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Chloe giggled. “No, that would be that big guy over there with the tattoos.”
Frankie immediately wormed herself out of Tara’s arms and ran up to Mason. Tara smiled as she overheard Frankie ask him if he’d really painted Chloe’s hair pink.
Chloe smiled. “I love the name Frankie. It suits her...”
Owen put his arm over Chloe’s shoulder, before kissing the top of her pink head. “I know, right?”
They watched Frankie hop skipping over the grass before following her grandparents into the kitchen side entrance.
“So nobody is going to tell Tara to her face what we really think about her keeping Frankie from us?” Lily sneered.
This was it. The standoff she knew was coming. Of course Lily had every right to be angry with her. Maybe if they knew Tara’s reasons for running away, they would at least sort of understand why she did what she did.
A dark haired guy grabbed Lily’s hand and tugged the redhead with him for a walk downhill. Tara’s eyes widened as Lily let him without putting up a fight. This was not normal Lily Mills behavior.
Tara was thankful she dodged that bullet for the time being, but her curiosity finally got the better of her and she asked, “Who was that?”
Owen raised a brow. “I thought you of all people would recognize him…”
Tara racked her brain as she tried to connect that handsome guy to this little town.
“I have no idea who that is.”
“Matteo Dorante…” Owen said like it immediately should ring a bell.
“Who?”
Chloe giggled and said, “I think Tara’s taste in music has changed over the years. Matteo is the lead singer of the rock band Dark Moon.”
Tara smiled apologetically. “Sorry… I still love rock, but I’ve been a bit out of the scene these past years.”
“Hey, we haven’t met before. I’m Damian Dorante.”
Tara took his outstretched hand and instantly picked up on the resemblance between him and Matteo.
“You’re that rocker’s brother?”
“Yes. And I’m married to this gorgeous girl,” Damian said before pulling Chloe out from under Owen’s arm that still rested on top of her shoulder.
Chloe smiled up at Damian like he hung the moon. Tara was happy for her friend. If Tara could still call Chloe her friend, that is.
“Let’s head inside,” Owen said.
“I’ll join you in a minute,” Tara mumbled.
Owen waited until Damian and Chloe had walked away from them far enough, before he asked, “Are you okay? I know this must be hard on you.”
She shrugged as she watched her foot kick at a rock. “I don’t deserve your kindness.”
She startled when his knuckles lifted her chin. “You’re right. You don’t deserve it. But for the sake of Frankie, I’ll do my best to keep my anger in check. Okay?”
Tara eyed the sincerity in his brown eyes.
“Thanks…”
He nodded before he left her standing on the windy hill that ran up to the big house. After a moment of staring at the colorful leaves on the trees surrounding her, Tara walked a few minutes downhill as she needed to clear her head. She wouldn’t be gone long for the sake of Frankie, even though her daughter would be all right in the big house with Owen and his family.
Tara knew how excited Frankie was to meet her father’s family and to finally look around the big house. Owen had spent the last couple of hours in the truck telling stories about growing up in the stone lodge with guests coming and going throughout the year. Frankie’s eyes had lit up like Tara had never seen before.
