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“It’s not good enough. You’re going to have to do better. He thinks you want your brother to go to jail or worse, prison.”
She stared at her mother. “What? Why would I want there to be consequences for what CJ did? You’ve spoiled him, letting him get away with everything, always bailing him out. Now he thinks he can get away with even attempted murder.”
Her mother let go of her abruptly, her expression livid. “Attempted murder?What are you talking about?” She shrieked the words. “That kind of talk will get him sent to prison.”
“That’s where he belongs, Mother!”
At the creak of his wheelchair, they both turned to see CJ come into the room. Oakley felt his cold stare and had to fight not to shudder. She hadn’t meant to say as much as she had.
But she doubted it made a difference. The moment she’d looked into her brother’s eyes when he returned to the ranch, she could tell that he feared she would remember. She’d known then that he would be coming for her again.
Even if he was locked up for “accidentally” shooting her, he could still get to her. She’d seen the kind of friends he associated with. She’d believed that CJ couldn’t do the job himself. Not if he really was tied to that chair. But after his attacking her the other day and the memory of his hands around her throat, she knew he could kill her himself. And would if she gave him a chance.
“What’s going on?” CJ asked as if he didn’t know.
Oakley shook her head. “I don’t know. I was just on my way into the kitchen to get some breakfast.” She stepped away from the two of them, feeling two sets of eyes boring into her back as she went.
She thought about the smirk she’d seen on her brother’s face. It was going to be hard to keep her breakfast down.
CHARLOTTEWATCHEDHERdaughter walk away. She could feel CJ watching her as well. She didn’t want to look at him. She didn’t want to see the expression on his face.
Her cell phone rang, saving her. She turned away from him as she pulled it out and was surprised but at the same time concerned. “I need to take this,” she said, her back still to her son as she walked into her office and closed the door.
“Is something wrong?” she asked, moving to sit behind her desk. She told herself to be careful as to what she said. CJ could be just outside the door. For that matter, he might have the whole house bugged. That thought sent her pulse into overdrive. It would be just like something he might do. “Can we meet? I can’t talk here. Great.” She disconnected and moved quickly to the door.
With relief she saw that there was no sign of CJ, but that only made the thought of bugging devices more plausible. “I’m going riding,” she called and hurried to her room to change. Twenty minutes later she walked into the stables after calling Boyle and asking him to saddle her a horse.
Her horse was saddled. Boyle handed her the reins and she led her mare outside. She shuddered, feeling his gaze on her.
“Sure you don’t want company?” he asked.
“Positive.” She checked to make sure her horse was properly saddled. She didn’t have to look in his direction to know that her lack of trust would anger him. Better he know that she didn’t trust him, she thought as she swung up into the saddle and spurred the mare as she rode toward the creek where she and Holden used to make love.
The creek pooled there among the rocks, deep enough to swim. There’d been a time that the two of them had skinny-dipped there, then lay naked on the large boulders to dry. It was still her favorite spot.
It was also the place she went when she was upset. It was also the place where Holden knew he could find her.
OAKLEYWASJUSTfinishing her breakfast when she heard the creak of the wheelchair behind her. She braced herself as her brother stopped on the opposite side of the table, facing her.
“You’re looking...different today,” CJ said. “Almost...happy. What’s that about?”
“None of your business.”
His eyebrow arched up. “A friend of mine saw you and Pickett go into your apartment in town yesterday. It was hours later that Pickett came back out. He had that same look on his face that you do this morning.”
She pushed her plate away. “You disgust me.” She shoved back her chair and rose. “Stop spying on me.”
“He’s lying to you,” CJ said. “Didn’t you wonder when he left to go back east to see his dying father? He ever mention his family before? Did you ever question a name like Pickett Hanson?”
She stopped and turned slowly to face him, amazed at how low he would stoop. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t I?” CJ’s mouth twisted into a familiar smirk. “His real name is Archibald Vanderlin Westmoreland. He made up the name Pickett Hanson. Got to wonder what else he lied about. Whatever it is, it must be something bad enough that he doesn’t want you to know about it.”
Oakley wanted to make him take it all back. But hadn’t Pickett tried to tell her yesterday before they’d made love that he wasn’t who she thought he was?
“He’s lied to everyone for years,” CJ said. “Especially you.”
She didn’t want it to be true. She stared at her brother, hating him more this moment than she thought possible. “You really are a miserable human being, you know that?”
