Reunited By A Secret Child

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.”