The Doctor's Texas Baby

by Deb Kastner

  “Besides, I’m sure Carolina will be around from time to time,” Wyatt added.

  He wasn’t sure of anything. Carolina could be planning to up and move to Mars the day after the seventieth-anniversary party for all he knew.

  Still, he hoped. Prayed. And he held his breath until she concurred.

  “Yes, of course I’ll be around.” Carolina was addressing Johnny, not Wyatt, but that didn’t stop relief from flooding through him at the affirmation in her words.

  Where there was time, there was hope. Right? Or was he just kidding himself?

  Until her next words stopped him short.

  “At least until the party in March. After that we’ll have to see where the Lord leads. I’m thinking about going back to school, myself, and I’m really excited about it. But Wyatt and I are parenting a child together,” Carolina continued. “So at least for now, we’ll be seeing a lot of each other. And if you don’t mind, I would appreciate being able to call on you to babysit Matty once in a while. He really loves you, you know.”

  Johnny beamed. “I’d l-like that.”

  Wyatt’s gut was grinding. What was she talking about? She was leaving Haven? Going back to school somewhere?

  Did she want shared custody of Matty? He would take no less than that, and he wanted so much more. The thought made him sick. Matty should be raised by both his parents.

  But now wasn’t the time to hash out those details. He couldn’t let his feelings for Carolina take over. Not yet. There were people waiting for them to return Johnny to the ranch.

  “So can we head on back to the boys ranch then?” Wyatt asked, affectionately clapping Johnny on the shoulder and doing his best to smile.

  Wyatt’s heart was breaking, but Johnny’s was just now starting to mend. For the moment, that would have to be enough for him.

  “Everyone will be so glad to see that you’re safe,” Carolina said with a smile.

  “I’m sorry for the t-trouble I’ve caused.”

  “It’s no matter now,” Wyatt assured him. “As they say, all’s well that ends well.”

  Wyatt stole a look at Carolina, but she refused to meet his eyes.

  Except when it doesn’t.

  * * *

  Carolina struggled to keep her emotions in check as Wyatt pulled up to the boys ranch office. She had offered Johnny the front passenger’s seat, but he was anxious about returning to the ranch and chose to sit in the back of the cab where he could be alone with his thoughts.

  Obviously, she and Wyatt couldn’t have any kind of serious conversation with Johnny in the truck, but then again, what was there to say?

  Wyatt had made it crystal clear where they stood in their relationship, if she could even call it that. They were in a relationship insofar as parenting Matty was concerned, but that was as far as it went.

  She didn’t know why it was bothering her so much. Their status hadn’t changed from this morning, before they had learned that Johnny had run away.

  Everything was exactly the same. For the day. The week. And the whole last month, for that matter.

  So what had changed?

  As the realization of the truth washed over her, she clasped her hands in her lap so she had something to hold on to.

  She had changed.

  She was not the woman who had rushed out of Haven, pregnant and terrified and too proud to admit she couldn’t do it all on her own—nor did she want to.

  Wyatt was a fabulous father to Matty, just as she had known he would be. And now Wyatt’s relationship with Johnny was blooming into fruition. She got choked up just thinking about what a wonderful life Wyatt had offered that young man. And having Johnny in his life would be a tremendous blessing to Wyatt, as well.

  It was almost worse knowing that Wyatt intended to stay in Haven and not bound off to foreign lands. How could she ever have thought that he would put his personal dreams over a relationship with his son?

  That wasn’t who Wyatt was. It never had been.

  Why had it taken her until now to realize that over the years, Wyatt’s dreams might have changed? Since she’d been back, she had never once asked him about what he wanted out of life, but instead had made assumptions that she could now see were erroneous and maybe always had been.

  It was as if her eyes were suddenly opened to the truth. Wyatt was happy living here in Haven, volunteering at the boys ranch and working as the town’s veterinarian. And now he had a family to make it all worthwhile. Complete.

  Except that family didn’t include her.

  Not really. Even though she now understood just how much she wanted to be a part of it.

  Instead, she would be living on the outskirts of that family—on the outside of the house, looking in. Watching Wyatt and Johnny and Matty growing closer and closer as a family unit, while she would be all alone. Wyatt might eventually even marry, and—

  She closed her eyes and willed away the thought. She couldn’t even go there. Her pulse hammered in her temple. She didn’t usually get headaches, but this one was almost more than she could bear.

  Still, being distracted by a headache was better than thinking about her heartache.

  “Looks like we made it just in time.” Wyatt nodded toward the black SUV that had pulled up next to the truck.

  A middle-aged woman, her blond hair clipped back in a tight bun, exited the vehicle. Not only was she unfamiliar to Carolina, but she had the clipboard-holding look of an official government employee stamped all over her.

  “Am I in t-trouble?” Johnny’s voice wavered with anxiety. He had seen the woman, too.

  Carolina glanced back and smiled reassuringly. “I can’t see why you would be. Once we explain the situation to Bea, I’m sure she’ll understand.”

  “What about that l-lady?”

  “I’ll talk to her,” Wyatt assured him.

  An official-looking woman was shaking hands with Bea as Wyatt, Carolina and Johnny entered the front office. Gabe, Katie and Pastor Andrew were also present. Katie was seated at the desk with Pastor Andrew standing directly behind her. Gabe stood casually leaning his shoulder against one wall, his arms crossed in front of him.

  Bea’s eyes lit up with relief the moment her gaze landed on Johnny.

  “You scared ten years off my life, young man, and I can’t afford to lose that much time.” Even as she was scolding Johnny, she was wrapping him in a big bear hug. “Wyatt, Carolina, this is Ms. Angela White from the DFPS.”

  Ms. White had an openly curious expression on her face but did not ask the obvious question.

  Bea turned Johnny around by the shoulders and introduced him to the government agent.

  “Johnny Drake here is one of our finest success stories. Before he came to the boys ranch, he was creating a bit of havoc in the school he was attending. He was probably just standing up to the bullies, if you ask me. Anyway, since he’s been here, he has turned his life around. He’s gone from flunking out of school to having straight A’s, and he has been specially mentored by our veterinarian, Wyatt Harrow, who volunteers here at the ranch in his free time.”

  Bea gestured toward Wyatt, who tipped his hat in greeting but said nothing.

  Ms. White’s gaze moved from Wyatt to Bea and then finally settled on Johnny.

  “Why do I feel like there is a part of this story that you are not telling me?”

  Carolina’s anxious gaze caught Wyatt’s. Without saying a word, his eyes and expression bolstered her confidence.

  “It was all a misunderstanding, really,” Carolina explained. “You see, Johnny is aging out of the boys ranch program soon, and he no longer has any living relatives to go home to. He wasn’t sure he could handle a formal dismissal, so he decided he would leave us early and avoid the agony of saying goodbye.”

  “He ran away,”
Ms. White summed up neatly, scribbling something on the memo pad on her clipboard.

  “No,” Carolina exclaimed. “Well, yes, technically, but as you can see, he’s here now.”

  “Yes, I can see that.” Ms. White drummed her pen against the clipboard and turned her speculative gaze on Johnny. “And what do you have to say for yourself, young man?”

  “I d-didn’t mean to cause any t-trouble.”

  Carolina inwardly cringed at poor Johnny’s stutter, made more pronounced by his anxiety.

  “I’m s-sorry I r-ran away. But I’m okay now. I have a new f-family. Right, Wyatt?”

  Johnny’s hopeful gaze shifted to Wyatt, who stepped forward and laid a hand on his shoulder.

  “That’s right. He’ll be coming to live with me after the end of the school year. I’m going to make sure he gets into college and vet school, and then he will join me in my practice here in Haven.”

  “Why, that’s wonderful,” Bea exclaimed. “See, Ms. White? A real success story.”

  Carolina was all choked up by the way the drama was unfolding, and she had to blink back the tears in her eyes. She couldn’t imagine that Ms. White didn’t feel the same way.

  “Let me speak frankly,” said the agent. “There is no doubt that the boys ranch has done and is doing good things for the residents who participate in the program. I can even understand a little...slipup like Johnny’s, although I expect I won’t hear of any further incidents such as this one.”

  She paused and her gaze swept the room.

  “My concern in coming here today is that you appear to have been targeted by a person or persons who wish to do the boys ranch—and possibly the residents who live here—harm. When innocuous pranks and petty theft turn to arson, the DFPS can’t help but notice. I’m here to evaluate whether the boys’ safety has been compromised.”

  “What does that mean for the ranch?” Gabe asked the question that was on everyone’s minds.

  “Well—Gabe, is it? What that means is that the boys ranch might need to be, temporarily, at least, suspended from providing services. We can’t risk putting the boys’ lives in danger. That is simply out of the question.”

  “I thoroughly agree,” said Bea. “But I’m not convinced closing down the ranch is the best course of action. There must be some other way we can handle it.”

  “There is,” said a deep voice from the doorway.

  Carolina turned to see Texas Ranger Heath Grayson taking up most of the doorway, none too gently shoving a man in handcuffs into the room before him.

  “This is Donald Nall,” Heath said grimly. “Bea, I think if you look up his name in the boys ranch records from about ten years ago or so, you will discover that his parents put in an application to have him sent here.”

  “Yeah, except you guys turned me down.”

  Nall lunged at Bea. Katie screamed. Carolina took an involuntary step backward.

  It all happened in an instant, but Nall was quickly restrained again and never made contact with Bea. Heath had a good grip on his arm, and Wyatt and Gabe surrounded him. Standing about five-ten, Nall looked small compared to all the other men, and he didn’t put up much of a fight.

  Pastor Andrew drew Katie into his arms and smoothed her hair away from her face. “It’s okay, sweetheart.”

  “This is all your fault,” Nall accused basely, glaring at Bea. “You were supposed to fix me. You were supposed to fix me!”

  Heath gave him a little shake. “Nall here has already done time on drug charges, and he has a history of mental health issues.”

  Bea nodded compassionately. “That was probably the reason why he didn’t qualify for the boys ranch.”

  To Carolina’s surprise, Bea stepped right in front of Nall and faced him squarely. “I am very sorry we were unable to assist you, Mr. Nall. Unfortunately, we have to turn down many worthy cases. I truly hope you will be able to find the help you need.”

  “Oh, he’ll get the help he needs,” Heath assured them. “He’ll have plenty of time to do some soul-searching where he’s going.”

  “Go with God’s blessing,” Pastor Andrew added. “We’ll be praying for you.”

  “Are you serious?” Nall spat. “You keep away from me, preacher.”

  “Come on, Nall,” Heath said as the sound of police sirens drew near. “Your ride is here.”

  Heath removed Nall from the room, and for a moment the only sound Carolina heard was the rasp of her own breath.

  Bea turned to the DFPS agent. “So, Ms. White. Would you like a tour of the grounds? I can introduce you to some of the volunteers who work here.”

  The agent dropped the clipboard to her side. “I would really like that, but I think I will have to decline and make it another day. There is clearly no reason for me to tarry here, and I have a full caseload I need to address.”

  “Maybe you can come out some weekend when you’re free and take some time to look around,” Katie suggested.

  Ms. White showed her first real smile, and Carolina thought it brightened up her whole face. “I would like that. I’ll show myself out now. You all have a great day.”

  A knock sounded just as Ms. White was leaving.

  “Please come in,” Bea told an unfamiliar woman. Pretty and young with short brown hair, the lady was accompanied by four-year-old twins.

  “I’m sorry to bother you, but I’m looking for Bea Brewster.”

  “You’ve found her,” Bea said with a smile.

  “I’m Avery Culpepper?” Her voice rose as if it were a question and not a statement of fact.

  “Avery Culpepper?” Gabe repeated.

  Avery looked from one of them to the other. “I’m sorry. Are you all in the middle of something?”

  “Not at all,” Bea assured her. “You can’t imagine how happy we are to see you. Have you checked into the hotel yet? I’ve got a bathroom next to my office where you can freshen up. I imagine you’ve had a long day of travel.”

  “No. I mean, no thank you. It has been a long day, and my girls, Dinah and Debbie, need to rest, but if you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to you now. I’m not sure how long I’ll be in town.”

  Bea smiled. “We’d like to persuade you to stay. Your grandfather left you an inheritance in his will.”

  “So I understand. I think it would help me to hear the details before I start considering my options.” She blew out a nervous breath and smiled.

  “Of course. Shall we go back to my office?” Bea gestured her through to the other room.

  “Well,” said Gabe, running a hand across his jaw, “that’s two problems solved, anyway.”

  “You still haven’t found your grandfather?” Carolina asked sympathetically.

  “I haven’t even had a single decent lead, and time is working against me.” Gabe groaned and shoved his fingers through his hair.

  “Is there anything we can do to help?” Wyatt asked.

  “Honestly? I’ve got nothing.”

  Carolina cringed, because that was exactly how she was feeling, too.

  She had nothing.

  The group dispersed. Carolina was halfway to her car when Wyatt caught up with her, reaching for her elbow and whirling her around to face him.

  “You’re going back to school?” he demanded, his voice low and gravelly.

  “I—yes. I’m thinking about it.” She hesitated. She had put in applications to a couple of business schools and had been accepted, but she hadn’t yet said anything to Wyatt. In hindsight, she realized she might have been putting the cart before the horse. Just because she wanted to stay in Haven and work in Wyatt’s office didn’t mean he wanted her there.

  He certainly didn’t look happy. He lowered his brow and clamped his jaw. “You would leave? With Matty?”

  “Well, yes, but�
��”

  “I’ll fight you, you know. I didn’t want it to come to this, but I won’t let you take my son away from me. Not this time.”

  Was that what he thought she was doing?

  She opened her mouth to explain and then closed it again as fury washed through her, followed by a new wave of guilt. Clearly Wyatt hadn’t forgiven her for the past. He believed she was the same woman she’d been back then, a woman who would take his son away from him.

  He might as well have stabbed her in the heart.

  And he’d turned all her plans on end. If he didn’t trust her, he wouldn’t want her working for him, so attending school would mean nothing. She’d only planned to be gone for the few months it took to get a certificate in administrative assisting.

  Which would be worthless, now. He had taken away her last lifeline.

  In planning his own life—with Matty, and with Johnny—he’d taken away hers.

  She would not leave Haven. She would not do that to Wyatt, not again, no matter what he thought of her. But as to the future?

  An ocean of loneliness.

  Chapter Eleven

  It was a good day.

  It was Gran’s one hundredth birthday, and she not only recognized Wyatt, but even seemed happy to see him. Much of the town had gathered to help celebrate.

  It remained to be seen whether this good day would become a great day, or else would degenerate into the worst day of his entire life. There was no middle ground here.

  Sink or swim. Feast or famine.

  But he had to know. He couldn’t just keep on with the status quo. His life had to change, one way or the other. And today was the day he would make that happen.

  “Queen for the day,” Carolina said, approaching Gran with a sparkling silver tiara. “For the birthday girl. Don’t you look just lovely?”

  “Two prettiest ladies in the room,” Wyatt admired, snapping some pictures with his cell phone. He laughed when Carolina hid her face behind her hands.

  He was in awe of all she had done. She had planned and executed the whole party virtually on her own. She’d allowed Wyatt and Johnny in on her secrets only when it was time to decorate the main room at the nursing home.