever heal.

“I noticed your mom’s not around anymore. Did something happen to her?” Reese asked in a kind tone.

A deep sadness swept over her. “Cancer. She died early last year.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. She was a nice lady.”

She glanced at Reese, his comment taking her off guard. She wasn’t used to this gentle side of him and wondered if he really meant it. His profile looked strong and handsome, yet forlorn in a remote sort of way. His beautiful green eyes no longer sparkled with a zest for life, but his words seemed genuine enough.

“I’ll bet she loved Chrissy,” he said.

Katie tightened her hands around the steering wheel. “Yes, she did.”

“She’s a nice kid. Really cute,” he said.

Tell him. Tell him now.

“She should be. She’s yours.” Katie blurted the words before she could take them back. She wondered if she’d regret it, but then she felt a modicum of peace.

Finally. Finally, she’d told him the truth and unloaded the burden from her heart. For good or bad, the secret was out now, and the prospects both relieved and terrified her.

He jerked his head toward her, his eyebrows drawn together in a quizzical frown. “What did you say?”

Katie’s heart pounded and she breathed fast through her mouth as she pulled up in front of the log cabin. Charlie had built it with his own hands before Katie was even born. It wasn’t large, just three rooms, but it was tidy and comfortable. A sparkling creek ran parallel to the property. The lake was three miles farther down the road. Her family had frequently spent weekends up here, fishing, hiking, sharing sweet memories. But lately, Chrissy kept mentioning that she wished her dad would go fishing with her.

Katie pulled into the graveled driveway and shut off the engine. Clenching her hands together in her lap, she stared straight ahead. “You heard me correctly. You are Chrissy’s father.”

“When? How?” he asked, his razor-sharp gaze narrowed on her face.

“You know when. You know how,” she said, hoping he wouldn’t accuse her of lying. She’d never been with anyone else. Since the night they’d graduated from high school, she’d gone out on a couple dates, but no one was interested in getting tied up with her excess baggage—an adorable little girl named Chrissy.

“How...how old is your daughter?” he asked.

Your daughter.

Funny how he refused to claim Chrissy as his own. That could be good or bad, depending on what happened next. A wave of fear washed over Katie. What if he tried to take Chrissy away from her? Or what if he wanted nothing to do with the child, just like he’d wanted nothing to do with her? She would never let Reese hurt Chrissy. Not if she could help it.

“She’s just over six years old. You do the math.” Katie tried desperately to speak in an even tone.

“What’s her birthday?” he asked.

“March 4. I delivered a week late, which is normal for a first-time mother,” she responded without hesitation.

She could almost see his mental calculations clicking away. They’d graduated from high school on June 6. According to Reese’s mother, he’d left town on June 7. Chrissy was born almost exactly nine months later.

“I’m her father?” He blinked, as though he couldn’t believe it.

“Yes. Your name is on her birth certificate.”

Katie could imagine how he was feeling. Shocked. Confused. The same way she’d felt when she’d found out she was pregnant out of wedlock. In a larger community, no one would care. But in sleepy Minoa, many people didn’t approve. She told herself that she didn’t care what Reese or anyone else thought. Her child was all that mattered. And yet Katie knew that wasn’t true. She’d cared deeply about Reese all those years ago. Her heart had wrenched when she’d thought about him being killed two weeks earlier, in the wildfire that had engulfed his hotshot crew. But that didn’t mean she still loved him. She was just concerned for his welfare, nothing more.

He paused for a few moments, as if he were thinking this through. “Why didn’t you tell me I had a daughter?”

She snorted and whirled on him. “How could I? By the time I found out I was pregnant, you were long gone. No one knew where you went. Not even your mom.”

He raked his fingers through his short, dark hair and blew out a harsh breath. “Did my folks know about Chrissy?”

“They knew I had her, but they never knew you were her father. I’ve never told anyone, except my mom and dad. But I saw your parents around town from time to time and they always doted on Chrissy. Even your father. He thought she was the cutest baby he’d ever seen, next to you.”

Reese jerked his head up. “He actually said that?”

Katie nodded.

He scoffed with disbelief. “I doubt my dad was sober enough to understand even if you had told him the truth.”

She agreed. The man was always drunk. And from the gossip she’d heard, he was a mean drunk. Living with such a man couldn’t have been easy on Reese or his mother. And yet the few times Hank Hartnett had seen Chrissy, when they were downtown in the grocery store, he’d smiled and played with the baby so sweetly. Obviously he had a good side, but maybe Reese had never seen that part of him.

“Your mom gave me a beautiful baby afghan she knitted when Chrissy was born. It’s made of soft yellow yarn. I’ve kept it safe so it wouldn’t get bedraggled. I thought Chrissy might like to have it when she’s old enough to understand who her other grandma was. I asked your mom where you had gone, but she said she didn’t know. I could see in her eyes that she was heartbroken that you’d left like that.”

He clenched his eyes shut, his mouth tight. Katie could tell that her words pained him, but he needed to hear the truth. He needed to understand what he’d left behind for all of them to cope with.

“I didn’t feel like there was anything for me here in Minoa.” His voice sounded soft and hoarse.

His words hurt so much. She’d been nothing more than a one-night stand. A fling. Certainly nothing lasting. And she’d been left to pick up the pieces without him.

“What about your mom?” Katie asked, wondering how he could just abandon the woman to his father’s drunken rages.

“I pleaded with her to go with me, but she refused. She wouldn’t leave my dad. About a year after I got settled on a fire crew, I called her a couple of times and told her where I was, but she just cried and asked me to come home. I knew that would never work, so I stopped calling.”

A long, swelling silence filled the air. His words caused a shudder to sweep down Katie’s spine. She’d asked his mother about him only a couple of times. After the first year, she’d stopped asking. She could only wonder how bad his home life must have been. But he hesitated, as if there was something else he wanted to say. Something important. But he must have changed his mind, because he shrugged it off.

“So, you named her Chrissy?” he asked.

Katie nodded, wiping her damp eyes. “Yes. Christine Joy.”

He jerked his head up. “Joy is her middle name?”

“Yes.”

A half smile curved his handsome lips. “That was my mother’s name.”

“That’s right. And Christine was my mom’s name.”

“You named our child after our two mothers.” It was a statement, not a question.

Our child.

The words left Katie trembling. She wasn’t sure that she wanted to share Chrissy with him. She’d been raising her daughter on her own for so long that she didn’t know if she wanted to include him in the mix. But now it was too late. Whether she liked it or not, she’d told Reese the truth.

“Yes. I thought it was fitting that she be named after her two grandmothers. Joy seemed appropriate, since Chrissy brought me so much happiness,” she said.

He made a small sound of approval. “Mom would have liked that.”

If the quick way he blinked his eyes was any indication, he liked it, too. And for some reason, that pleased Katie enormously.

“I just wish you had told me sooner,” he finally said, his gaze burning into hers until she felt as though he could see deep inside her tattered heart.

Katie swallowed hard. “Quite frankly, I didn’t plan to ever tell you. I figured you wouldn’t want anything to do with us. But this year Chrissy started asking questions about her daddy. Why all of her friends had a father, but she didn’t. Why her dad never visited or sent her birthday gifts. I thought perhaps I’d tell her the truth after she graduated from high school, when she was old enough to understand better. But then I saw you on the national news and I thought... I thought...” Her words trickled off on a sigh of frustration.

He finished the sentence for her. “You thought I might die and Chrissy wouldn’t get the chance to know her father, is that it?”

She nodded, unwilling to tell a lie. “You work in a very dangerous profession.”

He nodded. “Yes.”

She wondered again if this was a mistake. Her deep, abiding faith in God had brought her to speak the truth. One day, Chrissy would grow into a woman, and Katie didn’t want her to be tormented by the unknown. Always wondering who her father was and what he was like. Katie had read once that kids who lost a parent when they were young frequently deified that parent. Thought their life would be better if only their lost mom or dad were around. It was natural for a kid to wonder about a missing parent. But this situation still wasn’t easy for Katie.

“I almost can’t believe this news. It’s a bit much to take in,” Reese said. Anger and cynicism filled his expressive eyes. He locked his jaw, hard as granite.

It served him right. She tried to forget all the hurt and resentment she felt toward this man, but she couldn’t seem to let it go.

“You abandoned me. Remember?” She bit out the words, trying to contain her own anger.

“I never abandoned you,” he said with incredulity. “We were kids. We never made any promises to each other. I didn’t even know you were pregnant, Katie.”

True. And she was just as guilty over what had happened between them. She could have told him no. She could have walked away and protected herself. But she hadn’t. She’d loved him and given herself to him. Her most precious gift. She’d disappointed herself and her parents. But most of all, she’d disappointed the Lord. And now it was water under the bridge. She had to let it go and move on. But it hurt to know that Reese had never wanted her. Not then and not now.

“You deserted everyone in this town and you never looked back,” she said. “You took off without caring who you might hurt. I think you made the mistake of thinking that no one in this town cared about you, and that wasn’t true. You never came home to check on your mom. You didn’t even return for your parents’ funerals. And frankly, you have no right to be angry with me.”

He raked a hand through his hair, showing his frustration. “Wait a minute, Katie. My father never called or wrote to tell me my mom had died. By the time I found out, she was already gone. I called three weeks after her funeral. I only spoke to my dad for a few minutes. He was drunk, as usual. A few months later, I received a package and a letter from Grace Chantry, telling me that my father had died, too.”

Grace was a kind, elderly woman, one of the few people Katie had seen visiting Joy Hartnett, and likely Joy’s only real friend. Katie didn’t ask what was in the package Grace had sent to Reese. She told herself she didn’t care. After Chrissy was born, she’d stopped asking Joy if she knew where Reese was. She was too afraid that her interest might draw questions about Chrissy’s paternity. But right now, she was furious. She wanted him out of this truck. Wanted to dump him off at the cabin. To leave and never see him again.

The blood drained from his face and he sat very still. “You’re right, though. I hurt my mom. I know that now. And I can’t tell you how deeply I regret it. I wish I could have gotten my dad some help, but I was barely eighteen. I had no job or skills. No money. I didn’t know how to help him, or how to get him into a rehabilitation program. And I didn’t know that I’d hurt you, too. I never knew about Chrissy. That one night we had together, I...I thought it was just for fun. I had no idea we had created a child. I was young and thoughtless. I never considered the consequences of our actions, not even once. And all I can do now is ask for your forgiveness.”

Whoa! She wasn’t expecting this. Was his apology genuine? Katie narrowed her eyes, studying him, wondering if his look of contrition was real or fake. She didn’t believe him. Except for her father, she didn’t trust any man, especially Reese. She remembered the anxiety of finding herself pregnant, wondering what to do. Her panic had mingled with the joy of feeling her baby growing inside her, and then giving birth to Chrissy.

Alone.

Now something hardened inside Katie. Something cold and unforgiving. Reese had been the one to leave, not her. And she didn’t love him anymore. Which was probably for the best. If he had stayed, she would have told him that she was pregnant. For the sake of their child, he might have asked her to marry him. And Katie was so in love with him back in those days that she would have done it. But it never would have worked. She didn’t want to be trapped in a loveless marriage. Unwanted. A millstone around Reese’s neck. They would have probably ended up divorced. And what kind of life would that have been for them and their child? They would have all been miserable.

“It’s in the past now,” she said.

“Not for me,” he stated. “It’s like it barely happened. I just found out that I’m a father. That I have a six-year-old daughter. I’m afraid it’ll take a bit of time for me to adjust to the news.”

Katie almost groaned out loud. She didn’t want him to adjust to the idea, and yet she did. Right now, she didn’t know what the future held for any of them. She didn’t want trouble with this man, but now that seemed unavoidable.

* * *

“So, what do you want from me?” Reese asked.

“I don’t want anything. Not one single thing,” Katie said, sounding a bit outraged.

She sat in the driver’s seat of her father’s old truck and stared out the windshield. Reese got the impression she loathed him. His mind was buzzing. He couldn’t believe this was happening. He’d come here to Minoa to recover from losing his hotshot crew, and now he’d gotten hit with this news. He couldn’t absorb it fast enough.

“I’m finding all of this a bit difficult to swallow,” he admitted.

She lifted her chin, looking proud and defiant. A wall stood between them. He’d felt it the moment she met him at the airport, but he hadn’t understood it at the time. Now he knew. All those years ago, when he’d left town without telling her goodbye, he must have devastated her. And then, when she’d discovered she was pregnant, she must have been frantic, wondering what to do. How to handle the situation. Suddenly, her dreams of going to college and having a career had shriveled into nothing. Because of him. He’d let so many people down.

Reese took a deep breath, thinking about asking for a paternity test, just to make sure Chrissy was really his. But the dates lined up like clockwork. It hadn’t been much, but he’d spent enough time with Chrissy to see the family resemblance. The familiarity he’d felt toward the child when they had first met finally made sense now. The clench of her jaw and the angle of her head were just like his father’s. The curve of her mouth when she smiled reminded him of his mother. And every time he looked at her sweet face, he felt as though he were peering into his own eyes. The exact same shape and color as his. No wonder she looked so familiar to him. She was his. No doubt about it.

He turned to face Katie. Their gazes clashed, then locked. She glared right back, not looking friendly at all. Certainly not like a woman who loved him. And he didn’t love her. There was no use pretending. Besides, he wasn’t father material. And yet they had a child. It changed everything and nothing.

“So, when you found out I was returning to town, you decided it was time to tell me the truth?” he asked.

She nodded. “I just don’t want you to hurt her.”

Reese quirked his eyebrows. “You think I would do that?”

“I don’t know. Would you?” Katie fired the question back, her voice thick with animosity.

He thought about all the years he’d missed of his child’s life. He’d never seen Chrissy as a newborn baby. Never rocked her in his arms, fed her a bottle or heard her call him Daddy. And he had no one to blame but himself. Now, he didn’t have a clue how to be a father to a six-year-old, but he realized he’d better learn fast. Because he’d been thrust into this situation whether he liked it or not.

“I have no intention of hurting anyone. I didn’t come here to interrupt your lives,” he said.

“Why did you come here?” she asked.

He hesitated, not wanting to tell her about visiting his mom’s grave. It was a bit too personal. He wanted a quiet place to hide out until the news of what had happened died down and the media stopped hunting him. He just wanted to go home, but he didn’t know where that was anymore.

“I came here to be alone,” he said.

Katie’s face stiffened and he realized he’d said the wrong thing.

“That suits me just fine. We can leave you alone. But I do have a couple of requests,” she said.

“And what is that?” he asked.

“That you meet with Chrissy and spend a little time with her before you leave town again. I’d like all three of us to sit down together so you and I can explain to her that you’re her father. I’d also like to have a picture of you two taken together. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Just something that Chrissy can keep, to remember you by once you’re gone. Can you do that without upsetting her?”

The hackles rose at the nape of his neck. Katie’s words were insulting, but he didn’t bite back. In dealing with his drunken father, he’d learned to hold his tongue and keep his thoughts to himself. Otherwise, he might find himself knocked across the room. Right now, Reese felt confused. He needed time to think about this. To plan and consider what he should do.

“Of course I can do that,” he said.

She opened the door and got out. “Good. Now, let me show you the cabin. Then I better get home.”

That was it? Somehow, he expected more. He had a child. Another person who was a part of him. His flesh and blood. He couldn’t help feeling curious and intrigued, not fully understanding what it meant.

He got out of the vehicle. Shouldering his bag, he followed Katie up the rock path leading to the front door. The tall pine trees overhead swayed gently in the afternoon breeze. Looking about, he took in the litter of enormous pinecones and needles covering the front yard, along with several dead bushes. A huge fire hazard. Experienced as he was, Reese knew this property needed fifty feet of defensible space around it to ward off a forest fire. Maybe he could do something about that while he stayed here.

She unlocked the door and stepped inside. He was right behind her, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the dim interior. Katie opened the curtains at the windows, letting sunshine permeate the wide room.

A kitchen area with an old wood cookstove, a sink and cupboards sat in one corner, with a rustic table and chairs for eating meals. On the other side of the room, a simple rock fireplace filled one wall, with a sofa perched in front of it, along with two recliners and a coffee table nearby. An afghan and several throw pillows decorated the furnishings, along with battery-operated lamps sitting on the side tables. Pictures of mule deer hung on the walls. On one shelf, a pile of board games and books offered entertainment to anyone who was interested.

Reese’s gaze swept over the cozy space and screeched to a halt when he saw several small framed pictures of Chrissy with her mom and grandparents. They were fishing together, laughing, having fun as a family. And once again he felt as though he didn’t belong here. Yet something inside him wished that he could be a part of it all. But he wasn’t. He’d fathered Chrissy and nothing more.

“There’s no electricity or running water, so you’ll have to rough it,” Katie said. “There are plenty of gallon jugs of fresh water in the kitchen cupboards, for drinking and washing. The privy is out back. We’ve got extra batteries for the lights in the cabinet over there.” She pointed at two battery-operated lanterns sitting on windowsills and jutted her chin toward a set of drawers.

Reese nodded, immune to the rural conditions. As a hotshot, he was well versed on roughing it. No big deal.

“This is more than I expected. Thank you,” he said.

“There should be clean dishes and something to eat in here. There’s wood out back for the cookstove.” Katie walked into the kitchen area and rummaged around in the cupboards. She pulled out several cans and an opener and set them on the counter. Soup and some kind of vegetable.

“That will be fine,” he said.

He was coasting on autopilot but felt as though he was lost in a fog. He still couldn’t get past the news that he had a daughter, and he wondered how Katie could act so normal. And yet he detected the tension in her shoulders. She was angry with him.

“We’ll bring you some more supplies tomorrow. Do you think you’ll be okay until then?” she asked.

He nodded as he stepped over to the doorways leading to the two bedrooms. “Yes, I’ll be fine.”

He peered inside the first room, noticing the comfortable double bed with a handmade quilt, the pillows and the chest of drawers. Outside the window, he heard the ragged call of a blue jay. The peace and calm was exactly what he was after, and yet there was no peace in his heart.

“Remember, Mrs. Murdoch lives a quarter of a mile down the road, if you have an emergency,” Katie said.

He nodded again, not knowing what else to say. He doubted Mrs. Murdoch would be too friendly. Not when she recalled that he and his friends had broken the taillights out of her husband’s truck years earlier.

“Well, I better be going,” Katie said, edging toward the open door. She glanced outside, as though desperate to flee.

“We’ll talk some more tomorrow,” he said, knowing he’d have more questions by then.

“Yeah, tomorrow,” she agreed.

And then she was gone. He stood where he was, listening as she opened and slammed the door to her truck, then turned on the engine. The crackling of gravel beneath the tires told him that she was pulling out of the driveway. For one insane moment, he almost ran outside to call her back. To ask her to tell him more about Chrissy and her life here in town.

He resisted the urge. Right now, he needed time to think. To figure out what had happened to his life and if he wanted to fit into Chrissy’s. Reese realized that he couldn’t have a relationship with his daughter without going through Katie. The woman seemed to hate him, which bothered him for some odd reason. Normally, he didn’t care what other people thought, especially not a girl from his past. But he did now. And looking around him, he’d never felt more alone in all his life.

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