trying its best to beat the humidity and stay in its disheveled knob. Skye’s glance drifted to the woman’s broad back, blotches of perspiration soaking through the bright red shirt. I don’t want to scare her, she reasoned as she wiped beads of sweat from her own forehead. Again, she glanced at Mr. and Mrs. Chambers and Morgan and waited as they came by her side.
“Go ahead,” Mrs. Chambers said, smiling.
Skye turned and, again, studied the woman who sat facing the other way, waiting. What if it isn’t my mother? Skye thought. This could all be a big mistake.
Finally, Skye took a deep jagged breath and spoke her mother’s real name. “Rita?”
The woman stood, and with tears streaming down her fiery red face, looked in Skye’s direction.
While Skye stared at the stranger, the woman’s expression suddenly melded into shock and disbelief, and her face turned pale as a whitewashed fence.
“R-Rita?” Skye asked. “Are you my mother?”
Then Skye heard Morgan shrieking beside her. “Mom? What are you doing here?”
“Mom? Where’s your mom?” Skye spun toward Morgan; then quickly surveyed the grounds for another woman, but there was no one.
“Mrs. Hendricks?” Skye heard Mrs. Chamber’s voice as if it were coming from far away. “You’re Rita?”
“What’s going on?” Skye demanded of the stranger. “Are you my mother?”
Chapter fourteen
S kye glanced at Mr. and Mrs. Chambers standing with their faces locked in complete confusion. Skye stared at Rita who could do nothing but return an astonished look.
“She’s my mother, Nancy Hendricks!” Morgan exclaimed. “But—how—this can’t be for real. How can you be Skye’s mother when you’re my mother?”
Skye felt like she had been wrapped in duct tape with only her lungs and brain able to function, and they were barreling full speed ahead. Finally, she managed to speak as she focused on Rita. “Now wait. You’re my mother…and you’re Morgan’s mother too? Is that what I’m hearing? You’ve got to be kidding!” Skye glanced at Morgan, whose face was still draped in disbelief, and then she shifted back to Rita who just sat and stared.
Mr. Chambers made his way to the picnic table. “Folks, it seems as though we have one of the world’s greatest mysteries right before our very eyes.” He released a nervous smile as he lifted his Stetson, scratched his head, and carefully squared his hat. “Let’s try to relax and sort this all out.”
Skye positioned Morgan in her wheelchair next to a corner of the table, but couldn’t find one word to say.
“Well, this is certainly one for the books.” Mrs. Chambers shook the woman’s hand and spoke with a quivering voice. “It’s good to see you again, Nancy. Should I assume correctly that you are also Rita, Skye’s mother?”
Prodded by Mrs. Chambers, Rita shook her hand and then flopped back onto the bench. As her gaze darted from Skye to Morgan and back, she nervously chewed her lip. “I—I don’t know what to say. I don’t know where to begin. This is unbelievable. The last time I visited Keystone Stables, I didn’t see Skye there.”
“She wasn’t with us then,” Mr. Chambers said. “She came several months later.”
“Morgan never mentioned Skye in any of her phone calls,” Rita said.
“You mean all two of them?” Morgan’s voice portrayed total embarrassment.
Rita dabbed her eyes and blew her nose in a tissue. “And last Monday evening when I talked with Skye, I never asked her anything about her foster parents. So I had no way of knowing.”
Skye was still unable to move.
“Skye,” Mrs. Chambers said, “earth to Skye.” She hurried to Skye’s side, wrapping her arm around her shoulders. “C’mon, honey. We’ll get this all sorted out.”
Following her lead, Skye approached the table. As she did, Rita rushed toward Skye and drew her into a warm embrace. “Skye,” the woman wept uncontrollably, “I’m so sorry about everything.”
Slowly
“Go ahead,” Mrs. Chambers said, smiling.
Skye turned and, again, studied the woman who sat facing the other way, waiting. What if it isn’t my mother? Skye thought. This could all be a big mistake.
Finally, Skye took a deep jagged breath and spoke her mother’s real name. “Rita?”
The woman stood, and with tears streaming down her fiery red face, looked in Skye’s direction.
While Skye stared at the stranger, the woman’s expression suddenly melded into shock and disbelief, and her face turned pale as a whitewashed fence.
“R-Rita?” Skye asked. “Are you my mother?”
Then Skye heard Morgan shrieking beside her. “Mom? What are you doing here?”
“Mom? Where’s your mom?” Skye spun toward Morgan; then quickly surveyed the grounds for another woman, but there was no one.
“Mrs. Hendricks?” Skye heard Mrs. Chamber’s voice as if it were coming from far away. “You’re Rita?”
“What’s going on?” Skye demanded of the stranger. “Are you my mother?”
Chapter fourteen
S kye glanced at Mr. and Mrs. Chambers standing with their faces locked in complete confusion. Skye stared at Rita who could do nothing but return an astonished look.
“She’s my mother, Nancy Hendricks!” Morgan exclaimed. “But—how—this can’t be for real. How can you be Skye’s mother when you’re my mother?”
Skye felt like she had been wrapped in duct tape with only her lungs and brain able to function, and they were barreling full speed ahead. Finally, she managed to speak as she focused on Rita. “Now wait. You’re my mother…and you’re Morgan’s mother too? Is that what I’m hearing? You’ve got to be kidding!” Skye glanced at Morgan, whose face was still draped in disbelief, and then she shifted back to Rita who just sat and stared.
Mr. Chambers made his way to the picnic table. “Folks, it seems as though we have one of the world’s greatest mysteries right before our very eyes.” He released a nervous smile as he lifted his Stetson, scratched his head, and carefully squared his hat. “Let’s try to relax and sort this all out.”
Skye positioned Morgan in her wheelchair next to a corner of the table, but couldn’t find one word to say.
“Well, this is certainly one for the books.” Mrs. Chambers shook the woman’s hand and spoke with a quivering voice. “It’s good to see you again, Nancy. Should I assume correctly that you are also Rita, Skye’s mother?”
Prodded by Mrs. Chambers, Rita shook her hand and then flopped back onto the bench. As her gaze darted from Skye to Morgan and back, she nervously chewed her lip. “I—I don’t know what to say. I don’t know where to begin. This is unbelievable. The last time I visited Keystone Stables, I didn’t see Skye there.”
“She wasn’t with us then,” Mr. Chambers said. “She came several months later.”
“Morgan never mentioned Skye in any of her phone calls,” Rita said.
“You mean all two of them?” Morgan’s voice portrayed total embarrassment.
Rita dabbed her eyes and blew her nose in a tissue. “And last Monday evening when I talked with Skye, I never asked her anything about her foster parents. So I had no way of knowing.”
Skye was still unable to move.
“Skye,” Mrs. Chambers said, “earth to Skye.” She hurried to Skye’s side, wrapping her arm around her shoulders. “C’mon, honey. We’ll get this all sorted out.”
Following her lead, Skye approached the table. As she did, Rita rushed toward Skye and drew her into a warm embrace. “Skye,” the woman wept uncontrollably, “I’m so sorry about everything.”
Slowly
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