mom looked after that phone conversation. All the color had drained from her face, and she was completely shocked. There was fear and hurt in her eyes but no fury.
He shook his head. “No anger. She loved him until the day she died.”
“Logan—” She gripped her water glass tighter. “I don’t know what to say.”
“It gets worse.” He met her gaze but still saw no evidence that she was feeling sorry for him. “She was too humiliated to stay but didn’t have anywhere to go. And she wouldn’t ask the Harts for help.”
“But this ranch—”
“It belonged to her father, and he had disowned her for marrying Foster. Granddad pegged him for a loser, but she refused to listen. When she had to leave, she wouldn’t swallow her pride and go to her father.”
“What happened? Where did you go?”
“We lived in the car.”
“Four of you kids and your mother?”
He nodded. “She waited tables and cleaned houses but couldn’t make enough to put a permanent roof over our heads. Sometimes we went to a homeless shelter. There was an occasional cheap motel room if tips were good.”
“What about you kids?”
He knew what she was asking. “I took care of them.”
Her eyes widened. “How old were you?”
“Twelve.”
“Just a kid yourself,” she said.
“Yeah.” As much as he wanted to, there was no forgetting the humiliation and fear. He’d done his best to be the man of the family.
“Obviously your mom eventually contacted her father.”
He nodded. “Jamie got really sick, and there was no choice. Granddad was really glad to hear from her. He’d missed her and had no idea we were living in a car. He took us in, and we stayed here on the ranch.”
“It’s a great place to grow up.” She was studying him. “But an experience like that leaves a mark.”
“Look, I didn’t tell you all that to get the sympathy vote.”
“I never thought you did. And I don’t pity you.”
He looked but didn’t see any in her eyes, which was a relief. But he saw a lot of questions. “What?”
“You had a reason for talking about this to me, Logan.”
“I want you to understand. I’m in over my head with Cassie. Being a father scared the hell out of me from the moment Tracy told me she was pregnant. I love my daughter more than anything, and I’m afraid of screwing her up somehow because I have no clue what a good father looks like.”
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