A Family Name

by Liz Botts

"Yeah!" Shane cheered and then popped his fingers back into his mouth.

  Will settled the boy into his high chair with some fish crackers while he got to work making the batter. Pancakes were one meal Will had perfected over his years of bachelorhood, and it seemed to be serving him well with the kids. He pulled out a half-full bag of chocolate chips knowing that Shane would be practically giddy over the addition of chocolate.

  Just as he was about to toss the first round of pancakes on the griddle the phone rang. He grabbed the cordless from the counter and tucked it between his ear and his shoulder. At least he'd still be able to work on lunch.

  "Is this Will Wright?"

  "It sure is. How can I help you?" The batter sizzled as it hit the hot surface. Will could feel himself salivating, and he felt his stomach rumble.

  "This is Edna Michaels. I'm Shane and Sierra's grandmother?"

  Will stilled. "Of course, Mrs. Michaels. We spoke after the funeral. I remember you. How are you?"

  "Oh, you know, being old is such a pain. Literally." Edna laughed. "Nothing too much to complain about, though, just some arthritis in my joints. Now Clark. That's another story."

  Will's mouth went dry. He had been dreading this day, though he knew eventually Shane and Sierra would go to live with their grandparents. That's what Steve and Gretchen had wanted, and of course he wanted to honor their wishes, but he had never expected to fall in love with the children. He couldn't love them any more if they were his own flesh and blood.

  "What can I do for you, ma'am?"

  "Clark and I figure it's about time we come to get the kiddies." She sighed and the line crackled in Will's ear. "We thought that after school lets out would be the best time. "

  "Oh, right." Will heard himself speaking but he felt like he was somehow detached from his body.

  "I'll call you in a few weeks to discuss the details, but I thought we'd better touch base. I would have phoned sooner but Clark's been in and out of the hospital since…"

  Will heard the catch in her voice, and he felt a wave of compassion sweep over him. "I understand," he said.

  The two descended into a few long moments of silence. The smell of burning pancakes shook Will to action. He scraped the ruined food off the griddle and dumped it into the sink.

  "Take your time. We're all doing just fine here. I'll expect to hear from you soon."

  They got off the phone, and Will started another batch of pancakes. Shane was still sitting in his booster seat happily munching on the crackers. Just looking at the kid made Will smile, but heaviness weighed on his heart. How on earth was he going to give the kids up? He had an inkling that the heavy feeling had something to do with Charlotte's hesitation to get involved with him.

  "Lunch is served, mister." Will placed the plates on the table, happy to hear Shane's happy giggle over the chocolate chips. And just as he had done for the past few months, he pushed the thoughts of the impending transition from his mind.

  ****

  With the cake on the passenger seat beside her, Charlotte swung by the tiny flower shop that doubled as a candy store. She selected roses that she thought Will would like for Lexi. She knew she was probably being silly with all of the graduation stuff. Several of the people in Mountain View had given her inquisitive looks as she went about her errands. She just thought that Lexi needed something special to mark the transition in her life.

  Having decided that she wanted a coffee, she swung by the café. When Charlotte walked in, she was pleased and surprised to be greeted by so many locals. After placing her order, Charlotte grabbed a seat at the counter and gazed around the room. Her gaze landed on a group of women gathered around a large table by the front windows. The sun slanted through the panes, casting the ladies in a golden glow, making them look almost ethereal. If she had still been in Rapid City she might not have paid any attention to them, but here in Mountain View it was clear that these women were a force to be reckoned with. As she glanced at each one, wondering about her, she spotted Karen at the center of the group.

  A flash of shyness threatened to engulf her, but Charlotte determined to go speak to the older woman. Despite the fact that Karen had been nothing but nice to her, Charlotte felt awkward around her, especially with the newfound feelings toward Will. Her limited experience with meeting parents had been jumbled around with their unconventional living situation. Not to mention her own hang ups about families. Charlotte wondered if she should call her foster parents. The thought intruded on the others, unbidden but strong. Promising herself that she would make an effort when she got home, Charlotte accepted her cup of to go coffee, and made her way across the crowded café toward Karen.

  "Charlotte! What are you doing here, darlin'? Pull up a chair. Girls, this is the lovely young woman who has been mothering my grandbabies." Karen produced a vacant seat as if by magic. Charlotte hesitated for a moment, knowing she needed to get home, but the pull to be part of something, embraced by this woman, made her sit down.

  "I was, just, um, running some errands in town. We, I mean, Will and I are throwing a little party for Lexi tonight. You should come, of course. It's just cake. For her graduation. From eighth grade." Charlotte paused, aware that she was babbling terribly. "Um, what are you guys doing?"

  "This? Oh, we're getting a fun fair together to raise some money for the roof over at Mountain View Elementary. It's been leaking terribly for the past year. This winter took an awful toll on it." Karen smoothed a sheet of paper in the thick binder spread before her on the table.

  Charlotte felt her face flush as she sneaked a peek at the other women around the table. "Um, not to sound stupid, but what exactly is a fun fair? I mean, I get that fairs are all fun, but…"

  As she trailed off a smattering of laughter rose from the group. Instead of feeling embarrassed, though, Charlotte felt relieved. The question didn't seem to make her look dumb after all. Everyone started chatting at once, describing various games and activities that would be held at the high school. Charlotte tried to listen attentively but with so many voices she got lost in the fray. Karen did mention a cake walk that sounded like it would delight Shane and Sierra. Charlotte thought that she'd have to get that on the calendar as soon as possible.

  "Really the whole town is helping," Karen said, showing off an impressive list of sponsors.

  "Wow," Charlotte said, her voice soft with amazement. Karen hadn't been exaggerating. The list was quite long, and the monetary donations shown beside each entry were staggering. Despite the modest resources the town possessed everyone had given heartily.

  After saying goodbye, Charlotte climbed back into the truck. Her mind stuck on the fact that Mountain View had the community she had always dreamed of belonging to, and back on the ranch she had her ideal family. As soon as the thoughts entered her mind, however, Charlotte berated herself on the fact that living in a fantasy world had never done her any good. Despite all the positives of the current situation, she had to remain cautious. Happiness was too fleeting, too fickle.

  Still… as she drove west from town, she couldn't help but feel the tug at her heart. If only Mountain View had a way to draw in the tourist dollars. Maybe if the people in town pulled together as they were to fix the elementary school's roof they could come up with a solution.

  Oh well, Charlotte thought with a shrug, just another problem to ponder.

  ****

  As Lexi raced across the gravel driveway with Sierra, she felt the freedom of summer stretching before her even though the air was still tinged with the coolness of spring. Her last day of eighth grade! Next year she would be in high school. Glancing over at the younger girl beside her, Lexi felt a rush of protective energy. Even when they didn't get along so well, Lexi felt closer to Sierra and Shane than she ever had to any of her previous foster siblings. That had to mean that this family was real. The forever kind.

  "Charlotte? Dad? Shane? We're home." Lexi dropped her backpack on the floor of the mudroom and kicked off her sneakers. She could hear Shane gi
ggling from the living room.

  After Sierra had shed her school stuff, the two of them ventured toward the sound of voices. When they rounded the corner, Lexi nearly fell over as Shane barreled into her in a bear hug.

  "Surprise!"

  Her dad and Charlotte stood holding a huge cake with the word 'congratulations' scrawled across the top. Lexi could feel the tears pricking the backs of her eyes as she stared at the cake.

  "It's for your eighth grade graduation," Charlotte said. "I know you don't get a ceremony or anything, but we thought we needed to celebrate the occasion."

  "Thank you." Lexi felt her voice tremble. She hoped no one else noticed. If they did, she would be so embarrassed.

  "And these are for you too, sweetheart. I'm, we're so proud of you." Her dad handed her a bouquet of roses and gave her a hug.

  As the five of them stood in the living room, Lexi could feel the warmth of the moment swirling around them. She knew that this was what a real family felt like. The look that passed between Charlotte and her dad made Lexi think that they might be on the brink of becoming something more, much more.

  Chapter Twelve

  "Can I come, Dad? Please?"

  Will turned to see Lexi jogging after him. She'd already donned boots, a hoodie, and a hat. A pair of gloves stuck out from her back pocket. He felt a grin split his face. "Sure, Lex. Let's go saddle up."

  They walked toward the barn in companionable silence. Will marveled at the fact that less than four months earlier he had been so self-absorbed that he wouldn't have noticed if the sky had turned purple. Not once had he ever considered someone calling him Dad and how that would make him feel.

  "Where are we headed today?" Lexi stood up in her saddle making sure the stirrup lengths were correct.

  Will adjusted the cinch on his saddle, and turned to smile at her. "Actually, I wanted to head out to the dig site, check things out. I'm planning to bring a class up here soon so… you know."

  "I get to see the dig site?" Lexi's smile nearly split her face.

  "Wait!"

  Will turned and felt a flush of pleasure as he saw Charlotte jogging into the barn. Just the sight of her made him think of slow, long, uninterrupted kisses and well, other things, but he managed to temper himself since his child was present.

  "I baked these for you to take-out." Charlotte held out the bag.

  Will swung down from his horse. In a low voice he said, "We're heading out to the dig site."

  Charlotte's brow furrowed. "Why? I thought you just went out there last week. Isn't everything in order?"

  "It's not that. I'm ready for my class, but it's something that Mark said at Rushmore. I need to check it out." Will shook his head as his colleague's words repeated in his mind.

  "Be safe," Charlotte said, putting her hand on his arm.

  "I will," he said, his voice catching in his throat at the obvious concern in her eyes. "And I'll take care of our girl too."

  "I know." The smile Charlotte gave him made him feel like the most important person in the world at that moment. Then she turned, and waved across the barn. "Have fun, Lex. Be good."

  "Charlotte," Lexi said, rolling her eyes, but grinning just the same.

  As Will and Lexi headed out onto the trail that led to the dig site, the sun broke through the clouds, warming the day. Will tipped his hat back slightly, and glanced over his shoulder at his daughter. She rode like she had been born in the saddle. The horse that she had pretty much claimed as her own, Acapella, was not the gentlest horse in the barn, but Lexi seemed to like her spirit. Walker had talked him into letting her use the horse, as Will would have preferred to see his little girl on Morris, the oldest horse on the ranch.

  "Hey Dad?" Lexi called. "Can we stop at that homestead place?"

  "On the way back," Will promised. They settled into a comfortable pace and companionable silence. Will watched as Lexi took in the scenery. He loved that whenever they rode out onto various parts of the ranch that she seemed to be memorizing each flower and tree, cataloguing each calf and cow. Every detail seemed important to her.

  Will sat back and puzzled over the very damaging claim Mark had leveled against Steve. Not that Mark Burton had any idea what he was saying, but Steve had grown increasingly distant in the months before his death. He had discussed fewer things with Will. At first Will had attributed it to the fact that as they headed into winter there was little need or opportunity to take groups to the dig site. And as finals had approached, Steve had been busy with his own courses as Will had with his. If Mark was right about any of it, if Steve had been visiting the dig site on his own, what had he been doing? What was he looking for? What had he found?

  That last part made Will nervous, and that wasn't a feeling he was accustomed to. Steve had always expressed the same dreams as Will. Making a big discovery was the one thing that eluded both of them, and even as Will found the disappointment of his career ambitions fading, Steve never had. Now that Will had Charlotte and the kids, he was learning what contentment meant for the first time in his life. He felt better than he ever had in his life. In fact he hadn't had a migraine in weeks. But Will worried that this new development with Steve might bring the headaches back full force.

  What could Steve have been looking for? As Will turned the question over in his mind, he found that he was coming up blank. The classes had never unearthed anything more than some prehistoric mammals. Exciting finds to be sure, but nothing on the scale of national museums. Could Steve have ever found something more?

  The ridge that signified the start of the dig site came into view, and Will pulled his horse to a stop. "This is it."

  "Wow…" Lexi breathed a satisfied sigh of amazement.

  Will stifled a smile as he watched his daughter from the corner of his eye. She was leaning forward, clutching the saddle horn with both hands. The excitement on her face was visible in the curve of her smile, the crinkle around her eyes.

  "We'll let the horses graze here," Will said, swinging down from his horse. He helped his daughter off, and set her lightly on her feet.

  The two of them walked up the ridge, both silent for different reasons. Lexi hovered to his right, and every time he glanced at her he could see the excitement on her face. He knew that he should have invited her out here with him earlier, but he hadn't gotten around to it. After Charlotte, Lexi showed the most interest in his work at the Institute. It was his daughter's obvious pride in him that had helped him see, of late, that discovering the next dinosaur species didn't matter as much as the things he was already doing in his life.

  "We're going to head over to the other dig site." Will felt like he at least needed to explain some things to Lexi, even when the girl prided herself in being so grown up. When he'd been out to get his site ready for his class, he hadn't been able to bring himself to check on Steve's site. They had always kept their sites separate as each of them had very different teaching methods.

  "Do I get to see any actual bones?" Lexi asked as she craned her neck toward the deep pit they were approaching.

  Will chuckled. "I doubt it, sweetie. Steve usually covered his site pretty well. If there had been anything exposed he would have transported it back to the Institute for the winter so he could study it. He liked that kind of thing. The lab work. He wasn't really one for field work."

  As he said the words, unease settled over Will. He knew that Steve had been impatient about things like field work, hurrying his students through essential processes in order to get back to the lab. Will thrived on the work on the site, and he threw himself into teaching his students to work with the same passion. At least that was what he always prided himself on. It struck him that he had never really given much thought to the difference in their teaching styles because it never should have mattered. Steve should still be here, as his friend and colleague, as his teaching partner, but most importantly as a husband and father. Life seemed imperfectly unfair, and Will felt his throat tighten. He could have lied to himself and said the dam
pness in his eyes was allergies or the wind, but he was sad. Deeply grieved at the loss of someone so important to him.

  Will paused for a moment to collect himself. Lexi slipped her hand into his and leaned against him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. And for a few beats of time, they stood there. Will marveled at the fact that his daughter was comforting him. Another wave of grief swelled and crashed down on him as he realized he had never been able to share Lexi's existence with Steve, his best friend, closer to him in some ways than his own brothers.

  "It's okay to be sad, Dad," Lexi said, squeezing him around the middle. "Charlotte says that grieving takes a long time, and that we all grieve in our own ways."

  "Does she now? That does seem like something Charlotte would say." Will hugged his daughter back, thoughts of Charlotte suddenly flooding his mind. She was good at giving counsel even when it was unasked for. Not once had she made Will feel foolish for missing Steve and Gretchen or for feeling lost raising three children. Her forthrightness was one of the many qualities he admired about her.

  "So what are we looking for out here?" Lexi asked, and Will found himself grateful for the subject change.

  Shaking himself from the despondent feelings that clung to him, he forced a smile. "I just want to check Steve's dig site. I haven't seen it since early last fall. And… well, since his classes will be using my site now, it's just a good idea to know what was going on over there. I'll close it up when I need to."

  "Oh, okay." Lexi kept her hand in his as they continued the short distance to the pit of Steve's site.

  At first glance everything seemed fine. Tarp covered the bulk of the pit. A few crates of casting materials sat closed and staked in the southwest corner of the trench. Will hopped down the three feet, and then turned to help Lexi down. The dig site was roughly twenty feet by thirty feet, same as Will's. The two spots had been selected based on fossils Will had randomly found when he was out riding fence. He and Steve had figured that at the very least their classes would get a good mock dig experience. They had gotten lucky with several actual finds, now housed at the Institute.