Coming home

chapter 20

Kathryn hadn’t quite known what to do when she heard that James was still on the ranch. She had thought he would have moved on years ago and owned his own spread. He was so passionate about the whole ranch life that she had thought he would have owned one of his own by now and that he would have left here. There had never been much of a chance to own anything around this area unless it was willed to you, except for the odd way the Smith’s just sold out and left. She never quite understood what happened there, but somehow Luke Brooks had snatched it up right from under everyone’s noses. She wasn’t sure how that happened either.

Kathryn has never come home since she left. Being an adopted child to already elderly parents, she couldn’t bring herself to defile their name because of what she had done. When her mother and father got down in health, she convinced them to come stay with her and hired a caretaker to care for her childhood home. Now that they were both gone and with her husband's passing, she thought it was a good time to return and get back to the only roots she had ever known. It even felt like fate when she learned about the temp job at the Roaming J. She felt like she could just ease back home and blend back in.

Having James still here is going to make things harder. When she left, she was so hurt and angry. She hadn’t had a plan, just an intense sense of family loyalty and to try to keep her mistakes from affecting her parents, so she collected her check, packed, and took off not knowing where she would end up. The only thing she had to her name was her car and her newly required teaching diploma. She went from place to place looking for employment. She had even slept in her car to save what little money she had.

As luck would have it, Kathryn eventually found a job as a live-in nanny and maid before she ran completely out of money. It wasn’t exactly the long-term job she had hoped for, but as it turned out, it was exactly what she had needed. Her employer, Henry, was a wealthy doctor who had lost his wife to cancer. He needed someone to start immediately.

All in all, it was a good setup for Kathryn. The only fallback was that, for some reason, Henry’s sister-in-law, Rene, wasn’t on board with the idea. Rene had been helping him with the children since her sister's passing but couldn’t stay much longer. When Rene found out Kathryn was the one he hired, she was furious. She told Henry that Kathryn was too young and couldn’t be anything but a gold digger and he was only asking for trouble. Henry, still in mourning for his wife, ended up kicking Rene out of his home that same night. Before Rene left, she confronted Kathryn and told her she would never replace her sister. Things were never kosher between her and Rene. It had taken two holidays after that for Kathryn and Rene to form a truth for the kids' sake. Rene’s resentment grew when Kathryn gave birth to Evert and then again years later when Kathryn and Henry got married.

Rene and Henry’s relationship remained hostile. They didn’t even pretend for the kids' sake. Henry had told Kathryn that they had never liked each other, but she still felt like it was her fault. Kathryn had wanted to tell Rene the story behind Evert, but Henry told her it was none of Rene’s business. Kathryn had never experienced a family that had such discontent with each other. She had tried to mend the rift in different ways, to no avail. After Henry’s death, Rene uncovered the truth and tried to make things difficult, but Henry’s will held up in court, but the damage had already been done. Evert hadn't known the truth. Henry had convinced her that he was better off not knowing. Now Kathryn had no other choice but to cut ties with Rene and decided to move back to her childhood home.

Kathryn couldn’t bring herself to sell the home that Evert was raised in. Being back in her own childhood home made her realize she had made the right decision. Not only for Evert but also for Cindy and Paul. They deserved the same sense of contentment as she was feeling right now. Kathryn looked around the small living room, causing memories to float back to her. She really did have a very happy and loving childhood.

Kathryn’s life got off to a rough start, just like the stray she picked up off the side of the road on her way into town. She couldn’t help herself. The pup looked so pitiful. Kathryn had originally stopped because she thought it had a collar on. She was going to find the owner and reunite them, but what she had thought was a collar was just the pups' white markings. All four feet were white, including her chest. The white from her chest trailed up and ended at the back of her neck. The rest of the pup was a gorgeous bright brindle.

A rough start was an understatement when it came to the pup. She was infested with ticks, ribs showing, and stunk to high heaven. Kathryn had made the decision to take her home before she even checked the s*x of the pup. By then, it was too late to change her mind about it.

Kathryn named the pup Creek because she was found near a creek that was a favorite watering hole for the locals. Within a couple of days, she already had Creek looking healthier and acting energetic like a puppy should. Creek had cleaned up well and was the most beautiful dog Kathryn had ever seen. Kathryn would never understand the evil that made someone leave this pup to survive on the side of the road.

Although Kathryn’s life was a little different, she and Creek shared the being discarded part. The story she had been told was that she was found by the dumpster behind the local police station. She had been taken to the local hospital to be checked out and the Bailey’s had been called. The Bailey’s had been foster parents for years but had stopped because of the heartbreak, but they showed up one last time for the infant in need. It was months before it was decided that Kathryn must have been dropped off by someone just passing through town and that her parentage was never going to be determined. That is when the Bailey’s decided to make her one of their own.

“Yep Creek,” Kathryn said with a sign rubbing Creek behind her ears. “It seems we were destined to find each other.” Creek answered with her own version of a sigh while stretching out for her nap.

For nearly 18 years, Kathryn had lived a life of bliss. They didn’t have a lot, but they did have love. They never made her feel abandoned or all alone in the world. As if it was her fate, she ended up feeling all of them emotions after James. She had hoped that she wouldn’t pass this legacy down to Evertt, but it seemed he was going to suffer her choices. She didn’t know how to precede now. She was going to have to tell at least Evert. She owed him that much. In their last discussion, Evertt had been unsure if he even wanted to involve his biological father in his life. Right then, all he wanted to know was who he was.

Kathryn left out the sordid details of how Evert came into existence. She just told him things didn’t work out. Kathryn also admitted that James hadn’t known about him only because she didn’t want Evert to feel like he wasn’t wanted. She did tell him how she had left and met Henry. She also told him how he was always wanted and how much Henry had adored him from the moment of his birth. She had wanted Evert to know how Henry had saved them both.

Kathryn never felt like a burden or unloved by her parents. She had never felt the need or desire to find her birth parents, so when Henry said Evert never needed to know, she agreed. Now that Henry was gone and Evert knew she wasn’t so sure. Henry hadn’t treated Evert any differently than he did his own biological children and Evert had loved the man that he thought was his father, but now Evert had questions. Up until today, Kathryn didn’t have all that many answers for him. She still didn’t have some answers herself, but she did know where his biological father was now.

Kathryn decided that she would tell Evert before he came next week. She hated the idea of telling him over the phone, but if Evert wanted to meet James, then she would need to find out some of the details of James’ life. Details that she really didn’t want to know herself, like if he married and had other kids. She also wasn’t thrilled about having to talk to or see James, but she would do it for her son's sake. She would do anything for his sake.