Small Town, Big Secrets (Trinity River)

by Elsie Davis

  Steve watched as she disappeared behind the kitchen door then turned to glance around the room, only to find everyone else’s eyes on him. Becky had just jilted him, which a month ago would have been fine, but now, the breakup was met with a great sense of disappointment. He still couldn’t believe it.

  Just when he started to enjoy a different type of life, circumstances reminded him why it was a fool’s notion. Love, marriage, and family life weren’t for the likes of him. But why, then, did the sight of her walking away hurt so much?

  There was no telling what would happen with the election still a month away, but he wouldn’t chase after her and make a fool of himself. He should have known this wouldn’t work out. Steve pocketed the ring, dropped a twenty on the table, and headed out the door. At least one person would be happy with the turn of events—his mother. And the gossipmongers would have a new tale to spin, one of romance and betrayal.

  …

  A week went by before Harry’s initial fury over the breakup cooled, but Steve was still privately reeling.

  Apparently, Becky dumping him made women feel sorry for him, and the ratings kept creeping up, not down. The phone rang off the hook, the women wanting to console him and be the next bride candidate. It was beginning to look like he’d win by a landslide, and he hadn’t needed Becky after all. And he still had the money to help McDougall and the others.

  He should be ecstatic, but instead, the feeling in the pit of his stomach could only be described as a feeling of loss. He missed Becky, and he missed Byron. More than he would have thought possible. They were the first bit of light he’d had in his life, and they’d become a bright light, one that, without knowing it, had been guiding him to consider that life held other possibilities than just a career.

  The two happiest people with the turn of events were Harry and his mother. Harry, because of the rising ratings. His mother, thrilled to have won in the end. She never missed an opportunity to remind him of the million dollars he’d given up by putting her through a few extra days of turmoil.

  “Tom London is on line four.” Harry stood at the door to his office, looking a little flustered. “He’s one of the more influential journalists, and we need to squash the rumor floating around. I think you should take his call.”

  “What rumor?” Steve had been buried in work, trying to catch up. A part of him was happy for the distraction because it kept him from thinking about Becky and Byron.

  “That you broke it off with Becky and not the other way around. This won’t play out well with our women voters, so I hope you can set him straight.” The poor guy looked like he was about to have a hissy fit.

  “It’s no secret what happened—she clearly ended it. There were a lot of people at Charlie’s who witnessed the whole thing.” Steve shrugged. Things hadn’t gone down the way he planned, and Becky’s rejection still stung, so he honestly didn’t care what the media said at this point.

  “But they are saying you had a heated discussion and that she left crying. Crying, for Pete’s sake. Somehow you managed to forget that detail when you told me the engagement was over. It’s one thing when she was painted to be the bad person in the breakup, quite another if everyone starts thinking you did something to cause it and that you broke her heart. This isn’t good. Not at all.”

  Some things were far more important than image. Becky was one of them, and in hindsight, he wished they’d been in a private location when she called it off. The media had been hard on her, and if there was a chance to get them to ease up, he’d take it.

  “It was a mutual decision and not her fault. We broke it off, she gave the ring back, and then she left. It was common courtesy to let her do the walking away.”

  The reality was there hadn’t been anything else he could do, the shock of her rejection still reeling in his brain and in his heart. He hadn’t known about the tears. If he had, he might have fought harder for the truth. Crying meant emotion, as though she cared that it was over. Much the same way he did.

  “Common courtesy?” Harry shot him a look of disbelief. “This was your fiancée. I thought you were in love with her. Fairy-tale love, an almost-at-first-sight romance. You haven’t talked about it since you’ve been back, but I assumed that was because you were knee-deep in despair. I need the story because I’ve got to figure out damage control.”

  Poor Harry.

  “There’s nothing to tell beyond what you already know. You can tell that to Tom London. I’m running on my ability to handle the job and the successes of my career, not my personal life or marital status. Ramp up the ads, do whatever it takes to keep the ratings high, and squash the negative conversations. It’s your job to spin this, so spin it.” Steve was so over the demands of the election and the personal invasion of his life that came with it. Even though he’d expected it, nothing had prepared him for the reality.

  “You don’t have a personal life when you’re running for office. You knew that before you asked her to marry you.”

  It was true. “I did and I do, but where anything concerns Becky, information is off-limits. If they want to know the color of my boxers, I’ll be happy to share.” Steve grinned, unable to keep from riling up Harry.

  “I’m glad you think this is funny. If we lose because of your fickle behavior, you can count me off the team on your next run. I need people who thirst for the win.” Harry turned and walked back to his desk.

  He understood his manager’s position, but lately, Steve found himself thinking more and more about other possibilities. Life outside the office. Becky had shown him what a happy life looked like, and the more he thought about it, the less he felt committed to the cause. And helping the McDougall family—now that felt great. There were lots of ways to serve the law, but not all of them came with the reward of friendship and a sense of doing right. Fitting in.

  The Cattleman’s Association now treated him as one of their own. Yes, he was a local, but even his father didn’t fit in with that select group of men. They were upstanding, hardworking ranchers and farmers who understood the land and took pride in their family heritage. Something his father had never done.

  Steve wondered how Becky had fared with all the media madness associated with their breakup. The more he thought about her, the more he remembered everything they did together, images of her laughing up at him never far away. The dance, the horseback riding, the park, game night at her house. And then back to the dance, a time when he’d held her in his arms protectively. Lovingly.

  The times he’d spent with her were more like family than he’d ever experienced growing up. Several times, he’d reached for the phone to call her, but he always managed to convince himself it was better if he stayed away. He’d done enough damage.

  But then Byron’s surgery was Monday morning, and he intended to be there. What happened after that between them, he wasn’t sure. He only knew he was looking forward to Monday morning. Whether Becky admitted it or not, Steve was family, and family stuck by each other.

  That was with the exception of Jack and his father. His father, however, never reneged on his responsibility.

  Steve picked up another file on his desk, the sticky note tagging it as a DBD. He opened it, but as he tried to read through the notes, all he could see was his brother’s face. Letting him get away with this was wrong and not something Steve could allow.

  He reached for the phone and dialed his brother.

  “I heard you came to your senses and broke it off with the gold-digger.” Jack’s sinister laugh grated on his nerves.

  “You heard wrong. She’s not a gold-digger, and it was a mutual agreement.” He wouldn’t give Jack the satisfaction.

  “Mother told me everything, so don’t lie. Count yourself lucky is all I can say.” Steve and Jack had never gotten along, but previously Steve managed to let his brother’s lack of character go unchecked. That had been for his parents to correct, not that
they did. Instead, they’d babied him, and it showed.

  Steve counted to five before he continued. “Tell me about you and Becky. You said you were smart enough not to get caught. Was that before or after you found out she was pregnant with your child?” He moved in for the jugular, determined to throw his brother off course.

  “That’s a lie!” he shouted. “She’s filling your head with lies and you believe them? That’s rich coming from the guy who just dumped her.” The derision in Jack’s voice grated on his nerves.

  “Why would she lie? It’s not like she’s after anything. In fact, she’s never asked for anything from me, not one penny. Why is that, Jack?” The assumptive close had won many a case in the courtroom and Steve had no hesitation using it against his brother.

  “Because I’m smart,” Jack gloated. “She’s a pushover.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” He didn’t want to hear anything about the time when his brother was with Becky, but if he was going to find a way to help her, he needed to dig up the dirt.

  “I’m not admitting to anything.” Which in itself was an admission of guilt. The trick was getting him to commit to a side.

  It was time to push Jack harder and make a play for the truth. “There’s such a thing as a paternity test.”

  “Stay out of it,” Jack ground out.

  “It’s too late because I already know the truth. Byron is your son. Which makes him my nephew and part of our family.”

  “Believe what you want. You always were a sucker. I heard she’s been spinning tales that I blackmailed her to keep quiet. She’ll stoop to low-life levels to trap a guy. I already told you that.”

  This was news to Steve. News that made him grateful they were on the phone and not in the same room. Otherwise, there was no telling what he would have done to his brother.

  “Funny, this is the first I’m hearing about blackmail. Is that what you did, blackmail her?” He’d wondered about her silence, but now it all made sense.

  “Why would I do that? The kid’s not mine.” But Steve heard a note of fear in his brother’s voice now. He needed to press him harder before Jack had time to think.

  Suddenly, it hit Steve like a streak of lighting. Becky’s family was the only reason she would have agreed to anything with Jack, and her mother was the most logical person Jack would use for his sinister plan.

  “It was her mother, wasn’t it? Her mother worked for us.” Now that their mother had fired Judith McAllister, the threat no longer existed. It explained why Becky felt comfortable enough to tell him in the first place.

  “Nice try, but I’m still not admitting anything. You need to mind your own business,” Jack threatened, sounding more like his father than he’d ever heard in the past.

  “Then try this on for size. I’ll get a court order that will force you to submit to a paternity test, and we’ll let the entire ugly story play out for all the world to see. Mother and the Judge would love that. How long do you think they’ll protect you when you sully the Parker name?” Steve played the ultimate ace in the hole, determined to verify the truth and then deal with it.

  “You wouldn’t. I’m your brother.” Jack didn’t sound so sure of himself now. He was used to playing with people’s lives, but now he was the one doing the squirming.

  “I would. The law is the law, and bringing deadbeat dads to justice has always been one of my personal mantras for this office.”

  “What do you want from me?” And there it was—Jack’s admission of guilt. He had his brother right where he wanted him.

  Time to put an end to his reign of terror over the McAllister family. “I want you to sign a parental release of rights and to pay back child support for the past five years into an account for Byron. I’ll determine an acceptable amount, no arguments. I’ve already paid for his surgery, but I’m sure Becky can use the money for other related expenses.”

  “That’s it? I get to walk away?” Jack was more than interested in the deal. It sickened Steve to realize his brother cared so little.

  “Aren’t you even the slightest bit interested in your son?”

  “Nope. I never wanted kids.” Jack’s loss, because Byron was special, and the kid had the power to brighten someone’s day.

  “Do we have a deal?” Steve pressed harder, wanting closure.

  “I expect complete confidentiality.”

  “That’s fine. It’s better for Becky and Byron anyway not to be associated with the likes of you.”

  “Why is that? She’s a nobody,” Jack huffed.

  “So that people don’t question her lack of judgment when she dated you. She really is a sweetheart.”

  “Clearly, you’re blinded by love, but whatever. Draw up the paperwork and I’ll have a check ready.” Jack disconnected the call.

  I’ve done it. Steve grinned.

  An admission of truth, and better still, a parental release of rights. It was his gift to Becky for all she’d done for him. He couldn’t wait to tell her, but first, he had to meet up with Jack and make sure he didn’t back out of his end of the deal. He would also make sure Jack knew his parents would hear the truth. Anything beyond that would be between them.

  Steve was more than pleased he managed to discover the truth without breaking his promise to Becky. The information, after all, had come completely from Jack.

  Chapter Eighteen

  It had been a slow, painful week and a half. People stared, but most resisted the temptation to ask questions. Others weren’t so discreet. A broken engagement was always big news in a small town. A few brave souls managed to get up the courage and ask but found themselves clueless when they walked away. Becky wasn’t talking to anyone. Including the media.

  It was great for the bottom line at Charlie’s, and Ethan, the owner, had commented as much, all while making sure no out-of-towner journalists crossed any lines. A few of them managed to get pictures that were frequently splashed across the front pages of the tabloids, but in general, they had to get through Ethan, who’d become quite protective of her. Even the journalists camped out at her house became almost non-existent. Bottom line, Becky had nothing to say.

  Other than to Jerry, and so far, she hadn’t been able to talk to him, since he was out of town on business. Which meant Steve’s duplicity had yet to make the news and take the spotlight off the breakup.

  After Steve texted her the information on Byron’s appointment last Friday, she hadn’t heard from him again, which was just as well. It did no good to dwell on what was past or might have been. It had always been meant to be temporary—it just turned out shorter than expected. It didn’t help that Byron was always talking about Steve and missing him. Or that her heart ached for him in the quiet of the night when there was far too much time to think about and remember the good parts.

  Byron’s first consultation appointment had gone well on Wednesday, as did the pre-op appointment on Friday. Monday was his surgery, and Becky was a bundle of nerves, something she worked extra hard on to keep Byron and the others from knowing.

  Steve had some pretty major connections to make things move along as quickly as they were, and Becky was grateful for his help. And as nervous as she was about the surgery, she’d be relieved when it was over and they could go back to normal.

  She drove to the school to pick up Byron, eager for her son’s warm smiles. They held a special power that always seemed to make her feel better. And lately, she needed them a lot.

  Knowing Steve was mixed up with the group trying to run people off their land, it made no sense that she missed him, but she did. Rumors were floating around about some big conglomerate trying to put together a mega-site for development. The idea of all the beautiful homesteads destroyed did nothing to help her mood.

  Waiting outside the classroom door with the other parents, she scanned the children’s faces as they poured out of the classroom when th
e bell rang. She spotted Byron at the front of the group.

  “Hi, honey,” she said, ruffling his hair when he came to stand next to her.

  “Hi, Mom. We learned about elections today, and it made me think of Mr. Steve. Can we please go and visit him? I miss him.” This wasn’t the first time he’d brought up the subject. Her explanations of why he was gone went way over his head, and Byron had a determination streak in him a mile wide.

  “I miss him, too, honey, but we’re just friends now. And he’s got a big job to do in Houston.” It was true, and with the elections coming up, he would be swamped, even if she was considering stopping in to see him, which she wasn’t.

  “Look what I drew today.” He held up a picture of the American flag.

  “You did a great job. Wow.” She smiled, taking the picture from him to keep it from getting crushed.

  “It’s for Steve. Maybe when we go see the doctor, we can stop and see him so I can give him the drawing.” He looked up at her with big blue eyes that softened her response, even if she wasn’t the intended recipient of his prized artwork.

  She’d never had to compete with anyone for Byron’s attention before, and she wasn’t sure she liked it much. At least not now, after she knew the truth about him. “Maybe. I can’t promise, though.”

  “Yippee! I’m going to see Mr. Steve! Maybe I’ll draw him another picture before we go.”

  Becky let out a sigh. All Byron had heard was yes. Must be a kid thing. “That’s a nice idea.”

  At home, Becky helped her mother clean up and get dinner ready. Her mother’s severance check kept plenty of food on the table and the rent paid, but it wouldn’t last forever. Maybe she could talk to Ethan about a job for her at the restaurant. Anything that would help the distance that had come between her and her mother over the whole sordid affair. She’d been okay with true love causing problems, but a two-week-later breakup after getting engaged, not so much.

  After dinner, Becky sat out on the porch, a glass of tea in hand. She tightened her sweater against the evening chill as she looked up at the starry sky, remembering another time when she and Steve had sat in the exact same spot. He’d held her hand, the warmth comforting. Safe.