Heartstrings Read Online Free Page B

corral. During his and Mike’s senior year, the cattle had been sold off to pay the mounting debts, and the only horses around had been two old swayback mares.
    Frank had served his first term as county judge then, but he had never been a good manager of finances. He’d run the place to the ground and was living from hand to mouth for years.
    He looked back at the house. It, too, had been updated with amenities it hadn’t had fifteen years ago. The pool was new, as was the four-car garage in front of which was parked a fancy black sports car. He recognized the Mercedes from the funeral. Mike and Tammy Jo.
    He took another deep breath and headed up the steps to the front door. He might have an ulterior motive for showing up at Thursday supper, but Carolann had invited him, and he wanted to visit with her and Frank. If he met his daughter while here, so be it.
    The thought scared the hell out of him.
    What would she think of him? Could she ever understand why he had to leave? His father had demanded he give up singing after high school. He couldn’t give it up any more than he could breathing. The talent show had been his only real chance to get out of Texas and make his dreams come true.
    He’d come back, but it was too late. Abby had already given his baby away. She’d already given her heart to someone else. He’d wanted to see his little girl over the years, but every time he’d gathered his courage to come home, Mike’s words burned in his mind.
    What kind of father do you think you’ll be, Seth?
    With the reminder of his parents’ messed up lives, he’d convinced himself Emily was better off never knowing him.
    Until now.
    He tucked the bottle of red wine he’d brought under his arm and gripped the handle of his guitar case tighter with a sweaty hand. According to Frank, Emily was quite a fan of his.
    Something sweet and warm curled inside his heart.
    When the door opened after he rang the doorbell, he expected Carolann. Instead, he met the wide green eyes of a tall, thin, auburn-haired girl who resembled a combination of Abby and his Granny Kendall too much to be a fluke.
    Jesus, she was beautiful.
    He rubbed his goatee and forced air through his constricting voice box to form words. “You must be...Emily?” He swallowed the lump in his throat and painted on a smile. “I’m guessing you already know who I am.”
    But she didn’t know him at all. Dear God, he was this girl’s father.
    She swung the door open, and the shock turned into the biggest and brightest smile he’d ever seen. The force of it hit his solar plexus like a fist.
    She held out her hand. “I’m Emily Ritter. Hi.”
    He looked at her hand, and a million different feelings tumbled through him–fear, joy, amazement, excitement and so many more, he couldn’t keep track. He doubted a blind man seeing a sunrise for the first time could feel this happy. Trembling, he encircled her warm fingers with his big hand.
    You’re my little girl.
    The baby he’d tried for fifteen years to forget about and never quite succeeded.
    Her grip was soft and cool and her fingers trembled. Good, maybe she didn’t feel just how badly his shook.
    When he let go, she balled her hand into a loose fist, held it over her heart and giggled. “I’d have to be blind, deaf and dumb not to know who you are. But that wouldn’t be an excuse in my family. Please come in, Mr. Kendall.”
    Inside the foyer, he set his guitar case next to the wall and hung his hat on the hat rack by the door. Only one other hat hung on the hooks. He stared at Mike’s thousand-dollar tan Resistol, and rage boiled the bile in his belly.
    He yanked his gaze from the hat and smiled at his baby. “Please call me Seth.”
    She blushed and nodded. “Okay, Seth it is. Grandma’s in the kitchen. Everyone else is out back on the patio.”
    He followed her down the hall to the big open kitchen. Carolann turned away from the counter where she was tossing a salad. She smiled and wiped her