MAYA CUDDLED HENRY CLOSE, planting a gentle kiss on his brown curls. “Trisha, what was going on today? Do you want to talk about it?”
Trisha glanced around at the members of The Book Biddies Book Club who were lounging and chatting in Kathy’s comfortable living room. They’d talked about the book, a historical mystery, and now everyone was immersed in their own conversations. Emily and Priscilla Axel, Trisha’s former third grade teacher, were sunk into Kathy’s big slipcovered armchairs. Annie Brooks, dressed in her usual jeans and a flannel shirt, was seated cross-legged on the floor talking with Vivian. Maya’s grandmother Lillian and Eva, a local gallery owner and founder of the Shelter Creek Wildlife Center, were sharing a love seat, deep in an animated discussion. Monique, the owner of the local beauty salon, was helping Kathy clear the dessert plates.
“Everyone looks like they’re busy,” Trisha wavered. “Maybe I should just wait until another time.”
Maya skewered her with a look. “I had to make sure my husband did not mention Henry when we dug out the coyote pen today. Poor Emily got so flustered when Liam asked about you that she started babbling about your love of cats. If you don’t want to talk about it with the whole group, I understand. But I wish you’d let me, Vivian and Emily know what’s up.”
“Liam asked about me?” Trisha blushed when she realized how teenage she sounded.
Maya’s brows rose a little more. “Why, yes. Apparently he was worried because you seem to dislike him so much.”
Trisha was silent, taking that in. She’d seen Liam as this one-dimensional person so far. Handsome, callous, and now, a threat to her and Henry. It hadn’t occurred to her that he’d spend time worrying about her feelings.
“You do seem to have a problem with him,” Maya went on. “Is it the coyotes?”
“That’s definitely part of it.” Trisha looked at Henry, who was getting sleepy in Maya’s arms. The lids of his eyes looked puffy. Maybe she should just take him home and put him to bed and avoid this whole problem for a few more hours.
“And the rest? I’m not trying to pressure you, Trisha. But you told him Henry was a cat, and that fib isn’t going to hold up for long. Do you like him? Are you afraid he won’t like you back if he knows you’re a mom?”
It was tempting to take that idea and run with it. But it would be another dead end.
“Okay. Here we go.” Trisha stood up, a little dizzy with nerves, but determined. “Excuse me, everyone. May I have your attention?”
The chatter in the room petered out. Kathy and Monique appeared in the wide doorway from the kitchen and leaned on either side of the doorframe. The two looked like complete opposites—Kathy with her gray hair cropped sensibly short, in her loafers, slacks and cardigan; Monique dressed like she should be going to a nightclub in platform shoes, black leggings, a fitted top, full makeup and all kinds of jewelry. Yet their love of books and gossip and friendship brought them together.
Everyone waited, watching Trisha expectantly. She should have rehearsed this, should have thought about what she would say. “Um...hi.”
“Hi, Trisha,” Eva called from her spot on the love seat. Everyone laughed, except Maya, who gave her a look that clearly said, Go on!
“I’m dealing with a bit of a dilemma that I’m hoping you all can help me with.” There, they were nodding. At least that was a good start.
“I’ve never told you who Henry’s father was. But I’m going to tell you now.”
Every eyebrow in the room went up. The Biddies had been so polite about not asking, but they must have been curious all this time. Trisha took another deep breath, trying to steady her careening heart. “He was a man I met in San Antonio, when I went to visit my friend Becca. She and I went to a hotel bar and ended up crashing a wedding in the ballroom next door.” She flushed. “Becca is a little wild like that.”
“Apparently you are, too,” Kathy said, and Trisha glanced at her, afraid to see censure on her face. But all she saw was warm support.
“Anyway, at that wedding I met a guy and I...” Oh gosh, her face was so hot it might just melt off. “... I went to his hotel room. When I woke up in the morning, he was gone. I never got his last name. It turns out I didn’t really know his first name either, until recently. That night, he said his name was William. Now I know he goes by Liam.”
“Oh my gosh.” Vivian gasped out the words. “Our Liam?”
Trisha nodded. Ugh, she felt so exposed. She suddenly wished there was a way to take the words back. As if they were butterflies she could trap in a net and set free outside in the empty, anonymous night.
Vivian glanced around at the group. “We have a guy named Liam working for us,” she explained.
A thick silence coated everything. Trisha could hear the grandfather clock ticking off seconds in Kathy’s hallway.
“What a bizarre coincidence.” Emily leaned forward, elbows on knees, and clasped her hands together. “What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. I mean, I never thought this would happen. He just disappeared that morning. I’ve always felt like Henry was all mine. Only mine.”
“And now you might have to share him,” Maya said softly. “Oh wow.”
The tears that never seemed far away these days started rising in Trisha’s throat. “I feel like I need to tell Liam. But I barely know him. My friend Becca called me last night. She did some online research. His family is well respected among the Texas ranching community. She found some information about his bull-riding career, but that’s it. I looked online a bit, too. He doesn’t have social media accounts, apparently. So all I really know about his character is that he didn’t stick around that night. And then he shot a coyote on Vivian and Jace’s ranch.”
“Charming,” Monique drawled, her expression of distaste making it clear she found it anything but that. “In my opinion, you’re under no obligation to tell him anything. He walked out on you. He didn’t make any effort to stay in touch.”
“He’s a father,” Lillian said quietly. “And he has no idea. It seems like he has a right to know.”
“Maybe even a legal right,” Eva added.
Trisha looked around at her friends, trying to read their expressions. “Do you all think I’m awful? I mean... I had a one-night stand!”
“We know you’re not awful!” Priscilla exclaimed. But she’d been Trisha’s teacher. Of course she’d say that.
“We all know at least a little about biology, Trish.” Monique’s lipsticked mouth tweaked into a wry smile. “We figured there had to be a guy involved somehow.”
“I had a one-night stand once,” Kathy said.
The entire group turned to stare.
“Kathy Wallace, all these years we’ve been good friends and neighbors, and you never told me.” Lillian started laughing. “You wild girl.”
Kathy’s pink-cardiganed shoulders lifted in a shrug. “It was decades ago. On a business trip. And it wasn’t glamorous like they make it seem on the TV shows. A very off-putting experience, really. Never wanted to do anything like that again.”
“I’ve had one, too,” Monique confessed easily. “Though it sounds like mine went far better than Kathy’s.”
“Okay, before we all start confessing things we shouldn’t, let’s figure out how to help Trisha.” Annie, always restless, stood up and started pacing the rug in front of the fireplace. “Vivian, what do you know about this Liam guy. Is he a good egg?”
Vivian stood, too, and shoved her hands into the pockets of her sweatshirt. “I don’t know him well yet. Jace used to work at Liam’s family’s ranch when he had time off from the rodeo circuit. He told me that Liam got into bull riding and was doing really well for his first couple years. Then he got stepped on. His leg was crushed.”
“Ouch.” Emily winced.
The poor guy. Trisha could empathize with him on that issue. She looked over at her sleepy baby cuddled up to Maya. “You hear that, Henry? Both your parents have messed-up legs. Once you learn to run, we’ll never be able to catch you.”
“Trisha!” Maya looked shocked, then dissolved into quiet giggles. “Is it weird that I appreciate accident humor these days?”
“I know!” Trisha grinned at her friend. “And then I feel horrible. So guilty.” But it felt good to laugh after the tension of the last few days and nights.
“Julie loved to laugh. She would probably appreciate a joke now and then, too, if she were with us,” Maya said, sobering. “And we’ve both certainly done our share of crying about it.”
“Not to change the subject, but I have to see Liam almost every day, so we need to figure this out.” Vivian sat up straighter and put out her hand, counting off thoughts on her fingers. “We know he’s from a good family, in Texas. We know he was badly injured in a rodeo. We know he did not stick around the night he met Trisha.”
“I honestly do not like the sound of that.” Priscilla folded her arms, her eyes stern behind her blue-framed glasses. “It doesn’t seem honorable.”
“We also know he shoots coyotes,” Trisha added, the thought making her even more glum.
“But he spent today building a coyote pen,” Maya added. “I think he’s open to learning, Trisha. He’s trying to adapt to our ways here. Maybe you need to give him a break about the coyote.”
“He’s handsome.” When the whole group turned to look at her, Emily put her hands out in an exaggerated shrug. “What? I just spent the whole day with him. You think I wouldn’t notice?”
“He’s nice to the kids,” Vivian said. “He works very hard and he’s good with the animals around the farm. And he’s kind to that ridiculous lump of a dog, Ranger.” She smiled gently. “About all the ranging that dog does is from the couch to his food bowl.”
“Plus, you have to tell him,” Emily said. “We can’t keep pretending Henry is a cat.”
“What? How is Henry a cat?” Lillian asked the question, but all of the older Book Biddies were gaping at Emily in astonishment.
“Henry’s name was mentioned this morning, at the shelter, when Liam was there,” Trisha explained. “He asked who Henry was and that was the first thing that came into my mind.”
“It was actually pretty funny,” Vivian added. “Except that we were all so confused.”
“I panicked.” Trisha glanced around at the group. “I’m still panicking. Henry is my baby. It’s my job to protect him. I can’t just let some random guy into his life because he happens to be the father.”
“Overall, he sounds like a good guy.” Maya’s grandmother Lillian turned in her seat to face Trisha directly, her eyes as kind and sweet as always. “I know this is scary for you, Trisha. And it sounds like Liam isn’t perfect. He’s certainly made a couple choices you don’t like. But you have to do what’s best for Henry.”
“But what if he isn’t what’s best for Henry?” Panic brought tears along with the words. “What if Liam is mean or impatient or resents him? What if he tries to take him away from me?” Trisha buried her head in her hands for a moment, trying to get a hold of her fear.
Kathy appeared at her side, put a gentle hand on her shoulder and handed her a box of tissues.
“Thank you,” Trisha choked out.
“Let us check him out,” Vivian offered. “I can learn a lot since he’s working for us. I can talk to Jace. Do you mind if he knows the real situation?”
“Will he keep my secret? Or will he be bound to some man code and decide to tell him?”
“Hmm.” Vivian worried her lower lip. “Let me think about that. Maybe I won’t tell him.”
“How about we all keep Henry a secret for one more week,” Priscilla said. “We can use that time to find out more about Liam. Then maybe Trisha will feel better.”
“I’ll stop by the ranch,” Annie offered. “Jace borrowed a pair of hoof trimmers from me a while back. Maybe I can find a way to run into Liam under the pretense of collecting them.”
“I have a cousin who practices family law,” Eva said. “Would you like me to ask her what custody issues might come up?”
Trisha smiled gratefully and wiped her eyes again. “That would be helpful. Thank you.”
“We’ll probably be working with him this week to trap those coyote pups,” Maya reminded them all. “We just have to avoid mentioning Henry. Not even feline Henry. But we can try to get him talking about other stuff and see what he’s really like.”
Something in Trisha’s chest that had been tangled in knots ever since she’d first realized that Liam was in Shelter Creek unraveled a bit. Just enough easing of tension that she could breathe a little more deeply. It was a good thing she’d told her friends. She needed their common sense. She didn’t have family. She was an only child and her parents lived in Italy now. But this group of women felt more like her family every day.
“I say we meet in a week and share what we’ve learned,” Kathy said. “You all are welcome to come here again.”
“Next weekend is the Spring Art Fair,” Eva reminded them. “I’ll be displaying a bunch of art from my gallery there. Can we meet at my booth? I’ll provide wine. How about at five o’clock?”
“That sounds fun. After we’ve gossiped about Liam, we can walk around,” Emily said. “Maybe I can find some nice animal art for the clinic waiting room.”
Priscilla clapped her hands together. “I love the Spring Art Fair. Several of my former students will be exhibiting. I’ve been looking forward to seeing their work.”
“This is really nice of you all,” Trisha said. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your help.”
“We will always be here for you.” A mischievous smile lit Annie’s face. “And it will be fun to play detective.”
“I just wish I had a reason to run into him.” Lillian sighed.
“Me, too.” Kathy looked at Lillian, her expression brightening. “We could deliver cookies.”
“Ooh, good idea.” Lillian looked at Vivian. “Can we bring you and the kids some cookies? And perhaps drop some by the barn while we’re at it?”
Vivian giggled. “This is getting ridiculous. But yes, you are always welcome. Especially when you bring cookies.”
“I’ve been knitting that shawl for you, Vivian,” Priscilla said. “And I’m almost finished.”
“Well, I guess you’ll have to deliver it,” Vivian replied, her dark eyes sparkling. “Perhaps Wednesday? I believe the cowboy in question is going to dine with us that evening. If you arrived at six o’clock, you could stay for the meal.”
“Perfect.” Priscilla sat back in her chair, a satisfied smile deepening the lines of her face. “As a former teacher, I’ll ask all about his education.”
Her friends were amazing, finding fun in what had felt so heavy and impossible until now. And surely Trisha could keep Henry away from Liam for one more week. She’d just have to be careful doing errands around town. Especially at the grocery store.
For a moment she pictured herself handing Henry off to Liam in some awful custody agreement, and stress shot through her veins. Don’t think about that. One thing at a time. Find out if Liam is a decent person. Find out what my legal situation is. Then I can make some decisions about what to do next.
As if sensing her worries, Henry woke up from his snooze on Maya and immediately started crying. Trisha went to collect him, cuddling him close, kissing his sweet head, inhaling his lovely baby smell. Just holding her son calmed her down.
“He’s tired. I’m going to take him home.” Trisha looked around the room, taking in the comforting sight of her fellow Book Biddies. “Thank you all so much for helping me.”
“We’re so happy, too.” Kathy picked up Henry’s diaper bag, brought it to Trisha and planted a kiss on her cheek. “That’s what we’re here for. To support each other.”
Trisha blinked tears and kissed her friend back. “I’m so lucky to have you.” She waved to everyone else, not trusting that she could say more without crying. Gratitude...relief...worry... It was a potent emotional cocktail.
The drive home through the quiet streets of Shelter Creek made Henry sleepy again. But it also gave Trisha’s thoughts room to grow into bigger and scarier worries.
At a dark and deserted intersection, Trisha stopped at the stop sign and rolled down her window. She peeked up at the stars, needing to see some light, however distant. Hopefully, The Book Biddies would discover that Liam was a good person. Hopefully they’d learn that the custody laws were on Trisha’s side. Right now she had to try to stay calm and believe that maybe, somehow, everything would be okay.