Country Strong by Linda Lael Miller

Author:Linda Lael Miller
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin Enterprises Limited
Published: 2020-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

THE SUNLIGHT WAS coming through narrow slits in the blinds as Carly woke up. She stretched, rotated her shoulders, flexed her hands and feet. Grabbing her cell from the small bedside table, she checked the time—only 6:48. She’d get up and sit outside for a while, do some serious thinking. Pulling on a pair of jeans and one of Susan’s T-shirts (this one read “So many books, so little time”), she tiptoed to the kitchen, but she didn’t need to worry about waking Tina and Mitch. They were already sitting there, drinking coffee and eating toast when they greeted her, and she told them she’d really enjoyed dinner at Cord’s the evening before.

It was true. She’d loved seeing everyone, including Russ. He seemed nice enough but kind of an odd guy. When she’d first met him last night, he said he used to know Reba, but she’d learned from Shallie that he’d not only known her, he’d lived with her because Reba had ended up at that awful motel owned by his parents. Carly hadn’t felt she could ask Russ for a lot of detail just then, sensing that it wouldn’t have been appropriate.

But there had to be more Shallie could tell Carly about those days, about Reba in particular. Did Shallie know why Reba had come to the motel and why she’d left? Did it have anything to do with the fact that she’d obviously had three more or less concurrent relationships?

Accepting a glass of orange juice with ice from Tina, she went outside and sat on one of the wicker chairs near the trailer. Okay, what was she going to do? How much longer could she go on like this, essentially living a lie? Feeling guiltier by the day? Shallie knew what she’d been doing, but she had to confess to the others, starting with Tina and Cord. Then Eli and J.P., on separate occasions. She had to tell them about her YouTube channel, her search for her father, how she’d made money—through ads and viewer donations. Would they see that as exploiting them? The four of them, she and her three potential dads, needed to make a joint decision about DNA testing. It had to be done. But, embarrassing as it was to admit, she’d put off telling them the truth so she could extend her YouTube performances a little longer; the success of My 3 Dads was thrilling and she certainly couldn’t complain about the money. But she’d begun to question her own motives… And no, it wasn’t just the money, although she’d keep that going as long as she could. Who knew when she’d have another stable source of cash?

Thinking about all these questions, about the decisions she needed to make, left her feeling…kind of scared. And it made her miss her mother so much.

More than anything, she had to find out who her father was. They all did. She owed that to herself, to them…and to Reba.

She’d head over to the ranch house now and have a talk with Shallie—if she was up.

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