by Laurel Kerr
Sawyer burst into the room with her husband in tow. Katie almost started in surprise. Sawyer looked…unimpressive. Oh, she was still attractive, beautiful even in her fashionable clothes, her hair and makeup all the latest style. But even with her pricey grooming, Sawyer wasn’t stunning beyond belief. And best of all, Katie no longer felt like a frump beside her. She straightened as she realized she could hold her own against Sawyer.
Her husband was an athletic-looking sixtysomething with silver hair and striking blue eyes. As Sawyer sashayed into the room, the rancher hung back, quietly observing. The man exuded a quiet authority, tinged with sternness. He reminded Katie of a no-nonsense school principal.
Bowie got to his feet with Abby still clinging to him. Katie rose more slowly, not wanting to attract notice. Just as she had prayed vainly for in high school, she wanted Sawyer to overlook her—although for entirely different reasons. For once, she succeeded. Sawyer’s entire focus was on Bowie and Abby.
“My baby girl,” Sawyer practically crowed as she spread out her arms and bent slightly at her knees. Abby glanced up at her dad in confusion. Sawyer frowned, clearly expecting a more excited welcome.
“You don’t have to get Bowie’s permission,” Sawyer said. “You can hug me. I’m your mother.”
Reluctantly, Abby let go of Bowie’s hand and stepped into Sawyer’s waiting embrace. Katie watched Bowie closely and didn’t miss his clenched jaw. Anyone could tell that Sawyer was playacting. She oozed fake, sugary-sweet emotion, and she certainly didn’t show any consideration for her daughter’s feelings. If Sawyer stopped casting herself in the starring role of this emotional drama, she’d notice Abby’s trepidation. The girl needed gentle assurances instead of an overwrought reunion. Plus, Sawyer’s protestations of motherhood had to sting Bowie.
“Let me look at you.” Sawyer took Abby by the shoulders and held her at arm’s length. Abby stood stiffly like a wooden doll as Sawyer studied her. Bowie reached out and placed a comforting hand on Abby’s shoulder. Katie could feel the tension rolling off him. She knew he wanted to snatch up his daughter and take her far away.
“Your dress is cute,” Sawyer said.
The sides of Abby’s mouth quirked up, and she looked at Katie. “Thanks. Katie helped me pick it out.”
Sawyer’s gaze flew toward her, noticing her for the first time. Although Sawyer’s eyes narrowed competitively, Katie didn’t detect any glint of recognition. As Bowie had in the beginning, Sawyer simply did not place her.
“I can see introductions are in order,” she said. “I’m Sawyer Johnson Carlton.” She reached back and touched her husband’s arm possessively. “This is Rodger Carlton, my husband.”
Bowie stepped forward, positioning his body slightly between Sawyer and Abby. He gestured first to Lou. “You met Lou Warrenton already. He and his wife took me in after high school. Abby and I both consider him her grandfather.”
Rodger Carlton extended his hand to Lou. “Lou and I go way back. He’s helped me out with a few troublesome births with my mares and cows when the vet was busy.”
“Rodger.” Lou returned the handshake.
Rodger turned his attention to Bowie. “You must be Bowie Wilson.”
Bowie nodded and shook the man’s hand as well. Rodger and Sawyer both focused next on Katie.
“You must be Bowie’s girlfriend,” Sawyer said, her tone a tad frosty yet not out of the bounds of politeness.
Bowie cleared his throat. “Sawyer, you might remember Katie Underwood from high school.”
Sawyer whirled toward Bowie. “Katie Underwood?”
Then she laughed. Not pleasantly. It was her high-school mean-girl laugh. “You’re dating Katie Underwear? You and Katie Underwear?”
Bowie’s face darkened. Lou and Rodger shifted. But Abby was faster than all of them.
“That’s not nice.”
Katie stepped forward. Her time of going undetected was over. “It’s okay, Abby. That’s just an old nickname from high school. Your mother is just shocked to see me. That’s all.”
“It’s still mean,” Abby said, not convinced.
Sawyer, however, didn’t appear to notice her daughter’s reaction. Instead, she’d turned toward her husband. “Katie was the oddest girl. She was always doodling.”
Bowie rested his hand protectively on Katie’s back. “Katie’s an amazing artist and a brilliant marketer. She’s really helped bring visitors back to the zoo, and our pool of volunteers is growing. We’re in the running for a grant because of her efforts.”
Rodger regarded Katie with a genial—if slightly paternal—smile. “That’s interesting work for a lady.”
Katie felt her grin become forced. Luckily, Rodger didn’t seem to notice. She didn’t think the man intended to be patronizing. He just seemed out of touch.
“I’ve heard that marketing has changed a lot,” Rodger continued. “All that social media stuff. You’d be wise if you learned about Facebook and all that.”
“Thank you for that tip,” Katie managed to get out without her voice frosting over.
“Katie’s really good with social media,” Bowie interjected. “She’s brought the zoo into the twenty-first century.”
“Well, this is all fun,” Sawyer said abruptly in a decidedly bored tone, “but I’d like to get to know my daughter.” She turned to Abby and said in a voice normally reserved for toddlers, “Would you like to take me on a tour of the house?”
Abby glanced helplessly at Bowie. Clearly, she didn’t know how to handle Sawyer’s sudden intense bursts of interest. Katie didn’t blame her.
“Why don’t we start with the kitchen?” Bowie said as he shepherded Abby from the room. Lou and Sawyer followed, but Rodger hung back.
He turned to Katie. “Would you mind if I asked a few questions before we catch up with the others?”
Lovely. Katie didn’t particularly want to field any inquiries, especially from the man who had treated her like a five-year-old and was married to her worst enemy. Still, she had no idea what he wanted, and she could potentially help Bowie.
“What do you want to know?”
“I would like to speak to you privately about the man you are dating.”
“Oh,” Katie said noncommittally, not particularly liking the turn of the conversation.
Rodger waited a few minutes until Sawyer’s voice had faded away. As they stood in silence for a moment, he regarded Katie kindly. He reminded her of a concerned father.
“Pardon my intrusiveness, but I feel that it is my duty to warn you about Bowie Wilson’s past.”
Katie stiffened. “What past are you talking about?”
“From what I hear, he is not a good man. In high school, he used to mercilessly tease a young woman…”
Katie barely stifled her snort of laughter. Either Sawyer had bamboozled this man entirely, or he took mansplaining to a whole new level.
“I am well aware of that,” Katie said dryly, unable to keep the sarcasm from her voice, “since I was the target of Bowie and Sawyer’s pranks.”
Rodger blinked. “Sawyer was involved?”
“Involved?” Katie said. “She’s the reason Bowie pulled them in the first place…” Katie’s voice trailed off as her mind stumbled across Sawyer’s twisted game. “Oh, I get it. Sawyer wanted to make Bowie look bad. She just conveniently left out her role.”
Rodger made a disapproving sound in the back of his throat. He sounded exactly like a disappointed father. “I’m afraid Sawyer is a bit high-strung. I thought she’d calm down as she matured, but she hasn’t.”
Katie’s discomfort increased. She’d never liked Sawyer. At times, she’d actively hated her. But for the first time, Katie felt a twinge of pity for her old nemesis. No woman should be married to a man who talked about his wife as though she were a horse to be tamed. That cliché should have died in the Civil
War.
“I wouldn’t know,” Katie said. “I haven’t seen Sawyer in over twelve years.” An awkward silence descended. Katie tried to smile, but it felt weak. “Maybe we should rejoin the others.”
“I’m worried about that little girl,” Rodger said stubbornly. Katie believed him. The man had his faults, but he thought he was doing the right thing. Even if he was going about it entirely the wrong way, he really did seem to want to help Abby.
“So am I,” Katie said earnestly. “I love Abby, and I don’t want to see her caught up in any scheme of Sawyer’s. Whatever Sawyer told you about Bowie’s relationship with his daughter is wrong. She’s never had any contact with Abby until today. But Bowie has been there constantly. His daughter is the most important thing in his life, followed closely by Lou and then the zoo animals. He is a good, caring man, and his daughter is a very well-adjusted little girl.”
When Katie finally finished her impassioned defense, she was breathing heavily. As she stood there, watching for Rodger’s reaction, she realized something with utter clarity. She trusted Bowie. Fully and entirely. She’d finally divorced her high-school memories from the real, remarkable man. It was more than mere forgiveness. Her lingering feelings of resentment had vanished, and she found herself on the brink of tumbling into love.
Rodger was silent. When he spoke, his voice was pensive. “You really do care for Abby. You have a strong mothering instinct. I wish Sawyer had the same.”
It struck Katie that although Rodger generally viewed her as incompetent, he just might trust any observation that sounded maternal. “Abby is a very special, sweet girl. She’s dear to me, and Bowie loves her with all his heart. All he wants is for his daughter to be happy and loved and given the advantages that he never had.”
Rodger nodded. “I admit that Bowie seems very protective of his daughter, and the girl clearly loves him. I hadn’t expected that. I’m not here to disrupt their lives. I just want to make sure Sawyer’s daughter has what is best for her.”
Katie regarded the man earnestly. He was patriarchal, but he clearly lived by a strong ethical code. If she could convince him that his and Sawyer’s interference was hurting and not helping Abby, she was pretty sure he wouldn’t push for custody. “I believe you, but is that Sawyer’s motivation?”
Rodger sighed heavily. “When I married Sawyer, I wanted more children. I’d wished for a little girl. When I found out about Sawyer’s infertility, I was disappointed. Then I learned about Abby, and I’d hoped I could still have a daughter.”
“You could always adopt,” Katie suggested gently, thinking of Bowie’s childhood. “There are so many children who need love.”
Rodger’s expression darkened. “As I said, Sawyer lacks any maternal softness. I’d hoped with her own child, it would come naturally. Today was also to test that.”
The sympathy Katie felt for Sawyer surprised her. To her shock, she found herself defending the woman. “Not all women want to be mothers. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
Rodger’s expression indicated he felt otherwise. “When I married Sawyer, I made it clear I was hoping for a big family. I love my boys from my first marriage, and I wanted more kids. It was part of the deal.”
* * *
“Your house is so quaint,” Sawyer said for the fourth time, condescension saturating her voice as they climbed down the back steps and headed into the zoo. Abby had wanted to show Sawyer the animals, but Bowie doubted the woman had any interest in them.
He gave a noncommittal sound at Sawyer’s observation about the old Victorian. He didn’t know how else to respond. For Abby’s sake, he had to ignore Sawyer’s constant digs. The woman was Abby’s mother, and as long as Sawyer treated Abby well, he would stay silent.
Sawyer turned to Abby. “You’ll have to visit my house. It is much bigger and very modern.”
Not for the first time, Abby pressed close to Bowie, hugging his arm against her. The gesture tugged at his heart. His daughter clearly wasn’t comfortable, but Sawyer didn’t seem to register the fact.
“I like my house,” Abby said in a quiet voice.
“We have a pool and horses.”
“We have a zebra,” Abby said.
Sawyer frowned, and Bowie barely suppressed a groan. She hated when anyone upstaged her. He doubted she’d even make an exception for her daughter.
“We don’t have a pool, though,” he said quickly.
Sawyer laughed, the sound high and superior. “Why would you have a pool? You don’t know how to swim.”
Even when they’d dated, Sawyer had lorded that over Bowie. Despite all her pool parties, she’d never offered to teach him. Since he hadn’t wanted to make a fool of himself splashing around, he’d just hung out in a lounge chair.
Abby stared up in surprise. “You don’t, Dad?”
Bowie shook his head. He’d taken Abby to swim lessons at the local Y for years. He’d wanted her to have that, even when money was tight.
“Of course, he doesn’t, sweetheart,” Sawyer said. “Your daddy is pure white tr—”
“Hi, guys!” Katie’s overly bright voice broke into Sawyer’s insult. Bowie shot her a grateful look as she rounded the corner of Frida’s pen. Sawyer’s husband did not look pleased. Bowie didn’t know if he wasn’t happy with his conversation with Katie or with his wife’s aborted comment.
“We ran into Lou in the kitchen,” Katie continued, her voice cheerful. “He said you’d gone outside.”
“Yes,” Bowie said. “Abby wanted to introduce Sawyer to the animals.”
“Aren’t they adorable?” Katie asked, her voice still a tad too cheerful as she turned to Sawyer. “Did you meet Lulubelle yet? She’s one of the zoo’s stars.”
Sawyer looked decidedly bored. “No.”
“She was a lovelorn camel until she met her mate, Hank!” Abby said excitedly. “The local news did a story on them. Lou says Hank is sweet on Lulubelle ’cause he’s constantly following her wherever she goes.”
“How cute,” Sawyer said, although she clearly wasn’t interested.
“Come here, Lulubelle,” Abby called as they reached the enclosure. The camel looked up from a bale of hay. At the sight of Abby, Lulubelle gave an excited grunt. She ambled over, still happily chewing as her jaw worked from side to side. Hank, as always, trailed behind. Sawyer took a step back.
Abby stood on a rung of the fence in order to hug the female camel’s neck. Still clutching Lulubelle, she gave Sawyer a shy smile. “Would you like to pet her? Hank too. They’re very friendly. Hank’s even been trained to carry riders. Lulubelle can’t do that, but she can follow a lead rope. And she loves when you scratch her.”
Sawyer’s face collapsed into a look of pure disgusted horror. “Why would I want to touch them? They smell worse than cows. Ugh!”
At Sawyer’s sound of disgust, Lulubelle curled her lip, and Hank snorted his displeasure. At the sound, Sawyer teetered back another foot. Hurt flashed across Abby’s face before she focused her attention on Lulubelle.
Rodger nudged his wife. “Why don’t you try it, sweetheart?”
Sawyer swung to look at him, aghast. “Rodger, you know how I feel about animals!”
“But it is important to Abby,” he chided.
Sawyer’s entire body stiffened, and Rodger sent her a look that Bowie would use on Abby. An uncomfortable silence fell over all of them. Poor Abby practically had her face buried in Lulubelle’s woolly neck, and Katie was discreetly trying to back away from the group. Bowie scrambled for a way to defuse the situation. He was about to suggest they return to the house for dinner when he spotted a white-and-black streak out of the corner of his eye.
Fluffy.
Before Bowie could bend over and grab the little bugger, Sawyer screamed. Loudly. Piercingly. She leapt into the air and started to scramble up the fence of the camel enclosure.
&nbs
p; “Get that overgrown rat away from me!”
Fluffy, being Fluffy, stood on his hind legs and hissed. Sawyer shrieked again and moved up another rung. If she kept trying to escape over the fence, she’d be perched on Lulubelle’s back…if the camel would allow her. Lulubelle didn’t appear too happy about the invader to her domain. Beside her, a clearly agitated Hank shifted his massive weight. The llamas had paused in their chewing and were just staring at the scene before them.
“It’s okay,” Abby said. “That’s just Fluffy, our honey badger. He only wants to say hello. He’s got a curious nature.”
“That thing tried to bite me last time I was here!”
“Now, darling,” said Rodger, the soul of patience. “I won’t let it hurt you.” To Bowie’s horror, the man started bending to pick up Fluffy. The honey badger whirled on the rancher, snarling fiercely. The man jerked back, lost his balance, and tumbled onto his ass. Bowie tried to snatch Fluffy but missed. The little devil scurried straight in Sawyer’s direction. Bowie swore he saw an evil grin on the animal’s face as it streaked past.
Sawyer began to wail hysterically as Fluffy advanced. As if in slow motion, Bowie watched as she pulled back to deliver a punishing kick to the honey badger’s long midsection. Bowie lurched forward to intercept the blow, but Abby was closer and faster. Leaping from her own perch on the fence, she darted between Sawyer and Fluffy. Sawyer’s high heel contacted with Abby’s shin. Abby howled, grabbing her leg and jumping on one foot. Fluffy, of course, fled the scene.
“Sawyer!” The admonishment came from Rodger, because Bowie was too busy sweeping his daughter into his arms.
“Are you okay, Abby Bear?”
Abby bit her lip and shook her head. Tears had started to stream down her face. Katie rushed to their side, bending at her knees to be closer to Abby’s level. Brushing the girl’s hair from her face, Katie asked, “Why don’t you let me look at your leg?”
“I didn’t kick her that hard,” Sawyer protested. “It was barely a tap.”
