77 "childs secret"

I woke up to the sound of fabric shifting and the faint sting of antiseptic.The trailer smelled of coffee. Cheap, burnt coffee. My coffee.Walker groaned softly as he swayed his head awake. "If that's you tryin' to murder me, at least warn a man."I glanced up from his shoulder. "Good morning to you too."He cracked one eye open, then the other, squinting at me like the light offended him. His hair was a mess, jaw shadowed, chest bare except for the bandage I was carefully peeling back. He was beautiful. Chiseled perfectly "Well I'll be damned," he murmured. "Thought I was dreamin'."

"You weren't," I said. "And don't move."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, far too amused. "You always bossy in the mornings?"

"Only with idiots who get stabbed."He smiled—slow, lazy, dangerous. "You worried about me?"I dabbed the wound, deliberately gentle. "You missed an artery by an inch. You're lucky."

"Luck had nothin' to do with it," he said quietly. "You were there."That made my hands pause.He noticed. Of course he did. "You okay?" he asked, softer now."I'm fine," I said quickly. "Just—hold still."He shifted closer anyway, close enough that his knee brushed my thigh. "You always do that."

"Do what."

"Pull back when things feel... real."I met his eyes then. "Walker."

"I ain't pushin'," he said. "Just sayin'—I'm right here. Still."My chest tightened. "I don't know if I'm ready to do the love thing again."He nodded once, serious. "Then we don't."

"That easy?"

"That easy," he said. "I ain't goin' anywhere."Before I could respond, there was a knock at the door.Sharp. Heavy. My stomach dropped.I turned, heart already racing, and opened it just enough to see him.

Rip.

He stood there with his hands shoved in his pockets, jaw tight, eyes flicking past me like he expected to see something—or someone—he didn't want to.I froze.Every muscle in my body remembered. His anger that night... the flash of his hand across my face... the scar left behind.. he scared me.. is wasn't the man I once knew. "Willie," he said, quieter than I expected. "Can you step outside? Need to talk."I hesitated. My fingers curled into the edge of the door.Walker's voice drifted from behind me, low and steady. "You okay?"Rip glanced past me then, saw him, and his jaw clenched harder."I'll be right outside," Rip said. "Just a minute."I swallowed. Then nodded. "Okay."The cold air hit my face as soon as I stepped out. Rip stayed a few feet away, giving me space like he knew he'd lost the right to stand closer."John wants to see you," he said. "At the Capitol."

I blinked. "What?"

"He's got some kind of meeting," Rip went on. "Didn't give me details. Just said you needed to be there. Wants you involved."

"Involved in what?" I asked, confused. "I'm not—Rip, I don't belong in politics."

"I don't know," he admitted. "I'm just deliverin' the message."My head was spinning. "When?"

"Couple days," he said. "Soon."I nodded slowly. "Okay."He looked like he wanted to say more. Didn't."Take care of yourself," he muttered, then turned and walked away.I stood there for a long moment before going back inside.Walker was sitting up when I returned, watching me carefully."What'd he want."

"My father wants me at the Capitol," I said. "I—I have to go away for a couple days."He didn't hesitate. "Alright."I frowned. "Alright?"

"You gotta do what you gotta do."I shifted my weight. "I was... I mean, I was gonna ask if you could—" I stopped, embarrassed. "If you'd watch Patsy."He stared at me. Then laughed. "Willie."

"What."

"That's my daughter," he said gently. "Of course I'll watch her."My throat tightened. "I thought maybe you could take her to work with you! She'll be good! She's not much of a handful! And I'll call every day—"

"Hey," he said, reaching for my hand the gently kissing the back of it. "Relax. She'll be fine," he said. "I'll be fine. You go do what you need to do."I searched his face, looking for doubt. There was none. "Okay," I whispered.He squeezed my hand. "Everything's gonna be alright."

.....A Few Days Later

By the time I found Monica, my nerves were already shot."I need help," I told her flatly. "Like... real help. Political help." She blinked, then smiled. "Political? Clothes?""Clothes," I confirmed. "The kind that say I belong in a room with lawmakers and not I crawled out of a horse trailer."Monica laughed softly and looped her arm through mine. "We can do that."As we walked into the store, she glanced at me sideways. "Why does John want you involved?"I shook my head. "I don't know. Not a clue. And that's the part that scares me."She stopped, faced me fully. "Willie, if John Dutton wants you somewhere, it's not random. But it doesn't mean it's bad."

"I hope you're right," I said. "Because I feel like I'm walking into fog."Patsy toddled beside us, clutching my hand, already overwhelmed by the lights and racks of clothes. We hadn't been inside ten minutes when a tall blonde woman in white stopped Monica near the handbags.Her smile was thin. Sharp."I'm going to have to ask you to put that down," she said.Monica frowned. "Put what down?""The bag," the woman snapped. "I saw you.""Saw you what?""I've been with her the entire time," I said immediately. "She hasn't stolen anything."The woman's eyes slid to me, then to Patsy."And the child?" she said. "Kids are used for that sort of thing." My chest went cold.

"She hasn't taken anything," I said again, louder. "I'm gonna call the police" she grinned. "Call whoever you want. We didn't do anything!" I exclaimed. She did anyways. When the police arrived, everything went wrong fast. They didn't ask many questions. They didn't listen. They told us to undress.Right there. In the back room. In front of four strangers. My hands started shaking so badly I couldn't undo my buttons."I can't," I whispered. "I can't do this."

"Ma'am," one of the officers said impatiently. "If you've got nothing to hide—"I stopped hearing after that.Memory flooded in. Fifteen years old. No control. No choice.Monica stood firm beside me, her face pale but defiant. Patsy started crying. I peeled my clothes back with so much fear. The cops pointed to the brand on my belly. They then looked at each other with some sort of weariness. Monica glanced at me as she covered her chest.  She looked down at my brand. Shocked that I had it. I bowed my head with shame. And then—

"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON IN HERE?"Beth Dutton stormed into the room like a lit match tossed into gasoline.She took one look at us—naked, shaking, terrified—and something in her snapped clean in half."I know you," she said to one officer coldly. "You used to babysit my brother. Get the hell out. Now."The room emptied fast. Too fast.When the door slammed shut, Beth turned on the owner like a predator."You did this," she said sweetly. "So now you're going to learn."She started destroying the store—racks flying, glass shattering, screaming things about the woman's past, her hypocrisy, her cruelty."You don't get to touch my sister-in-law," Beth snarled. "You don't get to touch any of them."I shielded Patsy's eyes immediately and scooped her up, heart pounding."you think you're gonna get away with this!? How about you! You start stripping!" Beth pointed with a sharp object at the store owner. The store owner stood still.. afraid.  "We're going outside," I murmured into her hair. "It's okay. It's just... noise." Patsy didn't believe me.Outside, I rocked her, whispering reassurances I barely felt myself. I carried Patsy to the truck, her little body stiff against mine, her arms locked tight around my neck."Hey," I whispered, opening the door. "Baby... look at me." She didn't at first.I crouched down so we were eye to eye, brushing her hair back gently. "You're safe. Mamas got you."

"They were mean," she said quietly. "They didn't like us."My chest tightened. "No," I said softly. "They were wrong. There's a difference."She sniffed. "Did I do something bad?"

"No," I said immediately, firmer now. "You didn't do anything wrong. Not one thing. You hear me?"She nodded, but her lip trembled. "They thought I was a thief."I swallowed hard and buckled her into her seat, my hands shaking just enough that she noticed."Patsy," I said, resting my forehead against hers. "Some people look at others and decide things without knowing them. That's their sickness. Not ours."She thought about that for a long moment. "Are you mad?"

"No," I said. "I'm sad. And tired. But I'm not mad at you."She reached up and touched my cheek. "You were scared." That almost broke me.I closed my eyes for a second, then smiled at her. "Yeah," I admitted. "I was. But I was also brave." She nodded solemnly. "You were very brave." I kissed her forehead. "So were you."She hesitated, then asked, "Are they gonna come back?""No," I promised. "They won't ever touch you. Or me."She studied my face, searching for cracks. "Daddy won't be mad?" I paused. Just a breath too long."No," I said gently. "Daddy loves us. He just... doesn't need to know everything that hurts mama."She nodded slowly. "Okay. I won't tell."I brushed a thumb under her eye. "Thank you, baby."As I closed the door and walked around to the driver's side, my legs finally started to shake—but I didn't let her see that part.

.......We pulled up by the trailer just as the sun was dipping low, painting the fields gold. Walker was already there, leaning against the hitch, hat tipped back like he'd been waiting awhile."There's my girls," he said, smiling easy.Patsy lit up instantly. "Daddy!"She launched herself at him, and he caught her like it was the most natural thing in the world, spinning her once before setting her on his hip."You miss me already?" he teased."Yes," she said seriously. "And Mommy bought boring clothes."I groaned. "They're not boring. They're... respectable."Walker laughed. "That sounds boring."Patsy giggled, then leaned close to him like she had something important to share. "Mommy was scared today."My shoulders went stiff. "Patsy."Walker's smile faded just a touch. "Scared how, baby?"She shrugged. "At the store. The mean lady yelled. Mommy had to—" she paused, searching for the words, then said it too plainly, too honestly—"She had to take all her clothes off."The air changed.Walker went still. Not a dramatic still—worse. The kind where everything in him locked down.I felt my heart drop straight into my stomach. "Pats— what's did we talk about.."He set her down gently, hands steady but his eyes were already on me. Sharp. Focused. Concerned in a way that made my chest ache."She had to what?" he asked quietly.Patsy looked between us, suddenly unsure. "The police said so. Mommy didn't want to. She was shaking."

"That's enough," I said softly, kneeling in front of her. "Go say hi to Tate for a minute, okay?"She nodded, confused but obedient, and took off toward the house.The second she was out of earshot, Walker stepped closer to me."Willie," he said, low. "Tell me."I crossed my arms over myself without thinking, like my body remembered before my mouth could catch up. "It wasn't... like that. But yeah. They made me. Monica too."His jaw clenched. I could see it working, like he was holding something back with sheer will."They had no right," he said. "None."

"I know." My voice wobbled despite my effort. "Beth handled it. Mostly."

"That doesn't erase it," he said. "You shouldn't have been put through that. Ever."He reached for me, slow, giving me time to pull away if I wanted. I didn't. His hands came to my arms, warm and grounding."You okay?" he asked, softer now.I nodded, though it wasn't entirely true. "I am now." He pulled me into his chest, one arm wrapping around me protectively, his chin resting against my hair."I don't like that I wasn't there," he said quietly."I know," I whispered. "But you are now."He kissed the top of my head, lingering. My shoulders shook."Do you want me to do something?" he asked. "I can talk to Rip. I can—"

"No," I said quickly. "Beth already handled it."I pulled back just enough to look at him. "But... if Monica hadn't been there? Beth wouldn't have done a damn thing. And that—" My voice cracked. "That hurts."He kissed the tears from my cheeks, slow and gentle. "I know..."I breathed him in. Grounded myself. "Pat saw everything... she saw it all..." I whimpered. Walker sighed pulling me even closer to him. "She's gonna see a lot baby.. and you know that..you know how this life is.. on this ranch.. in your family.." his lips say on my blonde head gently swaying me. "Did you at least get the clothes you needed?" he asked softly.I nodded. "Not my style. Not even close."He grinned. "You could wear a bag of cow manure and still be the hottest thing I've ever seen." I snorted despite myself.There it was. The laugh.He smiled like that was all he wanted. "There you go blondie.."