Janie must’ve sensed her hesitation. “Oh, it’s safe, I promise. The teens know to watch out for the little ones, and everyone has such a great time. There is also a no-water zone, so that people who don’t want to get wet don’t have to.”
Though Janie had completely misinterpreted Rachel’s hesitation, she was glad for it. The last thing she needed was to get into a theological discussion with any of Ricky’s friends, particularly the pastor’s daughter.
“I don’t know what we’re doing tomorrow, since we’re here as Ricky’s guests. I wouldn’t want to ruin anything they have planned.”
Ty stepped beside her. “We’re going to church, like always.”
As Rachel looked over at him, he sent Janie a grin that would’ve had most women’s hearts aflutter. Including Rachel’s. Which was why all of this was so disturbing. Why did she have to find the absolutely worst men on the planet to be attracted to?
“My team has a whole stash of super soakers ready. We have a plan for total annihilation.”
Though Rachel was sure Ty’s laugh was meant to be friendly, she heard the words total annihilation, and she couldn’t help thinking of her own situation. He was obviously a competitive man who wouldn’t take losing well. What would he do when he found out he was wrong? But worse, what if there had been some kind of mix-up with the DNA website, and she was the one in the wrong?
Katie’s laugh rang out from across the field where the kids were playing tag.
If Ty pressed charges, would Rachel go to jail? Would Katie end up in foster care sooner than she’d feared?
Janie laughed and said something in response to Ty, but Rachel didn’t hear. Her head was pounding, throbbing, and she was starting to feel dizzy. Maybe it was stress, but maybe her kidneys were getting worse.
She looked around for a place to sit, and as she did so, Janie asked, “Are you all right, Rachel? You look flushed.”
Janie scooted over and patted the bench next to her. “Sit here.”
Then Janie looked up at Ty. “Go get her some water. I’m sure that like all flatlanders, she hasn’t been drinking enough.”
Rachel wanted to argue, because she was well aware of how much water she needed with her condition. But Ty had already turned and was walking away. And when she looked up at Janie to try to protest, Janie shook her head.
“None of that. People from Denver say all the time that they are used to the elevation, but we’re at nine thousand feet, so almost four thousand feet higher, and that’s quite a difference. You don’t want to get altitude sickness and miss out on all the fun.”
It was sweet of Janie to be concerned, and arguing with her would mean sharing everything about her health situation, which would probably be frowned upon by both Ricky and Ty. Besides, telling people you’re sick—and possibly dying—was always a downer, and no one wanted to hear about it.
Ty returned with a bottle of water and handed it to her. “I saw you drink plenty earlier, but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t use more.”
He sounded almost like he cared. Had it not been for their awkward conversation in Ricky’s office, she might almost believe it.
“Always the gentleman,” Janie said, smiling. Then she turned to Rachel. “But if I were you, I would steer clear of him in tomorrow’s water fight if you’re on the opposing team. The man is ruthless, despite his charm.”
Rachel smiled back at Janie. “I’ve always found that the more charming a man, the more ruthless he is.”
“Oh, burn,” Janie said, clapping her hands. “You can probably hold your own against Ty, then, but my joking about the water fight might have given you the wrong impression. He’s really a teddy bear, and I can say that with confidence, because I’ve known him my whole life. As long as you don’t make an enemy of him, he’s the best guy in the world.”
Ty glared at her. “Stop. I don’t know if I should run for president or run for the hills. But either way, this is a terrible conversation. I’m going to go see if Wanda has stuff to make s’mores.”
“You know she does,” Janie said, laughing. “And if anyone can charm them out of her, it’s you.”
When Ty left, Rachel looked over at Janie. “You two seem like you have a good relationship. I’d ask if he was your boyfriend, but you have Sam, and Ty said he doesn’t have kids.”
Janie shook her head. “He is definitely not my boyfriend. We grew up together and he’s always been like an older brother to me. But since you’re new here, I’m just gonna go out and say it to avoid any uncomfortable gossip. I’m not married. I never have been. Sam’s father is completely out of the picture, and we prefer it that way. Yes, I know I’m the pastor’s daughter. But even pastors’ daughters make mistakes, and while I deeply regret a certain period of my life, I will never regret my son.”
Because Rachel was such a private person, it would have never occurred to her to tell any of those things to a stranger, but she really admired Janie for it. She liked the woman’s boldness and the way she owned who she was and was proud of it.
“I wouldn’t regret him, either,” Rachel said slowly. She didn’t talk much about Katie’s father or that part of her past, but Janie’s confession gave her a little more strength than she usually felt. “Katie’s father is dead. But we were going through a messy divorce, so I have a lot of mixed feelings about it. I don’t like to talk about it much, either.”
Janie put her hand over Rachel’s and gave it a squeeze. “You don’t have to. I’m just used to all the judgmental questions from strangers, so I like to get that information out
