he was going through a mid-life crisis, but Madeline didn’t need to know that. She didn’t need to know that he envied Wyatt Johnson for settling down with someone he’d wake up with every morning. Man, he was even jealous of Andie and Ryder Johnson’s twin girls.
Jackson had two rocking chairs on the front porch, and at night he sat alone and watched the cattle graze in the field. He was as sick of being alone as a man could get. But most of the women his age, if they were still single, were listening to their biological clocks. They were ready for rings and babies.
Which brought him back to the problem at hand: Jade Baker.
“I’ll get the coffee started, then you need to make a plan,” Madeline offered.
“Thanks, that would be great.” He smiled at her and she didn’t even flinch. He was losing his touch or she was immune. Either way, he was a little baffled.
“Where’s the kitchen?”
He pointed to the wide doorway that led to the dining room and from there to the kitchen and family room. Madeline nodded and away she went, that long skirt of hers swishing around her legs.
“Why don’t you just give me a hundred bucks or something and I’ll head on down the road.” The kid, Jade, shot the comment at him.
Jackson turned the chair to face her. She was hugging his dog. She looked younger than thirteen, maybe because she looked sad and kind of lost. Wow, that took him back to Mia when she’d landed on their doorstep twenty years ago. Travis, nearly twenty-five years ago. Jesse when he’d been about twelve. Jesse had been an angry kid. Now he was a doctor.
Jade Baker, aka his kid. She’d asked for a hundred bucks to leave. Surely the little thing wasn’t working him for money? Could it be she’d been dropped off by someone who knew she resembled their family? He rubbed his thumb across his chin and studied her. She just stared at him, with eyes that looked like his and Reece’s. Eyes that looked like Heather’s and Dylan’s.
He could smell toast in the toaster. Jade glanced toward the door that led to the dining room and the kitchen. The dog perked up, too. The girl had pulled her blond hair into a ponytail. Her jeans were threadbare and her T-shirt was stained. He didn’t know a thing about her life or what she’d been through.
He hadn’t really known Gloria. She’d been about his age and she’d liked hanging out at rodeos. Someone had told him she lived in the back of a van with her older sister. He hadn’t believed it. He should have. The next time he’d gone through the Texas town where he’d met her, she wasn’t there.
Fourteen years ago. He barely remembered her. But seeing Jade, the memories resurfaced. He hadn’t loved Gloria. He let out a sigh. A kid should at least have that knowledge, that her parents loved each other.
He stood up, holding his breath to get through the pain.
“Sorry, kid, I’m not giving you money. We’ll figure this out, but money isn’t going to be part of the deal.”
“Why not? You obviously don’t want me here. With some money I can hit the road and find a place to live.”
He admired her pluck. She had stood, and his stupid dog, Bud, stood next to her. “You’re not even fourteen yet. You can’t live by yourself or even take off on your own. And one hundred dollars? That wouldn’t get you to Tulsa.”
“I could get emancipated.”
“Honey, at your age you can’t spell that word and you can’t even get a job. We’ll try for plan B, okay? Let’s go see what Ms. Patton is cooking up in there.” He eased forward a couple of steps. Jade glared at him and started to walk away. He reached for her arm and stopped her.
“Let go of me.” She turned, fire sparking in those hazel-green eyes of hers.
“I’ll let go, but you’re not going to blame me for not knowing about you.” He’d made a lot of mistakes that he’d had to own up to. He sure wouldn’t have walked out on a kid.
He would have claimed his kid if he’d known about her. If it was possible that she was his, he’d do everything he could for her. But she wasn’t his. He was pretty sure of that.
“Yeah, well, you do kind of have something to do with my life and not being in it,” she shot back at him, her chin hiking up a few notches and a spark in those eyes that dared him to tell her otherwise.
“I didn’t know where your mother went to, and she never tried to get in touch.” He had let go of her arm and they stood in the center of the living room, facing off.
“Yeah, well…” Jade stared at him, her eyes big in a little-girl face. Man, she was a tough kid. He didn’t know what to do. He could hug her. Or he could just stand there and stare. He didn’t think she’d want either.
“Well, what?”
“Well, you coulda tried.” Her bottom lip started to tremble. “Haven’t you heard of the internet?”
“If I’d known, I would have searched the whole world to find a kid of mine.” He softened his tone and took a step forward.
“Yeah, right. My mom said you told her once that you never planned on having kids and so she didn’t bother telling you that you had one.”
“That was real nice of her to do that.” He wasn’t going to say anything against her mother. The kid had gone through enough, and he didn’t know Gloria well enough to say much more.
She reached for his hand. “I didn’t think you’d be so old.”
“Well, thanks, Jade. Is Jade short for something?”
“Just Jade.” She had hold of his hand. He looked at her hand in his, small and strong. Yeah, he would have been okay with having her for a kid.
The toast popped out of the toaster and coffee poured into a cup from the single-cup brewer on his counter. Jackson Cooper had the kitchen of her dreams. It didn’t seem fair that he had her coffeemaker, the replica of a vintage stove and fridge she’d always dreamed of, granite countertops and light pine floors. But really, what was fair?
Life? Most often not. She’d learned that at an early age. She’d put away the baggage of her past years ago, when she realized carrying it around weighed a person down. If a person meant to let go of their burdens, they shouldn’t pack them back up and heft them over their shoulder.
She pulled toast from the toaster and buttered it. From the dining room she could hear Jackson talking to the teenager who had knocked on her door just over an hour ago. A few minutes later they walked into the kitchen and their likeness floored Madeline. The two had the same strong cheekbones, the same strong mouth, and eyes that matched. Jade’s hair was lighter.
Jackson walked to the sink and ran water into a glass. Madeline stood next to the counter, feeling out of place in this mess of his and even more out of place in his home. This wasn’t where she’d expected to end up today, in Jackson Cooper’s kitchen, in his life. When she woke up this morning, it had been like any other Friday. She’d been looking forward to the weekend and decorating her house for Christmas. Jackson hadn’t figured into her plans. Ever.
She’d lived in Dawson for over a year, and even though
