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“Cool.” The memory tapped into feelings she’d tried to suppress a long time ago. She nodded and smiled. “Mind if I grab a shower?”
“Not at all,” Darren said, but he was already programming a number into his cell phone. “I’ll check on the girls and be in my dad’s old...Myoffice.”
“Sounds good,” she said, starting for the stairs.
“You might want to use the master,” he said, motioning toward the hallway where he was headed. “I don’t keep the upstairs stocked since no one lives here. I only keep towels and supplies downstairs for the occasional shower that needs to happen here before I head home.”
Reese did an about-face and walked to the hallway where he was standing. He waited for her to go first. Him being in a room two doors down was a comforting thought after being attacked in the hospital. She made a mental note to call the sheriff to see what he found out on her phone records. She’d given him permission to check into her communication. Maybe he’d found something.
After the shower, Reese was beginning to feel human again. It was beyond good to get those smoky clothes off her skin. She couldn’t help but think someone was desperate. Maybe their desperation would cause them to make a mistake and reveal their identity. She still had no idea who it was or why. That wasn’t completely true. They had two names to start with. By the time she finished dressing and headed into the office, Darren might have an idea of which name to follow through on.
Darren was on a phone call while she stopped at the door. His body language was tense as he glanced up at her. The look on his face said he was being chewed out, or worse. The fire must have had his in-laws riled up.
“I know how to keep my own children safe,” he said into the phone in a quietly controlled voice that signaled he was on the verge of losing it. He couldn’t afford to lose his temper right now. It would only make matters worse given the situation.
Reese walked in, squatted beside him and took his free hand. She gave a squeeze for reassurance that he appeared to appreciate, as he gave a small nod of acknowledgement. More importantly, he didn’t let go.
“I’m moving into the farmhouse,” he said. “I appreciate your offer but we have a home here. It’s something I’ve been meaning to do, anyway. This pushes up my time line.”
Darren paused.
Then he said, “I appreciate your concern. I know how much you love the girls.” Another few beats of silence passed before he said, “They’re all I have left of her, too.”
Reese could scarcely imagine what Darren had been going through since figuring out those girls might not be biologically his. Their samples went up in flames, so they would have to regroup. Giving him a definitive answer was as important to her as being there for him when he found out the news. It was the least she could do to make up for at least some of the pain she’d caused him in the past. Maybe make a dent? Her guilt would last forever.
“I can swing by and pick them up anytime,” he said into the phone. “Are you sure?” He paused a couple of beats. “Tomorrow at lunch. That’ll give me time to get settled here. Sounds good.”
He released her hand to push the end-call button. And then he set the phone on top of the desk and raked his fingers through his thick hair.
“What can I do to help prepare for the girls?” Reese asked, getting a second wind after her shower. “Diapers? Wipes?”
“I’ll have to grab the portable cribs from the hall closet,” he said. “There should be enough supplies here to last a couple of days.”
“Then, we’ll have time for a delivery,” she said. “All we have to do is one-click our way into all the supplies you could possibly need.”
“One-click is a little slower out here, but you’re right about having enough to tide us over,” he said. She liked the way he used the wordus. She hoped he would let her roll her sleeves up and help. Then, it dawned on her that the fire might not be the only objection they had about him taking the girls back. “They know about me, don’t they?”
He nodded.
“They’re not happy about another woman being in your life,” she said.
“No. They are not.”
“Do they know that I’m only here temporarily?” she asked.
“They don’t need to know every detail of my life,” he countered. “I already tell them everything I can think of about the girls on an almost daily basis.”
That couldn’t be going over very well. “You always had an independent streak a mile long.”
“Not when you have babies that have to come first,” he said.
“They’re lucky to have such a devoted father,” she reminded him. He seemed to need the reminder. She would tell him that every day until he no longer needed to hear it.
“Thank you,” he said. “It means a lot to hear those words.”
He might not want to hear this, but, “If you feel stuck between a rock and a hard place about taking your girls or helping me, you know I understand you have to choose them.”
“I do,” he said, but the hint of gratitude in his voice said he appreciated her for saying it. He was taking care of twins, managing his former in-laws, and emotionally supporting his former sister-in-law while running his family’s cattle ranch. Who took care of him?
