heartache was already beginning, starting with the letter Josie’s father had left for her.
Sitting on the wooden bench just outside the barn, she read the brief correspondence Jake had scrawled on a scratch piece of paper. She read his words over and over trying to understand why he’d risk the Golden M in a poker game, add an outrageous stipulation that would ruin her lift and bind her to Seth O’Connor, when he knew there was every chance of losing to the last man in Montana she would have chosen for a husband.
But there were no answers in his letter. Just verification that the deed and stipulation were indeed real and blinding and an apology for what he’d done, for failing her and letting his gambling addiction force him to resort to desperate measures, though he’d done his best to secure her future. He knew she’d be disappointed in him, angry even and he couldn’t bear to face her condemnation, so he’d decided it was best if he left. The note ended by saying that he hoped she’d finally find happiness and not hate him too much for what he’d done, and that he loved her and Kellie.
There was nothing about his returning, and that tore her up more than anything because she couldn’t stand the thought of never seeing her father again.
The hot tears welling in her eyes finally spilled over her lashes. Tears because she would miss her father. Tears because she was so afraid of what her future would hold.
“Oh, Dad,” she whispered around the ache in her heart. She was upset, yes. But she could never, ever spurn him despite the fact that he’d sold her soul to the devil himself. Together, they could have figured a way out of this mess. Alone, she had no way of defending herself from someone as formidable as Seth. He wanted the Golden M, and he wanted it badly enough to marry her for it.
Oh, what a doozy fate had delivered! If she wasn’t so devastated, she would have been laughing hysterically at the twist.
She heard the screen door to the house slam shut and glanced up to see Kellie heading across the yard. She stopped and picked up Seth’s hat, paused briefly to consider the hole in the crown, then continued toward the barn, carrying Josie’s trophy with her.
Quickly, Josie wiped away the wetness on her cheeks and reached deep inside for some much needed fortitude to explain what changes lay ahead. She had to be strong for Kellie’s sake because she was all her daughter had.
The little girl stopped in front of Josie, a frown creasing her delicately shaped brows. “He made you cry,” she accused.
Her daughter looked so fiercely protective, Josie couldn’t help but smile. “No, Mr. O’Connor didn’t make me cry.” She’d come close a few times, out of frustration and fury, but these tears had been for the man who’d raised her so lovingly. A man she feared they would never see again.
Kellie didn’t look convinced. “What did that O’Connor man want?”
Our land. Our house. Everything I’ve worked so hard to nurture over the years.
She patted the space beside her on the bench. “Sit down, sweetie. We need to talk.”
“I don’t want to sit.” The stubborn thrust of her chin didn’t do much to mask the more uncertain emotions Josie saw hovering in her daughter’s eyes.
Not wanting to upset Kellie any more than she had to, she stood and forced a bright smile that felt as phony as it probably looked. “Okay,” she said easily. “Then how about we go for a walk?”
Taking Seth’s ruined hat from her, Josie set it on the empty bench. Without waiting for another refusal, she draped a comforting arm around Kellie’s shoulders and started walking along the white fence bordering the west pasture.
There was no easy way to broach the subject, so she just jumped right into the middle of it. “How do you feel about having a dad?”
“What do you mean?” Kellie asked skeptically.
Josie threaded her fingers through her daughter’s sun-warmed hair. She loved this child so much, wanted so much more for her than she was about to give her—like a dad who would love her unconditionally. She didn’t know if Seth was capable of accepting her daughter without past resentments and rumors getting in the way.
“Well, you’ve asked me before why I don’t get married so you can have a dad,” Josie said, trying to sound optimistic and cheerful. “And I was just wondering if you still felt the same way.”
Kellie’s slim shoulders lifted in a reserved shrug. “Yeah, I guess I do.”
She closed her eyes for a few extra seconds, ignored the dread churning within her and just let it out. “Well, Mr. O’Connor and I are going to get married.”
Kellie jerked away from her, her expression horrified. “But I don’t want him as a dad! He’s mean!”
Josie realized she had the choice of agreeing wholeheartedly with Kellie and tainting her daughter’s perception of Seth right from the get-go, or she could make this transition for Kellie as smooth as possible. She might not like Seth, but there was no reason for Kellie to fear or hate him so vehemently.
The dirt drive had given way to a grassy knoll with patches of wildflowers. Josie stopped before they strolled too far away from the house and reached for her daughter’s small hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
“Mr. O’Connor really isn’t so bad.” In fact, at one time he’d been charming and sweet, but that had all been a ploy. “When he came over today, he was upset, and so was I. The Golden M is his now, and in order for us to stay here, I have to marry him.”
“Oh.” Josie’s explanation seemed to pacify her daughter and chase away the worry in her gaze. Kellie tilted her head, regarding Josie speculatively. “Do you love him?” she asked quietly.
The unexpected question knocked Josie for a loop, considering she’d once given Seth her heart and a piece of her soul. Thank goodness the fence was right behind her because she found she needed it for support. Once she’d regained her composure and calmed the erratic beating of her heart, she said very firmly, “No, I don’t love him.”
“But maybe someday you will?” Kellie asked expectantly.
Not likely, but she found she couldn’t crush her daughter’s simple hope for a bright future. “Maybe.” It was a stretch, but “maybe” was as close to a promise as she was willing to offer.
“Okay.” Kellie seemed satisfied with that. And relieved. “If you have to many him, and he’s going to be my new dad, I’ll try my best to like him.” She chewed on her bottom lip, and Josie could see the wheels in her mind clicking. And then the tentative query came. “Do you think he’ll like me? Maybe just a little?”
Josie’s chest tightened, and she found it hurt to breathe. How quick her daughter was to accept Seth! “What’s not to like? You’re beautiful, smart and sweeter than sugar.” She lovingly ran her finger down the pert slope of Kellie’s nose and made a silent vow that if Seth ever hurt her daughter by rejecting her, she’d make every day of his life a living hell.
Kellie laughed and spun around happily, arms spread wide. Her cascade of auburn spiral curls shimmered in the sunshine, and then she turned her lovely smile Josie’s way. “So, when are you guys getting married?”
Josie wished she could drum up even
