Page 3 of Unexpected Entanglement

He glanced back at the main house. “I let your grandparents down by letting this place rot, for one.”

“But look what you’ve done now. We’re making it even better than before.”

“But we had to give up eighty acres of wild land to add to the funds of this project. This land had been in our family for decades. It was—”

“Necessary, Dad,” she reminded. “I think Grandpa would understand. He’d be proud to see what we’ve done with the houseand the additions. And Grandma would be happy to see what Kieran has done with the farm.”

“You’re right.” Neal smiled at her. “Your brother has worked hard these past two years reestablishing the farm. He actually turned a profit last summer. I’m proud of him.

“I’m so proud of both of you.” He took Rowan’s hand in his large hand and squeezed it. “That’s why it is so hard to say what I need to tell you.”

She chuckled. “Dad, you’re making me nervous.”

Her father studied her face and murmured, “You look so much alike.”

Rowan tilted her head with a puzzled smile. “Who? I don’t look like Mom or Kieran. I take after you.” Her hair was a lighter red than his, but her eyes were the same clear blue. Nobody would miss that she came from him.

Her father swallowed as if he was nervous, and beads of perspiration appeared on his forehead, making Rowan more uneasy.

What is he talking about?

“Your sister.” A breeze ruffled the trees and shed the little remainder of their leaves as he spoke, masking his words.

“I’m sorry. My what?” Rowan blinked, not sure if she’d heard him right.

Neal looked away to the sea, avoiding her eyes, before repeating, “You have a sister, Rowan. A half-sister.”

Recoiling from the news, she snatched her hand away from his. “I have a what?”

“I’ve been holding this shame my whole life.” He spoke as if to himself. “Keeping her a secret is my biggest regret.”

Rowan stared at her father, who still wouldn’t meet her eyes.

This must be a prank.

“This a joke, right? Did Kieran put you up to this?” She laughed and looked for her big brother, thinking he’d jump out from behind a tree. The fact that Kieran hadn’t pulled a prank on her since they’d been teenagers didn’t stop her from hanging on the theory.

“I know this is difficult to process, but this isn’t a joke.” Neal turned to Rowan. If his words didn’t convince her, his face did. It screamed guilt.

The remainder of Rowan’s laughter froze with the rest of her limbs. But her brain picked up speed. A million questions raced through her head, but none she uttered.

“I’d just married your mother. She was pregnant with Kieran. I didn’t plan to be married at that time. I wanted to explore the world and resented being tied down,” Neal explained.

Rowan shook her head in disbelief. She’d known Kieran was the trigger of their parents’ marriage, but she’d always thought they’d married because of love.

“At the height of my resentment, I took a job that sent me away weeks at a time. I got to see the country just like I wanted, without giving a thought to your mother being home with a baby.” Neal scoffed at himself. “I was a selfish bastard.”

Hearing about this past version of her dad baffled Rowan, but her brain kept coming back to the half-sister she apparently had. It belatedly dawned on her that a half-sister meant there was another woman.

“You cheated on mom on one of those trips,” Rowan cut her father’s story short.

Her father shifted where he stood as she glared at him. He gave a short nod.

“When did this happen?” Rowan’s eyes burned with unshed tears as the father she knew transformed into a stranger right before her eyes.

“I met her not long after Kieran was born.”

“And you have a daughter with her?”

---