Blame It on the Rodeo (14 page)

“We don’t know what to think or believe and I don’t feel comfortable leaving Hunter here with you until we know more,” Melissa said, her anger obvious. “You have to admit, this doesn’t look good for either one of you. And that private investigator she hired. What’s to say she didn’t hire him to find Hunter? You could both be in on this.”

“Then get all the facts,” Shane pleaded. “I was married to someone else when Hunter was born. Lexi went away to school and stayed away until after she gave him up for adoption. I didn’t know she was pregnant. No one did.”

Melissa and Dennis regarded him for a while before Melissa finally spoke. “Lexi disappears for nine months and no one suspects anything?”

“It’s not as simple as you’re making it out to be.” Shane wanted a chance to know his son, to spend more time with him. He’d go to hell and back not to get shut out again.

“We’re going to tell Hunter the truth first,” Dennis said. “And then we’ll let him decide if he wants a relationship with you and Lexi. This is his choice alone, but we will supervise any communication and we have the final say if something seems even remotely off.”

“Fair enough,” Shane agreed. “Thank you. Not just for this, but for raising an incredible kid. Excuse me.”

Shane didn’t want to see Hunter walk away knowing he might never see him again. He’d already lived that pain once. He heard footsteps behind and turned, hoping to see Hunter chasing after him.

“What’s going on?” Chase asked. “Why were you and Lexi arguing and why are you so upset?”

“Because that kid...” Shane saw Hunter meet the Rathbones at the fence rail. “The kid that looks so much like me...
is
my son.
And there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it.”

“You have to be joking.” Chase looked from Hunter to Shane. “Aren’t those his parents?”

“Guess you weren’t there when he told us he was adopted during his birthday get-together. None of this makes any sense. The night Apollo was born she was scared to death to touch Hunter.”

“You’re losing me.” Chase placed his hands on Shane’s shoulders. “Is Ashleigh his mother? Wow, she had to be his age when she had him. How could you?”

“What?” Shane pulled away from Chase. “Not Ashleigh—Lexi. Lexi is Hunter’s mother.”

“But how? She was never pregnant.”

“Well, apparently she was, because she gave birth to him when she was still at Colorado State and the Rathbones adopted him. She kept one hell of a secret from me. Never in a million years would I have guessed this one.”

“I can’t believe it.” Chase removed his hat and scratched his head. “Hunter’s really yours and Lexi’s.”

“It’s so crazy even I don’t believe it,” Shane said. “But there’s more. Someone else knew about it and didn’t tell me.”

“Who?”

“Clay.” Shane wanted to wring the man’s neck. “Some friend, huh? Turns out he’s been helping her.”

“Helping her do what?” Chase asked.

“To cover it up, I guess.” Shane paced back and forth on the walkway. “I haven’t spoken to Clay yet.”

“That doesn’t sound like him at all.” Chase put his arm around Shane’s shoulder and led him toward the parking area. “Clay uncovers things, not hides them.”

“Lexi said he helped her confirm Hunter’s paternity.”

“Now that makes more sense,” Chase agreed. “I think you need to stop jumping to conclusions and speak with Clay.”

A car started and Shane and Chase watched the Rathbones rental SUV drive out of the parking lot. A piece of his heart felt like it had just been torn from his body.

“Where are they going?”

“Back to their hotel, where they can tell Hunter that we are his biological parents and then he will decide if he wants further contact with us. How could she do this to me?”

Shane knew his brother was right. He had to talk to Clay and hear his side of the story the same way he’d asked the Rathbones to listen to his. But his best friend? He could have overlooked almost anything but keeping his kid from him...that was unforgivable.

Twenty minutes later, Shane found himself knocking on Clay’s front door.

“Hey, man,” Clay greeted him. “Since when do you knock or come in the front door?”

“How long have you known Hunter is my son?”

“I wondered when you were going to show up.” Clay held the door open for Shane. “I got the DNA results before Hunter’s birthday.”

“You DNA tested my son?” Shane snorted. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because it wasn’t my place. Lexi hired me to do a job, Shane. It was never about you.”

“How can you say that?” Shane yelled. “Now you sound like Lexi.”

“Because it’s the truth. Lexi came to me the day she first saw Hunter. She wasn’t going to say anything to anyone until she knew for sure, and honestly, Shane, Lexi thought she was doing what was best for Hunter.”

Clay walked into the kitchen and took two beers out of the fridge.

“Enough with the stall tactics, please. Lexi isn’t going to miraculously appear and save you.” Unless Clay was waiting for her to show up. “Let me guess, she’s on her way.”

“She might be.” Clay shrugged, twisted the top off his beer and handed one to Shane. “I don’t know where she is or where she’s going. I haven’t spoken to or seen her since the Rathbones confronted her at her house. I’m still trying to figure out who told them where she lived.”

“What did her family have to say about this? Or, did they know from the get-go? Is that why they hate me so much? Did they keep her away while she was pregnant and then force her to give the baby up because it was mine?”

“Listen to you,” Clay laughed. “Quite a conspiracy theory you have going on there. Her parents hate you because you were a dog and hurt their daughter when you married your pregnant one-night stand. They didn’t know then and they don’t know now. Well, they might now if she came clean to them after she told you.”

“Then tell me what I’m missing.” Shane placed the unopened beer on the coffee table and sat down on the couch. “Be my friend and tell me.”

“There’s nothing left to tell you.” Clay stood firm. “There was no plot against you. She didn’t know what to do with the information. She was scared and alone and I was the one she turned to. I was also the furthest removed from the situation. If that bothers you, I’m sorry, but at least it was me and not someone else. I would never betray either one of you.”

“I have to ask you this and I hate like hell that I do.” Shane had heard the rumors around town that Lexi spent the night with Clay and now he needed to hear the truth for himself. “Please be straight with me. Did you sleep with Lexi?”

“How can you even ask me that?” Clay’s wounded expression made Shane feel like a first-class jerk.

Soon, Shane found himself driving east on the interstate, wanting to put as many miles between him and Ramblewood as possible. An hour later, he pulled into a truck stop to refuel and think. He ordered a burger and Coke but hardly touched either one. Watching the cars and trucks barrel down the highway, Shane remembered the first time he got the bug.

He and his family were sitting in a roadside restaurant, not unlike this one, somewhere in Louisiana. They were on the way back from one of their vacations and Shane stared out the window wondering where everyone was going. He wanted to travel and see the country and the rodeo would definitely take him there.

It had its up and downs, but in the end he’d accomplished everything he set out to do, except win the world all-around title. This year he had a solid chance and he wasn’t going to let anyone stand in his way.

What about Hunter?

What was he going to do if Hunter said he wanted a relationship with him? Denver was only a two-hour flight away, so it would be feasible to be present for all Hunter’s events. Besides that, Shane had contemplated representing Hunter, being his agent. But that also would entail scaling back his own rodeo time and he wanted that championship so bad he could taste it. The world all-around title had been his dream since he first sat on a horse. He’d be the first Langtry to win the title and Chase was right there beside him in the standings. Shane had to get there first, then Chase could win it ten times over, but he had to be first.

And this was what Lexi meant.

“Dammit!” Shane slammed his fist on the table.

“I’m sorry, is there something wrong with your food, sir?” the waitress asked.

Embarrassed, Shane glanced around the restaurant and realized he had an audience. He lowered his head and tried to sink down in the booth. “No, ma’am. My apologies, I’m just having a rough day. May I have my check?”

Leaving the woman a generous tip, Shane drove back to Ramblewood and asked Lexi to meet with him. Reluctantly she agreed on the condition they talk and not yell at each other.

Shane wanted to hear about her pregnancy, Hunter’s birth, everything on the background check. He needed to know all he could about
his son.
The question was, would she talk to him after the way he treated her?

* * *

L
EXI
WAITED
IN
the car for Shane, choosing the ball field as a neutral location. She had two hours before she faced her family.

Shane parked next to her and they both got out of their cars.

“Thanks for meeting me,” Shane said. “Have you heard anything?”

“No.” Lexi wondered if he had, and if he’d even tell her. “You?”

Shane shook his head and started to walk. She joined him, and the sounds of baseball bats striking balls and kids’ laughter made Lexi second-guess her choice of locations.

“Was it a difficult pregnancy?” Shane asked.

Surprised at the question, she thought back to the days she tried so hard to forget. “Uncomfortable when it got warmer, but other than that I still went to class every day and continued working. Twenty-two hours of labor, that was a different story altogether.”

Shane couldn’t even imagine what that was like. “What did you do with all the ultrasound pictures from your appointments?”

“I didn’t have any.”

“What?” Shane stopped her. “You didn’t go to the doctor?”

Lexi shook her head and continued to walk. “I mean I didn’t have any photos.” Lexi didn’t want to see her baby before or after it was born. “The doctors knew I was giving him up for adoption so I chose not to see him. I heard the heartbeat and I knew it was a boy when he was born, but that was it. I never laid eyes on Hunter until a few weeks ago.”

“How did you know it was him?”

“The resemblance to you was uncanny, and then when your mom told me he was from Colorado I started to ask more questions, then I begged Clay to find out for sure.”

When Shane didn’t comment, Lexi braved a glance at him. His jaw tight, she knew he wanted to say more and didn’t.

“I put Clay in that position, so if you’re going to be mad at someone, make it me, not him.”

“I’m not mad.” Shane stopped walking and looked toward the softball game. “I’m disappointed that you thought so little of me that you had to hide our son.”

“And I’m disappointed in how you handled it, but what good does that do us today?” Lexi turned to walk back toward her car. “I’m not going to play the ‘blame game’ again.”

“How am I supposed to react?” Shane asked. “Please tell me so I can get something right this time.”

“I don’t know what to tell you.”

Lexi’s phone vibrated in her pocket. She mouthed “it’s them” as she answered the phone.

“Hello.”

“Lexi, it’s Melissa.”

“How are you?” Lexi asked, knowing they were probably anxious as well.

“We’re still trying to understand the chain of events.” Melissa’s tone was curt. “We weren’t expecting to ever meet Hunter’s parents. Honestly, he’s never expressed an interest in knowing who you are.”

“Oh.” The words stung. Shane stood in front of her, trying to read her expressions.

“I’m sorry.” Melissa sighed. “I don’t mean to hurt you, but we have a fairly normal life and this took us by surprise.”

“Us, too.” Lexi wasn’t sure where the conversation was leading. Afraid to ask any questions for fear she’d chase off Melissa, Lexi allowed the other woman to steer the conversation.

“We’ve spoken with Hunter and told him you and Shane are his biological parents, and if you agree, he would like to have some form of a relationship with you.”

“Yes!” Lexi kneeled to the ground, looking up with tears spilling onto her cheeks. “Yes, it’s more than okay. We’d love to have a relationship with him.”

Chapter Twelve

“So you’re my dad?” Hunter said, sizing up Shane across the table. “Now you know where you get your good looks from.”

Shane laughed. “That I do.”

The Rathbones reluctantly agreed to allow Hunter to finish out the rodeo program, but only if they were all able to sit down in the morning and discuss the situation. Until their meeting, they wanted Hunter to stay with them at the hotel. Lexi and Shane agreed, but Shane asked if he could meet with Hunter for a few minutes tonight.

Sitting a couple of tables away in the hotel restaurant, Dennis and Melissa protectively watched Shane’s interaction with their son. Lexi wanted to join them but explained to Hunter that she had to make things right with her own family and promised to see him tomorrow. Hunter must have inherited his maturity from Lexi because the boy had twice the amount at thirteen that Shane had at that age.

“I can’t wait to go back to school and tell all my friends who you are,” Hunter said.

“Your mom and dad are okay with you telling people about me?” With his reputation, he was surprised the Rathbones didn’t grab Hunter and run in the opposite direction. He hadn’t exactly been an angel, but to people outside of the rodeo circuit, he was just another Texas cowboy.

“Oh, yeah.” Hunter looked over to them and waved. “I know they look uptight, but they’re really not. I mean we can’t get away with cutting school or eating pizza for dinner every night, but I know I can talk to them about anything. My sister, Amelia, has known her mom since she was born. She even comes to holiday dinners.”

“Really?” Shane was amazed at how casually they took adoption. “If she’s still that involved, why didn’t she just raise your sister?”

“Adults make things too complicated.” Hunter twisted his straw wrapper. “Amelia’s mom was seventeen when my sister was born. She wanted to graduate and go on to college—kind of like Lexi. Her parents got a lawyer who told my parents they could adopt Amelia but her mom wanted her to know who she was. I think they call it an open adoption. So my sister has our mom and she has her bonus mom. Now I’ll have a bonus mom, too.”

“You’re amazing.” Shane almost found it impossible to take his eyes off his son. “How’d you get so smart?”

“It’s in my genes. My mom’s a doctor, ya know.” Hunter smiled. “She’s telling her family about me tonight, huh? Do you think they’ll like me?”

“Are you kidding me? They’ll love you,” Shane reassured him. “Lexi’s family lives on a farm and they have a big country store and a petting zoo.”

“Are they going to be mad?” Hunter furrowed his brow. “Lexi’s parents?”

“Mmm, I’m not sure how they’re going to react.” Shane checked his watch. It was quarter to nine and he knew she must be nervous.

“Maybe you should be there,” Hunter said. “You’re kinda responsible for the situation.”

“Yeah.” Shane wrinkled his nose. “I kinda was.”

* * *

L
EXI
’
S
ENTIRE
FAMILY
sat in the living room, curious as to what the emergency meeting that Mazie called to order was about.

“There’s something I need to tell all of you so I’m just going to say it.” Lexi inhaled and let out a long slow breath. “I had a baby when I was eighteen and gave it up for adoption.”

There. Band-Aid off.

“You did what?” Judy Lawson approached her daughter. “You had a baby?”

Lexi backed away from her mother. Okay, so maybe this wasn’t the best approach.

“Mom.” Nash stepped between the two of them. “Sit down and let Lexi explain.” He turned to look at her. “You are going to explain, right?”

“There’s not a whole to say and getting mad at me isn’t going to solve anything, either.”

“Is this one of those ‘I didn’t know I was pregnant’
stories?” her aunt Heidi asked. “I never did understand how that was possible.”

“I knew I was pregnant all along and I had planned on telling Shane.”

“Shane?” everyone said in unison.

“Well, yes, who else would it have been?”

“That makes it even worse,” her father said.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Mazie scolded. “I would have been there for you.”

“Because you were sixteen.”

“I knew she shouldn’t have gone away to school,” her Uncle Ed said. “There were perfectly fine schools here.”

“Did he make you keep this a secret?” her mother asked.

“No, of course not.” These were the hundred questions she didn’t want to face. “He didn’t know because I didn’t tell him.”

Everyone started talking and yelling at once, making Lexi want to crawl into a hole and hibernate. She’d known this wasn’t going to be easy, but a free-for-all wasn’t what she’d expected, either.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Lexi heard Nash say behind her. Turning, she saw Shane standing by the front door.

“I tried the bell, but I guess no one heard me,” Shane said, the room becoming deathly silent. “I take it you told them.”

“You knocked up my sister?” Nash stood an inch shorter than Shane but carried slightly more muscle from working on the farm. “Answer me, Langtry.”

“I did but—”

Those were the only words Nash needed to hear before he punched Shane in the face, knocking him into the door.

“Nash, what are you doing?” Lexi rushed to Shane’s side, blocking her brother from hitting him again. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, that’s going to leave a mark.” Shane touched the side of his face. “I’d expect no less from you, Nash. I would have done the same thing.”

“Get out of this house,” Nash growled, pushing Shane through the doorway.

“You get your butt over here.” Her mother yanked Shane into the living room. “I want to see the both of you in the kitchen.”

Shane leaned into Lexi as they hurriedly walked through the dining room. “You do have ice in there, right?”

Lexi smiled. Levity after being punched in the face was either brave or incredibly stupid and she hadn’t quite figured out which one Shane was yet. She was also surprised to see him.

“I don’t need help, Nash.” Judy swatted behind her. “But good punch, son. As for you two...” Lexi’s mother closed the kitchen door. “Sit down.”

“I just want to get Shane some—”

“Lexi, sit,” Judy ordered. She roughly grabbed hold of Shane’s chin and turned his head to the side. “I’ve seen worse. You’ll live...for now.”

Removing a small plastic bag from the drawer, Judy filled it with ice, knotted it closed and shoved it at Shane.

“Start from the beginning.”

Lexi took a deep breath and felt Shane’s fingers intertwine with hers. Somewhere over the past few hours a change of heart had occurred with him and she wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Her mother stared at her disbelievingly when she finished her story.

“Will I be able to meet him?” Judy asked. “And be a part of his life?”

“I don’t know.” Lexi shrugged. “We have to work that out with the Rathbones. Hunter is their child now and we have to play by their rules.”

“Don’t I have grandparents’ rights? I’ve heard about cases like that.”

“So you’re planning on suing them?” Lexi smirked. “No judge would try that case, Mom, and I severed all rights when I gave him up. It’s not up to us.”

“Do you want a relationship with him now?” her mother asked.

“I would like to get to know him better,” Lexi admitted. “Do I want to take him away from the only family he knows and loves? Absolutely not.”

“I still don’t understand why you didn’t come to us,” Judy said. “We would have helped you. It takes a village to raise a child and the Lawson farm is a small village.”

Lexi smiled at her mother’s analogy. She knew her mother was right. If she’d told them, she’d have had the baby and they’d have raised it for her, until the Langtrys came in and sued her for custody. There was no way they would have allowed Lexi’s parents to raise her child when the father was very much in the picture. It was a scenario she’d considered, but the thought of Sharon anywhere near her child gave her fits of terror. She didn’t trust the woman not to harm their baby and Lexi was relieved when Tab won sole custody of Dylan once the paternity results were revealed. Sharon was the type of gold digger you saw on Jerry Springer.

“What about you?” Judy said to Shane. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

“It’s brand-new to me, too,” Shane said. “I’m hearing this for the first time just like you are.”

“You realize if you hadn’t screwed up so bad you and my daughter would have raised Hunter together.”

“Mother!” Lexi knew her mother was upset with her, but she hadn’t expected the cruelty.

“I know I’m responsible, Mrs. Lawson,” Shane acknowledged. “I understand now why Lexi did it and I hope I get the opportunity to spend more time with my son.”

“I don’t know what’s going on between you two again, but let me make myself perfectly clear.” Judy leaned over Shane and braced herself on the arm rails of the chair, inches from him. “If you break her heart again, I’ll break something of yours and I can promise you it will be more near and dear to you than your heart.”

By midnight, they had thoroughly answered all the questions put forth by the Lawson inquisition. Even though she was exhausted, Lexi wanted time alone with Shane to learn more about his meeting with Hunter. He’d mentioned some of it to her mother but she wanted to hear every detail of what their son had to say.

“I guess you need to get home, huh?” Lexi walked Shane out on the front porch.

“Not necessarily. I’m tired and sore.” Shane rubbed his jaw. “But I think I’m too wired to sleep at this point.”

“I’d ask you to stay here and talk but I’m afraid Nash might shoot you.” Lexi feared it was a real possibility. “There’s a twenty-four-hour Dunkin’ Donuts near the Rathbones’ hotel.”

“Sure, but we’ll take my Jeep.” Shane held the door open for her. “No offense but I don’t trust your family not to cut my brake lines.”

“Good call,” Lexi agreed. “Are you okay to drive?”

“You can drive.” Shane tossed her the keys.

Lexi had learned not to talk when driving a convertible. The passenger couldn’t hear you and you never knew when something was going to fly over the windshield and end up in your mouth. She’d swallowed a fly like that one time. The Jeep was no exception and their ride was silent.

Parking, she pulled the key out of the ignition but made no move to get out. Hunter’s hotel was yards away. Inside their son was sleeping.
Their son.

“Come on,” Shane said. “We’ll see him in a few hours.”

They both ordered coffee and decided to split a small box of Munchkins. At a corner table, they finally had the chance to sit down and absorb the situation.

“Long day?” Shane joked.

“That’s putting it mildly,” Lexi said. “It’s really happening, isn’t it?”

Their eyes met and Shane nodded, then reached for her hands. For the second time that night, they linked them together and Lexi started to cry.

“Dammit.” She tried to turn her head away from him but he caught her chin. “I never cry. And today I’m all over the map. I’m not saying I regret today because I am so glad it happened, but I keep thinking if I had just stayed away from Family Day this morning, like my gut told me to, none of this would have happened and we’d never have this chance. In a little while Hunter would have returned to Denver and nothing would have changed.”

“Well, maybe not for me.” Shane wiped the tears from her face. “Could you really have let Hunter go, knowing he was ours?”

Lexi nodded. “I didn’t want to hurt or confuse him. I didn’t expect his parents to be open to the idea of us spending time with him. Believe it or not, I never wanted to hurt you, either. This wasn’t revenge for you cheating on me.”

“Hunter told me that his little sister’s biological mother...oh, wait, what does he call her? Bonus mom—his sister’s bonus mom has been in touch with her since day one.”

“Really?” That gave Lexi hope of a future with Hunter. “How does that work?”

“It was an open adoption. They had agreed to her being a part of Amelia’s life from the start and they were fine with it. You’re right, they are good people. A little mistrusting of us at the moment, but hopefully after today, they’ll realize we had no idea Hunter was ours.”

“That’s my fault.” Lexi pulled apart a chocolate Munchkin and popped half of it in her mouth. “Once I realized who they were, I should have called and told them the truth.”

“I tried putting myself in your shoes, and it’s difficult to do—being a man and the whole pregnancy thing—you deserved so much better than what I did to you.”

“Really?” Lexi was surprised to hear his admission. “I thought you’d always hate me.”

“I love you, Lexi,” Shane admitted. “I may get mad at you and I can definitely say no woman has ever made me feel shame like you do, but I could never hate you.”

Lexi wasn’t sure if his words were meant as a friendship “I love you” or if he meant more by the declaration. Tonight it didn’t matter. If it was more, she’d hear the words again. If it wasn’t, then so be it. This morning she’d lived in fear and under a cloud of secrecy. Tonight, she’d never felt more at peace.

* * *

“H
E
ASKED
ABOUT
your family,” Shane said. Although after tonight’s melee, he wasn’t sure how much Hunter should be around the Lawsons. They’d probably poison Hunter against him.

“I can just imagine what you told him. My mother hasn’t been too nice to you through the years.”

“She’s just protecting her baby. I understand that.” He’d let Judy off the hook for hating him years ago. Once he married Sharon, the woman had every right to hate him. “I told him about the farm and the store, but he’s really excited to see the petting zoo.”

“He definitely loves animals,” Lexi said. “The night your mom and I picked up Barney, he told me he has dogs back home.”

“Maybe he’ll become a veterinarian when he grows up.” Shane smiled, imagining what it would be like to have a doctor for a son.

“I thought you wanted him to ride.”

“I do. Hey, he could always be a rodeo vet,” Shane laughed. “They do have them, you know.”