A Family Name (14 page)

"Thanks for the tip," Will said with a
grumble.

"Will's bringing a group of students up to
the ranch next week," Charlotte said, wondering as the words came
out of her mouth if she should bring up his work away from the
ranch. For some reason it seemed to be a sore subject around here.
No one had ever come right out and told her so, but she was
perceptive enough to pick up on the subtle clues.

Karen passed a large bowl of mashed potatoes
to Lexi, and the smiled at Charlotte. "We love hosting students,
don't we, Bill?"

Charlotte watched as Will's father took a
long drink of milk before frowning at his wife. "Sure," he
said.

"Sure," Will said, his voice laced with
sarcasm. "Dad loves it."

"I have let you bring students here for the
past four years. You dig up my back pasture. What else do you want
from me?" Bill's hands clenched around his fork and knife as he
stared at his son.

Charlotte winced inwardly as she wondered
what Pandora's box she had opened. Anyone with eyes knew that Will
and his dad didn't get along. She just wished that Will would talk
to her about it, if for no other reason than to keep her from
walking into situations just like this. Shame filled her as she
worried that she had ruined a family dinner.

And then a hand wrapped around hers.
Startled, Charlotte's gaze flew to Will's face. He was still
glaring at his father, but his hand held hers firmly. Something
moved in Charlotte's heart. Something that felt a lot like fight.
She and Will were partners for now, raising these three kids,
creating a family. No matter how temporary the circumstances were,
the two of them had to stick together.

"That's so generous of you guys," Charlotte
said after she found her voice. She squeezed Will's hand before she
continued, "I love that Will offers his students a chance to get
out of the classroom and really apply what they are learning."

Charlotte kept her eyes trained on Bill, the
feeling in her stomach bordering on sick and sour. She hoped that
her voice didn't sound too bright or fake. The words she had spoken
held more truth than she was ready to admit. She respected the
things Will did with his work, even if they were just getting to
know each other. Will's family needed to know that. But she could
hear her voice, and it sounded tinny to her ears.

No one said anything for a few moments, and
then Sierra asked for more peas, and everyone nearly simultaneously
praised her for being a good eater. The tension diffused into a
flurry of food and comments about the weather. Will didn't let go
of her hand, though, and Charlotte swelled with warmth and pride as
she ate her dinner in silence.

****

Lexi eyed her dad and Charlotte from across
the table. She hoped that she wasn't imagining things because she
could swear that the two of them were holding hands. Holding hands!
She couldn't be sure, though, because she was across the table and
a few seats down. She barely heard the conversation flowing around
her as she tried to think of a way to confirm her suspicions.
Finally she decided to drop her fork. Classic and foolproof.

When it clattered to the floor, Lexi ducked
under the table to retrieve it. A quick peek across the table made
her breath catch. Sure enough. Hand-holding. This was better than
she had expected. Could something be happening between them? If
they got married that meant Charlotte wouldn't have to leave when
her dad got custody. They would all be a family together. There
would be no more visits from that annoying social worker who had
taken over Lexi's case. Charlotte would never have to go back to
work. Her leave of absence could become permanent. The ranch could
be home forever.

Excitement made Lexi careless, though, and as
she moved to sit up, she bumped her head hard on the table. Plates
rattled, and someone yelped in surprise. She winced as she
extracted herself from the underside of the table. So much for
being smooth about things. At least she had the cover of her fork.
Dumb as that seemed now.

"Are you okay?" Charlotte had jumped up from
her chair and was already rounding the table.

Lexi's heart sank a little. She just had to
ruin the moment, didn't she? Would her dad and Charlotte go back to
holding hands after they saw that she was okay? Lexi knew that
there wasn't much time before they would go to court to get custody
sorted out. She had been snooping and eavesdropping whenever she
could. Not that it helped much. Most of what she found out made her
feel like she had a big clock ticking over her shoulder.

"I'm fine," Lexi said quickly. "Just dropped
my fork. Guess I should go get a new one."

"Oh, don't worry about that, sweetheart," her
grandma said. "I was just heading to the kitchen anyway. I'll grab
you one."

Lexi thanked her, accepted Charlotte's
perusal, and managed a small smile at her dad. Still, she felt
bummed. If she had just managed not to mess that up, her dad and
Charlotte would still be holding hands, and getting close.

She needed to think of something to help them
along.

****

"I'm sorry," Will said as he strolled out
onto the front porch.

Charlotte jumped, startled by his sudden
presence. "Sorry for what?" She gave him a small smile as she set
her coffee cup on the porch railing.

"My family. Their craziness," Will said with
a shrug.

"It's fine. I kind of liked it actually."

Will leaned against one of the porch posts
and crossed his arms. A wry smile curled his lips. "Liked it? How
is that humanly possible? No one likes dinner with my family, even
my family."

Charlotte laughed. "Not true. It felt great
to be part of something like that, even when things got tense."

"Things always get tense." Will ran a hand
through his hair and gazed out into the darkness.

"I should be sorry," Charlotte said with a
sigh. "I didn't mean to stir anything up."

When Will looked at her, Charlotte felt her
breath hitch. The warmth that reflected in his eyes stirred things
within her that she had been trying so hard to ignore. Even now as
she reminded herself that the children needed to come first, she
felt her heart betraying her. It had been so long since she had
been in a romantic relationship. Will offered everything she was
looking for in a man, and if she was honest with herself she could
see building a family with him.

These thoughts were dangerous and she knew
it. What good could come from getting involved with Will? It would
jeopardize everything they were working for the good of the
children. They couldn't afford to be selfish.

"Nah, you didn't stir anything up," Will
said. He ran a hand through his hair and looked out toward the
dark, looming shadows of the Hills illuminated by the bright
moonlight. "My dad just gets it in his head sometimes that he's
right and that means no one else can be."

"It's nice that your dad cares," Charlotte
said unable to keep the wistful note out of her voice.

Will's silence drew her gaze. His jaw had
clenched and his smile had faded into a grimace. By the way he
pursed his lips; Charlotte knew that he was weighing his words
carefully. It was one of the small gestures she had picked up on
over the past few weeks living in his home.

"It must have been awful not having parents
to rely on," Will said finally.

Tears sprang to Charlotte's eyes. She willed
them to stay put. No way did she want to cry in front of Will. For
reasons she didn't care to analyze, she needed him to see her as
strong and capable. She didn't need or want his pity.

"My foster parents are good people. I catch
up with them whenever I can," Charlotte said, inwardly wincing at
the hollowness the words caused.

The two of them stared at each other for what
Charlotte felt was an eternity. Her tears didn't spill over as she
had feared but the lump in her throat grew to catastrophic
proportions and she feared it might suffocate her.

"I'm sure they were wonderful," Will agreed.
"They raised a wonderful woman."

Charlotte's breath hitched in her chest. She
started to say something that she hadn't thought about, but as the
words sprang to her lips a sudden shriek from inside the house
brought her to her feet. She sprinted to the front door with Will
close at her heels. Another shriek pierced the air spurring
Charlotte to move faster. The door to the younger kids' room was
ajar, soft light spilling onto the hallway floor.

Muffled sobs and the creaking of bedsprings
gave way to a soft murmuring. Charlotte stopped and Will bumped
into her. Reaching behind her, Charlotte took Will's hand and the
two crept forward. When they got near the room, they peered around
the door frame. Charlotte's heart stuttered in her chest at the
sight before her.

Sitting up in bed was a sobbing Sierra
wrapped in the protective embrace of Lexi. Shock quickly gave way
to a warm glow.

"I just want my m-m-mommy. I miss her,"
Sierra said in hiccup-y sniffles.

"I know," Lexi said, stroking the little
girl's hair away from her face. "I'm sorry. We'll be okay, though.
Charlotte and my dad will take good care of us. We'll be okay."

We'll be okay.
Charlotte repeated the
words to herself. Maybe we will, she mused.

The persistent knocking on the front door set
Charlotte's teeth on edge. Hadn't she already called that she was
coming more times than she wanted to count? She swiped the
chocolate off of Shane's chin, kissed his head, and set him on the
floor. Baking cookies had seemed like a fine idea when Charlotte
had woken up that morning, but halfway through the endeavor she
found herself in over her head. Much like her whole life at the
moment, she mused as she made her way to the front door.

She couldn't conceal her surprise when she
saw Bill standing on the front stoop. "Will's out on the range,
"she said, stuttering over her words.

Bill twisted his battered hat between his
hands, and quirked one corner of his mouth into an approximation of
a smile. "I was actually looking for you. Well, you and Lexi. Karen
thought, well, we both thought that maybe you girls might like to
get off the ranch for a bit? I thought I could take you into town,
show you around Mountain View. Maybe we could even grab a bite to
eat at the café."

Charlotte chewed on the inside of her cheek.
His offer did sound nice. She and Lexi hadn't been off the ranch in
quite awhile. Although Lexi had been attending school regularly,
Charlotte knew that wasn't the same as an outing. However, that
didn't stop her from wondering what Bill's motivation was. He
rarely spoke to either of them, although he did seem to have a soft
spot for his granddaughter. She imagined that he might use the
opportunity to reiterate his position on what Charlotte and Will
had decided as far as the children were concerned. And quite
frankly, she just wasn't in the mood. On the other hand, she told
herself, if this trip had been Karen's idea, maybe there wasn't an
ulterior motive.

Seeming to sense her hesitation, Bill
continued, "Karen said she'd keep the young'uns, and that the three
of us should enjoy ourselves."

Hearing this, Charlotte consented. "All
right. Let me get the kids cleaned up, and we'll meet you at your
house in half an hour."

"Sounds fine," Bill agreed, jamming his hat
back down on his head and turning back into the brisk Spring
day.

Charlotte watched him go feeling oddly
bemused. Bill seemed to be just as complicated as Will. It was no
wonder the two men did not get along well. They were two peas in a
pod. Shaking her head, she headed back into the house to get the
children ready.

Thankfully Lexi made up for Charlotte's lack
of enthusiasm over the outing. She danced around on the short walk
to the main ranch house. Charlotte toted Shane, keeping her head
bent as they strode straight into the wind. Sierra ran ahead, eager
to see Bill and Karen's dog, Tess. For a brief moment, Charlotte
allowed the family fantasy to settle over her. In the deepest, most
secret corner of her mind, she allowed herself to pretend these
were her three kids, and she was taking them to see their
grandparents.

The fantasy embarrassed her a little, but
more than that it gave her a tangible sense of exactly what she
wanted in life. The only downside to this game of make believe was
that when reality came slamming back down hard against her, she was
forced to confront the fact that soon enough all of them would go
their separate ways. None of them would ever be a forever family.
And that was what she wanted. Each day the five of them spent
together, the more certain Charlotte became that she and Will could
make it work. They might not love one another, but they liked and
respected each other. And who knew? Maybe one day love would
bloom.

Charlotte was jarred from her thoughts by the
sound of excited barking. Tess and two of the other ranch dogs came
barreling off the porch, just as eager to see the children. Wading
through the sea of small people and furry bodies, Charlotte set
Shane on the bottom step of the porch just as Karen came out to
assess the commotion. From the grin on her face, Charlotte wondered
if this was something that had been missing in Karen's life too.
They all seemed to be fitting together so well for the most part. A
bittersweet pang gripped Charlotte as she returned the older
woman's smile.

"Now don't you worry about a thing," Karen
said as she picked up Shane. "These two will have a great time with
me today. And Bill will be on his best behavior. I promise."

Charlotte laughed in spite of her
reservations. Karen winked at her and herded Sierra and the dogs
into the house.

"Where do you think Grandpa is?" Lexi asked,
shoving her hands deeper into the pockets of her navy blue pea
coat.