She squeezed her eyes shut as the insides of her head burned, scattering her thoughts every which way.
“Are you okay?” Melisa patted Cait’s hand. “Maybe she’s getting tired. We should let her rest.”
“Something’s not adding up.” Grady rubbed his chin. “Why is Brian at the police station instead of here with us? What’s so important?”
“I totaled his car,” Cait said. “He’s probably dealing with the insurance company.”
“On a Sunday night?” Cait’s mother exclaimed. “There’s nothing more important than you.”
“If the police are questioning him,” Grady said. “It means they suspect foul play. Were there any witnesses?”
“I don’t know.” Cait slapped the bed. “I can’t remember what happened. I was trying to stop, but the brakes weren’t working.”
“Like someone tampered with them.” Grady’s steely gaze parked momentarily on each family member before moving to the next one. “The police might suspect Brian.”
“Wait, hold it right there,” Connor said, stepping forward. “That’s an awfully big jump. Why would Brian mess up his own brakes?”
“Maybe he wants to get Cait out of the way.” Grady, always the conspiracy theorist, crossed his arms.
“Brian wouldn’t hurt anyone,” Larry said. “Least of all Cait. He loves her.”
“He does not,” Grady retorted. “You guys are all blind because he’s your buddy, but not me. Brian’s plain weird. You never see him join in any of the games we play, and he never goes out with Cait. He’s always hiding in the corner on his computer.”
“Grady, stop making accusations.” Their father blew through his beard. “Brian’s family, and just because he’s different doesn’t make him guilty. He’s a good firefighter, reliable, and goes above his duty to help the team.”
“That’s all an act,” Grady said. “Just like the flowers he bought. He’s never bought Cait flowers before, has he?”
“Well, no,” Cait admitted.
“Right, so the flowers were a cover-up. He wanted to use them to act surprised when you weren’t home. I thought it was strange how he brought the flowers in with a sneaky grin on his face.”
“Grady, stop.” Father shot Grady a stern look. “Your sister needs to rest. Don’t make her feel worse.”
“It’s okay, Dad,” Cait said. “Grady’s right. Brian’s never brought me flowers before. He may be feeling guilty for leaving me in the rain.”
“Exactly.” Grady jutted his jaw as if he’d scored a point. “Don’t you find it strange that Cait was driving his car and he took her Toyota?”
“Enough,” Father said. “We’re not getting anywhere with this speculation. The important thing is Cait’s okay. The rest doesn’t matter.”
“She should know how nuts her husband is.” Grady hooked an arm around a pretty woman with red-brown hair. “Jumping to conclusions and pushing my date around.”
“You punched him already,” Connor said. “No foul, no harm.”
“Wait, what did Brian do?” Cait’s pulse throbbed behind her ears. “Why was he pushing your date around?”
“He thought she was you,” Nadine explained. “And that you were kissing another man, which turned out to be Grady.”
Cait glared at her dark-haired brother Grady. “And you punched him? Why do you hate him?”
“Because he’s not good enough for you.” Grady’s face darkened. He looked around the room. “I don’t know why the rest of you can’t see it, but Brian doesn’t want to be in this family. He’s always off by himself.”
“He’s an introvert,” Cait said. “We’re too noisy and loud for him. We probably drive him crazy, and now that Mom and Dad are living with us, he has no place to hide other than the cabin.”
“You made my point,” Grady said. “He’s not really part of the family. He’s weird. That’s all I can say, and he doesn’t treat you the way we Hart men treat our women. I mean, where is he right now? Why isn’t he the first person to rush to your bedside?”
Grady’s words hit a sore spot in Cait’s heart. She blinked and looked away from him. From the sympathetic expressions pasted on the rest of her family’s faces, it was obvious they all felt sorry for her—being in a loveless marriage with a man who was absent more often than not.
“What do you want me to do about it now?” Cait wiped her eyes. “I’ve just had a scare. I totaled Brian’s car, and I’m all bruised and banged up.”
