by Deb Kastner
Gabe frowned and tapped his Stetson against his thigh. “This new development certainly throws another wrench in our plans.”
Another wrench? Carolina wondered what other complications they’d already encountered, but she was still too shaken up to be able to formulate any questions.
Bea steepled her fingers under her chin, clearly deep in thought. “So what do we do now, Harold? Can you tell us if Cyrus considered any such contingencies, or should we just call a halt to this whole investigation? We’ve already put so much effort into finding the original men that it would be a real shame if we have to end it so abruptly. Frankly, I’m terrified that we may have jumped the gun in taking on twelve extra boys, no matter how desperate the need may have been. I don’t know what we’re going to do if we have to give up this ranch after all we’ve done to expand the program. It just breaks my heart to even think about it.”
Harold riffled through the files in his briefcase, at length removing one that contained several manila envelopes. He flipped through them and withdrew one near the bottom.
“Ah. Here we are.”
Carolina’s breath caught as she waited, although she didn’t know for what. She felt nauseated. She hadn’t realized in coming here that she wasn’t just delivering the awful news of her great-uncle’s passing, but apparently, she’d just put the final torch to the plans to expand the boys ranch. She’d assumed, when she’d read the letter requesting her great-uncle’s presence in Haven for the anniversary party, that informing Bea and the other leaders of the boys ranch about Uncle Mort’s death would simply put an end to any obligation he might have had in the matter. She’d never dreamed this information would create what now appeared to be an insurmountable difficulty to the whole process.
Harold picked up a letter opener from his briefcase, made a neat slice across the top of the manila envelope and then pulled out a single sheet of paper. He leaned his hip against the side of the desk and shook the paper to open it fully.
“I was instructed to open and read this letter in the case of this particular—er—contingency,” he said, flashing Carolina an apologetic look. “It’s addressed to next of kin. Would you like to read it, Carolina?”
Carolina shook her head. She couldn’t yet find her voice, much less control her emotions. “No, thank you. This letter involves everyone here. Please read it to all of us.”
Harold nodded gravely. “Of course.”
He cleared his throat and began.
I, Cyrus B. Culpepper, being of sound mind and in front of witnesses, add this addendum to my will. It occurs to me that one or the other of the four fellows I’m requiring to be at the seventieth-anniversary party might have gone to meet their maker even before I do. Should you discover that to be the case, then I hereby declare that the next of kin may represent the family legacy at the celebration, assuming the next of kin is willing to attend the party.
Yours,
Cyrus B. Culpepper
Silence shrouded the room as each person ruminated over the new contingency. Then all eyes lifted and turned expectantly to Carolina. Would she stay and represent the Mason family?
“The next of kin would be Morton’s wife, yes?” Bea asked.
Carolina shook her head. “Unfortunately, my aunt Martha died just a few weeks after Morton. Since my parents have also both passed away, I believe I am all that’s left of Uncle Morton’s legacy.”
She didn’t know whether to be relieved or alarmed.
On one hand, she was pleased that she would be able to help keep the boys ranch going and that she hadn’t been delivering a literal death blow.
On the other hand, that meant she had to stay in Haven. It was the beginning of February, which meant she was looking at two months, before the party in March. If things went downhill between her and Wyatt, which well they might, she wouldn’t have the option to pack up and be on the next bus out of town, away from Haven and away from Wyatt, for good.
As tempting as the idea was of cutting out of town without having to deal with Wyatt at all, there was no question about her staying. Not really.
It wasn’t enough that she didn’t have anywhere else to go. She couldn’t leave the boys ranch in the lurch. She simply couldn’t. It meant too much to too many people, especially all the boys it had helped over the years—and would assist in the future, especially if they were able to keep the larger facility.
Seventy years of helping young men find a better way. She couldn’t put her own needs and desires over something as amazing as that.
But more than that, when she stopped to truly examine her feelings, she knew in her heart that she couldn’t leave without allowing Wyatt to get to know his son. Merely thinking about staying was more frightening than anything else she’d ever experienced—even reluctantly coming to the decision to leave town alone and pregnant three years ago.
She would have to own up to her choices. All of them, both good and bad.
She’d realized as soon as she’d seen the brokenhearted look on Wyatt’s face that she’d been wrong to keep Matty’s existence a secret from him. Matty was as much his son as he was hers.
He deserved to know his child. And now he would.
In a way God had made the decision for her, which was probably good, because her record in the decision-making department was deplorable of late.
She had to stay. So she would give Wyatt these two months to get to know Matty, to spend time with him and possibly build a bond as father and son. After that, only the Lord knew what would happen.
She came out of her thoughts to realize the others in Bea’s office were still waiting for her answer. She took a deep, cleansing breath and dived in without knowing just how deep the water was.
“Okay. I’ll stay.”
Chapter Two
Wyatt let out the breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding. Relief rushed over him like a crisp, cool waterfall.
Carolina was going to stay.
Well—at least she was going to stay for a little while. And although her reasons might have nothing to do with him, he was determined to make it be about him and Matty. Which meant he had exactly two months to convince her she ought to make her permanent home in Haven, so he could be near his son for always. He knew it wouldn’t be easy for him to see Carolina on a regular basis, but he would do anything for Matty.
That his initial encounter with Carolina hadn’t gone over particularly well was hardly the point. What could she possibly have expected his reaction to be? Even after having an hour to get used to the idea of her arriving in town with their son—a boy he hadn’t even known existed—in tow, he still felt like he’d been run over by a freight train, but with effort he’d taken that tornado of emotions and tucked it deep into his heart and out of sight. He was still angry and frustrated, and probably would be for a long time to come, but displaying how he felt wasn’t going to help anyone, least of all Matty.
Wyatt had only been half listening to the conversation going on around him. His mind kept wandering to the dark-haired little boy who was probably even now exclaiming in delight over the horses.
Despite Wyatt’s hurting heart, he couldn’t help but smile at the thought of his son and being a daddy now. He could teach Matty how to ride a horse and buy him his own mount as soon as he learned to balance in the saddle. He would show his precious child everything about the world, introduce him to all the different kinds of farm and domestic animals he vetted and teach him all about life in the country.
One day, when he was all grown up, Matty even might want to become a veterinarian like his father. Wyatt would be proud to pass on his business to his son.
His son. That one word made his chest expand until he thought he might burst.
But he was getting a little ahead of himself. Oh, who was he kidding? He was shooting off way ahead of himse
lf.
First, he needed to get to know Matty, not to mention give the boy time to get comfortable with him. At some point—hopefully soon—he and Carolina would be able to explain to Matty that Wyatt was his daddy in a way a two-year-old could understand.
He was troubled by one thing. He had no idea how to go about being a good father. As a kid, he hadn’t had a real male role model in his life. His parents had worked in a foreign aid office, and Wyatt had been raised solely by Gran.
He realized that while he had all of these idealistic notions about what a father should be, he didn’t have a clue what was realistic and practical in everyday life.
It was unnerving to say the least, but no matter how much apprehension he felt inside, nothing would deter Wyatt from knowing his little boy and being part of Matty’s life.
A big part.
He only hoped Carolina felt the same way. He was going to move forward with this either way, but it would certainly be easier if she wasn’t fighting him at every turn. Did he dare assume that part of her reason for returning to Haven was that she had finally recognized that Wyatt had both the right and the responsibility to be in Matty’s life? He knew she’d ostensibly come back to Haven to personally deliver the news of Morton Mason’s death, but she could just as easily—actually, even more so—have sent an email to Bea. She hadn’t had to come in person.
So maybe there was another reason she’d come back to town. Maybe it was for his sake—and Matty’s.
Although that didn’t explain why she had appeared so startled when she’d first seen him. Was that because he’d caught her off guard?
There were so many questions, and the only way to find the answers was to try to get along with Carolina—and cross his fingers that she would try to get along with him. At this point all he could do was hope for the best and step up for his role in this drama.
“I’m glad we got that all settled up,” said the attorney, closing his briefcase with a snap that pulled Wyatt back to the present. “Thank you, Carolina, for agreeing to stay on here in Haven. I expect I speak for the Lone Star Cowboy League and the boys ranch when I say we appreciate your willingness to represent your family legacy at the seventieth-anniversary party. It may make all the difference to us and all the boys who call this place their home.”
Carolina nodded. “Of course. I’m happy to do it.”
Wyatt didn’t think she sounded happy. He thought he still knew her well enough to distinguish the sadness in her voice. The grief.
And the stress.
Well, that made two of them.
Anyway, he really wasn’t positive he knew Carolina all that well, if at all. Three years ago, he certainly hadn’t anticipated that not only did she not reciprocate his feelings, but she’d run away from them, and while she was pregnant, no less.
No. He sighed inwardly. Three long years had passed between them. The truth was he probably didn’t know the real Carolina Mason at all.
“We’ve still got one problem,” Gabe said, cutting into Wyatt’s thoughts about Carolina and their personal issues. “Even after searching extensively, I haven’t been able to find my grandfather. At this point I’m not sure it’s going to happen before the anniversary party.”
Harold nodded gravely. “That is a problem.”
Gabe planted his hat on his head and frowned. “I don’t suppose you’ve got any enlightening letters for me in one of those file folders of yours.”
“Actually, now that you mention it, there is a letter.”
Gabe’s eyes lit up with hope, but Harold’s next words quickly doused that flame.
“It’s not what you’re hoping for. But it is based upon another contingency, and one that you all should know about. Especially you, Gabe. If, upon the morning of the seventieth-anniversary party, all of the men—and ladies,” he said, tipping his Stetson to Carolina, “are not present and accounted for, I am to open the letter and read Cyrus’s instructions on how to proceed with parceling out the land. I must caution you, it does not look promising. Obviously Cyrus had one thing and one thing only in mind when he wrote his will. So I encourage you to continue doing all you can to try to locate your grandfather before time runs out.”
“Believe me, I am,” Gabe said, his voice lowering in frustration. “So you’re pretty much saying that the land will revert to the developer and half our boys will lose their places at the ranch.”
Wyatt cringed in sympathy for his friend. Talk about a tough position to be in. He wouldn’t want to be in Gabe’s shoes right now, with the entire future of the boys ranch now dependent on his ability to find a man who had disappeared off the planet years ago.
Harold’s steady gaze met Gabe’s. “I’m not saying ’tis or ’tisn’t. We won’t know until I open the letter on the day of the party.”
“At which point it will be too late for us to try to change things,” Bea said with a groan, swiping a tired hand down her face.
“And that is exactly why we can’t let that happen,” Gabe said determinedly. “We’ve come too far to see this endeavor fall apart now. Somehow, I’ve got to find my grandfather and make this right.”
“I know I’m new to all of this,” Carolina said hesitantly, “but please feel free to call upon me if I can be of any assistance. I don’t know what, if anything, I can do to help you, Gabe, but you’ve got my support any way you need it.”
“Yeah,” added Wyatt. “Same goes for me.”
Wyatt’s eyes met Carolina’s and their eyes locked. They had their own set of problems to wade through, and the water was deep and murky.
Bea knocked her fist twice on the desk and stood, effectively ending the meeting. Folks started shuffling out of the office. Wyatt lingered so he could walk out directly after Carolina.
“I want to get to know my son,” he said as soon as they cleared the building. “Spend some quality time with him.”
The gaze Carolina flashed him was a combination of annoyance, frustration, hesitation and panic.
It was the hesitation that hit him hardest.
What? She didn’t think he could handle Matty? That he didn’t have it in him to be a father?
He frowned, all of his muscles tensing in response. He pressed his own fears aside in favor of feeling downright insulted by her attitude.
She didn’t trust him with his own son? Granted, he knew nothing about children, but he’d been caring for animals all his life. He could be gentle.
If anything, she was the one who’d proven herself untrustworthy.
“Look. Not today,” she said at last.
He clenched his fists to keep from barking out a rebuttal. At the moment, she was holding all the cards, and he felt entirely powerless.
“When, then?”
She sighed deeply, sounding bone weary. “I don’t know, Wyatt. I just got into town. I haven’t even set up house yet at my uncle’s cabin, just a bunch of boxes in the living room and mattresses on the floor for Matty and me. It’s going to take a while. And I’m still looking for a job.”
“You’re a registered nurse. You ought to be able to find employment around here easily enough. Have you checked at the hospital yet?”
Her eyes narrowed and she pursed her lips for a moment before answering. “Like I said—I’m looking. I’ll let you know when I’ve found something suitable.”
She sounded as if she doubted her own training and competence. Which was ridiculous. He might not be too thrilled with her personally right now, but he knew her to be an excellent nurse. She’d taken the very best care of his gran in her time of need, so much so that Gran had refused another nurse after Carolina had left.
Several other nurses, actually. No one could live up to the bar Carolina had set.
Surely any nearby medical facility would pick her up in a second. Nurses were always in shortage, especi
ally good ones.
Maybe she was just trying to throw their conversation off track. He wasn’t going to let that happen.
“Fine. I understand that you need to have the opportunity to work out all the details of your move to Haven. But I want an exact date and time when you will bring Matty to meet me, and it has to be soon.”
“I said I don’t know,” she shot back, sounding thoroughly exasperated.
His dander rose. If she was irritated, that was all on her. He wasn’t being unreasonable in asking for time to get to know his son.
Carolina blew out a breath. “I promise I’ll call you just as soon as I get settled in. I suppose we can plan to set up a playdate at the park or something.”
His eyebrows rose.
A date? Really?
If she thought he’d be going on any kind of date with her, she was sadly mistaken.
She looked at him questioningly and then burst into nervous laughter.
“I’m not asking you out, Wyatt. A playdate is when kids get together at the park. In this case, it will be you and your son. You can push him on the swing or play in the sandbox.”
“Oh.” He felt deflated, somehow. What was up with that? He knew he would have a great time with Matty, but—
“I have to go get Matty. I’m sure that Katie is rethinking her offer to watch him right about now. He can really be a handful when he gets excited, and I’m guessing he’s over the moon about his first introduction to horses.”
That should have been him. Yet another first that got away from him. Wyatt was determined it wouldn’t happen again.
“But you’ll call me, right?” Wyatt reiterated, knowing he was pushing her but beyond caring. “Soon?”
He wasn’t sure he was ready to take on a handful of two-year-old energy any more than Katie was, but he would have to be ready. He would make himself ready.