Of course, Laney knew that not answering an email did not mean that Austin was unfit to be a parent. That would be ludicrous. But it did speak volumes about how easy it was for Austin to ignore her father, even though he had conducted business with the Broward family.
Or maybe Austin was trying to send the message that the Browards themselves didn’t matter, neither did the land grabbers and least of all, Laney. Although he’d contacted her a few times the week after their evening together, she hadn’t heard from him since.
Laney took off Stella Rose’s saddle and handed it to Brooke.
“I’m sorry. That didn’t come out right. I’m happy about the baby. It’s just that—”
“Nobody can blame you for being upset,” Brooke interrupted. She wiped the saddle down with a towel before placing it on a shelf. “You’re going to be a single mom. That’s a situation that would be difficult for anyone to face.”
Laney took off the saddle blanket. It was a little damp from the ride, so she hung it over the stall door to dry.
She sighed. “Yeah. I’m dealing with things the best I can.”
In truth, Laney was scared to death, but she tried not to think about it. If she did, she would never be able to gain enough courage to tell her family.
Laney grabbed a clean towel off a hook and started to wipe the saddle marks off Stella Rose’s back.
Brooke frowned. “Where’s Trey? Do you really have to do all this work?”
Trey Dawson, Laney’s equine manager, was in charge of running the stable and taking care of her seven horses. He also assisted with her breeding program, everything from fielding calls from interested buyers to monitoring test tubes.
Laney walked around Stella so she could rub down her other side. “He has the morning off. Besides, I can still groom my horses. It relaxes me. And Stella Rose is special to me.”
Stella Rose, the foal of Daphne Blue and Dante’s Inferno, both champions, was a beautiful chestnut thoroughbred. As her beloved horse had grown to adulthood, Laney had gotten closer and closer to her until one day she’d decided that she would never sell her or breed her. After her gold medal win, Stella was officially retired and seemed perfectly content to spend her days grazing and eating.
Laney raised an eyebrow. “You may not be a horse breeder, but you’re a rancher, just like I am. Do you mean to tell me that when you get pregnant, you’re going to stop being who are?”
Brooke paused. “I may be a rancher, but my heart is in being an artisan. When I have a baby, I certainly wouldn’t stop doing pottery.”
Laney pointed her towel at Brooke. “That’s what I’m talking about. Women don’t have to change who they are just to have a baby.”
Brooke nodded in agreement. “You’re right. I’m just worried about you, that’s all. When you told me you thought you’d had a miscarriage early on in your pregnancy, I—”
Laney wiped Stella Rose’s face, ignoring her neigh of disapproval. “Well, I didn’t,” she stated firmly. “I was mistaken and I’m fine.”
Brooke cocked her head to the side. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from a gold medalist,” she teased, trying to lighten the mood.
Laney laughed and tossed the towel into a basket outside the stall to be washed later. She started to check Stella Rose’s hooves for any rocks or pebbles that may have gotten in them during their ride.
“Where do you keep that thing anyway? Hidden in some hay?” Brooke asked. She looked around, pretending like she was on a hunt to find Laney’s gold medal.
Laney cast a secretive smile. “Don’t worry. It’s in a very safe place.”
Satisfied that her horse was appropriately groomed, she undid the halter. Both women laughed when Stella Rose immediately started nibbling at the hay pile in the corner.
They exited the stall and Laney secured the latch. Stella Rose’s ears pricked up at the sound.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” Laney cooed lovingly. “When Trey gets back in a little while, he’ll put you out in the pasture with everyone else. You need some time to cool down now, okay?”
Stella Rose stared at her owner and then dipped her head back down to her food.
Brooke giggled. “Good thing I speak horse, too. Otherwise—”
“You’d think I was crazy?”
Brooke nodded. “I haven’t gotten to the point where I talk to my pottery,” she joked. “And I hope I never will!”
They both roared with laughter as they walked outside.
“So, did you find anything out from Jameson? What’s the deal with the family meeting?”
Brooke pulled her hair back in a loose ponytail. “Other than more talk about the land-grabbers in Granger, he doesn’t know.”
Leave it to Jameson to have his head buried in the ground, Laney thought. Her brother wouldn’t know gossip if it hit him in the face.
“I bet Jameson will be the first one at the meeting,” Laney said wryly. “We both know how he feels about strangers buying up our town.”
Brooke nodded. “He’s a real hometown boy. He loves ranching and the town of Granger so much.”
“You know that better than anyone,” Laney replied.
Brooke’s family, the Palmers, were ranchers, too, but certainly not at the same level as the Browards, both land and profitwise.
She still couldn’t believe Jameson had married Brooke just so that she could keep her half of the family ranch. Due to an odd codicil in Brooke’s father’s will, Brooke had to be married to inherit her half of Palmer Ranch. And even though Brooke had no real interest in ranch life, she had felt compelled to carry out her father’s wishes.
Laney adored the BWB Heritage Ranch, the formal name for the Browards’ massive estate, but would she marry a man she hardly knew just to keep it in the family? She doubted it.
“Is Jameson still hoping to buy Meredith’s portion of the Palmer Ranch?” Laney asked.
Brooke’s sister, Meredith, who was estranged from the family and already married, owned the other half of the Palmer Ranch. Laney knew that Jameson wanted to purchase all of Meredith’s acreage in order to prevent Samara Lionne, one of Hollywood’s biggest movie stars, from buying it for herself.
Brooke nodded. “Yes, but he hasn’t had much luck yet. He’s really worried that Samara will one day own the entire town of Granger, and to tell you the truth, so am I.”
“My father has voiced the same concern,” Laney said. “He’s still hurt that Wes sold all of his land to her. Plus, there’s been no word on what she plans to do with it, so it’s a huge mystery. Not to mention the fact that no one knows what Wes is planning on doing with his life, now that he’s decided to stop being a rancher.”
Wes, Laney’s older brother, who was once dubbed one of Montana’s Most Eligible Ranchers, seemed to have his sights set on living and earning a living anywhere but Granger. He and his new fiancée, Lydia, who was Samara’s former assistant, had spent the past few weeks traveling in Europe. Their next move and the overall drama that had plagued the town for the past several months were the subject of many spirited conversations around the Broward family dinner table.
Laney and Brooke sauntered out of the barn to the fence, taking their time to enjoy the feel of the spring breeze against their skin. They were both country girls at heart. There was no need to rush. Not when everything around