Free Second Chance Ranch by Audra Harders

Carli really my child?”
    Tears stung her eyes. “Yes.”
    She couldn’t tell if resignation or burden caused his shoulders to slump. His jaw worked, bunching the muscles in an erratic rhythm.
    Jennifer couldn’t take it anymore. “Let me show you something.”
    Clicking on the button of Patrick’s computer monitor, Jen logged into the system and typed in the Internet address she’d never be able to erase from her mind. Giving the system a moment to locate the site, she angled the monitor toward Zac.
    “Zac, meet your daughter.”

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER FIVE
     
    A fission of dread raced up his spine.
    Zac stopped pacing and stood beside the desk piled high with folders and books, and a desktop computer vintage last decade if he recognized his PC models. Jen’s fingers raced over the keyboard, her series of taps and spaces tipped him off she’d done this a time or two. Her blue gaze flitted over the screen a second before she turned the monitor for him to see.
    A picture of a little girl wearing a cowboy hat filled the sidebar beneath a banner proclaiming a social site for a hospital in Minnesota. Wisps of hair curled beneath the brim of the white hat as big dark eyes crossed for the camera atop a smile that brightened the darkened corner where he stood. The column next to the photo proclaimed, Carli Seacrest - This is my story!, in bold, purple lettering.
    “It was basic research.” Jen said, her voice wavering as she stood from the chair. “The oncology kids we treated in Denver all had support pages for family and friends to cheer them on. I knew Carli would have one, I just needed to find it.”
    She motioned for him to have a seat. Zac eased into the armless chair, never taking his eyes off the screen. The little girl in the picture had his brown eyes, but the shape of her face was all Jennifer, up to and including the natural, silly facial gestures. The white hat stood in stark relief to her dark hair - poor thing, she even had the same unpredictable wave to her hair as he had.
    Hi, I’m Carli. I’m 11 years old and I love riding horses.
    The muscles in Zac’s throat constricted as he read her introduction. She liked to dance and loved every kind of animal. Her daddy was a lawyer and her mom stayed home with her and her two brothers.
    “There are more pictures of her and the family if you go here.” Jen pointed at the top bar.
    Without stopping to think, he clicked on the tab and a series of snapshots filled the screen. Carli looked tall and thin, dwarfed by whom he assumed were her brothers, as they stood in front of a rowboat at a lake. Zac scanned the photos and clicked on more screens, more pictures of a happy family doing family things except for the shots taken at the hospital. He swallowed as he followed the progression of the disease that had robbed this family of their contentment. In some photos, Carli had long, dark wavy hair that she wore in all manner of messy styles - just like Jen used to wear her hair. In the latest photos, Carli sported a ballcap, the brim falling low across her brows. Pain etched its mark at the corners of her eyes and mouth, but her dimpled cheek spoke volumes for the hope that lived in her heart.
    “You can even leave a note for her in the guest book.”
    Her words had barely left her lips before Zac pushed the button to darken the screen and stood from the chair. He didn’t know what he was expecting but recognizing the family resemblance in this stranger knocked him off kilter. Not only a family resemblance to him, but to him and Jennifer O’Reilly combined. An icy lump settled in his stomach. There was no doubt in his mind that Carli was his daughter, but his heart still had some accepting to do. And it wasn’t all revolving around the role of this girl in his life.
    There wasn’t much time to think about it. Zac began pacing again, his fingers jammed into the pockets of his jeans.
    “I’ll go in for the swab. If I’m a match, I’ll donate