A Cowgirl's Secret(7)

Though he couldn’t tell what they were saying, he knew whatever was going on between that man and his mom wasn’t good.

His mom hadn’t lied to him before, but how was Kolt supposed to know that guy really was his dad?

Kolt wanted to get another look at him. Like maybe if he stared long enough, he might feel something. Most of his friends really liked their dads, so maybe Kolt would like his, too. Right now, though, he didn’t think so.

Somebody knocked on his door.

“Go away!” Kolt shouted. It was bad enough that he already felt super crappy, now to have all this weird grown-up stuff going on made him feel worse.

His mom opened the door. “I’ve got medicine and juice.”

“I said go away!”

“Kolt…” After setting a glass and two pills on the table by his bed, she sat next to him. “We really need to talk.”

He scooted as far away from her as he could without falling onto the floor.

“Okay.” She sighed. “Guess I can see how I might have cooties.”

“You’re so lame.” Arms crossed, he informed her, “Cooties are for, like, second-graders. I’m too old for that stuff.”

“Right. I forgot.” She tried ruffling his hair, but he dodged away before she touched him. Usually, he liked it when they horsed around, but now he wasn’t sure what to think. “Would you like to talk more with your dad? He’s in the living room and would really enjoy getting to know you.”

“Can’t you just leave me alone? Why would I want to talk to some guy I don’t even know? I don’t feel good and I just wanna sleep.”

“Sure.” Hand to his forehead, she said, “You feel like you have a little fever, so please chew these for me and then drink your apple juice.”

He hated stupid chew-up baby aspirin, but because Kolt wanted his mom to leave him alone, he went ahead and took it. Maybe if he went to sleep, when he woke up his mom and the guy who said he was his dad would be gone.



“HOW’S HE DOING?” Luke asked when Daisy emerged from their son’s room, softly closing the door behind her.

“Physically, I’m fairly certain he’ll live. As for his emotional state, I’ve never seen him like this. He’s usually a happy kid.”

“Give him a break,” Luke snapped. “News like this would send anyone over the edge.”

“You’ve officially been his father for what? All of twenty minutes? Where do you get off giving me parenting advice?”

“I’ll tell you where—”

“Stop!” Their son stood in the hall with his hands over his ears. “Both of you please shut up!”

Luke found the sight jarring. He’d always loved kids and to now be the cause of his own child’s pain was devastating.

“Sorry,” Luke said to his son. “The last thing I want is for you to get caught up in our grown-up frustration.”

“I don’t even know what that means,” the boy said. “All I do know is that before you were here, my mom didn’t cry and I could sleep without hearing yelling.”

As if finding Daisy and learning he was a father hadn’t been enough to digest in a single day, Luke was now faced with the probability that through no fault of his own, his son might never learn even to accept him, let alone actually to enjoy Luke’s company.

“I’m going to grab a motel room,” Luke said. “Kolt, I didn’t mean for you to get caught up in the middle of all of this, and I hope you feel better soon. As for you,” he said to Daisy, “give me a time and place that works for you in the morning. We have a lot of details to hammer out.”

Out of Kolt’s earshot, Daisy gave Luke the name of one of her favorite restaurants on the wharf, agreeing to meet at nine.

When he was gone, the air felt lighter, making it easier to breathe. For the longest time, she leaned against the closed door. In such a short time span, how could so much go wrong? That morning, her only worry had been a sniffle and an insane caseload. Now, her whole world stood on the verge of falling apart.

“What are you doing?”

Daisy glanced up to find her son staring.

“Honestly,” she said, busying flighty hands by straightening what was surely disheveled hair, “I’m taking a time-out.”

“Why did you lie to me about my dad?”

Her son’s question deserved a well-thought-out answer, but she didn’t have one. “Come here,” she said, hand on his back, leading him to the sofa. “I was really young when I got pregnant with you. I got scared and ran away. After a while I made a new life for you and me, and it seemed easier to forget the past.” She took a deep breath. “But I know how selfish that was. Can you forgive me, Kolt?”