Blame It on the Rodeo (10 page)

And there it was. The dark, tarlike meconium that accumulated when the horse fed in the womb. It was the sign they were waiting for.

“Oh, that’s gross.” Hunter stood and covered his nose.

“That is the most beautiful thing in the world right now.” Lexi rose and dusted off her jeans.

“Almost the most beautiful.” Shane pulled Lexi in for a hug. “Thank you for being here,” he whispered against her hair.

“I’m just doing what you pay me to do.” Lexi pulled back, looking him in the eyes.

The tension between them gone, Shane brushed an errant lock of hair out of her face. The feel of her body next to him, touching him, confirmed what he’d known all along. He loved the woman standing before him and no amount of time in the world would change that.

“Are you two going to kiss?” Hunter asked, breaking the moment.

“Come on, kid.” Billy ushered him out of the stall. “Let’s get some fresh bedding for—are you going to name him Apollo?”

Shane reluctantly stepped away from Lexi, leaving her obviously flustered and blushing.

“I think Apollo’s a perfect name,” he said.

Hunter smiled and left them alone.

“What do you think, doc?”

“I think we have a dominant white but I’m still going to run a homozygous test for a genetic abnormality. And I’m definitely going to have both parents’ stables run further testing—”

Shane placed a finger on her lips to silence her. Closing her eyes, she lowered her head before he had a chance to kiss her.

“Shane.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “We can’t.”

“We can if you let it happen.” His breath was warm against her cheek.

* * *

S
HE
WANTED
IT
TO
HAPPEN
.
She enjoyed the way his arms felt around her body. She missed his scent and most of all she missed his taste.

Reaching up toward him, Lexi laced her fingers behind his neck and drew him in for a kiss. Their tongues met with the sensual familiarity of two longtime lovers. Maybe it was because she’d spent the last few hours with Shane and Hunter. A secret family that no one knew about and a dream fulfilled she’d never thought possible. This was theirs, this was the life she’d wanted all along—the one she deserved. This was—wrong.

Lexi broke their kiss and pushed Shane away. Breathlessly they stared at each other.

“What the hell was that? I think we’re getting closer and you pull away again. I can’t keep doing this, Lexi.”

“Uh-oh,” Hunter said from the stall door. “Trouble.”

Lexi saw half the ranch standing in the hallway watching their exchange.

“I’m sorry,” Billy said. “I thought everyone would want to know the good news.”

Flustered, Lexi inhaled sharply. “It’s okay.” She walked to the stall door, not daring a glance back. “We need to clean this stall and I want to try nursing again. If we can’t then I’ll try another mare. Some of the foals are weaning so we should be fine.”

“Ashleigh’s on her way in.” Billy moved aside to let her pass. Shane made no move to follow.

“Thank you.” Lexi squeezed Billy’s arm and looked down at Hunter, who stood next to him. This time next year he’d probably be taller than she was. Such a strong man in the making. “I’m so proud of you both. That was pretty intense in there and you held up great.”

“Thanks.” Hunter smiled at her—the pain tugging at her heart almost unbearable. She wanted—she needed—to hug the child she thought was her son and show him how much she loved him.

And his father, too.

Chapter Eight

Lexi swung the stable doors wide with such force she was surprised they remained on their hinges. Thick middle-of-the-night, humidity-laden air made it even harder for her to breathe. She needed to know for certain that was her son who had fallen asleep on her lap. And Shane had kissed her. Why was this happening now?

Knowing she couldn’t let this go any further, she had to finish up tonight and keep her distance, even if it meant leaving town until Hunter returned to Colorado. Lexi had a standby large-animal veterinarian she referred people to if she wasn’t available. She had faith he’d be able to cover her emergencies.

Steadying herself, she headed back into the stables and peeked at Apollo. He stood there, looking at all the people staring at him as if to say, “What’s the big deal?”

“Come on, guys.” Chase rounded up his students and led them toward the door. “Time for bed...again.”

“Would you like some coffee, dear?” Kay asked while soothingly rubbing Lexi’s back. “You look exhausted.”

“I would, but I have appointments I need to keep today.” Lexi wanted to find Ashleigh and give her a list of things to handle in the morning.

“Take a break and come upstairs with me,” Kay gently demanded. “I’m not taking no for an answer. You look like you’re ready to collapse.”

Left with no choice and in desperate need of a mini-break, Lexi followed Kay toward the office stairs in the center of the stables.

“If you didn’t still have work to do I’d pour you a brandy,” Kay whispered from the step above her. “A kiss like that warrants a drink.”

No sense wondering if anyone saw them anymore. Soon, the entire town would be chattering about her and Shane’s kiss. At least it would take people’s minds off the supposed one-nighter she had with Clay.

Upstairs, away from the commotion below, Kay fixed Lexi a cup of coffee and motioned for her to take a seat. The office sat above the stables, with Craftsman-style windows encircling the room, allowing for a 360-degree view. In the moonlight, the ranch had a fairy-tale luminescence to it. In a way, her fairy tale did come true tonight, if only for a little while. The family Lexi thought she’d never have was hers for a few fleeting hours. Then like most dreams, she awoke and it was over.

“Get your bearings about you and then you can get back to work.” Kay mothered her like one of her own. She was a kindhearted, hardworking woman who had a grandson a few feet away and Lexi didn’t have the guts to tell her the truth.

Lexi rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands, trying to find relief from the hay dust irritating them. “A part of me could curl up and sleep for hours, the other part is too full of adrenaline.”

“It’s been a long night,” Kay said. “Did something happen before you got here? You seemed upset when you came in.”

“No,” Lexi said. “I was just going to bed when the phone rang.” More like she was going to cry herself to sleep like she had so many other nights.

“When are you going to tell him the truth?”

Knocking her coffee onto the floor, Lexi cursed under her breath.
How does she know?

“This is exactly what I mean.” Kay handed her a roll of paper towels. “You’re overly tired, clumsy and you’re obviously still in love with my son.”

“Wh-what?”

“He hasn’t stopped loving you and he does every foolhardy thing there is to forget you, only he knows he can’t. We all see it. Why can’t you both admit it to each other and get on with it?”

“It’s complicated.” Lexi wiped up the floor and tried to remain calm.
She doesn’t know.

“Because you both make it complicated,” Kay said. “Far be it from me to interfere, but let me say this...you two have wasted so much precious time sidestepping each other it’s like watching the world’s longest waltz.”

Lexi laughed at the picture she painted. “I love you, Kay. Thank you for the coffee, or what I had of it, but I need to finish up down there before my next appointment.”

After Ashleigh told her that Crystal still wouldn’t allow Apollo to nurse, they brought in Delilah as a surrogate mother. Delilah’s foal had completely weaned a day ago and the mare was still producing milk. Apollo instantly took to her and Lexi felt better about the foal getting the proper nutrients.

Placing Apollo and Delilah in an adjacent stall to Crystal’s, Lexi hoped Crystal’s attitude toward her baby would change. In the meantime, she’d treat both mares as if they were nursing, increasing the food and nutrient intakes.

Before leaving the ranch, Lexi gave Crystal a thorough postfoal exam and then checked on Apollo one last time to ensure he was in fact a normal, healthy foal. Standing alongside his surrogate mom, the white foal looked up at Lexi with his blue eyes, not a care in the world.

Oh, to be a horse.

Lexi sent Ashleigh and Billy home for a few hours, then managed to leave herself without running into Shane again. She was barely able to keep her eyes open when she pulled into her driveway. Resting her head against the steering wheel, she willed herself the strength to get out of the car.

Please let tonight be a dream.

* * *

S
HANE
WALKED
WITH
Hunter to the bunkhouse, downright confused after that kiss. It was as unexpected as it was natural, and it was perfect until Lexi pushed him away.

“You really like Trouble, don’t you?” Hunter asked.

Shane laughed. “What did I tell you about calling her that?”

“Hey, I’m just repeating what you told me the day I met her.” They stopped on the bunkhouse steps. “I’m not tired and the sun’s going to be up in a few anyway. Do I have to go back to bed?”

The sky to the east showed a hint of light gray and the stars were beginning to fade. The evening crickets had long since tucked up their legs and called it a night while the birds had begun their morning song.

“The Magpie opens in a bit. Think you can manage to quietly grab some clothes from inside?” Shane looked down at Hunter’s bare feet. “And boots?”

Hunter snuck into the dark bunkhouse. It reminded him of when Shane and his brothers were kids and Jesse would sneak into the bunkhouse trying to steal the ranch hands’ boots. Jesse was always the prankster, and Shane was surprised his brother didn’t get himself shot with half his shenanigans. He missed those days, when life wasn’t so complicated.

Minutes later, Hunter eased the door closed and they headed up to the main house. Barely containing his amazement, Hunter walked into the Langtrys’ kitchen overlooking the great room.

“Wow!” The moon shone through the large skylight, highlighting the rustic log walls. Shane’s father had taken great care choosing hand-hewn beams instead of machined lumber. His mother’s respect for the local Native American Kickapoo tribe was evident in the beaded artwork that adorned the walls. But Shane’s favorite part of the house was always the monumental, floor-to-ceiling river-rock fireplace.

“Come on.” Shane led the way up the stairs to the loft, making the room below appear even grander. “You can shower down the hall and I’ll meet you out here in a few.”

Unable to tear himself away from the railing, Hunter looked around the golden-timbered space. “This is even bigger than the lodge my family goes to in Aspen. You must be mega-rich.”

Shane grinned at the boy’s innocence. Most days he forgot how privileged he’d had it growing up. He didn’t know much about Hunter’s parents, aside from rodeo, and even then, they seemed a little out of their element. They were more the nine-to-five desk-job type, whose idea of a vacation was a spa retreat instead of a camping trip.

“Take your shower so we can eat and be back before the rest of your class wakes up.”

The cold shower did nothing to quell his thoughts of Lexi. The same passion had still coursed through their bodies when they’d kissed. Shane thought it would feel like it used to, but instead there’d been something unfamiliar and much more personal than in any kiss they’d ever shared before. Longing and need coupled with a raw and complete devotion he couldn’t explain. He needed to have her back in his arms, his bed and his life because tonight confirmed it—she’d never left his heart.

* * *

“L
EXI
!” A
LOUD
banging surrounded her. She tried to move and her back ached like hell. “Lexi, open the damn door before I rip the roof off.”

“Daddy?” Lexi opened her eyes. She was still in her car, in the driveway, and her father was pounding on the side window. Reaching for the door, she flicked the power lock button.

“Are you sick?” Jim Lawson pulled her from the car. “I heard you pull in but when you didn’t get out of the car I began to wonder.”

“I’m just tired,” Lexi said. “I had a long night.”

“You better not be drunk.” Jim turned her to look at him. “Are you?”

Lexi shrugged out of his grasp. “I haven’t come home drunk since I was in college.”

“Where were you all night?”

“The fifth degree, Dad? Really?” Lexi trudged to the side door of the house, leaving her boots in the mudroom. “You know I’m on call twenty-four hours a day.”

“I’m usually asleep when you’re on call.” Her dad harrumphed and sat down at the small table against the kitchen wall. “Was it an emergency or a foal?”

“Both.” Lexi opened the refrigerator and grabbed a can of Diet Coke, popping the top. “What on earth are you wearing?”

Jim’s tattered, flannel bathrobe, which he refused to throw out, barely covered his bright blue, cartoon-cow boxers and a white, sleeveless undershirt.

“I was worried.” Jim looked down at the stain on his shirt and scratched at it. “Hmm, wonder where that came from.”

“I’m fine, and I’ll tell you about it after I clean up and get into some fresh clothes.” She checked her watch. “I suggest you do the same. I guess it’s morning anyway.”

In the safety of the bathroom, Lexi locked the door and took a quick shower. She didn’t want to stop moving and she certainly didn’t want to think. People and animals relied on her and there was no room for emotion in her work.

Lexi went out to check on her own horses before she left, when someone cleared their throat at the other end of the barn.

“Hello?” Lexi called out.

“Heard you had quite a night.” Clay strode to the stall door.

“Sure did. Got to spend most of it in extremely close quarters with Hunter.” Lexi wiped at her eyes, and grabbed a rubber curry comb from the shelf. Grooming Autumn calmed her nerves and the horse loved the attention. “I’m assuming you’re here because you have the test results.”

“He’s your son, Lexi.”

Lexi froze midstroke, bracing herself against Autumn. “Thank you. Let me know how much I owe you for everything.”

Clay unlatched the stall door, but didn’t open it. “Come out here, Lex, so we can talk.”

Ignoring him, she continued her circular motions on the horse’s body.

“And his family?”

“Lexi?” Clay hesitated. “I wish you’d—”

“And his family?”
Lexi said through gritted teeth.

“Soccer mom, business dad, no debts, no criminal charges, not even a speeding ticket. You chose a good family, Lexi, and you did right by your son. Don’t beat yourself up over this.”

“I’ll be fine.” Lexi placed the comb on the shelf and walked out of the stall. “It’s not like I didn’t already know it. I just need a few minutes to let it sink in then I have to get back to work.”

“Not until I make sure you’re all right. When was the last time you ate?”

“Yesterday at the picnic, I guess.” Food was the last thing on her mind.

“Well, I certainly didn’t see you eat and you left early. Come on, we’re getting breakfast. We don’t have to talk but I’m not leaving you like this and that’s final.”

“Fine.” Lexi didn’t want to argue, she didn’t want to think, either. The more she thought, the more she felt. She just wanted to work and keep her mind occupied. There was always safety in keeping busy. “My car... I’ll drive.”

“Considering the front seat of my truck is loaded with crap we have no other choice, but Lexi, I’m driving.”

Being a passenger in her own car felt foreign to her. At least when she drove she had control, and right now her life was spinning out of control.

“Hunter’s parents are coming to town for Family Day at the end of the month and I don’t know how to handle it.”

Clay pulled the car off to the side of the road and faced Lexi. “You need to decide once and for all if you’re really going to keep this from Shane and Hunter. I know you said there’s no point in telling them, but you need to look at this from all angles.”

“Meaning if they found out later on.” Lexi knew the obvious answer was to come clean to everyone and let the chips fall where they may. The logical side of her reasoned that what they didn’t know couldn’t hurt them, and if their relationship were only a temporary one, she might be able to get away with it. Shane had already traveled to a few of Hunter’s events and Lexi was certain there were more to come. If their resemblance increased, someone was bound to ask questions. With Shane’s wild history, a paternity test wouldn’t be that far off-base, but once you did the math, she was the only possibility as Hunter’s mother.

“Are you prepared to keep this secret from Shane forever?” Clay asked. “You two have gotten closer recently. Can you live with this?”

“I’ve lived with it all these years.” Lexi shrugged. “This isn’t much different.”

“It’s a lot different, Lex. You didn’t know where or who he was. Now you do and he has an ongoing relationship with his father.”

Lexi laid her head against the car seat and closed her eyes. “I have to do what’s best for Hunter and that would be not to disrupt his life. I can handle the guilt and the pain. I’ve been handling it all along. No one needs or deserves to get hurt, Clay. We need to let it rest.”

The conversation over, Clay continued to drive to the Magpie. Lexi agreed to a quick bite and then she’d start her rounds. She needed to call Ashleigh and have her keep an eye on the horses at Bridle Dance. Determined to keep her distance this time, Lexi wasn’t taking any more chances around Hunter and Shane. She knew the truth. She’d made her decision years ago and that was that. Nothing was going to change.