Page 17 of Texas Scandal

“Family connection helped there,” he explained. “The Hayes name moves mountains in Texas despite Cider Creek being a small town.”

“I’m not sure I’ve heard of Cider Creek,” she admitted. “Is it far from Mesquite Spring?”

“It’s about a thirty-minute ride from anywhere in the lower half of Texas,” he said.

“That’s impossible,” she said in disbelief. The look on her face said she thought she was being played. “Texas is too big.”

“Not by air,” he said. “We have helicopters on standby near the ranch. Half an hour might be an exaggeration but it’s not too far off base depending on who is holding the stick.”

She gave a slight nod and he realized she must have grown up in a similar life of privilege. Tiernan may have butted heads with Duncan, but he realized how fortunate he’d been on the financial end.

“Your family has a lot of money,” she hedged.

“Yes,” he said. “Last I checked they did.”

“Why not ride the gravy train?” she asked, and then a look of embarrassment heated her cheeks. “I’m sorry. That question was out of line. I just thought maybe you make two saddles a year and then live off your trust fund the rest of the time.”

“I have no idea what’s in my trust fund,” he said.

“None?”

“I’m fully capable of earning a living on my own,” he said with a little more ire than intended. He had to laugh at himself. As it turned out, the mention of living off a trust and not earning his own way still got him heated around the collar. Corinne, his ex, had been a Fort Worth socialite who never understood why he needed to work given his family name. She’d been charming and flirty in the beginning, until the socialite went for the jugular. “I set out to prove myself when I was eighteen years old and still wet behind the ears. I guess the subject is still a sore spot with me even though I’ve long since proven I can make my own way in life.”

“You had a very successful rodeo career from the sounds of it,” she said. The respect in her voice cut through some of his indignation. His pride had taken a hit at the suggestion he lived off a trust fund and couldn’t make a life for himself.

“I’m doing all right by most standards,” he said.

“Your cabin is beautiful,” she said, glancing around. “Don’t take this the wrong way but I’m a little surprised there aren’t trophies everywhere.”

“I saved a few that meant a lot to me,” he said. “Those are in my workshop. I always thought it was important to separate who I am from what I do, if that makes any sense at all.”

“Must have been tough sometimes,” she continued. “Most people let all that fame go to their heads, it seems like.”

“Ranchers aren’t bred that way,” he said. “You wouldn’t be able to tell a millionaire cattle rancher from one who struggles to make ends meet if you saw them walking down the street. Both would look you in the eye when they spoke and shake your hand.”

“They must be some of the most grounded people on earth,” she said. “Cider Creek sounds like a nice place to bring up a family.”

“I haven’t given it much thought,” he admitted. “My siblings and I loved the land. Our mother is a saint for putting up with six kids.”

“Six?” Melody barely got out the word. Her shock was written all over her face. “My mother had her hands full with two. Or maybe I should say it seemed difficult to juggle both us and all those glasses of wine.”

He laughed at the image that popped into his thoughts. “I’m sure she did the best she could. The affair must have been hard on her.”

“Not really,” she said. “You think two people are in love because they’re all you know until you realize your mother is more in love with a lifestyle. I think she was embarrassed more than anything else. An affair wasn’t cause to leave. The first time my father had money issues was all it took for her to bolt. She used the affair as an excuse but that had happened two years earlier.”

“Watching your family dissolve in front of your eyes had to have been hard on you as a kid,” he said.

She nodded before turning the tables. “What about your parents?”

“Father died when I was in middle school. Parents were high school sweethearts. They danced around the kitchen after supper.” A knot of emotion formed in his throat at the memory. He’d blocked all those out years ago. “They were the real deal.”

“I can’t imagine how wonderful that must have been,” she said wistfully. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you,” he said. Her words brought a surprising amount of comfort. “It was hard on all of us. We didn’t talk about him all that much anymore. Looking back, our mother must have been in terrible grief over losing the love of her life.”

“I’m sad for her,” Melody said as her hand covered her heart.

“I don’t think she ever truly recovered despite being a strong person,” he said. “There were cracks afterward, but we all knew she was doing her best. When it came to our relationship with our mother, we had a lot of love.”

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