Chapter 18
“Are you sure you want to do this now?” Dax asked, standing in front of the butcher shop. The stand-alone white building had a pitched red roof with matching red door, the sign flipped to Open in the front window.
The rain had finally stopped—for now—and he’d driven them to Choice Cuts as soon as they’d left Tilly’s. He still needed to check on the horses before heading back to Vanessa’s place, but she’d wanted to attempt to speak with Ethan while she had the nerve.
Vanessa nodded. “I need to get this over with. Besides, the sooner we talk to him, the better. This way I’ll either have more important information or know if we should move on and find a different thread to pull.”
“All right then. After you.” He swept his arm forward and followed her into the store.
The metallic scent of blood and meat greeted them, along with an older woman behind a counter. Encased in the glass were slabs of beef, homemade sausages and stuffed chicken breasts that were enough to make his mouth water despite his full stomach.
“Evening,” the woman said. “You made it just in time. We’re about to close for the night. Can I help you with something?”
Dax spied a nametag attached to her white apron and approached her with a smile. “We’ll try not to keep you, Nancy. We were actually looking for Ethan. Is he around?”
“He should be. Give me a second and I’ll check in his office.”
Vanessa stood with her back to the arrangement of meat. “This place kind of gives me the creeps.”
He couldn’t help but chuckle. “Not used to visiting the local butcher in the big city?”
“More like the corner market. I’m all for respecting where my food comes from but seeing it all laid out like this is a little disconcerting.”
He stifled the urge to tease her. Not everyone was raised the way he’d been—taught from a young age exactly where his meat came from. Farm to table in every sense of the word.
Ethan Scott emerged from the doorway where Nancy had disappeared. He darted his gaze from Vanessa to Dax, confusion rippling his forehead. “Can I help you?”
Vanessa spun around. “Hi. I’m Vanessa Kemp. We kind of met yesterday.”
The corner of his mouth ticked up. “Yes, I remember. What can I do for you? In the market for some grade A beef?”
“No, sir. I came hoping you could give me some answers.”
The ripples increased along the top of his head. “About cattle?”
“Nah, I’ve got her covered about anything she may need to know in that area,” Dax said. “She has some more personal things she’d like to discuss.”
Ethan rubbed the back of his neck. “Not quite sure how I can help since we just met, but go ahead and fire away.”
“I’m sorry to be so blunt, but I don’t want to take up more of your time than necessary. Basically, is there anything you can tell me about when my mom left town? Anything strange that occurred after your friend Garrison died that led to my mom and uncle’s estrangement?”
Sighing, Ethan palmed the dark whiskers covering his jawline. “I don’t know what you want me to tell you. I know the same thing as everyone else around here. Your mom left because she was pregnant. Her relationships with both your uncle and grandpa were nonexistent after that.”
Vanessa’s shoulders drooped. “Are you sure it was nothing else? I don’t see how two people could go from a loving relationship to such animosity just because she was knocked up. It might not have been ideal, but that stuff happens all the time. Even my grandfather wanted them to reconcile.”
“Look, I’m sorry I can’t tell you what you want to hear. Chip wanted your mom to tell him and your grandfather who the father was so they could talk to him. Make him do the right thing and marry her. When she refused and left town, she gutted them. Left them confused and brokenhearted.”
“Then why did they fight at Garrison Steele’s wake?” Dax asked.
Blood drained from Ethan’s face for a brief second before his composure slipped back in place.
“That was a rough day for all of us. Garrison was like a brother to me and Chip. Not everyone handles losing someone so close to them well. Anything that happened after his funeral came from grief and sadness.”
“Did Garrison have feelings for my mother? Could he be the one who got my mom pregnant?”
Ethan’s jaw dropped and he blinked his brown eyes in rapid succession. “What?”
“Is Garrison Steele my father?”
“Man,” Ethan said on a long breath. “I know your mom had a thing for him, but Garrison never mentioned returning those feelings. That doesn’t mean it’s not a possibility. Like I said, we all spent a lot of time together. Hold on, I need a second.” He braced a large palm against the glass case.
“You never considered it before?” Dax asked.
“No. I mean, hell, that would mean he would have gotten her pregnant right before he died. But if that’s true, why wouldn’t she tell someone?
Garrison’s folks would have been thrilled to have a little piece of him to hold on to, and so would the rest of us.
We would have done everything we could for both you and your mama. ”
“One more thing,” Dax said, remembering the photo Vanessa had described. “Did Garrison and Vanessa’s mom ever get into an argument of some kind?”
“Sure,” Ethan said with a small laugh. “Those two were always teasing each other. Sometimes one of them would take things a little too far and piss the other one off. Garrison treated her like a little sister most the time—we both did, which she didn’t like.
But never anything serious. Like I said, we all knew she had a thing for him. ”
“Even Garrison?” Vanessa asked.
Ethan nodded. “He never talked about it, but there’s no way he wasn’t aware. She wasn’t exactly subtle. But we both knew Chip’s little sister was off-limits, no matter what.”
“Bro code,” Dax said.
Ethan finally smiled. “Exactly. Above all else, you’ve got to honor the code. Is there anything else I can do for you? I don’t want to be rude, but I need to close the store and get home before my wife thinks the worst. She’s always worrying when I don’t show up on time.”
“We won’t keep you any longer,” Vanessa said. “Thank you for speaking with me. I really appreciate it.”
“No problem. I hope you find what you’re looking for.”
“Me, too.”
Dax lifted his hand in a wave then led Vanessa back into the gray, dreary evening. Once in the truck, he hooked an arm on the seatback. “How do you feel about that conversation?”
She stared ahead. “He said more than I thought he would, I just don’t know what to do with it yet.”
“Do you think he was being honest?”
She frowned. “I have no reason to believe that he wasn’t. Why? Do you think he lied about something?”
He put the truck in Reverse and backed out of the empty lot. “It’s hard to tell. But someone is hiding a hell of a secret. One that might be worth killing over.”
* * *
With another conversation to dissect, Vanessa feared her head might explode on the drive to Dax’s place. She kept her thoughts to herself until Dax parked his truck and she jumped out, meeting him at the hood before heading to the barn.
“I want to talk to Garrison’s mom,” she said. “My aunt mentioned she still lives nearby. She’s the last person I can think of who could give me answers. Maybe she’ll know if Garrison is my father.”
“Do you think he would have told his mother?”
She shrugged. “I hope not, or that means she never cared enough to find me. But maybe she’ll just know by looking at me, even if I am the spitting image of my mother. It’s a long shot, but one I need to take.”
He gave a decisive nod. “Okay, we’ll find her number and give her a call.”
“Thank you.” She wasn’t sure what she’d done to have a man like Dax walk into her life, but she was eternally grateful for his unwavering support. “Now let’s get these chores done.”
“You can wait in the house if you want,” he said. “I’ll be as quick as I can. I need to work one of the horses a little before I feed him. There’s a break in the rain, and I need to take advantage of it.”
“I’d like to watch, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. Maybe I’ll put you to work so I can finish a little faster.”
“With everything you’ve done for me, I’d say I owe you.” She hesitated on her way to the barn. “But I’ve never even touched a horse before. Bessie’s the biggest animal I’ve been around, and she’s pretty much a giant puppy.”
Dax slid open the barn door. “No need to do anything you’re not comfortable with. They’re well trained, but if you’re afraid, they’ll sense it.”
She stopped and stared at the massive heads poking through the metal slats of their pens. “Will it help if I just follow you and tell them how pretty they are?”
His soft chuckle was like cashmere on her skin.
“Sure. I’ll work the Thoroughbred first. He’s feisty, so you might want to stand back.
Once I get him out of his stall, I’ll lead him to the back door and out to the paddock.
You’ll want to stay on the outside of the fence.
He wouldn’t hurt you on purpose, but sometimes he doesn’t react the way you’d expect. Best to give him some space.”
A shiver of trepidation shot through her center. Horses were beautiful creatures, but that didn’t make them less dangerous. “Okay. I’ll head there now.”
She opted to walk outside to reach the pasture instead of getting in the way.
She rounded the side of the barn and stopped to take in the surrounding view.
Mountains rose in the distance, twilight causing a haze of purple clouds to surround the steep peaks.
Lush green land rolled away from her and disappeared in a sea of trees.
Something shifted inside her, settled into a contentedness she barely recognized.
Continuing toward the paddock, drops of water clinging to the grass seeped into her pant legs.
A chill in the air announced more rain to come, but she was happy for the brief reprieve.
Happy to lift her head toward the sky and feel the breeze on her face.
To enjoy the landscape without worrying about escaping a downpour or—at least in the moment—an unknown assailant sneaking from the shadows to scare her.
Once she reached the split rail fence, she spied Dax leading a giant black horse from the back door of the barn.
He’d shed his jacket, and his navy-blue shirt molded against his muscled chest. He ran a large palm over the animal’s neck, whispering something in his ear, then took a few steps back with his grip firm on a rope of some kind.
She watched him work, watched the horse refuse to obey, until finally relenting.
Dax had a singular focus on what he did.
The lines on his handsome face tight and his gaze directly on the animal.
She had no idea what he was doing or why, but it was clear man and beast worked in unison—like a synchronized dance they’d done a hundred times before.
Desire stirred deep within her. Something about the way Dax handled the animal. The way he spoke softly yet firmly—his ability to use a tiny bit of force then a gentle touch to get the horse to obey. To comply. To give himself over with full trust to the man before him.
Saliva pooled in her mouth. She wanted those hands on her, those words whispered in her ears as Dax took control of her body. Excitement rippled over her skin as she stood transfixed, anticipation beating inside her with every command Dax shouted.
“It’s a sight to see, isn’t it?”
Walter’s booming voice broke into the trance she’d fallen into and set her heart thundering faster than the horse’s hooves.
She slapped a hand to her chest and laughed.
A flash of embarrassment heated her cheeks.
Dear Lord, if Dax’s dad only knew where her mind had wandered, she’d die on the spot.
“So sorry. You startled me. I guess I was a little caught up in watching Dax work.”
“I can see that.” Walter chuckled and hooked his forearms on the fence beside her. “You like horses?”
Tilting her head to the side, she continued studying the duo. “I do, yes. Not enough to get in there with them though.”
“Hell, I wouldn’t step foot in the arena while Dax is training that young thing. That horse has a wild spirit. One that doesn’t want to be broken.”
She frowned and considered the expression. “Is that a bad thing? I mean we all need a little extra spirit to get us through the hard times, don’t we?”
“I suppose we do. Spirit. Grit. Gumption. Whatever you want to call it,” Walter said. “But that’s not always true with an animal the size of that Thoroughbred. If he has a job, you want to make sure he can do it safely. That he knows what’s expected of him and can do it without hurting nobody.”
“I guess I never thought about it like that.”
“Probably because you’ve never had to.”
She smiled at Walter. “I see where Dax got all his wisdom.”
One gray, wiry eyebrow shot up. “I’ve heard a lot of words used to describe the two of us, not sure wise has ever been one of them.”
She opened her mouth to dive deeper, but Dax walked over, leading the horse behind him.
“This guy giving you trouble?” Dax asked.
“Nah,” she said, grinning. “Just keeping me company and teaching me about horses.”
Dax snorted. “You better come to me about that. He’s better with cattle. Do you want to pet this guy?”
Nerves tightened her stomach, but she nodded.
He led the horse closer. “This is Cliff. He likes to be scratched right on the nose.”
The animal leaned his head down, and she smoothed her palm over the wide bridge. “Hey there, big guy. How was your workout?”
Dax patted Cliff’s side. “He did good today. I think he was showing off for you.”
“He probably wasn’t the only one,” Walter said, grinning.
Dax rolled his eyes. “I was doing my job, nothing more.”
“Sure. I’m heading inside. Vanessa, nice to see you again. Don’t be a stranger.” Walter pivoted toward the house.
“You okay alone tonight?” Dax asked.
Walter waved a hand through the air and grumbled something under his breath as he continued on his way. He used a cane to help him navigate over the uneven terrain.
“You want to help me feed them? Then we can get back to your place and take care of your crew before we call it a night.”
Words stuck in her throat, so she simply nodded. She wanted more than anything to get back to her house, but she didn’t plan on ending their evening any time soon. It didn’t matter that she’d only met him a few days ago. This man did something to her—made her feel things—no one before him ever had.
And she had no intention of waiting longer than necessary to see exactly what Dax McKay could do with those magnificent hands.