Ultimate Texas Bachelor

by Cathy Gillen Thacker

  Lainey knew about gut reactions to people. Her feminine instincts had told her she could trust and believe in Brad from the first moment they had come face-to-face with each other on the Lazy M.

  Brad studied her carefully. “No one else has come close to guessing what happened. How is it you know all this?”

  Lainey swallowed. The same instinct that had told her she could trust Brad told her this was not the time to confess she was a reporter. She got up and went to stand beside him at the window. She wanted to deepen—not sever—their intimate emotional connection. “I’ve puzzled over this a lot—first and foremost, because I want to understand you,” she said softly. “And what happened on Bachelor Bliss obviously devastated you.”

  “You’re very observant.”

  Lainey shrugged. “You already know I watched the show while it was airing. Since we met up again here at the ranch, I’ve been paying even more attention to you, listening to everything you’ve said about your experiences on Bachelor Bliss as well as everything you haven’t said.”

  “I never said anything about the show’s creator, Gil Hewitt,” Brad pointed out, a tad suspiciously.

  But Yvonne had. And Lainey had met and interviewed Gil. Treading carefully—she didn’t want to alienate or hurt Brad now—she said, “A lot has been written about the breakup and the show. I know how to use the search engines on the Internet. I’ve been doing a little research on my own.”

  Brad narrowed his eyes at her. “You’re that curious?”

  “I want to help you that badly,” she corrected.

  Brad slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “At least now you must see why I don’t want the real story to come out,” he stated in a low voice.

  “Because you’re embarrassed.”

  He smirked. “As well as humiliated, cuckolded, duped, and made a complete and utter fool of.”

  Lainey could see where that would severely dent the famous McCabe pride. “So you would rather be portrayed as the villain?”

  Brad shrugged, some of the walls going up again. “I would rather not be portrayed as anything at all,” he stated irritably.

  “But the media is portraying you,” she pointed out.

  He turned and looked her in the eye. “It’ll fade. A person’s fifteen minutes of fame always does.”

  And if it didn’t, Lainey wondered, then what? “What about the people who are still signing up for the show?” she asked quietly, taking another tack to persuade Brad to do what had to be done if he was ever going to be free to live his life again the way he deserved. “Have you given any thought to future contestants and what they might end up going through, because you’re too self-centered and cowardly to own up to the truth?”

  Her words stung.

  He lifted a brow, echoing, “Self-centered…and cowardly?”

  “Sound a little harsh?”

  Brad nodded, his expression grim. “And then some.”

  “But true. Think about those poor young women, Brad, the ones who aren’t like Yvonne. Who just want to find some guy to love them.”

  “Or be on TV,” Brad countered.

  Lainey stepped closer, persisting. “Think about the guys signing up to find the woman of their dreams and having their reputations ruined. It’s a travesty.” She took both his hands in hers, gripped them hard. “You could set people straight. Prevent it from ever happening again. Or at least make it so anyone who entered the competition on Bachelor Bliss would know exactly what they were getting into.”

  LAINEY’S WORDS STAYED with Brad throughout the day. He had told her before he’d headed out to do ranch work that he would think about what she had said, and he was still thinking about it when Lewis and Petey arrived home that day. Annie, Travis and their five boys arrived shortly after that. By the time Brad got cleaned up and entered the ranch house kitchen, the adults were congregated around the appetizers on the kitchen table, while the three younger kids played outside on the tire-swings Brad had put up beneath the shade trees next to the house.

  Talk, not surprisingly, centered on the erroneous tabloid story about him and Melinda.

  “What are you doing about it?” Travis asked Brad.

  Brad shrugged. He had hoped to talk to Lainey about his decision privately first. “My attorney fired off a letter to the publishers this morning, threatening a lawsuit.”

  “And—?” Annie asked, all motherly concern.

  “We’re still waiting to hear back,” he admitted. He helped himself to salsa and tortilla chips.

  “Did you speak to Yvonne Rathbone about her comments?” Lewis asked, digging into the bite-size tamales.

  Brad shook his head.

  “Shouldn’t you be suing her, too, if what she said about you wasn’t true?” Annie asked.

  The last thing Brad wanted to do was get in a legal fight with Yvonne Rathbone. He’d be happy if he never saw or heard from her again.

  “I’ll tell you what I think,” Lewis said. “I think you should tell your side of the story once and for all. And I’ll tell you what else—” He gulped some mint-flavored iced tea. “If I knew what had happened, I’d put the information out there, even if you got mad at me temporarily.”

  “But you don’t have the information,” Brad said, warning his younger brother with a look. “So don’t go messing in my life.”

  “What do you think, Lainey?” Teddy asked, seeming older than his twenty years.

  “Do you think Brad should tell all?” Tyler inquired.

  “Or keep whatever happened to himself?” Trevor put in.

  Brad glanced at Lainey, curious as to what she was going to say. He knew she wouldn’t tell what he had reluctantly confided this morning. She had sworn she would never give out that information without his permission, and thus far, he hadn’t given it.

  “When I think of Brad’s situation, I think of my father’s situation, when he was alive,” Lainey said quietly, after a moment. “He, too, was a victim of character assassination. And he, too, chose to hold his own counsel and not fight. He figured the people that knew and loved him would realize the truth, and those that didn’t might not ever believe him anyway.” She paused and looked at Brad. “I was just a kid then. I didn’t have the means to help him, even if I had wanted to do so.”

  “And if you had possessed the means?” Lewis asked.

  Lainey paused again, her gaze still locked fiercely with Brad’s. “You never know, but I would hope I’d have the courage to do whatever needed to be done to help the truth come out.”

  “TRYING TO TELL ME SOMETHING in there?” Brad asked as he helped Lainey put the chicken on the grill. The rest of the adults would join them shortly, but for the moment everyone was still inside, polishing off the array of Tex-Mex appetizers Lainey had prepared.

  “Only that I care deeply about you, and what happens to you,” she said quietly. “And I hope you will always remember that—” she briefly touched the region of his heart “—in here.”

  Brad did. And yet…once again he had the feeling that something was wrong. That Lainey was bracing for something bad, and trying to prepare him, as well. Though what that could be…

  “Mommy?” Petey ran over to Lainey’s side. “How come that guy is taking pictures of us?”

  Lainey and Brad looked in the direction Petey was pointing.

  Brad scowled. It was the same guy in tourist garb that had been photographing him and Lainey in the grocery store the previous week. Now he had pulled his car to the side of the road and was using a camera with a long telephoto lens.

  “Stay here!” Brad ordered Lainey and Petey. He started off at a run.

  The interloper put down his camera, jumped in his car and drove off in a cloud of dust.

  Brad came back. Fuming.

  “Who was that?” Petey demanded in concern.

  “No one we know,” Lainey said. Although her tone was reassuring, her expression indicated she was nervous and upset.

  “Probably some tourist who wanted a
picture of me,” Brad explained, doing his best to comfort the frightened little boy. “I’m famous you know, ever since I went on TV.”

  Petey relaxed, just as Brad had hoped he would. “Yeah. Kurt and Kyle told me about that.”

  Petey grinned, reminding Brad what big news Brad’s stint on TV had been in the extended McCabe family.

  “You got to kiss lots of girls!”

  “Yuck!” eight-year-old Kyle said, running over to join them, too.

  “Yeah, gross!” nine-year-old Kurt agreed.

  All three little boys made gagging sounds, and ran off once again.

  “Pretty good save,” Lainey said.

  “Yeah. I just wish I knew who that guy was.” Brad didn’t recognize him as one of the tabloid paparazzi that had stalked him while he was doing Bachelor Bliss. “And who he was taking photos for,” he added as two more cars slowed at the entrance to the Lazy M and turned into the drive. One was Lainey’s SUV—driven by Bart Carrington—the other was Bunny’s Mercedes, driven by Bunny.

  Brad turned to Lainey, who was looking a little pale at the sight of her brother- and sister-in-law. “I didn’t know you were getting your vehicle back today,” he observed.

  “That makes two of us,” she said, too lightly.

  Bart came toward Lainey, keys in hand. Brad could tell by the expression on the other man’s face that Bart had something serious to say.

  Petey, Kyle and Kurt were playing along the pasture fence. All were glancing their way, as if wondering what was going on. Petey started toward them, but Brad shook his head and put up a halting hand, letting them know that now was not a good time to be joining the adults. Petey continued staring at them for a minute longer, then the little boys went back to conferencing, their heads bent together.

  “For the record,” Bart said, “I did not know anything about your car going in for servicing at such an inopportune time. Nor would I have known had I not just happened to be home when the dealership called, saying the servicing was complete and wanting to know if they should continue to keep your vehicle next week. Naturally, I insisted we drive it back to you right away.”

  Realizing this was none of their business, Annie and Travis—who appeared to be on their way outside—remained inside the ranch house kitchen with their boys.

  “It’s just as well we had to come back out here, anyway, given what’s been going on,” Bunny said stiffly, glaring at Brad, as the aroma of grilling meat filled the air. “We saw the tabloid photo of you and that—that woman! And for everyone’s sake, especially Petey’s, I feel we must absolutely insist that Lainey and Petey leave here immediately.”

  Brad shot a look at Petey. Although well out of earshot, the little boy looked concerned. Doing his best to protect the child, Brad moved to block Petey’s view of the adults, then turned back to Bunny, who was still ranting on.

  “…Petey cannot grow up under that kind of influence!”

  “First of all, Bunny,” Lainey said angrily, stepping forward and waving her spatula, “Brad is a wonderful role model for Petey. And that photo is a fake.”

  “You’re saying you weren’t kissing a blonde in Dallas two days ago?” Bunny demanded, as Lainey swallowed, taken aback. “I read it in the New York City gossip columns, too!”

  “No, that’s correct,” Brad answered calmly, looking Bunny straight in the eye. Maybe now was the time to come clean with his feelings for Lainey. Let everyone—including Lainey—know exactly where they stood.

  “Then, if it wasn’t that woman…” Bunny’s voice trailed off. She looked at Lainey, her blond hair.

  “As long as we’re being honest,” Lainey cut in, going on the offensive before Bunny could conclude anything else, “let’s talk about the ‘tourist’ who was just here photographing us with a telephoto lens.” Lainey’s eyes darkened. “What do you have to do with that, Bunny? Did you send him to spy on me?”

  “Me!” Bunny echoed, sounding outraged.

  “You threatened to sue me for custody of Petey. I assume you’re not standing around doing nothing about it.”

  “You did what?” Bart asked, stunned.

  Finally, Bunny was embarrassed into silence.

  Thankful for the reprieve, however short-lived, Brad turned to check on Petey. And swore mightily at what he saw. The little boy was over the fence and in the pasture with the bull.

  “Oh, my God!” Bunny whispered, her hand flying to her mouth.

  “Petey!” Lainey broke into a run.

  “Don’t move, son!” Brad shouted, running, too.

  Petey glared at them, then looked at Kyle and Kurt, who were standing on the other side of the fence, for once urging Petey not to do whatever it was Petey was trying to do. Petey ignored them, too, and kept moving toward Tabasco Red.

  Behind them, Bunny was screaming hysterically—until someone—probably her husband, Brad figured, clamped a hand over her mouth to shut off the sound.

  Tabasco Red had been chewing grass, his back to the ranch house, but at the sound of all the commotion he turned around. Still Petey edged closer.

  “Oh, no…oh, no…oh, no!” Lainey whispered as they reached the edge of the fence. Tears were streaming down her face as her son squared off with the nine-hundred-pound animal.

  “It’s going to be all right. I’ll get him,” Brad said, already vaulting up and over the fence. He landed lightly on the other side. Petey was too far away to hear anything Brad said unless he shouted it, but Brad did not want to yell. Heart pounding, he kept moving.

  Tabasco Red stopped chewing and stared at the little boy approaching him slowly and steadily from the front. Brad could see Petey was shaking in his boots. And for good reason, since Petey had never been near the ranch sire. The bull had sharp horns that measured seventy-three inches tip to tip and outweighed him by a good eight hundred pounds or more. Tabasco Red had to look like a behemoth to Petey.

  Ten strides later, Brad was even with Petey.

  Not about to make any sudden moves under the circumstances, Brad fell in step beside Petey. “Let’s turn around, son,” he said, placing a paternal hand on Petey’s shoulder.

  Petey’s chin thrust out. He allowed Brad’s touch but ignored the directive and kept moving. “Not until I pet him.”

  Brad looked down into Petey’s face, saw the stubborn set of his chin, so like his mother’s. Brad could see this was some kind of test of courage.

  And what the hell, the kid had come this far.

  BUNNY CARRINGTON WAS CRYING hysterically when Petey reached Tabasco Red, held out his hand, let the bull sniff it and then petted him on the nose. There was a brief conference among the three of them, with Brad standing there as calm as could be while Petey said a few words to the giant animal. Then Tabasco Red turned away in boredom and went back to eating grass while Brad and Petey walked over to the fence where Lainey stood, crying her eyes out, next to Bunny and Bart.

  By the time both guys had climbed the pasture fence, they were surrounded by everyone in attendance.

  Lainey hugged Petey like he’d just come home from the war. She wiped the tears streaming down her face with the heels of her hands, then squared off with him. “There better be a darn good explanation for what you just did,” she said shakily.

  Petey glanced at Bart and Bunny, and then back at Lainey. “I had to prove to you, once and for all, that I was a growned-up man already.”

  Lainey blinked. “What are you talking about?” she cried.

  Petey swallowed. He waved his small arms expansively. “So Aunt Bunny wouldn’t take me away from you and make me go live with them, so’s Uncle Bart could teach me how to be a man, ’cause she says only a man can teach a boy how to be a man.”

  A hush came over the group.

  Bart stared at his wife for a long time, then back at Petey. He knelt down in front of the boy. “Is this why you’ve been so unhappy lately?” he asked gently, showing fatherly concern. “Because you were afraid?”

  Petey nodded. He grabbed on to La
iney with one hand, and Brad with the other, and held tight. “I don’t want to leave my mommy,” he told Bart fiercely.

  Bart looked Petey in the eye. “You’re never going to have to.” He straightened and addressed Bunny. “I understand that you’re having a hard time with the girls leaving home for college, but this is not the way to refill your nest.”

  Bart turned back to Lainey and continued sincerely. “I apologize with all my heart for everything that’s been going on. I promise you, every bit of trouble stops now, including the snooping P.I.”

  “But I didn’t—” Bunny protested.

  “We’ll talk about this at home,” Bart said sternly. He took his wife’s elbow and steered her toward their Mercedes.

  Bunny and Bart departed.

  Travis and Annie, who’d been silent up to now, turned back to Kyle and Kurt. “I believe it’s your turn to do some explaining,” Travis said to their two youngest sons.

  “I’M SORRY YOU WERE FRIGHTENED about Tabasco Red,” Brad said, hours later, after Petey was asleep and all the guests had departed. Lewis was inside the ranch house, working.

  Brad and Lainey were sitting on the front porch of the guest house, enjoying what was left of the summer evening.

  “There really is such a thing as a gentle bull?” Lainey asked, for the third time.

  Brad wrapped his arm around her shoulders and brought her close. He didn’t seem to mind reassuring her. Maybe because he knew how shaken up she still was by all the bad things that could have happened had the situation been just a little bit different. Had Tabasco Red been a rancorous animal. Or Brad not been there.

  “You better believe it,” Brad said.

  Lainey relaxed into the warm and welcoming curve of his body as the glider rocked back and forth. “I always thought bulls were scary-mean and dangerous.”