Rodeo Daddy: Book 3 in the Stubborn Texas Siblings Trilogy by Faith Loveright

firmly in
her rear view mirror… right along with that no good lying
scoundrel she’d foolishly fallen in love with.
    Alexis fell blessedly asleep a few miles down the road.
They hadn’t even hit the interstate before her daughter was
softly snoring. Dana let out a sigh of relief. It was hard
enough keeping her tears at bay enough to be able to see so
she could drive as it was. Listening to Alexis bawl, crying
out for her daddy had been almost impossible for Dana to
deal with. Her own heart was crying out for Jeff too…
Knowing she was driving away from him with no intention
of ever seeing him again was breaking her heart.
    As she wiped the tears from her eyes, she managed to miss
seeing the truck that was coming right at her until it was too
late. The car spun out of control as the vehicle sideswiped
her. She slammed her foot down on the breaks as hard as
she could and the car slid on the ice that was built up under
the snow covered road. The next thing she knew they were
slamming into something hard. The car jolted to a stop and
her neck jerked forward as her forehead and then her chest
hit the steering wheel.
    Her brain felt foggy as panic filled her. There was no noise
coming from the backseat where Alexis was. The last thing
Dana thought before everything faded to black was that if
Alexis survived and she didn’t, at least she had Jeff to raise
her... She wouldn’t be stuck with some stranger. Then as
the last of consciousness slipped away from her, she saw
the wide expanse of Jeff’s chest in her mind’s eye…
Memories were funny that way; the clarity they tended to
come with. A tiny smile came to her face. It seemed fitting,
if she was going to die, that the man she loved would be at
the center of her final thoughts.

Chapter 14
    Jeff pounded on Mandy’s door late that night, holding a
bouquet of roses he’d paid through the nose for. This time
of year they were bloody hard to come by. He smiled at the
frail woman who answered the door. “I’m here to see Dana,
and I won’t take no for an answer,” he said boldly.
“You’re too late. She’s gone.” The words were said harshly
as the woman attempted to shut the door in his face.
    “What do you mean gone?” he asked in con
fusion, putting
his foot in the way so she couldn’t close the door. “Has she
gone to the store in town to get you more meds?”
    “No. I convinced her to leave town. It’s for her own good,”
she explained as he opened his mouth to demand an
explanation. “She needed to hear a few home truths about
the man she was wasting her time with. It took a lot more
than I figured it would, but after I told her that you most
likely had dozens of kids you’ve never even bothered to
look for out there because of your frequent donations to the
sperm bank, she couldn’t seem to get out of here fast
enough.”
    “In this weather? Are you insane?” he asked, looking
frantically over his shoulder, dropping the flowers onto the
porch with a soft plop. “If she’s upset in the least she won’t
be able to focus worth a shit, and it’s almost impossible to
see through this wall of snow falling anyway. You may as
well have just signed your own sister’s damn death warrant
woman… Which way did she go?”
    Mandy paled as she realized what she’d done and s
he
weakly lifted her arm to point in the direction of the
freeway. “She was headed back home. By now, she could
be miles down the interstate… Oh God… what have I
done?”
    By this time Jeff was running back towards his truck. He
knew there was no time to waste. He picked up his cell
phone and shakily dialed his brother’s number. At a time
like this, he needed Eric’s help and support. If ever there
was a time when his older brother would understand what
he was going through, this would be it, given what had
happened to Eric’s first wife.
    His voice was full of sleep when he answered and Jeff felt
guilty. Eric had three small children at home, a wife and a
ranch full of