Page 74 of A River of Crows

“Thank you,” Ridge said. “And if you come across Blue, it would be cool to have him again too.”

And it would be cool to know what the hell happened to my brother, Sloan thought.

“I should go.” Sloan pulled the phone out of her pocket. “I don’t want to overwhelm Dylan on day one.” She glanced around the RV. “Is there anything you need from the store?”

Ridge stood. “Nah, I’m stocked up. Need a ride home?”

“No thanks. Dylan and I are going to pick up some dinner and eat with Mom. What are your plans for the evening?”

“Gonna head out to the creek and work with Crawford. He seems to be adapting well on his free flights. Probably won’t be long before he finds a mate and doesn’t come back.”

Sloan understood the implications of that. Once Crawford flew away, Ridge would do the same. “I’ll dig around for the pictures tonight too.”

Ridge smiled. “Digging up bones.”

Sloan understood his meaning immediately: their dad loved Keith Whitley, but Randy Travis came in a close second. And “Diggin’ up Bones” was one of his very favorite songs. Sloan had been reluctant to bring up their father again after Ridge’s first reaction, but maybe this was a sign he was willing to talk about him, evidence that he was remembering better times.

“Yep,” Sloan said. “Resurrecting memories indeed. I’ll bring whatever I find tomorrow.”

Chapter 22

Mallowater, TX, 1988

Caroline marched back into the health office. “You gave me the wrong certificate.”

The young clerk who had helped her stood, her eyes wide. An older woman from an office with gray hair pulled in a tight bun walked up to the counter. “The wrong one you say?” She shot a glare at the other clerk. Caroline felt bad for the poor woman. She didn’t mean to get her in trouble.

“Yes, this one is for a Bradley Hadfield. The father has the same name as my partner.”

“Didn’t you check her ID, Susan?” the woman turned to the younger clerk.

“It’s not a big deal,” Caroline said, pulling out both papers. “If you can just get me the correct one, there’s no harm done. Ridge Hadfield, date of birth May 2, 1978.” She pushed the documents across the counter and noticed the signature lines on the Certificate of Live Birth for the first time.

“Ma’am?”

Caroline realized she was still hanging on to the papers. “I’m sorry.” She released them, bringing a shaky hand to her throat.

It couldn’t be. But it had looked so much like Jay’s signature. The big full capital letters, the largeness of the loop in the y, the upward slant from the line he was supposed to be signing on.

“Would you mind printing the other certificate for Ridge well?” Caroline asked. “The one from the hospital? It would be nice to have for his baby book.”

“Of course,” the older woman said. “Just one moment.”

Caroline paced across the room, a storm of questions brewing. Did Jay have an illegitimate child? Caroline caught the hypocrisy of thinking of this child as illegitimate when Sloan and Ridge were technically illegitimate as well.

“Here you are.” The older woman held up another envelope. “We are so sorry about the—”

Before she could finish, Caroline snatched it out of her hands. “Thank you,” she managed, already opening the envelope as she walked out the door.

Her eyes went straight for the line on the Certificate of Live Birth where Jay had signed. There was the oversized J, the Y with the ridiculously large loop, and the signature that steadily rose above the line. Her entire body went numb.

She climbed into her car and drove home too fast, questions buzzing around in her brain. Who was Anna Elliott? What did she look like? Was it just one time? Did she know about me? Did Jay meet his son? Have a relationship with him? Has he been paying child support? Is that why we never have money?

Jay had really cheated on her. That sonofabitch. Pressure built in her chest until she realized she was holding her breath. Hopefully, it had just been once. A horrible mistake. She’d almost made one of those. Three years ago, with Sloan’s third-grade teacher, Mr. Brewer.

Frank Brewer was ten years older than Caroline, tall with salt and pepper hair and a strong baritone voice. There had been an instant attraction between them. They were friendly all year, flirty even. Mr. Brewer always wanted to talk to her about Sloan, even when there was nothing much to say. They’d always end up discussing politics, science, books, and films. Frank always smelled of just-applied cologne. Caroline thought about him on nights she laid in bed alone, even on a few she didn’t. She listened to “You’re the First Time I’ve Thought About Leaving” over and over, finally understanding what Jay meant when he talked about songs you could feel in your soul.

But she hadn’t left. Nothing had even happened between her and Frank. They were both in committed relationships; they were both good people. Maybe they’d fantasized about it; Caroline certainly had, but that was as far as it had gone. When Ridge entered third grade, Caroline didn’t even request that he be placed in Mr. Brewer’s class. Now, she wished she had.

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