Laney turned toward her. “Why would Meredith do that?”
Brooke leaned against the fence and snorted. “Why wouldn’t she? She hasn’t set foot in Granger in ages! Plus, Jameson found out that Samara is offering way over market value for the land. My sister has never been one to turn down lots of cold hard cash.”
Laney sighed. “Wes can be the same way. Hopefully, married life will soften him and help him rearrange his priorities. I love my brothers and I can’t stand when they disagree. I know their little feud keeps my mom up at night. And my dad, he just retreats into his office in the barn.”
It hurt Laney’s heart to fathom the stress she was about to unleash on her mother and father. They were older now, and although they were still incredibly active, Laney worried about how everything that was going on in their lives was affecting their health. If anything happened to her parents, she didn’t know what she would do!
Brooke cleared her throat, interrupting Laney’s mental stewing.
“Jameson did tell me that you hired a private investigator, but he wouldn’t tell me why. Care to spill the beans?”
Laney glanced away and took in a deep breath of air, which normally would clear her mind, but now it only made her thoughts more muddy.
How could you, Jameson? she thought. She should have known better than to trust her brother with a secret. He was so damn honorable sometimes.
She turned back to Brooke. “He wouldn’t tell you why because he doesn’t know the reason. It’s my business,” she stated, struggling to keep her voice even. She didn’t want to offend Brooke, but she had to ask the question.
“As is my baby. Please tell me you didn’t tell Jameson my secret,” she implored.
“No! I didn’t tell him anything,” said Brooke in a shocked voice. “But after all that he and I went through to be together, we’ve had enough secrets to last us a lifetime. And we really don’t need any more.”
Laney bit her lower lip. “I know. I’m sorry to have put you in such an awkward position. I don’t want anything to come between you and Jameson. You guys are perfect for each other.”
Brooke crossed her arms. “Believe me, I can understand why you want to keep this all a secret. But when are you going to tell your family, Laney? And more important, when are you going to tell him?”
Him.
Austin. The man who was no more than a family friend was now more intertwined with the Browards than anyone realized.
Laney leaned over the railing. “Today. At the family meeting. Everyone will be there and you’re right. It’s time.”
She stared down at her riding boots, caked with mud. Just thinking about telling her parents and her brothers that she was pregnant made her want to saddle up Stella Rose and ride off into the sunset.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t sure that this time there would be a happy ending.
Chapter 2
By the time Laney arrived at the BWB Ranch that afternoon, she felt like she was experiencing morning sickness all over again. It was more than just a queasy stomach. There was the sense that something profound was going to happen and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
With one hand on her stomach and the other on the steering wheel, she eased her truck down the winding driveway. She drove as slow as her grandfather, who preferred the other kind of horsepower, and just as cautiously.
The Browards’ opulent lodge-style estate often attracted tourists, and out of habit, she ducked her head down a little to avoid being seen. However, today there was no one ogling, no one asking for autographs and no pushy photographers. For once, she wished there were so she could turn around and drive back home.
She pulled her truck around back, joining the other vehicles that were already there. Chokecherry bushes, neatly groomed, lined the private redbrick walkway to the garden entrance of the estate.
She got out and inhaled the sweet scent of lily of the valley, already blooming due to the pervasive rains that had assaulted Granger off and on for the past few weeks. Their delicate white petals were a cheery contrast to the still overcast skies.
She bit her lip and opened the door, but no one was there. Many of the more informal family gatherings were held around the enormous pine table in the kitchen. This meeting must be more serious, she thought, as she hurried through the dining room and to the Great Room.
When she arrived, everyone was seated, but no one was talking and no one looked happy.
Resisting the urge to put her hand on her stomach, she forced herself to walk down the two steps into what, on any other day, was her favorite room in the house. Now it felt like she was stepping into a ticking time bomb.
She popped a smile onto her face. “Why are we meeting in here today and not the kitchen?”
No one answered.
“Okay. Let me guess. Did Dad threaten to cook again?”
Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, making the room seem too bright. It was so quiet that she could hear the birds chirping outside.
Her stomach tightened again. “What’s wrong with everybody?”
Wes and Jameson looked at each other and snickered a little. Although Laney was glad to see that that they seemed to have put their disagreements aside, she had hoped it wouldn’t be in solidarity against her.
Gwendolyn, her mother, sat stone-faced in her favorite chair, and seemed to be waiting for something.
Her father strode up to Laney and thrust a newspaper in her face.
“This is what’s wrong,” he snapped. “Take a good look.”
LANEY BROWARD’S BABY BUMP?
Surely that can’t be me? Laney thought, her throat constricting in panic.
But there was no mistaking the headline plastered all over the front page of the Granger Daily News. It was as clear as the natural springs that dotted the Broward homestead, and as noxious as cow patties.
Even though she had her sunglasses on, the photo in the newspaper was also a dead giveaway. Her signature long hair, cowboy boots and the soon to be not-so-skinny jeans were her standard wardrobe.
Laney took a belated step back in shock. She’d been so careful, but obviously something had gone wrong.
She took hold of the newspaper and her heart thumped in her chest as she read the article.
Laney Broward, one of Granger’s most celebrated citizens and the daughter of Steven and Gwendolyn Broward, two of the wealthiest people in the state, was recently spotted in Bozeman, emerging from the office of Dr. Martin McCreedy, a prominent obstetrician who is known for treating Montana’s richest women.
Sources close to Ms. Broward, who is a successful horse breeder, reveal that she is currently studying for a master’s degree in animal science at Bozeman University. But we have to wonder...is she also enrolled in Parenting 101?
Despite the blaring headline, Laney opened her mouth in protest. But before she could say a word, her father grabbed the paper out of her hands.
“Don’t worry. I’ve already called our attorneys,” he sputtered, crumpling the evidence of her indiscretion in one large hand. “We’ll slap a libel suit on them quicker than the Granger Parks & Recreation Department can build a stop light!”
Wes sat up on the couch. “Hey, Dad, don’t tear up that paper. I want to scan it and post it to Laney’s Wikipedia page.”
Jameson