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Authors: Carolyn Brown
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sweetheart. I'm so sorry."
His phone rang in the middle of the hugging. "Hello?"
"Did you find her? Is she all right?" Marita asked.
"She's right here at Edna's old place and she's fine. I'm bringing her home now," he said.
"I'm not going home," Lizzy said. "Not 'til Nana Rita gets there. She won't let her be mean to me."
Rachel rolled down the window but kept her finger on the button. There was no telling what that insane woman might do. "Griffin, you've got to take that kid in hand. She's playing you. I only swatted her twice and she deserved it."
"We'll talk later," he said.
Lizzy's eyes grew wide. "Don't make me stay with her no more."
"Rachel won't be coming back to the ranch. Now let's go home," Griffin reassured her.
"Not ever. You promise?" Lizzy asked.
Griffin headed toward the truck. "I promise."
Annie set up a sobbing howl. "But she's my friend. You can't take her away."
Lizzy began to cry right along with her. "Daddy, Annie is my friend. Can she come home with me?"
Griffin looked at Julie. Her curly red hair was wet with sweat, her bare feet filthy, her cut-off jeans bleach stained, and her T-shirt had holes in it. Honest to God, he'd never seen the woman before Lizzy's first day of school, and he would definitely remember her if he had. A man would have to be stone blind, stupid, or both to forget someone like Julie Donavan.
"If I leave now, it's over," Rachel yelled.
"I am a father. You've known that since day one," Griffin raised his voice above the din enough that she could hear him.
Rachel rolled up the window and sped away, leaving nothing but a puff of road dust in her wake.
"You really don't remember me?" Julie asked from the porch.
"Sure I remember you. You are Lizzy's teacher and you were at church last Sunday. I don't know what you're talking about 'growing my hair' back. It's been like this since I was a kid."
She sat down on the porch. "Did you get amnesia in Iraq?"
He was busy putting Lizzy in the passenger's seat and shutting the door. When she said Iraq, he jerked his head around and frowned. " I never went to Iraq."
Julie's green eyes locked with his blue ones and the distance across the yard disappeared. "Then the uniform was a hoax to pick up women?"
Griffin stopped. "Six years ago my identical twin brother went to Iraq. He was killed two days after he got there. Are you mistaking me for Graham?"
"Holy shit. Two of you?" Julie whispered. Now it made sense. No wonder Griffin didn't recognize her.
"Yes, ma'am. Graham always was attracted to white trash redheads. You thought I was Graham, and you've come back here to lay claim to your kid's share of the Lucky Clover, haven't you? Well, honey, you've got a surprise in store. It ain't happenin'," he said with enough chill in his voice to drop the temperature forty degrees.
"Mr. Luckadeau, until this moment I had no idea that there were two of you and had I known, I damn sure wouldn't have taken a job in Saint Jo. You leave me and my child alone. I don't want a damn thing you've got," Julie declared.
Tears dripped down Annie's face. "Don't be mad at Lizzy's daddy. Lizzy is my friend. We traded kittens so we can be friends. I want her to come and play with me."
Lizzy leaned out the truck window and pointed toward the porch. "I want Annie to be my friend. You can't take her away from me."
Griffin threw up his hands. "Good God, what are we going to do?"
"Right now you are taking Lizzy home, and I'm takin g Annie inside to eat lunch. We'll sort this out another day. I've had about all I can stand for this one."
"She can come back and play, can't she Momma?" Annie sobbed.
"Lizzy is welcome in this house anytime she wants to come," Julie said.
Annie stopped crying and waved at Lizzy, who had settled back down in the truck.
Griffin
His phone rang in the middle of the hugging. "Hello?"
"Did you find her? Is she all right?" Marita asked.
"She's right here at Edna's old place and she's fine. I'm bringing her home now," he said.
"I'm not going home," Lizzy said. "Not 'til Nana Rita gets there. She won't let her be mean to me."
Rachel rolled down the window but kept her finger on the button. There was no telling what that insane woman might do. "Griffin, you've got to take that kid in hand. She's playing you. I only swatted her twice and she deserved it."
"We'll talk later," he said.
Lizzy's eyes grew wide. "Don't make me stay with her no more."
"Rachel won't be coming back to the ranch. Now let's go home," Griffin reassured her.
"Not ever. You promise?" Lizzy asked.
Griffin headed toward the truck. "I promise."
Annie set up a sobbing howl. "But she's my friend. You can't take her away."
Lizzy began to cry right along with her. "Daddy, Annie is my friend. Can she come home with me?"
Griffin looked at Julie. Her curly red hair was wet with sweat, her bare feet filthy, her cut-off jeans bleach stained, and her T-shirt had holes in it. Honest to God, he'd never seen the woman before Lizzy's first day of school, and he would definitely remember her if he had. A man would have to be stone blind, stupid, or both to forget someone like Julie Donavan.
"If I leave now, it's over," Rachel yelled.
"I am a father. You've known that since day one," Griffin raised his voice above the din enough that she could hear him.
Rachel rolled up the window and sped away, leaving nothing but a puff of road dust in her wake.
"You really don't remember me?" Julie asked from the porch.
"Sure I remember you. You are Lizzy's teacher and you were at church last Sunday. I don't know what you're talking about 'growing my hair' back. It's been like this since I was a kid."
She sat down on the porch. "Did you get amnesia in Iraq?"
He was busy putting Lizzy in the passenger's seat and shutting the door. When she said Iraq, he jerked his head around and frowned. " I never went to Iraq."
Julie's green eyes locked with his blue ones and the distance across the yard disappeared. "Then the uniform was a hoax to pick up women?"
Griffin stopped. "Six years ago my identical twin brother went to Iraq. He was killed two days after he got there. Are you mistaking me for Graham?"
"Holy shit. Two of you?" Julie whispered. Now it made sense. No wonder Griffin didn't recognize her.
"Yes, ma'am. Graham always was attracted to white trash redheads. You thought I was Graham, and you've come back here to lay claim to your kid's share of the Lucky Clover, haven't you? Well, honey, you've got a surprise in store. It ain't happenin'," he said with enough chill in his voice to drop the temperature forty degrees.
"Mr. Luckadeau, until this moment I had no idea that there were two of you and had I known, I damn sure wouldn't have taken a job in Saint Jo. You leave me and my child alone. I don't want a damn thing you've got," Julie declared.
Tears dripped down Annie's face. "Don't be mad at Lizzy's daddy. Lizzy is my friend. We traded kittens so we can be friends. I want her to come and play with me."
Lizzy leaned out the truck window and pointed toward the porch. "I want Annie to be my friend. You can't take her away from me."
Griffin threw up his hands. "Good God, what are we going to do?"
"Right now you are taking Lizzy home, and I'm takin g Annie inside to eat lunch. We'll sort this out another day. I've had about all I can stand for this one."
"She can come back and play, can't she Momma?" Annie sobbed.
"Lizzy is welcome in this house anytime she wants to come," Julie said.
Annie stopped crying and waved at Lizzy, who had settled back down in the truck.
Griffin
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