“Didhesend you?”Cash’s voice was low, tight, and in the pub, Telford had to lean forward to hear him.
“He who?”Telford wondered if they were genetically related so Cash had some mental insights into him.
“Biological deadbeat of a father.”Bitterness coated every word.
Telford leaned in so close that he could see Cash’s pupils flare with emotion, and his navy-blue eyes sparked with fury like Telford had been informed his did when he was furious and about to fight.
Spooky.
And his amped emotions weren’t helping.He didn’t want to lie.But he didn’t feel ready to come clean.
“I wasn’t sure you existed,” he settled on.“My mom didn’t talk about my dad.Just said he was a smooth-talking rodeo cowboy who rode horses like a god and danced like sin.”
“Ew!I didn’t need to know that.”Cash looked like he was going to puke.
Neither had Telford at the time, but he’d pestered his mom.Ayana sipped her wine and placed her hand on his upper thigh.He shot a look.Her smile was enigmatic.
“They were together a few weeks one summer in Wyoming.She was a barrel racer and winning, and he… don’t know what happened, but one morning his truck was gone and so was he.I didn’t know if I had siblings or not and didn’t care.”
“So why you here now?”Cash circled back, a hard look in his eye.
Not surprising probably.He didn’t know anything about him.Maybe he thought he wanted something from the famous bull rider or the Telford family.
Like father like son.
His stomach curdled with the thought.Cold sweat broke out on his scalp, and for a moment he didn’t feel like he could speak.
“Hearing about your wedding was serendipity,” Ayana answered, her fingers lightly played on his thigh.“The check-in clerk took one look at Telford and assumed the relationship.So much for guest privacy, although a little chilly alpine ziplining and obstacle courses and whatnot would get my blood flowing.”She smiled winningly at Cash, while Telford nearly choked on his whiskey.
Both men blinked at her, clearly off balance.
Join the team.
She’d had him off balance since her first breathyhey.
“Is it an individual survivalist competition or teams?That would be an interesting way for a woman to pick a mate.Hmmmmm.Wish I’d thought of that.”
“Jesus,” Cash muttered.“How do you sleep at night?”
“One eye open.”
Cash’s muttered comment reminded him that he didn’t have that kind of marriage.Yet.The surprise confrontation with his biological family wasn’t going at all how he’d planned.
Was this what she meant by improv?
He knew he should take charge but damn she was sexy bossing it up.
“I was born in Wyoming but grew up in Texas.Single mom.But she…” He had a hard time continuing as bitter anger and grief swirled over him and why had he started down this road.“She died young.I grew up in foster care.No family.”
Cash cursed.His hand holding the bourbon shook and the amber liquid sloshed.He slammed the glass on the table, leaned back in the booth as if trying to get more distance and rubbed his palms down his jeans.
“Sound familiar?”Telford ventured.
“Too familiar,” Cash muttered.
The silenced stretched, uncomfortable and active as if it had intelligence and fingers to pinch and scrape.
The nachos arrived.A mound of tortilla chips, steak, sautéed onions, bell peppers, jalapeños, black beans, and a river of cheese topped by fresh salsa.
