“It’s my business if my brother’s fiancé runs off with the help.”
I turned to Ozzie, giving him my best cut-you-dead look. “You’re not stupid enough to fall for his tricks, are you? Youshould be aware he’s known for pretending, so don’t get your hopes up with this one.”
Hudson planted his hands on my chest and shoved me, hard. But not hard enough to hurt. I knew what he was capable of when he really tried. Like that night I’d left campus, took a plane across state, and returned home just to confront him about marrying Heather.
At first, he hadn't fought back, but when he’d seen I wasn’t letting up, he’d damn well put up a good fight. It was the first time we’d bruised each other with hate instead of love.
“Fuck you, Matty. Don’t bring Ozzie into this.”
“Youbrought him into this.”
Our chests were inches apart. His eyes were dark with fury. Mine probably weren’t much better. It was a miracle I hadn’t thrown a punch yet, but I was close.
“Will you guys just kiss already?” Ozzie blurted, all nervous laughter.
We both turned to him, and I scowled. He flinched. Good. He should.
“I ain’t got nothing more to say to you.” I switched my attention back to Hudson. “Get off my ranch.”
Hudson snorted. “I don’t work for you.”
“But someday you will,” I bit out before I could stop myself, the words laced with venom. “And then your ass will be mine.” I realized only too late what I’d said. Heat flooded my face. “I—I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.”
Hudson smirked. That same cocky, aggravating smirk that had once made my heart flip. Now it made my jaw clench.
“In your dreams, cowboy.” He tipped his hat. “See you around, Ozzie.”
He turned on his heel and strutted away, leaving dust and silence in his wake.
I watched him go, fists curled tight at my sides, chest burning. Something in me wanted to chase after him, demand he explain what he was doing with Ozzie. Was he on to his next conquest since his wife left him?
But I didn’t budge.
“Stay away from him,” I barked at Ozzie. “He’s not for you.”
Ozzie pursed his lips. “And he won’t be for you either if you keep being so nasty to him. And to me.”
The air punched out of my lungs. I hid my surprise behind a scoff. Was I so transparent that he knew how much Hudson affected me?
“You know why I don’t like you, Ozzie?” What he didn’t know was that when I was backed into a corner, I punched hard. “Because you have this sweet butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-your-mouth crap going on, but you don’t fool me. You were only here one night, and you were already fooling around with someone else.”
His eyes went wide. His hand flew to his mouth. Guilt was written all over his face. I would never forget that morning I’d bumped into him with straw in his hair like he’d rolled right out of the hayloft. And out from beneath someone.
“You don’t understand,” he said softly, but the redness of his face told me all I needed to know.
They all made me sick. Him. Hudson. Hudson’s wife. Was no one sincere anymore? Why did they all cheat? The first man I’d been with had cast me aside for someone better after I gave him everything he wanted.
“What’s there to understand?” My voice rose as the anger billowed inside me. I was mad at Ozzie, sure, butsome twisted part of me knew I was yelling at more than just him.
It wasHudson’sface I kept seeing in those blinking moments between my words. The same stunned, guilty look he’d worn that day I confronted him. The day everything fell apart. Ozzie just happened to be standing in the blast zone. “You’re a whore who sleeps around on your fiancé, and my brother might be an ass, but he doesn’t deserve that.”
“Matty, enough!” Dad’s voice cut through the air like a blade, sharp and full of warning.
I froze. The fury in me flickered but didn’t go out.
Maybe I crossed the line, but he deserved to hear it.
Dad made a beeline for Ozzie, reaching out for him, but Ozzie stepped back. I knew guilt when I encountered it, and he wore it like a big scarlet letter stitched across his chest, bold and burning, announcing to the world exactly what kind of man he was.
