Page 47 of Disarming The Rancher

Panic made it feel like she’d just licked glue. Her throat was dry and her tongue felt like it was swelling up.

“I-uh-um.” She locked gazes with him as she jumped up. “I just can’t.”

“That answer doesn’t carry water.” Brax spread out his feet in an athletic stance and folded his arms across his chest, essentially blocking her exit.

“It’s not my place, Brax.” She couldn’t be the one to turn his world upside down. He might still be a Firebrand but that could have meant a lot of things. He might be his uncle’s child or…the Marshalls?

It would explain the file. Had the Marshall arranged for the birth certificate to be changed instead of Brax’s father?

Raleigh knew what it was like to grow up without parents. It had been pretty awful at times despite Nana more than making Raleigh feel loved and protected. She shuddered to think what her life might have been like without Nana.

But this was far worse.

“Let’s go find your mother, Brax,” she insisted.

“You know something and you’re refusing to tell me.” The hurt in his voice gutted her.

“I hope you know how much I want to.” She couldn’t meet his gaze. She couldn’t be the reason he was in pain. He might think she could stop it but what she knew would only make it worse.

“Then do it, Raleigh.”

A sob escaped before she could suppress it. She shook her head. Digging her heels in like this ripped her heart out. “Go talk to her. Please.”

She glanced up in time to see the daggers. They scored a direct hit and she could see their friendship would never recover.

“Your mom loves you very much,” she said by way of explanation.

“Now you’re defending her?” he took a step back like he’d taken a bullet, and then disappeared down the hallway.

If Brax put a move on, he might be able to catch his mother before she got out of the house. Raleigh’s refusal to put him out of his misery was a gut punch. He thought they’d become close—close enough that she should know how much it meant to him to figure out what was in the file. And he was one hundred percent certain she knew the contents.

Having Raleigh and his mother in league behind his back felt like a knife jab. He had trusted Raleigh, and he wouldn’t make that mistake again. When the investigation wrapped and she got back on the road, it wouldn’t wreck his world now. Because he’d started to believe it might.

He would do all he could to speed the case along, doubling down if need be.

Mother was gone by the time he reached the kitchen. He stepped outside and caught sight of her scurrying across the yard.

“Hold on there,” he shouted.

His mother froze. She didn’t turn around, which didn’t surprise him. Even from this distance, he could see her shoulders shaking. She’d been in an emotional state when she’d bolted out of the office.

Brax realized this news wasn’t going to be good. At this point, he just wanted to get it over with and move on. Get whatever it was out in the open where it could be dealt with.

He ate up the real estate in between them in several quick strides.

“Tell me what is going on, Mom,” he said.

She put her face in her hands and shook her head.

“I don’t know how to. It’s been too long and I should have…but I didn’t…and now…how can I?” She didn’t look at him and he knew in his gut this news was going to be worse than anything he had previously imagined. And his mind had gone to some pretty dark places.

“Say it outright,” he urged, knowing he could never fully lose his temper with his mother no matter how frustrated he became. “Get it off your chest.”

“What if you…” She stopped herself, dragging out the last word.

“I can’t offer any reassurance if I don’t know what you’re going to say, and I can’t imagine you could have done anything you couldn’t be forgiven for. You’ve been an amazing mother and I love you.” Those words were absolutely true.

She looked at him with red-rimmed eyes.