“No shit, Sherlock. Y’all really think I’m that dumb? Of course, I knew. I followed your career for years, just didn’t say anything outta respect for my daughter,” Dad said, jerking his chin my way.
Understanding dawned as I thought back to that day. Dad’s memory had never been great, and I’d been too shocked to think straight, so when he said he didn’t recognize Grady, I hadn’t questioned it.
Of course, he knew.
Of course, he was the puppet-master pulling all our strings.
“When my buddy Frank wrote me that letter before he died last spring, I didn’t realize the chain reaction it was gonna set off by inviting Lincoln down here,” he continued, glancing at Josie. “Y’all getting together was a happy accident. I mean, I was hoping he’d run your piece of shit ex off, but I didn’t expect all this. Seeing y’all got the wheels turning, though. I started paying closer attention to each of you girls.” His gaze slid to Lennox and Bishop, who were both staring at Dad with wide eyes. “Don’t give me that look. Y’all were about as subtle as a house on fire. It was easy to push you together.”
“But how?” Bishop whispered, clearly confused.
“I needed to get y’all working together on the ranch without killing one another, but I didn't have a reason until I wound up in the hospital,” he said with a grimace. “That wasn’t part of my plan, but I worked with what I had, and, well, look at y’all now. You’re welcome, by the way.”
Lennox’s jaw dropped. “Oh my god, you were playingmatchmakerthis whole time?”
“What? Like it’s hard?” Dad asked. He turned toward me, hands braced on his hips. “You two were the biggest pains in my ass, though. At one point, I thought y’all were a lost cause, too damn stubborn to see what was right in front of you. Guess I was wrong.”
I stood there, trying to wrap my mind around everything happening. “Let me get this straight… You paid for my ex-boyfriend and his band to play at your birthday party in an attempt to get us together?”
“Sure did.”
“But you didn’t even know about my divorce.”
“You’d been in Texas for months, sugar. You wouldn’t have stayed unless y’all were splittin’ up. Plus, you stopped wearing your ring. I may be old, but I know damn well when a woman takes off her wedding ring, there’s no going back.”
“Douglas Hayes!” Mom exclaimed, smacking his arm. “I can’t believe this. Why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve helped!”
“Well, honey… I love you, but you would’ve meddled too much and scared everyone off.” He shrugged, clearly not seeing any faults in his argument. Granted, neither did I. He was right; Mom really was the type to meddle. “Plus, you didn’t ask. If you had?—”
“I didn’t know I needed to!” she shrieked.
“Oh, boy,” Lincoln said, laughing. “Good thing you have that big, empty house, huh, Doug? Just you and Ruby. Alone. Forever.”
Mom’s lips twitched at the joke, but she quickly composed herself and continued staring at our dad like he’d just run over her garden with the lawnmower. She wasn’t quick to forgive, either. Dad would likely be hearing about this for years to come.
“Well, shit.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Too late to ask you girls to move home? We’ve got plenty of room.”
Bishop reached for Lennox, tugging her against his chest. “Sorry, Doug. This one is mine.”
“Yeah,” Lincoln agreed, following suit with Josie and Stella. He stared down at them like they were the only things that mattered. “Guess I should be thanking you for giving me these beautiful ladies.”
“Kiss ass,” Lennox muttered as Bishop kissed the top of her head.
I looked at Grady, whose bright blue eyes shone with unshed tears. He opened his arms, and I leaned into his embrace. “Thank you for meddling, Daddy,” I whispered.
Dad turned to Mom. “You can’t be too mad. Look at our girls.” He held out a hand with a raised brow, practically begging for her to argue with him. She took it and let him pull her close. “And think about all the things we could do now that?—”
“Nope! I’ve heard enough,” Lennox said, breaking free ofBishop’s hold. “I draw the line at listening to y’all talk about your sex lives.”
“Well, if that ain’t the pot calling the kettle black,” I murmured, stepping forward and glancing at everyone around me.
While I was making the best choice for myself, I couldn’t deny I’d miss this—missthem. My chest ached, and eyes stung as I fought off tears. The sadness I felt wasn’t tied to regret, but rather the knowledge that this road was one I had to walk alone. It was uncomfortable, but in an exciting way, knowing I was about to discover who I really was for the first time.
“Oh, Cleo,” Mom said softly, opening her arms. “Come here, baby.”
Quickly striding forward, I hugged her and let the tears fall as she stroked my back. It wasn’t long before Dad joined in, and then both of my sisters. I was sure I felt Lincoln in the mix, and Bishop, too, though the bastard would likely never admit it.
“We’re so proud of you,” Dad whispered, giving me a squeeze. A chorus of agreements echoed his words. If they hadn’t been supporting me, I likely would have fallen to the ground and wept.
