Read From Here to Paternity for Free Online

took a quick glance in the mirror on the back of the cloakroom door and decided the look was Pillsbury Doughboy-ish, but practical.
    She waddled out the front door of the hotel and began to follow the road back up toward the Eagle’s Nest group of cabins, where she would set out from. Unfortunately, as she toiled chubbily up the hill, she met a couple of young women coming down the road. Jane was sweaty and out of breath. They were all spandex, long, easy strides, flowing tresses, and breezy tans. I don’t think I looked twenty-five when I was twenty-five , Jane thought grouchily. As soon as they were out of sight, she sat down on an artfully fallen tree at the side of the road to catch her breath.
    By the time she’d reached the condo, she realized that she’d badly misjudged in the matter of wardrobe. It was cold, but the air was so thin and dry that it didn’t feel cold. In fact, when she was in the sun, she felt downright hot in all those layers. She decided to shed several of them before continuing. Patting herself down, she found her room key in her back trouser pocket and let herself into the cabin.
    A pretty young woman with glossy black hair in a bun was sitting on the floor.
    “I’m sorry, I must have the wrong—“ Jane babbled.
    The girl rose quickly. “No, no. You must be Mrs. Jeffry. I’m here to clean. I was just petting your dog.“
    And sure enough, as she got up, she revealed Willard, belly-up, on the rug in front of the fireplace.
    “He probably told you he’d been abandoned and that nobody loved him. Right?“
    The girl’s dark eyes sparkled. “Right. And that he hadn’t been fed for four days.“
    Jane shook her head. “He’s such a liar.“
    “I think he’s a big sweetheart. Are you trying to get out of that jacket?“
    “Yes. I know it looks more like a seizure of some kind, but the zipper’s stuck, I think.“
    The young woman helped her. Up close, she was stunningly pretty, with high cheekbones, slanted eyes that looked faintly Oriental, and a nose that was merely strong now and would become dignified and possibly even imperious when she was older.
    “Thanks! I was beginning to think it was going to take the Jaws of Life to get me out of that jacket.“
    “You’re wearing a whole lot more clothing than you need to, Mrs. Jeffry.“
    “I discovered that too late. And I’m Jane, by the way.“
    “I’m Linda Moosefoot.“
    “You’re an Indian.“
    “Yes, I know.“
    Jane smiled. “I’m sorry. I should have known that you’d noticed.“
    “You’re trying very hard to figure out if I’m serious about my name, aren’t you? It strikes people that way. But within the tribe, it’s a common name. My brother always says we should just be happy it wasn’t Elkballs or Badgerpiss.“
    “Have I offended you by calling you an Indian? Do you prefer Native American?“
    “Oh, God! No! That’s just trendy twaddle in my opinion. Anybody who’s born in this country is a native American as far as I’m concerned. Your people might have originally come from Ireland or Germany or wherever and found my people already here, but only because we’d come over the land bridge from Siberia before that. Human beings are all immigrants on this half of the globe.“
    “Why, that’s a fascinating concept,“ Jane said.
    “Not original, I’m afraid. A college professor of mine said it and I recognized the truth of it.“
    “Are you in college now?“
    Linda had gone to the closet and was unwinding the vacuum-cleaner cord. “Yes. I’m just helping out over the semester break. The Smiths are always looking for extra help over the holidays.“
    “Do you go to college locally?“
    “No. Yale, actually.“
    “That’s a long way from home,“ Jane said.
    “In more ways than just geography,“ Linda replied. “You know what’s best about being back? Nobody from around here thinks Moosefoot is a weird name. Everybody’s gone to school with a Moosefoot or had one of the Moosefoot girls as