nine
years
ago
Carolyn
gave
birth
to
triplets
and—”
“Triplets!”
Corey
exclaimed,
nearly
coming
out
of
his
seat.
Clint
nodded.
“Yes.”
Corey
shook
his
head.
“Multiple
births
run
in
this
family,
but…hell,
I
didn’t
even
know
she
was
pregnant.”
“Yes,
she
said
she
left
without
telling
you
after
the
two
of
you
broke
up.
She
moved
to
Beaumont,
Texas,
where
an
aunt
and
uncle
lived.
She
showed
up
on
their
doorstep
and
fabricated
the
story
that
she
had
married
a
man
who’d
been
a
rodeo
bronco
and
that
he’d
gotten
killed
while
competing.
She
claimed
that
man’s
name
was
Corey
Westmoreland
and
she
was
the
widowed
Carolyn
Westmoreland.
She’d
even
obtained
false
papers
to
prove
it.
We
can
only
assume
she
did
that
because
she
was
twenty-four
and
her
aunt
and
uncle,
her
only
relatives,
were
deeply
religious.
They
wouldn’t
look
down
on
her
if
she
told
them
she
was
married
instead
of
a
girl
having
a
child
out
of
wedlock.”
A
few
moments
later
Clint
continued.
“Anyway,
she
found
out
she
was
having
triplets
and,
since
she
was
using
the
Westmoreland
name,
the
three
of
us
were
born
as
Westmorelands
and
no
questions
were
asked.
We
were
raised
believing
our
father
had
died
before
we
were
born
and
never
thought
any
differently
until
Mom
called
us
in
just
| 