Reunited By A Secret Child

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.