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They had chosen a name for him—Jackson, the given name of Lexie’s late brother, and Shane after his father. Jackson Shane Tully. It had a nice ring to it. But right now, Lexie just wanted him to settle down and let her rest.
Shane’s hand lay on her belly, his palm cradling his unborn son. “Hey, I can feel him,” he said, chuckling. “The little rascal’s kicking up a storm.”
Lexie sighed. “I wish it was you he was kicking. Maybe then I could get some sleep—not that I’d sleep anyway. I’ve been lying awake, stewing. What are we going to do about Brock?”
“Do we have to decide that now? We were going to wait till after the baby arrived.”
“I know, but at least we need to talk about it. Between my family and your work, we don’t get much chance for private conversation in the daytime. And at night, we’re so tired that we just fall asleep.”
“So let’s talk.” He kissed the back of her neck. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I was just wondering why he came by today, with that bucking dummy to ensure his welcome. Did he talk to you?”
“Only to say hello. I had the impression that he was focused on Tess.”
Lexie giggled. “Val keeps saying he’s got a thing for her. Maybe she’s right.”
“Why not? Tess is an attractive woman. And a ten-year age difference isn’t too much. Hey, if he were to marry her, we’d be off the hook. He could father his own heirs.”
“I wish him luck. Tess hasn’t looked at another man since Mitch was killed. This ranch has been her whole life.” Lexie sighed. “That’s one of the reasons against our going with Brock. Val’s never been much of a cowgirl. Sooner or later, she’ll leave with Casey. If we go, too, Tess will be alone here except for the hired help.”
“She could sell the place, divide the money with you and Val, then travel, or live anywhere she wanted. Brock would buy it in a heartbeat. And knowing Brock, he’d give her a decent price. The man can be bossy and controlling, but at least he’s up front about it.”
“Is he? You know that letting us annex those hayfields, with him as owner, will give him the right of first refusal should Tess decide to sell the ranch.”
“I know,” Shane said. “That’s why she took the contract to her lawyer. Brock’s a complicated man. He can be unbelievably kind and generous. But you already know why I left him. I was tired of being owned.”
“We’d all be owned if we moved to his ranch.”
“I know.” Shane’s arm tightened around the curve of her belly. “But when I think of young Jackson here, and maybe his future brothers and sisters, how they’d be able to do anything they wanted—go to the best colleges, travel, choose any career, without the limitations of being poor . . . Lexie, we’re barely surviving here. Tess pays me a fair wage for what I do, but we’re not paying for rent or food. That comes out of the ranch budget. On what I earn here, we couldn’t survive living anywhere else. And how could we raise children in this house? There’s no room. Sooner or later, we’re going to need a place of our own. The guest bungalows on the Tolman Ranch are big enough for a family. We’d have plenty of privacy. And with me working for Brock, we’d never have to worry about money again. I could even start that rodeo school I’ve been talking about. Students could fly into Tucson from all over the country and stay at the ranch.”
Lexie lay still. Seconds crawled past before she spoke. “We don’t have to talk about this anymore, do we? I can tell you’ve already made up your mind.”
* * *
As the darkness paled above the eastern skyline, Casey sat up, rolled his legs off the side of the bed, and reached for the underwear and jeans he’d laid out the night before.
Val was already awake. Neither of them had slept much. “So it’s time,” she said as he maneuvered into his clothes.
Casey stood, easing his weight onto his right leg. The left ankle injury was already healing, but he couldn’t take a chance if he wanted to be fit for the PBR finals in May. “You could come with me,” he said. “It’s not too late. We could still find our son together.”
“You already know how I feel about that,” she said. “There’s a reason most adoptions are closed, Casey. If you find him, you’ll understand why. Seeing him, knowing he belongs to somebody else, and that you won’t get to watch him grow up, won’t even know your own grandchildren—it will rip your heart out. Please, for the last time, don’t do this.”
He stood by the bed and looked down at her lying propped on one elbow, her fiery hair spilling around her face. He loved this woman to the depths of his soul. But the urge to find his son was a raw hunger inside him, too powerful to deny.
Lord help him if she forced him to choose.
“Come with me,” he said.
She shook her head.
“I’ll call you then.”
“Don’t call unless it’s to tell me this is over.”
“I love you, Val.”
When she didn’t answer, he picked up his duffel and walked out to his truck.
