house, think again.â His tears gave him away as being a big softy. Some of her earliest memories were of begging Wyatt to let her into whatever his latest club might be. Heâd usually torture her with tickling, only to grant her entry eventually.
On the fringe of her family stood strangers to whom she was now related by marriage. Dallas introduced her to his twins, Bonnie and Betsy. More guilt weighed on Daisy with the realization that she shouldâve been there for Dallas when heâd lost his first love, Bobbie Jo.
âNice to meet you,â Bonnie said. âDid you bring presents?â
âBonnie!â Dallas scolded.
âItâs okay, Daddy,â Betsy said, âI wanna know, too.â
Daisy laughed through more tears. âIâm sorry, but I forgot your gifts. Next time Iâm here though, weâll skip all of this hugging and go straight to opening presents. Deal?â
Bonnie ambushed her with a surprise hug. âI like you.â
Returning the childâs embrace, missing her son, Daisy said, âI like you, too. Letâs be great friends.â
âWhat about me?â Betsy asked.
âYouâre going to be my great friend, too.â Hugging both girls, Daisy couldnât help but hope the girls would also grow close to their cousin, Kolt. He might be older than them, but he was still a little kid at heart.
âAnd this,â Dallas said, his arm around the shoulders of a pretty redhead who held an infant swaddled in pink, âis my wife, Josie, and our daughter, Mabel.â
âSheâs precious,â Daisy cooed to the baby. âYou, too,â she said to her sister-in-law. âI was always so sick of being the only girl. Nice to know Iâll now have company.â
âThen I hope weâll be friends, too,â a brunette said, Cash alongside her with his arm resting low on her hips. âMy nameâs Wren, and we also have a baby. Her name is Robin, but she has a cold so we left her home with her sitter.â
âNice meeting you,â Daisy said, overwhelmed by not only how her family had grown, but by the outpouring of affection. Would they still be so welcoming once shetold them her news? âI hope your baby feels better soon. Sick kiddos are never fun.â
âIf you donât mind my asking,â Wren probed, âwhy didnât you bring your son?â
âUm, I wanted his first meeting with all of you to be unfettered. With so much time having passed, I have a lot to discuss that I donât particularly want him to hear.â Dallas loved Henry like a second fatherâas did all of her brothers. There was no telling how theyâd react to Daisyâs confession. The last thing she wanted was for Kolt to be present when that awful, inevitable conversation finally took place.
âFair enough,â Wren said.
âWhoâs hungry?â Georgina asked. âIâve got enough ham and trimmings ready to be set out on the dining-room table to feed a small army.â
âGood thing,â Wyatt said, trailing after her. âThatâs just about how many folks we have.â
Â
W ITH THE SETTING SUN spilling gold into the ranch homeâs living room, family all around her and her motherâs apple pie still warming her belly, Daisy shouldâve been content. Instead, while her brothers and sisters-in-law helped clean the kitchen, she sat ramrod-straight on the sofa, fidgeting with her only ring. An emerald sheâd bought for herself after passing the bar exam. Always having been a huge Wizard of Oz fan, the stone reminded her that while thereâs no place like home, Dorothy had gained her true strength in the journey, not the end result. Daisy had weathered many stormsto return her to this place. But she still had a couple to go.
First, she needed to find the courage to expose Henry. Second, sheâd return and introduce her son.
Two huge obstacles that at
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