Page 40 of Silent Deception
“Weasel? You probably can’t relate, but your son and I actually loved each other. It had nothing to do with his family or his money.”
“True love—or true greed?” Clint’s face darkened with anger. “You certainly left in a hurry when I told you that I’d disown him if he defied me. That, my dear, says it all.”
“I...I didn’t want him to lose everything because of me.”
“Right,” he snarled. “And because of you, he defied me anyway. I lost my eldest son.”
“Lost him? Youdisownedhim. It was your decision to slam the door. Otherwise, he might’ve come back after a few years in the service.”
“You have no idea of the damage you’ve caused.”
“Your children are grown-ups,” she said gently. “They make their own decisions now...or do they?”
Muttering under his breath, Clint shoved his chair back and swept out of the room. The air still vibrated with his anger after he was gone.
She leaned back in her chair, suddenly exhausted.
She’d heard him all right and still remembered every word, every threat he’d made all those years ago. Because she had believed him, she’d walked away from the only true love she’d ever had.
And nothing in her life had ever been the same again.
* * * *
THE REST OF THE DAYgrew busier by the minute. Flu. A broken arm. Pneumonia. A ranch hand with a severe laceration and a burn after wrestling a husky calf during branding.
Dr. Lou showed up at noon, which helped, but they still didn’t finish until after five-thirty.
Cody, who’d stayed after school for football practice, and had been dropped off at the clinic at five by Trevor’s wife, was far more subdued about the wait than he usually was.
“Come on, honey,” Kristin said as she shouldered her purse and headed for the door. “I’ll bet you’re famished.”
“I guess.”
“Maybe we should stop at the DQ for some cheeseburgers and malts. What do you think, are you hungry enough?” He just nodded.
Even after several talks about the incident at the Four Aces, Cody had been much quieter than usual. He’d refused Valentina’s invitation to go back there again and hadn’t even wanted to go riding yesterday, which added to her worry. He mostly just sat in the shade with Scout, playing listless games of fetch.
At the DQ, they settled at a table under a brightly striped umbrella with hot fudge malts, cheeseburgers, and an extra-large basket of onion rings.
Cody dug into the onion rings, while Kristin savored her juicy cheeseburger and idly surveyed the jumble of businesses on the edge of town. A parts store, a feed store...and a little farther out, she could see just the top of the sign for Buddy’s Auto Shop.
She’d wanted to get out there for a week now, but the clinic’s schedule had filled rapidly and Buddy’s hours were erratic. He’d been closed every time she managed to get out there at five. But maybe...
She stood and shaded her eyes as she scanned the low hill behind the businesses flanking the main highway out of town. Perhaps she couldn’t talk to Buddy himself, but even from here, she could make out haphazard rows of old vehicles parked inside a high wooden fence on the slope behind Buddy’s shop. Surely he wouldn’t mind if she just walked back there and tried to peek through the fence.
“I’ve got an idea, Cody. Let’s finish our supper on the way home, okay? I have one stop to make first, and then we’ll get home early enough to ride for a while.”
He nodded obediently and gathered up his burger and malt. When she pulled into a shady spot in front of Buddy’s, he looked at her with astonishment. “We’re stoppinghere?”
She rolled both windows down partway, then hit the locks as she stepped out of the truck. “Stay inside with the doors locked. I’ll just be a minute.”
“But they’re closed.”
“I know. I just want to check out the old cars in back.” He appeared intrigued bythatidea, but if he started asking questions, she wouldn’t be able to answer them. Not just yet, anyway. “Finish those onion rings before I get back, or we’ll be fighting over them,” she teased.
She rounded the building, avoiding barrels and greasy puddles. “Hello—anyone here?”
She heard a dog barking, but no one appeared. She skirted the rusted hulks of several old tractors and stacks of various parts and pieces, and warily made her way through the tall weeds to the fenced enclosure out back.
