Birthright

hunted this deer so the tribe could eat. So they could make clothing and tools and weapons. Do you see those woods, Ty-Rex?” She brushed a hand over his hair as she turned to point. “Maybe that deer walked in those woods. Maybe a young boy, not much older than you, went out with his father and his brother, his uncle, on a day just like today, to hunt. He was excited, but he knew he had a job to do. An important job. His family, his tribe was depending on him. When he brought down this deer, maybe it was the very first time he did his job. And you have this to remember him.”
    “Can I take it to show-and-tell?”
    “I’ll show you how to clean it and label it.”
    He reached out, and Callie reached for him. For a moment she and Jake held the child together. Something fluttered in her belly as their eyes met. “Ah, maybe you could explain the site to Suzanne from the anthropological level,” she said. “Ty and I have—ha ha—a bone to pick.”
    “Sure.”
    “It’s a strange world, isn’t it?” Suzanne said when Callie carted Tyler off.
    “Yes, ma’am.”
    “You’re my son-in-law. More or less. And since I don’t know the circumstances of your relationship with Callie, I don’t know if I should be mad at you or disappointed in you or sorry for you.”
    “I probably deserve a little of all three.”
    “You were waiting for her outside Lana’s office the day we all met there. And you went with her to Atlanta. Would that mean you’re looking out for her?”
    “That’s right.”
    “Good.”
    He thought a moment, then dug his wallet out of his pocket. Glancing over to be sure Callie was occupied with Ty, he flipped it open, took out a snapshot.
    “I can’t give it to you,” he said. “It’s the only one I’ve got. But I thought you might like to see it. Wedding photo. Sort of. We drove out to Vegas and got it done in one of those get-hitched-quick places. In fact, we looked for the tackiest one we could find. We had some guy take this for us outside, right after.”
    The snapshot showed some creases and hard wear, but the colors were still lurid and bright. Callie had chosen siren red for her wedding gown, and “gown” was an exaggeration. The dress was short, skimpy and strapless. She had a full-blown red rose behind her ear, and both arms wrapped around Jake’s waist.
    He wore a dark suit and a tie with a green-and-blue parrot on a red background. His arms were around her.
    The wall behind them was a candy pink, and the red, heart-shaped door bore a sign that read MARRIAGE - GO - ROUND .
    They were both grinning like idiots, and looked ridiculously happy.
    “She picked out the tie,” Jake commented. “First and last time for that one, let me tell you. See, the place had this merry-go-round thing you stood on, with horses dressed up like brides and grooms. You stood on it while it went around and this guy in a clown suit . . . Anyway.”
    “You look terribly in love,” Suzanne managed. “Stupid with it.”
    “Yeah, stupid was the theme.”
    “You’re still in love with her.”
    “Look at her. How the hell do you get that out of your system? So . . .” He closed the wallet, stuck it back in hispocket. “Since you’re my mother-in-law, more or less, how about making me some of those macadamia nut brownies?”
    She smiled at him. “I might just do that.”
    “If we could keep that between you and me, because if any of the pigs in the house find out, I’ll be lucky to get crumbs.” His attention was diverted by a noise. “Seems to be visitors’ day around here.”
    Suzanne looked over as a car pulled up. “It’s Doug. I didn’t think he’d be back so soon.” She started toward the fence, then pulled up short when she saw Lana dash over, watched her son nip Lana at the waist and lift her off her feet and kiss her with the fence between them.
    “Oh.” Suzanne pressed a fist to her heart as it lurched. “Well. I didn’t see that one coming.”
    “Problem?” Jake asked her.
    “No. No,” she decided. “Just a surprise.” She saw Ty race over, still waving the deer bone. When Doug swung over the fence, crouched down to look at it, Suzanne pressed that fist a little harder against her heart. “A very big surprise.”
    Doug studied the bone, listened to Ty chatter, then shook his head. “This is very cool. I don’t know if you’re going to want what I’ve got in here when you’ve got something like this.”
    “What is it?” Ty asked excitedly as he