Texas Ranger Dad by Debra Clopton Read Free Book Online Page A

you?”
    â€œHe was a very bad man. He had connections. The police had already explained to me that I might have to go into the witness protection program.”
    â€œWow,” he said again. “It’s just like an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger! ”
    Though Max had loved that popular TV show, she’d never been able to sit through a full episode because it always caused bad memories of Zane to surface. “Sort of,” she said, and then answered some of his questions.
    â€œBut why didn’t Grandma come with you?”
    Rose’s mother had gotten pregnant just out of highschool and died giving birth to Rose. She’d never known who her dad was. The only people she had in her life were her grandmother and grandfather, who had passed away when she was ten. Though Max hadn’t been born before her grandmother died, Rose had told him many stories. She just hadn’t told him all of them.
    â€œShe couldn’t bring herself to leave the house she’d lived in for almost fifty years. It was the home she’d shared with your grandfather. And all of her friends were there.”
    â€œBut didn’t she love you? Didn’t she want to be with you?”
    â€œThat’s the hard part. Yes, she did. But she had health issues, too. And she feared that somehow medical records could lead the man I was hiding from to me.”
    â€œOh. But don’t they protect you from all of that?”
    â€œYes, they do, but things happen. When there is a chance that you’ve been located they hide you somewhere else. Gram couldn’t have handled all the moving. But she wanted me to be safe. Leaving her behind almost killed me. Even now, thinking about it is hard. But the Texas Ranger who helped me explained all of this to us and that was the decision we had to make. We shared letters. They were passed through the Justice Department and when Gram got really ill I was able to see her before she died.”
    He looked stunned by the information overload. Poor kid had no idea that it only got worse.
    â€œSo, are we still in it?” he asked. “I mean, is somebody out there still trying to kill you?”
    She shook her head. “Oh, no. We’re safe now. All that was before you were born. The man I sent to prisonwas killed there and so I was able to take back my real name. When I married David I’d been out of the program for about four months.”
    He studied her and she could see the wheels turning behind his eyes. “So, us always moving—we were really hiding from my dad? All that is real?”
    She nodded. She’d had to be honest with him when he was young about the fact that they were hiding from David. He’d had to know not to trust him and not to go anywhere with David if he showed up trying to snatch him. “Unfortunately, that was true, too. Everything about your past is authentic.” Rose’s panic stole her breath. “Except…”
    He straightened, locking his shoulders back and looking so much like his dad. Over the years every time he’d made this move she’d pictured Zane. One day that chest would be wide and strong and those shoulders would look as if they could take on the world.
    â€œYou can tell me, Mom. I can handle it,” he said, sensing her fear.
    She closed her eyes and prayed God would be with the words. Prayed that He would help Max as he took in what she was about to reveal. A tear slipped out and she brushed it away with trembling fingertips.
    â€œMom—”
    She patted his hand and waved off his concern. “Listen, Max. Deputy Cantrell was the Texas Ranger who protected me when I first went into the program—”
    â€œYou knew him! Cool. Did you know he was moving here?” Then his expression clouded with confusion. “But wait, you guys didn’t say you knew each other.”
    â€œNo. He didn’t tell anyone and I, well, I didn’t knowhe was coming here until