“I hope you told him to fuck off,” Shane said.
“Hell yeah. But that’s the night the horses got out. And now someone broke into the shed? It’s got to be related.” I got up to help Paisley pour the coffee and carry the mugs over to the table. “I can’t help but think this is somehow my fault. That maybe you’d be better off without me here.”
Paisley sucked in a breath. “Why would you think that?”
Shane crossed his arms over his chest. “Don’t flatter yourself, brother. You’re just the first to settle here. There are going to be others, and I have no intention of letting this land go. It’s been in my family for generations.”
“I don’t want to cause any trouble—” I started.
“You’re family, asshole.” Shane slapped his palm down on the table. “That means we’ve got each other's backs. You just need to be honest with me and tell me about this shit from now on.”
“You got it.” Knowing he believed me filled my chest with a steely resolve. We were in this together and would face whatever threats came our way.
“I’m going to go check the rest of the buildings. We’ll figure out a plan in the morning.” Shane pushed back from the table and stood.
I got up as well. “I’ll come with you.”
His gaze jumped from me to Paisley. “I can handle it. Looks like you already have your hands full here.”
Paisley’s cheeks turned a bright shade of pink, almost as dark as her robe.
I set my hand on her shoulder. “We’ve got a little catching up to do.”
Shane grinned. “He’s a good man, Paisley. I wouldn’t have opened up my home to him if I didn’t believe that.”
“Thanks, man.” I walked him to the door of the bunkhouse and locked it behind him. Then I turned back to the woman sitting at the table—the woman who deserved to know the truth about my past.
“Why didn’t you tell me what happened while we were in town?” she asked. I expected an accusation, but she seemed curious, not angry that I hadn’t shared.
I took her hand and led her over to the couch. “This might take a while. Will you sit with me?”
We settled onto the cushions, me on my back and her snuggled into my side. Once I’d pulled the thick hand-knit blanket over us, I started to talk.
“Shane and I met in prison. We even shared a cell for a while. I’d been there for a few years already when he showed up and had pretty much convinced myself I deserved to rot there forever for what I did.” I slid my hand under the edge of her robe and made small circles on her shoulder. She deserved to know the truth, but that didn’t mean it would be easy to tell her.
“I was involved in an armed robbery right after I turned eighteen.” My pulse thundered in my ears. I’d never opened uplike this to anyone. Even though Paisley didn’t seem like she’d pass judgement, I didn’t want her to think less of me.
“I’d been seeing this girl and her brothers asked if I’d give them a ride up to the gas station on the corner to pick up some beer. Turns out they pulled a gun on the cashier and made out with a couple hundred bucks. When they ran out of the store and jumped in the car, they yelled at me to drive, so I did.”
“But you didn’t know you were committing a crime.” Paisley’s brows knit together. “Doesn’t that count for anything?”
“Yeah. It’s why my sentence wasn’t longer. They shot the guy in the leg. I should have known better. Both of them had records, but nothing like armed robbery. Still, I never should have agreed to take them anywhere.” Shame coursed through me. Trying to focus on something good, I smoothed my palm over her hair. It looked like spun gold with the way the light from the kitchen fixture danced across the strands.
“It’s not your fault.”
“Maybe not the robbery, but I didn’t turn them in. My girlfriend begged me not to. Then one of them got caught bragging about it in a bar and decided to take me down with him. You deserve to know the kind of man I am, Paisley.” I bit down on my lip and waited for her reaction. She had every right to toss me out and tell me she never wanted to see me again. It’s what my mom and stepdad did when I showed up at home after I got released.
“People change, Aiden. You were what, eighteen at the time?”
My jaw clenched tight, I nodded.
“If you had it to do over again, would you handle it any different?” She propped her chin up on my chest and stared at me.
I forced myself to meet her gaze. “Hopefully, I’d be smart enough to not put myself in that situation. And if I did, I would have left their sorry asses in the parking lot while I called 9-1-1.”
“See?” She pushed herself up until she hovered over me, her lips not more than an inch away. “You’re not a bad person. You made a bad choice, but you learned from it.”
The pressure in my chest eased. “Does that mean you don’t want me to leave?”
