Heart At Risk

Unable to fall back to sleep, Maddie got up and went downstairs to have a cup of tea. To her surprise, Beth had already brewed a pot and filled two mugs.

“I was just coming upstairs to your room. I thought it’s time we had a talk,” Beth said.

“Aunt Beth, it’s almost four o’clock.”

“And neither of us are ready to go to sleep, so this is as good a time as any.”

Maddie was too emotionally drained to put up an argument. She sat down and took a sip of the hot brew.

“Kurt is Scotty’s father, isn’t he?” Beth said.

Maddie took another sip of the tea. She needed something to fortify her for this conversation. “When did you realize it?”

“I suspected it by your bizarre reaction to him at the diner. This morning at the quarry my suspicions were confirmed when I had a better opportunity to see them together. The resemblance is obvious.”

Beth reached over and grasped Maddie’s hand. “Honey, if ever two people belonged together it’s your son and his father. How can you deny it any longer?”

Maddie drew a shuddering breath. “I can’t. I realize that now. Aunt Beth, believe me, I didn’t deliberately keep them apart. I had no idea where to find Kurt when I discovered I was pregnant. But I didn’t try to find him, for which I now must bear the guilt. And then with my folks and Joey getting killed, there was just too much coming at me at the same time, so I gave up any thought of finding Kurt.”

“So why are you trying to drive him away now?”

“Because he’s a threat to me. After all this time, he suddenly appears and threatens the life I’ve worked so hard to achieve.”