He left Roy and walked out of the arena toward the parking area.
And who should be walking toward him, but sharply dressed businessman Rod Kyle.
“Ah, Mr. O’Donovan, just the man I was looking for. I’ve found your answer for you, and even you won’t believe where your son is.”
“He’s here in town.” Sam gritted his teeth. “He’s Sydney’s little brother.” Then he hit Rod square in the jaw. Felt damn good, even with bleeding knuckles.
Rod fell backward, rubbing his face. “Hey, we had a deal.”
“The deal was you find out where my son is.”
“I did.”
“Not quick enough. I figured it out without you. Now get the hell out of my sight before I do some real damage.”
Sam found his rental car and drove away. The rodeo was still going on, but Zach’s brother Dallas would be home. Dallas didn’t compete like his two younger brothers. He was a shooter at heart. He’d be at the ranch. It was near suppertime.
Dallas was one of the only two attorneys in Bakersville. The other was Chad’s brother-in-law, Harper Bay, but he was busy planning a wedding in less than a week. Dallas was Sam’s best bet.
He drove to Dallas and Annie’s ranch house on the McCray property, walked up, and knocked.
“Hello there, Sam,” Annie McCray said in her biting Jersey accent. “Nice to see you.”
“Is Dallas at home?”
“Yeah, he sure is. Come on in. We’re just finishing our dinner.”
“I’m sorry to intrude. I have a legal problem.”
“No intrusion. Let me get the kids out of your way, and you and he can talk. Come on in to the kitchen.”
After they said hi to their Uncle Sammy, Annie took Sylvie and Laurie by the hands and escorted them into the family room where the babies were sleeping in their bassinets. “Sam’s here to see you, hon. Legal talk.”
“What can I do you for, Sam?” Dallas asked, standing. “You want to sit down?”
“Do I ever.” Sam plunked his ass in a chair.
“Coffee?”
“Got anything stronger?”
Dallas smiled. “That bad, huh? How about a Macallan, neat?”
“Sounds like nectar of the gods.”
Dallas poured two drinks and sat back down at the table. “So what’s going on?”
“I need to get a court order for a DNA test.”
“What for?”
“You know the Buchanans, right?”
“Blake and Sydney, yeah. And their parents are here for the rodeo too.”
“Along with their little boy. He’s about Sean’s age.”
“Duke, yeah. I’ve seen him.”
“Well, here’s the thing.” He cleared his throat. “Little Duke Buchanan is my son.”
* * *
“Well, Sydney,” Roy Buchanan said when Sydney opened the door to her hotel room. “You’ve got yourself in quite a mess now.”
“I know, Daddy.” She sniffed.
“You’ve been crying.”
“Of course I have.”
“Tell me what’s going on.”
“It’s that jerk, Rod. He found Duke’s birth certificate. He brought it over here and confronted me while Sam was here. Sam put two and two together and figured out he was the father.”
“Sam O’Donovan. A good man from a good family. Why didn’t you tell us who the father was?”
“I had my reasons. Don’t worry, Daddy, he doesn’t know where the child is. But I’m afraid he will soon. He asked Rod to find out for him.”
“Rod’s quick, then. Or Sam figured it out on his own. He confronted your mother and me this afternoon at the rodeo.”
Sydney cringed, resisting the urge to swat away the invisible insects crawling on her skin. “Oh, Daddy. What are we going to do?”
Roy sat down and cupped his head in his hands. “I don’t know, Sydney. I just don’t know.”
“I can’t let anything happen to Duke.”
“Good, I’m glad to hear you say that. Duke is the most important thing here. We must consider what’s best for him first and foremost.”
“Of course.” Sydney’s blood turned to ice. “That’s what I’ve always done.”
“Not always, Sydney.”
“What do you mean?”
“Why didn’t you tell us back then who the father was? Then maybe all this turmoil could have been avoided. Sam would have known. He would have had a choice to be in Duke’s life.”
“I didn’t want him in Duke’s life.”
“Why, Sydney? Why didn’t you want the father to know about his child?”
* * *
“I see,” Dallas said after Sam had explained the situation. “All this time you never knew he existed.”
“Not at all.”
“And had you known at the time, would you have wanted the child?”
Sam rose, shoved his hands in his pockets. “How the hell should I know? That was over five years ago. I know I want him now.”
“Why do you want him now?”
“I’ve always wanted kids. Just never found the right woman.”
“And is Sydney Buchanan the right woman?”
He sat back down with a plunk. “I don’t know. Shit, a mere five hours ago I was sure she was.”
“Are you in love with her?”
“I was five hours ago, before all this shit hit the fan.”
“You have a child with the woman you love.” Dallas smiled. “That’s a beautiful thing. The rest can be worked out.”
“Dallas, my child is five years old! I’ve missed a half decade of his life. I didn’t hear his first word. I didn’t see his first smile, his first step.”
“I understand.” Dallas looked toward the family room where the girls were playing. “Believe me, I understand.”
“I have rights, damnit. I want to know my son.”
“The child legally belongs to the Buchanans. They adopted him. I’m assuming they went through all the legal channels.”
“What if they didn’t?”
“I suppose it’s possible that Sydney just let her parents raise him.”
“She said she was only nineteen when she had him. I can’t believe she was that young when we met. She seemed so much older. She was a champion barrel racer. Dusty was twenty-three at that time.”
“And you were?”
“Twenty-seven. I feel like I robbed the cradle.”
“She was legal, Sam. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I know that.” He shook his head. Emotion coursed through him. “Damnit!”
“First thing is to find out if the Buchanans are Duke’s legal parents. If they are, this is going to be more difficult. I won’t lie to you. If they’re not, and Sydney is the legal parent, it will be easier for you to get paternal rights.”
“Can you find that out?”
“Where was the child born?”
“Hell if I know. Nevada, probably.” Sam took a drink of Scotch. “That’s where they live now.”
“That’s a start. We can search the records.”
“How long will that take?” Sam asked.
“I don’t have an office. I’m not a practicing lawyer. I’ll have to call someone in Denver. But there’s an easier way to get this information.”
“And what might that be?”
Dallas cleared his throat. “Ask Sydney.”
“Are you kidding? She’s hardly proved herself trustworthy. First, she neglected to tell me she was engaged to some effeminate businessman, and now this? I’m not taking her word for anything.”
“All right. Fair enough. Her parents, then.”
“I doubt they’ll cooperate. I was pretty hard on Roy at the rodeo.”
“I’m sure he understands. This is a lot for you to deal with.”
Sam nodded. Finally, someone who understood, or at least tried to. “They see me as a threat. They’re probably afraid I’m going to take Duke.”
“Are you?”
&
nbsp; “I just might. He is mine, after all. I was never given a choice in the matter.”
“How do you think that would affect them?”
Sam clenched both his fists in his unruly hair. “It’ll hurt. I know that. This isn’t their fault. According to Roy, Sydney never told them who the father was.”
“Hmm. Why didn’t she?”
“Do you honestly think I have a clue? I don’t know anything about that woman.”
“Only that you love her.”
“Love her?” He unclenched his hair. “She’s a completely different woman than the one I thought I loved earlier today.”
“I see.”
“So what are my chances? What do I need to do?”
“We can get a court order for a DNA test, but that’s not your main problem.”
“The DNA will show he’s mine. Sydney admitted to me that she hadn’t been with anyone since she was with me over five years ago, and the child was born after that. Plus, have you seen him? He’s definitely my son.”
“Have you told Dusty?”
“No. I haven’t told anyone. Just you.”
Dallas sighed. “I feel for you, I really do. But like I said, there’s a bigger problem than proving that he’s yours.”
“What’s that?” Sam asked.
“Whenever a child is involved, the courts focus on one thing and one thing only—the best interests of the child in question.”
“How can I not be in his best interest? I’m his father.”
“He’s a child of five. The only parents he’s ever known are the Buchanans. To take him from them would scar him. He’s just a little boy, Sam.”
“Damnit.” He pounded his fist on the table. “This isn’t fair.”
Dallas nodded. “I agree with you. It’s not fair. It’s not fair to you, and it’s ultimately not fair to Duke. He should be able to know his biological father if that father wants to be known. But right now he’s a little boy, and if you take his mommy and daddy away from him, he’ll be devastated.”
Sam sighed heavily. Dallas was right. “What then? What are my options?”
“Your best option right now is to talk to Sydney. If she won’t talk to you, talk to her parents. Most likely they’re the legal parents and will make the decisions. Tell them you want to know the child, be a part of his life.”
“They’ll tell me to fuck off.”
“What makes you say that?”
“They damn near already did.”
“They were reacting, just as you were. They were scared you were going to take away the child they love.”
“But—”
Dallas stopped him. “Trust me. If I felt there was the tiniest chance someone might take away one of my children, I’d react with all the anger in me to make sure it did not happen. That’s how much a parent loves a child.”
“I love him.”
“You may. I don’t know. But Sam, you didn’t even know he existed yesterday. These two have raised him since he was an infant. They’ve fed him, housed him, clothed him, watched him grow. You represent a huge threat.”
“I just want my son.”
“You need to take yourself out of the equation right now. Yes, you were wronged. What Sydney did to you was wrong. But right now you have to think about the boy.”
“Yes, I know.” He pounded the table again. “Damnit.”
Annie entered the kitchen. “Everything all right in here?”
“Yeah, Dr. Annie. I was just leaving.” Sam stood.
“You don’t have to go,” Dallas said. “You want another drink?”
Sam looked down. He’d hardly touched his Scotch. He downed it and let the peaty alcohol burn his throat. Good stuff.
He thanked Dallas and Annie, told them he’d be touch, and drove back to his house near Zach and Dusty’s.
Why hadn’t Sydney told her parents he was the father?
He didn’t know, but he was damn well going to find out.
Chapter Nine
Two days later, Sam still hadn’t contacted Sydney or his son. He wasn’t sure what the right course of action was. All he knew was that his heart had been broken, and he’d never let another woman in again.
What he would give to have his stale life back…
Why had he decided he needed to shake things up? Life in Montana was good. He was alone, but he wasn’t lonely. He had his housekeeper and his hands, his dogs, cats, and livestock.
He’d missed his first bronc busting competition. His heart just wasn’t in it. He no longer needed the cash. He was only doing it for fun.
Right now, Sam didn’t really feel like having fun. He’d been doing ranch work for Zach, helping out where needed. Might as well get used to the place. He’d taken his meals alone in his little guest house, but he knew Dusty wouldn’t put up with that much longer. If it weren’t for the rodeo keeping her busy, she’d have rooted him out before now.
Speak of the devil. Dusty peeked through the window and a knock sounded on the door.
“Hey, stranger. Where’ve you been the last few days?”
“Just hangin’ out.”
“Why didn’t you compete?”
“Didn’t much feel like it.”
“Oh.” She didn’t press it. Thank God. Then, “What’s going on, Sam?”
He sighed. “I can’t hide anything from you, can I?”
“Nope.”
“Sit on down,” he said. “It’s a long story.”
They sat together at the small table in the kitchen while Sam poured out the saga. After Dusty got over the shock, she gave him a hug.
“So Duke is Seanie’s cousin.”
“Pretty much.”
“Why didn’t Sydney tell you?”
“I have no clue. She didn’t even tell her parents who the father was.”
“Have you talked to them?”
“No. Not in a few days. I got some legal advice from Dallas, but I just haven’t had the stamina to deal with it. It’s going to be confrontational and ugly. It’s not fair. I just want to see my son. To know him.”
“I want you to come to dinner tonight.”
“Why?”
“We’re having a guest you need to talk to.”
“Trust me, unless it’s little Duke Buchanan, I’m not interested.”
“Oh, I think you’ll be interested in this person.”
He sighed. “Who is it?”
“Thunder Morgan.”
Ha. Any other time he’d jump at that chance, but not right now. “I’m not in the mood to discuss bronc busting, even with one of the greats.”
“That’s not why you need to talk to him.”
“What the heck are you talking about, Dust?”
She winked. “Come to dinner and find out.”
* * *
Sam had missed his first bronc busting event, and Sydney was worried.
How she missed him! Rod had been by twice, flashing more papers in her face about Duke and his birth and adoption. So now everyone knew. So what? It didn’t matter. She’d already lost Sam. Her priority now was Duke. She had to protect him. He was a happy little boy, and she intended to make sure he stayed that way.
They’d spent a morning at the rodeo, eaten there, and Duke was exhausted and cranky. Carrie thought his forehead was slightly warm, so he was in his room with his mother now, napping. Roy sat across from Sydney at the table in her hotel room.
“Time to start talking, baby girl,” Roy said. “I need to know why you wouldn’t tell us who the father was. Sam O’Donovan is a good man from a good family. He would not have done wrong by you or Duke.”
“It wasn’t easy telling you the baby was a result of a one-night stand. No girl wants to tell her daddy that.”
“No daddy wants to hear it, trust me. But at least now I know he was a good man. An upstanding man. Not some fly-by-night loser.”
“You thought that?”
“Sydney, we didn’t know what to think.”
She sighed. “Yeah, I gues
s I can understand that.”
“So start talking now, baby girl.”
“Oh, Daddy.” She took a drink of the iced tea in front of her. “It’s not a long story or a particularly interesting one. It’s actually really sad.”
“I’m listening.”
“How much do you know about the O’Donovans?”
“The girl married the middle McCray boy. They have a son. That’s about it. We haven’t been back here in a while. We certainly weren’t welcome to visit Blake while he lived here.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“So what’s the story?”
“I didn’t know this at the time, of course. Sam and I did talk that first night, but not about anything really personal. Mostly about the rodeo and stuff. We seemed to have a lot in common, and I liked him a lot.”
“So?”
“When I found out I was pregnant, I did some research on the O’Donovans.”
“Yes?”
“I found out they had a sad history. Their daddy was a ranch hand for Jason McCray when they were little. Their mama died of leukemia when Sam was only ten. They moved to Montana to their grandparents’ ranch so she could die there.”
Roy nodded. “That is sad.”
“It gets worse. When Dusty was eighteen, she got the same kind of leukemia. Her dad mortgaged the place to the hilt to pay for her treatment. Luckily she survived, and obviously she’s fine now. But their dad committed suicide after nearly bankrupting their ranch. I didn’t know till later that Dusty had married Zach McCray and she was fine. At the time, I thought Sam had to take care of her and the ranch. I just couldn’t saddle him with another responsibility.”
“But baby, that was not your choice to make.”
“I knew enough about Sam to know he’d sacrifice everything to do the right thing, even if he didn’t love me and didn’t want a child. I thought I could spare him that. And I knew you and Mama had tried to have another child a few years before without any luck.”
“How did you know that?”
“Mama told me.”
“Yes, we did want another baby. Since we married so young, we were still young enough. But it didn’t happen.”
“I could make that happen for you. You’ve been great parents to Duke.”
“He’s a blessing, that’s for sure. We won’t give him up without a fight.”
Trusting Sydney: The Temptation Saga: Book Six Page 7
