“Yes.That he does.He always has thought that was his job.And for a long time, it almost was.His mom was really sick when Claudia and Clancy and Cloe were younger.Cal stepped up.Helped take care of all of them, even though he was a grown man at the time.He was there for his family when they needed him.He’d walk over fire to get to one of his sisters or Cadell if they needed him.He just gets under my skin, Jan.He just gets under my skin.”
She had forgotten that.After the day he tried to buy the ranch.She’d been so angry with him then—but she had known Calloway her entire life, it seemed.And he had always been there for the ones he loved.Always.
She’d seen that for herself time and time again.She’d just forgotten the kind of man he was, hadn’t she?
“I think,” Jan said, sitting up.“I think it’s because this is scary.Boysare scary.You never know what to say with them, and they can change everything.”
“Truer words have never been spoken.”Auggie hugged her sister.“Thanks for talking with me tonight.You’ve helped me figure out a few things.”
“Like what?”
“Like no matter what happens between me and Cal—I know one thing is true.I can trust him with you girls, and with Em and Junie, too.No matter what.He would never hurt any of you.There is nothing that matters more.I trust him with the ones I love most.”
She thought about that after January left for her own room up the hall.
She trusted Cal withwhoshe loved most.
And there was real power in that.
She just didn’t know what to do with that knowledge now.
18
Great.Kameron was around again.Jacob had been hoping to not have to deal with his brother for a while.
His brother was still wearing his fucking tie from his precious day at the office or something.Didn’t Kameron look all special?Jacob wanted to spit right in his brother’s face, for looking around the house Jacob shared with their dad like that.Like Kameron was so much better.
Well, they’d come from the same exact place.
Calloway Fucking Grady and Augusta Tyler owned those two places now.
And now they were screwing around.It had been hard to miss at the damned dance two nights ago.They’d have everything—everyone knew Augusta worked for that cousin who’d inherited everything Vince Preston or whatever in the hell the guy’s name was had had.Millions.
That Tyler asshole had inheritedmillions.
Jacob remembered Gil, all right.They’d run into each other before.If Gil hadn’t come with a damned sidekick that day, Jacob would have taken him down.No problems.
But Tylers always traveled together and fought together.Always had each other’s backs.
Not like Kameron had ever had his.
Probably because they didn’t have the same mom or anything.
After they’d lost the ranch when Jacob had been like six,hismom had taken off.But Kameron had moved in with his mother for the next three years.He was eight years older than Jacob and hadn’t wanted to leave his mommy behind.
Jacob had always thought his brother was a big pussy.
All prissy and acting so smug.Kameron finished college—other than that, Masterson County.Same as Jacob.
Kameron wasn’t any better than he was.Kameron had just got lucky that his mom had given him money to buy those first two houses and everything a few years ago.
“She dump your ass yet?”
“Who?You seeing someone, Kam?”their dad asked.He was still wearing his mechanic’s uniform.His dad had worked for Monroe Tyler for two years now, but at least the asshole let his dad pick up tow jobs on the side.Not all of his father’s old bosses would let him do that.But his dad liked working for this guy.
Jacob thought every Tyler in the county was a total dumbass, but his dad had to pay the bills on this castle of theirs somehow—all eight hundred fifty-eight square feet of it.
Not like they lived in a cushy three-story in the heart of Masterson.Right there across from the inn, or anything.Not like precious Kameron.Why did a single guy need six fucking bedrooms like that?
