“Then what is it like?” She wiped at her eyes, her voice cracking. “Because from where I’m standing, my brother sold himself to save me, and now he’s playing house with some criminal who?—”
“He’s not forcing me to do anything,” I interrupted, my voice coming out louder than I’d intended. The words echoed across the empty pasture, and I forced myself to lower my volume. “We haven’t... we’re not...” I ran a hand through my hair, frustrated. “It’s complicated.”
“Complicated how?”
How the hell was I supposed to explain this? That I’d started the marriage hating him, terrified of him, but now I was lying in his bed holding his hand? That when I’d seen him go down under that heifer, something in my chest had cracked open? That I was starting to feel things I had no business feeling?
“He’s not what I expected,” I said finally. “He’s actually trying, Heather. Learning the ranch, doing the work. And when that cow charged...” I trailed off, remembering the look in his eyes right before impact. No hesitation. No calculation. Just pure instinct to protect me.
“So what? He did one decent thing and now you’re defending him?” She shook her head, disbelief written across her face. “Nick, this is Stockholm Syndrome or something. He trapped you in this situation, and now you’re?—”
“I’m what?” The anger was back, sharp and defensive. “Grateful that someone actually gave enough of a damn about me to risk their life? Yeah, maybe I am.”
Heather flinched like I’d slapped her. “That’s not fair.”
“Isn’t it?” The words were pouring out now, weeks of pent-up frustration finally finding a target. “You were ready to sacrifice yourself for this family. You were going to marry him, have hiskids, give up your whole life. But the second it was me instead, you were relieved. Don’t think I didn’t see it on your face at the courthouse.”
“That’s not—I didn’t want either of us to have to?—”
“But you’re glad it wasn’tyou.” I took a step closer, my voice dropping. “And you know what? I’m glad it wasn’t you too. Because at least I can handle this. At least I’m strong enough to?—”
“To what? Fix him? Make him a better person? Give up his life of crime?” Her eyes were blazing now, tears forgotten. “That’s pathetic, Nick. And you know it.”
“What the fuck do you know about it?!” I cried, rage bubbling over. “Were you the one that had to take over all the ranch duties when all our help was fired? Were you the one that had to drive cattle with Dad in blizzards and thunderstorms, and God knows what else? No! Because you’re the baby of the family and our parents have always treated you with kid gloves.”
“That’s not fair and you know it, Nicholas,” she barked. “I had to work too. I helped on the ranch just like you did.”
“By the time you started helping, we were already fucked,” I shot back. “I’ve been doing a full day’s work since I was twelve years old. You’ve been helping out since you dropped out of college.” I took a step closer, my voice rough with anger. “I’ve always been the sacrifice, the one that has to give up everything for this place. So why should this time be any fucking different?”
Heather’s face crumpled, and I instantly regretted the words. But I couldn’t take them back. They hung between us like poison.
“You think I don’t know that?” she whispered. “You think I don’t carry that guilt every single day? That it should’ve been me helping out around here? Me in that courthouse? Me in thatbedwith him?” Her voice broke. “I would’ve done it, Nick. I was ready to do it. But you stepped in before I could even?—”
“Because you’re my baby sister.” My anger was deflating, leaving behind something hollow and tired. “Because protecting you is what I do. What I’ve always done.”
“And who protects you?” The question came out soft, almost broken. “Who takes care of Nick?”
I thought about Dante’s hand in mine. The way he’d thrown himself between me and that heifer without hesitation. The concern in his eyes when he asked if I was okay, even as he lay there with fractured ribs.
“Maybe he does,” I said quietly. “Maybe that’s what I’m trying to figure out.”
Heather stared at me for a long moment, her expression cycling through disbelief, hurt, and something that might’ve been understanding. Then she shook her head.
“Nick… are you… are you serious?”
“I don’t know,” I said, throwing my hands up in the air. “But he saved me from that cow when he could’ve easily let me die and kept the ranch. What else am I supposed to think?”
“Do youcareabout him now?”
I couldn’t bring myself to even look at her, much less answer.
“Because that’s what’s happening, isn’t it? You’re actually starting to care about him.”
The accusation hit too close to home. I opened my mouth to deny it, to tell her she was crazy, but the words wouldn’t come. Because maybe she was right. Maybe I was falling for him, as fucked up as that was.
“It doesn’t matter what I feel,” I said quietly. “This is my life now. This is the choice I made.”
“You didn’thavea choice.”
