Read Online Blame It on the Rodeo by Amanda Renee - Free Book Online Page A

we all have one thing we don’t want anyone else to know. It doesn’t make you a bad person, it makes you human. My job isn’t to judge you. It’s to find out if Hunter really is your son.”
    “You’ll check out his family, too?”
    “If you want me to, yes.”
    “I need to know he’s with good people.” Lexi had already decided if there were any signs of abuse or neglect she’d immediately contact an attorney and fight for her son. It was an easy decision for her to make and Lexi questioned if her maternal instincts were kicking in or if it was because Hunter looked very well taken care of, and she didn’t have anything to worry about. “Then I’ll figure out what to do next.”
    “Are you going to tell Shane?”
    “I’m not going to disrupt Hunter’s life for selfish reasons.” If he was her son and he was happy, who was she to shatter his world? “What good can come of it? Shane already lost one son, why tell him he lost another?”
    “It’s your call.” Clay rose and tugged all the blinds closed. “Get some sleep.”
    “I’m really putting you in a bad spot, aren’t I?” The strain she was about to cause to Shane and Clay’s friendship dawned on her. “How can you keep this a secret from Shane? If he were to ever find out you knew—”
    “He’d understand I was doing my job,” Clay assured her. “Lexi, I can’t even begin to tell you the secrets I’ve had to keep.”
    “Thank you for understanding.”
    “Maybe this will make you realize you’re still in love with him?” Clay said from a safe distance across the room.
    “What?” Lexi snorted. “No. What? Please tell me you aren’t going to play matchmaker with all of this.”
    “My job is to state the facts, ma’am.” Clay playfully tipped his hat and left the room.
    Her eyes heavy with bourbon and exhaustion, she laid her head on the pillow. The hospital room once again filled her dreams. Only this time, Shane was there, cradling their son in his arms, the way it was supposed to be.
    * * *
    “Y OU ’ RE PLANNING A reality show on Bridle Dance and you didn’t discuss it with me?” Kay dragged Shane into the house practically by his ear once the interview was complete. Behind them, Cole evaded any further reality show questions from the media with a firm “no comment . ”
    “Well, technically it wasn’t my idea,” Shane retorted. “The show was proposed to me and it would be filmed at the school. I haven’t made any decisions so I don’t see what the big deal is yet.” Shane gathered his arguments. “Can you imagine the volume of business we’d bring in? Just think about the attention Dance of Hope would receive. It’s a nonprofit, Mom. You’d garner all sorts of donations from across the country and we could educate people about hippotherapy.”
    “Slow down, will you.” Kay tapped her fingers wildly on the counter. “I’ve seen those reality shows and they’d probably wind up victimizing the people who come here for therapy and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let that happen. Most of those shows are pure trash.”
    “Most, not all. You used to watch some of those medical reality shows and they weren’t trash.” Shane argued his point knowing it was futile going up against his mother. “Why does this suddenly feel like déjà vu?”
    “What are you talking about?”
    “This is just like last year.” Shane threw his hands in the air. “You and Cole once again opposing what I want to do. I thought we got past all of this. It would be nice at least to have a conversation before you both try to shut me down but obviously things haven’t changed around here.”
    It had been bad enough fighting almost his entire family to open the rodeo school. If Chase hadn’t stood by his side, he would have felt like a complete outsider.
    “This involves all of us.” Cole spoke to him in his trademark annoyingly patronizing tone. “Never mind how it will affect the students. Some parents may not approve of