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Copyright 2004

Rob had watched Emily leave, feeling a pang in his heart as she waved goodbye and told him she loved him. Each time she left, it got a little harder to let her go. Each time she came, he was happier to see her. He was already noticing changes in her. She talked better, walked better, and got a little bigger each time he saw her. He didn’t want to miss any of those special moments in her life. He wanted her to be there, in his family, each passing day.

“Sara said Lois is Emily’s case worker,” Jason came up behind his father, “Is that true?”

“Yes,” Rob conceded, “Jason, come to the office. You and I need to talk.”

“What’s wrong, Dad?” Jason followed.

“Nothing, Son,” Rob shut the door, “I just need to talk to you about some things. Lois’ visit was off the record, unofficial, so to speak. We’re not supposed to make a big deal of it, OK? I wouldn’t want her to get in trouble. I think she’s on our side and we need that.”

“Oh,” Jason nodded, “I understand. She was a lot nicer than Rita Wilson. Too bad Lois can’t evaluate us.”

“I agree,” Rob sat on the edge of his desk, “At least we know Emily is in good hands, though. I’d hate for her to have someone like Rita looking out for her.”

Jason was on the couch now, “So is that all you wanted to talk to me about?”

“No,” Rob smiled, “There are a couple of other things. I want to know how you really feel about us moving you boys downstairs and splitting you up. Is it OK with you?”

“Sure, Dad,” Jason was always cooperative, “I know Emily will need to be close to your room.”

“There’s more to it,” Rob confessed, “Emily’s a good excuse. I’ve been thinking for a while now that you need your own space. I didn’t want to offend your brothers, but I think you’re at an age now where you need some privacy. Emily is a good opportunity to do this without drawing attention to that fact. This week, we’ll go ahead and move you downstairs, if that’s OK with you.”

“Sure, Dad,” Jason nodded, “But the twins don’t bother me, you know.”

“I know,” Rob smiled, “But you’re going to start wanting a place of retreat that’s just yours. You can have the queen size that’s already in the guestroom, or we can move your double downstairs. You chose. You can fix the room up however you like it.”

“Dad,” Jason asked, “Is this because of what happened this summer?”

“It’s because you’re growing up, Jason,” Rob explained, “And the two years that separate you and the twins are showing right now. You’re maturing faster than they are. It’ll be good for them, too. I thought maybe for Christmas this year, we’d buy you a computer of your own. Would you like that?”

“One for just me?” Jason gasped.

“Yes,” Rob chuckled, “If you like the idea, I’ll let you help pick it out. We’ll get it decked out the way you want it.”

“Wow!” Jason beamed, “Thanks! That’s great. I’d love to have a computer of my own.”

“OK,” Rob agreed, “Then that’ll be your Christmas this year. Now, there’s something else.”

“Yes, Dad?”

“Jason,” Rob informed, “I don’t know if you’re aware of this already or not, but Sara has a crush on you. I just want you to be cognizant of it. That’s all.”

Jason looked down at the floor, “Yeah, Dad, I know.”

“OK,” Rob nodded, “I’m not giving you any speeches. I know you’re a responsible young man and I can trust you to conduct yourself as such. I just wanted to be sure you were aware of it.”

“She’s really sweet, Dad,” Jason shared, “but, you know, she’s just a little girl…”

“I know, Jason,” Rob confirmed, “And little girls can get their hearts broken very easily. I know you would never hurt her on purpose. Just be careful not to do it accidentally, either.”

“Yes, Sir,” Jason acknowledged, “I’ll be very careful.”

“I’m sure you will,” Rob stood up, “That’s all, Jason. We could go start working on your room now, if you like.”

“Sounds good to me!”

~*~

Activity picked up around the Jackson farm. The construction commenced on the addition for Bessie. The boys got their new rooms arranged. Rob and Paula started working on the upstairs room to prepare it for Emily.

They were painting the walls pink on Thursday when Kathy brought Emily out for a visit. It had been raining all day, so they had chosen to work indoors. Rob washed up quickly and left Paula to paint while she visited with Kathy. He took Emily downstairs to play with the boys.

The living room was still a bit cluttered from the stacks of books, which had come out of the study and were still in search of a home. Rob had decided to add another room on downstairs, to accommodate the growing family, but it wouldn’t be added until Bessie’s unit was completed. Emily was surveying the stacks of books and stopped when she found the photo albums. She pulled one from the bottom of the stack, causing an avalanche and a roar of laughter from the boys. Giggling, she brought it to Rob to look at.

“Pitchers,” she said, climbing on his lap.

“Do you want to look at the pictures?” He asked.

She nodded and the boys all crowded around so they could see too. She had chosen one full of pictures of the boys when Jason was about five and the twins were three. As they found some close-up shots of Jason, Emily got very excited.

“Bubby!” She squealed and pointed at Jason’s picture.

“That’s me,” Jason told her, “I was about five then.”

“Bubby!” She stated again, emphatically, “My Bubby.”

“Emily,” Rob asked, “When you say ‘Bubby’, do you mean brother?”

Emily nodded.

“Does this look like your brother?” Rob questioned.

Emily nodded again, “My Bubby.”

“That’s weird,” Jason remarked, “How old was her brother?”

“I don’t know, Jason,” Rob told him, “Let’s talk about it later, OK?”

“I know,” Kevin suggested, “Let’s look at this one. This is all horse pictures.”

~*~

After they had bid Emily farewell for the day, Rob pulled Jason aside and took him into his new room. For the moment, the family computer was set up there, until they purchased Jason one of his own.

“What is it, Dad?” Jason shut the door.

“I want to do some research on the Internet and you can help me,” Rob motioned for Jason to sit at the desk, “I want to look up what we can about the car wreck Emily’s family was in. Let’s see what’s out there for us to find out.”

“OK,” Jason sat down and immediately started searching, “We’ll start with the Springfield newspaper. It was in July, right?”

“Right,” Rob nodded, “It was on the Fourth, so it should have been in the paper the next day.”

“Here we go,” Jason reported, “ ‘GIRL SURVIVES FAMILY TRAGEDY’. The Gates family was on their way to a celebration that turned into a tragedy. Their SUV went careening off Highway 65 north of Branson around 3:00 p.m. on the Fourth, witnesses said. The two year old daughter, Emily, was thrown from the vehicle, and miraculously survived. It is unknown why she was not strapped in the car seat next to her five year old brother, Jeffrey, who died in the crash. Both parents, David, 25, and Renee, 23, were also killed upon impact…’ To get the rest of the story, you have to buy it.”

“Well,” Rob sighed, “That told me two things I wanted to know. Her brother was five and her father was 25.”

“What are you thinking, Dad?” Jason asked.

“Jason,” Rob spoke low, “Keep this between us, all right?”

“Sure, Dad,” he agreed.

“Ever since Emily started calling me ‘Daddy’,” Rob confided, “I’ve had this nagging feeling. Then, the first time she saw Mitch, she called him ‘Daddy’ too. Now, she sees a picture of you when you’re the same age as her brother and calls you Bubby…”

“Oh,” Jason let out a heavy breath, “I think I follow you. Let’s see if we can find her dad’s obituary. That might give us more.”

“What I really want is a picture,” Rob confessed.

“Not gonna happen,” Jason informed, “Not on here, anyway. But here’s the obit’. Let’s see… ‘David Robert Gates, 25, of Springfield’…Well, that middle name is eerie, isn’t it?”

“Oh, Jase,” Rob moaned, “Do you know how much I want to be wrong?”

“What else have we got that’s new?” Jason scanned down the print, “Preceded in death by parents…of Rolla…no mention of siblings…Looks like he went to SMS. Probably how he ended up down here. Employed by Springfield Public Schools…he was a teacher.”

“Go back up,” Rob directed, “What was his mother’s first name?”

“Regina,” Jason read, “Ring any bells?”

“No,” Rob shook his head, “But if he was 25, I would have been in Rolla at that time.”

“You think Emily’s your grand daughter, don’t you?” Jason finally said it out loud.

“I don’t know,” Rob closed his eyes, “I don’t want her to be…if she is, that means…”

“That you’ve lost a son and grandson you never even knew you had,” Jason finished for him, “You haven’t talked to Mom about this, have you?”

“No,” Rob shook his head, “I was hoping I was wrong. I’m going to have to tell her now.”

“Dad,” Jason vowed, “I won’t say anything to her. If you pass the state’s approval process, you’ll get a whole dossier of information on Emily’s family. Maybe then you’ll know for sure. Until then, there’s no reason to tell Mom. It wouldn’t change anything.”

“I shouldn’t keep it from her,” Rob thought out loud.

“You don’t know, Dad,” Jason reminded, “You may never know. And that’s not why you decided to adopt Emily. You loved her before you suspected this. Am I right?”

“Yes, you’re right,” Rob nodded, “OK, we’ll keep this between us…for now. Thanks, Son.”

“It’s all right, Dad,” Jason smiled, “It’s nice to help you out, for a change.”

~*~

The next day, Rob had to make a trip to Springfield to visit his attorney. He was just getting ready to leave when Jason asked if he could go along. He suggested they could look at computers while they were in town. Rob agreed and they took off together. Once in the truck, Jason revealed his true intent.

“Listen, Dad,” Jason informed, “I had an idea. If this David guy went to SMS, then his picture should be in their yearbook. We could go to the library at SMS and look it up.”

“You’re good, Son,” Rob praised, “I hadn’t thought of that. I was thinking of going to the library to see the rest of that newspaper article, in case there was a photo.”

“Good idea,” Jason grinned, “Why don’t you drop me at the library while you go to the attorney’s office. I’ll look there and make copies of anything I can find. Then we can go to SMS together. There might be stuff in the old newspapers there if he was involved in any sports or anything.”

Jason’s search produced a picture of the car crash, but little else. It was a gruesome sight indeed, and definitely a miracle that Emily had survived.  The rest of the article was mostly quotes from witnesses describing the accident. Jason had checked the obituary, but there was no photo there, either.

After a long search for a parking spot, and then a longer hike to the library on the SMSU campus, they began their search together. They hit an immediate roadblock when they were informed that SMS had ceased publication of a student yearbook after 1992. They decided to look through back issues of the newspaper. It was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

“Dad,” Jason rubbed his eyes, “I think this is a wild goose chase. He obviously wasn’t involved in sports or anything that received major coverage.”

“I think you’re right, Jas,” Rob admitted, “I think we may as well give up. If we knew which school he taught at, then we could check there, but…”

“I’m sorry, Dad,” Jason consoled him, “I thought I could help you out.”

“It was a good idea, Son,” Rob told him, “I may never know for sure. There may be no way to ever really find out. Come on, let’s go look at computers.”

~*~

Mitch and Jenny joined the family for dinner that night. After the blessing had been offered and food had been passed, Mitch decided to share some news.

“Well,” he told them, “We had a visitor at the clinic today. Her name was Rita Wilson. Sound familiar?”

“She came to the clinic?” Rob asked, “Now, that was brazen.”

“Well,” Mitch relayed, “Apparently she felt that she had the right since your name is on all the paperwork with mine.”

“I think she feels she has the right to do anything she pleases,” Paula remarked.

“Here’s the kicker,” Mitch reported, “She was in the lobby grilling Linda before I realized who she was and what she was up to.”

“Oh no!” Paula exclaimed, “What did Linda tell her?”

“Poor Mom,” Jenny shook her head, “Had no clue what this woman was doing. I’m sure she thought she was helping. She started into the story of how Daddy had taken her in and let her stay there to rescue her from Bob.”

“I came in and stopped her before she got too deep, but I’m sure the damage had been done,” Mitch told them, “Then she wanted to talk to me.”

“Did you talk to her?” Rob asked.

“Yes,” Mitch nodded, “I told her next time she needed to make an appointment and that I would talk to her away from the clinic. I told her not to question my staff again, or I would report her to her supervisor.”

“Is that all?” Rob quizzed.

“No,” Mitch informed, “I gave her five minutes and instead of answering her inane questions, I told her what I wanted her to know. I said that as soon as you knew I was your son, you and Mom both made me part of the family and that from my own perspective of being adopted, I couldn’t imagine more suitable parents for Emily. I told her that all the questions in the world wouldn’t prove what kind of parents you were. All she needed to do was look at my brothers and she could see you were good parents. Then, I told her I had patients to see and I showed her to the door.”

“I’m sorry, Son,” Rob apologized, “I had no idea she’d pull something like that.”

“It’s OK,” Mitch shrugged, “I just hope Linda didn’t say too much.”

“Me too,” Rob shook his head, “How’s the divorce going? Her 90 days are up, aren’t they?”

“Yes,” Mitch told them, “Bob should get the papers next week. Maybe as soon as Monday. Don’t be surprised if he shows up after that.”

“Chelsea’s going next week for her ultrasound, too,” Jenny reminded, “Next week could be interesting around here.”

“We’ve got to keep Chels isolated from anything that happens with Bob,” Rob cautioned, “We can’t risk this baby.”

“Me and you and Uncle Terry can handle Bob,” Mitch stated, “We’ll leave Dutch out of it.”

~*~

It was Tuesday when the sky began to fall. Dutch had left the construction site to take Chelsea in for her ultrasound. Linda had taken the afternoon off, to compensate for working on Saturday, and was at the apartment. Rita Wilson chose this day to make her unannounced visit to the farm. Rob and Paula were talking with her in the living room, trying patiently to answer her questions.

Jason ran in and interrupted them, “Dad, you’d better come out here.”

“Excuse me,” Rob rose, “Apparently, I’m needed outside.”

He followed Jason out, who pointed toward a Harley parked near the construction area. Jason told him, “He showed up asking for Dutch. I figured you should talk to him. He said you knew about this business too.”

“Thanks, Jase,” Rob headed over to the robust biker talking to some of the construction workers. “Davey, hello! Dutch had to leave for a while. What can I do for you?”

“Hi, Rob,” Davey greeted, “If Dutch isn’t here, I’d better tell you this. I got a call from my man in Wichita. Bob’s on the move. There’s a good chance he’s headed this way.”

“Oh great,” Rob groaned, “Any idea when he’ll get here?”

“He left this morning,” Davey reported, “So he could get here this afternoon sometime.”

“OK,” Rob smiled, “Thanks, Davey. I appreciate you coming all the way out here just to warn me.”

“No problem,” Davey shrugged, “Nice day. Nice ride. Need me to stick around in case you have trouble with him?”

“No, thanks,” Rob shook his head, “I’ll get my brother over and my son.”

“All right,” Davey vowed, “I’m outta here, then.”

Rob hurried down to Linda’s apartment and knocked. She came to the door, and looked surprised to see him, but let him in.

“We’ve got a problem,” Rob entered, going toward her bedroom, “There’s a good chance Bob is on his way here. Let me use your phone.”

“How do you know?” She followed him, “Why my phone?”

“No time to explain,” he was dialing the clinic, “Lucy, this is Rob. I need to talk to Mitch now.”

“He’s in a room…” Lucy started.

“I said now,” Rob repeated.

“Hold on,” she put him on hold.

“What’s wrong, Dad?” Mitch answered.

“Davey just came by,” Rob reported, “He’s reasonably certain Bob is on his way here.”

“Shit!” Mitch rarely swore, “Is Linda there?”

“Yes,” Rob informed, “I’m using her phone. The damn social worker is up at the house. Is Jenny home alone?”

“Yes,” Mitch confirmed, “I’ll call her and get her to the clinic. She’ll be safe here with me. Where’s Dutch?”

“He took Chels to the doctor today,” Rob told him, “So we don’t have to worry about her. I’ll call Terry and Dad and get them over here…You sure you’re OK there?”

“Bruce is here,” Mitch reminded, “We’re in good shape. If you need us there, call, OK?”

“OK,” Rob hung up and dialed Terry, “Hey, Bro, you busy?”

“What’s up?” Terry wondered.

“Bob’s on his way here,” Rob informed, “I could use some back up. The damn social worker is at the house right now.”

“You want me to call Dad?” Terry offered.

“Yes,” Rob sighed, “I need to get back to the house. I’m at Linda’s right now.”

“All right,” Terry agreed, “We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Rob called across the lawn, as he went back to the house, “Jason!”

“What is it, Dad?” Jason ran up.

“You get the twins back in the house now,” Rob instructed, “Bob’s probably on his way here. After you get the boys in, go tell Hazel and Bessie to get in one unit together and lock the doors. Dad’s on his way and I’ll send him down as soon as he gets here. They should be OK with all the construction guys down there, but I don’t want to take any chances.”

“What about Linda?” Jason asked.

“Terry’s on his way,” Rob reported, “I’ll put him with her. We’ve got to keep this quiet with Rita Busybody here. I’m going to try to get rid of her.”

“You handle her,” Jason nodded, “I’ll take care of everyone else out here. Then I’ll be inside too.”

“Thanks, Jase,” Rob left him and went inside. Paula greeted him with a desperate look. He went back to the sofa, “Sorry about that. Someone here looking for my nephew. I had to take care of it since he was gone.”

“Paula was explaining more to me about the three boys you had here this summer,” Rita remarked, “I’d like to arrange interviews with all of them.”

“Why don’t you discuss it with the sheriff?” Rob suggested, “You could probably catch him at the office now if you tried.”

“Is that Terry’s truck?” Paula looked out the window.

“Yes,” Rob gave her knee a squeeze to let her know he needed to handle things, “I’ll go see what he wants.”

“Terry,” Rita looked at her papers, “That’s your brother. I need to interview him.”

“This may not be a good time,” Rob got up and went outside.

Terry met him on the porch, “Social worker still here?”

“Inside,” Rob told him, “I want you to go down and stay with Linda. You can watch from there for Bob. Is Dad on his way?”

“Yes,” Terry nodded, “Where do you want him?”

“Send him out with Hazel and Bess,” Rob directed, “Jason and I will cover the house. I’ll watch for Bob and meet him head on. You can come up from behind and surprise him if necessary.”

“I brought my friend,” Terry pulled his .38 out, “Just in case.”

“I hope it doesn’t come to that,” Rob sighed, “But I’m glad you did. I can’t get to mine with Big Sister here.”

Just then, Rita walked out onto the porch. Paula was behind her, a look of frustration on her face that changed to horror when she saw Terry holding his gun. Rita’s mouth dropped open and Terry glanced at Rob.

“Terry,” Rob introduced nonchalantly, “This is Rita Wilson, the social worker I mentioned.”

“Hello,” Terry tucked the pistol in his pants as if it was a normal everyday occurrence, and shook her hand, “I’m Rob’s brother. I didn’t mean to interrupt anything. I’ll talk to you later, Bro.”

“Later,” Rob nodded and Terry strode across the lawn toward Linda’s apartment.

“What was that all about?” Rita asked.

“What?” Rob acted naïve.

“He had a gun,” Rita stated the obvious.

“So?” Rob shrugged, “He has a permit. It’s legal.”

“Do you have a gun?” Rita quizzed in a critical tone.

“Yes,” Rob was trying to herd them back inside, to no avail, “We live in the country. Most people out here have guns. Sometimes we need them.”

“That was not a gun people use to hunt,” Rita pointed out.

“Did I mention hunting?” Rob quipped.

“Uh…” Rita started to argue, but stopped as a black car appeared in the lane. Both dogs began barking and growling.

“Paula,” Rob ordered, “Get in the house.”

Before she could obey, all three boys came out behind her. Rob went down the steps, unsure who was still watching from the porch. He had to leave that in Jason’s capable hands for now.

Bob got out of the car with a determined expression. Sam and Bear were on either side of him, growling. Rob hesitated to call them off, but he didn’t want them to attack Bob, either.

“Sam! Bear!” He called, and they sat, “Hello, Bob.”

“I’m here to talk to Linda,” he stated flatly, “Send her out here.”

“Linda’s not in my house,” Rob began, but stopped when Bob pulled out a .357 magnum.

“You’re lying,” Bob accused, pointing the gun at Rob.

Rob felt his heart racing. He slowly put his hands up and spoke as calmly as he could, “Just calm down, Bob. Linda is in the apartment. That’s what I was about to tell you. Now, put the gun away and I’ll let her know you’re here.”

“Send your wife,” Bob ordered. His hands were shaking and there were beads of perspiration on his brow.

Rob was worried one of the dogs might break command and lunge at Bob. The gun might go off and hit someone. He wasn’t sure if Paula and the boys were still behind him on the porch or if they had made it inside to safety. His mind was churning to come up with a solution when he saw Terry approaching silently from behind Bob. He had to stall and give Terry a chance to close in. If someone was going to get shot, it had to be Rob, not his family.

“Now, listen Bob,” he spoke softly, “Why don’t we just walk down to Linda’s apartment together? Put the gun away. It’s not necessary.”

“I’ve got the gun,” Bob told him, “I’m giving the orders this time. Send your wife after Linda or I’m going to shoot one of these dogs.”

“Drop the gun, Bob,” Terry put his pistol at the base of Bob’s neck, “Or I’ll blow your head off.”

Bob went white and dropped the gun. Rob watched it fall, almost in slow motion. He breathed a sigh of relief when it landed without firing. He seized it and pointed it at Bob.

“Now,” Rob told him, “Let’s start over. Get on your knees. Jason?”

“Yes, Dad,” Jason answered, still on the porch.

“Get me some rope,” Rob requested. “Sam! Bear! Keep him there.”

The dogs immediately moved in and let their lips curl as they growled menacingly. Terry still stood behind Bob with his pistol aimed at him.

“Paula?” Rob called, his eyes never leaving Bob.

“Yes?” Her voice was shaking.

“Call the sheriff,” Rob directed, “I want Ron himself.”

He heard the door on the house and knew she had gone in to oblige him. He also knew Rita had seen this whole adventure. Linda was crossing the lawn now. He had half a mind to tie her up with Bob.

“Here, Dad,” Jason gave him the rope.

“Thank you, Son,” Rob flipped the safety on the gun and tucked it into his pants, then he tied Bob’s hands behind his back. He took one arm and motioned for Jason to grab the other, “Give me a hand, Jase.”

They lifted Bob up and carried him to the hood of his car. They sat him down and Rob tied his feet. Terry kept the gun trained on him the whole time.

“Bob!” Linda exclaimed, “What on earth are you doing?”

“What am I doing?” He yelled, “You started this.”

“Jason,” Rob ordered, “Get your brothers and Ms. Wilson back in the house and keep them there.”

“Yes, Sir,” Jason ran up the porch steps.

Bill’s Buick was just now coming up the lane. The dogs had moved over and planted themselves in front of Bob without being told. They both clearly understood their mission. Rob left Terry and the dogs to watch Bob and went to meet his father.

“Sorry,” Bill apologized, “I obviously missed the fireworks.”

“It’s OK, Dad,” Rob smiled, “We’ve got it under control. Can you go stay with the older ladies until the sheriff gets here to take Bob away?”

“Sure thing,” Bill nodded and went on his way.

Paula came out and he could tell she was quite shaken. She still had herself under control, though. He wanted to hold her, but he knew if he took her in his arms she’d fall to pieces. He needed her to hold it together a little longer.

“Is Ron on his way?” Rob asked.

“Yes,” she confirmed, “He wasn’t far away, so they said he could be here in five or ten minutes. They’re dispatching a couple of deputies too.”

“Thank you, Honey,” he nodded, “Are you OK?”

“I will be,” she tried to smile, “I hear a siren. That must be him.”

“Go inside,” he requested, “Stay with the boys. I’ll handle this.”

Ron was the first one on the scene, as Rob had hoped, so Terry and Rob were able to give him a quick run down before anyone else arrived. Rob trusted Ron and knew he would understand the whole situation. After taking Bob’s gun, trading the ropes for handcuffs, and putting Bob into the backseat of the patrol car, he came back to talk to Rob and Terry.

“Do you boys want to press charges?” Ron asked.

“No,” Rob told him, “Just scare him enough he won’t do this again. He lives in Wichita, so as long as he goes back, I don’t care.”

“I can do that,” Rob chuckled, “Guess you’re collecting that favor I owe you.”

“We’re even,” Rob smiled, “Listen, Ron. This timing is about as bad is it could get. Paula and I are trying to get approval to adopt a little girl we know. The social worker is here and saw this whole thing…”

“You want me to take a statement?” Ron offered, “Make this look real official?”

“That might help,” Rob nodded, “She’s wanting to know about the boys this summer too. She may ask you about it. She’s quite a character.”

“Who is it?” Ron asked.

“Rita Wilson,” Rob answered.

“Say no more,” Ron laughed, “Send her out here and I’ll take care of her.”

Ron spoke with Rita at length, then hauled Bob away. Two deputies had arrived, in the meantime, and oversaw the operation of calling a tow truck to come and retrieve Bob’s car and haul it to headquarters in Marshfield. Rob had to chuckle at the sight of Bob’s precious car bouncing down the lane behind a tow truck.

Rita left after speaking with the sheriff. Terry disappeared into Linda’s apartment for quite some time, but Rob let it slide. He felt he owed it to his brother. Terry had no doubt saved Rob’s life today. Mitch and Jenny came over for dinner and listened to the whole story in detail. Rob noticed that Paula was unusually silent throughout the rest of the day and evening and he was worried about her.

Dutch called during dinner to report that Chelsea had gotten the doctor’s approval to resume normal activity. He was also proud to announce that the baby was most certainly a girl. After listening to his good news, Rob gave Dutch a quick summary of the day’s events and asked him to pass it along to Davey and thank him again.

When Rob came into the bedroom and shut the door, he found Paula still dressed and sitting on the edge of the bed. He slid his boots off and started to unbutton his flannel shirt. She watched him in silence.

“Paula,” he stopped and sat down next to her, “Talk to me, Honey. I know you’re upset. Tell me why.”

“You knew he was coming,” she observed, almost monotone.

“Yes, thank God,” Rob nodded, “If Terry hadn’t been here, I’m afraid someone would have gotten hurt…maybe even killed.”

“Why didn’t I know?” Paula asked, staring at him.

“Because I didn’t think I should waltz into the living room,” he explained, “And announce to Miss High and Mighty that a psychopath was on his way over here. I was hoping to get rid of her before he arrived.”

“That’s not what I mean, Rob,” Paula clarified, “I mean, you had someone watching Bob. Why didn’t I know that?”

“Paula,” he sighed, “It wasn’t a plan. It just happened. Dutch’s friend had friends in Wichita and they said they’d keep an eye on Bob. That’s all. It’s not like I hired a private eye to tail him.”

She looked at him in utter disbelief. He was unaccustomed to that from Paula. She always trusted him. Always believed anything he told her. Not this time. This time she wasn’t buying a word he said.

“Honey,” he implored, “Don’t look at me like that. Don’t you believe me?”

“Rob,” she was holding back tears, “You’re still not telling me everything. Why are you keeping things from me? You’ve never kept things from me before.”

“Because the less you know about this,” he explained, “the better. I’m protecting you, Paula. It doesn’t concern you. You don’t need to know.”

“It doesn’t concern me?” Tears started flowing now, “A man shows up in my front yard and points a gun at my husband and you say it doesn’t concern me?!”

“That’s not what I mean,” he reassured. It killed him to see Paula cry. He was going to have to come clean with her now. “Please, Paula, don’t cry. Come here, Sweetheart.”

She let him take her into his arms and he felt her sobbing. His shirt was unbuttoned, so he could feel her tears and her breath on his bare chest. He held her close and let her cry. He knew she’d been scared today. He had been scared too.

Finally, he spoke softly to her, “Honey, listen to me. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you all this. I didn’t think Bob would show up with a gun. I didn’t even know Bob had a gun. I wasn’t trying to hide things from you, Baby. I’ll tell you everything I know, OK?”

He felt her nod and snuggle closer to him, so he went on, “Dutch’s friend, Davey, he was the one who led the escort back to Wichita with Bob. He asked a friend of his down there to keep an eye on Bob. I didn’t find this out until after the fact. Dutch came to me a while back and told me that Davey’s friend had noticed someone else tailing Bob. Dutch and I thought it was a good idea to see why. It turns out, Bob owes a lot of money to some loan shark and this guy’s trying to collect. We don’t know what the money was for, but we’ve been watching to see what happened.

“Today, when Jason came in after me,” Rob explained, “it was because Davey was here looking for Dutch. His friend called to tell him Bob was on his way here. I went down to Linda’s and called Mitch and Terry from there. That’s the whole story.”

“Rob,” she pulled back and looked up at him, “Please don’t keep things from me. I’m your wife. We’re supposed to face these things together.”

“I’m sorry,” he kissed her, “Forgive me, Honey.”

“I’m not angry with you,” she assured, “But it hurts me when you don’t trust me enough to share things with me.”

“It has nothing to do with trust,” he told her, his mind flashing to his suspicions about Emily’s lineage. He knew this was his opportunity to confess. He should tell Paula now and get it over with. “I trust you with anything and everything, Sweetheart. I just don’t want to worry you when it’s not necessary…”

“Rob,” she put her hand on his face, “I love you. We’ve never kept secrets from each other. We can’t start now.”

“I know,” he swallowed hard. He had to come clean now. Then she reached up and kissed him. She slid one hand back to let his hair down and pushed his shirt off of his shoulders with the other. His love for her and his passion of the moment pushed the thought of further confessions aside. It would wait. Making love to Paula would not…

~*~

Rob lay awake in the darkness. Paula’s deep breaths against his chest told him she was asleep. He was full of conflicting emotions. A part of him was content to simply hold the woman he loved more than life itself, but much of him was in turmoil over not being honest with her about Emily. Now that he suspected Emily was his granddaughter, he felt even more urgency in getting custody of her. He had no doubt that Paula would agree, but he knew she would be hurt that he had waited so long to tell her. And he had no proof, not even conclusive evidence, to substantiate his theory. Was it worth hurting her if he was wrong? He finally drifted off to sleep, still wondering what to do.

~*~

It was two days later when the decision was removed his hands. Rob was in the arena office Thursday morning when Bear jumped up and started growling. Rob looked up to see Rita Wilson coming into the office.

“Bear,” Rob scolded and the dog sat down, “Hello, Ms. Wilson. Come in. What can I do for you?”

Rita shut the door behind her, “An apt question. I’ve come to tell you what you can do for me. I’m here to make you a deal.”

“A deal?” Rob raised his brows.

“Your wife is a pillar of virtue,” Rita stated, “Your sons are remarkable examples of how children should be. You, on the other hand, have a history wrought with misdeeds and shady incidents. As it stands, I can make you or break you. I can make you look like a sinner turned saint or I can make you look like an ongoing train wreck. It’s up to you.”

“So what’s the deal?” He asked.

“I can get you something you want,” she posed, “If you give me something I want. I’m sure I can get you custody of Emily. Will you give me what I want, in exchange?”

“What do you want?” He wasn’t about to agree to anything blindly.

“You,” she stated flatly.

“Excuse me?” He must have misunderstood her meaning.

“Right here,” she challenged, starting to unbutton her blouse, “Right now. This door locks and these blinds close. That’s my price. Is she worth it?”

A million thoughts came cascading into Rob’s mind at once, as he realized she was completely serious. A million emotions flooded into him behind those thoughts. One thought overwhelmed them all: Paula.

“Any man who would do such a thing,” he spoke evenly, standing up to tower over her, “would not be worthy to call that little girl his own.”

“Then your answer is no?” She asked, buttoning her blouse back up.

“My answer is no,” he pointed at the door, “Now, leave and don’t come back.”

She turned and left and Rob sunk back into his chair. He felt all the weight of the world pressing down on his shoulders. He leaned back, closed his eyes, and let the tears fall. He had no idea how long he sat there before he felt Paula’s hand on his shoulder.

“Rob,” she spoke softly, “Honey, what’s wrong?”

He opened his eyes and looked into Paula’s deep brown ones. She wiped the tears from his cheeks and he pulled her onto his lap, burying his face in her hair. It was loose today and he wanted to hide in it.

“Shh,” Paula comforted, “Rob, tell me what happened. I saw Rita’s car down here. That was hours ago. What did she say?”

“Paula,” he leaned his head back so he could look at her, “I’ve lost her. I had no choice. She had me in a corner…”

“Rob,” Paula stopped him, “What are you talking about?”

“Rita,” he took a deep breath, “She offered me a deal. Said she’d either make me look good so we’d get Emily, or make me look bad so we’d lose our chance. I had to give her what she wanted for Emily.”

“That’s blackmail,” Paula pointed out, “What did she want?”

“Paula,” he shook his head, “I couldn’t do it. I love you, Paula…I could never…”

“Couldn’t do what?” Paula pressed.

“She wanted me to…” he couldn’t even bring himself to say it, “Paula, I could never betray you…not even for my own…Oh God, Paula! What have I done?”

“Honey,” Paula spoke gently, “take a deep breath. You’re not making any sense. What did Rita ask you to do?”

“She said she wanted me for Emily,” he stated, “Right here and right now. Those were her exact words.”

Paula’s eyes nearly popped out, “Sex?! She asked you to have sex with her?”

“She didn’t ask,” he corrected, “She demanded it.”

“Rob,” Paula told him, “You should report her.”

“Who would believe me?” He remarked, “Only you, Paula. With my track record, no one would take my word over hers. She’d turn it all around and say I tried to rape her or something.”

“What did you say?” Paula asked.

“That if I did such a thing,” he remembered, “I wouldn’t deserve Emily.”

“Oh, Rob,” Paula wrapped her arms around his neck, “I’m so proud of you. Those words were like the Wisdom of Solomon. Honey, don’t give up. We haven’t lost her yet.”

“Yes, I have,” he sighed, “And there’s something I have to tell you, Paula. I should’ve told you before. I started to tell you the other night, but I…Paula, please forgive me for this.”

“For what, Honey?” She caressed his cheek.

“For not telling you this sooner,” he explained, “It’s important and it concerns you and I shouldn’t have kept it to myself…even worse, I did talk to Jason about it. I should have talked to you, not him. I was wrong not to tell you, Paula. I know I was wrong…But I’m begging you not to be angry with me…I need you right now…”

“Rob, Honey,” she brushed away the tears that he felt falling again, “Just tell me. It’s OK.”

“My heart is breaking right now, Paula,” he confessed, “I need you to help me get through this.”

She gently kissed him, “I promise. I won’t be angry. I’ll help you, Rob. No matter what. Now, tell me.”

“I think Emily is my granddaughter,” he admitted, watching Paula’s face go white, “I don’t know for sure. I’ve been trying to find out. I may never know. The people who knew…they’re all dead.”

“Start at the beginning,” she swallowed hard, obviously struggling to retain her composure.

“When Emily started calling me ‘Daddy’,” Rob told her, “I thought it was odd, but I just let it go. Then, Bear took to me and Mitch like he knew us. Like we smelled or looked familiar to him. When Emily saw Mitch the first time, she called him ‘Daddy’ too. I was still trying to ignore it up to that point. But the day they came to visit when it was raining, we sat and looked at photo albums. She saw a picture of Jason when he was five and called him ‘Bubby’.

“That’s when Jason and I started searching for information,” Rob relayed, “We found the article online about the wreck. We discovered that her brother was five when he died. We also found out that her father was 25, his middle name was Robert, and his parents had lived in Rolla.”

Paula was staring at him intently. He had seen this look on her face only once before. After the twins were born, he had sat on her hospital bed and explained to her that she could never have any more children. That he had persuaded the doctor to perform a tubal ligation on her at the time of the c-section, without her approval. Now, she was looking at him with the same combination of horror, disappointment and pain.

“His parents are dead,” Rob went on, “He’s dead…I haven’t been able to find a photo of him…But the ages, the places…Paula, it’s very possible. If her father looked like me and Mitch…If her brother looked like Jason…Paula, I can’t let someone else raise that child. Not if there’s even a remote chance she’s my granddaughter.”

He saw her jaw tighten before she spoke. Just like in the hospital, when she had neither yelled nor cried, but simply listened, comprehended, and gone on. She had told him that it was done and couldn’t be changed and they were blessed with three sons. They had never spoken of it again.

“We’ll find a way, Rob,” she spoke in that same firm tone, “We’ll do whatever it takes to get her here, with her family, where she belongs.”

He pulled her close and soaked in her strength and love and goodness. He didn’t deserve her love or her loyalty and he knew it. But she was always there for him, no matter what.

“I love you, Paula,” he whispered in her ear, barely able to speak. He was overcome with the emotions welling up inside him right now.

“It’s OK, Rob,” she assured, “I love you, too. Darling, listen to me, OK?”

He pulled back to look at her and nodded.

“I have an idea,” she told him, “But you have to trust me to handle this. If I leave, can you fix the boys their lunch and stay up at the house with them?”

“Leave?” He didn’t want Paula going anywhere right now.

“Rob,” she requested, “Please just trust me. I’ll tell you everything when I get back home. Can you pull yourself together enough right now to go take care of the boys?”

He drew a deep breath and nodded, “Yes. Paula, where are you going? What are you going to do?”

“This time,” she put her fingers across his lips, “You have to let me handle it. You’ve always taken care of everything. Solved every problem or crisis this family has ever faced. This time, it’s my turn.”