"Caitlin, it's time we put this behind us. Scott will leave town. Whoever wants your land will have to fight the two of us for it. We're in this together."
She wiped her nose and gulped. "I'm sorry for getting you involved in this fiasco. It is the last thing I wanted to see happen."
"Sweetie, we handle things together, especially the bad stuff. If we can get through this, we can handle anything, as long as we do it together."
"Together sounds wonderful." She went into his arms and let him hold her for a few minutes. With this man by her side, Caitlin knew they could conquer anything or anyone who crossed their path.
They went home, but neither said anything. The quiet was eerie, but Caitlin decided it was the day. Once home, Garrett headed straight for the kitchen, where he stood by the sink. Caitlin settled into the chair and anxiously awaited his news.
"I hired a private investigator to get information on MacKay."
At first the words did not register, but when they did, her breaths became ragged. "You did what?" she said, trying to remain calm, but each second that passed made it more difficult. The confession wrapped around her like a vine on a trellis. As she watched Garrett, trying to find the right words to speak, her thoughts instead focused on his lack of trust in her. Without mutual respect how could they start a relationship, one that would last?
"We needed to know about him."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"It wasn't important."
"Not important," she yelled, now pacing. "Was anything found that would have shed light on this situation?"
"No. He's clean. They found his mom, but no father in the picture. He does construction work for a large outfit in Texas."
"No father?"
"No name was listed on the birth certificate."
"Did anyone talk to his mom?"
"She said it was all in the past and that's where it was staying."
Caitlin shook her head and exhaled. Why do people keep putting the past to rest? How am I supposed to move forward if I don't know what has happened? Garrett moved closer to her. "I'm sorry I don't have more information for you."
"You tried," she said with dejection in her voice.
"We'll figure this out. Honest we will. Remember, we'll do it together."
"Does that mean no more secrets?"