When You're Keeping Secrets (Sagebrush Ranch in Montana Book 8)

Chapter 1

Grant pulledhis truck into a parking space right in front of the Sweet Everything Bakery. Nick had been begging to come here ever since he’d arrived, and Grant had always been busy. It was strange being a father to a child he hadn’t met until about two months ago.

The kid looked so much like his mother, it was uncanny.

He had the perfect vantage point from his position to watch his son in the rearview mirror without being caught. Nick seemed older than his six years, and it wasn’t only the fact that he was on the taller side. Losing his mother in a car accident had to have contributed to that. He’d been fatherless for all his life, and now he was motherless.

The pangs of guilt swirling inside Grant hadn’t gotten easier to handle. His ex should have told him about their child. Grant had lost so much time and he wished he”d at least touched base with Dee in the first few years after their split.

But he wasn’t going to dwell on those issues, not today.

They were supposed to be having fun. It was the first day he didn’t have to meet with any lawyers or social workers. There was no paperwork to pick up, sign, or deliver. Today, he and his son were going to spend the whole day doing what Nick wanted to do.

Nick lifted his head as his father’s eyes bored into him. He grinned and held up the notebook he had in his lap. “Look. I drew a picture of Mom on a horse.”

That guilt from earlier returned with a vengeance, but this time it was joined by a deep, seething ache. Dee was gone. She would never share her smile or laughter with anyone again. They hadn’t even seen each other for almost seven years. He wasn’t still in love with his ex, but at this moment in time, her support would have been helpful.

Grant forced a smile. “That’s great buddy.”

“This horse lives at Sagebrush. I got to ride her once when Grandma let me visit her.”

As far as grandmothers went, Charlotte was pretty run-of-the-mill. She loved her grandson and spoiled him when she had the chance. She was also critical of her former son-in-law’s life decisions. She probably held some residual anger from when Grant had cut himself off from her daughter.

Still, she was the only one left in Nick’s life that remained a constant, and Grant couldn’t take that away from him. Thankfully, she’d been available to take care of Nick after the accident while Grant got his affairs in order.

Nodding toward the bakery, he reached for the handle of his car door. “You ready to get those black forest brownies that you keep telling me about?”

Nick nodded vigorously and placed his notebook aside. “They’re really good.” He released his seatbelt and shot another glance toward Grant. “Can we get one for Grandma, too?”

“Sure, bud. We’ll make sure your grandma Charlotte gets a nice big one.”

He stepped out of the car and reached for the back door, but Nick pushed it open before he had a chance to get it. Nick beamed at him. “After brownies, I want to see a movie.”

“You do, huh? Which one?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Grant laughed. “Well, we’re not going to go to the theater unless there”s a movie showing that you really want to see. How about I look up the movie times.”

He pulled his phone from his pocket and before he could open the browser, a call came popped up on the screen. He bit back a groan. What was his lawyer doing calling him on a Saturday?

Unless a problem had popped up regarding the custody of his son.

Grant stared at the numbers scrolling across the screen, hesitating. He’d only had Nick in his life for two months. He couldn’t lose everything he’d gained so far.

“Dad!” Nick tugged on his arm, his voice impatient. “You said we”re having brownies. I want to get one.”

Waving his son off, Grant shook his head. “Hold on, kiddo. I have to take this call.”

“But you said you weren’t going to work today.” Nick pouted.

Grant got one look at his son, the disappointment flooding his features, before he glanced toward the bakery. It was only a few feet away. This town was so small that Grant was pretty sure he’d met everyone. What would the harm be if he let his son pick out a few brownies on his own? The risks were low from where he was standing.

He pulled out his wallet and grabbed a crisp twenty-dollar bill. “You go get us our brownies, I’m going to take this call and I’ll be right here waiting for you to come back out.”

Nick’s look of shock would have been better enjoyed if Grant didn’t have to worry about why his lawyer had left a message. “You want me to get the brownies? By myself?”

Grant shot a look at his son. “Sure, bud. It’s a rite of passage.”

“What does that mean?”

He waved him toward the shop. “Just head inside and tell the nice person behind the counter that you want three brownies. Then give them the money. I’ll be right out here.”

A group of boys looking to be about ten years old moved past them to gain entrance to the store. It didn’t look like any adults were with them, but they seemed to know what they were doing—and based on what Grant had seen in this slow-paced town, there wasn’t much to worry about.

Grant found the contact information for his lawyer and nodded to the store once more. “Go on, then. You don’t want to wait too long. Those boys looked pretty hungry.”

Nick’s eyes widened and he darted toward the door just as the lawyer picked up his phone.

“Grant, thanks for calling back so quickly. We have some updates on your custody case.”

“Didn’t you submit all the paperwork? I thought you said this would be cut and dried. Montana law would trump her wishes.”

His lawyer sighed. “Her will stipulated that you get the letter that tells you Nick is yours. But she never updated it to reflect that she wanted you have sole custody. We’ve recovered some information that suggests she wanted her mother to share custody.”

Grant’s brows furrowed. “Charlotte is involved. That’s why I moved here. I planned on raising him close to his grandmother for a reason. Heck, I took an extended leave of absence from the business I own and sold everything I had back home, all to come out here to raise him in the place he already knows as home.” He heard the frustration entering his voice with each sentence he spit out. “Is it the business? That’s the only thing tying me to Nashville. We can tell the judge I’ll sell if that will help.”

“Take a breath, Grant. This isn’t the end-all. Charlotte loves her grandson. I don’t think we’re going to get much pushback. The only thing you need to know is that this will make the process take a bit longer. We’re going to have to sit down with Charlotte and have her sign some documents.”

“Why? As long as I agree to let her be Nick’s grandmother that should be enough.”

“With child custody, that can be tricky. If she’s got any reservations over handing you full custody, that will come out when we get to court.”

“Reservations?” Grant dragged a rough hand down his face and groaned. “Do you hear how bad that sounds? I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation. I’m his father, for heaven’s sake. That’s all that should matter.”

John continued to pile it on. “That’s the thing, though. Yes, we can see that the two of you were married. But you got that marriage annulled. And when she had Nick… well, she didn’t put you as the father on the birth certificate.”

“Yeah, I know all of that. What difference does it make?”

After a brief pause John sighed. “The difference is that some judges won’t award you anything without a trial period. You weren’t in the kid’s life for his first six years. You’re not listed on the birth certificate, and besides that letter, there’s no other proof?—”

“Proof? You want proof? Do a DNA test. I don’t care how you get this to work, but you need to figure it out.”

“I understand this is frustrating for you?—”

“Frustrating? This is?—”

“But I’ll remind you no one is trying to take him away from you. Nick is in your care, and that’s all that matters. We will get this sorted out. I promise.”

The door to the shop opened and the group of boys hurried out. Shortly after, Nick burst from the building.

“Hey, Dad, those guys are going to play at the statue in the square. Can I go with them?”

Grant followed his son’s gesture in the direction where the boys had run. About six different stores gave a perfect view of the statue. Grant didn’t want his son running off, but he knew how important it was for Nick to have friends.

His hesitation was brought to a quick end when John’s voice broke into his thoughts. “What do you think? Can I move forward with that plan?”

“Look, John, I’m doing something with my son today. Can you call me back on Monday when I have more time to think about it?”

“Of course. I’ll put you down in my calendar.”

Grant hung up the phone without saying goodbye and crouched down next to his son. “Those boys look to be a little older than you. Are you sure you can keep up?”

Nick straightened as tall as he could. “I bet I can. Besides, one of them asked me if I wanted to come. He said he has a brother who’s going to be there, too.”

Grant shot a look toward the statue, and sure enough younger children mixed with the older ones. While it was strange to be called “dad” by a child, he already knew what kind of father he wanted to be. He wanted to instill independence in his son. He wanted Nick to learn through his experiences. Did that mean he was going to leave his kid to do whatever he wanted? Of course not.

“Okay, kiddo. I’ll take you over there.”

“No, I want to go myself.”

Grant frowned. “But?—”

“I’m almost seven, Dad. I can do it.” The kid had the biggest puppy-dog eyes of anyone, and they reminded Grant of Dee’s own blue eyes. How could he say no to that?

“Okay, but I’m going to keep an eye on you from over there at the hardware store. I have to pick up a part for our leaky sink. After that, we’ll go to the park and eat our brownies. How does that sound?”

Nick shoved the paper bag from the store into his hand. “Thanks, Dad.”

Grant spun around as Nick rushed past him. “Where’s the extra money?”

Nick slowed and glanced at him over his shoulder. “Isn’t that what a tip is for?”

Chuckling, Grant shook his head. For a kid who was six going on seven, Nick acted like he was a couple years older. That must have come from being an only child, practically raised on the ranch where his grandmother worked.

He headed toward the hardware store and quickly found what he was looking for. As he was checking out, he noticed a woman standing at the statue. No, not just any woman. She wasn’t a parent, she was an officer clad in a khaki uniform. All the children had scattered, leaving Nick on his own.

The sheriff was tall with long legs that would put a ballerina to shame. While her chestnut-colored hair was pulled back into a tight bun, he thought about running his hands through it.

He shook off that thought. It didn’t matter that her uniform fit her figure perfectly—she was currently speaking with Nick, who had managed to climb onto the back of a horse and cowboy statue. That wasn’t the problem. It was the expression on Grant’s son’s face that set his dad-mode into overdrive.

Nick looked pale as a ghost. His crest-fallen look said it all. She was scaring him to death, and Grant wasn’t going to let anyone—not even a sheriff—lecture a poor kid who only needed a little guidance. He strode forward, his long legs covering the distance quickly.

“I wasn’t aware it was in a cop’s job description to pick on kids when they’re just being kids.”

She stiffened and slowly turned to face him.