Redheaded Stranger: A Cowboy Love Story (Bluebonnet, Texas) Read Free Page A

so sorry."
    Nodding, I continued, unwilling to think about the miscarriage. I never did. I couldn’t. Especially now that we have Darrach.
    "I don’t agree with Alex, for the record. I don't agree with him about your daughter, and I don't think he should have kept our marriage from you. But it wasn't my place to tell you," I added with a shrug.
    Unsure of what to say next, I nodded slowly as a DART bus revved its engine and blew by in a cloud of diesel smoke that made us both wince. "So why are you here? Now? Today?"
    "It just seemed like the right thing to do, after Betti lost the baby."
    The bottom dropped out of my stomach and I set my latte on the table, sloshing hot liquid on my hand. "Betti... Ty’s wife ?"
    Jerrod nodded, his displeasure obvious in the scowl on his face. "He didn't tell you his mother called last night?"
    "No," I breathed. "He told me he said some awful things to her, something about Ty’s ex-wife...but a miscarriage ?" A hand pressed to my mouth, I blinked back the tears that pricked my eyes.
    Jerrod sighed and leaned toward me, patting my hand, despite the sticky latte. "A few days ago. I had to wait for things to settle down before I could get up here, and I was running late, or I would have caught you two at home. I still can’t believe my son didn’t tell me he had a wife."
    "And..." I reached for a napkin to dry my hand with. I almost didn’t want to say the words, not after hearing he’d just lost a grandbaby. It didn’t seem fair. I didn't have the heart or the stomach for it.
    "And?"
    "I can't believe he didn't tell me about Betti's baby," I lied. What else could I have said? It's okay? You have another grandson that you don't even know about?
    And now here my husband sat, smiling, acting like he didn’t have a care in the world, wanting to know what I wanted for my anniversary. I knew exactly what I wanted, but the asking would have to wait for a better, less public time. For the time being, Jerrod’s little visit was my secret. I’d even bribed Ted, telling him that I had a surprise brewing for Alex’s anniversary.
    And boy did I.

Chapter Three: Alex
    T he rest of Alex's afternoon passed uneventfully until they left to wade through rush hour traffic to pick up Darrach from daycare. "My vacation approval came through, too."
    "Good, because I’ve decided what I want for my anniversary present."
    He relaxed in his seat as they hit a slow-going stretch of highway, covering her hand with his, the Tahoe's steering wheel firmly gripped in his other hand. "What’s that?"
    "I want to spend Christmas with your family." She smiled over at him. "In Bluebonnet."
    Alex dropped her hand like it was on fire while he tightened his grip on the steering wheel. He slammed on the brakes with a grunt as a Prius cut in front of them, happy for the distraction, then slowly blew out a heavy breath. "Maybe next year—"
    "No next year! This year. Unless you were planning on waiting to tell them about us until Darrach graduates high school?"
    "Of course, not." He caught her frown out of the corner of his eye. His insides had instantly knotted at her request. There was...no way. "But after Thanksgiving—"
    "All the more reason to. It's time to mend fences and move forward. I’m sorry your dad cheated, I’m sorry you’re having a hard time dealing with the whole sister thing, but I’m having a hard time dealing with this, too. It's not fair, Alexander! Ten years is long enough to hold a grudge—if that’s what it really is."
    She’d thought this out. Probably longer than just the afternoon. No wonder she hadn’t mentioned it at lunch. Neither she nor Shak had ever understood why he hadn't told his family about her and Darrach. It had nothing to do with her being biracial, or Darrach either. He wasn’t ashamed of them or that. This was about his dad cheating. This was about Delaney . Plain and simple.
    "Of course that’s what it is. You know this has nothing to do with you and Darrach." He