Damon’s eyes widened. “Other than Cassie, I’ve only employed one other female trainer.”
Nash’s heart beat so hard, so fast. He waited, letting the impact truly sink in as he kept his eyes on Damon’s.
“Your mother was Elaine James?” Damon asked, almost in a stunned whisper.
Both Cassie and Tessa turned their eyes to their father. Nash waited, wanting to see how the events would unfold before he continued.
“Who’s Elaine James?” Tessa asked before glancing back to Nash.
“She was one of the best horse trainers in the industry at one time,” Damon told her, still staring at Nash. “I used her during a period when female trainers were frowned upon, but some owners snuck around that. She kept her hair really short, wore a hat and would come in early in the mornings and late at night to work with the horses.”
Nash knew all of this, had heard his mom tell that same story over and over of how women were gentler and less competitive by nature so Damon had wanted a woman for the job.
“When my mother left here to take care of her parents, she went to work at another farm several hours away,” Nash went on. He forced himself to keep his focus on Damon. Right now, nothing else mattered but gauging the older man’s reaction. “It wasn’t too long after she’d left that she realized she was pregnant with me.”
Damon’s gasp nearly echoed in the spacious room. Lily sat quietly with her hands in her lap, but Cassie and Tessa’s eyes widened as if they were putting the pieces together.
“This can’t be,” Damon whispered, his eyes darting around the room frantically, then back to lock on Nash’s. “You—”
“I’m your son.”
There. He’d admitted half of the truth that had weighed heavily on his shoulders since first arriving here several months ago.
Now what? He honestly hadn’t planned this far ahead. He’d definitely planned on the end result, but he hadn’t factored in all the uncomfortable moments—and now was one of them.
Stunned silence settled over the room. Lily hadn’t moved, she merely sat with her eyes locked on his as if silently sending him support. When his gaze landed on hers, she offered a sweet smile of encouragement.
“Nash, forgive me, but I’m going to need more proof than just your word,” Damon finally said. “Where is your mother now?”
Nash came around the couch, taking a seat next to Lily again. Now that the secret was out, or part of it anyway, he could somewhat relax for the moment. But he still kept the upper hand.
“I don’t blame you for not taking just my word,” Nash told the older man. “My mom had a stroke about six months ago. She’s doing much better now, but right after the scare, she confessed that she used to work for you and the two of you were...involved.”
Nash refused to elaborate.
“Why didn’t she tell me?” Damon asked, his brows drawn in, shoulders stiff. “Once she left, I never heard from her again.”
Even through years of rivalry and more recently while working here in a more personal setting, Nash had never seen Damon so stunned.
“When she left to take on a new role at another farm, she had no idea she was pregnant.” Nash rested his elbows on his knees, lacing his fingers together as he looked from his half-sisters to his father. “From what she told me, by the time she found out and got the courage to come back and tell you, she was about eight months pregnant. She worried you wouldn’t believe her, or that you would marry her just for the baby and she didn’t want you to feel trapped. But she wanted you to know. She said she came back to town and all the buzz was about you and Rose and your recent engagement.”