serious face of her mother.
" Kellie , I've wronged you in many ways by not taking you home to meet your grandfather, and not talking to you about your father all along. Now … it's time. In fact, it may be too late. But… I want to tell you about your father…"
That got her attention, Julie noticed as she sat up straight and stared at her mother. The fact that they had rarely talked about the subject was enough to warrant her attention, but Julie wasn't sure she knew how to tell her. What if Kellie hated her? What if she lost her?
"You do?" Kellie 's eyes got big and round.
"I do…" Julie let out a little sigh. " The reason it has taken me so long to talk about him, is that I wanted you to be old enough to understand, at least some of it. The whole thing is kind of complicated. "
"And you think I'm old enough now?" Kellie smiled.
" No, I don't, but it won't wait any longer. And… it's something we must talk about. You've been more than patient with me about it. It's something I should have started doing a long time ago. "
"I've sorta got my own ideas about him now. I've decided he must not have liked kids and ran off."
"Oh , darling…that's not it , " Julie cried. " I really didn't want you to think that. It wasn't that way at all. He loves you."
"How do you know, have you seen him or something?"
"Yes, and he's seen you."
"He has?"
" We should have talked about all of this sooner, I can see that now. You've got the wro ng impression of your father. It wasn't his fault, not at all."
"I don't understand ; he's never been in our life, Mama. Isn't that his fault? "
" That is easy to answer… Because he didn't know, darling, not until the other night at the ranch."
Kellie sat quiet for a moment , absorbing her words like a sponge.
"He works at grandpa's ranch?" Kellie 's eyes got big.
"Yes, you remember the man who let you watch the birthing of the calf?"
"He's my father?" Kellie 's eyes were huge. "Cade Weston is my father?"
"Yes, he's your father."
The words hung in the air like a kite about to fall.
"Cade Weston …he's my…father?" Kellie 's eyes rounded on her. A frown climbed Kellie 's face.
"Yes darling, he's your father." Julie let the words out of her mouth in a long gasping sigh.
"B-but…why didn't he say something…?" Kellie demanded. "He's a nice man. Why didn't he tell me?"
"He couldn't, he didn't know until I told him. At least not for sure , " Julie explained. Just from her expression Julie could tell her daughter didn't understand any of this.
"He didn't know?" Kellie exclaimed. "All this time he didn't know? He saw me and he still didn't know? "
"No darling, he's as innocent as you have been about it. B ut I want to tell you, he took one look at you and knew you were kin to him." Julie g lanced at her stunned daughter. "But…you see , he thought you were his niece."
" Oh wow , now I really don't understand…" Kellie admitted but shot her mother a baffling glance.
"It's all my fault, Kellie . And I hope someday you can forgive me for it. But it all began a long time ago. When I thought I was in love with Wade Weston … your father's twin brother. "
Kellie grabbed the dash and turned to stare at her mother . " Wade ?"
She said the name with such disbelief that Julie nearly applied the brakes.
"Yes, Cade's twin brother."
Kellie 's face flushed . "Then you didn't love my father?"
Julie bit her lip again ; how could she answer? Now it was getting sticky, would Kellie understand it?
Julie paused for a moment, trying to find the right words. " Kellie , this is difficult to talk about. I was young and had a crush on Wade . You know what a crush is, right?"
Kellie nodded . "Yeah, it's like when Missy thought she loved the captain of the football team, but really, she just had a crush on him and now she likes someone else ."
"That' s right. I thought the same thing . I thought I loved Wade . He was the ramrod who practically ran the entire ranch. And then one night… Cade
" Kellie , I've wronged you in many ways by not taking you home to meet your grandfather, and not talking to you about your father all along. Now … it's time. In fact, it may be too late. But… I want to tell you about your father…"
That got her attention, Julie noticed as she sat up straight and stared at her mother. The fact that they had rarely talked about the subject was enough to warrant her attention, but Julie wasn't sure she knew how to tell her. What if Kellie hated her? What if she lost her?
"You do?" Kellie 's eyes got big and round.
"I do…" Julie let out a little sigh. " The reason it has taken me so long to talk about him, is that I wanted you to be old enough to understand, at least some of it. The whole thing is kind of complicated. "
"And you think I'm old enough now?" Kellie smiled.
" No, I don't, but it won't wait any longer. And… it's something we must talk about. You've been more than patient with me about it. It's something I should have started doing a long time ago. "
"I've sorta got my own ideas about him now. I've decided he must not have liked kids and ran off."
"Oh , darling…that's not it , " Julie cried. " I really didn't want you to think that. It wasn't that way at all. He loves you."
"How do you know, have you seen him or something?"
"Yes, and he's seen you."
"He has?"
" We should have talked about all of this sooner, I can see that now. You've got the wro ng impression of your father. It wasn't his fault, not at all."
"I don't understand ; he's never been in our life, Mama. Isn't that his fault? "
" That is easy to answer… Because he didn't know, darling, not until the other night at the ranch."
Kellie sat quiet for a moment , absorbing her words like a sponge.
"He works at grandpa's ranch?" Kellie 's eyes got big.
"Yes, you remember the man who let you watch the birthing of the calf?"
"He's my father?" Kellie 's eyes were huge. "Cade Weston is my father?"
"Yes, he's your father."
The words hung in the air like a kite about to fall.
"Cade Weston …he's my…father?" Kellie 's eyes rounded on her. A frown climbed Kellie 's face.
"Yes darling, he's your father." Julie let the words out of her mouth in a long gasping sigh.
"B-but…why didn't he say something…?" Kellie demanded. "He's a nice man. Why didn't he tell me?"
"He couldn't, he didn't know until I told him. At least not for sure , " Julie explained. Just from her expression Julie could tell her daughter didn't understand any of this.
"He didn't know?" Kellie exclaimed. "All this time he didn't know? He saw me and he still didn't know? "
"No darling, he's as innocent as you have been about it. B ut I want to tell you, he took one look at you and knew you were kin to him." Julie g lanced at her stunned daughter. "But…you see , he thought you were his niece."
" Oh wow , now I really don't understand…" Kellie admitted but shot her mother a baffling glance.
"It's all my fault, Kellie . And I hope someday you can forgive me for it. But it all began a long time ago. When I thought I was in love with Wade Weston … your father's twin brother. "
Kellie grabbed the dash and turned to stare at her mother . " Wade ?"
She said the name with such disbelief that Julie nearly applied the brakes.
"Yes, Cade's twin brother."
Kellie 's face flushed . "Then you didn't love my father?"
Julie bit her lip again ; how could she answer? Now it was getting sticky, would Kellie understand it?
Julie paused for a moment, trying to find the right words. " Kellie , this is difficult to talk about. I was young and had a crush on Wade . You know what a crush is, right?"
Kellie nodded . "Yeah, it's like when Missy thought she loved the captain of the football team, but really, she just had a crush on him and now she likes someone else ."
"That' s right. I thought the same thing . I thought I loved Wade . He was the ramrod who practically ran the entire ranch. And then one night… Cade
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