Read Online Morning Light by Catherine Anderson - Free Book Online Page B

make a go of his horse ranch, which he’d named the Circle H, after his dad’s ranch, the Bar H. Clint’s three brothers had followed suit, Parker dubbing his spread the Rocking H, Quincy calling his the Lazy H, and Zach’s pulling in the cow’s tail as the Crooked H. Only Samantha, the youngest and the only girl, had departed from the Harrigan tradition, naming her spread the Sage Creek Ranch, after a stream that meandered over the twelve hundred acres.
    When Clint finally reached his father’s land, he turned on the seat of the ATV to look back, his gaze caressing the lush green fields, then lingering on his two-story post-and-timber home, the red-roofed arena, the outdoor stable, and a clutch of other outbuildings. The sight centered him, untangling his thoughts so he could focus on the question that tormented him. Is Loni MacEwen for real?
    Frank Harrigan was helping his new wife fix breakfast when Clint rapped on the back screen door and entered the kitchen. “Mornin’!” Frank said. “You’re just in time to eat and do the dishes.”
    Dee Dee, a plump woman with warm blue eyes and bottle-enhanced red hair, playfully slapped her husband’s shoulder. “Don’t pay him any mind, Clint. I enjoy cleaning up. Want some coffee?”
    Clint had known and loved Dee Dee most of his life. Shortly after his mother had died giving birth to Samantha, his dad had hired Dee Dee as a housekeeper, and she’d quickly wormed her way into all their hearts, becoming a surrogate mother to Clint and all his siblings. This spring, only a few months after Samantha married Tucker Coulter, Frank had finally made the redhead an official member of the family.
    â€œNo coffee, thanks,” Clint said. “I’m nervy enough without any more caffeine.”
    Dee Dee’s gaze sharpened on his face. “What’s wrong, dear? You look like you just lost your best friend.”
    â€œAn old friend,” Clint amended as he hooked his hat over the finial of a chair back and sat down. “Sandra Michaels, a lady I once dated. I just heard on the news that she may have drowned yesterday afternoon in a rafting accident.”
    â€œThe senator’s wife? Yes, we saw the news story.” Dee Dee crossed the kitchen to lay a hand on Clint’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry. Were you terribly fond of her?”
    â€œAt one time I almost asked her to marry me.”
    Slowly, haltingly, Clint related the details of his relationship with Sandra Stiles, and then told them Loni MacEwen’s outlandish story. Dee Dee’s eyes went wide as she sank onto a chair across from Clint. Frank turned the burners off and came to sit beside her.
    â€œSo this woman claims Trevor Stiles is your child,” Frank reiterated.
    â€œCrazy, isn’t it?” Clint forced a laugh. “It’s possible, I guess. Only I can’t believe Sandra would have kept it from me. We kept in contact for a few months, and she was as honest as the day is long. I point-blank asked her a couple of times if she was pregnant, and she said no.”
    â€œSometimes women lie about things like that,” Dee Dee said. “They fear a custody battle—or they don’t want to be bothered with driving back and forth to give the father visitation—-and other times they’re in a new relationship and don’t want the past to complicate the future.”
    â€œSandra wasn’t like that,” Clint insisted. “She never would have kept my child from me. I’d bet my life on that. She was a great person, very fair-minded and forthright. She also knew I’d never dream of suing for custody.”
    Frank rubbed his jaw, then rocked back on his chair. “At this point the boy’s parentage isn’t the primary concern. This MacEwen woman says the child’s in danger, and only you can save him. If it was me, that’s what I’d be thinkin’