He shrugs. “If you ask me, it’s gotten worse since Dallas checked out. Responsibilities doubled. Plus .?.?.”
“What?”
“Couple of years ago, the tables were reversed.” His jaw tightens. “Wilder was .?.?. leaving. Wanted to give up his share of the ranch, including any rights to buy it back and, well, it caused drama in the Thorne family. Mostly between Wilder, Dallas, and Connor, their father.”
“He wanted to leave? Why?”
Wes hesitates, then rolls his eyes. “To follow his heart.”
“The man’s got a heart?”
“Oh, he did. Her name was Bonnie. Blonde country girl rockstar.”
My eyes go wide. “A rockstar?”
“More like a singer. They were together for two years beforeBonnie wanted to hit the road. Travel, perform, get discovered or whatnot. He just wanted to make her happy. Anything she wanted.” He sighs. “Feud in his family went on, and at the end of the day, he chose her. Not the ranch. Not working alongside Dallas.”
“Butyouworked here.”
“Yep.”
“He was going to just abandon you too?”
That jaw works again. “Yep.”
“So what happened? He changed his mind about leaving with her?”
“She changed it for him. Said he’s a family man at heart and left.”
Theloveofhislifelefthim?Whenhewasreadytogiveitalluptobewithher?Howcrushing.
Man, I need to raise my standards. Last year, I dated a guy who made me switch to Hawaiian pizza because he preferred it over pepperoni.
“Who is she? Would I have heard of her?” I’m ready to whip out my phone and google this Bonnie. “Does she have a stage name?”
He almost laughs. “She didn’t get very far. Got knocked up by a drummer and lives a few miles outside the ranch.”
I set my phone down. “She lives here? With another man?”
Wes nods. “And his baby.” He wipes down the countertop. “Dodged a bullet, if you ask me. He deserved better. It all happened too quickly with Bonnie and Tom. Everyone’s guess is that they were already sleeping together.”
A chill runs through me. “Everyone?”
“Oh yeah, it was the talk of the town.”
“How sad. How are things with his family now?”
“That’s the thing. They’ve long forgiven him. It’s just not the Thorne way to hold a grudge. Even I felt bad for him. ButWilder’s been trying to prove his loyalty ever since.”
“Even to you?”
Wes shrugs with a soft chuckle. “I’ve got nothing here for him to prove his loyalty. But yeah, I guess me too. Said he’d never do anything to compromise our friendship.”
My eyes drop to my hands. They tingle with the ghost feeling of his broad chest.
We hear some bustling in the main hall, and Wes straightens. “Anyway, I know you wouldn’t know this, but before all that, he used to be a lot more laid-back, fun to be around.” He shrugs. “He just took a bad hit.”
I humph. “You’re right, I wouldn’t know.”
