Read Online Wild Rekindled Love by Sandy Sullivan - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Sandy Sullivan
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louder, until his head reached the top and he could see her sitting in the corner on a bale of hay. Curled up in a little ball, her shoulders shook with each ragged sob and each tormented breath.
“Sam?” he whispered, approaching slowly before he sat down next to her.
“Go away, Wyatt.”
“Nope. Sorry, pumpkin, but I’m here to stay.”
Her teary eyes met his. “Why? You didn’t stay before?”
His dejected sigh echoed in the quietness of the barn. The silence was only broken by an occasional whinny of a horse or the stomp of a hoof on dry ground. “I know, and I’m sorry. I took the easy way out back then.”
“Why did you leave? Didn’t you want me and Mom?”
He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and tucked her to his side. “God, Sammy,” he whispered, his own tears threatening to fall down his cheeks. “I wanted you and I wanted your Mom, but I let her convince me the right thing to do was for me to leave and finish school. We were so young. I still had several years of college left so I could practice medicine. She wouldn’t let me quit school and take care of her and you. I took the coward’s way out, I guess you could say, and left town. I always knew I would come back here once I finished and that’s why I’m here now.”
“You came back for us?”
He smiled ruefully. “Yeah.”
“Do you love Mom?”
“I don’t know anymore, Sam. We are different people now than we were back then.”
“Did you love her when she got pregnant with me?”
“Yeah, or at least I think I did. It’s hard to know at twenty years old.”
A frown creased the skin between her eyebrows. “You aren’t married or dating someone are you?
He laughed. “No.”
Wiping the lingering tears from her cheeks, she said, “Good.”
“Good?”
“Yeah. You can’t get back together with Mom if you already have a wife.”
“Don’t get your hopes up, Samantha. I’m not sure your Mom wants that.”
One very unladylike snort left her lips as she covered her nose and mouth with her hand. “Do you want to?”
What the hell do I say to that?
“I’m not sure what I want right now, other than to get to know you and spend time with you. I’m sorry I missed being here while you were little. I’m sure you were cute as a button.” He tweaked her nose and smiled.
She snuggled next to his side. “I think I’m going to like having you for a Dad.” Her eyes met his again and a frown pulled down the corners of her mouth. “What do I call you?”
“You can call me Wyatt or Dad. Whatever you are comfortable with. I know this is going to take some time to get used to. It’s kind of weird for me, too.”
She straightened up as he looked at her face and a big grin rippled across her mouth, showing off her Wilder dimples to perfection. “My friends are going to be so jealous! You have a Harley.”
He threw his head back and laughed. Leave it to his daughter to be impressed with the motorcycle. “Do I need to buy you a leather jacket, too?
Her eyes widened and she nodded.
“Hey, you two. Can I come up?” Jamie called from the bottom of the ladder.
“Yeah, Mom, come on up.”
Wyatt saw her head pop up through the hole in the floor a moment later. Her eyes went round when they rested on him and Samantha sitting on the hay bale.
“Are you okay, baby?”
“I’m fine, Mom. It’s just kind of a shock, but I guess I should have guessed.”
“Why?” he asked.
“Because your eyes are the same color as mine and mom told me I had my dad’s eyes.”
“That you do, pumpkin. They are kind of a trademark with my family.”
“Do they still live here? I mean, do I have other grandparents that I don’t know?”
“My parents don’t live here in Laramie, but they aren’t that far away. And yes, you have grandparents and some other aunts and uncles as well as cousins.”
“Cool! I want to meet them.”
He chuckled softly. “I’m sure you will—in time.”
Jamie took the hay bale across from
“Sam?” he whispered, approaching slowly before he sat down next to her.
“Go away, Wyatt.”
“Nope. Sorry, pumpkin, but I’m here to stay.”
Her teary eyes met his. “Why? You didn’t stay before?”
His dejected sigh echoed in the quietness of the barn. The silence was only broken by an occasional whinny of a horse or the stomp of a hoof on dry ground. “I know, and I’m sorry. I took the easy way out back then.”
“Why did you leave? Didn’t you want me and Mom?”
He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and tucked her to his side. “God, Sammy,” he whispered, his own tears threatening to fall down his cheeks. “I wanted you and I wanted your Mom, but I let her convince me the right thing to do was for me to leave and finish school. We were so young. I still had several years of college left so I could practice medicine. She wouldn’t let me quit school and take care of her and you. I took the coward’s way out, I guess you could say, and left town. I always knew I would come back here once I finished and that’s why I’m here now.”
“You came back for us?”
He smiled ruefully. “Yeah.”
“Do you love Mom?”
“I don’t know anymore, Sam. We are different people now than we were back then.”
“Did you love her when she got pregnant with me?”
“Yeah, or at least I think I did. It’s hard to know at twenty years old.”
A frown creased the skin between her eyebrows. “You aren’t married or dating someone are you?
He laughed. “No.”
Wiping the lingering tears from her cheeks, she said, “Good.”
“Good?”
“Yeah. You can’t get back together with Mom if you already have a wife.”
“Don’t get your hopes up, Samantha. I’m not sure your Mom wants that.”
One very unladylike snort left her lips as she covered her nose and mouth with her hand. “Do you want to?”
What the hell do I say to that?
“I’m not sure what I want right now, other than to get to know you and spend time with you. I’m sorry I missed being here while you were little. I’m sure you were cute as a button.” He tweaked her nose and smiled.
She snuggled next to his side. “I think I’m going to like having you for a Dad.” Her eyes met his again and a frown pulled down the corners of her mouth. “What do I call you?”
“You can call me Wyatt or Dad. Whatever you are comfortable with. I know this is going to take some time to get used to. It’s kind of weird for me, too.”
She straightened up as he looked at her face and a big grin rippled across her mouth, showing off her Wilder dimples to perfection. “My friends are going to be so jealous! You have a Harley.”
He threw his head back and laughed. Leave it to his daughter to be impressed with the motorcycle. “Do I need to buy you a leather jacket, too?
Her eyes widened and she nodded.
“Hey, you two. Can I come up?” Jamie called from the bottom of the ladder.
“Yeah, Mom, come on up.”
Wyatt saw her head pop up through the hole in the floor a moment later. Her eyes went round when they rested on him and Samantha sitting on the hay bale.
“Are you okay, baby?”
“I’m fine, Mom. It’s just kind of a shock, but I guess I should have guessed.”
“Why?” he asked.
“Because your eyes are the same color as mine and mom told me I had my dad’s eyes.”
“That you do, pumpkin. They are kind of a trademark with my family.”
“Do they still live here? I mean, do I have other grandparents that I don’t know?”
“My parents don’t live here in Laramie, but they aren’t that far away. And yes, you have grandparents and some other aunts and uncles as well as cousins.”
“Cool! I want to meet them.”
He chuckled softly. “I’m sure you will—in time.”
Jamie took the hay bale across from
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