Colton's Secret Son

Normally after church she and Cody lingered and visited with friends and neighbors, but today they hurried to the car immediately after the service was over.

“I can’t wait for Knox to pick me up,” Cody said as soon as she was on the road and headed home. “I’ve never been to Mr. Mackenzie’s ranch before. What do you think we’ll do there?”

“I don’t know. But I’m sure whatever you do, you’ll have fun,” she replied. “And you know how nice Mr. Mackenzie is.”

“Yeah, he’s cool. Knox is really cool, too. Did you know he’s a Texas Ranger?” Cody’s voice held all the excitement of a boy anticipating a brand-new adventure.

“Yes, I knew that,” Allison replied.

When they reached their two-story house just off Main Street, Cody was nearly out of the car before she had completely parked. He raced to the porch and danced in impatience as he waited for her to join him and unlock the front door.

“I’ve got to hurry. He’ll be here in fifteen minutes,” Cody exclaimed.

“Make sure you hang up your church clothes,” Allison yelled after him as he scurried up the stairs to his bedroom.

In fifteen minutes, her entire life would change and she couldn’t begin to guess if the changes would be good or bad. She tucked her keys back into her purse and then walked through the living room and into the kitchen.

No matter what she thought of Knox Colton, he would now be back in her life. Her biggest concern was that he would be around just long enough to completely capture Cody’s heart and then he’d be gone once again.

He’d do to her son what he’d done to her. Even though ten years had passed, despite all the life that she had lived in that passage of time, she still remembered the anguish that had filled her heart when Knox had told her he needed time away from her. She’d been blinded by her hurt, and that’s why she’d lied to him in the first place.

There was no question that Cody could use a male figure in his life. Since the death of Allison’s father two years ago, there had been no masculine influences for him. She hadn’t considered dating. Raising Cody and running the family business had been enough.

She sank down at the table and wondered what on earth she was going to do with herself during the time Cody was with Knox today. For a little more than nine years her life had revolved around her son. On most Sundays they spent the day together, playing games and watching movies and cooking his favorite foods for dinner. Sundays had always been special for them because it was the one day a week when she wasn’t at work at the family construction business.

She didn’t even know if he’d be back by dinner this evening, and he hadn’t eaten any lunch. Should she make him a quick sandwich? She quickly dismissed the idea. Surely Knox knew that if he was picking Cody up right after church he would need some lunch.

She tried to shove her anxiety aside as Cody came into the kitchen. Church clothes had been replaced by a pair of jeans and his favorite blue-plaid flannel shirt.

“Looks like you’re all ready to go,” she said around the sudden lump in her throat.

He nodded and his eyes grew somber as he slid into the chair next to hers. “Will you be okay today without me?”

She looked at her son in surprise. “Buddy, I’ll be just fine. I might spend the day doing some girlie stuff.” A nine-year-old shouldn’t have to worry about his mother spending a Sunday afternoon alone.

“Girlie stuff?” Cody looked at her curiously.

She nodded. “I might take a nice, long bubble bath and then paint my nails and watch a sappy movie.”

“Sounds boring,” Cody replied. “What color are you gonna paint your nails?”

“I was thinking maybe purple with green sparkles.” She waited for it and she wasn’t disappointed.

Cody laughed. The wonderful, boyish sound filled the kitchen and wove a path straight to Allison’s heart. “You are not,” he finally replied.

At that moment the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it,” Cody said. He shot off his chair and fight-or-flight adrenaline pulsed through Allison. She heard Cody’s excited voice and then Knox’s deeper one.

She took a couple gulps of air in an attempt to still her nerves. She didn’t mind sharing Cody, she just wasn’t sure she wanted to share him with Knox Colton. But she reminded herself that it didn’t matter what she wanted anymore.

She was just starting to rise from her chair when the two walked into the kitchen. “Don’t get up.” Knox waved her back down.

“Cody hasn’t had any lunch,” she said, as if that was the most important information he needed to know. He needed to know that Cody hated green peppers and that he sometimes ran too fast for his own safety. Knox needed to know that Cody had a heart of gold and cared deeply about others.

There were so many things he needed to know, but her voice failed her in that moment. She’d always thought her kitchen was large and airy, but it seemed much smaller with Knox’s presence.

He looked ridiculously handsome in a pair of tight jeans and a dark blue, long-sleeved polo shirt that hugged his lean stomach and emphasized his broad shoulders and muscular biceps. His black cowboy hat rode at a cocky angle on his head.

“Don’t worry, I’ll see that he gets lunch,” he replied and ruffled his hand on top of Cody’s head. Cody looked up at him with a big smile. “I planned on bringing him home sometime after dinner. Does that work for you?”

“I’d like him home by seven at the latest. He has school tomorrow. We should exchange cell phone numbers.” She hoped Cody didn’t feel the tension in the air. Although Knox’s tone of voice was pleasant enough, his gaze was cold as ice as it lingered on her.

“That’s a good idea,” he agreed.

“And then we’ll go, right, Knox?” Cody asked eagerly.

Knox laughed. Oh, Allison had forgotten the magic of his deep, wonderful laughter. “And then we’ll go,” he agreed.

For just a moment his gaze met Allison’s and the icy cold had been replaced with a warmth that stole her breath away. It was there only a couple of seconds and then gone.

He averted his gaze to sweep the kitchen. “You’ve got a nice place here.”

“Thank you,” she replied. “I bought this house after Dad passed away.” She’d been shocked to discover that her father had a substantial life insurance policy when he’d passed. It had been enough money to buy the house outright and had given her and her son some financial security.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” he replied. “John was a good man.”

“Thank you. He’d been sick for a long time.” A hollow wind blew through her as she thought of her father.

“Grandpa Rafferty helped me build a birdhouse. It’s hanging in a tree in our backyard,” Cody said. “Maybe when we come home later you can see it and you can also see my room. But now shouldn’t we get going?”

Knox grinned down at Cody. “Yeah, let’s get going.”

Allison got up to walk them to the door. “I’ll see you this evening.”

“See you later, Mom. And don’t paint your fingernails purple and green,” Cody replied.

With that they were gone, taking half of her heart with them. The house had never been as silent as it was then, with only the sound of her heart beating in her ears.

She returned to her chair in the kitchen and stared unseeing out the nearby window. Not for the first time in the past two years, she wished her father was still there.

John Rafferty had been a single parent after Allison’s mother had died of cancer when her daughter had been five. He’d been both mother and father to her, and eventually good friend and mentor.

He could build a bookcase and braid her hair. He could renovate a kitchen and bake cupcakes for a school party. Unfortunately a heart attack had left him in a wheelchair and eventually his weakened, diseased heart had just stopped working.

Growing up, she’d spent much of her time with the smell of freshly cut wood as familiar as the sound of her own voice. After school and on the weekends, she spent time at the construction company her father owned, the same one she now owned and operated.

What a hypocrite she was, sitting there and missing her own father and at the same time half wishing Cody’s had never shown up in town.