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Chapters (62)
  1. Cover
  2. Half Title Page
  3. Books by Katie Powner
  4. Title Page
  5. Copyright Page
  6. Dedication
  7. ONE
  8. TWO
  9. THREE
  10. FOUR
  11. FIVE
  12. SIX
  13. SEVEN
  14. EIGHT
  15. NINE
  16. TEN
  17. ELEVEN
  18. TWELVE
  19. THIRTEEN
  20. FOURTEEN
  21. FIFTEEN
  22. SIXTEEN
  23. SEVENTEEN
  24. EIGHTEEN
  25. NINETEEN
  26. TWENTY
  27. TWENTY-ONE
  28. TWENTY-TWO
  29. TWENTY-THREE
  30. TWENTY-FOUR
  31. TWENTY-FIVE
  32. TWENTY-SIX
  33. TWENTY-SEVEN
  34. TWENTY-EIGHT
  35. TWENTY-NINE
  36. THIRTY
  37. THIRTY-ONE
  38. THIRTY-TWO
  39. THIRTY-THREE
  40. THIRTY-FOUR
  41. THIRTY-FIVE
  42. THIRTY-SIX
  43. THIRTY-SEVEN
  44. THIRTY-EIGHT
  45. THIRTY-NINE
  46. FORTY
  47. FORTY-ONE
  48. FORTY-TWO
  49. FORTY-THREE
  50. FORTY-FOUR
  51. FORTY-FIVE
  52. FORTY-SIX
  53. FORTY-SEVEN
  54. FORTY-EIGHT
  55. FORTY-NINE
  56. FIFTY
  57. FIFTY-ONE
  58. FIFTY-TWO
  59. Acknowledgments
  60. About the Author
  61. Back Ads
  62. Back Cover

She wasn’t the only one. Bea fumbled for something to say. Had Grandma really kept a secret this big all these years?

Before she could speak, Aunt Gladys began questioning her about other family members, trying to catch up on all the family news. Bea did her best to answer for several minutes, then said good-bye. Her eyes were wide when she turned to Jeremy.

His eyes were bright and sharp. “I think I got all the information I need.”

“All the information—?” Bea’s face twisted in confusion. “For what?”

He raised his eyebrows. “To find him.”

She sat back. Him. Grandma kept saying she was looking for “him.” But why had she never said anything before? Where was her firstborn son now? Did he know about any of this?

Bea pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. It was unbelievable. Somewhere out there, she had an uncle. He could have kids. She could have cousins! And Dad . . .

Dad had a brother.

The moosevine was going to have a heyday with this one.

“What are we going to do?”

Jeremy twisted a lock of her hair around his finger. “There are a lot of ways to search. I’ll start with the hospital records and birth certificate.”

“Are you sure that’s the right thing to do?”

He grew still. Solemn. “You know I lost track of my dad when my parents split up. And you know he died before I could find him.” His eyes flashed, begging her to understand. “I have to do this.”

Her mind raced. There was no talking him out of it—she could see that. “Should we tell Dad?”

Jeremy rubbed his chin. “We should wait until we have more information. We might not be able to find him. Or something might’ve happened to him, and he could be dead. There’s no telling.”

Bea nodded. The longer they could keep it a secret, the better. Dad had enough on his plate already. She leaned into Jeremy again and considered the possibilities. There were so many questions. What would Dad think of all this? What would Grandma do if she had the chance to meet her firstborn son? Who was the father?

Bea’s heart sank a little. Did Grandpa Rand know about the baby? And the most unsettling question of all was . . . what if her uncle didn’t want to be found?

THIRTY-FIVE

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I don’t like Ponderosa. I don’t like driving to Ponderosa. I don’t even like talking about Ponderosa.

Rand and I used to load Mitch up and make the drive once a month to stock up on supplies, but now that our ranching days are over and Mitch has his own place, we try to stay away. It’s too crowded. Too city. But here we are again.