A Texas Family

by Linda Warren

  “If you tell her...she will take your son from you. From us. Use your head...and forget the whole thing. It will do no one...any good now.”

  “She has a right to know.”

  “And she has rights...as a mother. Think about that.”

  Carson couldn’t take any more. He turned toward the kitchen and swung back. “What did you do with my son?”

  Asa looked down at his hands, and Carson noticed how haggard his father’s face looked. “After Trey was fed and asleep and Beth was, too, I found a box with a lid in the garage. I layered the box with white towels...and then I wrapped him in a white satin blanket...and put him inside. At two that morning I buried him...beside Jared. I placed a big rock at the site...so I’d always know where he was.”

  A choked sob left Carson’s throat, and he ran for the back door. Aunt Fran tried to stop him, but he had to get away. The Corbett cemetery was two miles from the house and he started walking, trying not to let his thoughts get the best of him. He felt the sun on his head and the wind against his face, but all he really felt was the pain in his heart.

  When he reached the chain link fence that enclosed the cemetery, he was winded. He opened the gate and went inside. Corbetts were one of the first families to settle Willow Creek. Most of his ancestors were buried here. He walked to his brother’s grave and saw the stone Asa had talked about. Seeing it somehow made it real. His knees gave way and he sank to the ground.

  Before he could stop them, tears rolled from his eyes, and he cried for a little boy whom he’d loved and would never know. How did he accept this?

  Trey was his son. Trey would always be his son, but he was Jena’s son, too. What could he do? He had to protect Trey...from his mother? As the thought ran through his mind he knew it was wrong. But could he risk losing his son?

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  JENA AND HILARY spent the morning at the funeral home, setting up a payment schedule for their mother’s funeral. They also picked out a headstone for both their parents. Jena would make the payments until Hilary found a job. On the way home they went to the grave site for another goodbye. Jena planned to leave the next day.

  Hilary went to meet with Mabel and Bea, and Jena packed her few things. Her cell buzzed. Blake. She’d been meaning to call him.

  “I’m sorry to hear about your mother.”

  “Blake, I’m sorry. I should have called you. It’s been a very emotional time. I’ll explain when I get to Dallas. I plan to leave tomorrow.”

  “I’m glad you’re coming back. Any news about the baby?”

  “No. I’ll tell you about it later.”

  “You sound stressed.” As usual, Blake couldn’t let it go.

  “I hate leaving my sister. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She quickly clicked off. The last time she’d talked to him she thought he understood she didn’t have those kinds of feelings for him. Today he was all concerned again. She might have to quit her job. The thought didn’t send her into a panic. She’d survive.

  Her thoughts turned to packing. She’d been home only a short time, but she felt as if she’d been here forever, and it was hard to leave. It was hard to leave Carson. Their love wasn’t meant to be but that didn’t stop the ache in her heart.

  Now she had to focus on saying goodbye without bawling her eyes out.

  The front door opened and she heard singing. Hilary slid across the hardwood floor. “R.E.S.P.E.C.T.” She sang an old Aretha Franklin song. “Oh, yeah, I finally got me some respect.” She swung around and clapped her hands. “Oh, yeah.”

  “You’re in a good mood.”

  “Wait till you hear.” Hilary’s face was beaming.

  “What?”

  “You’re looking at the new manager of the café. I have free rein to do whatever I want.”

  “Not at minimum wage, I hope.”

  “Hell, no. Bea said she’s tired of the stress and wants to spend more time with her grandchildren. Mabel likes coming in, sitting at the cash register and passing out candy to the kids. And she likes to visit with everyone. So I’m taking over. Asked for a monthly salary that would blow your socks off, and they gave it to me. You know what?” Hil was thoughtful for a moment. “I’m going to buy a new vehicle with Italian leather I can smell.”

  “Take it slow,” Jena advised.

  “I don’t have a slow button today. I’m going to make changes to the decor. It hasn’t changed in fifty years, except for my mural.” Hilary’s expression saddened. “I wish you could stay longer.”

  “I wish you’d come to Dallas with me.”

  Hilary frowned. “I told you, I’m not a city girl. I’d hate it, but I promise to visit in my new vehicle and wear your clothes and shoes and pretend to be a city girl.”

  Jena pointed a finger at her sister. “I’m holding you to that.”

  Later that night they sat on the floor in the bedroom staring at Hilary’s mural on the ceiling.

  “We’ll never know what’s at the end of that rainbow,” Hil said. “We’re not fairy-tale type girls.”

  “No,” Jena replied.

  “We’re hardworking, kick-butt survivors.”

  “Oh, yeah.”

  She would never find her child or know anything about its life, but in her heart her baby was with a wonderful family who loved it, and her child would grow up to be a stellar human being surrounded by loved ones. That was her fairy tale.

  The other fairy tale included a man with green eyes—but as Hil had said, they weren’t fairy-tale types.

  * * *

  CARSON SPENT THE day with his kids. He needed to be with them, hold them and touch them. He took them to the movies in Austin and then to a park that had cool stuff, as Trey had put it. As his son played, he watched for signs of Jena in him, and he saw them constantly: the way he turned his head, the way he smiled sometimes, or sometimes when he was thinking, Carson saw Jena in his expression.

  He had to tell her and he had to do it soon. He finally realized he couldn’t keep that kind of secret from her. But the truth left a bitter taste in his mouth.

  Claire fell asleep on the way home. Trey chatted on and on about summer, fishing, Kelsey and baseball. He was a happy little boy. He always had been—like Jared. Carson wasn’t sure how to tell Trey or if he even needed to. Jena needed to know first.

  When he arrived home, he got a call. He left the kids with Aunt Fran. The call didn’t take long. As he got out of his car, he heard loud wails. Trey! He ran into the house. Aunt Fran was trying to comfort him. His face was red and blotchy, and he sobbed uncontrollably. The moment he saw Carson he flew into his arms.

  He picked him up as if he weighed no more than Claire and held him. “What’s wrong, buddy?”

  Aunt Fran was wringing her hands and he knew it was bad. “I’m sorry, Carson. I was upstairs with Claire and...”

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Claire coming down the stairs. Aunt Fran ran to meet her and hurried her back up the stairs.

  He sat on the sofa, cradling his son. “Calm down and talk to me.”

  “Grandpa...Grandpa said...I’m not your son.” Sobs racked his body, and he buried his face against Carson.

  That sorry son of a bitch!

  “Shh. I am your father.”

  “He said...Jena’s my mother...and she’s gonna take me from you. I don’t want to go, Daddy.” Carson held him tighter as the sobs continued.

  Fury like he’d never known before gripped him, and he wanted to hurt someone—his father. The man was a monster, as Jena had called him. He’d done this to bend Carson to his will. He had used an innocent child as a pawn to stop him from telling Jena.

  He wiped tears from his son’s face, and Trey looked at him with watery eyes. “It’s not true, is it, Daddy?”

  He’d have to tell a nine-year
-old boy a story that was hard for a grown man to handle. “I love you and you’re my son. Remember that.”

  “Okay,” he muttered, scrubbing his face with both fists.

  Carson told him the story as it had been told to him. Trey listened closely, getting as close to Carson as he could. “I don’t want to be that boy. I want to be your boy.”

  “You are my boy.” He kissed his forehead. “Nothing will ever change that.”

  “But...is she gonna try and take me? I hate her.”

  “Trust me. Daddy will handle it.”

  “I don’t want her to be my mommy. I have a mommy. She’s in that photo upstairs.”

  “I know, son.”

  It took two hours to calm Trey enough to get him to go to bed. Once Trey and Claire were asleep he went downstairs and stormed into his father’s bedroom.

  “How dare you! I thought you loved Trey.”

  “I do, but...you can’t tell her.... Had to stop you. She’ll take him. He had to be told. You don’t have the guts to do it.... I had to.”

  “You bastard! How could you hurt him like that?”

  “He has to be strong. He’s a Corbett.”

  “Like that counts for something, huh? As of this day forward, you will have no contact with my kids.”

  “You can’t...do that.”

  “Watch me, old man.” He turned and swung back. “You may have broken my mother’s spirit, but you will never break mine.” He walked out, feeling no victory at having to talk to his father as if he was scum of the earth.

  Trey woke up and Carson finally let him sleep in his bed. Claire soon joined them. “Trey sad, Daddy,” she whispered in his ear. She had no idea of what was going on, but she knew her brother was hurting.

  He held her in one arm, Trey in the other. He went to sleep with his kids near his heart.

  * * *

  THE NEXT MORNING he was up early and got the kids dressed for the day. He’d talked to Ethan and told him the whole story. Levi, too. They were his support system, and he would need them in the days ahead. They were shocked, as he’d been. He’d arranged to leave the kids at Ethan’s so he could talk to Jena.

  He’d also called Jena to meet him at nine in his office. He’d hung up quickly. Hearing her voice hurt too much. They would now face the final roadblock, and he had no idea what she was going to say or do. His gut instinct told him she wouldn’t hurt Trey.

  He’d been in Afghanistan, lost his brother, lost his wife and dealt with his father’s insanity, but he’d never been as afraid as he was now. He felt he was about to lose everything he loved.

  Trey balked at being left, but Carson explained he had to talk to Jena, and that seemed to do the trick. Trey was counting on Carson to make all the pain go away.

  If only it were that easy.

  * * *

  JENA HAD A bad feeling in her stomach. Last night Carson’s voice was different, sharp and defeated almost. Seeing him would be difficult, but she couldn’t leave without talking to him one more time.

  She parked in front of his office and went inside. He sat at his desk, looking as if he had the weight of the world on his broad shoulders. Her heart went out to him.

  “Have a seat,” he said in a voice that sounded like a stranger’s.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked because she knew something was.

  He leaned back in his chair, his eyes troubled. “I spoke with my father.”

  “And?” She held her breath.

  He swallowed visibly. “He told me what happened.”

  “Oh.” Her purse hit the floor with a thud, and she covered her mouth with both hands. “What...what did he say?”

  “I don’t know how to tell you this.”

  “Did he kill my baby?” Her whole body began to shake.

  “No” was the quick answer.

  “Then...then you know where my child is?”

  “Yes.” He ran a hand over his face and started to tell a story that curdled her insides. Tears filled his eyes, and she went around the desk and slipped onto his lap. He gripped her around the waist, and she pressed her face against his as he told her the horrible truth. “You see, once my son was dead, he switched the babies. He didn’t plan it. It just happened.”

  “Trey is my son?” she whispered.

  “Yes. Please don’t take him from me.”

  An eerie feeling came over her, and she slipped from his lap. “You want me to walk away, don’t you? I’ve just been given my son, and you want to take him again.”

  “I didn’t say that. Trey is upset and confused and...”

  “He knows?”

  “My father told him while I was out, and I had to tell Trey the truth. He’s cried so much his voice is hoarse. He’s afraid you’ll take him away from the family he loves.”

  “Do you believe that?”

  “What?”

  “Do you believe I would hurt him like that? Do you believe I’d hurt you like that?”

  “I don’t know. I’m barely holding it together here.”

  “If you loved me, you would know.”

  “Jena...”

  Suddenly, everything came crashing down around her. The man she loved didn’t trust her. She swallowed the sob in her throat. “I want to see my son.”

  He ran both hands through his hair. “I don’t think that’s wise. Right now he hates you. Are you prepared for that?”

  “I’ve waited nine years and I’m not going to wait any longer.”

  “Jena, he’s a little boy and he’s hurting.”

  “I understand that. And you have to understand I’m his mother and I need to see him. I will not do anything to cause him any more pain.”

  Carson threw up his hands. “Okay. We’ll meet you in thirty minutes at the picnic spot. He should be comfortable there.”

  “Fine.”

  His eyes caught hers. “I’m trying to protect you, too.”

  “But you’re worried I’ll fight you for custody. You’re worried I’ll take him from you.”

  “Yes. It has crossed my mind.”

  “Then you never knew me at all.” She picked up her purse and walked to her car. Carson followed her and drove away.

  She sat numb, fighting tears. She’d just been given the most wonderful gift—her son, but with that came a monumental price. She’d lost the man she loved. But she never really had him. She knew he was the one, the one who’d captured her heart, the one she’d dream about, the one she yearned to be with. And he’d believed horrible things about her.

  She watched the clock in the car, each minute feeling as long as all the years she’d wondered about her baby. She was waiting for that euphoric feeling to take over, but that would only happen after she saw her baby’s face.

  Thirty minutes later she drove to the Bar C and followed the road to the creek. She parked behind Carson’s car. He and Trey were at the water throwing rocks. She took a long breath and got out. Her legs were shaky but she walked to meet them. Carson stepped away to his car and then she was alone with her son.

  “Hi, Trey.”

  He didn’t say anything, just kept throwing rocks in the water.

  “Would you look at me, please?”

  He raised his head and stared at her with defiant eyes. “My daddy said I had to talk to you, but I don’t want to. You’re not my mother. I hate you.”

  His words hit her like a fist to her stomach. She gasped for breath. “But I am your mother, and I’ve waited nine years to see your beautiful face.”

  “Please don’t take me from my daddy,” he blurted out. “Go away and leave me alone.”

  She bit her lip to keep from crying out. “Is that what you really want?”

  “Yes,” he answered without hesitation.

&n
bsp; All the years of dreaming came down to this. What would she give up for her child? Her rights? Her heart? Her very life? Nothing was too big for his happiness.

  She managed a breath out of lungs that were locked in pain. “Okay. On one condition.”

  “What?”

  “That you let me hug you.”

  He thought about it for a second. “Okay.”

  She wrapped her arms around her son and held him tight. He remained stiff as a board, but it didn’t matter. She kissed the top of his head, and the world seemed to right itself. She’d found her son and now she had to have the strength to let him go.

  Releasing him, she said, “All I ever wanted was for you to be happy and healthy and with people who love you. And you are. I wish I could be a small part of your life, but you’ve made it plain you don’t want me to be. I would never do anything to hurt you. I’ve loved you from the first moment I felt you in my stomach. Goodbye, Trey.”

  She managed to walk to her car on trembling limbs. Carson stopped her.

  “Give him time.”

  Her throat muscles wouldn’t work. She couldn’t form one syllable, and it was just as well. Words at this point would not ease her heartache. She got in her car and drove away. She had to stop before she reached the gate. Tears blinded her. Leaning her head on the steering wheel, she cried for Carson, Trey and herself. She cried for everything she’d lost. And she cried for the cruel irony of finding her son and then having to say goodbye.

  With the back of her hand, she wiped away the tears. She finally knew where her son was and that would sustain her in the days, months and years ahead.

  * * *

  THE FOLLOWING DAYS were hard for Carson. Jena was hurting and he couldn’t help her. His concentration now had to be on Trey, but Jena was never far from his mind.

  Trey, who had always been independent, was now clingy and needy. He didn’t want Carson out of his sight, so he took the kids with him when he went to work. It wasn’t ideal, but it was all he could handle at the moment. If he got a call he considered violent, he’d drop them at Abby’s.

  Asa was causing a scene every day because he couldn’t see the kids, but Carson refused to give in. Whenever the back door would open, Asa would shout for Trey. Today was no exception. They were learning to ignore Asa. But then Trey surprised him.