I was guessing that the server was said wife, given the exaggerated side eye she was throwing Rafe’s way. Half the restaurant erupted in laughter and I joined in. As much as the idea of living in a small town filled me with dread, this level of comradery I was witnessing was certainly a nice perk. It was something I’d always enjoyed about the rodeo circuit, with its tight-knit sense of community. Or at least, that was the way it used to be. Admittedly, it wasn’t the same anymore. Sure there were some friendships and alliances that grew but I was also seeing a more cutthroat attitude growing, especially among the competitors who were continually chasing the next ribbon. Tanner Greene came to mind. While I would never wish something bad to happen to someone, I was glad he wasn’t here.
There were whispers going around the room and more than a few stares, but whenever I looked their way and gave them a nod, theywere quick to turn away. Hopefully everyone would get used to me being around sooner rather than later, because I could already tell that this was going to get old real quick.
“So, I guess I should have warned you that?—”
“I’m someone’s doppelgänger?” I finished for Rafe. He nodded his head and owned it.
“Exactly that.”
“How long have you known?” I asked.
“The first time I saw Luke around town, I thought it was you. I knew it couldn’t be true. I wondered if maybe you were cousins.”
I shook my head with a quick snap. “Not cousins. Half brothers. You couldn’t have warned me? Texted me a pic or something?”
“The car accident that killed him and his father happened so fast and suddenly the entire family was grieving. I had no idea how to bring it up with them or you.”
“And in the years since then?” I didn’t like that Rafe kept this from me.
“Okay, let me ask you this. When I told you we needed you to headline a charity rodeo, would you have come if I said your birth mother lived here along with a couple of half brothers?” Rafe fixed his gaze on me and I took another bite while I thought through my answer. Would I have?
I loved my parents and my sister and couldn’t imagine growing up with anyone else. Sure, I’d been curious about my birth parents when I was younger. When we covered genetics in science class, a part of me wondered what traits I inherited from them. But would I have willingly come to town knowing I had relatives living here?
“Probably not,” I finally answered. Rafe continued to stare at me, much the way he used to back when he’d mentored me on the rodeo circuit. He had this uncanny ability of peeling back the layers of whatever BS the riders had going on and getting us all working together. I missed having him around and had tried to emulate him to pass his lessons onto younger riders, but I wasn’t nearly as successful. “But you should have given me a head’s up anyway.”
He gave me a quick nod and took another bite of his food, pointing his fork at me. “I won’t apologize for doing what I thought was best for you and the town, but Iamsorry if I upset you. After all this time, I hadn’t thought the reaction of everyone around here would be so strong. I certainly didn’t mean to make you feel like a sideshow attraction. If it’s too much to deal with and you decide you can’t stay through the rodeo, I’ll talk to the Bobs and own it with them.”
I always appreciated Rafe’s no nonsense attitude. I also knew that with the rodeo less than a month away, he’d be hard pressed to find someone willing to volunteer their time. Especially this time of year.
“I’ll stay.”
Relief filled Rafe’s face. We both went back to eating and talking about other things. I caught him up on what was going on with the competitors he knew on the circuit, and he shared stories of life as a high school history teacher.
Aurora stopped by to top off our coffee and drop off the check. Before I could reach for it, Rafe snatched it up. “It’s on me.”
“I’m not looking for a sugar daddy, either,” I said in as neutral a tone as I could manage.
Aurora had been clearing our table, but when I said that, she set our dishes down with a clatter and took the check back with a laugh. “Okay, that was a damn good comeback. Welcome to Poplar Springs.This breakfast is on me.” She grabbed our plates and left before either of us could say anything.
Rafe looked slightly flushed as he watched her walk away, and then we were both laughing. I drained the rest of my coffee and walked out with Rafe, who clapped me on the back.
“I’m glad you’re here, Cal. I know your feelings about small towns, but this place is special. That’s why we need you and your fame to help raise the funds to build a new community center. And, you know, if you happen to take this chance to meet your biological relatives…” Rafe shrugged. “I don’t know, man. Just think of them as additions to your Christmas card list.”
I shook his hand, giving him a harder squeeze than necessary. “Good idea. There’s room on that list right now, given that I’ll be dropping you from it.”
“Hey, now,” Rafe started to protest but his phone beeped and he sighed. “Gotta go.”
I watched him drive away before heading back to my B&B. I still had a couple hours before Amy was scheduled to pick me up, and I felt the awkwardness of the situation flow through me. While I was sure my bio mother had her reasons for putting me up for adoption, I still wasn’t sure if I wanted to hear them—or meet with her at all.
But I had to admit that now that I was here, I was curious. Here was this entire family that I was genetically related to and knew nothing about. What were they like? What did they know about me? And if I decided I wanted to meet them, how likely was it that they wanted to meetme?
SIX
CAL
“Icould have driven myself,” I said as I got into Amy’s car. There’d been no good reason why I wasn’t headed for the radio interview in my own truck. I was more than used to doing my PR on my own. While my manager handled my endorsements, sponsors, announcements, and interviews, he was mostly hands off. He’d send over the list of times and places of where I needed to be, and then leave me to it. I didn’t pay him to hold my hand at press events and he wasn’t the type to do so. I was very used to managing myself and I didn’t like feeling like she was babysitting me.
She swung her gaze toward me, and I saw her instant irritation. “It’s my job to make the most of these promo opportunities. I wouldn’t want to risk you getting lost or being late.”
