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When Jesse lifted an eyebrow, she laughed. “Maybe I was a little more infatuated with them than most girls. And I did draw a lot of pictures of their farmhouse with their amazing barn. But I was a young kid who craved a family and a permanent home.” She looked at him. “From what Corbin has told me, I think you can understand that.”
Jesse understood all too well. He also understood you couldn’t change who you were or where you came from. “You’ll never be able to replicate what the Holidays have, Sunny. That’s not how life works.”
“I realize that, but Corbin doesn’t seem to.” She glanced down at the bakery bag she’d set on the bed. “My favorite muffin is Strawberry Sweet Cakes. Of course, Uncle Dan never bought muffins. Most of his unemployment checks went for beer. Corbin was the one who bought them for me. He took on whatever odd jobs he could get so I would have warm winter coats and cool athletic shoes . . . and Strawberry Sweet Cakes muffins.” She lifted her gaze. Tears brimmed in her soft brown eyes. “Because of that, I’d do anything for him—including go along with his crazy scheme of becoming a rancher. Because as much as Corbin says he’s getting the ranch for me, I don’t think that’s the truth. I think he dreamed about being a Holiday more than I did.”
Jesse had figured out the same thing last night when he was only halfway through the bottle of Jack Daniel’s. That’s why he had finished the rest of the bottle. He realized he was in a no-win situation. He was stuck between wanting his brother to have the home he’d always dreamed of and wanting Liberty’s family to keep their ranch. There was no way to give both people he loved what they wanted.
And he loved Corbin.
He also loved Liberty.
He had realized it the moment he had watched her walk away. It was like she had taken his heart with her and left nothing but a gaping hole in his chest. Which was why he had jumped in his truck and headed straight to the Hellhole to try to fill it.
But whiskey hadn’t filled it. The emptiness was still there. He realized that it had been there long before he had met Liberty. She had just made him aware of it. He’d spent his entire life trying to fill it with his wheeling and dealing and traveling . . . and with women who he couldn’t even remember. Then Liberty had come along and filled the empty space with her feistiness and her challenges.
Now that their relationship was over, he felt twice as empty.
He leaned back on the brass headboard and closed his eyes. “Dammit.”
Sunny sighed. “I’m going to say that you being such a mess isn’t just about Corbin foreclosing on the Holiday Ranch. It’s Liberty, isn’t it? You’ve fallen for her just like Corbin did.”
Jesse didn’t even try to deny it. “I’ve fallen alright. I feel like I’ve fallen from a twenty-story building and splattered on the sidewalk below.”
“Well, that is a pickle, isn’t it?” Sunny said. “You’re in love with a woman your brother is stealing a ranch from. You can’t get any more pickily than that. And I guess Liberty loves you too.”
He opened his eyes. “Doubtful. Especially now that Corbin is taking her family’s home.”
“I don’t know a lot about love, but I don’t think that’s how it works. You can’t stop loving someone just because they do jerky things. If that were true, no one would stay together and Liberty would have walked away last night and not tried to punch your lights out.” When his eyebrows popped up, she shrugged. “I was watching out the window. I couldn’t hear exactly what y’all were saying, but I did get that you lied to her. Since she looked so surprised when I mentioned you were my brother, I figured you hadn’t told her.” She sent him a contrite look. “Sorry. If you had clued me in, I would have kept my big mouth shut.”
He shook his head. “It’s my fault. I should have told her sooner. It’s just that I was worried she would think exactly what she does—that I’m in cahoots with Corbin and wanted to take her family’s ranch all along.”
“I can see why she’d think that. Especially when you and Corbin are business partners.” She nibbled on her thumbnail. “What we need to do is figure out some way to convince her that it’s not true.”
“We?”
She blinked at him. “Yes, we. You’re my brother. If I’m ever going to get you to trust me and confide in me and accept me as your little sister, I have to prove myself to you. And I figure the only way to do that is to get your woman back and that sad whipped puppy-dog look off your face.”
Jesse scowled. “I don’t have a whipped puppy-dog look.”
“Then you haven’t looked in the mirror. And since we look so much alike, it’s kinda freaking me out. I hope I never look as pathetic.”
“Gee, thanks.”
She grinned. “You’re welcome. Now, stop yakking and let me think.” She nibbled on her thumbnail again. “The best way to prove your love to Liberty is to get her ranch back. Which means we need to convince Corbin that he really doesn’t want the Holiday Ranch. And that won’t be easy. When our brother sets his mind to something, he’s like a dog with a bone. He won’t let go until he decides to.”
Even though Jesse’s mind was sluggish and hungover, there was something about Sunny’s words that struck a chord with him. “Until he decides to.” He stared at her as a plan formed. “That’s it!” He cringed when pain shot through his head.
“Softer, please,” Sunny said with a smirk.
He sent her an annoyed look before he continued in a softer voice. “Corbin has never ranched before in his life, right?”
“Right. In fact, the one time we went horseback riding in Colorado for one of my college spring breaks, he looked scared to death the entire time.” She grinned slyly. “Of course, I didn’t help matters when I slapped his horse on the rump and got it to take off with him at a full gallop.”
Jesse laughed. “Why you little devil.”
She smiled widely. “Just a little sisterly teasing. Believe me, you’ll get your fair share.”
Surprisingly, Jesse was looking forward to it. But first he had to get this mess untangled. “Obviously, Corbin doesn’t have a clue about how hard ranching is. So we need to show him.”
