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.”

  “Then you go and give him up. Do you know he said he hated you today?”

  A sharp intake of breath came across the phone. She was silent again before she spoke. “Maybe it’s better that he does. I’m not sure I can be a mother to him.”

  “What in the hell are you talking about?”

  “I think he’s better off without me in his life. He’ll be happier, and you and I won’t have to see one another.”

  “You hate me so much that you’d walk away from your own kid?” When she didn’t say anything, I asked, “Was I Brooke’s father?”

  “Yes, of course you were.”

  “Why did you say that to Rhett?”

  “I don’t know.”

  I let out a humorless laugh. “You don’t know?”

  “She is…she was your daughter.”

  “Did you at any time think she might not be?” I asked, feeling a sickness roll through my entire body at the thought of Caroline cheating. When she didn’t say anything yet again, I pressed, “Caroline?”

  “It was a short affair, and I was lonely.”

  My knees almost buckled, and Emeline jumped up and reached for me.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “Who is that?” Caroline barked.

  Ignoring her question, I asked, “You cheated on me?”

  “Levi, we were both so unhappy, and the marriage was clearly over. But I broke things off with him, and then I got pregnant with Brooke when we went on that trip to Italy to try to work things out with our marriage. Obviously, it didn’t work. But I found out I was pregnant the next month, so I couldn’t leave. There was no way I could raise two kids on my own, so I stayed.”

  “Fucking hell, Caroline. You stayed with me solely because you couldn’t make it on your own? Are you serious? Why not just ask me for a divorce before you cheated? The whole damn marriage was started on a lie! What difference would it have made to end it before another one was started?”

  Emeline stepped back and turned away from me. I knew she was debating whether she should leave.

  “I could ask you the same thing? Who’s the person with you? Moving on pretty fast, aren’t you?”

  I laughed. “Says the woman who cheated! Sign the divorce papers and stay the fuck away from me and Rhett, Caroline.”

  Instead of hanging up, I threw my phone across the room against the wall. Emeline jumped and covered a small yelp with her hands.

  I dropped to the floor, back against the counter, put my arms on my knees, and buried my face in my hands. I could hear Emeline saying something, but I knew she wasn’t talking to me.

  How could Caroline cheat? How could she tell our son she didn’t want him?

  “Levi?”

  When I finally looked up, it was to see Caden standing there. Glancing around the kitchen, I didn’t see any signs of Emeline. “I thought you were riding with Rhett?”

  “Emeline called me to come back. Gatlin’s with Rhett, and Emeline left to catch up with them. What happened?”

  My head dropped back against the counter. “Caroline cheated on me right before she got pregnant with Brooke.”

  Caden sat down next to me. “Oh damn. Were you Brooke’s father?”

  I nodded. “She said she broke it off a few months before she found out she was pregnant. She got pregnant in Italy, on the trip we took to try to mend our marriage.” Glancing at Caden, I said, “She wanted to leave the marriage, but when she found out she was pregnant, she stayed because she knew she couldn’t make it on her own,” I said with a bitter laugh. “She only stayed because she couldn’t afford to raise two kids.”

  Caden sighed. “We really know how to pick ’em, don’t we?”

  “At least you didn’t get married to Rachel and have kids with her. Consider yourself lucky in that area.”

  The corner of his mouth twitched. “I asked. More than once.”

  “Should have been a clear red flag, my friend.”

  His smile grew wider, but I could see the pain in his eyes.

  My head fell back again. “I don’t love her, Caden. I did, a very long time ago. She used me to get out of River Falls, and I knew that, but I thought what we had was the real deal.”

  “You know what we need to do?”

  “What?”

  “Go out this Friday night. Get drunk and let off some steam.”

  I was about to agree when I closed my eyes. “Shit. Friday night, I’m going to this perfume-making thing with Emeline. I doubt it will take that long, so maybe we can go out afterward.”

  His brows rose. “I’m sorry, did you say you’re going to make perfume?”

  “Her friend, Lilibeth, owns that shop on Main, and you can make perfume and candles. She’s going to be teaching the kids at summer camp.”

  He rolled his eyes.

  “You should come with us.”

  He gave me a puzzled look. “You want me to go to a perfume-making class?”

  I laughed. “They make cologne, too. Just think, you can mix up your own scent and test it out when we go drinking.”

  “So you do want to go out?”

  With a half-shrug, I replied, “I don’t think we’ll be at Wonderland Whimsy long.”

  Caden let out a groan. “Christ, we need to find your man card again.”

  I stood, and Caden followed. “My man card is fully intact.”

  “Says the guy going to make perfume at a place called Wonderland Whimsy.”

  “When was the last time you were out? Better yet, have you even been with anyone since Rachel?”

  Caden grimaced. “I’ve had a few hookups. Nothing serious.”

  “I tell you what, you come with me and Emeline this Friday, and I’ll go out afterward.”

  He closed his eyes and let out another tortured groan. When he opened them again, he nodded. “I’m only doing this because you need to get laid.”

  I laughed. “You actually think I’m going to find someone here in River Falls?”

  “The number of people coming from Granby each weekend will help with that.”

  My brows raised. “You’re hooking up with tourists?”

  He shrugged. “Why not? I get what I want, the girl gets what she wants, and we go our separate ways.”

  I shook my head. “I’m not interested in one-night stands, Caden.”

  “You say that now.”

  Laughing, I rubbed at the ache in the back of my neck. “We should head over to the barn.”

  By the time we got back to the barn, Emeline, Gatlin, and Rhett were riding up.

  “Dad!” Rhett called out as he approached.

  “Did he just call me dad? One outing with your brother and sister, and my son grew ten years older.”

  Caden laughed.

  I watched as Rhett got off the mare as if he’d done it a thousand times. Rushing over to me, he was practically hyperventilating.

  “Take a deep breath, son,” I said, as I knelt to get eye level with him. Damn if I didn’t love this kid. He was the only good thing I had left in this world, and my only connection to Brooke. I could see her every time I looked into his eyes. It made me both happy and sad. There was no doubt in my mind, they were both my kids. I hated Caroline for what she’d put Rhett through, and now for causing even a single doubt that Brooke was my daughter.

  “Daddy, guess what?”

  My chest squeezed a little at the word daddy. I wasn’t ready for Rhett to move to dad…or worse yet, father. I shuddered.

  “What?” I asked with a smile.

  “Uncle Gatlin roped a calf, and then guess who else did!”

  “Tell me it wasn’t you.”

  “It was Ms. Emeline! She did it better than Uncle Gatlin, and faster, too!”

  “Hey!” Gatlin mock complained as he pulled the saddle off his horse for Marshall to grab. “Thank you, Marshall.”

  I glanced over at Emeline, who was removing her saddle and carrying it herself, following Marshall into the barn to the tack room.

  “That doesn’t surprise me. Did you know that their sister, Ensley, is a farrier?”

  Rhett’s eyes went wide. “She is?”

  Gatlin chimed in. “If you don’t meet her before camp, she’ll be popping in and out helping, and she even demonstrates for the kids what she does.”

  Rhett looked back at me. “I want to meet her!”

  “I’m sure you’ll meet her before camp,” Caden said, placing his hand on Rhett’s head and ruffling his hair.

  Jumping in excitement, Rhett threw himself into me, wrapped his arms around my neck, and said, “I’m so happy we moved to River Falls!”

  I hugged him back. He drew away, a smile still on his face. “Brooke would have loved it here. But I know she’s watching us, ’cause Grammy and Emeline said she was.”

  At that moment, Emeline walked out of the barn and looked our way. She smiled, and I returned the expression. The feeling I experienced from earlier came back, but this time so hard it nearly knocked me back on my ass.

  It was then that I realized why I didn’t want to have a one-night stand with a stranger. And that reason was smiling at me, her blue eyes sparkling.

  Holy shit.

  “How about you help get this saddle off, and we’ll get Dasher all wiped down and give her some oats,” Emeline said to Rhett.

  “Can I, Daddy?”

  “Of course. You rode her, so you need to help get her all settled again.”

  Rhett ran off to help Emeline.

  “She’s a natural with kids,” I said to her brothers, who stood on either side of me as we watched the two of them walk off with Dasher.

  Gatlin smirked and slapped my back. “Watch out there, Levi. You might just find yourself charmed by Emeline, like everyone else. I can’t even tell you how many guys have fought for her attention. But I swear if I didn’t know any better, I’d say she was holding out for someone.”

  I glanced at Gatlin, who simply winked at me before he headed off in the same direction Emeline and Rhett had gone.

  Focusing my attention on Caden, I saw him watching his sister and Rhett.

  “Everything okay?” I asked.

  He smiled. “Yeah. Everything is great.”

  Emeline

  “What’s wrong with you?” Lilibeth asked as she got everything set up for our perfume-making.

  Letting out a soft laugh, I replied, “Nothing’s wrong. Why do you ask?”

  She gave me a look that silently said she wasn’t buying my bullshit. “You’re pacing back and forth. It’s making me a nervous wreck.”

  I sighed and slid onto one of the stools at the beautiful mahogany counter located in the perfume bar, where Lilibeth did all the mixing. All the essential oils used to make the perfumes and candles were in dark bottles, sitting on glass shelves in front of a silver antique backing. Dark curtains hung down from the sides of the entrance into the perfumery. The rabbit light fixture on the counter, though, was a nod to the Alice in Wonderland theme of the shop. The perfumery section of the store was actually called “The Alice,” which I adored.

  Hoping to change the subject, I asked, “How many different notes do you have?”

  Lilibeth looked behind her. “Twenty-five.”

  “How am I supposed to pick only five?”

  She smiled.

  “I love how you have cocktail-themed scents for the candles, and they come in barware. We’ll have to change that for the camps, though.”

  With a wink in my direction, she replied, “I figured we would.”

  I tapped my finger on my chin. “Let’s see, what are some cute ideas we can come up with?”

  Lilibeth set out three small vessels. “You changed the subject. What’s going on with you?”

  I sighed. It was no use trying to hide it. “It’s Levi.”

  She frowned. “Did he do something to you?”

  A bark of laughter came out. “Did he do something to me? Uh, no, that’s the problem.”

  Her brows came down in confusion. She looked adorable, as usual. Her dirty blonde hair was pulled up into a loose bun on top of her head, with small flowers tucked around the base. A few strands hung free, framing her face and neck. Her clothes were casual, with a flowy floral-print blouse and jeans. “I’m not following.”

  Moreen walked up and said, “She’s had a crush on him since she was like fourteen, and now that he’s back in town, she wants to jump his bones.”

  “You’re horny, then?” Lilibeth asked, a broad smile on her face.

  “I am not horny, thank you very much. And yes, I thought I’d moved on from my silly crush, but he had to go and move back home, then be all…” My voice faded.

  Lilibeth leaned over the counter and waggled her brows. “Be all what?”

  “Hot in a single-dad-slash-cowboy-slash-animal-lover sort of way. A man who loves his son, and his soon-to-be ex-wife cheated on him, and he was devastated to learn that and—oh shit. I said too much. You guys don’t repeat that about his wife, okay?”

  Lilibeth pretended she was locking it away with a key to her mouth and tossed said key over her shoulder.

  Moreen’s eyes were as wide as saucers. “Jesus, do you know how to bring the tea.”