Page 196 of Ironwood Ranch Cowboys

Yes.

Maybe.

“I think your aunt might actually be a supervillain.”

Duke breathes out a laugh. “That’s probably the healthiest possible conclusion.” Then his expression softens. “She scare you?”

The honest answer catches in my throat. Because yes. Vivian terrified me. Like standing too close to a cliff edge and realizing gravity doesn’t care whether or not you’re ready to fall.

“She doesn’t get to decide who I am,” I say finally.

Duke looks at me for a long second. “Jeez.”

“What?”

“You really mean that.”

“I’m trying to.”

His smile is small and wrecked and so painfully fond it makes my chest ache.

Before I can recover from that, the front door of the house swings open. Silas steps out first with an expression on his face that suggests to me Duke has already filled him in. He must have texted him at some point.

Cody appears behind him a second later, expression stoic in that terrifyingly composed way he gets when he’s worried.

Instead it feels weirdly like coming home to people who noticed I was gone.

That realization alone nearly takes me out at the knees.

Duke climbs from the truck first.

“She’s fine,” he says before either brother can speak.

Silas’s eyes land on me anyway. Scanning, assessing, looking for damage.

The intensity of it hits hard after the day I’ve had.

I climb out slowly, shutting the truck door behind me.

“Nobody died,” I say lightly.

Silas doesn’t look amused.

“She had a private meeting with Aunt Vivian,” Duke says bluntly.

Okay. Apparently we’re going straight into warfare tonight.

Cody’s entire posture changes. “What?”

Silas steps closer, jaw tightening. “Why.”

“Because apparently I’m a disruptive influence on the family brand.”

Duke mutters, “Understatement of the century.”

Silas ignores him completely. “What did she say to you?”

“Can we do this inside?”