“What do you want him to know?” I hate that my voice shakes.
“The family business needs him. Daddy wants him to come home.”
My lips part on a traumatized breath. But then, by some miracle, a loud commotion distracts me from the disturbing news he just threw at me. I whip around to my trailer before he can land another blow.
“This conversation isn’t over,” he bellows.
I don’t spare him a backward glance. “It is for me.”
“He’s worse than I thought,” I mutter to myself while making a hasty retreat from the front yard.
Paisley and Brody probably want answers, but I’m not ready to go there yet. They don’t have much room to argue either. My best friend married my brother strictly for his convenience. It’s a bizarre twist of fate I’m still wrapping my head around. But that’s a puzzle I’ll attempt to solve a different day. Right now, I need to figure out what to do about my so-called bodyguard and the truth bomb that his father just dropped on me. Maybe I’ll get to fire him myself.
“Can’t freaking believe it.” Grass is crushed under my boots as I stomp across the lawn to the beat of my frustration.
I didn’t plan on speaking to Colton Keller ever again after the disaster in Germany. That assumption has turned out to be foolish, much like his offenses against me. The worst of his crimes wasn’t even revealed until we got home a few weeks ago. The phone he took—but had me believing was stolen—is tucked safely in my back pocket. After my brother and his fake-but-now-real wife made nice, my former jailer was permitted to return my precious device. As a shock to nobody, he swept his behavior under thejust did what I was toldrug. I called him a twat waffle and we’ve barely spoken since.
He’s crossed more lines than a dark romance that’s heavy on the trigger warnings.
I’m pissed at Brody too. He put the deception into motion, but Colton was the one to drive the damn bus over me. Besides, Paisley already gave my brother hell for the whole ordeal. She’s dealing with him accordingly. That makes Colton my problem, but I want nothing to do with him. Unfortunately for me, after the events from this morning, he seems to be an unavoidable issue.
A sweet crispness drifts on the autumn breeze and I inhale slowly. I need to decompress before doing anything else. My mind isn’t quite right after the stress from this morning. At least those cowboy criminals kept their word and let me bring Echo home. A shudder ripples through me while I recall my conversation with the leader. It’s not one I’ll ever forget.
Here’s to hoping my current crochet project and a cooking show will distract me for a bit.
Just as I’m about to hang a hard left into the house, I spot Dad in his favorite Adirondack chair. The one beside him is empty. That was where Mom used to sit. Gosh, I miss her something fierce. A pang ricochets through my heart and I change course, striding over to him.
“Hey, Dad. Want some company?”
His unfocused stare is wandering across the sprawling acres of Benson Farmstead. I follow his gaze to appreciate the view.
White fencing leads to our three main barns. Horses roam in the pasture closest to us. The cattle are corralled on the opposite side. Numerous storage buildings are visible in the distance. Apple orchards and organic produce fields are planted beyond that. There’s plenty more where all that came from around the compound.
It’s paradise. Plain and simple. This property has been in our family for generations. That’s why I’ll never choose to live elsewhere, even though most would’ve already fled the nest by twenty-three.
Dad blinks from wherever his thoughts had wandered and offers me a weak smile.
“You’ve had quite the start to your day, kiddo. Take a load off.”
I plop down when he pats the space next to him. My mom’s presence instantly wraps around me like a warm hug. Her memory is here with us, which takes a bit of the edge off. It allows me to relax in the chair, breathing deeply for the first time since I received that phone call.
My palm pats his. “How are you holding up?”
“Me?” He scoffs. “I’m not the one who had to rescue our missing horse. When your brother called to tell me, I couldn’t believe it.”
“That was an unexpected twist.”
“Jimmy really buried himself in the shit this time.” He scrubs a hand along his weathered face.
“Any idea where he went?”
Dad shrugs. “Off the grid. He’ll resurface once he’s run out of money or ran up another tab with the wrong people.”
“I assume he’s done this before.”
A slow nod confirms my hunch. “It’s gotten worse since the divorce. Donna was smart to leave when she did, but Jimmy is unraveling without her. It’s become an addiction. I should’ve been paying more attention.”
“Is that how he got through security?”
