Page 16 of Disarming The Rancher

With that, she sniffled twice and then started pouring coffee. He double-fisted a pair of mugs and his mom carried two more. She set one down in front of Raleigh as he tried to figure out what on earth his mom meant. If he’d been to the doctor lately, he’d be worried about bad test results after the way she looked at him.

“I can’t believe you’re here in the flesh,” Mom said to Raleigh with a huge smile plastered on her face, and then her expression turned serious. “I’m so relieved you’re okay.”

“It’s been a scary few days. That’s for sure,” Raleigh said on a sharp sigh. She picked up the mug and took a sip. “The coffee always was better here on the ranch. Why is that?”

“The well water,” Mom quipped.

Brax noticed how deftly Raleigh had changed the subject. Did she want to avoid talking about the bomb incident? Speaking of which, he needed to talk to her about filing a report with Sheriff Lawler about the ATV incident. The guy shouldn’t be allowed to get away with chasing her like that. He might have been an obsessed fan or reporter. The likelihood he was the bomber had to be slim. How would he know where she was? Brax’s hands fisted at thinking about what might have happened if he hadn’t been right there or gone to check out the minibike sound and her cry for help.

“I’ve noticed it too,” Prudence agreed. “And it’s good to see you again, Raleigh.”

“Likewise.” Raleigh lifted her coffee mug and the ceramic clinked together.

“You two know each other?” Brax asked.

“We were in the same grade in school,” Raleigh supplied.

“I didn’t realize,” he said.

“Because you were like four grades ahead of us.” Raleigh laughed and the tension lines around her eyes relaxed. “You used to seem so much older to me back then.”

He decided not to point out the fact that four years wasn’t much of a gap at all while in their thirties.

“I remember seeing you with a notebook in your hand at all times,” Prudence said to Raleigh. “I thought maybe you were going to be a writer someday. Turns out I was close.”

Raleigh’s cheeks flushed like they did when she was embarrassed. “You always had a book in your hand and I still can’t believe we weren’t friends.”

“Leave it to two shy girls to spend years together in school without ever speaking,” Prudence pointed out with a smile.

“True,” Raleigh agreed.

“Tell me about your career,” Mom said. “What’s it like on the road?”

“The shows are great. The fans…amazing,” she said. “Sleeping on a tour bus with seven messy guys isn’t so much fun.”

Mom laughed and nodded. She would know what it was like to have a mess of boys running around.

“Your daughter is beautiful.” Raleigh motioned toward Angel. She changed the subject and he noted how little she liked to talk about herself. He figured someone with her fame would be all about themselves. She seemed like she’d rather talk about paint drying. Raleigh was turning out to be quite the contrast from what he anticipated. But then, what exactly had he expected? Definitely not the pull of attraction from someone who used to call him, ‘Brat’ instead of his name.

Speaking of mothers and their children, Mom’s words were starting to haunt him. What kind of secret could have her this torn up inside? And why did she want to speak to him about it?

6

Raleigh needed to make and excuse and leave.

Being here at the main house with Mom Firebrand, Prudence and her baby, and Brax felt a little too good. Once the threat was over, she’d be back on the road, on the tour, and what? Heartsick for home?

No thanks. She needed to nip this situation in the bud before it had time to blossom. She looked at Mom Firebrand. So many happy memories flooded Raleigh. Before she left, she needed to say one thing.

“I wrote a tribute song for you,” she said, fiddling with her coffee cup. For one, she felt bad about never circling back before and telling Mom Firebrand. Secondly, what if she didn’t like it?

“Me?” So much warmth exuded from the older woman’s eyes. They might be the window to the soul but they were also good at radiating someone’s mood. “I’m honored.”

“If Only,” Raleigh said. She hummed a few bars and then started in on the lyrics. She stopped after the first refrain. “Do you know that one?”

Mom Firebrand’s eyes welled up. “Know it? It’s one of my all-time favorites, even if I had no idea it was about me.”

“Good damn song,” Brax said low and under his breath.