The Sheriff's Son by Stella Bagwell Page B

with his father and Roy was with his son. Yet neither of them knew.
    Guilt crushed down on her like the sudden blow of a sledgehammer. What was she doing? Why was she not allowing Charlie to have a father? His real father? And why was she keeping Charlie from Roy? Was she being a selfish, vindictive woman?
    No, she thought miserably. She was keeping her secret because Roy didn’t want a family. He’d told her so only yesterday. She wasn’t about to force a ready-made one on him. He’d only resent her for burdening him with such a responsibility. And who was to say that he would even want to be a real father to Charlie? she asked herself. Not having a father would be better for Charlie than having one that didn’t want him.
    At the barn, Roy opened a big double door that allowed them to walk through the structure and out to the back, where another maze of corrals was constructed of metal pipe. Inside one of the pens was a painted mare, saddled and tied to the railing. Next to her, in a connecting pen, was a spotted colt.
    The moment Charlie saw the two horses, he pointed with excitement.
    â€œLook, Mommy! Look at the colt! It looks like Thundercloud!”
    â€œI believe he’s a bit smaller,” Justine told her son. “He’s not big enough to ride yet.”
    â€œSugar Boy was a yearling in March,” Roy told them. “And that’s his mother, Brown Sugar.”
    Charlie’s blue eyes glowed at the sight of the painted quarter horses. “Can I go pet them?” he asked Roy.
    â€œSure. But be careful of Sugar Boy. He likes to take a nibble now and then.”
    â€œI’ll swat his nose!” Charlie promised, already in a run to the horses.
    Roy and Justine followed at a slower pace. The sky was cloudless, and the sun was warm without being too hot. The day couldn’t have been more beautiful, but Justine wasafraid to relax and enjoy it. Minute by minute, she was seeing Roy in a different light, and she was afraid that if she spent much more time with him, she’d break down and tell him something he wouldn’t want to hear. Like how she’d never gotten over him.
    â€œI thought you didn’t like children,” she said as they ambled across the dusty pen.
    â€œWhere did you get that idea?”
    She shrugged. “Just an impression.”
    â€œI’ve never had the opportunity to be around children much, except for the juveniles and runaways that come through the sheriff’s department. They’re not exactly good examples to learn by.”
    â€œNo. I don’t expect so.”
    Roy watched Charlie gently stroking the mare’s nose. “It’s refreshing to see a little boy like Charlie who hasn’t yet been corrupted by his peers or ruined by a dysfunctional family.”
    Justine figured that, more often than not, Roy did see the bad side of children. The bad side of humankind in general. She didn’t know how he dealt with it, day in and day out. Especially when he had no one close to share it all with.
    â€œTo be honest, I was surprised that you asked me to bring him over this morning. The first evening you came out to investigate the twins, I got the feeling Charlie made you uncomfortable.”
    He stopped a short distance from Charlie and propped his arms on the top railing of the corral. Justine stood a small step away, watching a pensive look settle over his face as he turned his profile toward the distant hills.
    â€œIt wasn’t Charlie himself that bothered me. It was—”
    Justine waited for him to finish. When he didn’t, she moved closer and touched his arm.
    â€œIt was what?” she asked.
    He turned his head slightly toward her. His eyes were shaded by the brim of his hat, but Justine could see thatthey were clouded. With anger? Pain? Loss? She didn’t quite know.
    â€œI couldn’t believe you’d given birth to another man’s child,” he said. Then, with a