Rachel had to appreciate the childlike faith in her daughter, as it made the drive go by so much more quickly. Katie’s pure and sweet voice brought a peace to Rachel’s heart, and even though she had no idea what her future held, she had the tiniest bit of hope.
Ty had texted her during the week to let her know that the bridge had been repaired, but he hadn’t said a word about the DNA test results. She’d been tempted to ask, but she was afraid of what he might read into it. Knowing Ty and his suspicions, he’d likely think she had some sort of nefarious reason for doing so.
When she got to the ranch, things were bustling more than they had been when she was there the previous week. Ty had told her to come into the main house when she arrived, where they would sort out all the arrangements. As she walked up the steps, she quickly realized why Ty had been so put out at her showing up without a reservation.
The main lodge, with a sign that said Check-In, had a line of people going all the way out the door. Ranch hands were there, directing people where to go. It might have seemed like a rinky-dink operation from her online experience, but the activity made it clear that the Double R was a booming business.
When she entered the main ranch house, it was full of activity. More people were bustling back and forth, and Rachel almost wondered if it was the same place. But just as she was starting to look around, wondering who to ask where to go next, Ty stepped out of the hallway that led to Ricky’s office.
“Good,” he said. “You made it. Things are a little hectic around here, because a couple of the cabins weren’t quite ready when guests started arriving earlier today. But we’ve got it sorted—at least I think so.”
His wry grin made him look older, especially with the way his eyes crinkled at the edges, like he was trying to seem happy despite the stress.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked. A dumb question, since she knew nothing about the way things operated here and probably wouldn’t be able to do anything. Plus, she didn’t owe him anything. It wasn’t like she was obligated to help. And yet, the fatigue on his face made it impossible not to offer.
Ty shook his head. “No. Like I said, everything is under control. Let’s go back and chat with Ricky. He’s been expecting you.”
Would it kill him to give her a hint as to what this was about? Was it the DNA test results?
As they started walking toward Ricky’s office, Ty motioned to someone. Were they calling the police?
Maybe this was a bad idea.
But just as soon as they were ushered into Ricky’s office and offered a seat, Wanda entered.
“Did you have a good trip?” she asked.
Rachel smiled. “Yes. Uneventful, which is the best kind.”
It was so weird, making small talk when such an important thing was hanging over her.
“Good,” Wanda said. “I’m going to get some refreshments ready, and Ricky has been bugging me to make more chocolate chip cookies.”
Wanda looked over at Katie. “Would you like to come help?”
Now Rachel understood. Ty had been signaling to get Wanda to take Katie away.
“I’d like Katie to stay here, but thank you for your kind offer,” Rachel said. She knew how this went. How many times had Chris had one of his assistants take Katie to go do something, which always somehow ended up in Rachel being declared a bad mother?
“Please,” Ricky said, getting up from his desk. “We have much to discuss, adult things, and I want you to decide what’s best for Katie to know before she hears anything.”
And that meant what? Was she going to need to find care for her daughter while she went to jail for some imagined transgression, or had the test come back a match?
She wanted to believe that the sweet old man wasn’t setting her up for something bad. But she’d also learned that if something looked too good to be true, it probably was.
“First, I need to know,” she said. “Was the test positive or negative?”
Ricky looked at Ty, who nodded, then Ricky said, “Positive. Which is why we need to talk. I know you’re particular about who spends time with Katie, but Wanda is good with kids, and she’ll take good care of her. You’ve got some decisions to make, and it wouldn’t be fair to get a little girl’s hopes up.”
Positive. The air seemed to rush out of Rachel’s lungs, because even though she knew she’d been telling the truth, deep down she feared that the test she’d originally taken had been wrong.
“Mom? Are you feeling okay? You’re not getting sick again, are you?” Katie’s concern made Rachel feel even worse. A child shouldn’t have to worry about her parent’s health, constantly wonder if her mother was feeling all right. But more and more, Rachel did feel bad, tired, weak.
She turned and looked at her daughter. “Yes, sweetie. I just needed a moment to think. Would you like to go make cookies with Wanda?”
“Would I?” A wide grin filled Katie’s face. “I love to bake cookies. But you never have time. When I grow up, I’m going to be a cookie baker.”
Rachel gave her daughter an indulgent smile. Last week, after the firemen had visited Katie’s school, she’d wanted to be a firefighter.
“Then you go have fun,” Rachel said. “Ricky’s right. This is a grown-up conversation.”
As she waited for her daughter to leave the room, thoughts raced through Rachel’s head. She told the truth the last time she’d been
