LITMIR.BIZ

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asked bluntly.

      Zack never beat around the bush. As a movie producer and director as well as co-manager of the Rocky D with his wife Jenny, he could put his thumb right on the pertinent point even when you didn’t want him to. Riley knew Brenna’s presence in town wouldn’t be quiet forever. He was going to put in that call to his father when he got back and meet with him later today.

      But for the meantime there would be no harm in telling Zack because he’d become more than a former classmate—he’d become a loyal friend.

      “I had a surprise the other day.”

      “Good surprise or bad surprise?” Zack asked, propping a foot on the bottom rung of the fence, tilting his Stetson back with his other hand.

      “Brenna McDougall returned to Miners Bluff and ended up on my doorstep.”

      “I heard you were talking at the reunion and left together. Family feud over?”

      “Hell, no. But … I didn’t tell you why she came back.”

      “If she was on your doorstep, then it was to see you.”

      “Did you take a class in deductive theory?”

      “Get on with it, O’Rourke. You want to tell me something. You know you do. You’re just having trouble doing it.”

      Riley sighed, gazed off into the distance where pines and aspen, larch and laurel gave the Rocky D its special charm. “Have you ever done anything foolish, Zack? So foolish it changed the rest of your life?”

      “Not speaking to my father for all those years was foolish. Not convincing Jenny to go with me out of high school was foolish. Holding grudges for too long without knowing the real reason behind them was foolish. So, yeah, I’ve done foolish things.” Zack had reconciled with his father Silas and had married Jenny less than a year ago. He sure seemed happy.

      But Riley didn’t believe in marriage. He’d been too hurt by his parents. He didn’t believe two people could make promises that would last forever. His mother couldn’t stand the heat and she’d gotten out of the kitchen. His mother’s abandonment of her family had driven his dad to the bottle. Liam O’Rourke had never gotten over loving his wife and not being loved in return. Those difficult years had had a profound effect on Riley.

      And if Brenna hadn’t been able to stand by Riley during the tough times, had she ever really loved him?

      He had to admit when he saw Zack and Jenny together, they looked at each other as if they were each other’s worlds. He realized the same was true for Clay Sullivan and his wife, Celeste, who had also reunited after the reunion, as well as Mikala Conti and Dawson Barrett who had been classmates and were now expecting a baby. But besides his own parents’ divorce and that of his brother Patrick, he’d seen his sister lose a husband she’d loved.

      The bottom-line truth was all of that plus Riley’s tours of service had affected him deeply. He didn’t want to be tied down. He wanted room to roam and that prevented romantic entanglements from going any further. Still …

      Whenever he thought of Derek, he thought about a life built around his son. He just couldn’t envision it yet.

      “Brenna knocked on my door and when I opened it she was holding my baby,” he blurted out.

      Zack didn’t react at first. Then he asked with that perception Riley didn’t know if he admired or hated, “This happened the night of the reunion?”

      “Yeah.”

      “What are you going to do about it?”

      “I’m a dad. I’m going to act like a dad.”

      “She has her picture in magazines, doesn’t she? Jenna told me she’s a well-known bridal gown designer. Mikala wore one of her gowns for her wedding.”

      “Seriously?”

      “Dawson told her whatever she wanted and that’s what she wanted. Small wedding, really nice gown. Not that I noticed much, with Jenny in a dress Brenna designed, too.”

      “Yeah, she’s famous—in New York, anyway, maybe in L.A. We haven’t gotten into it.”

      “Well, you’d better. I imagine her life is as busy as life could get.” Zack shook his head. “How did you ever get involved with her again? Your families will never see eye-to-eye.”

      “Not even over a grandson?”

      After a moment of letting that question sit, Zack asked, “So, what’s his name?”

      “His name’s Derek.”

      “Don’t think Derek is going to solve all your problems. Especially not the ones between you and Brenna.”

      “How do you know we have problems?”

      “You hooked up the night of the reunion. She went back to New York and you were here. Did you have contact with her afterward?”

      “No,” Riley said tersely.

      “Like I said, problems. What are you going to do?”

      “Let it play out a little. Then I have to decide if I’m ready to make any changes. Derek is important to me, Zack. More important than anything ever has been.”

      “Then you’ll figure it out.”

      The sound of a Suburban’s engine signaled the arrival of Riley’s businessmen. This morning he was going to try to forget about Brenna and Derek. He was going to focus on the trail and his clients and appreciating everything this beautiful country had to offer.

      Riley turned into the lane leading to his house. A quarter of a mile and a curve later he saw the truck parked in his driveway and he stomped on the accelerator, leaving a rooster tail of gravel behind him. His father’s truck. His dad was in his house with Brenna and the baby. He could only imagine what might be going on in there.

      Leaving his trail gear exactly where it was, not even grabbing his hat, he climbed out of the vehicle, slammed the door and rushed up the front walk. After he pushed open the door and stepped inside … he froze.

      Brenna was hovering by the sofa, looking worried. His father was sitting on the couch, holding Derek carefully in the crook of his arm. He’d been running his finger over his grandson’s chin when Riley opened the door.

      Now he stopped and turned toward his son. “Just when were you going to tell me about this?” he demanded.

      Riley hated the fact that this had happened to Brenna, that she’d had to deal with his dad all on her own. He just wished he knew what she’d said and how she’d explained it all. He just wished he’d picked up the phone yesterday.

      Brenna looked upset, maybe a little tense, but not angry. Another woman in this spot might have been furious this had happened to her.

      Score another point for Brenna.

      “Brenna just arrived a few days ago,” Riley said, knowing that was a lame explanation. He felt grimy, as if he’d ridden through a dust bowl—and he practically had.

      His father shifted Derek a little, still looking down at him. Then he turned his attention to Riley again. “Brenna told me the two of you told her parents and then you went to the doc to get a DNA test yesterday.”

      Riley’s gaze shot to hers.

      She gave a little shrug.

      “You don’t think you’re the dad?” Liam asked, now staring straight at him.

      Riley stroked his hand down over his face. “This is private business between me and Brenna.”

      His father studied him. “Maybe. Maybe not. Tell me when you were planning to notify me I had a grandson.”

      “Today, Pop. I was going to call you when I got back from a trail ride this morning.”

      Liam

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