“I grew up in the outskirts of Austin,” he said. “So I’m neither, really. I’m not a big city fan, but I don’t ever really see myself in a small town either.”
“Why not?” I asked, joining the conversation after remaining silent for several minutes.
“Nothing against your town,” he was quick to say. “Seems like a nice place, but I like being on the road, staying moving.”
Hence, the rodeo life for him. Cal didn’t want to be pinned down. I’d originally thought that Luke would be more like that. At least, he’d seemed to enjoy the idea of travel back when he’d still had hopes of a pro-football career. He’d gone to school on a football scholarship, expecting to be the big man on campus.
That hadn’t turned out to be the case. It might’ve been different if he’d chosen a smaller school, but he’d gone with one of the largest in the nation, and the football team had been incredibly competitive. He would have had to seriously push himself to stand out and draw the kind of attention he’d need to end up making it to the NFL, and Luke had never been one to work harder than he had to.
Once he figured out he had zero chance of a football career, he couldn’t wait to return to this small town in Colorado. I’d understood why after arriving. Luke enjoyed the attention and admiration of others, and he easily got that here. And it turned out, I enjoyed small town life more than I expected to, if for very different reasons.
“I grew up in Virginia,” I said, holding my wine glass by the stem, “and went to college in California. With my degree in public relations, I expected to find a job in a big city, but I love it here and I’ve got no plans to leave.”
Cal gave me a nod that I wasn’t sure how to interpret. I figured he was probably judging me—and I decided I didn’t care. He wasn’t part of my life. I had no reason to care what he thought. I could get through a month of appearances and promo work with him, but I’d be glad when it was done.
“Oops,” Bob McCall said after he checked his phone. “That’ll be the wife.” Bob set his napkin down and smiled at Cal. “I’ve got to run.”
“I’ll go too,” Bob Jackson said, setting his napkin aside.
“You all stay and have dessert. Order whatever you like. The restaurant knows to bill it to me,” Bob McCall said, leaving me and Cal at the table in slightly stunned silence. I narrowed my eyes at the retreating Bobs, feeling like I’d been set up. It was definitely not like either of the Bobs to turn down dessert.
“Well, you’ve met the Bobs. Did you want dessert?” I didn’t, but I couldn’t just walk away from my guest either.
“I can go either way,” he said and leaned closer to me. “Amy, I’ve been sitting here debating what to do, but I think I need to be honest with you.”
“About what?” I felt a curl of nerves start in my stomach.
“There’s a reason I look so much like your husband.” When I didn’t respond, he continued quietly, guaranteeing that no other diners could hear him. “I was adopted as a baby, and until today I never asked questions about my birth family. After meeting you and seeing people’s reactions in town, I called my mom, my adopted mom.”
“What did she say?” I almost didn’t want to know.
“She gave me the name of my birth mother. Laura Cooper,” he said. “I did some research and found that Laura married Marshall Thorne thirty years ago here in Poplar Springs.”
I swallowed hard when I heard my mother-in-law’s name. This man sitting herewasmy husband’s half brother. It seemed too impossible to be true, but I had no reason to doubt his words either. Had Luke even known he’d had another sibling? Did Jake and Brian? I didn’t think so.
I gulped down the last of my wine, managing not to choke on it. What was I supposed to say to that? I waited, letting the information sink in as I searched for the best reaction.
“Thank you for telling me that,” I finally said, wondering what he expected from me. I suddenly wanted to be away from him. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to head home. I think it’s best if we keep our dealings professional. As for social, I…I can’t. I hope you understand.”
“That’s probably for the best,” he agreed, but the way he was watching me made me feel a flicker of something I hadn’t experienced in a very long time. God, was that attraction? It couldn’t be.
“Shall we go?” I said, retreating to excessive politeness.
He walked me to my car, making me think that whoever had raised him had ingrained gentlemanly behavior. Laura would be proud of him.
Good gracious, Laura had another son in the world. That thought kept my mind occupied while I drove back to the Thorne family ranch, where I’d continued to live after my husband’s death. I’d wanted to be with my mother-in-law and Luke’s brothers while we’d all been reeling with grief after the accident. Later, I’d stayed for my son’s sake. Henry was a Thorne and deserved to grow up on the ranch and be part of the family’s legacy.
I pulled up in front of the sprawling ranch house that had been my home since coming here as a bride with Luke. When I made my way inside, I found Jake sound asleep on the couch in front of the TV, a baseball game on. It was a familiar sight. He always worked himself too hard—trying to fill the shoes his father and older brother had left behind.
I tiptoed past him and went to check on my son. I found Henry fast asleep under the covers with a plastic horse tucked in with him. I gently worked the horse loose, so he wouldn’t roll over on it during the night. The boy was horse obsessed, a fact that would have pleased Luke. But I was more cautious in my enthusiasm, especially afterHenry broke his leg last winter while riding in the inside arena. One limb was still thinner than the other, a result of wearing a cast for the past few months. I knew I’d have to let Henry ride again, but I was frightened of what could happen to such a little boy. He was still small for six years old, but he was the brightest spot in my life. If something happened to him….
I was being maudlin, I decided as I kissed his forehead. The day had been too much. I needed rest, but as I went back into the hall, I didn’t turn toward my bedroom. Instead, I made my way to the kitchen where I expected to find my mother-in-law.
I had no clear plan of what I’d say to Laura when I entered the kitchen. Would she want to know about her oldest son? Or had the woman already suffered enough? But she had another child, who’d grown up into a decent man. What woman wouldn’t want to know that? Maybe it would even help Laura heal in some way.
“How was your dinner?” Laura looked up with a smile from her place at the kitchen island.
“It was fine. I think the rodeo will raise the funds we need, and that’s a good thing.” Because if they didn’t, I wasn’t sure what would happen. “What are you up to?”
