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“How is she?” Stacie asked, not mentioning Reese by name. He’d pinned the situation right. He’d heard jealousy in her tone. Since he was going to start dating at some point, he needed to find a nice way to tell her that anything besides friendship was out of the question. At least it was on his side.
“Better,” he said.
“Does she remember anything else?” Stacie asked. He figured she wanted Reese out of his home as fast as possible. The quicker she remembered, the faster she would leave.
“Nope,” he admitted. Reese’s words came crashing into him. Did Stacie want to step into her dead sister’s shoes?
Chapter Six
Reese couldn’t help but listen to the phone call between Darren and Stacie. It had to be the doctor, based on his answers.
The woman, no doubt, wanted Reese as far away from Darren as possible. Did she not realize how much disdain Darren had for Reese? After grabbing a fresh cup of coffee, Reese headed into the living room. She noticed a small picture on the fireplace mantel of a woman holding the twins. They couldn’t have been more than a few days old. The woman was beautiful. The resemblance to her sister was clear, even though the two looked like opposites. Stacie was put-together. Everything about her was neat, from her blown-out hair to her neatly trimmed nails. The woman in the picture had big bright eyes and wild hair. She was smiling but there was a sadness in her eyes. Reese couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to her.
Her heart went out to the babies, who would grow up without their mother. Based on all the baby supplies, Darren was a good provider. Based on her own experience, unconditional love and acceptance was all she’d needed growing up.
At the ranch, reminders of her father had been everywhere even though no one talked about him. Had it been too painful for her mother? Seeing Darren as a single father, and how hard that must be, was opening her eyes to what her mother might have gone through.
Kids weren’t something Reese had ever wanted. She wasn’t one of those girls who sat around watching future brides say yes to a dress. She’d never flipped through bridal magazines, not even if that was the only option while sitting in a waiting room. And she’d never been one to fantasize about what her own wedding might look like someday. But she sure as hell didn’t expect someone to cheat.
As a kid, she wondered if there was something wrong with her. Camree Lynn had teased Reese about her lack of interest in marriage and family a few times. Her friend used to say that Reese would change her mind when she found the right person. As much as she’d been infatuated with Matias Ossian, Darren’s uncle, love had never been part of the equation. But there was an even bigger problem. Reese had no interest in finding the kind of love she assumed her mother had with Reese’s father. The kind that had doomed her mother to a lifetime of pain and heartache. For what? A few good years?
No thanks.
“I have to go, but I’ll call you if anything changes,” Darren said as Reese tuned back into his conversation with Stacie. Reese couldn’t help but wonder if Darren had loved his wife in the all-consuming way people described. There’d been a distance in his eyes earlier that made her want to ask questions. The answers were none of her business, so she kept her mouth shut.
Darren studied his screen. “Sheriff is on his way.”
“Oh, good,” she said. “It’ll be nice to wrap this up so I can get out of your hair.”
Those words seemed the equivalent of a slap in the face to Darren. He opened his mouth to speak and then clamped it shut.
“I was just thinking it would be nice for all of this mess to be cleared up so you can get back to your family,” she said. “The longer those jerks are out there, the more time you’ll miss out on with your twins.”
Again, he started to speak and then stopped himself.
“I’m actually not trying to offend you,” she said by way of defense.
“Didn’t think you were,” he responded. “If I wanted to, I could send you somewhere else and get on with my life after giving my statement to the sheriff.”
Well, this was going nowhere fast. Being without her phones made her jumpy. She couldn’t fathom how many messages would be waiting when she finally checked in.
The sound of gravel crunching underneath tires drew their attention toward the front window. Reese walked over and peeked through the blinds.
“He’s here,” she said.
Darren joined her. “You’re about to meet Sheriff Red Courtright.”
“Sounds like a good ol’ Southern boy,” she said, wishing she was back in Dallas, where she would be giving a statement to the police.
Red Courtright looked the part. He was tall and slim, and in head-to-toe khaki-colored clothing. He was wearing a cowboy hat that was nearly blown off and carried away in the wind. His belt buckle was huge and he had on boots. Exactly the picture someone would get in their mind when they pictured a small-town sheriff.
Darren opened the door as the sheriff’s boots hit the porch. “Come on in, Sheriff.”
Red Courtright nodded as his gaze shifted from Darren to her and back. He tipped his hat and said, “Ma’am.”
Once inside, the trio exchanged handshakes. Reese introduced herself as she studied the middle-aged man who had remnants of red in his now-light hair. His front teeth were donkey-sized, and up close she could see a dotting of freckles on overly tanned skin.
“I’m afraid I have bad news,” he said.
