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“Motherfucker.”
“Oh, you won’t be fucking her anytime soon. She’s actually very much in love with Leo. Just a little bitter she missed out on that part of life.”
Wade shook his head. “No, I didn’t say I wanted to fuck her, I said motherfucker.”
With a wink, I replied, “I know.”
Dropping back in the chair, Wade let out a frustrated groan. “Are all the women in this town crazy?”
Lucy set my hamburger down. I lifted my gaze from my burger to Wade. “You want the truth or want me to lie?” Looking at the empty spot in front of him, I said, “You gonna eat?”
He shook his head. “I’ll just have a salad, please.”
“A salad? What kind of pussy cowboy orders a salad?” I asked before taking a bite of my hamburger.
“The kind who just got stood up by a married woman. The idea of hooking up with someone’s wife makes me feel sick. I’m not that kind of guy.”
His words were so sweet I almost awwwwed out loud.
Setting my hamburger down, I stared at him. “You’re not like normal guys, Wade.”
Now it was his turn to laugh. “What do you mean?”
I half-shrugged. “I don’t know. You’re…different. It’s obvious you care about people. The way you are with Chloe is adorable. Do you have a younger sister?”
His face dropped, and he moved around in his seat. “I, um…had two younger sisters. They died in a car accident along with my parents a year ago.”
Now I felt sick. “I’m so sorry, Wade. I didn’t know.”
He forced a grin. “It’s okay. I probably need to start talking about them more. At least that was what my counselor back in Colorado told me.”
“I’d love to hear about them. And your parents. If you feel like talking.”
His body relaxed, and the way he was looking at me warmed me through. I’d never had a guy look at me that way before. I wasn’t sure if he was thankful for my offer or if it was something else.
When Lucy brought over his salad, Wade said, “I think I’ll take a burger and fries, if you don’t mind.”
I smiled, as did Lucy. “Not at all. How do you want it cooked?”
“Medium well. Thanks.”
After Lucy turned to leave, he continued to speak. “I grew up right outside of Colorado Springs. My father owned a cattle ranch. My great-grandfather actually started the ranch, and it was passed down to his son and so on. The plan was for me to go to school, get my degree, and take over. My father wanted to spend more time with my mother and sisters. It gutted him when I decided to go to college in Texas.”
“Why did you?” I asked.
“Texas A&M had the best program for my field. He got over it quickly. I went home as much as I could, so it wasn’t all that bad.”
I smiled. “How old were your sisters?”
He played with his fork as he answered. “Grace was eleven and Anna was fifteen. I was ten when my parents told me they were having another baby. Then again at fourteen I got the news our family was growing. Man, I prayed so hard for a baby brother.” Wade let out a soft laugh. “But when I held Grace in my arms for the first time I knew I was meant to be her big brother. It was my job to protect them.”
His voice cracked, and he closed his eyes. I reached across the table and took his hand.
It took a few moments for him to continue. “I’d been home for a couple years. Running the ranch and all. Anna had begged my folks to go to Denver for the weekend. My father didn’t want to go, said he had too much to do. I talked him into going. Said I’d stay behind and make sure everything got done. Anna was so angry with me. She wanted us all to go as a family.”
He closed his eyes and shook her head. “She accused me of staying behind so I could be with Caroline, the girl I had been dating since high school.” When he opened his eyes, he looked straight at me. “She told me I picked a girl who didn’t deserve me over my own family. It wasn’t true. Caroline wasn’t even in town that weekend. The only way I could get my father to go was if I stayed behind. I told her that.”
“Did she finally believe you?” I asked, while silently saying a prayer she had.
“Yeah.” He laughed. “She sent Caroline a text asking if she wanted to go to Denver.”
I grinned. “Smart girl.”
“She really was. Caroline told her she was in San Francisco with her grandparents that weekend, but I could still see the hurt in Anna’s eyes. She wanted me to go and couldn’t understand why I didn’t go with them. They were on their way back, not very far from the house. A young kid was texting and crossed the center line. Hit them head on. My mother and Grace held on for a few days. My father and Anna died instantly.”
