“You should have told me the moment you walked in!”
If something happened to my dad…
I pushed him out of the way and hurried out into the hall.
“Matty, wait.”
But I ignored him. I had to get to my truck, had to get to the clinic to see how Dad was really doing. I threw the door shut behind me and took the porch steps two at a time, gravel crunching beneath my boots as I charged toward my truck.
My lungs burned, but not from the sprint—from the panic clawing up my throat. Dad. Kicked in the goddamnhead. I’d seen horse injuries before. I knew what a hoof could do to bone.
I couldn’t think. Couldn’t feel anything but the sick weight curling in my gut.
“Matty!” Ozzie’s voice rang out behind me, but I didn’t stop. Not for him. Not now.
Footsteps pounded the gravel. He was running after me, and part of me wanted to turn around and tell him to stay out of this. This wasmyfather. Not his. He was just the homewrecker who would fuck up our family dynamics even more.
Carter barely came to the ranch already. He would never show up now. How could I have a decent relationship with my brother when we never saw each other? I had no delusion that my parents would reconcile, but it should have been us three at least. Carter, Dad, and me. Like it’d always been.
Ozzie caught up at the truck and grabbed my arm. “Matty, slow down.”
I jerked free without looking at him. “I don’t have time for this.” My voice came out colder than I meant, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t afford warmth right now. Not with the way my heart was tearing itself to pieces.
“Please take me with you.”
“That’s not a good idea. Why would I take you?” I didn’t mean for it to sound cruel, but it was automatic. A defense.
“You know damn well why. If anything happens to him?—”
“You heard Hudson. He’s fine.”
Please let that be true. Let him be fine. Let Hudson not be lying through his damn teeth to keep me from falling apart.
“I also heard him say Gray was kicked in the head by ahorse. Please. I know you don’t like me, but please. I care about him so much. I love him.”
That made me stop.
I turned and looked at him. Really looked. His eyes were wide and shining, and I didn’t know if the glisten there was desperation or love or maybe some cocktail of the two. And dammit, he looked like he meant it.
I didn’t want to admit it. Didn’t want to let him in.
But Dad loved this man. And this man, hell, he looked like he was going to crumble if I left him behind.
Fucking hell.
I didn’t want to have any soft feelings toward him. Carter and I were blood. I had his back. That was the pact we’d made when I was ten. I couldn’t condone this relationship.
I let out a long, ragged breath and scrubbed a hand down my face. Why were people so fucking complicated?
“Fine.” My fingers fumbled the key into the lock. I popped the passenger side open and nodded toward the seat. “Just…stay out of the way. Don’t make a scene. It’ll be odd that you’re there when you’re not family.”
“I promise I won’t make a scene.”
I didn’t answer. Just waited until he got in and pulled the seat belt across with shaking hands like it was the only thing anchoring him. I shut the door, walked around, and slid into the driver’s side. My fingers trembled on the wheel. I didn’t let it show.
I had to be strong. For Dad. For the family. Even for him.
“Thank you,” Ozzie whispered.
