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Nora braked coming down a large embankment and turned to study her. “I’m a straggler—a poor family relation who has zero Navarro sangre running through my veins.” She glanced over at Erin in question. “You don’t know my story, do you?”
“No,” Erin answered as curiosity lanced through her. “But I love your accent—it’s so unique.”
Nora smiled as she pulled the ATV under a lone tree casting the only shadow within sight. She put the vehicle in park and let it idle. “I went to college in California. I also went to boarding school, both in the US and in Switzerland for a time—I guess my speech reflects that?”
“I guess that’s it, and it reflects beautifully,” Erin said, trying to put the girl at ease by not asking too many questions too soon.
“Thanks,” Nora replied absently as she swiveled to face her now that they were parked. The look she gave Erin was conflicted. “So, I guess you want to know my story? I know that I want to tell you—I want to compare notes.”
Notes? “Okay,” she said hesitantly, somehow knowing the girl was about to impart something meaningful that she felt Erin needed to know.
Erin sat still while Nora fidgeted a bit, as if not knowing where to begin. It was obvious that the girl needed a friend, which was just as well because Erin desperately needed one herself right about now. Reaching over, she squeezed Nora’s shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile. The younger woman smiled back and slowly began. “My birth mother died when I was a toddler—I don’t remember her. My father was an American and I never met him—he had no interest in me. He already had a family in the States when my mother fell pregnant.” Her tone was gentle as she watched Erin, and suddenly a knot formed in Erin’s stomach as she waited for more.
Nora continued slowly, “My mother’s Will left me to the Navarros. Tía Magdalena—Rafael’s mother—was my mother’s best friend.” Erin remained silent as she absorbed the information as Nora continued to gently study her. “I’m about to say something that I think will shock you. I know it’s going to upset you, but I need to tell you because I want you in my life.” She reached over and grasped Erin’s hands in her own.
Erin physically and mentally braced herself. She liked Nora, but she prepared herself anyway, knowing instinctively that whatever she was about to learn wouldn’t be all good. “Go ahead.”
“Erin—you and I are sisters.”
A cold chill ran down Erin’s spine. Sisters? As much as she’d like to have this girl for a sister—there was no way she believed it could be true. She continued to grasp the other girl’s hand, not rejecting her—but rejecting whatever truth the girl seemed to believe. “There’s no way that can be true,” she stated emphatically.
“It’s true,” Nora said gently.
“You’re saying that my father is your father?” Erin studied the girl’s dramatic coloring, so like her own, but dismissing the similarities as coincidental.
“Yes.”
“Nora, that can’t be,” Erin replied as gently as possible. And it couldn’t be, right? There was no damn way. It was true that Erin’s father hadn’t been good with money, but as a family man? There had been none better. He never would have strayed from his marriage vows. Her father’s love for her mother had been all consuming. Erin knew that as surely as she knew her own name. “My dad loved my mom. If you’d seen them together, you would know. He never would have cheated on her. You’re confused somewhere. You’ve got your facts messed up.”
Nora’s look turned sympathetic, as if Erin were the one who had it wrong. “My father’s name was Gordon Rule and he was from St. Louis, Missouri.”
Recognizing the unwavering certainty in the other girl’s voice, Erin felt the first splinter of real doubt, a pang of pain hitting her sharply in her chest. But then, almost immediately, she realized Nora’s father could have been a Gordon Rule—her paternal grandfather. Could the age range make that a possibility? Her grandparents had been married young, and her father had been born when her grandfather was, like what, about twenty? So, it was possible. Her grandparents had never had a good marriage and the family had long suspected that there had been infidelity involved, but they were both gone now and any secrets had been buried along with them.
She briefly explained her thoughts to Nora and watched as a cloud of doubt registered on the younger girl’s face.
“Are you sure? Your grandfather?” Nora asked.
Erin nodded her head as she thought about it further. “My father wouldn’t have cheated—but my grandfather? Unfortunately, yeah, I can see that happening.”
“If that’s the way it was, it would make me your aunt, right?”
Erin’s lips transformed into a whisper of a smile at the incongruity of the situation. “Yeah. This is still too incredible for me to believe. Are you okay if I ask my mom about it? She might know at least some of it. My parents were very close, and I’m sure if my dad had known about it, then he would have told my mother.”
