Sassy Cowgirl Kisses by Kathy Fawcett
Chapter 35
Kat was only 14 when her father, Jack Tate, left her and her mother to fend for themselves. The image of her mother running after him as he loaded his suitcase in the car was forever burned in her memory, along with the heartbreak and sadness that lasted in their house for years.
What was worse, Kat abandoned her mother, too.
Unable to bear Trudy’s grief, Kat buried herself in books, school clubs and honors classes—then medical school and a residency at the Chicago hospital. Kat rarely went home when she was an hour away by train, and never went back now that she lived in Wyoming.
Of course, her mother was always welcome to visit the ranch and came twice a year to see little Willow.
Finally, with Gunnar’s help, and a good therapist in West Gorge, Kat had been able to quiet the ghosts. That is, until the legacy of Jack Tate reared its ugly head again in the form of the beautiful Sassy Tate—who must be her…
Could that be?
She knew there was something that unsettled her about the girl, and yet, something about her looked familiar. Sassy had an uncommon beauty, but also a dark and piercing confidence in her eyes that she’d seen before, in her own father.
Their father.
Her thoughts were spinning.
She had a sister; a sister who knew who she was. That meant Jack talked about her—the father that abandoned her knew who and where she was, and obviously… what? Sent the girl as an envoy to mend fences? Ask for forgiveness… for money?
Absurd. Audacious. Presumptuous. Impossible.
Never send a child to do a man’s job, Jack.
Kat shook her head to clear her wildly swimming thoughts. She didn’t want to reconcile with Jack. She didn’t want to meet Sassy’s mother, Sugar Tate—a gold digger who stole her dad and ruined her family. And Kat certainly didn’t want a relationship with Sassy Tate, the spawn of such low-life people. The girl was a deceitful opportunist who wormed her way into the ranch and Kat’s new real family under false pretenses.
Taking a deep breath, Kat stood up and pulled her slumped shoulders back into badass position where they belonged. She was a department head at the hospital, head of a charitable foundation, and ran a large and imposing ranch home. Her husband and daughter adored her, and she had the love and respect of a growing family. Kat wouldn’t let the memories of a negligent father reduce her to a puddle of pain and emotion—those days were over.
Feeling stronger, Kat looked at Rowdy, who’d been standing close by with concern.
“Fire her,” she said, walking out.