“Putting together the grocery list,” Laura said. “Growing boy to feed, you know.”
“Henry’s not putting away that much food, yet,” I said, but I was still amazed at how much my son could consume.
“He will soon enough. He’ll be eating like his…” Laura didn’t finish the sentence, but we both knew the next word would have been “daddy.”
That little reference to Luke was enough for me to ask the difficult question, and I decided that I wasn’t going to hedge my way into it. “Laura, did you have a child before Luke who you gave up for adoption?”
Laura’s head was bent over her list, and she tapped against the pad of paper with a pen for several seconds before letting out a sigh and looking up. Her face was calm but resigned. “I think that’s a conversation for the front porch. How about I make us some tea and meet you out there?”
I left the kitchen, understanding that Laura needed a minute to herself. Making tea, Laura’s go-to beverage, would be therapeutic. On the porch, I sat in one of the rockers, trying to enjoy the cool spring evening, but my thoughts wandered to what Laura would say. I’d have never thought my mother-in-law could be carrying around such a secret, but Laura hadn’t denied the existence of another child.
I shook my head and settled deeper into the rocker as I let the familiar surroundings soothe me after a tempestuous day. Under the light of the moon, I could see pastures and barns. All was quiet except for the nickering of horses in the distance. The Thornes bred and raised horses, much like many of the other families in the area.
From what my father-in-law had shared when I’d first arrived, the Thornes, much like the Caffertys, McCalls, and Lumleys, had been among the first who’d settled in the area. The town of Poplar Springs had grown up around them, based on need instead of the other way around. At least, that’s how Marshall described the town’s origins.
For me, this was home. It gave me comfort, and I thought it did the same for Laura.
“Quiet tonight,” Laura said, stepping onto the porch and handing me a mug of hot tea. “I made chamomile. I think we’ll both need something calming.” We sipped our tea for a moment before Laura began. “I was seventeen when I graduated from high school and realized I was pregnant. My family wasn’t pleased. We’d never been close, not like theThornes, but they didn’t throw me out either. They were prepared to help me with the baby. I decided, though, that I was too young to raise a child. I left home and ended up in Aurora, where I found a place that took in pregnant girls. They helped me set up the adoption, and I lived there until the baby was born. I held him for just a minute before I let him go. He was beautiful. I remember that.”
I couldn’t imagine giving up a child like that. It would have broken my heart.
“I was assured that the adoptive couple was older and financially stable. They were unable to have children and wanted one desperately,” Laura continued, as if anticipating my reaction. “And I knew the baby would be better off with them than with me.”
“What did you do afterward?” I asked after taking a sip of tea.
“I wanted a fresh start, so I worked for a few months and saved up money to buy a car. It wasn’t a very good car. It only got me as far as Poplar Springs, where it broke down.” There was warmth in Laura’s voice now as she remembered the scene. “Marshall Thorne came to my rescue at the side of the road, and I fell in love instantly. That never changed.”
I knew that to be true. My in-laws had had an enviable marriage. Their love for each other was in everything they did. I had been almost jealous of that in the final months of my marriage when I’d finally accepted that I would never have that with Luke.
“The rodeo rider, Cal Pierce, is my son,” Laura said quietly. “I wondered what would happen when you said he was coming to town.”
“You knew?” I was shocked.
“I wasn’t sure,” Laura admitted. “I saw him on television once. I was flipping through channels one day while cleaning. He was beinginterviewed after a successful competition—something about winning a major prize—and I just knew. He looked like Luke, but also like the men in my family. What’s he like in person?”
“He’s kind. He seems like the type who doesn’t beat around the bush, though.” I told her about my near collapse in the office and about dinner where Cal revealed what he’d learned. “He doesn’t like small town life. He made that clear at dinner tonight.”
“Unlike Luke,” Laura said, and we were both silent for a minute. I guessed we were having the same thoughts. Luke had loved everything about Poplar Springs. “So he’ll move on, then. That’s probably for the best. Once the rodeo is over, he’ll have no reason to return.” She stood, collected their tea mugs and went into the house.
I couldn’t get a read on Laura’s feelings. What must it be like to have given up a child and realize who he was as an adult? I shook my head. The day had been an emotional tangle, and I could think of nothing else to do but to kiss my son again and go to bed.
FIVE
CAL
Iwalked into the Bite and Brew the following morning, surprised at how busy it was given the early hour. Across the diner, Rafael raised his hand in a wave, the other firmly clamped around a coffee mug. Making my way past the full tables, I took note of the scatter of empty sugar and cream containers in front of him and guessed that he was already on his third cup of coffee. At least.
“Good to see you,” I said when I reached the table.
Rafe rose to greet me, pulling me in for a bro hug. “Long time no see, man.” He clapped me on the back before taking his seat again. A server appeared as soon as I sat, placing a steaming cup of coffee and a plate of biscuits and gravy with a side of scrambled eggs in front of me and another in front of Rafe. “Thanks, Aurora,” he said to the server before pointing to the food. “I have to be at school in an hour, so ordered for you. Marc’s sausage gravy is the best you’ll ever have.”
I doctored my coffee with cream and sugar while Rafe went on and on about the food the Diazes served here. I took a few sips of coffee before grabbing my fork. I wasn’t a foodie by any stretch of the imagination, even if I did know my way around a kitchen. But with all thetime I spent on the road, I mostly ate whatever I could find at truck stops and gas stations. However, if I were ever to become a foodie, I could say with complete sincerity that it started with this first bite.
I groaned at the burst of flavor in my mouth and then choked out a laugh at how I was acting.
“Good, right?” Rafe asked, and I nodded and took another bite. “You’re walking distance from here, so you should be sure to come back and try their dinners. A couple times a month, they’ll do a tasting menu that’s so damn good, I’ve asked Marc to leave his wife and let me become his sugar daddy.”
I coughed and grabbed a napkin, my eyes watering with laughter. Something flew across the room, and Rafe got hit with a biscuit. “Dude! I told you, I’m not leaving my wife for some high school teacher.” The shout came from the pass-through to the kitchen where a linebacker-size guy with tattoos snaking out from under his apron waved a metal spatula at him. “Enough already. Aurora is way better in bed than you could ever be.”
