“Yes. I spoke to Dad, and he said with them expecting a child, it was the best option,” Collin said, as if it wasn’t that outrageous.
“The ink isn’t even dry on the divorce papers, and he’s living with another woman,” I hissed.
“Yeah, that didn’t take long, did it? But it’s not like Mom isn’t aware of his affairs at this point. This shouldn’t be a surprise to any of us anymore.”
Collin could be very cold about things. The first time I’d learned of my father’s affairs, I’d been devastated.
The only person I’d confided in was Axel.
It was a very difficult time in my life. My relationship with my father had completely changed after that. The only real connection we’d shared after everything that had happened waseventing. It was all we talked about, and all we really had in common.
And then he sold my horse.
So his respect for the sport was only as deep as my achievements and success.
“Are you not surprised that he’s having another child this late in life?”
“No. Men do it all the time,” Collin said. “We don’t have to worry about any sort of biological clock the way women do. And honestly, Mom filed for divorce, and she’s going to walk away with a shit ton of money. In the end, I think everyone will be happier.”
Like I said, my brother could be very cold.
I blew out a breath while my cowboy boots clanked against the sidewalk as I moved through the charming downtown. “When are you coming home?”
“We head back to the city in a few days, and then I’ll make the drive home to see you. I’ll set up a dinner with Dad so we can see how he’s doing, and I’ll request that he come without Chrissy so it can be just the three of us, all right?”
“Okay,” I said.
“I’m sorry, sis. I know things are weird for you right now, and you aren’t training and you don’t have a horse, and you’re dealing with their divorce on top of that. It’s a lot. Are you doing all right?”
“I’m fine. Have you been able to find anything out about where Wrax is?”
“I’ve got some calls out, but honestly, Wren, I think you should let it go. You won Worlds with him; he’s served his purpose. But he’s old and he’s not going to take you where you want to go. He’s tired. Let him enjoy the pasture. Time to move forward and start looking for a new horse.”
What the actual hell.
I came to a stop a few feet from the bar. “Excuse me? ‘He’s served his purpose’? Are you fucking kidding me, Collin?”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Relax. I’m just saying, you achieved something amazing together, and he’s older now. He’s probably happy being out in a field somewhere grazing and enjoying his days and not being pushed physically. That’s all I meant.”
Collin made it look effortless to be an asshole sometimes, but I’d always loved him in spite of it. But the older he got, the more selfish he appeared to be.
Cheating on Emerson Chadwick shortly before their wedding, and with her maid of honor and best friend, Farah, had shown me how low he could go.
And he’d somehow made himself the victim in that whole situation.
“Wrax is a family member to me, Collin. He’s not just a horse that I won competitions with. And he is definitely not out in some field feeling grateful that I sent him away,” I said, trying hard to contain my anger. “Not everyone is disposable.”
“Oh, wow. Now I’m the asshole?”
Yes, I’m fairly certain you’re usually the asshole.
“I’m not going to argue that.” I shrugged, because it was true.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound insensitive.” He chuckled, as if this was all a big joke. Meanwhile my life was in the shitter, my parents were getting a divorce, and nothing was a joke to me. “You know I love you, right?”
“Yes, of course. But you know how important Wrax is to me, so please don’t make light of it. Dad sold him right out from under me, and he won’t tell me where he is. You said you had people who could look into it and help me find him. If you don’t, I will do it myself. I’m going to find a way to get him back.”
A loud sigh came through the phone. “Don’t do anything. I have all my feelers out. I am looking for him, Wren. I’ve gotseveral people working on it. Just give me some time. Let’s talk about it next week when I come there.”
