Page 60 of Caught By A Cowboy

“Well, time went on, and those kids didn’t seem to be happening. Your dad came and spoke to me about it, told me your mom and him were having problems, the kind that are damn hard for a man to talk about. But, like I said, there wasn’t anything that man wouldn’t have done for your momma.”

I nod my head in agreement, remembering how much he loved her.

“So, he made himself an appointment.” Grayson takes out his smokes and when he offers one to me, I take it despite how hard I’ve worked at quitting. “Of course, he was too proud to tell your mom that he was worried. You know how she was, always such a positive thinker. Hell, she already had a nursery made up. I guess, for her, failure wasn’t an option.”

“So what happened?” I can see the herd getting further and further away from us, the boys are holding ‘em together, despite being two men down. But even if they weren’t it wouldn’t change anything, nothing seems more important than hearing the rest of Grayson's story.

“He went to the city, paid some fancy doctor to get all the tests done, and three weeks later when he went back for theresults I had to drive out there to pick him up because he got blind drunk.”

“What did the results say?” I screw my face up because I got a horrible feeling that I can guess the answer.

“That the likelihood of your father ever siring a child was practically impossible.” I see the sympathy in his eyes when he finally looks at me.

“No, that can’t be true. It can’t be, because they had me.” I shake my head in denial.

“He was too weak to tell ya momma, said he had to come to terms with it himself first, and for months he let her go on thinking that there was a chance. I told him it was cruel and that he had to come clean, and then one day out of the blue, she told him she was pregnant with you.” He looks down at the front of his saddle and grips it tight.

“Grayson, what the fuck are you tellin’ me? Because I don’t think it’s that I’m a miracle baby.”

“It took me a few months to question your old man because he seemed so happy. He was taking care of your momma, same way you take care of Maddison. He was on cloud nine, couldn’t stop talkin’ about becoming a dad. But there were days when he couldn’t hide the pain and hurt in his eyes. So one day, just before you came along, I asked him how it was possible. He told me it must have been God's will, and then he broke down in tears.” I see the pity in Grayson’s eyes before I scrub my hand over my face

“What you’re sayin’...It…” I shake my head, refusing to believe him.

“The day you were born, that man was the proudest a man could be. He doted on you, he put you on the back of his horse before you could even walk. And as time went on and you grew, you just kept making him prouder. It all became so easy toforget. But then one night, he asked me to go out for a beer, and he shocked the hell outta me.”

I don’t wanna hear any more of this story, but it goes without saying that I have to.

“I’ve never seen a man so torn, he had a decision to make and it was between his love for you and his loyalty to the Sullivan generations. To me, the answer would have been simple. Your uncle never wanted this ranch, he wanted to be a big-shot lawyer, and that asshole never fails. But your dad knew you weren’t a true Sullivan, and he felt obliged to all the Sullivans that came before him to keep this place in the bloodline.”

I feel his words stab into my heart like a blunt dagger and I got no way of hiding it. My eyes start to prickle with tears and I have to quickly look away so he don’t see them.

“He rewrote his will, left this place to your uncle in the hope that he might have some kids himself, someday. He, of course, left everything else he had of value to you and your mom and had a clause put in his will stating that Jamie could never evict her and that you’d always have a home and a job here. After your mom passed away, I figured your uncle would have told ya.” He reaches out to touch my shoulder and I shift on my saddle so he can’t.

“All this time, he’s watched me work my ass off for this place, how could I have not known?” I feel like such a fool.

“Jace, I ain’t your uncle's biggest fan but I’m figuring it’s because, deep down in that cold heart of his, he loved his brother. You may not be his blood but he knows how important you were to your dad. You’ve lost everything these past few years, maybe he didn't want to take this place away from you too.”

I let the old man's words sink in as my world gets turned upside down. I loved my father, we fought sometimes but we loved each other. That man was everything I ever wanted to be.

“I’m sorry, son. I know it’s not what you wanna hear. But now you got a kid of your own on the way, it’s time you know.”

Suddenly it dawns on me that I have absolutely nothing to offer that kid. This ranch was my stability, it was gonna be Maddison's and my child’s too. I promised her that I’d always take care of her, how can I do that when I don’t even have a home?

Then something else clicks into place and I feel pure, undiluted rage start to sweep through my blood.

“You said there was a clause?” I narrow my eyes at Grayson.

“Your old man felt bad enough about not leaving ya this place, he was never gonna let you and your momma be homeless, even if she had been unfaithful, he never stopped loving her.

“He couldn’t evict her.” I clench my reins when it all starts to make sense. “He hated her,” I recall the way my uncle would look at her every time she walked into the room. He must have known that she’d cheated on my father, and he wanted her to pay. “Son of a bitch!” I turn my horse and kick him on so he starts to gallop.

“Wait! Jace, where ya going?” Grayson calls after me.

“I know who was in the car that night with my mom,” I call over my shoulder, leaning forward and digging in my heels to ensure we go faster.

I pass the herd and gallop all the way to the yard, tossing Buck’s reins at a confused-looking Taylor when I see her setting up the refreshment table outside. Then moving straight to Grayson’s truck, I speed off and head toward my uncle's house. My knuckles turn white as I grip the steering wheel and think about all the betrayal. How is it possible for my mom to have done that to my father? He loved her, he wanted to give her the world. I wonder if he ever admitted to her that he knew the truthand that he loved her so much he was prepared to live a fuckin’ lie?

My uncle Jamie would have known all along that the ranch I’ve been busting my ass for belongs to him, and he’s watched me struggle to make it pay. For years he’s convinced me that keeping this town safe is critical to the protection ofmyland and it’s all been for his own gain.

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