THE PAIN IN his eyes betrayed his matter-of-fact portrayal of what must have been a horribly difficult time. Tracey’s heart broke for him anew, and his love for his mother drove Tracey’s feelings for him even deeper.

He pulled out his wallet and withdrew a picture, looking at it for a long moment before handing it to her. “This was taken when I was fourteen.”

She recognized the face of the pretty young woman with hair a little lighter than Diesel’s pinned up in a messy bun, curly tendrils springing free on the sides. It was his mother’s face tattooed on the back of his left arm. In the picture, she wore a colorful top with bell sleeves, faded jeans, and an effervescent smile that matched Diesel’s. Tracey would give anything to see that smile on him now. He and his mother were sitting on a wooden bench, and he was wearing denim shorts that came to his knees and a yellow T-shirt. His hair was side parted, long on top and messily falling over one brow. His forearms rested on his thighs, and he was holding a leaf between his hands. There was nothing tense about the boy leaning into his mother’s embrace, his head resting against her cheek, like she’d hugged him all the time. That made her ache for him even more.

“She’s beautiful. You have her smile, the same straight nose.”

“Yeah, she always called me her major me.” He almost smiled as he put the picture back in his wallet. “You know, like mini me, but bigger.”

“I get it. I love that. You look happy and relaxed. I can’t even imagine you like that.”

“I was in a good place back then. My buddy Seeley, Tiny’s oldest son, took that picture. He’s a veterinarian now and goes by his road name, Doc. We used to go there for Friendsgivings and other events. The picture was taken two years before her diagnosis. My mom and I had just come back from riding horses with their family at the ranch.”

“She looks so young.”

“She was only twenty-two when she had me.” He wrung his hands together. “Her mother died from cancer when she was pretty young, too.”

“It must have been terrifying for both of you when your mom was diagnosed. Did you have anyone to lean on? Tiny and his family?”