Chapter Eight – Levi
Levi
It took everything I had not to go over to Rhett and Emeline. At first, they were sitting next to each other on the steps, then Emeline moved in front of Rhett. When I saw him wipe away a tear, I nearly walked over. Something inside of me told me to stay where I was.
Then Rhett threw his arms around Emeline and hugged her.
My knees about buckled out from under me as I stood there and watched my son show more emotion with Emeline than I’d ever seen him show to anyone.
His therapist had said Rhett kept his feelings inside, and that was mostly okay because he at least talked to me about them sometimes.
I just had to continue to be patient and let him know I was there anytime he needed me.
I thought back to a few minutes ago, when he’d declared that he hated his mother. Granted, Caroline wasn’t the perfect mother, but she loved her children. I was sure of that.
Wasn’t I?
Emeline stood, took Rhett’s hand, and headed back to me. When I saw her face, I instantly knew something was wrong.
As she approached, she forced a smile. “I was thinking it might be kind of fun for Rhett to see the working side of our operation. Maybe Caden can show him what it’s like to ride out on the ranch, if he’s an experienced-enough rider.”
Confused by the request, I replied, “He is. Is that something you’d like to do, Rhett?”
His eyes lit up. “Be like a real cowboy?”
Emeline chuckled. “Yep. But we need to go back inside and get your cowboy hat. Would you mind doing that while I call Caden?”
She wasn’t giving me much of a choice in the matter. “Um, yeah, let’s go get your hat, bud.”
Emeline dropped Rhett’s hand, pulled out her phone, and walked away.
As we walked back into the main building of the camp, I asked, “Everything okay?”
Rhett nodded. “I like Ms. Emeline a whole lot.”
I smiled. “Yeah, she’s one of a kind.”
“Do you like her?” he asked as he placed his black cowboy hat onto his head.
“Sure, I like her.”
“Will you date her?”
I let out a laugh. “I like Emeline as a friend. I’ve always liked her as a friend, but I don’t feel that way toward her.”
Except, suddenly, I felt like I was telling my son a lie.
He frowned.
“You’re sure you’re okay? Did you want to talk about what you said earlier?”
Rhett shook his head. “Not right now. I wanna go riding.”
Giving him a nod, I said, “Well, let’s go see if Uncle Caden is free.”
As we walked back outside and toward the Mule, I saw a truck pulling up.
It was the ranch truck, and sitting inside were Caden and his younger brother, Gatlin.
You couldn’t ask for more authentic cowboys than these two.
Both got out, Gatlin basically identical to Caden in jeans, boots, a T-shirt that said River Falls Cattle, and a dark cowboy hat. His face exploded into a wide grin.
“If it isn’t Levi Tucker!”
I walked toward him and reached my hand toward his outstretched one.
We shook, then Gatlin pulled me into a quick hug, slapping the shit out of my back.
He may have been younger than Caden by five years, but they might as well have been twins.
The only difference in their physical appearance was that Caden’s eyes were the color of the sky, and Gatlin’s looked more gray.
“It’s good to see you, Gatlin.”
“I couldn’t believe it when Caden told me you were back for good!” He glanced down and smiled at Rhett. Tapping his hat, he asked, “And who’s this cowboy?”
“Rhett, this is Gatlin, Caden and Emeline’s brother.”
Reaching his hand out to shake Gatlin’s, Rhett said, “Can I call you Uncle Gatlin?”
Gatlin glanced at me, then down to Rhett. “Hell yes, you can!”
Smacking her brother on the arm as she walked back up, Emeline said, “Gatlin! Language.”
Looking sheepish, he replied, “Not used to littles.”
“It’s okay, it’s not like he hasn’t heard a curse word.”
Rhett nodded. “My daddy says ‘fuck’ all the time.”
“Rhett,” I warned.
He covered his mouth with a hand and giggled.
“Little dude, how would you like to go riding with me and Caden? Maybe help us check on some cows?”
I watched as my son nearly exploded with excitement. “Can I, Daddy? Please?”
“He’s a good rider, but you’ll give him a calm horse? And no running. He’s not there yet.”
“I can run!” Rhett argued.
Caden grinned as he reached down and lifted Rhett effortlessly. “I promise we’ll keep him safe, Levi.”
I walked over and kissed Rhett on the cheek. He tried to squirm away as he pushed me and said, “Dad, not in front of Emeline!”
Holding up my hands in surrender, I took a few steps back. “Sorry. Listen to Uncle Caden and Gatlin, okay?”
Caden glanced at his sister.
“Thirty-minute ride?” she replied to the unspoken question. “We’ll meet you at the barn.”
“Sounds good,” Caden said before they turned and headed to the truck.
Once they were driving off, I looked at Emeline. “So? Why did you send my son away?”
She swallowed hard. “There’s something I need to tell you. Something that Rhett shared with me, and I thought it was best if he didn’t see your reaction.”
Panic instantly hit me square in the chest. “What is it?”
Wringing her hands, she motioned for us to go back into the building. She walked to the kitchen and retrieved a bottle of water from the fridge. “Do you want one?”
“What I want is for you to tell me what’s going on, Emeline.”
Sliding onto a barstool, Emeline closed her eyes, then opened them again. “I have to ask you a question first.”
“Ask it,” I said brusquely. I knew I was being rude, but I wanted to know what the hell was going on.
“Is Brooke…” She closed her eyes again and whispered fuck. Opening them, she met my gaze. “Is Brooke your biological daughter?”
Taking a step back, I let out a humorless laugh. “What the hell kind of question is that, Emeline?”
“Rhett was really upset.”
I folded my arms over my chest and glared. “Yes, I witnessed that too.”
She let out a breath. “He told me that his mother said she didn’t want him.”
I started to say something, but she held up her hand.
“Let me just get it all out. I asked him if she’d said that before or after Brooke had gone to Heaven. He said before. Then he said that Caroline had told him not to tell anyone…including you.”
My arms dropped to my sides as I balled my fists. “Go on.”
“Rhett said that one day when he was playing with his sister, he threw one of his soldiers into the air and it hit Brooke. She started crying, and Caroline came into the room and got mad at Rhett.”
She paused, like she was second-guessing telling me this.
“Keep going.”
Another exhale before she said, “Caroline told him that she’d never wanted him…
and that she was glad Brooke and Rhett didn’t have the same father.
He didn’t understand what she meant, of course.
And when he asked, I think she must’ve realized what she let slip.
She told him she didn’t mean it, she was just upset, and that he wasn’t to ever tell anyone, including you. ”
Confused, I leaned back against the counter. “She told Rhett she’d never wanted him?”
Emeline nodded, then frowned. “That was the part that stuck out the most?”
“You’re referring to the part about not having the same father. Is that why you asked if I was Brooke’s father? You think I’m not?”
With a shrug, Emeline replied, “What else am I supposed to think, Levi? A six-year-old wouldn’t make up something like that. So I figured maybe she had an affair, and Brooke was a result. You said you were having problems in your marriage, so when Rhett told me that…”
Her voice trailed off.
Scrubbing my hands down my face, I drew in a deep breath and let it out. “How could she tell him she didn’t want him?”
Emeline slowly shook her head. “I don’t know. It broke my heart in two. I’ll be honest with you, I wanted to choke Caroline. Then Rhett hugged me, and I nearly lost it. I knew I couldn’t tell you any of this in front of him since he was already so worried about telling you.”
Pushing off the counter, I started to pace. “I’m fighting between calling Caroline and bitching her out, and driving to Denver to personally confront her. Ask her what the hell she meant by them not sharing the same father.”
“Don’t be mad at me but…did Brooke look like you?”
“Yes! Even my mother used to comment on how much Brooke looked like me as a baby.” I shook my head. “She was my child, Emeline. I know deep inside my soul that she was mine.”
She stood and walked over to me, taking my hands in hers. “If you don’t ask Caroline, you’ll second-guess it for the rest of your life, Levi. But, in the end, it won’t matter. Because you loved her and she loved you.”
The feel of her hands in mine caused a strange sensation in my entire body that I quickly attempted to ignore. I didn’t want to admit to myself how good it felt to have a woman touching me so tenderly.
As if reading my mind, she dropped my hands and took a step back. I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my phone. Hitting Caroline’s number, I drew in a breath.
“I’ll leave.”
“No!” I said quickly. “Please stay.”
Looking as if she wanted to be anywhere but here, she slid back onto the stool.
“What is it, Levi? I have a friend over.”
“Hello to you, too, Caroline.”
She let out a soft laugh. “Hello. If you’re calling about the divorce papers, I’ll sign them. I’ve been…busy.”
“I’m calling because I want to know why you told Rhett that he and Brooke didn’t have the same father. He has no idea what you meant. But I have a feeling I do.”
The line went silent. Then she cleared her throat. “I was angry that day, Levi. You and I had been fighting, and I just vented.”
“To our son? How old was he when you told him you never wanted him, Caroline?”
“It was before the accident. The day before.”
“Fucking hell! How do you even say that to your own child?!”
“Because Rhett loved you, Levi! He worshiped the ground you walked on, and Brooke was following his lead. It was said out of anger, and I told him I didn’t mean it. That I said it because I was upset with you and not him.”