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“When is Walter’s funeral?” I asked as he cut the engine.
“Day after tomorrow, although I need to double check the details.” He opened his door and I could tell how upset he was as well.
I was quiet as I followed him to the house, fighting the nerves that threatened to derail the afternoon. I wasn’t entirely certain how I felt about being alone with him again. While a part of me had wanted to run into him given what we’d shared, I was terrified to care about anyone.
“Make yourself at home while I change.” He started to walk away then stopped, turning to face me. “I’m curious. Did you leave a platter here?”
“Brownies. Walter loved my brownies. I made him a batch two days before he died.”
“Mmm… I have your plate for you. Who knows. Maybe one day you’ll make me a batch of those brownies.”
“They’re not fancy.”
“That’s just fine by me. I’ll be right back.”
I realized that the few times I’d been inside Walter’s house, we’d spent time in the kitchen and nowhere else. I headed into the living room, brushing my fingers across the back of the soft leather couch. The place had suited Walter, comfortable and easygoing. I noticed the photographs on the mantel and was drawn to them. With Walter having told me so little about his family, I almost felt as if I was prying.
As I glanced from one to the other, a single photograph drew my attention. I picked up the frame, smiling as I studied the young man sitting on top of a huge horse. There was no mistaking the person in the picture.
Sensing his presence, I took a deep breath.
“I told you I might have a few surprises up my sleeve.”
His deep, husky voice was just as thrilling as it had been the night before during the explosive passion we’d shared, the man refusing to take no for an answer. I was thrown by the heat he emitted, the rush of desire that had no place in my life.
“This is you, isn’t it?”
“Yes. I lived here for almost a year with my grandfather. It was back when he didn’t own but a few acres, the ranch little more than a few horses, a stable that he allowed a few clients to keep their animals in.”
“Why didn’t he mention you?”
He took the picture from my hand, staring at his image as if he was seeing a ghost. “Because I was forced back into a world he wanted no part of. Because I was a kid trying to make my way in a powerful regime where family was considered a weakness. Because I was forced to listen and heed to my father’s wishes, forgetting everything Walter taught me about nature, the land, animals. All of it.”
The bitterness for his father was obvious. I’d grown up without a father, yet I couldn’t imagine having one who wanted to control my life. No wonder the man was guarded, angry with the world. That didn’t mean I could risk falling under his spell.
“That’s why he left you the ranch,” I said it more in passing but I was certain of it. Walter had wanted his grandson to regain what he’d lost.
He placed the photograph back on the mantel lovingly, taking a few seconds to continue staring at it. “Yes. I think you’re right.”
“And you have a brother?”
“I do. Jackson is a couple years younger than me and doesn’t remember Walter at all.”
“That’s very sad, Sebastian. Walter was such an enigmatic man. I always wondering about his family, but it was a sore point with him. You should introduce Jackson to the ranch.”
“Maybe you’re right.”
“I’m always right.”
The sound of his laugh was just as enticing as the man himself. “I know, Jessie. The time I spent with Walter was the best in my life. It was so unexpected, the memories something I consider special. The truth is he taught me how to be a man.”
“Not your father.”
He chuckled but in a way that told me he also didn’t get along with his dad very well. “My father taught me how to be a ruthless businessman. There’s a difference.”
“Why did he leave me something in his will?”
“It’s obvious you were special to him.”
