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I remember Wade telling me what happened. I was just as shocked as everyone else around here when I learned that Bill Carson hung his own father and had made his wife choose to either leave town or join him on the rafters after he had learned about their affair.
Teresa really didn’t have a choice.
“I spent some time getting sober, it took a little while but I was determined not to come back here until I was sure I was stable enough. I knew it would be hard and that the boys would be unforgiving. I felt like they deserved the truth and now I’m here, I’m just trying to be the best version of myself.” She smiles sadly.
“Do they know about the club and what you did there?”
“Maybe.” She shrugs. “I think Finn was as surprised to see me when I showed up here as I was to see him. I watched that boy grow up at the club, I even cried at his funeral.”
“Finn?” I stare at her in shock.
“Finn was a Soul before he was a cowboy, sweetheart. He supposedly died in prison. And I’ll bet him being still alive and workin’ this ranch has a lot to do with the wise old uncle.” Teresa sniggers. “I don’t know if Finn’s shared the fact I was at the club with the boys. If he has, they haven’t mentioned it.
“Leia, I’m just grateful to be here and to get a second chance at this. I want to do better for my grandbabies than I did for my own children and in doing so, I really hope I can earn my boys’ forgiveness.”
“Well, you’re making a real good start.” I stroke Breanna’s cheek as she sits happily on her grandma's lap.
“And what do you think we will be getting next?” Teresa taps her hand affectionately over my stomach when I rest back on the couch.
“I have no idea.” I smile as I look down at the tiny bump that’s really starting to grow now. I’ve not allowed myself the time to think about things like that all that much. The sad thing is, I haven’t really allowed myself to think about it at all. I’ve distracted myself from all that happened with Dad by reading all the books and getting all the practical information, but I’ve not allowed myself to be excited by how magical all this is.
“Well, I hope for this little one's sake you have a girl. It won’t be easy growing up outnumbered by Carson boys.” Teresa laughs.
“Where’s Maisie?” I stop laughing with her when I realize there’s no sign of her.
“She’s upstairs taking another nap. Poor girl’s shattered. I’m really starting to worry about her.”
“You think she should see a doctor?” I’ve been worried about her for a while now, she seems to be getting worse rather than better.
“Maybe, it can’t be easy having so much to think about and we must remember how young she is. But we’ve got her back. Me, you and Savannah will take care of her.”
“We sure will.” I kiss my mother-in-law on the cheek and stand up.
“Thank you, Leia.” She quickly takes my hand before I can walk away. “You’ve just made me feel like I’m part of this family again.”
“Part of it.” I huff a laugh at her. “You're half responsible for it.”
She smiles like she’s proud of that fact before I head off to find Savannah so I can tell her the news about Caroline.
1 week later
Istare across the table at Cole with venom in my eyes, cursing him in my head, and hating that between my legs is a constant throbbing reminder of how long it’s been since we were together.
“Something wrong, Savannah?” Garrett asks.
“No, I’m great.” I stab my fork into the meat on my plate and slice my knife through it, imagining it’s Cole’s flesh. He looks up from under those hooded eyes to give me a cold stare then focuses back on his own plate. And that right there is pretty much all I’ve gotten out of him since he made his confession to me at the line camp last week. I really thought we’d made progress. I figured we were heading somewhere better than this stupid arrangement we had going on. It really felt like Cole had opened up to me, and I don’t know what I did to make him close the gates in my face again.
“I got stuff to be doing.” Cole gets up from the table when he’s finished, picking up his hat and placing it on his head before he marches out the dining room.
I refuse to turn my head and watch him leave, so I wipe the corners of my mouth with a napkin and when I look up and see everyone around the table staring at me, I shrug.
“What's everyone's problem?”
“Ermmm, you can cut the atmosphere with a knife,” Dalton points out awkwardly.
“His problem, not mine.” I excuse myself too, heading straight up to my room and slamming my door like a grumpy teenager.
I look out my bedroom window toward the bunkhouse where Cole has his back rested against the wall and is smoking a cigarette. He’s looking up at my window and when he notices me staring right back at him, he drops his cigarette, crushes it under his boot, and heads toward the stable.
