The Cowgirl in Question Part 15

"How could he keep a secret like this?" J.T. said. "I've seen our mother's obituary from the newspaper. There's an elaborate tombstone on her grave."

"Everyone thought she was dead, not just us," Rourke agreed. thought she was dead, not just us," Rourke agreed.

J.T. shook his head. In the silence that fell between them, they could hear raised voices in the den.

"She is beautiful, isn't she," Brandon said.

Rourke nodded and looked at Dusty, who was fuming at her end of the table. "Just like her daughter."

Tears welled in Dusty's eyes as she looked at him, then quickly excused herself and disappeared into the hall powder room.

"I could kill the son of a b.i.t.c.h for hurting her, her," Rourke said.

"You've killed enough people," J.T. snapped.

"It's just an expression," Cash said.

"Not one Rourke should be using," J.T. said.

"Okay, let's not argue," Brandon said. "This is stressful enough as it is. Let's not turn on each other."

"Brandon's right," Cash said. "If anything, we need to pull together."

"You're right," J.T. said. "Can you imagine what will happen when the news. .h.i.ts town?"

They all groaned.

"What if she isn't staying?" Dusty said from the doorway. They hadn't noticed that she'd returned.

"What if she is?" J.T. said.

They fell silent as they heard the den door open and close, then footfalls.

Asa appeared in the doorway. Shelby wasn't with him. "Your mother wants to talk to you all in the den, but first there is something I need to tell you." He cleared his throat. He was visibly shaking and his voice broke as he said, "Your mother is back."

They all let out a nervous laugh.

"No kidding," Rourke said.

"Back from the dead?" J.T. asked.

"Back?" Dusty echoed. "You mean she's going to be living with us? Where has she been?"

"Shouldn't this have come up years ago?" J.T. joined in.

Asa raised one hand and picked up his gla.s.s of bourbon with the other. He drained his gla.s.s. "I think I'd better explain."

BLAZE WAS WORKING LATE AGAIN when she looked up to see her brother Gavin pa.s.s by the window. He slowed, looked in, saw her and quickened his step.

Blaze heard the front door open and braced herself, curious and yet dreading seeing her brother. She'd heard that Gavin had left the VanHorn Ranch and was now working on the Palmer Ranch. She wondered how that had happened. Knowing her brother, she had a pretty good idea.

"Hey," he said, coming into her office and closing the door behind him. He wore old jeans and boots, a soiled shirt and hat.

"Why are you so dirty?" she asked, hoping no one had seen him come in.

"I've been working, working," he said, sounding irritated with her, but quickly added in a more civil tone, "How are you?"

As if he cared. "Fine." If he wanted money, he was out of luck. She used all that she made and then some-and didn't even live that well.

He looked around the office. "Not bad."

"Not mine," she said.

He turned to grin at her. "You think I came by to b.u.m you for money?" He laughed as if the idea were ludicrous. They both knew better. "Can't a brother stop in to see his sister?"

Stepbrother. She hadn't been all that thrilled when her mother died and her father had remarried a woman named Kitten-who named their child Kitten, anyway?-and Kitten had a son who was two years younger than Blaze.

"What do you want, Gavin?" she asked, cutting to the chase.

"Have you seen Rourke?"

Rourke? "Of course."

He looked relieved. "I figured you two would get back together."

She didn't correct him. "What do you want with Rourke?"

"I heard he was looking for me." Gavin didn't sound happy about that. Was there some reason he shouldn't be?

First Yvonne and now her brother? "Why would he want to see you?"

He shrugged. "I thought he might have told you what he wanted."

She stared at her brother. "You never told me why you left VanHorn."

He glanced toward the street. "That's old news."

"He fired you."

Gavin swung his head around to glare at her. "Why would you say that?"

"What did you do?" she demanded impatiently.

"There was a misunderstanding," he said, looking away again. "Over a couple of his cattle."

"You were rustling his cattle?" She hated the admiration she heard in her tone.

He grinned. "I got a hundred head before I was caught."

"I'm surprised VanHorn didn't kill you."

"It was close," he admitted.

"And you still got on at the Palmer Ranch?" This surprised her. Under normal circ.u.mstances, his actions would have him blacklisted from every ranch around.

He shrugged again. "VanHorn gave me a good recommendation. How do you beat that?" He glanced again to the street.

This time she followed his gaze and saw Holt VanHorn sitting in a pickup across the street.

"Do you need to go out the back way?" she asked.

Her stepbrother laughed. "Naw, Holt's waiting for me. I gotta go."

Her brother was running with Holt VanHorn? This could explain why VanHorn had let the cattle rustling go. He must have thought his son was involved.

"When will you see Rourke?" he asked.

She had worked late again tonight hoping he'd come by. He'd disappointed her for a second time. "He's tied up tonight." She just hoped it wasn't with Ca.s.sidy. "Did you want me to give him a message?"

"See if you can find out what he wants."

She eyed him. "Why would he want to talk to you?"

Gavin shrugged. "Not a clue."

"You know he's determined to find out who killed Forrest," she said.

"I know." He met her gaze then and she saw fear, but she couldn't be sure if it was for her or for himself.

"I ADMIT IT. I lied," Asa said, the words like stones in his mouth. He looked around the table, hoping to find one of his offspring who might show him some compa.s.sion, some understanding. He saw nothing but anger, confusion, suspicion. Not even Dusty gave him the least bit of encouragement.

He reached for the bottle of bourbon to pour himself another drink, but J.T. moved it out of his reach.

"Shelby and I were wrong for each other from the very beginning," he said.

There was a burst of laughter around the table. "What? You didn't notice until after your fourth son was born?" Rourke said.

"It was a love-hate relationship," Asa said, realizing how ill-equipped he was to explain this to them. He'd had trouble explaining it to himself for years.

Maybe he should throw himself on their mercy. He looked around the table. It would be like throwing himself to wolves.

"We realized we couldn't live together. She would have to leave, but I didn't want you kids thinking your mother had just left you-"

"She did did just leave us," Cash said. just leave us," Cash said.

"-so I faked her death."

"Unbelievable," J.T. said.

"And illegal," Cash added.

"You don't understand," Asa said, and groaned. "I wanted to protect you kids."

"Protect us from our mother?" Brandon asked.

Asa looked at his youngest son, the one most like Shelby. "Protect you from divorce, a divided family."

"And how do you explain me?" Dusty said, sounding close to tears.

Asa looked down the table at her, wanting to shelter her but there was no holding back now. If he didn't tell them, Shelby would.

"You were a love child, just as I told you," he said quietly. "Shelby and I...got together to talk and-"

"When was this?" J.T. demanded.

"Seventeen years ago, give or take nine months," Rourke said.

"That trip down south you took," J.T. said, as if suddenly remembering. He shook his head. "Has anything you've ever told us been the truth?"

Asa sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He straightened to his full height. "I did what I had to do. Someday when you're a parent-"

"Bull," Brandon said, and got to his feet. "I want to hear what my mother has to say about all this."

The rest were on their feet. As Rourke pa.s.sed him, Asa saw that at least one son expected there was more to the story.

The moment they were gone, Asa grabbed the bourbon and poured himself a stiff drink. He was going to need it. Shelby was back. G.o.d help them all. At least the truth was out. He told himself it couldn't get any worse than this, but he knew better. When the past came back to haunt you, you never knew what other ghosts it brought with it.

SHELBY LOOKED UP as Rourke and his siblings entered the den. She'd been standing by the fireplace, obviously waiting for them.

Rourke closed the door firmly and, as the others moved deeper into the room, he stayed by the door.

His first impression of her hadn't done her justice. She was beautiful. He'd always wondered where their looks had come from. Obviously from their mother.

"Dad just told us how he faked your death to protect us from the truth," J.T. said to her. "Now we'd like to hear the truth."

She studied her children one by one, her gaze locking with Rourke's as if she was acknowledging he would be the hardest one to sell her story to. Her smile slipped away.