by Anna Sugden
Kayla dropped her fork and stared. “What makes you think I’d let you take my son to another state?”
“Right, that won’t work,” Jackson said hastily, his expression almost comical as he regrouped. “Perhaps we could all go together—you and DeeDee, and maybe your grandparents. Alex would feel he’s got plenty of support.”
She frowned. The last thing she wanted to do was spend time with Jackson, but there were aspects of the idea that might work. DeeDee and Alex enjoyed camping and they’d been bugging her about wanting to visit Yellowstone and see the Old Faithful Geyser. It would mean more time away from Seattle, but it was feasible; a friend was checking the house and feeding the cat, and her business manager was top-notch. Roger could easily keep things going in her absence. Besides, she had both a smartphone and computer, so she was available if needed.
The big question was whether Alex would be interested. But at least Jackson was asking instead of trying to give orders. Considering his temperament, she’d expected a list of demands that would tempt her to kick him where it would hurt the most.
* * *
JACKSON WATCHED KAYLA’S FACE, hopeful she was considering his hastily revised proposal. In the early a.m. hours he’d once more come to the conclusion that insanity must be an inevitable outcome for parents of teenagers.
In his case, being a jackass hadn’t helped. He should have thought everything through before contacting the Garrisons. Instead, he’d made matters worse. Again. Of course, the situation was only worse if Kayla was being up front about Alex’s reaction. No matter what she said, he didn’t have any particular reason to trust her word for anything.
Shortly after 4:00 a.m., the possibility of taking Alex and Morgan to Yellowstone had occurred to him. Getting Morgan out of her routine for a while might be helpful, and a fifteen-year-old boy would surely enjoy a camping trip. He should have realized Kayla wouldn’t let Alex go alone.
Come to think of it, what had made him think Alex would be okay with the idea?
“So?” Jackson prompted. “What do you think?”
Kayla ate a bite of the chicken. “I’ll talk with him. He wants to see Yellowstone, so he might be tempted.”
Suddenly Jackson had an appetite, and he dug into his potato salad. He wasn’t accustomed to waiting—usually there wasn’t time on a ranch to sit around and weigh the options, so he just did whatever had to be done. Planning a trip to Yellowstone might not be action, but it was a step in the right direction.
CHAPTER FIVE
ALEX STARED IN amazement at the fish he’d just landed.
Grandpa chuckled. “What’s the matter, son?”
“Nothing.” Alex carefully removed the special catch-and-release hook so he could toss the fish back into the water, glad Uncle Pete and Grandpa didn’t want to eat what they caught that day. “I just didn’t know what fishing was like.”
“I told you,” DeeDee said, rolling her eyes. “You put a worm on a hook and try to see if there’s a fish too dumb to know there’s no such thing as a free lunch.”
Uncle Peter laughed. “I never heard it described quite that way, kiddo.”
He’d taken the afternoon off to go fishing with them. He was a lot of fun, joking around and teasing about everything from Grandpa’s waders to DeeDee’s hat, the one she’d gotten at Disneyland the previous year.
If it wasn’t for the birth father mess, Alex knew he’d be enjoying Montana a whole lot more. Grandma and Grandpa were terrific and so was Uncle Peter. Well, he was really Great-Uncle Peter, except that he was pretty young and had said to just call him Pete.
The night before had been kind of weird. Morgan McGregor had sent Alex a friend request on Facebook. He’d stared at it awhile, unsure of what to do. But curiosity had got the best of him, and he accepted then went straight to her page.
The selfie on Morgan’s profile wasn’t much help. She’d spiked her blond hair and had a streak of pink up the right side. He didn’t think they looked alike.
Not that sisters and brothers always had the same nose or anything. Except for her hair, DeeDee looked like Mom, and, well, he looked an awful lot like his birth father. So it wasn’t strange that Morgan was so different. Besides, officially she was his half sister, the same as DeeDee. Not that halves mattered. Mom was big on people sticking together; she said that halves and quarters and that stuff was fine for math, but family was family, no matter what. He just hadn’t known she might be talking about their family.
He baited the fishhook again and cast it into the lake the way Grandpa had shown him. Suddenly DeeDee yelped and started turning her reel.
“I’ve got one,” she gasped, then pouted as a boot came dragging onto the shore.
“You sure do,” Pete said, “but it’ll be tough to cook.”
“I bet it’s from a murder victim,” DeeDee announced. “The mob probably dragged an informer here and tossed him into the drink with chains around his waist. ‘Take that, squealer, goner fer good.’”
“Right,” Pete agreed. “What do you think his name was?”
“Luigi.”
“Poor Luigi,” Grandpa said sadly. “We didn’t know him well, but we’ll miss him.”
DeeDee grinned, baited her hook and threw it back into the water. So far she’d pulled in a branch, some weeds and now Luigi’s boot.
Briefly Alex wondered what his mom was talking about with Jackson McGregor. That had to be what she’d gone off to do, since she didn’t have any friends in Schuyler.
When he got back to the house he’d write about Uncle Peter on Facebook, and also more about Grandma and Grandpa and Montana.
After getting the friend request from Morgan, he’d decided it was best he hadn’t posted something on there about the McGregors. His friends probably thought updates about his great-grandparents were boring, but they weren’t hitting Space Needle heights with their summer reports, either. Most of the guys didn’t share much on Facebook anyhow. Sandy said it was because they were scared it would make them sound dorky. They’d think the stuff about his birth father was interesting, but when he’d started to write something, it had felt as if he was undressing in public.
Sandy knew. She’d been his best friend forever, so he’d emailed to tell her what was happening. He would have phoned, except she was still mad at him for going to Montana and had called him an idiot in her last text. But no matter how angry Sandy was, she wouldn’t blab.
Alex suddenly wondered if Jackson McGregor had a Facebook page. He’d have to check—not because he wanted to be friends with the guy, but to find more out about him.
* * *
WHEN THEY FINISHED, Jackson watched Kayla walk toward her car. She was wearing black jeans that hugged her curves and a deep blue shirt that set off her auburn hair. Her hips swayed gently, making him swallow. If he’d seen an unattached woman with her looks and figure at Ryan’s Roadhouse, he’d have done his best to introduce himself.
Hell.
Jackson crumpled a sheet of foil into a ball and tossed it in the picnic basket. Kayla was opinionated, sharp-tongued and possessed a temper that was quick on the draw, but for a brief liaison, he wouldn’t have minded those qualities. And brief was the only kind of relationship he’d consider. Dating a woman once in a while was fine, as long as he could go home afterward.
He wanted to keep life simple—raise Morgan and develop the best damned cattle-breeding program possible, figuring he’d be one of those guys who dies in the saddle and gets buried on the spot he falls. Except now their lives were getting turned upside down again.
He got up and stretched as Kayla drove away. Hell, she was beautiful. But he was dealing with her as the hostile mother of his son, so he couldn’t let her physical appeal cloud his thinking.
Remembering he hadn’t spoken with Morgan about the Yellowstone plan, Jackson strode to his truck and started for home.
Back at the ranch he found his daughter in the barn, grooming her horse. The stallion had been a gift for her eleventh birthday
and she’d named him the Black. He watched unnoticed for a few minutes, her blond braid swinging with each swipe of the body brush. Morgan’s hands were small, so she compensated with a firm grip and shorter swipes. Her face wasn’t angry, more sad and puzzled at the moment, though that changed as soon as he said her name.
“Morgan.”
She looked up and her chin rose instantly. “Yeah?”
“I want to discuss something we might be doing in the next week or two. Alex is uncomfortable about meeting me, so I thought a camping trip might break the ice. It would be us, Alex, his mom and sister, and maybe Mr. and Mrs. Garrison. If Alex agrees, we’d go to Yellowstone. How does that sound?”
She shrugged. “Whatever.”
Weariness went through Jackson. How was he supposed to get through to her? He’d been a rebellious, reckless teenager himself, but somehow, this was different.
“Morgan, anger isn’t getting us anywhere. We need to talk. You suddenly have a brother. How do you feel about that?”
Tossing the body brush aside, she patted her horse’s neck. “It’s no big deal.”
No big deal, as if it hadn’t turned his world inside out. But he couldn’t expect his fifteen-year-old daughter to appreciate what it was like to be in his shoes. He didn’t even want her to understand. It wasn’t just because of Alex, it was seeing Kayla again. Though she reminded him of his youthful mistakes, she also reminded him of how it felt to be young and wild with desire.
“Actually, it is a big deal,” he said with more patience than he felt. “It changes our family structure, for one thing.”
Morgan’s eyes widened. “You mean he’s gonna live with us?”
“I doubt Alex is interested in that,” Jackson returned quickly. “He’s got a good home and we’re still strangers. Nonetheless, he’s a member of the family and that changes things.”
“Yeah, well, maybe you’ll get what you want from him.”
“What do you mean by that?”
She put a saddle pad on the Black’s back. “Nothing. I’m going for a ride.”
Jackson lifted the saddle for her and tightened the girth, trying to act as if everything was normal. “Have a good time. We can talk more this evening,” he said as she tucked the satellite phone into her saddlebag and mounted.
“Whatever.”
She rode out of the barn and Jackson headed to the storage room at the back, thinking it was a good thing kids started out as babies. If they were born as teenagers, no family would ever have more than one, and the human race would dwindle to nothing.
His shoulders slumped. However aggravating Morgan tried to be, he loved his little girl with all his heart. Something was going on with her, and it hurt that he couldn’t get at the problem.
Then a stray thought crossed his mind. If the trip to Yellowstone came together, Morgan would inevitably spend time in Kayla Anderson’s company. Kayla might be able to pick up on something and give him a few pointers. After all, Morgan was essentially growing up without a mother and might relate to another woman.
Yet almost as soon as the idea formed, Jackson dismissed it. Kayla had shown concern for Morgan when she’d tried to keep the news about Alex from leaking out accidentally, but that didn’t mean she wanted to bother with someone else’s rebellious kid. She had her own children to worry about.
Jackson unlocked the cabinets and started removing camping equipment. The sleeping bags had been cleaned after the last time they were used and stored in tight plastic, so they should be fine. There was a good propane cookstove and full set of camp cookware, along with ice chests and sturdy lockers for food.
Assuming the Garrisons went on the trip, they’d probably need three tents, one for the older couple, one for Kayla and the girls, and a third for him and Alex. In view of their age, he should buy camp cots for the Garrisons.
It was easier to focus on organizing the prospective trip than to dwell on parenting an angry teenager, while trying to convince another one to even meet him. He still wanted to believe Kayla was simply stonewalling when it came to Alex, but that excuse was wearing thin.
* * *
KAYLA TRIED TO decide if considering Jackson’s suggestion had been wise, but there was no way to be sure. When she got back to the house, her grandmother was sitting at the kitchen table with a glass of iced tea, so she poured one for herself and joined her.
“What did he want this time?” Elizabeth asked.
“He suggested a camping trip to Yellowstone, thinking it would be a good place to get to know Alex.”
Grams looked disappointed. “We were hoping for more time to visit.”
“You and Granddad are invited, too.”
“Oh.” Elizabeth’s eyes cleared. “That would be fun, and we enjoy camping. I’ll talk to your grandfather, but I’m sure he’ll want to go.”
“Good, and I’ll see if Alex is interested.”
Her grandmother leaned forward. “How do you feel about seeing Jackson so much?”
Kayla thought about the question as she sipped her iced tea. “It’s awkward after all these years, but I can handle it. And compared to some things, this isn’t so difficult.”
Elizabeth squeezed her hand. “If the trip works out, shouldn’t we plan ahead for DeeDee’s birthday?”
“Yes. It could land in the middle of the trip.”
“Then, let’s go shopping.”
The shopping went well, except that Kayla had to restrain Grams from being too extravagant. For her own gift, Kayla found the telescope she knew DeeDee had been wanting. She also bought clothing for herself and the kids to supplement the small supply they’d brought to Montana.
“Don’t they insist on choosing their own?” Elizabeth asked.
“For school things they do, but this is leisure gear and pretty standard,” Kayla told her. “I can return anything they don’t like when we come down to get shoes for hiking.”
After they finished, Kayla helped her grandmother fix dinner. The others were back by five, and she took her son aside for a talk; his expression grew guarded as soon as he sat down.
“What does he want now?” Alex demanded.
“It’s very simple. Jackson suggested a camping trip to Yellowstone, all of us together, including Grams and Granddad. That way you can get to know him and Morgan, but still have the rest of us around as backup. What do you think?”
“I don’t know.”
His face was still reserved and she tried to project enthusiasm. “Hey, it could be a lot of fun, and you’ve been bugging me to see Yellowstone.”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t be a sap,” DeeDee advised from outside the family room door. “This is our chance to go!”
“DeeDee, what have I told you about respecting private conversations?” Kayla scolded, reminded of Jackson’s snide comment about teaching kids not to eavesdrop.
“It was an accident,” DeeDee protested. “I was going to wash my hands for dinner and the door was open.”
“It’s okay,” Alex said. “She’d be coming, too.”
DeeDee marched inside and dropped into a chair. “Cool. How long would we stay?”
“We haven’t decided,” Kayla explained. “I needed to check with Alex before we made plans.”
“Don’t I get a say?” DeeDee asked.
“Not this time, and don’t act offended. Your brother has to decide for himself.”
“Okay, okay. How would we get there?”
“The five of us would probably go in Grams and Granddad’s RV.”
Alex relaxed at the reassurance. It was understandable. The forced intimacy of a long drive together could be overwhelming.
“If I...if we didn’t like being there with him, could we leave?” he queried.
“That’s a possibility. But remember, you don’t bail out at the first bump in the road. I’d want you to try to make it work.”
Kayla hoped she was saying the right things. Now that everything was out in the open, she believed it was best for Alex
to get to know Jackson. There probably would be uncomfortable moments, but she didn’t want her kids to be easy quitters. She was still worried about Jackson being a bad influence, but it might also be an opportunity to point out inappropriate male attitudes.
Alex bent over and retied his shoelaces, hiding his face. “Would we have to spend all our time together?”
“What do you mean?”
“Um, could me and DeeDee do things on our own, or with you and Grandma and Grandpa? Or does it have to always be with them?”
Kayla wasn’t sure what Jackson had in mind, but she’d never force Alex into nonstop contact with someone he was reluctant to see in the first place.
“No. You don’t have to spend every minute with the McGregors,” she promised. “But Jackson will want to do some things with you, and of course we’d all eat together.”
With so many questions, Kayla would definitely have to meet with Jackson again to work out the details.
“Just think about it,” Kayla suggested, not wanting him to feel rushed into a decision. “Let me know in the morning if you have more questions and I’ll talk with Jackson to figure it all out.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
Kayla sighed as she left the room. Alex usually wasn’t this uncertain, but he’d also never dealt with something so momentous. Besides, his sense of security had been shaken by finding out he was adopted. Being adopted wasn’t a bad thing—it meant someone had chosen him—but having it dropped on him like a ton of bricks was hard.
A ghost of old frustration shivered down her spine. It wasn’t fair to lay all the blame on her ex-husband; she’d messed up, too. But when they’d gotten married it had been easy to believe that everything would work out just fine. How could she have guessed Curtis was a perpetual adolescent when it came to romance, with a short attention span for everything else, as well? Sometimes it seemed she’d spent half her time trying to shield her children from knowing exactly how flaky their father really was.
Shaking off the memories, she went to borrow a notebook from Granddad to jot down Alex’s questions and concerns about the Yellowstone trip. She wanted to be sure everything would be addressed. Then she called Jackson and made arrangements to meet the following afternoon.
