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Authors: judy christenberry
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keeping her gaze on her cake.
“I don’t think that’s really fair, Griff,” Camille said. She looked at her son. “Your father didn’t know who his father was because his mother had never told him. She had lied to him about…things.”
“What things? I don’t remember you mentioning my grandmother,” John said, turning to stare at his father.
“My mother had an affair and ran away pregnant at seventeen,” Griff said. He squared his jaw. “She told me a lot of lies and taught me to hate the man who fathered me. I came here to bury her, as she requested. That’s how I found my family. And they wouldn’t let me go. You know how Jake is. Well, I look a lot like them. He kept insisting I stay. And then there was Camille.”
“But how does Granddad figure in?”
“He’d tried to get in touch with Griff’s mother, but she refused to let him see his son. When he heard that Griff was here, he came to Jake and asked him if he could tell Griff. Jake said he would when the time was right. But Granddad couldn’t wait. He showed up at an…inconvenient time and insisted on being introduced.”
John turned to his father. “That must’ve been awkward.”
“Yeah.”
“That’s all you’ve got to say?” John asked.
“We worked things out. By the time you came along, Granddad was part of the family.”
“And he left you his ranch.”
“Yeah.”
“So why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“I didn’t want to embarrass your grandfather. He was ashamed of having had an affair with a seventeen-year-old. Why should I make him feel ashamed all over again?”
“I suppose you’re right,” John said, slowly eating his cake.
Lucy sent a hesitant smile to him. “It’s a wonderful family, John.”
“Yeah.”
“You’re lucky to be a part of it.”
“Now you’re part of it, too, Lucy.”
“Not really. But thank you for the thought.”
Chapter Six
That night, Lucy heard her baby cry and she struggled out of bed. She couldn’t let Emma cry—and she might wake up the rest of the family.
No! Lucy admonished herself. They weren’t part of the family. She and Emma were on their own. Or at least they would be on their own. She hurried on to get her child, even though she’d stopped her wailing. When she reached Emma’s little room, she came to an abrupt stop at the sight before her.
There stood John with Emma in his arms.
“What are you doing?” she demanded.
“I’m going to get Emma’s bottle. Go back to bed.”
“But, John, you have to get up early in the morning. Here, give me Emma. I’ll go fix her bottle.”
“Nope. I’m feeding Emma right now. You can get up at four when she’ll be up again.”
“No! I’m not supposed to make your life harder by coming here. I’ll take Emma and go away if it’s going to make things more difficult.”
John bent down and kissed Lucy’s cheek. “Go to bed now, Lucy, or I’ll wake up Mom and she can tell you.”
“No, you can’t do that!”
“Then go to bed and get up at four. Emma will wake you up.”
She stifled a yawn. “Okay, but just this once.”
“Sure.”
J OHN CUDDLED E MMA against his chest as he fixed her bottle. “You know, sweetheart, feeding you during the night isn’t so bad a job, even if I do miss some sleep.”
He screwed the nipple on her bottle and moved into the den to settle in the rocking chair. “Okay, little girl, here you go.”
He watched her suck down her milk as he slowly rocked back and forth. She was so little, though he thought she’d already grown since her birth. It didn’t take her long to finish. John eased her up on his shoulder and rubbed her back until she burped.
Then he gently patted her back until he could hear her breathing deepening and he knew she was asleep. He got up from the rocker and carried her back to her crib, where he covered her with her blanket.
As tired as he was, he stood there, smiling down at the baby, thinking how beautiful she was. A true miracle.
He’d
“I don’t think that’s really fair, Griff,” Camille said. She looked at her son. “Your father didn’t know who his father was because his mother had never told him. She had lied to him about…things.”
“What things? I don’t remember you mentioning my grandmother,” John said, turning to stare at his father.
“My mother had an affair and ran away pregnant at seventeen,” Griff said. He squared his jaw. “She told me a lot of lies and taught me to hate the man who fathered me. I came here to bury her, as she requested. That’s how I found my family. And they wouldn’t let me go. You know how Jake is. Well, I look a lot like them. He kept insisting I stay. And then there was Camille.”
“But how does Granddad figure in?”
“He’d tried to get in touch with Griff’s mother, but she refused to let him see his son. When he heard that Griff was here, he came to Jake and asked him if he could tell Griff. Jake said he would when the time was right. But Granddad couldn’t wait. He showed up at an…inconvenient time and insisted on being introduced.”
John turned to his father. “That must’ve been awkward.”
“Yeah.”
“That’s all you’ve got to say?” John asked.
“We worked things out. By the time you came along, Granddad was part of the family.”
“And he left you his ranch.”
“Yeah.”
“So why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“I didn’t want to embarrass your grandfather. He was ashamed of having had an affair with a seventeen-year-old. Why should I make him feel ashamed all over again?”
“I suppose you’re right,” John said, slowly eating his cake.
Lucy sent a hesitant smile to him. “It’s a wonderful family, John.”
“Yeah.”
“You’re lucky to be a part of it.”
“Now you’re part of it, too, Lucy.”
“Not really. But thank you for the thought.”
Chapter Six
That night, Lucy heard her baby cry and she struggled out of bed. She couldn’t let Emma cry—and she might wake up the rest of the family.
No! Lucy admonished herself. They weren’t part of the family. She and Emma were on their own. Or at least they would be on their own. She hurried on to get her child, even though she’d stopped her wailing. When she reached Emma’s little room, she came to an abrupt stop at the sight before her.
There stood John with Emma in his arms.
“What are you doing?” she demanded.
“I’m going to get Emma’s bottle. Go back to bed.”
“But, John, you have to get up early in the morning. Here, give me Emma. I’ll go fix her bottle.”
“Nope. I’m feeding Emma right now. You can get up at four when she’ll be up again.”
“No! I’m not supposed to make your life harder by coming here. I’ll take Emma and go away if it’s going to make things more difficult.”
John bent down and kissed Lucy’s cheek. “Go to bed now, Lucy, or I’ll wake up Mom and she can tell you.”
“No, you can’t do that!”
“Then go to bed and get up at four. Emma will wake you up.”
She stifled a yawn. “Okay, but just this once.”
“Sure.”
J OHN CUDDLED E MMA against his chest as he fixed her bottle. “You know, sweetheart, feeding you during the night isn’t so bad a job, even if I do miss some sleep.”
He screwed the nipple on her bottle and moved into the den to settle in the rocking chair. “Okay, little girl, here you go.”
He watched her suck down her milk as he slowly rocked back and forth. She was so little, though he thought she’d already grown since her birth. It didn’t take her long to finish. John eased her up on his shoulder and rubbed her back until she burped.
Then he gently patted her back until he could hear her breathing deepening and he knew she was asleep. He got up from the rocker and carried her back to her crib, where he covered her with her blanket.
As tired as he was, he stood there, smiling down at the baby, thinking how beautiful she was. A true miracle.
He’d
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