Impotent fury balled Ruthie’s hands and she glared. “He needs a safe place to recover, but you want to kick him out on the street. I had to come to try to reason with you.”
“I haven’t spoken to him in years. Wherever he is, it has nothing to do with me.”
“It does! You know he’s comfortable in that house. It’s the only roof he’s got right now. He’s too sick to work. So if he leaves there, where is he supposed to go?”
“Again, not my problem—but you’re saying you’ve been told to get out of Connie’s house?”
It was clear to Pixie that he knew nothing about it.
“Bills have to be paid.” Ruthie sounded petulant now.
“You were supposed to forward all of Connie’s mail to Erin. She hasn’t sent me anything, so I’m guessing you didn’t do that?”
“I don’t deal with that uppity bitch. Besides, it’s the tax bill and more. Are you saying you’d pay them?”
Brogan considered her. “How much more?”
“We have to be out in a week.”
“Wait.” Brogan unfolded his arms, his tone incredulous as he asked, “You’re being evicted?” A short disbelieving laughhuffed out of him. “More than the taxes. So, what else? Gas, electric, insurance?”
Ruthie stiffened.
With a snort, he asked, “Garbage pickup?”
“It’s not our house! It’s yours.”
He ran a hand over his face. “You and Brian are living there.”
“We were taking care of the baby. We should have been paid and we weren’t.”
“Taking care of her?” Anger propelled him forward. “You neglected her.”
“It didn’t hurt her to cry a little! Connie spoiled her.”
From the front porch, Pixie saw the cords in Brogan’s neck tighten. His shoulders stiffened, his biceps bunched. Through his teeth, he said, “You can’t spoil an infant—” He broke off with a shake of his head. “I’m not discussing Shayna with you. There’s no point to it. I have her and you’re never getting her back.”
“Court might see it otherwise,” she said with shrewd manipulation.
“Give it up, Ruth. I’m not playing your game.”
That really seemed to set her off. “I go by Ruthie, and you damn well know it!”
“Call yourself whatever you want. Make any threat you want. It won’t change the outcome. No one is paying you a dime.”
“You owe me!”
“If you get kicked out, it’s not my doing. Not yet anyway. I’d planned to settle that mess later, after the summer. Sounds like bill collectors will take care of it for me.”
“Then you’ll lose out, too!”
He lifted one shoulder, as if he really didn’t care.
Pixie thought about everything she’d just heard. Brogan had sidestepped other issues to put Connie’s wishes first. He’d brought Shayna to introduce her to Andy in the hope that shecould form a bond with her brother. Dealing with the legalities—and Brogan’s absentee father and detestable stepmother—had taken a back seat to doing what was right for his sister and niece.
To Pixie, even without his military service, Brogan was a hero through and through.
Ruthie dug in. “You want to hang out in this hick town and pretend to be a father? Have at it. But you could make it easier on yourself if you’ll just do what it takes to keep your father right where he is. Then I’ll leave you be.”
