Page 49 of Disarming The Rancher

Brax had half a mind not to answer his bro…half-brother.

“I’m coming up. Don’t shoot.” Adam sounded like he was only half kidding. Hands high in the air, he made it to the top step.

“I don’t have a gun and you aren’t the problem,” Brax quipped.

“At least you’re still talking to me,” Adam said.

“Did you know?” Brax asked.

“Didn’t have a clue and it doesn’t change a thing between us as far as I’m concerned,” Adam stated with the kind of conviction that said he meant every word.

“How did you find out?” Brax asked.

“I ran into Mom,” he said.

It was a wise move not to plead her case right now. She’d had thirty-six years to tell him the news. Thirty-six years to find ‘the right time’ or ‘the right way’ or both, as she’d explained. Thirty-six years to come clean.

“I’m just going to sit right here, if you don’t mind.” Adam took a seat at the top of the stairwell. “We don’t have to say anything.”

Brax appreciated how well his brother knew him. And, no, he didn’t want to talk.

He couldn’t be certain how many minutes passed before he finally spoke up. Half hour? Forty-five? He flexed and released his fingers trying to work off some of the pressure that felt like a boiling pot with the lid still on.

“It’s messed up,” he finally said.

“I agree with you one hundred percent.” Adam’s voice was calm in the storm.

On the one hand, his father had cheated on the only mother Brax had ever known. Then, there was the fact his own mother had died during childbirth. How his family had managed a cover-up of this proportion was beyond him. He guessed the Firebrand name could move some pretty big mountains considering his own birth certificate had been doctored.

“Wouldn’t someone have noticed an extra child showing up?” Brax asked.

“Our grandfather had a lot of influence. He obviously helped cover this up,” Adam said.

Brax shot his brother a look.

“Have you ever seen anyone question him? Or anything that goes on here at Firebrand?” Adam asked.

“Not really. Not when I think about it.” The old man wielded a lot of power. He had a good side too. One that employed locals and gave generously to charities in order to help those who were less fortunate. He pitched in for fundraisers and made certain the town had a proper Christmas celebration, covering all the expenses not raised.

All this and he personally had an empty house on the big days. Their grandfather was a man of contradictions.

“I can’t wrap my brain around any of this.” Brax issued a sharp sigh. “I’ve been your brother my entire life.”

“And still are,” Adam didn’t miss a beat.

The barn door opened and a familiar chorus of voices chimed in.

“Anyone up there?” Corbin’s voice cut through the air.

Eric’s quickly followed with his signature whistle. “Hey, man. What’s going on?”

Corbin whispered something unintelligible. Eric grunted an apology.

“Can we come up?” Eric asked.

They seemed to have locked onto Brax’s location. They didn’t wait for permission. They were already shuffling up the metal staircase by the time he told them they could do what they wanted.

“Free country,” he said under his breath.