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Sloan managed a small but conciliatory smile of agreement. “I suppose it is.”
“It was bound to happen some time, though. There are always bumps in every road. This is just one of them. We’ll explain everything to the family at dinner tonight.” Before he ever finished the sentence, her glance shot to him, a battle light in her eyes. Trey spoke quickly to defuse it. “Like you said, your relationship to Max was never a secret as far you were concerned. And there’s definitely no reason to keep it from them now.”
Mollified by his reasoning, Sloan agreed. “You’re right.”
“Still love me?” he asked, a touch of joshing humor in his look.
“Most of the time,” Sloan countered, matching his tone.
“Mmmm, I’ll have to work on that,” he murmured and kissed her soundly. Yet neither could so easily banish the shadow of doubt that had fallen on them. A loss of trust, however momentary, was not something easily forgotten.
That evening Chase was at his customary place at the head of the table, with Jessy seated on his right and Laredo next to her. Cat was just about to take her seat opposite Chase when Trey and Sloan walked into the dining room.
“Excellent timing,” Cat declared, all smiles. “We were just about to start without you.”
“We would have saved you something, though,” Laredo inserted with a grin.
Normally the easy family banter would have been a welcome thing, but not tonight. Not for Trey. Yet he managed a smile. “You’re all heart, Laredo.” He escorted Sloan to the two remaining chairs, pulled out one for her and sat down in the one to Chase’s left.
“Has anyone heard the forecast?” Jessy glanced around the table. “Is it supposed to snow all night?”
“I don’t know,” Cat replied. “I did have the radio on in the kitchen, but obviously I didn’t listen when they gave the weather.”
Aware that the conversation was headed for a discussion of the snow and its effect on the next day’s agenda of ranchwork, Trey spoke up. “Before we get started, there’s something Sloan and I want to tell you.” Discreetly he reached over and curled a hand over Sloan’s. “As you all know, Sloan’s parents died when she was a little girl, and her father’s business pa
rtner served as her legal guardian until she came of legal age. But what you don’t know is that man happens to be Max Rutledge.”
The instant of silence was electric as all eyes focused on Sloan. But it was Chase’s reaction that Trey watched. He knew his grandfather’s conviction that Rutledge posed a potential threat to the family colored the thinking of everyone else. Chase didn’t make a sound, but his eyes narrowed in a hard and close study of Sloan.
Laredo was first to break the silence, his gaze pinned on Sloan. “That’s a vital piece of information to omit, don’t you think?”
“If there’s any fault in this, it’s mine,” Trey spoke before Sloan could answer. “She called him Uncle Max. I don’t know how many times she mentioned him. But it never crossed my mind that they might be the same person.”
Laredo sat back, one arm hooked over a corner of the chair’s backrest while his other hand idly fingered the silverware. He looked all loose and indifferent, but he was alert, every sense tuned to Sloan.
“The trouble we’ve had in the past with Rutledge, I suppose you’re claiming that you weren’t aware of it.” His statement bordered on a taunt.
Stung by it, Sloan reacted with a forceful denial. “I wasn’t.”
He released a derisive breath. “That’s what I thought.”
“It’s true!” No longer finding any comfort in the warm clasp of Trey’s hand, Sloan brought both of hers up to rest against the table edge as she leaned toward Laredo, her hands balling into determined fists. “I didn’t know anything about it until Trey told me a little while ago. How could I? I was out of the country when Boone died, and he was already buried when I got back. Uncle Max didn’t seem to want to talk about it, so I never asked for details.”
“Being out of the country the way you were, obviously you wouldn’t have seen any of the initial press coverage, but what about later, at the inquest? Miss that, too, did you?”
“I think you forgot I lived in Hawaii!” she flared.
“Back off, Laredo,” Trey said in warning.
Sloan instantly turned an angry glare on him. “I can defend myself! I don’t need your help.”
Chase raised a hand, keeping it palm down and patting the air. “All of you, calm down,” he stated in a reasonable voice, then directed his next remark to Trey. “Laredo’s questions are ones that need to be asked. Since Sloan seems willing to answer them, we’re willing to listen.”
“Thank you.” Sloan said, but with a touch of curtness that indicated resentment still simmered below the surface.
Cat reached out to her in sympathy. “I hope you can understand what a surprise this is to all of us.” Yet behind the concern in her expression, there were questions and a hint of suspicion.
“That has become very obvious,” Sloan replied, again in that clipped tone.
