The Bull Rider's Son

Slamming her mouth shut, Cassidy wheeled around, intending to return the handheld radio to the registration booth and do a final total on tonight’s runs. Instead, she came face-to-face with her mother.

“Keep staring at him like that and you’re going to draw attention to yourself.”

“I’m not staring,” Cassidy insisted.

“Sure. And I’m a natural blonde.”

“You are a natural blonde.”

“Was. These days, my color is courtesy of Pizzazz Hair Salon.” Her mother linked an arm through Cassidy’s and led her away from the chutes. “Come on. Let’s get out of here before he’s any the wiser.”

“It’s not what you think.”

“You did date once.”

“I’m just curious.”

“About him or Hoyt?”

“Not so loud,” Cassidy admonished and glanced nervously about. No one appeared to have heard, but she couldn’t be too careful. “Hoyt, of course,” she continued in a half whisper. “I asked Shane about him the other day.”

“And?”

“He’s still married. Still childless. The good thing is, he and his wife bought a house in Jackson Hole.”

The two of them walked to the registration booth. There Cassidy removed the wristband key ring she wore and unlocked the door. Breathing a sigh of relief, she entered the one-room modified office. Finally, they were out of earshot.

“Just because he has no children,” her mother said, “doesn’t automatically mean he’d seek custody of Benjie.”

“You can’t be serious.” Cassidy entered numbers on a ten-key calculator, tallying the evening’s scores for her father. And probably, Shane as well. She’d have to explain their system to him.

Drat. Yet another reason for them to work together. She paused and leaned against the counter. “To quote Shane, ‘Hoyt wants a big family.’”

“Me not telling your dad about Liberty is no reason for you to keep Hoyt in the dark regarding Benjie.”

Cassidy gawked at her mother. “I thought you were on my side.”

“I am on your side and will support any decision you make.”

“Except now that Dad’s back, and he and Liberty are all cozy and comfy, you’re having second thoughts.”

“I’ve always had regrets. It wasn’t an easy decision to make, lying all these years.”

The story was well known throughout Reckless and by plenty of others in the rodeo world. Sunny Beckett sent her husband and business partner packing when his acute alcoholism nearly ruined them, personally and financially. What she didn’t tell him, or anyone else, was that she had been pregnant with their third child. Rather, she lied about the father’s identity, claiming he was some cowboy passing through.

Then, last summer, Liberty had accidentally discovered Mercer Beckett was her biological father and tracked him down. He used a reconciliation with her to worm his way back into the lives of his ex-wife and daughters.

One good thing had happened in the wake of Mercer’s return. Cassidy’s brother, Ryder, also came home. They still didn’t agree on their father—Ryder trusted their father’s sobriety and she didn’t—but otherwise the two of them had grown close during the last few months.

How could they not? Ryder was engaged to Cassidy’s best friend, Tatum Mayweather, after all. Cassidy hadn’t seen that one coming, but she was pleased for both her brother and best friend. They proved differences were superficial when it came to love.

Theirs was actually the second of two upcoming Beckett weddings. Liberty was also engaged. To Deacon McCrea, a former employee of the arena and now their legal counsel. Cassidy, conversely, remained single and planned to stay that way.

She’d been asked to be maid of honor at both affairs, the dates of which had recently been set for this summer and fall respectively. She would be pretty busy during the coming months, assisting with the thousand and one details, hosting bridal showers and making short day trips to pick out dresses.

Thank goodness she didn’t need to worry about her parents. Since his return, her father had made it clear he was still in love with her mother and intended to remarry her. So far, her mother was resisting. One of her parents, at least, was behaving sensibly.

“Well, I have no regrets.” Cassidy powered off the ten-key calculator and tore loose the paper tape.

“Hoyt has a right to know he’s a father,” her mother said.

“And Dad didn’t?”

“You deserve child support.”

“I don’t see the big deal. You didn’t get any from Dad for Liberty and managed just fine.”

Her mother compressed her lips in a show of impatience. “That’s not entirely true and you know it. He didn’t take any money for his share of the arena all those years—which is basically the same as paying child support.”

“He stole Ryder from us.”

“Ryder went to live with him when he was old enough to legally choose.”

Cassidy’s chest grew tight making it hard to breathe. “I won’t lose Benjie.”

And there it was. The crux of the matter. Cassidy’s greatest fear. What would happen if she told Hoyt about Benjie? Even if he didn’t come after her for some sort of custody, Benjie could one day decide he’d rather live with his father and leave her just like Ryder.

“Shane’s not stupid.” Her mother’s manner was less judgmental and more sympathetic. “He’s bound to put two and two together.”

“Not if I can help it.”

“You can’t keep Benjie hidden from him forever. They’ll meet eventually. What if Shane tells Hoyt?”

“I’ll lie if I have to.” Leave Reckless if necessary.

“You’ve been lucky so far. One day Benjie’s going to ask about his father, and you won’t be able to put him off like you have in the past.”

“I’ll figure something out.”

“Cassidy—”

“Believe me, Mom, I’ve weighed the pros and cons. I’m not ready to tell Benjie or Hoyt.”

Her mother sighed. “You didn’t always feel that way.”

No, she hadn’t. When she was eight months pregnant Cassidy had gone so far as to locate Hoyt and drive to where he was living, only to learn he was engaged to Cheryl, a young widow who’d lost her first husband unexpectedly. Putting herself in Cheryl’s shoes, Cassidy had turned around and driven back to Reckless. She wouldn’t be a home wrecker. Been there, done that, and she refused to compound the guilt she already bore.

“I came to my senses.”