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“He’s only five minutes away. I think we both need coffee.” He wiped out mugs with a paper towel and then poured thick, black liquid into them.
“I don’t know what to say to you. I mean, if it turns out we are related,” she added quickly, “I don’t want anything from you. I mean, sure, it would be nice to get to you know you, but I’m all good. I don’t need anything.” She was babbling, which was a sure sign of nerves.
“It’s okay, Autumn. Take a breath. Let’s find out first; then we’ll decide what to do.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes, and she guessed he was struggling with what she’d told him as much as she was.
“I need to tell my nephew I can’t see him now. Excuse me.” He handed her the cup and walked out of the room.
She heard him talking to Brody Duke,who could be your cousin. When he returned, she was sipping the coffee.
The heavy silence settled around them as he took his chair. What did she say if he was her father? Nothing in her life had prepared her for this moment. Nothing could prepare her no matter how many times she’d imagined it.
A knock sounded on the door, and the sheriff got up to answer it, and the tension inside her climbed another notch.
“Bradford. This is Autumn.”
The man was stick thin and had a serious look on his face. Normally his shirt with the wordsSquare Dancing for Lifeon the front would have made her smile, but not now. Now she seriously considered asking for the bathroom and throwing up.
“I know you can keep your mouth shut, Bradford, and I’d be real glad if you did that with what you learn today.”
The man nodded solemnly.
“I need you to read these and see if I’m Autumn’s father.”
She had to give the man credit. Bradford didn’t so much as blink at those words. He took the papers they handed him and laid them on a desk.
“A Y-DNA test examines the genetic code located on the Y chromosome, which is only found in biological males,” Bradford said, looking at the papers.
Autumn stood rooted to the spot. Her hands were clammy, and her head felt light. She’d waited for this moment for years—her entire life—and now that it was here, she wanted to snatch the paper back and make a run for it.
I’m not ready for this.
“You are her father, Sheriff,” Bradford said after he’d examined the papers thoroughly, and the tension in the room reached a screaming point for Autumn. “It’s conclusive from these DNA test results.”
“Thanks, Bradford. Like I said, I’d be grateful if you kept this to yourself for now. It’ll get out soon enough, but I want my family to know first.”
She heard Sheriff Dans talking to the man. Knew he was ushering him out, but Autumn couldn’t seem to think clearly. The door shut again, and then he was standing before her.
“I know she’s your mother, Autumn, and I respect that she thought she was doing right by us both,” Sheriff Dans said. “But it wasn’t right not to tell me. I would have wanted to be part of your life.”
The tears came then. “I-I would have w-wanted you to be part of my life too.”
Chapter32
Ford sat with the other Ryker Falls people and some of the Lyntackys, mainly the Duke brothers, who as it turned out were nice guys. A little rough around the edges, but a lot like the boys from Ryker Falls.
They were eating fried chicken, biscuits, and gravy, seated around a large outdoor table. He had a beer that wasn’t going down well because he was worried about Autumn. Worried about what she was facing alone.
She’s alone because of you.Because you turned her away last night, and now she’s hurting and raw.But at least they’d talked, and she’d said she would meet with him when they returned to Ryker Falls.
Ford had spent the time since she left to visit with the sheriff thinking. He thought about the life he’d always believed was just where he wanted it to be. Life on the ranch. He’d had women come and go, but none of them had stuck. Autumn had gotten under his skin from the start. Even in the hotel when he’d looked after her, there had been something about her that got to him.
His eyes searched the road again. Should he go find her?
“That’s a fierce frown you got going on there, Ford.”
“Just thinking. I frown when I do that,” he said to Dylan.
“Since when?” Maggie asked. “You never frown unless something is really bothering you. Nash is the frowner in our family.”
