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Kayla hadn’t needed Gras hidden She’d memorized the bank account number and destroyed the paperwork; Carolyn had never known it existed

Jackson was staring at the passing traffic as if he didn’t kno to respond “It still h,” he said, finally “Alex is my son I should have helped”

Kayla saw genuine reuish in his voice The ranching world he caid codes of behavior He hadn’t wanted to believe he was the father of her baby, so he’d broken that code Noas paying the price

“You can help now by letting Alex be hiht be chauvinistic, i, but he was also the kind of man who could ht the man in question looked down on him

“What do you mean?”

“Just that Alex isn’t a cowboy I suspect that’s part of why he’s so reluctant to meet you He ht expect him to be different than he is”

Jackson jerked with surprise “He thinks I won’t like hi?”

“I don’t know, but I have to wonder And even if he isn’t worried about it now, he ht be later Just be excited about who Alex is, not who you think he should be”

“Surely you know I’d never intentionally hurt my own kid, Kayla” Jackson sounded faintly offended

She sighed “It’s the unintentional dae I’m concerned about You obviously have verytraditional ideas about male and female roles”

Hisballistic

“Anyway,” she continued, “I’ll bring Alex to the park in the oing on the ca trip”

She drove back to the house and sat doith her son “Okay, we’re all set for tomorrow”

Alex chewed the inside of his lip and looked ready to run for the Montana state border

“This is not the tiently

“Jeez, Mo about tomorrowand Yellowstone” His voice trailed into silence

“Yes?” Kayla pros, but if he didn’t talk to her, she couldn’t help