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“Actually, he fits into my stuff. I gave him some of my old things. I think he’ll be good to go.” Elijah had wandered into the room just as Wade had made the comment about Tad’s clothing. He headed straight for the fridge and pulled it open. Wade watched his brother stand in front of the glowing light for a few minutes before he groaned.
“What is with you guys?” Wade asked.
Elijah shot a questioning look over his shoulder. “What are you talking about?”
“This guy just shows up and everyone decides to befriendswith him?”
His brother and Tad exchanged a quick glance. “I’ll admit I wasn’t quite on board when you told us that he was gonna stay with us, but Tad’s cool. He’s got some interesting stories.”
“Nice to see the good ol’ American manners are still alive and well.” Tad laughed. “Would you two prefer that I leave the room so you can talk about me in private?”
“Yes,” Wade replied.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Elijah said.
Wade glowered at his brother and then got to his feet. “I’m going to work.”
“I’ll come with you,” Tad offered.
“Not at Slate Rock Ranch. I’ve got some stuff to do around here.”
“You don’t need any help?”
Elijah laughed. “There’s always stuff to do around here. You can’t walk five paces without something that needs to be done.”
Wade shot his brother a warning look. The last thing he wanted to do right now was spend time with Tad. Everyone else might be willing to accept this guy, but Wade wasn’t going to have any part of it. His one goal was to make sure the guy didn’t weasel himself into Brielle’s good graces so he could leave when the time was up.
“I guess it’s settled then. I’ll get dressed in some more appropriate clothing, and you can boss me around all you want.” Tad left the kitchen without allowing Wade to argue another word about it.
A groan left Wade’s lips, and he tightened his hand around his glass so hard that he thought it might shatter. “Why can’t anyone see that there’s something wrong with this guy?”
“Why? Because he held onto something that he shouldn’t have for ten years?”
“Exactly,” Wade snapped. “What normal person just shows up and expects everything to go his way?”
Elijah shrugged. “Maybe it’s a cultural thing from down under.” His lips twitched and he turned around, probably hiding a smile.
“It’s not that. There’s just something odd about this whole thing.” Wade snapped his fingers. “It’s like what happened with Shane and his cousin.”
Elijah finally showed some semblance of realization. He turned and looked toward Wade. “Do you think he came up here to see about getting her money? It wouldn’t take much for him to figure that sort of thing out. I’m sure the internet has loads of information about Zeke Callahan all over it.”
“See?Thatmakes sense. This guy probably found out about her money and came up here to swindle her out of it.”
Elijah frowned, then shook his head. “But that doesn’t make sense. If he knew from the beginning, then he would have come up here sooner. So he had to have learned about it recently. And if it was just about the money, why not blackmail her into giving him a divorce?”
Wade threw up his hands. “First of all, he could have learned about her money that night but not known how to get a hold of her. Secondly, blackmail wouldn’t work. All she’d have to do is call up her godfather and report him. Sheriff Donahue wouldn’t stand for any of this. The divorce would be granted in a second. No, the only way for him to get any of the money is to be married to her and get half of everything she has.”
His brother still didn’t look convinced. “I don’t know. Tad seems like a decent guy. Maybe it’s just like he said. He doesn’t believe in divorce.”
Wade let out a derisive laugh. “Not even you can believe that. He could have gotten an annulment if that was what he believed in.”
“You need to be more careful, Wade. We don’t know what his past was like. Some scars run deeper than you expect. I mean, look at us. Our parents are gone and none of us were willing to move out on our own. Our whole family is still here, under the same roof. Don’t you think that we’re a little messed up, too?”
Elijah had a point. All the arguments Wade had against Tad he could make about himself. He was too attached to Brielle, and they’d gone on only a few dates. Yes, he felt he knew her a little better based on that time spent together, but he wasn’t acting as ‘normal’ as what was expected either.
Still, Wade wasn’t going to take this lying down.
If Tad wanted a month to win her over, he was going to do the same.
