Heartsong (Logan 2)

"I think I understand," I said. His raised his

eyebrows.

"Really? I don't," he muttered bitterly and

sipped some more water.

"It was terrible for them to keep the secret so

long and permit you to grow up thinking my mother

was someone else, someone you could love," I said. He nodded, a small, tight smile on his lips. "Yes," he said. "Terrible is a good word, but

I'm afraid I can think of many others not suitable for a

young girl's ears."

"Your father's a very sad man, Kenneth. I think

he's very sorry," I said. Kenneth widened his smile. "You? You want to forgive him? He let you

grow up without ever knowing he was your grandfather. He never sent you a dollar or inquired about your wellbeing. He let Haille and Chester run off without a penny to their names to live in the hills of West Virginia, and when you arrived here, he made no attempt to tell you who you were and who he was to you. If Belinda hadn't babbled to you in the rest home, you still wouldn't know the truth," Kenneth

pointed out. "Forgive him?"

He shook his head.

"I don't want to hate him," I admitted. "Just like him to win you over even after all

that. The master charmer strikes again," he said

bitterly.

"I just want everyone to tell me the truth. I just

want to know who my father is," I said, my throat

tightening as my tears built a reservoir beneath my

eyelids.

"He didn't say?"

"He told me he didn't know. He said my mother

wouldn't confide in him and that all he knows is that

she got into trouble after she found out the truth." "That's right. It was his fault," Kenneth spit out.

"Especially the way he told her. What did he expect

would happen?"

"How did he tell her?" I asked, breathless. Kenneth turned away. I saw by the way he was

working the muscles in his jaw that it was not just

difficult but painful for him to resurrect these memories. This was just why everyone was warning me