Page 117 of Surly Sheriff
The man under discussion pulled out the chair at the end of the table. “Kid’s got natural talent. Come, Jack. Hop on,” he said, patting the cushion.
“Okay, Mister Beau.”
Beau shot her a quelling look and sat in the seat opposite her.
Okay, then, it was time.
Rae had given the manner of how to tell Jack he was Beau’s son some thought since Beau had broached the subject this morning and had settled on short and simple. At this age, Jack was too young to have grasped the significance of the lack of a father figure in his life. In his world, some kids, like CJ and Carly, had dads and others did not. She grabbed hold of the boy’s hand. “Jack, how would you like it if I told you Mister Beau is your dad?”
Jack’s eyes widened, and he whipped his head to look at Beau with utter wonder. “Really?”
Beau nodded, his Adma’s apple bobbing. “Really.”
Jack cocked his head. “Can I call you Dad?”
“I’d like that very much,” Beau replied, his voice all croaky.
“Cool. I’m hungry, Momma.”
Rae blinked.Was that it?
“Do you have any questions, Jack?” Beau asked.
It didn’t take Jack even a moment to come up with one. “Can we play soccer every day, Dad?”
Beau chuffed a laugh. “Maybe not every day, because sometimes I need to work a bit late, but as often as possible. Deal?”
Jack gave him a toothy grin. “Deal.”
*
Rae walked down the stairs to a full living room. Yes, she was a coward, and yes, she had delayed joining until she couldn’t anymore. She looked at the group of people spread about, wondering again about the wisdom of bringing them in to her drama.
Beth and JP.
Oliver.
A man she assumed to be Ronan Murphy, a former teammate of Ruth’s late husband.
Young Toby Jacobs. Beau insisted his deputy be involved as he lived on the property.
A scowling Felicity.Aunty Liss, Jack settled on when he struggled to pronounce her name.
And Nate. With Bella.
She gulped, not realizing Bella would be present. Her sister-in-law was staring daggers at her.
It was going to be a difficult evening.
Beau, seated on a dining chair he had brought in, stood and crossed to her. “Jack asleep?”
She nodded. It had taken some doing to get the kid down — he was a sensitive soul and picked up her disquiet — but having both Xena and Kismet in the room with him helped.
Beth approached and gave her a brief but solid hug. “Sweet girl,” she said, “It’s good to see you.” Grasped hold of her upper arms, the older woman subjected her to a thorough examination.
Rae tried not to squirm. She wasn’t successful.
Beth released her arms but reached up to place a hand against the side of Rae’s face. “Whatever brought us here, we’ve got your back.” There was no condemnation in her stare, just encouragement.
