When You Know the Truth

By Rebecca Rose Taylor

Faith Lyn-Charity Wright thought she knew who she was but when her biological father shows up and wants her, her life is thrown off kilter. She has to face the reality that all she has ever known may be taken away from her by a man who didn't want her when she was born. Can she survive knowing the truth and the gossip that goes with it?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rebecca Rose Taylor
• Release date: Jun 24, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476042282

Rebecca Rose Taylor

I've loved to create stories since before I was able to write them down. It is my dream to have other people read my work. This is why I've decided to join Smashwords. When I'm not busy writing or editing my work, I enjoy reading, and discovering new authors.

Book preview

When You Know the Truth

By Rebecca Rose Taylor

Copyright Rebecca Rose Taylor 2012

Smashwords Edition

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Chapter 1

Faith Lyn-Charity Wright was working in the garden of the Montana Bar W Ranch. She was the daughter of owner Paul Wright, or so she thought until that eventful day. All of her life she had believed that Paul Wright, the man who had s brought up her and her two siblings, twins Josh and Carson from the time she was ten and they were six months old single handed. They had done so much together in the past nine years since her mother’s passing and they still were. They’d moved from Nevada to Oregon and then to Montana before finally settling down and starting a real life for themselves. Sure, they’d had a life before, a good life, in Nevada, her father had been the foreman of a successful spread until the bank foreclosed on the Martin ranch when she was twelve leaving the owners and all of the ranch hands out of work with nothing to do but try something or somewhere else. Then he’d tried his hand at keeping shop in town for a while but he hadn’t been happy and had decided to pick up and move to somewhere where he could try his hand at something else, Oregon. It’d worked for a while, he’d bought land and started a farm, hoping to one day expand his twenty-seven acres into a ranch. They’d grown good crops of wheat and barley and oats but when drought came two years in a row, Paul Wright realized he was destitute and had to sell out, he didn’t want to but if he didn’t the bank holding title to his property would. That was when they’d moved to Eureka, Montana, and started their ranch when she was sixteen; they’d been there for the past three years, slowly making a ranch and a name for themselves. It was slow work; they had a thousand acres of land, not a big ranch compared to many but not a small farm either. This was where they held all their dreams, nothing and nobody could drive them out. Well, maybe the bank which held the mortgage to the ranch but they were determined not to let that happen. They were happy, truly happy, they had friends, a place in Eureka society and a name, the Wright name meant something. When a well-dressed man in a buggy pulled up in front of the ranch house the life that Faith had been living for the past nineteen years suddenly became something she’d never expected.

Chapter 2

Hello, he said. Would Mr. Wright be home, Miss?

Not at the moment, he should be returning soon. Is there anything I can help you with? asked Faith.

Would you be Faith Lyn-Charity? asked the man.

I am, she replied. And you would be?

Frank Moran, Miss, I think I’d better wait until your father returns before we all discuss this. I don’t know if he’s ever told you about the matter I came here to speak of.

What matter is that, Mr. Moran? asked Faith.

Your parentage, he replied.

Excuse me, Sir. I don’t know who you are or why you came here but my parentage is certainly none of your concern. I am Paul Wright’s daughter and my mother died nine years ago in Nevada.

What was her name, Miss?

Beth Alana James Wright, replied Faith forcefully. Mr. Moran, either you leave this ranch immediately or tell me why you have come here, my father has never spoken of a Frank Moran and I don’t see why who my parents are has anything to do with you.

Full of spunk, Miss, you are. I admire that in a woman, your eyes so much like your mother’s and your hair, I dare say.

I’ll take that as a compliment, although most people say I look more like my father.

Frank Moran did not reply; he was at a loss for words.

Mr. Moran, surely there is a purpose for your coming here, what is it?

Like I said, Miss, as soon as your father returns we can all discuss it.

Alright then, if you care to wait.

Ten minutes later Paul Wright rode up and seeing the man waiting talking to Faith, he dismounted.

Pa, said Faith, This is Mr. Moran; he says he has something he has to discuss with us.

As soon as Faith said Moran, Paul set his jaw, hoping that he wasn’t going to say what he figured he would.

Won’t you come in, Mr. Moran, the study will be much more comfortable, said Paul.

Thank you, replied Frank Moran.

Faith, I’d like to discuss business with Mr. Moran privately please, said Paul.

Pa, he says he wants to talk about my parentage, retorted Faith. What is he talking about?

It’s business talk, honey, replied Paul.

Paul and Frank Moran went into Paul’s study and shut the door. Faith turned towards the kitchen to get cleaned up and prepare for supper. She couldn’t help but wonder why Mr. Moran wanted to talk about her parentage, she knew who her father was and her mother was dead, anyone in town could have told him that. Inside the study, Paul and Frank’s conversation was starting to heat up.

Frank, it has been years since I’ve seen you.

Twenty, ever since 1853 when I went to work on the railway. You have quite the daughter there, full of spunk, too bad you can’t take the credit for that, after all, she is mine, mine and Lyn’s.

I can take the credit for her upbringing and I will; I raised her, ever since the day she was born and as far as I am concerned she is mine.

You never told her about her real parents, the Morans?

You never wanted children, Frank; you made that really clear, you told Lyn that if she ever ended up with child she had a choice to make, you, or the child. She made her choice, Frank, and why she chose you I’ll never know. Any man who makes his wife make that kind of choice has got to be crazy. She found out that she was expecting while you were working on the railway. Beth was her best friend, she came to us, we agreed to take care of her child and raise it as our own, so that you and Lyn could get on with your lives, she never wanted you to know. She didn’t want to have to face you, she was afraid of what people would think when they found out that she was expecting but wasn’t keeping the baby. You know that a lot of people think women were put here to raise their children, and you didn’t want your wife to fulfill her purpose." She did it for you, Frank, she gave us her child and luckily for her you were away most of that year and when you invited her to join you, she made up that excuse about wanting to be with Beth when Beth’s baby was born. What made you come here now and question my daughter about her parentage?"

"I never doubted Lyn but after she died two months ago, I was going through her things and found her diary. It explained all about the choice she made and had tons of letters she had written to Faith Lyn Charity. I decided that I can provide for my child and that I want to take her home to Nevada with me and make a life for her there. She’s nineteen and even when I’m away, she will be capable of taking care of herself but the law clearly states that a child is dependant