Mama and the school of hard knocks. But Amber wasn’t going to say that. “That’s very sweet of you to say.”
“Still, I feel responsible.”
“Please don’t. That’s not what any of this is about. I didn’t even know Harper asked you to come down here till this morning.”
“That’s true,” Harper said. “She didn’t.”
“Young lady, I don’t need a DNA test. Those eyes are mine. I’m sure of it. And I did have relations with your mother. One time, but as we all know, that’s all it takes sometimes.
“This is all a lot to digest. One thing I missed by bein’ on the road all the time was havin’ a family. I especially miss it now that I’m retired. If you choose to be a part of my life, Amber, I would be honored.”
Tears welled in Amber’s eyes. She rose and went to her father. He embraced her in his arms. Warmth spread over her body. She felt safe. A different kind of safe than she felt in Harper’s arms.
“Daddy’s here, darlin’. Daddy’s here.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Harper and Blake went back to Bakersville the next day, after alerting the police about the situation with Oscar and Donetto. Hopefully they’d have a hard time starting up the operation again. The cops would keep their eyes open.
Amber said goodbye to Harper without tears, though she’d cried herself to sleep that night in her hotel room.
She stayed a few more days to take care of her mother. Thunder stayed with her. Together they got Karen admitted to a Medicaid-approved substance abuse facility where she’d receive weekly therapy for her mental issues as well.
“I’m leaving Bakersville,” she told her father. “I need to be close to Mama. She needs me now.”
“Leaving Bakersville? But you have friends there. A job.”
“I’ll have to go back in a few months for the opening ceremonies of the rodeo. I’m rodeo queen, and I have to hand the crown over. But I need to get down here now and secure a job so I can help Mama. Be here if she needs me.”
“If you could do anything you wanted…anything at all, would it be manicuring?”
She shook her head. “No. That was something I could learn in high school, and I’m good at it. What I’d really love to do is ride horses.”
“Well, your newfound father just happens to own a small ranch on the western slope of Colorado. What say you move there? If you need extra cash you can do nails in the city, and I have horses you can ride.”
Joy spread through Amber. Living on her father’s ranch and helping him run it would be a dream come true. “But Mama…”
“Once her treatment is complete, she can come to my ranch too.”
She hadn’t expected that. How could she turn this opportunity down? “Are you sure you have the room?”
“I’ve got four bedrooms and a small guest house. And I’m all alone there. You do the math.”
“But this is your retirement. You don’t want to be saddled with two more people.”
“Darlin’, I’m all alone now. I was never lonely on the road. There were more than enough people around to keep me company. Now, all I’ve got is a few ranch hands. It’d sure be nice to have your pretty face around.”
“But I can’t impose. And my mother… She’s a handful.”
“I’m not rollin’ in gold, but I was a champion bronc buster, remember? I’m well enough off to take care of my daughter and her mother. It would please me to do so.”
Tears misted in her eyes. Her father had come into her life, and he was everything a girl could want in a dad. Her mother was getting the care she needed, and hopefully she would heal so Amber could heal her relationship with her. She could ride horses. Life was finally coming around. Except for one thing.
She’d never have the man she loved.
* * *
A few days later, Amber sat in her small apartment packing boxes.