I hold my ground. I don’t step back.
“She left because she wanted more,” I say. The words are steady. “She wanted a life outside of this ranch. She wanted to be a vet, not just a wife. And you know what? That takes guts.”
“And who told you that? Her?” he asks.
“Billy did,” Tex says softly.
Joey scoffs. “It took cowardice.”
“No,” I say. “It took ambition. And you know what else? You’re doing the exact same thing.”
Joey freezes. The smoke from his cigarette drifts between us, a gray ribbon.
“What did you say?”
“You left,” I say. I don’t stop. I’m on a roll now. The truth is pouring out, ugly and raw. “You travel the circuit. You’re barely home. You’re looking for something better, Joey. You’re chasing a high that isn’t this ranch. You want to be a champion, not a rancher. You want more.”
I step into his space.
“You’re just like her,” I say. “The only difference is she had the courage to admit it.”
The silence stretches. It’s heavy. Dangerous.
Joey’s face twists. He looks at me like he’s never seen me before.
“I can’t believe you,” he says. “You’re defending her? After everything she did to Billy?”
“Yes.”
“Of course you are,” Joey sneers. He shakes his head. “You always were spineless, Seth. You always just went along with whatever Billy wanted. Whatever Tex wanted. You’re the doormat of this family.”
I feel the sting of it, but I don’t let it show.
“Don’t talk to him like that,” Tex says. He steps up beside me, his shoulder brushing mine. “Seth has done more for this ranch in the last year than you have in five. He’s held us together while you were out playing cowboy.”
“Playing cowboy?” Joey laughs harshly. “I’m making a career. I’m making money.”
“And ignoring your brothers,” Tex counters. “Ignoring the fact that we were drowning in work and trying to keep this place afloat. Seth was here. I was here. You were gone.”
Joey looks between us. He sees the united front. He sees that his usual tactics—divide and conquer—aren’t working.
And then, his eyes narrow. He looks at Tex. Then at me. He sees something in our faces. A tension we haven’t hidden well enough.
“Wait,” he says. He drops his cigarette, grinding it into the dirt with his boot. He points a finger at me. “You’re not just defending her because you’re a good brother, are you?”
My stomach drops.
“You’ve got a hard-on for her too,” Joey says. It’s not a question.
I don’t answer. I don’t have to.
Joey turns to Tex. “And you? You too?”
Tex’s jaw ticks. He looks away.
Joey bursts out laughing. It’s a hysterical, incredulous sound. He slaps his thigh.
“Are you kidding me?” he shouts. “All three of you? You’re all panting after the same girl?”
