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“You’re right,” he acknowledged, knowing that sometimes a person earned a reputation, and they looked it. “But she has two small children and nowhere to go. Someone was threatening her, just threats. I said she would be safe here, and I believe she will be.”
“But will we?”
“Do you want me to tell her to go?”
“I just don’t trust the way you were looking at her.”
“What do you mean?” Ezra’s eyes narrowed. He really had no idea what his brother was saying.
“You were looking at her the way you should be looking at Sondra, except you look bored out of your mind when you’re on the phone with Sondra. I don’t even have to hear any of the conversation. I just look at your face, and I know it’s her.”
Ezra took two steps and turned toward the window, looking out on the green fields of the ranch where horses grazed in the distance, separated from a field of cattle by a section of fence. Theyworked long and hard to get that fence up. And they had a lot more to put in. But the ranch was looking a lot better than it had been when they moved in. Which was the idea. Ford Hansen along with Travis Baker had invested in them, and he didn’t want to let them down.
“I was concerned that you have her here because you feel something for her. And not because you’re trying to keep her safe. And sometimes that means that you forget what your actual responsibilities are.”
“You’re talking like that’s happened before. We both know it hasn’t.”
“Just because it hasn’t happened before doesn’t mean there won’t be a first time.”
Ezra jerked his head, without turning around to look at his brother. Those words were true. It was an arrogant man who thought that something could never happen to him. Ezra had been around long enough to know that about the time he thought he was immune to something, he would come down with it.
“What do you suggest I do?” he asked, without turning around. He wanted to be humble enough to ask his younger brother for advice and to take it seriously. In his mind, part of being a good leader was humility.
Chapter 2
Ezra had just said to himself that he had been looking forward to talking to Alaska. Maybe Asher knew something that he himself didn’t know yet. Although, everything that was serious and intentional about him screamed that Asher was absolutely wrong. Sure, he had been looking forward to talking to Alaska, but it had been because she had done such a great job with the wedding. Not because he had any personal feelings toward her. After all, he had just been on the phone with his girlfriend. He wouldn’t be thinking about Alaska or doing anything inappropriate with her. He was known for his principled way of life.
“I suggest you let her go. You can’t help everyone. Just like you can’t adopt every stray puppy that comes along.”
“Alaska is a stray puppy?” he said, pleased that his voice sounded level. He hadn’t expected Asher to say that. He didn’t want to let her go. He wanted to...keep her. The word “forever” came into his head, but he pushed it aside. Surely she didn’t mean that much to him. That was just one of those fluke words.
Plus, Alaska was hardly the kind of girl that a man like him would keep forever. Not that he was better than she was, just that they had made completely different decisions in their lives, and before that, they had been brought up in completely different ways.
Still, the idea of putting her out as Asher suggested rubbed him exactly the wrong way.
“See? You don’t want to do it. That tells me everything I was saying before is absolutely accurate.”
“I wouldn’t want to put anyone out without any prospects for a job. Especially someone who wanted to work.”
“I think it’s for the best interest of our entire family for you to let her go.”
“Why is that?” he asked, hedging to give himself some time. He needed to marshal his arguments. Or he could just agree with Asher. Was the fact that it was so difficult for him to come to terms with the idea that he needed to let Alaska go, just more proof that Asher was correct?
“A woman like that has done drugs. You can tell by looking at her.”
“You’re judging her tattoos?” Ezra personally did not like them. But that was just personal preference. She had tattoo sleeves up both arms and something inked around her neck. There wasn’t anything on her face, but she did have a lot of piercings.
Ezra had none. No ink. No tattoos. No piercings. That was by deliberate choice. But just because a person had them didn’t mean that he was going to judge them for it. Just as he hoped that someone with a lot of tattoos and piercings would not judge him for not having any. The way he saw it, it was a two-way street.
The only thing that might change that was the fact that the Bible clearly commanded for a person not to have any piercings or tattoos. It was an Old Testament command, one made under the law. He wasn’t a Bible scholar, and he didn’t know whether that was something that no longer applied, or whether it still did. But if it did, he supposed it would apply to all tattoos and all piercings. Even the typical piercings that most ladies, even Christian ladies, had in their earlobes. If piercing was wrong, it was wrong across the board. If it wasn’t, then it wasn’t across the board. There were no exceptions. The Bible certainly did not give any of those.
As for him, whether it still applied or not really didn’t matter. He’d rather be safe than sorry and had zero desire to put graffiti on his skin or holes in his body.
“If someone has used drugs, they have friends who use drugs. They have a dealer. They might even have a pimp.”
“She doesn’t have a pimp,” he broke in immediately.
“How do you know?”
