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Ruby.
“We were young,” Knox continued. “I did some stupid stuff. Heck, everyone does, right? Macie’s got a good heart. In fact, she’s pretty damn near perfect. I don’t deserve her, but I’ve done a lot of deep thinking this past week . . .”
This past week?
“And let’s just say that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.”
Holt wanted to laugh. Or curse. Or hit something. He couldn’t think of a way to stop Knox from coming home.
“When are you thinking of coming out?”
“Closer to the rodeo,” Knox said. “Got some things to finish up here. Besides, I want it to be a surprise, you know? Enter the rodeo without Macie knowing, then boom. She’s watching, and there I am. Like that first night we met. The magic will happen all over again.”
Holt wished he’d stuck with coffee at breakfast. His stomach was churning. “The magic, huh? Getting her knocked up? That kind of magic?” Apparently, Holt could be bitter, and he hadn’t realized how bitter he was until the words spilled out.
“Whoa, man,” Knox said. “Sounds like she’s got under your skin. Strutting her little pity party around the ranch, huh? Making me into some big bad wolf like usual?”
“She hasn’t said a thing about you,” Holt cut in. Well, she had, but that wasn’t a conversation he was going to share with his brother.
“That won’t last,” Knox said. “Why do you think she’s out there in the first place?”
Holt could play along. “Why?”
“To get into the good graces of Mom and Dad, of course,” Knox said. “She’s no fool. Free babysitting. Help with the finances.”
Holt clenched his jaw, staring straight ahead. “She’s a single mom, Knox.”
“Ha.” Knox’s laugh was bitter. “She’s the one who filed for divorce. And the kid has a dad. So maybe I’m the single dad.”
“Not the same thing.” Why Holt was arguing with his blockheaded brother, he didn’t know. “When’s the last time you saw your kid?”
At this, Knox went silent. After a few moments, he said, “I’m not gonna lie, it’s been a while.”
Holt softened his tone. “That’s what I thought.” He realized he’d passed the road he’d meant to take. After slowing down his truck, he did a U-turn.
“I miss her,” Knox said after a few moments.
Holt wanted out of this conversation, but he had one more question. “You gonna tell me what split you up? The truth?”
Knox sighed. Holt knew that sigh. His brother was about to confess.
“I messed up with another woman.”
If Holt had thought he’d been fuming before, it wasn’t anything compared to how he felt right now. If he’d been face to face with Knox, Knox would have a bloody nose. “Someone ought to punch you out.”
“I know.”
And there was no sarcasm in his voice, only remorse.
“I screwed up, bro. Bad,” Knox said. “I was a damn fool, and I know I’ll be paying for it the rest of my life. But I’m willing to do that. Whatever it takes. I just want Macie back.”
Holt pictured Macie’s brown eyes, vulnerable, full of pain. And it wasn’t just because her marriage had fallen apart, it was because her husband had wounded her deeply. Holt shouldn’t be surprised, yet he was. He supposed that he’d wanted his brother to turn his life around so badly that he’d created a fictitious world for Knox.
Macie and the baby would keep Knox honorable. Macie and the baby would create the image of a perfect little family. Knox would come home to his wife and kid at night, and there would be love and laughter. Summer barbeques. First day of kindergarten for Ruby. Another baby on the way.
But that hadn’t happened. Knox had ripped out her heart, just as he had everyone else he came in contact with. And what had Macie told Holt the other day? His mom wanted her to reconcile with Knox? Holt hadn’t exactly agreed with his mother, but he could see where she’d been coming from.
All of that was out with the trash now. Because that’s exactly what his brother was. A piece of sh—
