by Zoe Matthews
“Sadie, I didn’t mean to interrupt your play time.” Hunter walked slowly towards them, his eyes fixed on his daughter as he tried to memorize her features.
“Hunter. Did you get settled already?”
“I did. I was looking for you. Jed said he thought you might have a map of the property with the new trails and such marked on it.”
Sadie nodded her head, glancing to her daughter and realizing she needed to introduce the two of them. Now.
She squatted down and looked at Brooklyn. “Sweetie, this is Mr. Armstrong. He’s going to be working at the ranch. Can you say ‘hello’?”
“Hello,” the child dutifully repeated with a grin.
Hunter squatted down to her eye level and softly repeated her greeting. “Hello.”
Brooklyn wasn’t a shy child. She came right up to him and smiled at him. “My name’s Brooklyn.” She lowered her voice and then glanced at her mother before whispering, “Is your name really Mr. Armstrong?”
Hunter hid his smile and then nodded his head. “It is.”
He watched her smile turn into a frown and he asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Mr. Armstrong isn’t a very fun name.”
Hunter started to laugh and then choked it back at the last minute. “Well, I do have another name. Would you like to know it?”
Brooklyn’s eyes lit up and she nodded her head eagerly. “Yes. What is it?”
“Brooklyn, what are you and Mr. Armstrong whispering about?” Sadie asked, her patience for being left out of their interaction gone.
Hunter looked at Sadie and then whispered back to his daughter. “My first name’s Hunter.”
Brooklyn clapped her hands, forgetting for the moment that she was trying to be quiet. “That’s much better.” She turned to her mother and planted her hands on her little hips. “His name’s Hunter.”
Sadie gave her daughter a stern look. “No. His name is Mr. Armstrong…”
“No it isn’t.” Brooklyn turned to address Hunter. “Can I call you Hunter?”
“Sure you can,” Hunter told her with a soft smile, and then he looked at Sadie and realized he’d stepped on her toes. More like smashed them if the look in her eyes was anything to go by.
“Brooklyn, why don’t you go ask Kathy for some bread, and we’ll go feed the ducks down at the pond.”
Brooklyn screamed in delight and took off running as fast as her little legs would carry her. “Kathy! Kathy! Momma’s taking me to feeds the ducks!”
Hunter laughed as he watched her go, but when he turned back around his face sobered. Sadie wasn’t laughing. “What’s wrong?”
Sadie swallowed and tried to put her thoughts into words, without sounding too mean. “I don’t want her to know you’re her father.”
“What?” Hunter asked.
“Not yet. Look, Brooklyn takes to people pretty quickly. A man working here who suddenly leaves after a few months she’ll get over. A father who leaves after a few months, could affect her the rest of her life.”
“You seem so certain that I’ll be leaving in three months’ time.”
“You might be.” Sadie continued to meet his gaze, not willing to give him even a centimeter of leeway or forgiveness.
“So, is this how it’s going to be?” Hunter asked.
“As far as Brooklyn’s concerned? Yes,” Sadie replied firmly.
Hunter looked at her and then nodded once. “Fine. I won’t tell her I’m her father unless you agree. But I want freedom to get to know her, as if I was just another man working on the ranch.”
Just another man working on the ranch? I wish! Sadie nodded and then turned and started to walk away. “I’ll print out a copy of the map and bring it to dinner with me.”
Hunter watched her walk off and realized that the Sadie he’d known three years ago was buried deep inside of the hurt. Hurt he’d caused. Hurt he needed to take away.
Chapter 9
A few days later, Sadie was in the kitchen with Kathy and Brooklyn when Hunter walked in behind her.
“So, we’ll be back by dinner time, but I thought I’d take some extra snacks along just in case someone gets hungry later this afternoon,” she told Kathy.
“That’s a good idea. I have some of those fruit snacks she likes in the pantry. I’ll go grab a few packs.”
“That would be great. Thanks, Kathy.”
“Where are you headed?” Hunter asked, leaning his hip against the counter and stealing one of the chocolate chips from Brooklyn’s cup of trail mix.
“We’s going hiking,” Brooklyn told him excitedly as she bounced up and down.
“Hiking? Do you like to hike?” Hunter asked his daughter, stealing another chocolate chip and then winking at her.
Brooklyn nodded. “We’s going to the Mirror.”
“The Mirror?” Hunter asked Sadie.
“Mirror Lake. I’m going up to check out whether or not it might make a good overnight camping/hiking/fishing spot.”
“Great. I’ll come with you,” he said as he instantly invited himself, although he knew Sadie wouldn’t want him along if she had a choice.
“Yay! Hunter’s coming hiking with us, Miss Kathy.” Brooklyn ran up to the woman to inform her of the change in plans.
“So I just heard,” Kathy told her with a smile. She handed the packets of fruit snacks to Sadie.
Hunter watched Sadie, saw her clench her jaw, and then swallow back whatever she wanted to say. She wasn’t happy about him having invited himself along, but she was going to research one of the places where he’d be taking adults for their chosen activities, so he needed to be involved. It also gave him a great opportunity to spend more time with his daughter.
“Momma, Hunter’s going hiking with us!” Brooklyn yelled with excitement.
“I heard that, sweetie. Indoor voice please. Why don’t you go use the bathroom once more and then we’ll head out?”
Brooklyn scrambled down from the counter and headed down the hall at a run.
“Does she ever walk anywhere?” Hunter asked no one in particular.
Kathy laughed and Sadie busied herself packing food. “That child has been on fast forward since she was born.” Kathy turned to Sadie. “Are you going to take the carry pack?”
Sadie nodded, “Yeah. We didn’t need it last time, but I know that sure enough, if I don’t take it, I’ll end up having to carry her on my hip or in my arms on the return trip.”
“Carry pack?” Hunter asked for clarification, stepping forward and helping Sadie pack lunches for all three of them without asking if she needed his help.
“I have a child backpack carrier that I use for Brooklyn if she gets too tired to walk.”
“Miss Sadie has been taking Brooklyn with her since she was just a wee little baby. That little girl has done more hiking in her three years than I’ve done in my entire life,” Kathy explained.
“I’s ready, momma!” Brooklyn came rushing back into the kitchen, sliding on the tile and screeching in glee when Hunter reached out and stopped her forward progress.
“Indoor voice, Brooklyn,” Sadie told her in response to the very loud, very high pitched announcement.
“Oh, she’s just excited,” Kathy chastised Sadie lightly. “You need to lighten up a little,” the older woman murmured to Sadie as she passed her on her way to put the lunch supplies back in the fridge.
“I know she’s just excited, but she needs to learn to curb her excitement when she’s indoors,” Sadie said firmly.
Kathy smiled at her, “Like you and your sisters’ curbed your excitement when you were younger?”
Sadie nodded her head. “We weren’t loud.”
“No, you alone weren’t loud. But all six of you together could be deafening!” Kathy laughed.
Hunter laughed along with her. “I bet!” Sadie glared at him, but he didn’t let it faze him.
“You all have fun. I’m headed into town with Jed to get supplies. Brooklyn, you mind your momma now and remember to n
ot go wandering off.” Kathy left the kitchen and Hunter noticed Sadie was very quiet.
“Does Brooklyn normally wander off?” he asked.
Sadie shook her head. “No. She’s good on the trails and knows the rules.”
“So, what else do we need to do before we can head out?” he asked her, making sure he included Brooklyn as well.
“The only thing left to do is to fill the water bottles and packs,” Sadie told him, going over to her backpacks and pulling out several water bottles and a camel-pack.
“I’ve got my own pack, we can stop by the cabin and grab it before we head out.”
“Fine.” Sadie put the bottles back into the storage pockets and then grabbed her backpack and the child carry pack.
“Here, let me take that,” Hunter said, reaching for the carry pack.
“No, it’s fine. I can take it.”
“I didn’t say you couldn’t, but I would like to carry it.” Hunter watched her struggle to hold back her retort. When he saw Brooklyn watching them both closely, he realized that the presence of the little girl was the only reason Sadie wasn’t speaking her mind.
Some might have thought it slightly underhanded, but he realized right then he wasn’t above using Brooklyn’s presence to make Sadie spend time with him. She might not believe that he’d changed, or that he was truly sorry, but all he needed was a little time and a lot of luck to change that!
Chapter 10
“So, I haven’t had time to really study the map you provided me. How far away is Mirror Lake?” Hunter asked after they’d stopped by his cabin and he’d grabbed a few things.
They’d been walking slowly in deference to Brooklyn’s smaller legs, and he figured they’d gone maybe a quarter of a mile. He watched as Brooklyn scampered ahead, being careful to stay on the groomed trail and within eyesight of her mother at all times.
“About a mile,” Sadie answered without any emotion to her voice. When she saw Brooklyn start to reach for some purple flowers she hollered at her. “Freeze!”
Hunter watched in amazement as Brooklyn immediately stopped herself from touching the flowers and turned back to wait for her mother to reach her.
“Brooklyn, what have I told you about touching things without asking?”
“That I need to ask because sometimes even pretty things can bite.”
“Good girl. Now, I know those purple flowers are pretty, but look at the green part of the flower.” She paused while Brooklyn squatted down to peer closely at the plant. Sadie pointed to the hair-like stickers that covered the entire stem. “See those. They bite and they keep biting for a long time.”
“How long?” Brooklyn asked, as if she was weighing whether their bite was worth the risk if it meant she could pick the flowers.
“All day long,” Hunter told her, coming up on the conversation. He handed her another flower, this one not dangerous to touch, and told her, “You don’t want your hand to hurt all day, do you?”
Brooklyn shook her head and took the pretty flower he handed her, “No. I’s wants to catch a fish!”
“Well then, we should stop standing around looking at flowers and go find the lake,” he told her with a laugh.
Sadie watched as Hunter steered Brooklyn away from the flowers and down the trail. She had to admit, he was good with her. Something she would have never guessed was possible.
Thirty minutes later, they stepped from the thick trees onto the grassy slopes of Mirror Lake. The large lake sat in the northwest section of the ranch and was fed by runoff from the snow-packed mountains in the spring. The main river in the area also had a small tributary that flowed into the lake, and then flowed out the other side in a natural dam. There was always water in the lake, and during the winter months, Sadie was planning some winter type activities: ice fishing and ice skating to start with.
“Momma! Momma! I’s sees a fish jump! Can we catch her now?” Brooklyn asked excitedly while she pointed to the lake.
“Calm down, sweetie. We just got here. Come drink some water…”
“I’s wants to catch a fish!” Brooklyn planted her hands on her hips and Hunter watched as Sadie’s face took on a calm expression.
“You are going to find yourself in time-out if you don’t start acting nicer. We can fish, but not right now. Come drink your water.”
He watched as mother and daughter stared each other down, and then hid his chuckle when Brooklyn gave a huge sigh of resignation and trudged over to take the water bottle her mother was holding out.
“Thank you,” Sadie told her, turning away so her own grin wouldn’t be seen.
Hunter whispered to her. “I saw that.”
Sadie looked up, but instead of the guarded expression he’d been getting from her, she gave him a small smile instead. “Don’t ever let her see you laugh. If she thought for a second she could get away with acting like a brat, she’d be unmanageable.”
“She’s only three,” he reminded her.
“Going on sixteen! She has everyone else at the ranch wrapped around her little finger and she knows it.”
Hunter watched her chase a butterfly, her water bottle forgotten on a nearby rock. “She’s something else. Thank you for giving me a chance to get to know her.”
Sadie said nothing, but began unpacking their supplies.
“How about I get a small fire going? That way if she does catch a fish, we can cook it up and have it with our lunch.”
“Okay, but fishing is more of a catch and release sort of thing with Brooklyn. She doesn’t mind trout, but she’s never caught one and then cooked it up for dinner. We usually just let them go right away.”
“Oh! Got it. So, catch and release it is. Still, a fire might be nice. If nothing else, we can throw a few pine needles on it to keep the mosquitoes away.”
Sadie smiled at him. “Okay. I think I saw Kathy sneak some marshmallows in here. We can roast those before we head back.”
Hunter liked where her mind was going and immediately his thoughts went back to when they’d been together. They’d done numerous overnight hikes and camping trips, and roasting marshmallows together, with her cradled between his thighs, had been his favorite way to end the day. Not that he’d realized that until just right now!
“Brooklyn, want to help me gather up some sticks?” he called out to her.
“Sure. I’m good at finding sticks.”
Sadie watched Hunter and her daughter, noticing that every once in a while Hunter seemed to be limping. The thought that he might have injured himself on their hike bothered her, and she wanted to ask him what he’d done, but every time she started to ask, she stopped herself.
Asking him what was wrong could easily be misconstrued as her caring. And I don’t care. Not anymore.
Chapter 11
Hunter could feel Sadie’s eyes following him around as they first made a fire, and then he helped Brooklyn put her fishing pole into the water. Sadie had collapsible poles that were perfect for carrying in a backpack and had also produced a small tackle box with a variety of bait options.
Brooklyn had immediately reached for the jar of pink Powerbait, refusing to even consider another color appropriate for catching a fish. Once the hook was baited, Hunter walked her to the water, making sure she didn’t accidentally catch herself on the hook, and then helped her cast her line out into the lake.
Brooklyn’s pole was too big for her to cast by herself, and Hunter made a mental note to see if he could find a kid-sized pole next time he was in town.
He’d placed a bobber on her line after Sadie had quietly suggested it, and then found a forked stick which he pushed into the mud to use as a rod stand. Brooklyn watched him carefully, and once he deemed her line tight and ready to be watched, she sat down in front of the rod pole and stared at the bobber he’d placed on her line with a frown of concentration on her face.
It was the quietest he’d seen her yet, and he walked back to where Sadie was setting out their lunch and quietly asked for an explanation
.
Sadie smiled. “Sheridan told her you have to be real quiet when you’re fishing because the fish can hear you and we don’t want to scare them.”
Hunter grinned. “So this is her being real quiet?”
“Only until…”
“Yay! Hunter! Momma! I’s got a fish!” Brooklyn was struggling to pick up the full-size fishing pole and turn the reel at the same time.
Hunter lunged back to her and put a stabilizing hand on the pole before she and the pole went for a swim. “You sure do. Can you turn the reel and bring him in?”
Brooklyn started to turn the reel as she nodded her head. “It’s a girl fishy!”
“It is? How do you know that?” Hunter inquired with a chuckle.
“I’s only catches girl fishies. Boy fishy are smelly,” she told him seriously.
Hunter barked out laughing, looking at Sadie when she joined them in laughter and with her physical presence by the water’s edge. “Brooklyn, you know this might be a boy fish.”
Brooklyn adamantly shook her head. “Nope. It’s a girl fishy. That’s why we used the pink stuff. So a girl fishy would come see me.”
Her logic was sound for a three-year-old, but the adults couldn’t seem to stop laughing. Hunter finally helped her bring the fish towards the shore, pleased to see she had a nice fourteen inch brook trout on her line. He was also relieved it had only snagged the corner of its mouth on the hook and not swallowed it. He didn’t want to be the bad guy if her fish ended up dying!
“Good catch, Brooklyn,” he told her, giving her a spontaneous hug for the first time and feeling his heart break just a little bit. I was an idiot to have missed the last three years of her life!
Brooklyn started up a nonsensical conversation with the fish, whom she named Matilda, while Hunter carefully removed the hook from the corner of the fish’s mouth. He kept in mind what Sadie had told him, and was careful to keep the fish in the water as much as possible.
When he had the hook out, he looked down at Brooklyn. “It’s time for Matilda to go home.”
