Reunited By A Secret Child. Leigh Bale

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.

      “That will be fine,” he said.

      He was coasting on autopilot but felt as though he was lost in a fog. He still couldn’t get past the news that he had a daughter, and he wondered how Katie could act so normal. And yet he detected the tension in her shoulders. She was angry with him.

      “We’ll bring you some more supplies tomorrow. Do you think you’ll be okay until then?” she asked.

      He nodded as he stepped over to the doorways leading to the two bedrooms. “Yes, I’ll be fine.”

      He peered inside the first room, noticing the comfortable double bed with a handmade quilt, the pillows and the chest of drawers. Outside the window, he heard the ragged call of a blue jay. The peace and calm was exactly what he was after, and yet there was no peace in his heart.

      “Remember, Mrs. Murdoch lives a quarter of a mile down the road, if you have an emergency,” Katie said.

      He nodded again, not knowing what else to say. He doubted Mrs. Murdoch would be too friendly. Not when she recalled that he and his friends had broken the taillights out of her husband’s truck years earlier.

      “Well, I better be going,” Katie said, edging toward the open door. She glanced outside, as though desperate to flee.

      “We’ll talk some more tomorrow,” he said, knowing he’d have more questions by then.

      “Yeah, tomorrow,” she agreed.

      And