All this was a distraction from her real purpose—finding Rue’s birth father. To do that, she needed to know more about Stephanie Cross. Once Kit’s status was confirmed as healthy, Carys could regroup with Blaize.
Hunger pangs got the best of her. She missed those days in Austin when she could just pull up an app on her phone and have food delivered to her door. It was expensive but worth every penny on days like this.
Living in Maverick Pass had honed her cooking skills. She could do more than butter toast, which was good. Thank the stars for online recipes and cooking tips. She would be lost without the internet. Didn’t make her a true chef by any means. At least she could feed herself with relative ease. Eating at home had other benefits. She ate healthier.
A noise from the hallway drew her attention back to the present. Blaize walked into the kitchen.
One look at him had her standing up. “More coffee?”
“Yes, please.” He rubbed the day-old scruff on his chin.
“Coming right up.” She fixed two after settling Rue on the blanket placed on the floor.
Blaize’s toe snagged the rain bucket, causing water to slosh and a few droplets to spill. He muttered a curse, glanced at Rue, and then apologized.
“Think she can understand you?” Carys handed over a fresh cup of black coffee.
“No,” he said. “I don’t want her to get used to those words. I’m convinced the subconscious picks up more than we realize, even in little ones. While around her, I want to do better with language.”
The wordwhileshouldn’t hit hard. Its temporary nature reminded her just how short this visit would be. She needed to go home because there was no way she could sell staying with him over an entire weekend in court should it come to that.
“If Stephanie listed you as Rue’s father and it’s a blatant lie, she either doesn’t know who he is or did and was keeping the baby from him for a reason,” she said as they took seats at the kitchen table.
“My mind goes to some pretty dark places when it comes to keeping paternity from a father,” he said.
“For instance?”
“Maybe she was being abused and didn’t want that life for her daughter,” he said. “Or the father was a criminal and she didn’t want her daughter brought up in that lifestyle.”
“Both are logical reasons.” She took a sip of coffee. “Kids change people, don’t they?”
“How so?”
She leaned her elbows against the table. “Stephanie could have been fine with a wild lifestyle before this little darling was born. During her pregnancy, she might have realized she needed to change. Rue deserves better. So, she hatched a plan to escape. She sneaks away before her boyfriend or husband, whatever the case may be, knows she’s carrying his baby and then writes your name down on the birth certificate to throw him off the trail.”
“If she really made a plan like this, it stands to reason she would change her identity, too.”
“I should get a report on Monday,” she said. “It’s sad that her life was cut short after all that scheming and planning, not to mention she wouldn’t have planned on leaving Rue an orphan.”
“She’s not an orphan,” he said with finality. “If the father turns out to be a disaster like we think, we’ll figure something else out. Stephanie Cross, the person who put my name on that birth certificate trusted me to do the right thing. I won’t let her or Rue down.”
Blaize was the most honorable person Carys had ever met. She understood why someone would choose him even though it wasn’t fair to put him in that position.You didn’t expect to need him, did you, Stephanie?A picture emerged of a desperate pregnant woman who needed to escape her situation and have a backup plan should the worst happen.
And the worst did happen.
“Are you hungry?” he asked after her stomach growled.
“Yes.”
“We could head out to eat since there isn’t much left here,” he said.
Being seen out and about with Blaize and the baby would definitely not be a good move. But hiding made her feel like she was doing something wrong.
Was she?
Chapter Eleven
“I have a picture of Stephanie Cross.”
