Blame It on the Rodeo (5 page)

“What kid?” Startled, Lexi quickly saved the photo of Hunter to her phone. “I—I’m trying to get a shot of those statues. They’re truly a work of art. I can’t believe they were commissioned this quickly.”

“What are you hiding?” Mazie insisted. “That was no picture of a statue. What’s up?”

“I’m not hiding anything, and even if I were, why would I tell you?” Lexi snapped.

“Well, thanks a lot.” Mazie turned her back on Lexi and started to walk away.

“I’m sorry Mazie, I didn’t mean that.” Lexi caught up to her sister and grabbed her arm. “I have a foal on my mind. I truly am sorry.”

“You need a vacation, sis,” Mazie said. “You can’t worry about work all the time.”

“This coming from someone who eats, sleeps and breathes the Bed & Biscuit.”

“That’s different and you know it. I happen to live there. You don’t live in a stable.” She turned to leave. “I’m going to get you something to eat, you look like you need some sustenance.”

Angling away from her sister, Lexi tried to move closer to Hunter without him noticing. When he laughed, her breath caught in her throat.
He has my laugh.
A mother dreamed of the day she heard her child’s laughter for the first time. Today she heard hers.

Lexi watched Shane and Hunter pose for a series of photos for a man she’d never seen before. The stranger looked out of place in perfectly creased jeans and a snap-front shirt that was probably fresh out of the package. Side by side, Hunter looked almost identical to Shane at that age. How could someone not question this child’s paternity, especially after knowing Shane’s reputation when it came to women?

Lexi had lived wondering about her son for too long. She wanted proof the boy in front of her was hers, but swore it wouldn’t change anything. She needed the confirmation for her own peace of mind and sanity. Nobody else needed to know. She turned and stumbled over one of the folding chairs as she tried to escape the confines of the crowd.

“Lexi?” A strong male hand lightly touched her shoulder. “Are you all right?”

Clay Tanner. It had to be fate, Lexi thought. “If I retain your services it’s illegal for you to disclose my case to anyone, right?”

“Private investigators don’t have that privilege in this state, but you wouldn’t have to worry.” Clay ushered Lexi outside the tent and away from prying ears. “You don’t have to hire me, Lex. Just tell me what you need and I assure you it will remain confidential.”

“Promise me, Clay,” Lexi pleaded. Her heart beat wildly in her chest. Her throat began to close, tears threatening to spill with one more blink of her eyes. “I need your help.”

“You have it. Sit down before you pass out and then you’ll really have some explaining to do.”

Lexi looked toward the facility and the people gathered around the Langtry family, Hunter still by Shane’s side.

“Tell me what you need.” Clay said.

Lexi breathlessly gripped her friend’s arm. “I need you to find out if Hunter’s my son.”

Chapter Four

“You think that boy is your son?” Clay led Lexi away from the crowd. “I think you better start from the beginning.”

“I can’t.” Lexi frantically looked over her shoulder to double-check no one was listening. “Not here. I can’t risk someone overhearing. Can we go to your place?”

Leaning into him for support, Clay protectively wrapped an arm around her and guided Lexi to her car. This was not the norm for her, Lexi thought. She prided herself on strength and perseverance no matter the obstacle. Yet twice in one day, she had found herself relying on someone else to walk her to her car. After reassuring him she was able to drive on her own, Lexi pulled out of the parking lot behind Clay’s pickup.

The twenty-minute drive to Clay’s gave Lexi far too much time to second-guess asking him for help. She figured shouting “Happy belated April Fool’s” wouldn’t fly with the detective. After keeping her secret hidden for the past thirteen years, she found the idea of unburdening it both terrifying and a relief.

Stopping behind Clay in the gravel driveway, Lexi death-gripped the steering wheel, uncertain she wanted to turn off the engine. A quick shift into Reverse seemed like a wiser option. Not giving her much of a choice, Clay strode to her car, reached across her and removed the keys from the ignition.
Damn convertibles.

“
I’m keeping these until I know you’re okay.” Clay sauntered to the porch. “Take your time, I’ll be up here.”

You can do this. Clay’s the only one who can help you.

Lexi put all her trust and faith in her longtime friend, reasoning the former Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agent turned private investigator was a better choice than some stranger she found in the yellow pages.
Trust and faith
. A foreign concept that left a bad taste in her mouth. She trusted no one and the only thing she had faith in was her animals.

Blindly reaching for the handle, she swung the door wide, testing her footing for fear the earth would give way beneath her and swallow her whole. A part of her actually relished the idea of disappearing and not having to face the past. Slogging up the stairs, she joined Clay and slumped into one of the porch rockers.

“Are you all right?” Clay asked.

“Ask me that again an hour from now,” Lexi muttered.

She laid her head back and squeezed her eyes tight, willing the courage to tell Clay about Colorado.

“How ’bout a beer?” Clay offered.

“Do you have anything stronger?”

Clay quietly laughed. “Just don’t run off on me before I return.”

“I can’t, you took my keys,” Lexi grumbled.

She drew her knees to her chest. She’d never thought she would have to explain giving up her son to anyone, let alone the father’s best friend. This was her cross to bear alone and it should have remained that way forever. How would she tell her family?

How will I tell Shane?

“Lex?” Clay returned with two lowball glasses and held out one to her. “Nothing goes any further than us.”

Lexi took Clay at his word. There was no other way to take him—either people confided in him with their darkest secrets or they hired him to uncover others’. But somehow, Lexi didn’t think two fingers of bourbon would give her the strength she needed to come clean.

“My mom would kill me if she caught me drinking in the middle of the day.” Lexi nervously laughed before tilting the glass and swallowing its contents.

“Your secret’s safe with me.” Unscrewing the cap, he poured her another drink before returning the bottle to the floor between them. “You realize I’m not letting you drive anytime soon.”

Lexi nodded, making a mental note to call her brother Nash later and ask him to feed the horses.

“At the time I thought I was doing the responsible thing,” Lexi began.

“What exactly did you do?” Clay asked.

“I had Shane’s baby and gave it up for adoption.”

* * *

“K
EEPING
IT
R
EEL
Pictures is
the
big kahuna of reality programming,” Ryan boasted, steering Shane toward one of the picnic tables. “We’re offering you the chance of a lifetime.”

Shane listened to Ryan while he watched Clay walk Lexi to her car. Considering her earlier episode, he figured she still didn’t feel well. But he was completely unprepared when Clay followed her out of the ranch and began to wonder if there wasn’t more going on between the two of them. Not that he didn’t trust Clay. He knew his friend would never betray him. So why did it bother him to see his best friend and his ex-girlfriend leave at the same time and look suspiciously like they were trying not to be seen together?

“You might even end up a movie star!” Hunter exclaimed enthusiastically, redirecting Shane to the conversation.

“Smart kid. Is he yours?” Ryan continued without waiting for an answer. “Look at all the reality stars turned actors. With your rodeo following you’d start off with a large fan base.”

“I’m already a star and you must be aware I have an agent, right?”

“How impersonal would it be for us to go through an agent?” Ryan draped his arm around Shane’s shoulder, throwing any suggestion of professionalism he had left out the window. “This is about Shane Langtry—his life, family, girlfriends, the rodeo. How much more personal can we get. This is huge! Bigger than anything else out there, and I promise, after the end of the first season, you’ll be a household name.”

The man definitely had his attention. Shane loved the idea of being on the tip of everyone’s tongue. Stardom aside, he’d made a commitment to his family and Ride ’em High! and he wasn’t about to turn his back on any of it.

“I just opened this school, I can’t leave it now.”

“That’s the beauty of this, Shane,” Ryan crooned. “We want to shoot it here.”

“Here?” Shane asked.

“Wicked!” Hunter chimed in.

“Hollywood couldn’t build a set this great.” Ryan swung his arms in a grand gesture. “Look at this place—it’s palatial!”

“Why are you focusing on me?” Shane asked. “I mean I’m good but I haven’t won the championship.”

“The show will feature a few stars.” Ryan drew an imaginary box with his fingers. “Picture a show like
Deadliest Catch
only with cowboys instead of Alaska fishermen. People will be on the edge of their seats watching you perform in one of America’s most dangerous sports. You’ll each have your own segments.”

“Who else have you asked?”

“No one.” Ryan shifted closer and lowered his voice. “You’re our first choice and we’d like you to be the anchor of the show.”

A television offer was the last thing Shane expected and one he wasn’t quite certain his agent, Brock Hudson, would jump at. Why did Ryan avoid Brock, knowing he’d have to go through him at some point? With his national rodeo sponsors, Shane was already well-known, but the allure was almost impossible to resist.

“Is it true?” Tyler, one of the rodeo school kids, ran up and breathlessly asked him. “Are you going to have your own TV show?”

“Well, that didn’t take long to get out.” Shane shook his head and looked down at Hunter. “What did you do, text him?”

“Nah,” Hunter laughed. “Social media is the way to go nowadays. I tweeted it.”

“I love this kid!” Ryan hugged the teen. “Your son’s a genius! Look at the buzz he’s already generated here.”

“Hunter’s not my son,” Shane said.

“Really? Could have fooled me.” Ryan shrugged. “So what do you think?”

“Excuse me, Shane,” Kay interrupted. “We have someone waiting to interview us.”

“Go on, I didn’t mean to take up all of your time.” Ryan reached out to shake Kay’s hand. “That was a very moving speech up there. You raised some fine men.”

“Thank you. Have we met?” Kay inquired warily.

Shane interrupted before Ryan was able to open his mouth. “I’ll tell you all about it later, Mom.” Shane steered Kay away from the table and nodded back to Ryan. “You’ll still be around?”

“I’m not going anywhere.” Ryan smiled a grin that screamed Hollywood.

“What’s going on, Shane?” Kay asked. “Who was that man?”

“Mom, he could put Bridle Dance on the map.”

“We are on the map—Ramblewood, Texas. There, done. Now what’s this all about?”

“Here they are.” An attractive brunette in jeans and red polo shirt held a microphone and directed Kay and Shane to join his brothers. “This isn’t a live segment, so please don’t be nervous.”

“We’re used to the spotlight.” Shane nodded toward some of his students, who stood by watching the interview. “It’s in our blood.”

“It may be in your blood but it certainly isn’t in mine.” Kay adjusted her blouse. “I despise TV interviews. I do wish I had a mirror so I could check my makeup. In all this heat it’s probably melted off.”

“You look gorgeous, Mrs. Langtry.” The interviewer gave a wide, overbleached smile. Some people took teeth whitening to the extreme and it bugged the hell out of Shane. Photo ready was one thing, but there was no need to be a beacon for space ships every time you opened your mouth.

“And five, four...” The woman motioned
three, two, one
with her hand. “We’re here in Ramblewood with the Langtry family for the greatly anticipated opening of the Dance of Hope hippotherapy facility and the Ride ’em High! Rodeo School.”

Shane listened while his mother answered the majority of the questions like a seasoned pro. If she was the least bit nervous, she certainly didn’t show it. Normally Shane and Chase handled the interviews now that Cole had stepped away from the rodeo, but today belonged to their mother and Shane loved watching her take pride in their combined venture.

The interviewer posed her final question. “And with Shane getting his own reality show, you must be excited about the national publicity you’ll receive.”

“Shane getting his own what?”

So much for easing her into the idea.

* * *

“W
HO
ELSE
KNOWS
about this?” Clay stood in the setting sun. He was tall and tanned with a hint of sandy blond hair peeking out from under his summer Stetson. He removed his sunglasses, Caribbean-blue eyes meeting hers with all the sincerity in the world. He looked more like a movie star than a cowboy P.I.

“Only my horse, and I can trust she won’t talk.” Lexi attempted to laugh, rose and teetered to the porch railing that overlooked the narrow two-lane highway and emerald-green cornfields, weeks away from harvesting. It was tranquil out here, away from the bustle of her family’s tourist attraction. Lexi turned to face Clay. “Now what?”

“I have to admit,” Clay acknowledged, “there is a strong resemblance between the two of them, but don’t jump to any conclusions until we know for certain.”

“How soon can you find out?” Lexi implored, dropping back into the rocker, half the bottle gone, the effects of the bourbon beginning to take a toll. “I can’t work close to him, knowing I might be inches away from my own child.”

“Now that they’ve had the ribbon cutting, the school will do more arena work inside. It’s too hot outside not to. In the meantime, I can do some digging and see what I come up with.”

“And you’ll find out for certain?”

“There’s only one surefire way to know. You use a DNA lab for your breeding program, don’t you?” Clay asked.

“Yes, but I think the Texas Veterinary Board would frown on that, let alone the ethics factor.”

“Lucky for you, I don’t have any ethics to worry about. I’ll run the test. I can get into the bunkhouse when he’s training and grab something of his.”

“We’re really doing this, aren’t we?” Reality punched her hard in the stomach and the world began to churn in front of her.

“No more bourbon for you.” Clay led Lexi inside the air-conditioned house to a couch that had seen better days. “Lay down for a while.”

“My God.” Lexi looked around the living room, scanning the boxes still stacked in the corners. “You’ve been back in town for how long and you still haven’t unpacked?”

“Eh, what’s another year or two?”

“Seriously.” Lexi steadied herself on his arm before flopping down on the sofa, causing a small cloud of dust to rise in the air between the two of them.

“Take my bed.” Clay quickly tried to hide his embarrassment. “I’m rarely home so none of this gets used very much.”

“It’s fine.” Lexi removed her phone from her pocket and sent Nash a quick text, feigning a vet emergency. Clay ran upstairs and returned with a pillow and a sheet before she even hit
send
.

“We all have skeletons, Lexi.” He helped her stand and draped the sheet across the couch before fluffing up the pillow. Lexi lowered herself back down, tucking her legs beneath her. Clay perched on the edge of the coffee table and continued. “Some greater than others but we all have one thing we don’t want anyone else to know. It doesn’t make you a bad person, it makes you human. My job isn’t to judge you. It’s to find out if Hunter really is your son.”

“You’ll check out his family, too?”

“If you want me to, yes.”

“I need to know he’s with good people.” Lexi had already decided if there were any signs of abuse or neglect she’d immediately contact an attorney and fight for her son. It was an easy decision for her to make and Lexi questioned if her maternal instincts were kicking in or if it was because Hunter looked very well taken care of, and she didn’t have anything to worry about. “Then I’ll figure out what to do next.”

“Are you going to tell Shane?”

“I’m not going to disrupt Hunter’s life for selfish reasons.” If he was her son and he was happy, who was she to shatter his world? “What good can come of it? Shane already lost one son, why tell him he lost another?”

“It’s your call.” Clay rose and tugged all the blinds closed. “Get some sleep.”

“I’m really putting you in a bad spot, aren’t I?” The strain she was about to cause to Shane and Clay’s friendship dawned on her. “How can you keep this a secret from Shane? If he were to ever find out you knew—”

“He’d understand I was doing my job,” Clay assured her. “Lexi, I can’t even begin to tell you the secrets I’ve had to keep.”