CHAPTER 4

"There's nothing new going on at Rocking Horse that you need to worry about, Jackson. Things have been pretty quiet. Everybody's been stayin' on task," said Junior. He had been overseeing the day-to-day operations of the ranch in Jace's absence. They had spoken once or twice a week since Jace had returned to Chicago a couple of months ago.

"That's good to hear. How are things at North Star with that wayward steer? Has his behavior changed since having his nuts cut off?"

"No, the sonofabitch is as aggressive as he ever was. Rick said it would take some time to get the testosterone out of his system," answered Junior.

"Christ, it's been six weeks. I would have thought it'd be gone by now," said Jackson. He knew that this particular steer had been giving them trouble for a while now and he was becoming dangerous to the ranch hands and the other steers.

"Some take longer than others, I guess. We've got him in his own pen, away from the others. He'll settle down soon."

"Yeah, probably just in time for slaughter, the stupid bastard," joked Jace. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"No, brother...everything is in working order here. We've been repairin' some of the fencing out on the back 400 acres of North Star, but other than that, we're in good shape. How're things there? Do you have any idea when you'll be heading back to Texas?" Jace took in a deep breath and steadily blew it out before answering him. Junior asked him this same question at least once a week.

"Things are going as well as can be expected, I guess. I spend part of almost every day with Madeleine and Wyatt, so that's been great. I can't say for sure when I'll be back, Junior. It's a complicated situation. I want to spend as much time with him as possible before I think about heading back."

"How's he doin'? He's gettin' big, I bet," said Junior. He sounded genuinely interested which made Jackson happy. Junior had been a little distant since Harper had told him she knew Jace was her real father. It hadn't changed the way Harper felt about Junior, but it changed the way Junior was with Jace, at least temporarily. Over the course of the last few weeks, he was starting to come around more.

"He is. He's gonna be a big boy, that's for sure." Jackson quietly beamed with pride at the thought of his baby son. It felt good to be able to talk about him and share his progress with someone from his family.

"Yeah, well his Daddy is built like a brick wall, so I'm guessin' Wyatt will be, too."

"You're probably right about that. Madeleine is an amazing mother, too. She's strictly breastfeeding him and she balances the eight or ten times he nurses with managing the house and a rambunctious two and a half year old. It's incredible to watch."

"How're things between her and her husband?"

"I don't know and I don't ask. They're not living together right now. If Madeleine wants to tell me something more, she does. It's none of my business. The only thing I do know is that he started going with her to her counseling appointments. I'll be going with her, too, in a couple of days."

"Do you think that's necessary? I mean, seems to me that Maddy and her husband have to work through things alone, don't they?"

"Yeah, but that's only part of the problem. There's still the issue of Wyatt not being his son. Besides, she was a part of my therapy sessions last fall. It's the least I can do for her."

"You still love her a lot, don't you Jackson?"

"Yes, I do. I love her more now than I ever did," replied Jackson in a hushed voice.

"Do you think being there with her is a good idea, Jackson? I'm worried how you may or may not handle things, seein' she's still married to another man."

"I'm fine. I know she's married, but now there's another reason for me to be in her life again. Knowing that will make it easier to walk away from her, because I will be coming back. It's not like last time," said Jackson, thinking back to his suicide attempt. How he wished he could go back and change all that, but if he had, Madeleine may not have confessed to him that she thought the baby she was carrying was his.

"How's Momma?" he asked, changing the subject before Junior could continue questioning him.. His feelings for Madeleine was his business and no one else's, not even Matthew Casey. He held his breath, waiting for Junior to say something.

"She's about the same as when you left, Jace. Dr. Brackett came to see her the other day. He said the same thing he always says...physically, she's strong and healthy. It's her mind that's weak. Her Alzheimer's hasn't gotten any worse, so that's good. She's holding her own."

"That's good. Tell her I love her and that I'll be home soon. How's Harper?" He held his breath waiting for Junior to answer. Anytime he brought up Harper in the past few months, he could almost feel Junior bristling on the other end of the line. It hadn't been easy on Junior, knowing that Harper had learned that he wasn't her biological father. After he and Audra divorced, his relationship with Harper had become stronger. Nothing about their relationship had changed since she confessed to knowing the truth about her real parents, but Junior still struggled with it at times.

"She's doin' great, Jackson. It's like she's blossomed even more since Audra's been gone. I didn't realize the things that bitch was putting her through. Goddamn me for not seeing it sooner," he said. Jace could hear Junior wiping his face and blowing his nose on the ever present bandana that he kept in his back pocket.

"Don't put all the blame on yourself, Junior. You were busy running the Walker empire all those years. It's not like you were sitting around with your thumb up your ass. Besides, Harper is a mentally strong and well adjusted young lady. You did one hell of a job raising her and she loves you very much." An awkward silence fell between them for what seemed like several minutes until Junior finally spoke.

"She loves you too, Jackson. Do you want to talk to her? She just got home from school." He could hear Junior telling her he was on the phone with her Uncle Jace and handing the phone to her.

"Hi, Uncle Jace! It's so good to hear from you! I miss you! When are you comin' home?" she said, sounding excited and all out of breath.

"Hi, darlin'. I miss you, too. Not sure when I'll be home yet. Chicago is my home too, now. I bought a house here last year. I want to spend as much time with baby Wyatt as I can before I head back to Texas. I'll be going back and forth from there to here for a long time."

"How is my baby brother?" He loved to hear her call him that. It meant the world to him.

"He's doing good, darlin'. Getting big."

"When can I see him?"

"I don't know, darlin'. I would love for you to come and see him, but your Momma and her husband are going through some complicated things right now. As much as your Momma would love to see you, it's not a good time to visit right now."

"Yeah, I guess you're probably right. Just so long as I get to see them both sometime and soon," she said, sounding a little sad.

"I know your Momma will make that happen, darlin'. How's Chuckles? Still peeing everywhere?"

"No, Daddy took him to the vet a couple of weeks ago and they said he had a urinary tract blockage or something like that. Anyway, they gave him some medicine and he's doing a lot better. Daddy just took him outside to run in the yard."

"That's good. How's soccer going?"

"I love it, except for that snooty girl Emma McClintock. She thinks she's better than everyone else, but she's not."

"Well, then...it sounds like you've got it under control, just like a Walker always does, darlin'."

"Yeah, she knows who's in charge every game, that's for sure," she said, sounding determined. He marveled at how much she was like his mother, Grace, when it came to attitude. She was a lot like him and Madeleine, too.

"Well, darlin'...I gotta scoot. It's time for me to go over and spend some time with Wyatt and your Momma.'

"OK, tell 'em I love 'em both, will ya?"

"Of course I will, honey, but what if I Facetime you? That way, you can tell them both yourself."

"That would be awesome!"

"Consider it done, darlin'."

"And Papa?" He loved it when she called him that. She would only say it when Junior wasn't around. He wanted to be something different than just another 'Daddy' to her, so he chose the name 'Papa". He wanted Wyatt to call him that, too. If it was good enough for his Papa Emerson, it was good enough for him.

"Yeah, baby girl?" His voice was so choked with emotion that he almost didn't get the words out.

"I love you, Papa."

"I love you, too, darlin'."