“And?Jesus Christ, we’ve all got more than we can spend in a lifetime.”
“I wasn’t entitled to it.”
“So if there’d been someone else, that kid in Europe, maybe, we should shove him aside, deny him his due?”
“God no.”
“Then why you?”
* * * *
After they went to town for a new phone and to grab some groceries, he and Nathan played poker, fished, rode the range, reviewed financial statements.They stayed up late Saturday night talking over a beer.
For the first time he felt as if he had family.And he acknowledged that was because—until now—he’d kept them away.
He wasn’t sure what the hell to do with the realization, but he slept well that night, for the first time since Sofia had been in his bed last Wednesday.
“You’re a hell of a babysitter,” he told Nathan late Sunday evening as his younger brother tossed his gear in the back of his pickup truck.
“I’ll tell you this, the Donovans need your contribution.The Colonel isn’t as healthy as he wants us all to believe.See you at the next family meeting?”
After Nathan pulled away, he called his mother and asked if he could see her.Maybe it was time to ask questions, look at facts.And maybe it was time for him to put two hands up his ass and see if he could pull out his head.
Chapter Fifteen
“Men blow.”Zoe threw herself down on Sofia’s couch.
Since it was ten o’clock and Sofia was already in her robe and planning to head to bed, the knock on the door had caught her by surprise
For a moment, her heart had stopped, and she’d thought that maybe Cade had tracked her down.Then she’d chided herself for being ridiculous.
For a couple of days after she’d left the ranch, he had tried to contact her, but she’d heard nothing since.She told herself it was better that way.But she wasn’t having a lot of luck convincing herself.
After locking the door, she sat in a chair across from Zoe.“What happened?”
“I caught Todd with another woman.”
“Oh, honey.I’m sorry.Wine?Coffee?Chocolate?”
“Ice cream.”
“You got it.”Sofia had a pint of super-premium vanilla bean in the back of the freezer, just for times like these.She’d managed to avoid opening it, but it hadn’t been easy.
Figuring that no bowl would be necessary, she carried the carton and a spoon to Zoe.
Between bites, she spilled out the whole story.Todd had taken her to the nightclub for their first real date.She’d gone to the ladies’ room to freshen her lipstick, and when she’d returned, he’d been practicing his vampire moves on a voluptuous blonde.
Focusing on someone else’s problems was a balm to Sofia’s soul, and she listened to her sister for another hour before asking the obvious question.“What happened to Marcel?”
“He works so many hours.He’s never really available”
“So what are the things that matter to you in a man, in a relationship?”
Zoe rambled, and even though she glanced at her phone when it lit up, she was strong enough to avoid Todd’s first few text apologies.
“So, someone more like our father or more like a John McBride?”
“Way to go straight for the jugular, sis.”
