Chapter Four

      Her words hung between them, echoing in the silent kitchen. Soft-spoken, but they rocked his soul. He felt like he was fifteen years old again and being tossed off the dock at Cedar Lake. Suspended in the air in disbelief, wondering what it would feel like when he went in.

      “My son?” He choked the words out.

      “Yes. Austin is your son,” she said, her words sounded like they came from far away.

      “My son?” he repeated, feeling like an idiot.

      “I know I could keep him from you and not let you see him. That would be what you deserve, but I’m trying to take the moral high ground here. After all, you’ll be here every day. You can’t avoid him the entire time.”

      Reuben stared at her, trying to catch up one word, one phrase at a time as he surfaced to the truth.

      “What are you saying? What do you mean?”

      Leanne glared at him, eyes narrowed. “Please do me a favor and stop acting so surprised.”

      “But I am.” He struggled to settle the information, his mind ticking back, trying to think, to organize thoughts he couldn’t pin down.

      “I don’t know why you are,” she snapped. “This certainly isn’t news to you. I still can’t believe how casual you’ve been about the whole thing. You came flying onto the ranch and when you saw him, you acted like he was just some other kid, like he was—”

      “My nephew,” he interrupted. “Which he is. Dirk’s son.” Why was she saying Austin was his son? If that was true, why hadn’t she told him before? Why wait until now?

      Leanne shook her head, and her narrowed eyes latched on to him. “He’s not Dirk’s. He’s yours. The same kid I told you about over three years ago. The same kid you told me you didn’t want to have anything to do with.”

      He held his hands up, still trying to absorb what she was saying. “Whoa, what do you mean, I didn’t want to have anything to do with him? This is the first I’ve heard about this.”

      “How can you look me straight in the eye and lie like that?”

      “I’m not lying. How...when...” He caught himself. “Let’s back up here. You got pregnant. Are you saying—”

      “It happened at your cousin’s wedding. The ‘mistake’ we both agreed we had made,” she made sarcastic air quotes, hooking the air with her fingers.

      He could only stare at her, trying to digest all this.