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Her father had kept a stash of Kentucky bourbon in a locked cabinet in his study. If Blake hadn’t moved things around, it might still be there. She wouldn’t take much—just enough to feel the burn going down her throat.
Wasn’t that what she always said?
Without bothering to turn on the lamp, she sat up, swung her legs off the bed, and reached for the robe she’d left draped over a chair. The house would be dark, but she’d grown up here. She could find her way blindfolded.
She crept down the hall, the polished wood floor cold beneath her bare feet. She had almost reached the landing when an unexpected sound reached her ears. The door to one of the bedrooms stood ajar. Inside, someone was crying—not just crying, sobbing.
Blake and Hanna’s bedroom was downstairs. The door to the girls’ shared room was closed. It had to be Joseph she was hearing.
The boy had been fine at supper, smiling, teasing his sister a little. Now he was crying as if his young heart had been ripped in two.
What could have hurt that much?
When the truth struck Kristin, it didn’t come as a surprise—nor did her awareness that she was mostly to blame.
Guilt-ridden, she rapped lightly on the open door. When no answer came, she stepped into the room. With her eyes accustomed to darkness, she could make out her nephew’s huddled figure under the quilts. Leaning over the bed, she laid a hand on his shoulder.
“It’s me, Joseph,” she said.
“Go away, Aunt Kristin.” His pillow muffled the words.
“I’m not going anywhere. Not until we’ve had a chance to talk.” Kristin pulled a chair close to the bed and sat down.
“Tell me what happened.”
At first he lay still, refusing to talk. Minutes passed before he rolled onto his side, wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his flannel pajamas. “I just wanted to tell Dad good night. I was on my way outside when I heard him talking to you.”
“I understand. How much did you hear?”
“Enough. Enough to know that everything I believed about my family was a lie.” His voice broke.
“Oh, Joseph.” Kristin checked the impulse to take him in her arms. The boy wouldn’t want that. And Kristin didn’t want to treat him like a baby. It was grow-up time.
He sat up. “I’ve always wondered why I’m the only one in the family with green eyes. Now I know. My father isn’t Blake Dollarhide. He’s a man I’ve never seen—a man who left town because he didn’t want me. And my dad didn’t want me either. Grandpa forced him to marry my mom.”
“That’s not true. If you’ll stop feeling sorry for yourself, I’ll tell you the real story. Would you like to hear it?”
Joseph nodded, sniffing.
“All right. First of all, do you understand that your grandpa, Joe Dollarhide, had two wives—and two sons, Blake and Mason?”
Joe nodded. “I know that much.”
“Mason lived with his mother, Amelia, on the Hollister Ranch. But while he was growing up, he spent a lot of time here, with our family. He was my brother. I loved him. We all did, even my mother. But after he became a man, he stopped coming by. We hardly ever saw him. It broke your grandfather’s heart. He loved both his sons.
“Mason was handsome and charming, but I think his mother must have spoiled him. He was popular, especially with the girls. But he wasn’t very responsible. He met your mother at a dance. She was young and beautiful, and very innocent when it came to men. Mason charmed her into falling in love with him. And then . . .” Kristin paused. “I hope I don’t have to tell you how babies are made.”
“It’s okay. Boys talk. I know.”
“Well, it happened. When your mother found out she was going to have a baby, your grandfather Anderson went to Mason’s mother and demanded that he marry her. That woman slammed the door in their faces and sent Mason out of town on the next train. She wanted him to marry a rich society girl, not the daughter of an immigrant farmer. Mason never had the chance to choose whether he wanted you or not. And we never saw him again. We don’t know where he is or even whether he’s alive.”
Joseph had stopped crying. Kristin had given him plenty to think about. She could only hope the boy was mature enough to deal with what he’d learned.
“I was there the night your mother and her father came to our house. Your grandpa Dollarhide wanted his grandchild to have his name and grow up in his family. It was his idea to have Blake marry Hanna. Blake could have said no. He wasn’t forced. But he did the right thing. He gave her a nice wedding and treated her with every kindness. By the time you were ready to be born, the two of them had fallen in love.
“Did you know that when you came into the world, it was Blake who delivered you? When I walked into the room a few minutes later, the love on his face as he held you was so powerful that it brought tears to my eyes.
“Joseph, Blake Dollarhideisyour father. He would do anything to keep you safe and happy. And the idea that he’d hurt you by hiding the truth would break his heart.”
