“No, no. It’s fine. Come on in. I have about fifteen minutes. I was just getting some iced tea. Want some?”
“Sure. I was hoping to learn a little more about Dominic’s history.” He started to take off his boots.
She glanced down. “Don’t bother. We’re used to a little dust around here. Make yourself at home. I’ll be right back.”
***
Charlotte poured the tea and checked her appearance using her phone. It had all kind of hit her on the way home from the clinic. Jeff Robinson was not her biological father. As he was something of a paragon around these parts, the revelation was pretty disappointing.
For two months she’d dreamed of him as her father. Dreamed of him inviting her into his big family. A little unrealistic? Perhaps. But she couldn’t seem to help herself. Ever since her parents divorced when she was a teenager, she’d missed that fatherly presence in her life. After the divorce Patrick had seemed much closer to Emmie—because she was biologically his? Things hadn’t been the same with the distance between them, and then at the young age of fifty-one, he’d had a massive heart attack in his rig.
Her stomach twisted and tears welled up again.Stop it.
So there was all that. Plus the fact that she was now even further from knowing the identity of her biological father—if he was even still alive. After all, she’d never heard a single thing about Cooper and Gavin’s birth dad. Of course, he could’ve just abandoned them at a young age. She wasn’t sure which would be worse.
How was she supposed to get any answers without making Gavin and Cooper suspicious? On the other hand, it was now possible her bio dad hadn’t been married when he was with her mother. If that was the case, at least Lisa Robinson wouldn’t hate her on sight.
Probably.
She wiped beneath her eyes even though there was no makeup to smear. She looked a little teary, but that could be anything, right?
Time to get down to business. She grabbed the tea and walked through the small dining area and into the living room where Gunner was checking out her bookshelves.
He turned and took a glass. “Thanks. You’re well-read on horse health.”
“As you can probably see, I like a holistic approach. Have a seat and tell me what—” Her eyes caught on the manila folderbearing her name and sitting on the table beside the seat where Gunner was about to sit.
Heart thrumming in her chest, she reached out and snatched it off the table. But she’d grabbed the bottom and apparently hadn’t fastened the brad. The articles fluttered to the floor at Gunner’s feet and fanned out like a headline heyday.
She reached for them at the same time he did. Their heads bumped.
“Ow,” he said. “Sorry.”
She barely felt the collision as her gaze locked on the articles. On the photo of Gavin fromThe Herald.A headshot of Cooper in uniform under the headline “Robinson Wins Bid for County Sheriff.”
Gunner reached for the latter article.
Charlotte snatched it away, nearly ripping the yellowed copy. She made quick work of the rest. But not so quick that her astute new hire didn’t see every last item. What must he be thinking?
Heat flooded her cheeks. “These are just...” She had no words to finish the sentence.
Hands shaking, she shoved them back into the folder—those precious articles she’d scoured for every tidbit she could learn about her brothers. She’d gotten sloppy and left the folder lying around since her sister was out of town.Stupid.
His eyes focused on her like heat-seeking missiles as she tucked the folder into a drawer. Did it seem weird that she’d stashed away articles about two attractive, married men—one of whom she’d hired to build her stable?
It’s very weird, Charlotte! Very. Weird.
“You okay?” he asked.
No, she wasn’t okay! Oh, he was talking about her head.She touched the sore spot at her temple. “I—I’m fine. Are you all right?”
“I have a hard head.” He stood, offering a polite smile. “Listen, I think I’ll just come back later. At a better time.”
He must think she was a complete wackadoodle. And why wouldn’t he? It didn’t help that Gunner was also good-looking and working for her. A prime candidate for her next stalking victim.
He edged toward the door, no doubt questioning his decision to work here. He’d caught her spying on one of those men through binoculars! And being an observant man, he’d probably noticed the wedding ring too. He’d also caught her staring at Cooper yesterday, and today he discovered she kept afileon them.
No wonder he couldn’t seem to get to the door fast enough.
