Free Cowboy to the Rescue by Stella Bagwell Page A

Since he’d talked with Matt on the ride home, he’d been telling himself he needed to keep an open mind about this whole matter. Yet to think the three men that he remembered as friends of the family might have done his father harm was almost too far-fetched to imagine. He hated the uneasy feeling in his stomach, and it made him lash out.
    â€œSo why was she upset about this news? For the sake of Dad’s memory? Or because it might ruin her marriage plans to Wolfe?”
    Christina stopped in her tracks long enough to glare at him. “What a horrible, cruel thing to say!”
    Disgusted with himself and with her, he reached up and swiped a heavy hand through his hair. “Maybe it was,” he admitted, “but I’m only trying to be honest with you and myself. If she’s going to dig up this painful time in our lives, I wish she’d do it for herself and her family. Not for Wolfe Maddson.”
    Even in the dim lighting he could see disappointment on her face. It was not the sort of expression he wanted to garner from this woman.
    â€œIt’s obvious you don’t understand anything about being in love.”
    â€œAnd you do?”
    She stared at him for a few long, awkward moments and then turned her back to him. “Look, Lex, right now you need to put Wolfe Maddson out of the equation. Yes, Geraldine loves him, but she also loved your father. It’s very upsetting to her to think that people Paul trusted might have harmed him.”
    Ignoring the last bites of food on his plate, Lex rose to his feet and went to stand behind her. “We’ll talk about Dad’s case in a minute. Right now, I’d like you to answer my question,” he said quietly.
    As he waited for her to reply, he could hear a nearby choir of frogs warming up for their nightly performance. Down by the bunkhouse, faint sounds of laughter mingled with accordion-laden Tejano music. A warm, heavy breeze rustled the honeysuckle vines above their heads and swirled the sweet aroma around them like a soft cloud.
    It was a hot, humid night. Just perfect for making love. His thoughts drifted to the woman standing next to him and he felt his libido begin to stir.
    â€œMy love life doesn’t pertain to any of this,” she finally said.
    â€œIt does when you start lecturing me on the subject.”
    She glanced over her shoulder at him. “It’s obvious that you resent the idea of your mother loving a man other than your father.”
    In spite of her jarring words, Lex found his senses distracted by her nearness. Even as he told himself not to touch her, his hands itched to settle on her shoulders. “I didn’t realize you were a psychologist along with a private investigator. When did you acquire that degree?”
    Slowly, she turned to face him. “Cutting me down won’t change the facts, Lex.”
    â€œAll right, I’m a selfish bastard. Is that what you want to hear me say? That I have no compassion or understanding for my mother’s feelings?”
    â€œDo you?”
    He muttered a curse in frustration. How could he explain that it felt better to let himself believe his father had died accidentally? How could he make her see that he couldn’t bear to image his father dying violently, at the hands of someone else? “Of course I do. I want her to be happy. But I also have to wonder if she’s stopped to think what this digging into the past is doing to the rest of the family. Does she care?”
    â€œPerhaps you should ask her that.”
    He shook his head. “When my mother gets her head set on something, there’s no changing it. No matter the consequences. And you being here isn’t helping matters. Especially when you throw out little tidbits to make her believe you’re onto something.”
    â€œI didn’t throw her any tidbits! I only expressed my thoughts to her, which she asked for! What am I supposed to do? Lie and try to