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I did my best to smile. While it was true that Rafe had been nineteen when my parents had died and had been first in line to get custody of me, only to turn it down, it was more than that. I knew, just knew, he’d kept his distance all these years because he blamed me for what happened that day.
However, that was the one revelation I’d never shared with anyone—not only did I blame myself for the car crash, but my brother did as well.
Since we had another wedding to deal with in a little over an hour, I decided to distract and pivot. “Youaremy sister, Abby.” I quickly hugged her and then went to the folio on the desk. “Now, let’s discuss the last-minute changes so we can ensure this wedding goes as smoothly as the last one.”
Abby wasn’t fooled but also knew me well enough to know pushing wouldn’t accomplish anything right now. So we went over the event details, got lost in the work, and I soon forgot about West, Rafe, and my memories for a while.
ChapterFive
Weston
After I finished fixing the fence post, I asked Avery and Wyatt to show me around. It’d been decades since I’d last been here, getting into trouble with Rafe. Then he’d gone to England to play soccer, and I’d barely heard from him since.
To be honest, I hadn’t thought about him in a long while. Andrea had taken so much of my time and energy, and then my kids took even more. But I still had trouble believing Rafe would abandon his sister and never talk to her. And yet, my family said that was exactly what he’d done.
Avery tugged me along, and I listened to her chatter about what we saw. The three of us walked and walked, and I had forgotten just how big the Mendoza ranch was. It was eerie to see so much overgrown pastureland, with no animals in sight.
It didn’t make sense to me why Emilia had sold all the cattle and stopped her father’s legacy. Beef from the Mendoza place had been some of the best, sought after by top chefs and restaurants, and had provided a nice income. To throw all those years and generations of breeding, care, and knowledge away seemed like such a waste.
But seeing as I’d already pissed off Emilia once today, I wasn’t about to ask about it and risk another heated encounter.
And yes, it’d been heated in more ways than one.
Fuck, seeing her all worked up and putting me in my place shouldn’t have turned me on. And yet, I’d wanted to argue with her until I pulled her close, kissed the living shit out of her, and watched all that fire transfer to another kind of heat.
Namely, having her legs wrapped around my waist as I fucked her against the fence until she came around my dick.
I was so lost in the fantasy that I actually jumped when Avery touched my arm. “Daddy, are you even listening?”
Quickly wiping away my thoughts, I cleared my throat. “Sorry, I was too busy thinking.”
“Thinking about?”
I took the safest route. “How it’s weird to see this place empty. When I was your age, cattle roamed this land as far as the eye could see.”
“More than at Grandma and Grandpa’s place?”
“Yes, way more.” I gestured beyond the fence—we were now on the opposite end of the property from earlier—and replied, “The land actually goes past the barrier. They used to rotate the grazing fields, to give the land a rest.”
Well, if Emilia hadn’t sold the land beyond the fence, which was entirely possible.
Avery slipped her hand in mine, and I smiled. Soon she’d be too old for that, so I clung to every little-girl moment I still had with her.
She swung our hands and pointed ahead of us. “The creek is just over there. Auntie Abby said she and Millie would go searching for frogs near it when they were kids. They’re loud in the summer, she said. But even louder at the lake where they used to camp as children. Can we go camping at the lake? I want to hear the frogs.”
She probably meant Lake Sonoma, the biggest one in the area. Even if man-made, it was still beautiful. “Would you want to camp there even though it’s so close to home?”
Wyatt muttered, “It’s not close to home.”
Because he thought Ridgefield—where we’d lived in the California Central Valley—was home.
Since I knew arguing with him would get us nowhere, I ignored the comment, and thankfully, Avery answered, “Yes! I miss camping, like we did that one time. Will the whole family go with us?”
I ignored the regret swirling in my chest. “Maybe. When I was little, we’d all camp with some of the neighboring families, in a giant group, and have these huge bonfires and barbecues. Although it might be harder to do that now, since everyone is busy, and there’s the Summer Star Festival next month.”
Avery stopped just short of the creek and released my hand. “Uncle Beck said I could help with his booth at the festival and give out pamphlets. But I’d rather help Millie. Her job is way more interesting.”
For a little girl who loved happy endings and longed for me to marry again, a wedding planner would be the best job ever. “We’ll see, Avery. We’ll see.”
