in it. “If you agree, I can swab your mouth, and we’ll know in a couple of weeks if you’re the father or not.”
A swarm of butterflies attacked his stomach, similar to when he slid onto an eighteen-hundred-pound bull, knowing this was it—the truth. He’d either get thrown onto his keister or last the eight seconds.
“Sure. I just feel I’m not the father.” Yet that feeling was slowly waning.
Ms. Henshaw got up and came over to him. Within a second, she ran the swab through his mouth and placed it back into the tube. He noticed his name was written on it. That was it. Easy. The truth would be easy.
She stowed her iPad in the big briefcase and handed him a business card. “My phone numbers are on there. Call if you have any questions.”
“Thanks. How will I get the results?”
She reached for her phone in her purse. “I can call you, which would probably be the easiest way since you’re always on the circuit. What’s your number?”
He gave it to her, and she stored it in her phone. She then turned to his mother. “Thanks, Mrs. Rebel, for allowing me into your home. I hope we can resolve this situation soon.”
His mother stood and shook the woman’s hand. “I hope you find the little boy’s father. A boy needs a father.”
“Yes, ma’am, I agree with you.”
Phoenix got to his feet and also shook the woman’s hand. “I’m a little conflicted about all this, but if I’m the father, I will take responsibility.”
She nodded and walked toward the front door. His mother followed, and his brothers Jude and Quincy came in from the kitchen.
“What’s going on?” Jude asked.
“A girl I spent a weekend with says I’m the father of her baby.” Phoenix had no problem talking to his brothers. That’s how they’d gotten through the years after their father’s death. They shared with and depended on each other.
“Is it possible?” Quincy asked.
“Yep. She put my name on the birth certificate, but her friend said she wasn’t sure who the father was. Isn’t that a touching story?”
“Did you use protection?” Quincy kept up the questions.
“I always use protection.”
“Then you may not be.” Jude patted him on the shoulder. “Did she do a DNA test?”
“Yes.” Phoenix reached for his hat on the chair. “Now you two can stop smothering me. I may be the youngest, but I’m old enough to take care of my own life, even if I screw up every now and then.”
His mother joined the little group. “Did Phoenix tell you what’s going on?”
“Yes, Mom, I did. And now I have to go to a rodeo. I’ll let y’all know if I’m a daddy or not.”
“Phoenix, I want to talk to you.”
“Sorry, Mom, I’ve got to go.” No way was he having this conversation with his mother.
Quincy was a step behind him. “We’re here if you need us.”
Looking back at his older brother, Phoenix knew he could depend on Quincy for anything. Jude, too. And his other brothers. They were family. But this time Phoenix had to go this alone to sort through his own thoughts and everything that had happened back then.
Phoenix nodded. “See y’all in a couple weeks.” He walked out the door to the truck and travel trailer waiting in the driveway. Climbing into the passenger seat, he said, “Let’s go.”
Paxton shoved the shift into gear. “What’s going on? What did that woman want?”
“Just drive and get us out of Horseshoe, Texas.” Phoenix leaned back his head and pulled his hat over his eyes, hoping his brother would get the message. He didn’t want to talk.
The three-quarter-ton truck pulled the travel trailer with ease, but the ride was still bumpy, and Phoenix’s thoughts were even bumpier. He tried to remember Valerie and that time. It was a little blurry because they were drinking and having fun like he did after a lot of rodeos. Lately he and Paxton had slowed down. He hated to say it was an age thing. He preferred to look at it as maturity.
After the rodeo, Valerie and some girls had come back to the cowboy area and asked if they wanted to party. Of course, that was like asking a cowboy if he wanted beer. They went to a club and danced and drank and then went to a motel. The next night was much the same. Valerie made a beeline for him and they hooked up again. This time he sensed she was on something more than beer and figured she was just a little too wild for him. He wasn’t into the heavy stuff. He was a cowboy. Riding came first with him.
She’d wanted his number, and he’d given her a fake one because he knew he didn’t want to see her again. He remembered that vividly. Little things were starting to come back. Valerie was just a one-night stand. That would be sad if he was her child’s father. That wasn’t how children were supposed to be conceived. Oh, man.
He sat up straight and gazed out at the scenery flashing by. Rural Texas in September was still dry and hot, but the greenery was beginning to fade as signs of fall were creeping in.
“You ready to talk?” Paxton asked.
“No.”
“You don’t have to. I’ve already gotten messages from Quincy and Jude.”
“They’re like two mother hens.”
“You got caught, huh?”
“Shut up.” They rode for a while in silence and then Phoenix asked, “Do you remember Valerie Green?”
“No.”
“I’m having a hard time remembering her, too, but some of it’s coming back. A buckle bunny who wanted to have fun, and now she says I’m her kid’s dad. And don’t ask me if I used protection or I’ll hit you.”
“Why would I judge you? I could be in your boots.”
Phoenix and Paxton had traveled the circuit for years, and they knew each other better than anyone. They liked the girls who came to the rodeos. They couldn’t deny that. The women’s attention was a turn-on. But now Phoenix was wondering why he needed all that attention.
“I don’t feel like a father. Aren’t you supposed to feel those things?”
Paxton laughed, slapping his hand against the steering wheel. “You’re asking me?”
“Right. What was I thinking?” Paxton, with his charismatic charm and good looks, was the proverbial playboy. Around the rodeo circuit he was known as the “Heartthrob.” Women gravitated toward him, and he had his pick of anyone he wanted. At times that had gotten him into some jams. Last year a girl wrecked his whole rodeo season, but he’d straightened up his act, and now both of them were in the top ten cowboys in the country. They would be in Vegas for the big show come December if they didn’t
