LITMIR.BIZ

       “May I speak to you a moment?” Her glance darted briefly to his brothers. “Privately.”

      “We were just heading home,” Jacob said.

      “This is important.”

      “It seems you know my name.” He gave her a careful smile once they were alone. “Mind telling me yours?”

      “Mariana Snow.”

      Jacob felt as if he’d taken a blow from behind. “I’m sorry about your sister. I heard what happened.”

      Leah Snow. That explained why he’d found this woman familiar. Three years ago he’d dated her sister, though describing their one long weekend together as dating was a stretch. He hadn’t seen her since.

      Still, the rodeo world was a small one, and he’d learned of Leah’s unexpected passing after a short and intense battle with breast cancer.

      “Thank you for your condolences,” Mariana said tightly. “It’s been a difficult three months.”

      “I didn’t know Leah had a sister. She never mentioned you.”

      “I’m not surprised.” Mariana reached into her purse.

      “Leah didn’t tell you a lot of things.” She extracted a snapshot and handed it to Jacob.

      He took the photo, his gaze drawn to the laughing face of a young boy. “I don’t understand. Who is this?”

      “That’s Cody Snow. Your son.