A Family Name (9 page)

As Lexi stepped away, the sound of hoofbeats
thudded down the trail behind them. They all peered over the rise
as Bill rounded a curve. As he reined his horse in beside their
little trio, Charlotte noted the scowl that settled over Will. She
understood that he and his father didn't get along — any fool could
see that — but she knew there had to be something deeper going on.
She surprised herself by admitting that she wanted to find out. In
the space of a walk around the property, Charlotte had stopped
fighting herself, and had given in to the idea that she'd like to
get to know Will better.

"What do you want, Dad?" Will's voice
stretched taut and tense over each word he spoke.

Bill gazed down from his perch, and Charlotte
couldn't read the expression that crossed over his face. "Just
wanted to see how the ladies were enjoying the tour of the
ranch."

"We love it, Grandpa," Lexi said, her voice
sing-songy.

Charlotte stepped closer to Will. "We are
enjoying it very much, thank you."

Will glanced down at her, his scowl
disappearing as a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "We were
actually just headed back. Lexi and Charlotte need to get
home."

Charlotte could have sworn that Bill looked
relieved, although since she didn't know him all that well, she
shrugged it off. "That's a good idea. Before it gets too late. I
hope you'll visit again soon."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Will asked,
tensing up again.

"Nothing, son. I just think that everyone
could use some space given the situation."

Charlotte felt irrational anger slam into
her. What situation was he referring to? Lexi? She wasn't a
situation. Beside her Will curled a hand into a fist. Without
thinking, Charlotte reached out and grabbed it with her hand.

"There's no situation, Dad. And honestly, we
don't need space. If Charlotte would agree, I'd move them into the
house tonight," Will said.

"What about Sierra and Shane?" Bill
asked.

"What about them?" Will shot back.

"Don't you think their world has been turned
upside down enough?" Bill's horse danced a little to one side,
making Charlotte gasp with nerves. She and horses did not always
mix well.

"Sierra and Shane are my responsibility, and
if I think adding people to my household is in our best interest,
then it is none of your business," Will snapped.

Before Bill could respond Charlotte startled
herself by saying, "You know what? I think that Lexi and I need to
get back to Rapid City so we can pack some bags."

Will set his briefcase beside the door, and
loosened his tie as he listened to the warm commotion coming from
the kitchen. It still surprised him how much he enjoyed the chaos.
For a man who prided himself on being a solitary individual, he
loved each little invasion of his space even when it got
overwhelming. He couldn't believe his luck that Charlotte's
director had agreed to their unusual living situation. Having his
daughter and Charlotte in the house felt good, right. It rankled
him that Charlotte's official role was that of supervisor, but
intellectually he understood the necessity of playing by the
rules.

His keys clattered as he tossed them into the
bowl in on the entryway table. The noise echoed in his ears; a
tinny sound that cut through the pandemonium in the background.
Will's hand froze on his wallet. Migraine auras often made him
experience heightened sensory awareness. So far he had been
blissfully migraine free since Charlotte and Lexi had moved in, and
he didn't relish having to share that information with them.

Being a migraine patient had always made Will
feel inept and incompetent. No matter how many times his doctor
told him that his main trigger for the intense headaches was
stress, Will always believed he could stop them if he tried hard
enough. And yet, every time he failed to manage his stress, the
migraine roared down on him with the fury of an F-5 tornado.

This couldn't be one of those times, though,
he told himself. Classes had gone well today. The extra course he
had taken over for Steve required little more than reading a series
of slides while the students took notes, and he loved teaching his
own courses. Office hours had flown by. And the drive home had been
full of anticipation at seeing Charlotte, Lexi, Sierra, and Shane.
Clearly it had been a low-stress day. Maybe he was catching a cold
or something. Hadn't one of the department secretaries mentioned
that some such virus was going around?

Shaking off the migraine-induced worry, Will
strode into the kitchen where Sierra let out an excited squeal and
launched herself into his arms. Lexi gave him a quick nod and a
half smile before she bent back over her math book. Shane studied
him with big eyes and a thumb planted firmly in his mouth. As Will
lifted Sierra off the ground, pleased at her greeting, he let his
gaze drift slowly to Charlotte.

She stood at the stove, her long brown hair
pulled back and tied at the nape of her neck. The thick fringe of
bangs swept across her forehead, and a smudge of flour grazed her
cheek. Will couldn't help but be struck by her beauty. He had never
felt so drawn to any woman in his life. And it wasn't just
Charlotte's physical looks that attracted him, but her sharp wit
and easy laugh.

"Oh, Will, you're home," she said, a slight
blush coloring her cheeks. Her dark green eyes crinkled as she
smiled at him. "I was so caught up in getting this recipe right
that I didn't hear you come in. How silly."

Will set Sierra back on her chair where the
young girl returned to her coloring book. Maneuvering around the
table in the tiny kitchen, Will stopped beside the stove. Charlotte
held up a wooden spoon full of a lumpy tomato sauce. At first the
aromatic smells of onion, garlic, and tomato mingling made his
mouth water, but on the back end he caught a whiff of something…
earthier, maybe a mushroom. Regardless, his stomach heaved and he
gagged. He did his best to hide his reaction so he didn't hurt
Charlotte's feelings. "Taste it," she said, the hopeful note in her
voice overcoming any physical reasoning not to try.

The blend of vegetables and spices exploded
in his mouth with a hundred different flavor notes, and he
truthfully let out a small groan of pleasure. "That is the best
sauce I have ever tasted."

"Ew."

Will and Charlotte turned at the same time to
see Lexi and the two younger children watching them. His daughter's
face was scrunched up in a look of disgust. Sierra and Shane simply
looked on curiously.

"You two are seriously gross. We all have to
eat that sauce later." Lexi set her pencil on the table and crossed
her arms.

Flustered, Will took a step away from
Charlotte, bumping against the kitchen counter in the process. He
didn't know what to say in response. The last thing he wanted was
for his daughter or the younger two to feel uncomfortable. Flirting
had never come easily for him, and interaction with women had
always had a serious note to it, so when Charlotte got lighthearted
and playful, he didn't know how to behave. He felt a scowl deepen
over his features. Will disliked being out of his element. Control
of himself and his environment had always been important, and
lately all that control seemed to be slipping away. Hadn't he just
been thinking how much he loved the newfound chaos in his home?
What was wrong with him?

A sharp stab of pain shot through his temple.
No! This could not be happening right now. A migraine would only
make him look weak in front of Charlotte and Lexi. He needed them
to see the strong side of him. Why that was, Will couldn't say but
he did know it mattered. Instead he turned to leave the room, and
tripped over Shane.

The little boy gave a startled cry and rushed
to Charlotte, who instantly enveloped him in her arms. The way she
stroked his head made Will's heart ache. Now he was inept and the
bad guy.

"I have to change to help with the chores,"
he muttered as he stalked out of the kitchen.

After throwing on well-worn jeans, a flannel
shirt, and a tired pair of work boots, Will took his medication. He
grimaced as he thought about the fact that his meds had been losing
their effectiveness. Pain-infused anger washed over him, and he
charged out of the house and over to the barn. Several of the ranch
hands were bedding down the horses for the night, and Will grabbed
a shovel. Mucking stalls actually seemed preferable at the moment
to bumbling through family time.

"What on earth are you doing out here, Big
Brother, when you've got that pretty little lady to keep you
company?"

Will scowled up at his younger brother. Wyatt
leaned against the gate to the stable, and Will had the sudden,
overwhelming urge to fling a shovelful of manure at him.

"Cut the bumpkin cowboy routine," Will
snapped, turning back to the task at hand.

Wyatt laughed. "Oh come on, man. It's a
serious question. If I had a girl like that, not to mention those
adorable kiddies to welcome me home, I wouldn't be out here
shoveling horse crap, I'll tell you that much."

"I wanted to put my time in for the day,
before Dad gets on my case again."

"Sure, I get that. But why at dinner
time?"

Will leaned the shovel against the wall, and
wiped his brow with a handkerchief he kept in his back pocket.
"Seemed as good a time as any."

Wyatt laughed again. "You're hiding, aren't
you?"

"I'm not hiding." Will felt his annoyance
bubble up in his chest. If he decked his little brother, how much
trouble would he be in? The thought brought on a faint smile when
he realized that he was thinking like a teenage boy, not a fully
grown man. "Dinner wasn't ready yet, and the kids were busy with
homework and coloring. Good time for chores."

"Whatever you say, bro. I'll see you around.
Hot date tonight."

Will watched his brother amble across the
horse barn to the flight of stairs that led to his small apartment.
It was no surprise to Will that he still thought of Wyatt as a kid.
His younger brother had yet to hold a serious, adult job. He
preferred knocking around the ranch, playing cowboy with Walker. A
wave of nausea made Will grip the slatted stable wall and breathe
heavily through his mouth.
Time to wrap this up.

After he returned the shovel, he sought out
the work manifest that Walker kept religiously. Ever since his
older brother had taken over running the ranch, things had been run
with surprising efficiency. Walker required each man, including
Will and Wyatt, to log their work hours. If Will missed a day here
or there, his dad got on his case, making him wonder why he had
ever returned to South Dakota in the first place.

When he got back to his house, he drew a
steadying breath of the cool night air and went in the back door.
Lexi was setting the table, and Charlotte was cutting bread at the
counter. Cartoons blared from the living room. The whole scene once
again felt homey and good to Will. Charlotte gave him a curious
look but didn't say anything. She simply handed him a plate of
bread.

"Dinner's almost ready. Would you mind
putting that on the table? Then go on and wash up."

Will nodded, at once surprised and ashamed.
His behavior had at least warranted some questions or at the very
least a disapproving stare, but Charlotte simply moved on like
nothing was amiss. Maybe Will had read too much into the situation
earlier. Ever since Steve and Gretchen had died, things felt off to
him. He couldn't put his finger on just what was different, but
things inside had shifted, exposing new territory that he didn't
want to deal with.

He kept hoping that if he ignored things long
enough, he would start to feel like himself again. Will sluffed off
his boots, swaying slightly as another wave of nausea swept over
him again. The pain of the migraine rocked him to his toes. He
couldn't deny the headache any longer. After dinner he would crash.
Charlotte could handle bedtime with the little kids. He'd seen the
unflappable way she orchestrated things.

Bracing himself on the end of his bed, he
made his way to the clothes he had laid out on the other end. With
great effort he changed, and left the room in his socks. Shoes were
such a hassle.

"Dad, sit by me," Lexi said, a grin spreading
across her face as he entered the kitchen.

Will sank gratefully into the chair, trying
not to appear sick. Somehow the meal passed in a blur. Charlotte
served the food and offered a blessing. Will still wasn't used to
that even though his mother insisted on a blessing before each meal
as well. Something about saying the familiar words soothed him
momentarily.

As the children dug in to the spaghetti,
Charlotte leaned over to him. When he caught a whiff of Charlotte's
perfume he was surprised to find that the scent didn't overwhelm
him. So he leaned closer to her. "Are you okay?"

The question cut through Will's pain and
nausea and drowsy delirium, and made him feel gruff. He sat back
too fast. "I'm fine."

Charlotte reached under the table and rubbed
his knee gently. The motion shamed him. He wasn't sure if he was
ashamed that he had been short with her or that she had seen
through his carefully constructed barriers. Either way, he shifted
away from her touch so that she didn't have to feel sorry for him.
The irrational part of him felt annoyed that she should have
noticed at all.

From the corner of his eye, he watched
Charlotte settle back into her seat then reach for a roll. She kept
her eyes focused on the table in front of her, so he couldn't tell
what she was thinking. Another round of guilt stabbed him. Should
he apologize for something he hadn't really done?

"I'm glad you're feeling better," Charlotte
said softly as she handed Sierra a buttered piece of bread. Will
kept silent a beat too long as he debated what to say. Eventually
Charlotte continued, "Would you be able to help Lexi with her math
homework after dinner?"