Hearts On Fire by Penny Childs

behind. He smiled, relaxed. Julie had woke in
the night. To their mother’s horror they had Julie on suicide watch in the
psychiatric wing and would not let anyone see her. Not even family. A fact
Arlene could not fathom. So she’d left first thing this morning for the
hospital to argue with them. The way JD saw it the doctors probably knew best
and Julie probably needed to be away from anyone who would pressure her. Like
her mother. But he’d wished Arlene luck before she’d left anyway.
         “Where the hell are you
off to?” Josh asked, watching his brother ride across the barnyard.
         “As if you don’t know.”
JD didn’t stop his horse.
         “Mom will have a cow. No.
Two cows. This would definitely qualify as a two cow moment.”
         “It’s good for her once
in a while,” JD told him with a grin. “Besides, she’s busy trying to rewrite
hospital policy today.”
         “She probably will too.
They’ll do it just to get rid of her.” Josh leaned on the fence rail. “Do you
think Lizzie came back to Katy’s last night?”
         “She did,” was all JD
said before giving his gelding some heel and taking off at a slow lope down the
driveway.
         “Not gonna ask how you
know that,” Josh muttered to his brother’s receding form.
         JD knew a lot about
Lizzie and one thing he remembered with utter clarity was how much she loved to
ride horses. Offering to take her for a ride, he knew, would set the stage for
getting her to warm back up to him. If he could just get her alone, just get
her to listen to him, he was sure he could get her to trust him again. At least
enough to help him. The rest would come later.
         And he wanted more. He
already knew he wanted more from her. He wanted what he should have had so long
ago.
         Fat flakes of snow fell
from the sky, lazy without any wind. It was cool out, but not cold. Pleasant
enough for a ride through the woods, he thought with a smile as a memory snuck
up on him. He vividly recalled sneaking off the ranch with a horse in tow just
like this so many times. But one time in particular stuck with him. The hot
summer day he’d finally convinced Lizzie to let him show her just how much he
wanted her. It was with images of her tangled up with him on the bank of the
river that he approached the tiny house on the hill.
     
     
         Something had told her he would come to her this morning. Maybe a premonition. Or maybe it was just
the fact she knew how tenacious he could be. So she wasn’t surprised when she
heard the snort of a horse coming up the driveway. Nor was she surprised when
she saw him round the last bend astride a big palomino with a chestnut mare in
tow. She knew him. Or had. And he knew her. The horse, she knew he figured,
would be his way in. Fear traced up her spine. Because she knew she would let
him in. And she knew she would have to tell him something she’d kept from him
for over twelve years. It was unavoidable. And looking at him now, looking into
his eyes, she knew Brian was right. The man had a right to know his son. And
his son had a right to know the man who was his father. What JD would do once
she told him was anyone’s guess.
         She’d cried last night
when she’d told Brian what had happened at the hospital. When she’d told Brian
of Arlene’s threats he’d sworn vehemently and assured her the woman could not
swoop in and take Sean away from her. Shared custody with JD… probably. Even
likely. But not permanent. Lizzie didn’t know what to believe right now. Because
JD was not the young college boy she’d made a child with. He’d grown. Into
what, she still had to determine. She had to know what he would do before she
could tell him he had a son. If you’re waiting for the time to be right
you’re copping out, she told herself.
         “Got a cup of coffee for
me?” he asked, stopping his horse at the bottom step and looking over at her
with a