“It’s like he’s been living a double life all these years.”
“And what about the Sheenans?” Dani asked. “Could they know that Mattie and Callan are their half-sisters?”
“Oh, hell, we are, aren’t we?” Callan hung out with Dillon at Grey’s Saloon all the time. Thankfully they’d never had a shred of attraction between them. On a subconscious level had they been aware of their shared DNA?
“I don’t think they do,” Sage said. “They only found out about the affair last year, after I told all of you. Funny how none of us even wondered if they might have conceived a child.”
“That’s because we didn’t know Mom dated Bill Sheenan before she married Hawksley,” Dani pointed out. “So how could we have guessed?”
“There must have been quite the connection between our mom and Dillon’s father, for their on-again, off-again affair to have lasted so long.” Mattie sighed and topped up her tea.
“Remember at the rodeo last year,” Sage said, “When Bill Sheenan took a pot shot at Dad? He said something about Mom when he did it. So even after all these years, there was still bad blood about it.”
“I can see why Hawksley would be mad at Bill,” Callan said. “But why was Bill the one to throw the punch?”
“My impression was he blamed Hawksley for making Mom unhappy. Something Dad said to me once was along the same lines. He pretty much admitted their marriage had been a mistake.”
No doubt Hawksley thought the four of them were even bigger mistakes. Callan wished she could get on her horse, start riding and never come back. But where would she go? All this land she’d once thought of as belonging to her was now Court McAllister’s. She had never felt so trapped in her life.
“We haven’t finished looking through Mom’s trunk,” Dani reminded them. “Bev will be awake any minute. Mind if we go back and see what else is in there?”
If she couldn’t go riding, Callan’s second choice was to crawl into her bed and hide from the world that way. But she wasn’t a kid. She had to face this. “Better not be any more big surprises in there.”
Mattie slung an arm over her shoulders. “If there are, we’ll tackle them together.”
It didn’t take long to check out the rest of the items in the trunk. They found four hand-made quilts, one for each of them, and also several volumes comprising Beverly’s diaries from the age of ten until the day before she died.
“Eliza Bramble would love to get her hands on these for that Bramble family history she’s writing,” Sage said.
“I want to read them first,” Mattie said. “Do you mind if I take them back with me when we leave?”
They conferred, and agreed that as the eldest it should be Mattie’s prerogative to read the diaries first.
“If you find out any other bombshells, you’ll phone us right away?” Dani asked.
“I promise.”
Shortly after that, baby Bev woke from her nap. The sisters took turns holding her while they sat in the family room drinking tea and trying to process all they’d learned that morning.
Around four o’clock the riders returned home and Mattie sat them down to break the big news. Everyone was shocked. How could they not be?
“Does this mean he wasn’t our grandfather?” Portia wondered.
“Nothing of the kind,” her mother reassured her. “We were his adopted daughters, but we were still his daughters. And you, Wren, Savannah and Bev were all his granddaughters.”
Even in the second generation, Callan reflected, her father had been blessed with only female babies. Would his will have been different if Mattie had given birth to twin sons instead?
“Hell of a day,” Dawson commented, after giving Sage a hug. “Anyone want a beer?”
All the adults except Sage said yes, and once that was finished it was time to begin preparations for dinner. Callan did her best to smile and help, all the while longing to be alone. To think.
Just one more day, and then she’d have
“And what about the Sheenans?” Dani asked. “Could they know that Mattie and Callan are their half-sisters?”
“Oh, hell, we are, aren’t we?” Callan hung out with Dillon at Grey’s Saloon all the time. Thankfully they’d never had a shred of attraction between them. On a subconscious level had they been aware of their shared DNA?
“I don’t think they do,” Sage said. “They only found out about the affair last year, after I told all of you. Funny how none of us even wondered if they might have conceived a child.”
“That’s because we didn’t know Mom dated Bill Sheenan before she married Hawksley,” Dani pointed out. “So how could we have guessed?”
“There must have been quite the connection between our mom and Dillon’s father, for their on-again, off-again affair to have lasted so long.” Mattie sighed and topped up her tea.
“Remember at the rodeo last year,” Sage said, “When Bill Sheenan took a pot shot at Dad? He said something about Mom when he did it. So even after all these years, there was still bad blood about it.”
“I can see why Hawksley would be mad at Bill,” Callan said. “But why was Bill the one to throw the punch?”
“My impression was he blamed Hawksley for making Mom unhappy. Something Dad said to me once was along the same lines. He pretty much admitted their marriage had been a mistake.”
No doubt Hawksley thought the four of them were even bigger mistakes. Callan wished she could get on her horse, start riding and never come back. But where would she go? All this land she’d once thought of as belonging to her was now Court McAllister’s. She had never felt so trapped in her life.
“We haven’t finished looking through Mom’s trunk,” Dani reminded them. “Bev will be awake any minute. Mind if we go back and see what else is in there?”
If she couldn’t go riding, Callan’s second choice was to crawl into her bed and hide from the world that way. But she wasn’t a kid. She had to face this. “Better not be any more big surprises in there.”
Mattie slung an arm over her shoulders. “If there are, we’ll tackle them together.”
It didn’t take long to check out the rest of the items in the trunk. They found four hand-made quilts, one for each of them, and also several volumes comprising Beverly’s diaries from the age of ten until the day before she died.
“Eliza Bramble would love to get her hands on these for that Bramble family history she’s writing,” Sage said.
“I want to read them first,” Mattie said. “Do you mind if I take them back with me when we leave?”
They conferred, and agreed that as the eldest it should be Mattie’s prerogative to read the diaries first.
“If you find out any other bombshells, you’ll phone us right away?” Dani asked.
“I promise.”
Shortly after that, baby Bev woke from her nap. The sisters took turns holding her while they sat in the family room drinking tea and trying to process all they’d learned that morning.
Around four o’clock the riders returned home and Mattie sat them down to break the big news. Everyone was shocked. How could they not be?
“Does this mean he wasn’t our grandfather?” Portia wondered.
“Nothing of the kind,” her mother reassured her. “We were his adopted daughters, but we were still his daughters. And you, Wren, Savannah and Bev were all his granddaughters.”
Even in the second generation, Callan reflected, her father had been blessed with only female babies. Would his will have been different if Mattie had given birth to twin sons instead?
“Hell of a day,” Dawson commented, after giving Sage a hug. “Anyone want a beer?”
All the adults except Sage said yes, and once that was finished it was time to begin preparations for dinner. Callan did her best to smile and help, all the while longing to be alone. To think.
Just one more day, and then she’d have
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