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Bliss folded her arms over the top rail of the fence and watched spindly-legged colts frolicking beside their docile mothers. “So how is Tiffany with you?”
His eyebrows lifted and he bent down to pluck a long blade of dry grass from the ground. “Not great. In fact, she won’t talk to me.”
No big surprise there. “Do you blame her?”
He rubbed his chin. “Guess not. She didn’t know much about me or that I was even alive for a long, long time.”
“What?” Bliss couldn’t believe her ears, then mentally kicked herself for being so naive. Hadn’t she been hoodwinked all her life? Why not Tiffany, as well?
“Her mother, Rose, finally told her the truth, I guess, but I didn’t try to get in touch with her until a couple of months ago, after your mother passed on.”
“Oh.”
“Anyway, I tried to call her, you know, to break the ice, but she hung up before I could say anything other than my name.” He placed the piece of grass between his teeth. “Guess she’s a little ticked. As I said, Tiffany’s mother told her that her father was dead, had died before they could get married—and then she did a quick reversal.” He hesitated, his thinning hair ruffling in the breeze. “Since I never showed any interest until recently…well, it’s been hard for her.”
“Beyond hard,” Bliss agreed, feeling a tiny pang of pity for the older half sister she’d n
ever met. “If I were her, I don’t know if I’d ever forgive you.”
He sighed. “You’re having trouble now because I’m marrying Brynnie.”
That much was true, but Bliss didn’t want to think about it. Not now. She hardly dared ask her next question but decided there was no time like the present. “So what about Brynnie’s daughter, Katie? What does she think?”
“That’s another story,” he admitted. “Katie, too, just found out. Her mother told her a couple of weeks back that she wasn’t Hal Kinkaid’s daughter.”
Bliss froze. “Wait a minute. Are telling me that Brynnie passed Katie off as—”
John lifted a hand. “She had no choice. I went along with it.”
“But—”
“It was probably a mistake.”
“One of many,” Bliss whispered, wondering how deep were the lies that her father had perpetuated over the years. Her head spun with all this new information about a family she hadn’t suspected existed.
“I know.” He seemed suddenly tired and older than his years. “I’ve done a lot of damage. To you. To your mother. To the other women in my life. But I’m going to change all that by marrying Brynnie and claiming Tiffany and Katie as my daughters. If they accept me, I’ll be a happy man. If they don’t, well, I guess I’ll just have to understand.”
As if he could. No one had ever called John Cawthorne understanding. “I wish I could tell you that everything will turn out fine, Dad, but I’m not sure that’s possible.”
“It’s all right.” Her father managed a watery smile.
“I’ve given you a lot to think about. Maybe too much. But I’ve decided to finally live up to my responsibilities as well as make the most of the few years I’ve got left.” A hawk circled lazily overhead, its shadow passing over the ground as John brushed an ant from the fence post. “Somehow I’m gonna make peace with my daughters and grandchildren.”
“Are there more than Tiffany’s two kids?” Bliss asked.
He glanced up sharply. “Katie’s got a ten-year-old. Josh.”
“So she’s married?”
“No.” He shook his head. “The guy left her pregnant and she wanted the baby, so she kept him.”
“Does this never end?” she wondered aloud. Both her half sisters had children and she, who had always thought herself the mothering kind, had none, nor a husband or any prospects of one. Her mind wandered to Mason and she scoffed at herself. If Mason were the last man on earth, she wouldn’t want him to father her child. She knew his true colors. He’d shown them once before and they were ugly and oh, so painful. Even now, ten years later, she still experienced a little burn in her heart when she thought of him and how deeply he had deceived her. Bastard, she thought unkindly, then told herself it didn’t matter. Mason Lafferty was nothing to her.
“Tell me about Brynnie’s other children,” Bliss said, forcing her thoughts from Mason. She rubbed her hand across the top rail and a sliver pricked her finger.
“Three boys. Jarrod, the oldest, and the twins, Trevor and Nathan. Brynnie had her hands full with those three and little Katie, let me tell you.” He grinned slightly as he stared at the mare, and not for the first time in her life Bliss wondered if John Cawthorne missed having sons, a boy to carry on his name. He nodded toward the mare. “You’ll like riding Fire Cracker.”
“Fire Cracker?” She plucked at the sliver with the fingernails of her other hand and heard a train rattling on far-off tracks.
