“I’m glad you’re my daddy.”
He nodded, because he couldn’t utter a word with all the emotion that was finding its way past his bachelor heart to make room for this little angel.
21
“Hi, Adam.” Merry Anna huggedthe phone against her chin since she had a paintbrush in one hand, and the other hand wasn’t in much better shape.
“You busy?”
“Actually, I’m trying to paint this barn quilt. It’s a bigger job than you would think, but so far it’s going quite well.” The more she worked on it, the more she felt that Antler Creek was a forever place for her.
“Krissy better be careful. You’ll take over that place.”
“No. Absolutely not. If there’s one thing I have figured out about myself, it’s that I like keeping things simple. In balance. I am committed to making this barn quilt beautiful, though.”
“Admirable goal. Pretty big commitment too.”
It was, and she knew there was more than just this quilt beginning to anchor her to Antler Creek. “You sound up today.”
“I am.”
“Did you—”
“I got the paternity results. Zan is my daughter.”
“Adam, I told you! She looks just like you. Even hermannerisms. So funny. I knew it.” In the midst of her excitement about being right, she paused. “And you’re okay, right?”
“Yeah. I have no idea what I’m doing or how I’m going to make this all work, especially in the short term. Long term, I’ve got it, but we have a ways to get there. By the time I got the message, the results were in. I was almost afraid to get them in case I wasn’t her father.”
“I think there’s an unspoken bond between family—one so strong that even if you don’t know it, you feel it.”
“You and your theories.”
“I’m full of them. I have no idea where I read it, but that’s what a lot of reading gets you.”
“I’ll leave that to you.”
“So, have you told Zan that you’re her father?”
Adam gave her the update about talking to Carly and Zan and the details Carly’s mom had shared.
“Wow. Well, she might have been going through something psychologically harrowing, but she loved that little girl enough to make sure she had a soft landing. You have to respect her for that.”
“She did her best. I believe that. I guess my biggest regret is that I really don’t know that much about Carly to tell Zan. We only knew each other at the rodeo. It was casual at best.”
“Well, at five, Zan has her own bond with her mom, and I’m sure Carly will get back on her feet soon and play a role in her life again.”
“Yeah, I hope so. I’m trying not to overwhelm myself, but, man, there’s so much to consider.”
“Well, congratulations! You missed Father’s Day this year, but just think, next year you’ll get a ceramic handprint kitchen trivet or something.”
“And I’ll love it,” he said. “We’ve got the Fourth of Julyfestival coming up. Do you want to go with Zan and me? It’s a whole day of activities, but I’m thinking we’ll go late in the afternoon to make it a shorter day and then watch the fireworks.”
“That sounds great.”
“Thank you for being such a good friend through all this. I met you at just the right time.”
It had been a whole lot less complicated when she only had to worry about him falling off a bull. “I think Antler Creek has a rescue mission statement. This place rescued me at the right time too.”How could I ever leave this town? These people? I could buy my own house and put my barn quilt there.She pictured a quaint Cape Cod up on the mountain, where she’d have a view of the town and the heavens all from the porch. Simple and elegant.
