Tucker's Crossing. Marina Adair

that he’s met Cody,” Shelby continued, “I want Jake to get the chance to at least know him. And this just states that Cody is Jake’s biological father. Makes the relationship legal. I had hoped that he would take one look at Jake and fall in love with him like I did, then demand to be a part of his life.”

      “And?”

      Shelby closed her eyes, thinking back to the panicked look on his face when he’d made the connection that Jake was his. It was the same holy-shit look of shock that he’d given her that last night, before he tore out of Austin for destinations unknown.

      “And I haven’t seen him all day.”

      “You’ve been at work all day,” Gina challenged.

      She had, but that was beside the point. “He was in the office all night, and then out of the house this morning before Ms. Luella showed up.”

      “Then how do you know he’ll even be there when you get back?”

      Shelby swallowed. Looked out the window, at the clock, and then at the photo of Gina’s adorable niece, Sidney, smashing a head of broccoli with a shovel. Anything to avoid looking her friend in the eye.

      “Ooh, this must be good.” Gina dropped her feet to the floor and leaned toward Shelby. “Spill or find new counsel.”

      Shelby sent her a threatening glare, then lifted her purse and pulled out a blue wire with a black doohickey attached to the end of it. God, this was embarrassing.

      “And that would be?”

      “The center coil wire to his distributor cap. Ms. Luella helped me disconnect it this morning when Cody took off on his mammoth of a horse. She promised me that all I had to do was reconnect it, and it would run like new, and he’d never know who did it.”

      “And what if Cody called Mister and just got a new one?” Shelby had the decency to blush. “Let me guess, Ms. Luella blackmailed, excuse me, I meant to say exploited, Mister’s love for fried food to ensure he was temporarily out.”

      “Mister does love his hushpuppies. And peach pie,” Shelby added.

      “And apparently Ms. Luella.” Gina grinned and picked up one of the many legal pads from her top drawer, set it on her desk and poised her pen. She jotted down a few notes and then looked up at Shelby. “Before we start, I need to know you understand that you can’t make a man love someone, Shell. Promise me that isn’t what this is about.”

      “That’s just it. I think that Cody grew up with such a skewed version of love that he doesn’t know what to do when he experiences it. Love is unpredictable and complicated and makes you feel like you’re spinning out of control. And for a man who’s terrified of losing control, it’s his worst nightmare. So he runs.”

      “And you want to stop him from running?”

      “Long enough to see what a great kid Jake is. Just because he didn’t want me, doesn’t mean he won’t want his son.”

      Shelby expected Gina to pick up her pen and start writing. Instead her friend spared her a look, the same one Shelby had once given her when Gina finally confessed, over two bottles of wine and a bag of pork rinds, that she was in love with Logan. Had been for most of her life.

      “And what if he also wants you, Shell?”

      Chapter 5

      Shelby pulled up the space-themed sheets and brushed a kiss over Jake’s forehead. He’d made it through the first twenty-four hours of his daddy being back in his life. And he seemed to be doing all right, considering.

      The reunion wasn’t what she’d hoped for, but it could have been worse. Yeah right. Jake and Cody hadn’t shared the same air since they’d first met. When Jake wasn’t at school, he’d been hiding in his room or pretending to be a video-game zombie. And if she shut off the television, he’d been sullen and quiet.

      “How was football?” Shelby asked, wanting desperately for things to get back to normal.

      “Okay, I guess.”

      “Did you make a goal?” Shelby said deadpan, knowing it would rile him up.

      “Gawd, Mom, it’s a touchdown. And Coach didn’t play me much today.” What’s new, Shelby thought bitterly. “Ryan’s dad said we could practice tomorrow when he got off work.” Jake shifted in his sheets. “Unless I could stay here.”

      “Honey, I’m working a double on top of my normal shifts. That means three nights of me being gone. And I can’t be sure Ms. Luella could stay in the main house and keep an eye on you for that long.”

      “I’m practically ten, I’m not a baby.”

      “You just turned nine a few months ago. And I never said you were.” But he was. He was her baby and he was growing up way too fast. “And seeing as there’s still a few days left of school, not to mention football practice and the unfortunate fact that you have to be the ancient age of sixteen to drive in this state, for this time, Ryan’s house is the best option.”

      Jake stared at her, wanting to protest but not saying even one of the million or so words Shelby could see going through his head. She leaned over and placed another kiss, this time on his cheek, determined to get in as many as she could before that became a baby thing too.

      “Night, sweetie.”

      Shelby crossed the room and shut off the light. She was about to shut the door when Jake spoke. “Mom, what if he’s gone when we get back?”

      Shelby’s throat closed along with her eyes. How did one answer that? Truthfully, she decided. She knew what it felt like not to be able to trust a parent, so she’d always been honest with Jake, about everything. No sense in starting to fib now.

      “Then we’ll be just fine. You and I are a team, sweetie.” Shelby paused, figuring her two stubborn men needed a place to start. What they did with it from there was their choice. “Maybe he just feels funny being home after so long and finding his daddy gone.”

      “I thought he hated Grandpa.”

      “Hard to hate someone when you don’t really know them. Maybe Cody just needs someone to make him feel welcome. I imagine it’s difficult to want to stay someplace that makes you sad.”

      “Kind of like San Francisco?”

      Shelby sighed. She’d done all she could to hide her distress when they’d been with Preston, but kids were always smarter than people gave them credit for. And it wasn’t until she scooped up Jake and moved him to Texas, and saw her son blossom under Silas’s loving attention, that she realized he’d been as miserable as she had.

      “Yeah, sweetie, kind of like San Francisco.”

      “Maybe he just needs someone to show him the ropes, you know, make some friends, then it wouldn’t be so bad.”

      A wealth of motherly pride warmed her. Despite everything he’d been through, her son was a wonderful kid. “I think you just might be right.”

      Cody, can you come help me?

      Mama.

      Cody jerked awake, his heart punching through his chest, hands fisted, legs violently thrashing to get free from the sheets, which were knotted and twisted into a prison of cotton. A scream lodged in his throat. A thick sheen of sweat covered his body. He breathed in raggedly, gasping for air and sanity.

      Pressing the heels of his hands hard against his lids, he tried to shake off the terror of his dream state. As the images of his mother faded, so did the thundering in his ears.

      Willing his heart to slow, Cody pressed harder, until spots danced behind his lids. The nightmare that had haunted him for over twenty years was back, and it was playing for keeps. Not surprising, considering where he was.

      He’d almost let his guard down, convinced