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Caroline just sat quietly, looking pale and sad. A well-trained puppet.
‘I suppose my daughter forgot to mention that she was committed to in-patient psychiatric care as a teenager for the same outlandish tall tales?’
TJ didn’t flinch.
It was Janey whose eyes snapped to Holden’s face and darkened. ‘I think it would be best if you left now,’ she said coolly.
TJ put one booted foot on the first step of the porch, leaned his forearms on his raised knee, and very quietly, very clearly said, ‘You have one minute to get in your vehicle and leave. After that, I will physically remove you myself. And I will not be gentle.’
Ryan wordlessly stood and came to TJ’s side.
‘Holden—’
Whatever Caroline had been about to say was cut off by Holden’s brutal grip on her fingers. His parents might not have noticed it, but TJ did. Because he was looking. Because he knew.
Holden shook his head. ‘I was hoping to make things right with my daughter. But I can see that this was the wrong way to go about it.’ He stood, pulling Caroline to her feet with that same steel grip. ‘We’ll just be on our way.’
TJ looked away, taking a moment to regain himself. ‘I’m going to say this once: do not reach out to her again. Do not leave her any more calls or notes.’
He noticed the surprised glance Caroline shot her husband – and the fact that Holden didn’t ever, not even once, look at his wife.
‘If you do, you’ll deal with me.’
‘I hardly think that threats are necessary,’ Holden replied, his apparent insult and astonishment clear. ‘This was clearly a mistake.’ But again, TJ noticed that Holden still had the clarity of mind to flash a pained smile at Ryan and Janey. ‘I’m sorry for the drama. As I said, I was only hoping to see my daughter, to apologize.’
Holden and Caroline walked past TJ to their rental car, a silver Bentley. Although it was hard not to follow them all the way to the goddamn car door, TJ turned and watched them leave. Caroline, pale and withdrawn. Holden, perfectly playing confused and offended.
When they drove back down the driveway, TJ watched, making sure they didn’t try to stop and talk to Skye.
They exited the farm without so much as slowing as they passed her truck.
The moment they had left, his dad asked, ‘TJ, what on earth is going on?’
TJ turned to face his parents again. They both looked concerned, but where his dad was clearly confused by his hostile behaviour, his mom’s eyes were blazing with rage.
‘It was him?’ she deduced.
‘Holden – Skye’s father – is the one who abused her. For years. Her entire childhood.’ TJ looked into his dad’s eyes so that Ryan knew there was no doubt. ‘He’s dangerous to her. Don’t let him back here.’
While his dad digested that, TJ looked at his mom.
She just cocked one hip. ‘I’ve never known a loving parent who’d brandish their child’s traumatic mental health history to buy strangers’ sympathy.’
‘He’s a snake in the grass,’ TJ affirmed. But he looked back to where Skye’s truck sat, idling in the driveway with her inside. ‘This is going to hit her hard. She wasn’t prepared.’
‘Yes,’ his mom agreed. But she walked to him, placed one palm on his face when she added, ‘Bring her in, baby. We’ll fix her up.’
‘I’ll see to the horses,’ his dad said.
Their instant concern, their immediate and unquestionable loyalty, was stark by comparison just then. It prompted TJ to say, ‘You know, I don’t think I ever thanked you.’
‘For what?’ his mom asked.
‘For supporting me in everything I did, even when you didn’t necessarily understand or agree with my decisions.’ He shrugged. ‘For loving Julia and me so fiercely. For being good parents. I always took you for granted because, until I met Skye, that was my only experience of parenthood. I’m sorry for not appreciating that.’
His mom frowned. ‘You kids are our greatest joy, TJ. You don’t have to thank us for that.’ She waved him off. ‘Go on, now. Get your girl.’
TJ walked back down the driveway slowly, thinking over how to approach Skye just then, and settled on the direct approach because it had worked when she’d knocked the barrel in Bismarck. But the moment he opened the passenger door and saw her, so still and pale, he knew it wasn’t what she needed.
