Grady drove with Sam to the Colson ranch. It was located on a country road at the entrance to a large valley wedged between the mountain tops of the Sierra Nevada range.

He passed under the traditional wooden entrance of the ranch, consisting of two vertical logs and a horizontal one across the top with the word “Colson” burned in.

Large, metallic sculptures, similar to the one on Linx’s porch, lined the way—monsters, horses, gargoyles, and other odd pieces welded together in a disturbing fashion.

Grady gaped at one that looked like half the face of a woman with shiny metal tears trailing down one side, and jagged cuts and wild zigzag hair on the other.

A twisted and torn heart was perched precariously in a bone-dry ribcage of a cow, with a rusted railroad spike drilled through it.

Grady narrowed his eyes at the railroad spikes. What if Linx’s mother was mixed up with the fires? Hadn’t that man mentioned scrap metal disappearing from the burn sites and sold to artists?

Also, who else could have left the crude cross at his parents’ cabin?

They could call it art all they wanted, but to Grady these heaps were no more than tortured trash.

These were not the kinds of artwork that soothed and expressed peaceful emotions—the way his sister-in-law Nadine’s artwork conveyed, but the product of a strange and demented mind.

After passing the grove of grotesque sculptures, Grady drove by a pasture holding horses and an empty training corral and parked on the circular driveway in front of the ranch house.

Linx and Cedar had made it there before him, but barely, judging from the tinkling sound her SUV’s engine gave as it cooled.

Grady let himself and Sam through the gate, and the dog took off across the field when he saw Cedar running around with another dog he didn’t recognize.

Linx welcomed him at the door with a kiss. She led him inside, introducing him to the few siblings he hadn’t gotten to know—mainly, Scott, the fireman and Vivi from the general store.

Grady waved to Todd, Chad, and his cousin Kevin, and Joey from the diner. He could sense the tension in the room and the awkwardness of making small talk with people who barely tolerated him, and he wished his family were gathered around as a buffer.

Fortunately, the news that Salem had caused a rift between Linx and him during her pregnancy seemed to have diminished the hostility from the Colsons, and Linx’s father welcomed him with open arms.

“So, you’re the man who knocked up my baby girl.” Joe Colson gripped Grady’s hand with his big, beefy one. “Guess I’m too late with the shotgun, but welcome to the family. I know you’ll do the right thing.”

“Thanks for the confidence,” Grady said, not sure at all what Linx’s father meant. Did he want him to retroactively marry his daughter? That way, once he gained custody of Jessie, Linx would also be able to be the mother.

The Colson brothers gathered around—all big men, sizing him up.

“You here to stay or going back to smokejumping?” Scott asked.

“I’m staying around,” Grady said. “Might stick to ground crew work.”

“Good, we can always use more hands,” Scott said.

“Think you’ll get your kid back?” another brother, Chad, asked.

“Hope so.”

An awkward silence descended on the gathering, as no one had much to say. Instead, they looked at him and he glanced away from them.

Grady sighed with relief when he heard car doors closing outside and a horde of footsteps coming toward the entrance. His family was here.

His parents stepped through the door first, followed by all his siblings and some of their spouses.

Grady’s family milled around Linx’s brothers and sister, with Cait remaking their connections from the past Christmas when they helped with rescuing her from a kidnapper.

Even though they insulated him from the Colsons, it soon got too loud and stifling for him, the way everyone carried on about family and looking after each other.

They couldn’t help giving him concerned looks and wondered out loud where the lawyer was.

Grady hated being the problem child, singled out for this gathering of the clans, as everyone either gave him a thumbs up or whispered their well wishes—as if he’d gotten a cancer diagnosis or was told he had months to live.

The truth was, his family didn’t think he could do anything right without them and all their opinions.

Grady backed away from the commotion and spotted Linx at the opposite side of the great room, standing under a portrait of a strikingly beautiful brunette—probably her mother.

The woman had long, dark brown hair and a wild, free-spirited glaze in her eyes. She wore beads in her hair and masses of silver jewelry.

Grady could picture her living in a gypsy wagon, never settling in one place, telling fortunes and causing havoc in people’s lives.

He stepped toward the grand piano and studied the family pictures crowded on top of the dusty lid. Across the room, Linx studied him, so he kept his expression neutral.

The wedding picture was old and faded, showing a young cowboy, Joe Colson, with his hippie bride complete with ribbons in her hair, dressed in a flowing multi-colored gown. They looked happy enough, even though he was steady as a rock and she was wrapped around him like slivers of running water.

Then, the children started to appear, and the pictures were still happy. Grady counted the children until he reached the one where Linx was the baby.

Gasping, he stepped back. In each of the previous pictures, Linx’s mother held the baby, the father held the next oldest, and the older ones gathered around.

The one with Linx was different.

Joe held the tiny infant in his arms, but his smile was strained, while Linx’s mother hugged Chad, the next oldest. Her body language was partially turned away from the infant who had her fists clenched, eyes wide and haunted, and looking like an alien.

Had Linx been adopted?

He glanced up at her and she gave him a scowl, crossing her arms.

He started toward her, but the door opened and a stern, serious-looking woman in a gray suit stalked in. She lowered her eyeglasses and peered at him for a brief second before heading toward Linx and embracing her.

It was Becca, of course, and her first words to Linx were, “Let me guess, he’s the one casing the room from behind the grand piano.”

The women peered at him again, so he turned away from them right as Cait rushed toward Becca.

While the women went on about Cait’s pregnancy, Grady sidled up to Linx.

“Are we going to get time with her?” he whispered, tugging her aside.

Linx put a finger over his lips. “Let’s get Becca alone after dinner for the consult.”

“I don’t think any of us can eat a crumb until we know. I can’t believe your dad invited my entire family.”

“He didn’t know about me asking Becca to come until it was too late. He saw them at the diner. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” He squeezed her shoulder. “I liked you better when you were never sorry for anything.”

Linx jutted out her lip. “You’re right. No sense wallowing when we have to get on with our lives.”

“That’s my Linx.” He kissed her lightly and grabbed her elbow. “Now, go separate Becca from the herd so we can meet somewhere private.”

Linx pushed her way to her sister’s side, but a middle-aged woman stepped from the kitchen banging a pot, cutting her off.

“Time for dinner,” she shouted. “We have a buffet set up on the farmhouse table and barbecue out back.”

“Wait!” Cait held up her hand. “We need to know Grady’s chances.”

Count on Cait to put business and bossiness first before food. Good for her. He needed answers, and God help him if the case were a lost cause.

“We want to consult with Becca in private,” Linx shouted above Cait’s demands. “You guys go out back and get started.”

His family looked reluctant to leave, even though the rest of the Colson clan made gestures, inviting them to follow.

Becca put her hands around her mouth like a megaphone. “Everyone, please go ahead and eat while I talk to Grady and Linx. As you know, nothing is clear-cut, black or white. I cannot let you know what will happen in court. I can only advise Grady and Linx on their chances.”

Their chances?

Did she mean this wasn’t a sure thing? Why, he was never informed. He’d never signed away his rights.

He rushed after Linx and Becca as they headed to what looked like the den. Becca’s expression was grim, and Linx looked fearful. He put his hand on the small of her back, trying to reassure her.

He was pretty sure his lack of signature giving up his rights would hold up in court. Everything he read told adoptive parents to get the birth father’s written and signed consent.

They shut the door to the den and remained standing.

“Thanks for coming,” Grady said to Becca. “Just give it to us straight.”

The lawyer nodded and flicked back a stray strand of her curly auburn hair which had escaped her bun.

She fixed her gaze on her sister instead of Grady, as if about to lecture her. “I did some investigating on the court order given by Judge Stephens terminating the ‘unknown’ father’s paternity rights. It seems to have been railroaded through the system, and the judge did not verify the proof that you did everything you could to find Jessie’s father.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?” Grady stepped forward. “That proves I didn’t have a chance to give consent.”

Becca held up her hand. “Yes and no. It’s positive for you, Grady, but in order to proceed, all the blame for this falls on Linx. She committed perjury and lied to the judge, saying she didn’t know who the father could be. She testified she was drunk at the time and implied she was sexually abused by an unknown assailant.”

What the heck? Linx had completely erased him from the picture, or was it more sinister?

“You were raped?” Grady’s jaw dropped as Linx’s face whitened.

“I never said I was raped.” She staggered back, and he steadied her. “I just said I had no clue who I had sex with.”

“In other words, you lied, and that’s a crime.” Becca’s voice was accusing.

“What does this mean for me?” Grady asked. “I’m the innocent victim here.”

“You might have a case,” Becca said, “but it’s based on Linx’s perjury and the judge being too lenient and not insisting she pursue this unknown assailant.”

“Crap!” He stalked across the room and threw up his hands. “Can’t we keep Linx out of it? Just say I got suspicious when I saw Linx and Jessie together, and I had a nagging feeling something had happened that night.”

“You’re admitting to allegedly sleeping with a drunk woman who was unable to give consent?” Becca drilled him, stabbing a finger at him.

“Sure. I’ll do anything to get Jessie back,” Grady said. “The statute of limitations is past, isn’t it?”

“Sorry, the Governor signed a bill last year ending California’s ten-year statute of limitations because of the Bill Cosby case.”

“But Linx won’t press charges, will she?” Grady asked, darting his glance from Becca to Linx.

“The prosecutor can still file.” Becca gave a chopping motion with her hand. “You two are still within the ten years, bill or no bill.”

Grady gasped, not catching his breath. This was worse than he’d imagined. Linx premeditated giving that baby away and cutting him out of her life.

Maybe he’d been too soft on her recently, believing her apologies and letting his feelings bubble to the surface.

Maybe it was better to lock up feelings and emotions and deal only with logic and reason.

“It’s all based on my lie!” Linx threw her hands up. “I can’t let Grady take the hit when I lied. I’ll stand trial for perjury. I’ll go to jail. Anything, so Grady can have his rights reinstated.”

“Oh, sissy, why did you perjure yourself?” Becca’s eyebrows drooped as she wrapped her arms around Linx.

Linx sank to the floor, covering her face, and dragged her sister down onto the carpet, still holding onto her. “Because Grady abandoned me, and I wanted to erase everything. Make it all go away and give Jessie a better life. Plus, the Pattersons were willing to let me stay in Jessie’s life. They only started the church here because of me and Jessie. They could have gone anywhere. I didn’t want Jessie to ever be abandoned by anyone.”

“You picked the Pattersons because they would be her perfect parents.” Becca’s voice was gentle as she rubbed Linx’s back.

Sobs broke from Linx’s gasping breath. “Our mother left because of me. And I carry the curse of running away. I’m the most like her, the most unstable. I didn’t want Jessie to be hurt the way I was.”

The baggage Linx was carrying was far heavier than he’d suspected. That and the haunted look in that baby’s eyes—as if she’d known she wasn’t wanted and loved—had Grady’s heart splitting wide open just like the twisted sculpture left on her porch.

“Why are we trying to take her away from the Pattersons?” Becca asked.

Why indeed? Grady scratched his head, knowing he would hate doing the right thing. He wanted his daughter, but was it already too late?

“I want Grady to have his rights, so he won’t hate me forever.” Linx couldn’t stand to look either her sister or Grady in the eye.

“Linx, I don’t—” Grady grabbed her arm, lifting her from the floor. “I mean, it’s not fair, but …”

If she were doing this for him—to make up for hurting him, it was unnecessary. She’d just validated that she truly loved him, and that he could trust her, but she still didn’t believe he wouldn’t hurt or abandon her—or as she put it, hate her.

“Don’t lie to me.” A blaze of fire shot through Linx’s dark-brown eyes and she shoved herself from him. “Don’t stand there and tell me it doesn’t matter. I screwed up your life, and I deserve to take the hit.”

He couldn’t let her go down because of this. She’d been a vulnerable young woman—just like she’d been a vulnerable baby, a small child abandoned by her mother. But still, he wanted his daughter and he wanted her—maybe more.

“Wait, what are our options?” Grady turned to Becca. “Is there any other way? I want to be in Jessie’s life. I want to be her father.”

“You will be. You deserve to be,” Linx screamed, pulling her own hair and shaking her head wildly. “Just not with me. I cheated you out of it and I’ll go down. Perjury, jail, a record. You’ll all be better off without me.”

He reached out to grab her, but Becca blocked him as Linx tore from the den, slamming the door behind her. “Let her go. She needs to be alone. As for you, I’m going to order a paternity test before we do anything else.”

“You mean, the child might not even be mine?” Grady’s entire chest caved in and he staggered, holding himself against the wood-paneled wall.