“I thought Jarrod fixed it yesterday.”

“He tried, but as a car mechanic he makes a great private investigator.”

“Oh.”

“Anyway, it looks like I’m going to have to go car shopping soon because Len thinks it would cost more to fix the convertible than it’s worth. Josh is laid up—a sprained ankle—and I need to run out and do a couple of things, so I was wondering if I could borrow your car.”

“Of course you can!” Brynnie didn’t hesitate for a moment. She might have had lousy taste in men and had more husbands than a cat had fleas, but she was a good mother and had always put her children first in her heart. Katie had never doubted how much she was loved. “I’ll bring it down and sit with Josh for a while.”

“But aren’t you going crazy, what with Bliss’s wedding plans and all?”

“Bliss has it all handled, believe me.” Brynnie chuckled and coughed a bit. “Never been married and she’s carrying this off like a pro. As many times as I walked down the aisle, I was rattled each time, let me tell you. Now, is Josh all right?”

Katie slid her son a glance. “I think so. His pride might be more bruised than his ankle.” Josh, who was reaching for his crutches, didn’t seem to hear her comment.

“Tell him Grandma’s coming over and I’ll take him on in Hearts or Pitch or whatever card game he wants.”

“I will,” Katie promised.

“Good. Now—What?” she asked, obviously turning away from the phone as her voice faded for a few seconds. “Oh, Katie, wait a minute, your father wants to talk to you.”

Katie was still uncomfortable hearing John Cawthorne referred to so casually as her father. As much as she loved her mother, she couldn’t forget that Brynnie had kept the truth from her until this past year; that Brynnie let her live a lie, even given her another man’s surname.

“Katie?” John Cawthorne’s voice blasted over the phone. “What’s this I hear about your car givin’ up the ghost?”

She went through the whole story again while Josh finished his breakfast, then hobbled into the living room. As she was ending her tale, John interrupted, “We’ve got lots of rigs out here. If you can drive a clutch, you can have the Jeep. It’s just sitting in the garage collecting dust.”

She didn’t want John Cawthorne’s or anyone else’s charity. “I just need to borrow something for a couple of days.”

“Fine, fine, but there’s no sense putting yourself out much. Brynnie’ll drive the Jeep into town, visit with Josh and I’ll come pick her up later. Now, what’s this about Josh hurtin’ himself playin’ soccer? You know, I told you that game was more dangerous than football. No pads. No protection.”