He zoomed in on Lacie’s image. Truth was, he didn’t want either of them to go.
A knock sounded at his door, stirring him from his thoughts. He wasn’t expecting anyone, but maybe Lacie and Kenzie had decided to surprise him. Or simply wanted to see their tree. He crossed the living room and swung open the door only to find his father standing on the other side.
Matt’s smile evaporated. His entire body tensed. Dad had never come to see him before. Had never even set foot in Matt’s house. So what was he doing here now?
After a long moment, his father said, “Mind if I come in?”
Still at a loss for words, Matt stepped back, allowing the man entry.
Continuing into the living room, Dad removed his cowboy hat, revealing his thick salt-and-pepper hair. “Tree looks nice.”
Matt closed the door and followed him, still suspicious. “Thanks.”
“Your brothers tell me you’ve done a lot of work on this place.” He scanned the space. “Don’t know what it looked like before, but I’d say you’ve done a pretty good job.”
“Yeah, well, there’s still plenty left to do.” He peeled off his tactical vest and set it on the floor. “What can I do for you?”
The old man turned to look at him with those dark eyes Matt had come to appreciate as much as fear. “There are a few things that have been bothering me.”
Great. What had he done now?
Matt crossed his arms over his chest. “Such as?”
The muscle in his father’s jaw twitched. “Tell me more about little Kenzie.”
If Matt thought he was nervous before... “What would you like me to tell you?”
Dad thumped his hat against his denim-clad thigh. “For starters, are you her father?”
For a moment, Matt couldn’t breathe. His lungs constricted, tighter and tighter. Digging deep, he willed his pulse to a normal rate. “How did you figure it out?”
“’Cause she looks like a Stephens.” The old man glanced away then. “Actually, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d seen her before. Then, when I mentioned it to Hillary, she’s the one who asked if you could be Kenzie’s father.” He glared at Matt now. “I’m guessing she was right.”
Lowering his arms, he took a step closer as though daring his father to do something. “Yes, Dad, she was. Congratulations, your screwup son fathered a child out of wedlock.”
The old man never flinched. Didn’t bat an eye. “No. My son has a daughter.”
Matt couldn’t have felt more off balance if his father had hit him with a left hook. He narrowed his gaze. “What did you say?”
“I owe you an apology, Matt. One that’s long overdue.”
He blinked as years of pent-up emotions rose to the surface.
“You’re no screwup, son. I am.”
Matt swallowed the lump that lodged in his throat.
“I was mad that I was losing your mama and needed to lash out.” Dad’s dark eyes shimmered. “Unfortunately, I took it out on you. Seeing those horses made your mother smile. Yet I let you believe that I held you responsible for her death. And I can’t tell you how sorry I am.”
Still blinking, Matt stared at the coffered ceiling to keep his tears from falling. He felt as though he were ten years old again. “I know I let you down when I joined the navy and said I didn’t want to be a rancher.”
“No, you did not.” Dad laid a calloused hand on his shoulder and Matt feared he might fall apart completely. “God gave you a different calling, just like your brothers. I understand that.” His father let go then and shuffled toward the fireplace, his worn hat still clutched in his hand. “It was me. I let myself down. Not to mention your mama.”
Matt couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Dad had never talked like this before. “How can you say that? As far as Mama was concerned, you hung the moon.”
The old man sniffed. “If I’d have just taken better care of her...” His voice cracked. “Insisted she go to the doctor sooner...”
He moved alongside his father. “Dad, we all know she wouldn’t have listened. She was too busy taking care of all of us.”
Dad looked at him, his smile tremulous as a tear trailed down his cheek. “That’s because she did it so well.”
Matt couldn’t help himself. He put an arm around his father’s shoulders. “Yes, she did. And we were blessed to have her.”
The old man turned into his embrace and hugged him. “I love you, son.”
“I love you, too, Dad.”
There in front of the Christmas tree, they held on to each other as years of misunderstandings melted away. Something Matt never would have dreamed possible. Yet, by the grace of God, here they stood.
He was curious, though.
Releasing his father, he said, “What prompted you to come here today to tell me all of this?”
Dad wiped his eyes. “Hillary.”
“Did she force you?”
“Son, you know me better than that.”
True. No one was going to make Clint Stephens do anything he didn’t want to do.
“She’s a good listener. She suggested I swallow my pride and make amends with you before it was too late.”
“Suggested, huh?”
Dad looked a little sheepish. “I do love you, Matt. Always have, always will.”
“Same here, Dad.”
The old man scratched a hand through his thick hair. “What do you say we go grab some dinner over at Granny’s Kitchen?”
The corners of Matt’s mouth twitched. “So you can have an excuse to see Hillary?”
“What do you take me for, some teenager? If I want a good meal, Granny’s Kitchen is the place to go.”
Matt quirked a brow. “And the fact that Hillary will probably be there has nothing to do with it?”
“So I happen to like her. Shoot me.”
He laughed. “It’s all right, Dad. You’re allowed to have a life.” He shrugged. “Besides, I like Hillary, too. She knows how to keep you in line.”
His father grinned. “Nah, she’s just bossy.”
Sounded like the pot calling the kettle black. “Give me a minute to change and we’ll go.”
Twenty minutes later, in a booth at Granny’s Kitchen, over a cup of coffee, Matt told his father about Marissa, Kenzie and the phone call Lacie received last night. “I don’t know what I’m going to do if she takes that job.”
“I know this is pointing out the obvious, but you are Kenzie’s father. You could always sue for custody.”
And make Lacie hate him? “I couldn’t do that. Kenzie barely knows me.”
“I understand.” Dad wrapped both hands around his own white cup. “Well, a housing boom usually means a greater need for law enforcement. You could always follow them.”
He eyed his father across the high-gloss wooden tabletop. “I thought about that.”
“But?”
“It wouldn’t be the same.” He shrugged. “Here I’m able to drop by and see them even when I’m on duty. And Barbara’s more than happy to help out with Kenzie, giving Lacie and me time together.” He started to take a sip, then stopped. “You know, if we need to discuss something.”
Now his father was the one with the curious lift to his brow. “Sounds like this isn’t just about Kenzie.”
He thought about Lacie’s smile and amazing eyes. “Lacie is unlike any woman I’ve ever known. Sure, she’s pretty, but there’s so much more.” He stared into the steaming black liquid. “I mean, she sacrificed everything to be a mother to Kenzie when Marissa died.”
“That takes a special person, all right.”
Turning toward the window, he took in all of the twinkling lights up and down Main Street. “She’s definitely special.”
“Sounds to me like you
’re falling in love.”
His gaze jerked to his father’s. “Love?” He scratched his head, hoping to dismiss what he knew in his heart to be true. “I don’t know about that. Didn’t you see the way we butted heads over a simple Christmas tree yesterday?”
“I saw the way you two worked together when you thought Kenzie was missing.”
Dad lifted his cup. “Either way, I recommend you figure it out before it’s too late.”
Chapter Twelve
At The Paisley Elk Thursday afternoon, Lacie parked her laptop on the sales counter beside the cash register. Since Thursdays were usually slow, her mother had stayed home with Kenzie, allowing Lacie to hold down the fort here at the shop. And while Lacie wasn’t sure just how much of a break her mother was getting, it enabled her to get in some much-needed online shopping without a five-year-old looking over her shoulder.
Aside from searching for gifts, she really wanted to find a Christmas outfit for Kenzie. Maybe a cute tunic with a ruffled skirt and colorful leggings or even a classic white fur and red velvet dress like Lacie and Marissa used to wear when they were kids.
She typed in the web address for a company that specialized in children’s clothing. Concentrating on Christmas would also keep her from dwelling on that job in Colorado Springs. Despite calling them Tuesday and sending her resume and portfolio as they’d requested, she had yet to hear anything regarding an interview. To say she was getting impatient would be an understatement. Even if she wasn’t sure how she felt about moving Kenzie to someplace entirely new. They’d basically be starting over and Kenzie had already faced more than her fair share of changes this past year.
Still, it would be nice to have their own place again. And they’d still be together. That is, unless Matt decided he wanted to keep Kenzie here and took measures to ensure that.
She shrugged off the unsavory thought. With all the fun they’d been having together lately, it was difficult to imagine him doing such a thing. Then again, the more Matt was with Kenzie the more inclined he might be to want permanent custody.
Grabbing her tote bag from the floor, she retrieved her phone and brought up the picture of the three of them in front of their Christmas tree. At times, it felt as though they were a family.
Silly. She clicked off the phone and put it away. The only thing between her and Matt was Kenzie and that’s the way it would stay. Or so she kept telling herself. Yet the more time they spent together...
The bell over the door jangled and she looked up to see Valerie coming into the store.
“Hey, Valerie.” She hurried around to the other side of the counter, past the ornate chalkboard artfully adorned with the words Happy Holidays and a rack of sweaters to give her fellow thespian a hug. “It’s so nice to see you again.” After getting to know her during the week of the play, Lacie had grown quite fond of her new friend.
“I just can’t seem to stop thinking about you.” The woman let go of her with a pat and admired the festive decorations. “Your mother sure knows how to decorate. This place is amazing.”
“Yes, Mom is very good at doing festive.” So long as it’s not Christmas. “Can I help you find something?”
“Not today.” Valerie smiled at her. “I just popped in to see if you were here. I have something I want to talk to you about.”
“I’m all ears.”
“I was having lunch with a friend in Ridgway yesterday and I overheard two gentlemen talking at the next table.”
Lacie lifted a brow. “I think that’s called eavesdropping, Valerie.”
“Not when they’re talking loud, it’s not.” She winked. “Turns out, they were builders. You know, for those really expensive homes over there in Telluride. Anyway—” she waved a hand “—they are in the market for an interior designer. Someone who can work with their clients to help them choose all those decorative things that go into a home.”
Though she was definitely intrigued about the job opportunity, she curiously eyed her friend. “You overheard all of this?”
“I may have asked them a few questions.” Adjusting the purse strap over her shoulder, Valerie blushed. “And when I told them that I knew someone who’d been working in Denver, but was looking for something out here on the Western Slope, they gave me their card—” she pulled it from her pocket and held it out “—and said they’d love to hear from you.”
Lacie took hold of the card, feeling rather stupefied. “You did all of that for me?”
“I told you we’d love to keep you here.”
Her heart melted into a puddle right there. “Valerie, that is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.” She again hugged the woman, wondering what God might be up to. First the news about Colorado Springs, now this. “Thank you.”
The always chipper brunette set Lacie away from her and gave her one of those motherly looks. “Does that mean you’re going to call them?”
Lacie met her gaze. “Yes, ma’am, I will definitely call them.”
“Oh, good, because I plan to keep on praying they’ll hire you.”
The door jangled again, ushering in a blast of chilly air as both women turned.
This time, Matt walked in, dressed in his uniform, removing his aviator sunglasses, just as he had that first day Lacie arrived in Ouray. “Afternoon, ladies.”
“Hi, Matt.” Valerie turned back to Lacie. “You let me know what they say, okay?”
“I will.”
Valerie smiled. “Gotta run.” She waved. “See you later.”
Matt paused beside the chalkboard as the door closed. “What was that all about?”
Lacie chuckled, returning to her computer. “Valerie was telling me about a design job she heard about in Telluride.”
Matt followed her. “I like the sound of that.” His dark gaze fixed on Lacie, he leaned his elbows against the opposite side of the counter.
For a moment, the hope she saw in his eyes took hold of her. Then she reminded herself it was only about keeping Kenzie close by.
“If you’re looking for Kenzie, she’s at home with Mom.”
“I know. I stopped by there first. I’m here to see you.”
Her traitorous heart leaped.
“You know how I told you that Dad and I made amends?”
“How could I forget?” He’d come straight to her house after having dinner with the man, bubbling over with joy as he told her all that had transpired. The news had brought happy tears to her eyes.
“Well, he called me this morning and asked if we would come out to the ranch on Sunday so everyone could meet Kenzie.”
So he did only want to see her about Kenzie. “But we haven’t told Kenzie that you’re her father.”
“I know. And I don’t intend to tell her any time soon. They’re aware of that.” He fingered a bar of specialty chocolate displayed on the counter. “But it’s never too early to start building relationships with family.”
Family. Something she seemed to be losing more of all the time. And if Matt decided to take Kenzie—
She shook her head, disgusted by her self-pity. She couldn’t keep Kenzie from knowing Matt or his family. That little girl deserved all the love she could get.
Stiffening her spine, she said, “What time would you like to pick her up?”
Matt straightened, looking confused. “Pick her up? Lacie, I said we. That means you, me and Kenzie.”
“Oh. I just thought—”
He reached across the counter and took hold of her hand. “I wouldn’t exclude you. We’re a team.”
A team. As in one for all and all for one. Kenzie being that one. Except the gleam in Matt’s eye spoke of other things. Things that had her believing that staying in Ouray might not be so bad after all.
* * *
“Now, this is the Gladys we
’re all used to seeing.” Her blue eyes were bright, her color was good, her spirits were up as Matt would have expected. And even though she was perfectly capable of doing it herself, he added another couple of logs to the wood-burning stove Friday morning.
This was the first time he’d visited his former schoolteacher since she came home from the hospital two weeks ago, but then, with so many others checking on her and bringing her food, he didn’t want to wear her out.
“I do have a confession, Matt.” Gladys set the cup of coffee he’d made for her on the table beside her recliner. “I was none too pleased with you when they loaded me into that ambulance.”
After closing the doors on the stove, he crossed the beige carpet to kneel beside her. “I know. I wasn’t too pleased about it, either, but I had to exercise some tough love. You needed the extra care.”
Smiling, she patted his hand with her wrinkled one. “And you knew just what you were doing. If I’d have stayed here, I probably would have been dead in days.”
While he may have known it to be true, he wasn’t ready to acknowledge it. “So what can I do for you today?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Nothing. I’m doing just fine, thanks to you.”
“Aw, come on, Gladys.” He gently nudged her arm. “There’s got to be something you’re craving. Help me out and tell me what that is.”
She stared out the window for a moment, watching the snow fall to the ground. “Well, I don’t expect you to do it now, but I’ve found myself with a hankering for some of those cinnamon rolls from the Miner’s Café. Maybe you could pick me up a few the next time you’re in there.”
He smiled, knowing he wouldn’t wait. “That would be Granny’s Kitchen. Remember, Mrs. Ward’s granddaughter, Celeste, now owns it.”
She wagged a finger. “That’s right.”
“But she uses her grandmother’s recipe.”
The Deputy's Holiday Family Page 12
