Page 6 of Secret Baby at Mountain Creek Ranch
"Clearly," I say dryly, but I can't hold back my chuckle.
“Do you want to unpack and get settled?” He rubs his hands together. “I can take Sam up to the barn to meet Blaze and Millie.”
I wouldn't hate the idea of a shower. It was a long drive.
“Do you think you’ll be okay with him?”
“Of course,” he says confidently. “Blaze has been waiting to meet Sam all morning.”
"Horsey!" Sam calls out, followed by the loud reverberations of his footsteps, barreling down the stairs.
“I may need to get those carpeted.” He chuckles.
The boys head off to the barn and leave me be. I unpack my bag into the side of the dresser that Jameson cleared out for me.
Tucked into the side of the mirror frame is a picture I took a few weeks ago of Jameson and Sam. The similarities between the two are uncanny. So much so that I'm surprised that it took seeing Jameson at the hospital for me to realize his Holloway genes are strong. They look so happy, smiling out of the picture. It warms my heart, but at the same time, I'm struck with a pang of guilt. We were only together that one night, but I thought I had the measure of Jameson all figured out. I knew he would show up when I called him for help to save Sam, but I never imagined he would continue showing up week after week, month after month. I never told him about Sam because I thought I knew how he would react. I couldn't have been more wrong, and they have already lost so much time together because of me.
The sound of the screen door opening and slamming shut startles me. I frantically wipe at the tears on my cheeks, not wanting Sam to see. I walk out into the living room and find a beautiful young woman around my age standing in the kitchen with a gift basket in her hands.
“Hi,” she beams at me. “You must be Tris.”
“That’s me.”
"Wow, I've heard so much about you. I feel like I know you already."
A thought that didn’t cross my mind until this moment pops into my head.Does Jameson have a girlfriend?
“I don’t—”
“Oh!” She laughs sweetly. “Of course, you don’t know who I am. I’m Willow, Jameson’s sister.”
The relief I wasn't expecting fills me.
"Of course," I cross the room to greet her. "It's nice to meet you finally. Jameson has told Sam and me a lot about his family."
“You’re family now too.” She looks around. “Is Sam here?”
“No, I’m sorry you just missed them. Jameson took Sam up to the barn to meet Blaze and Millie.”
“I should have known. Not surprising, we have another horse lover in the family."
It’s weird how much she puts me at ease. I guess I anticipated some animosity from the family, but with Willow, it feels like we are already old friends.
“That’s putting it mildly.” I chuckle.
"Well, I just wanted to drop this off. It's an assortment of goodies from my bakery in town. When you have some time, you should come to check it out."
“That sounds great. I love to bake.”
She beams. “Jameson told me.”
I talk with Willow a little bit more before she has to head back to her shop for the afternoon rush. She’s down an employee and has to pick up the work herself.
"Well, if you ever need some help while I'm here, just let me know."
“Count on it,” she says before heading out the door.
I head back to the bedroom and grab some clean clothes. There is a door from the bedroom into the bathroom. Inside I find an old clawfoot tub, and my plans for a hot shower quickly turn into plans for a hot bath.
