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I took a sip of wine. “Nothing important.”
“The things that you didn’t tell him, why didn’t you?”
I met Stone’s gaze. “Because there are some things no one needs to know.”
Then I busied myself with sprinkling salt and pepper on the tenderloin as I fought old nightmares. Flashes of the past froze my hands. The fresh feeling of terror, a residual from being held at gunpoint two days ago, threatened to paralyze me.
Using a technique I’d read about to stave off panic attacks, I pushed the negative thoughts aside.I’m in control.I sucked in a breath trying to steady my suddenly racing heart.Are you?I exhaled in a rush.I don’t know.I focused with more intensity to come back to the now.Yes. Yes, I am in control.
“But why? Why doesn’t he need to know?” Stone’s brow furrowed as he gave me an odd look. I pulled myself together so as not to have to answer for my behavior, but all I wanted to do was run and hide.
“Because it’s too ugly.”
Stone canted his head to the side. “That doesn’t sound like ‘nothing important’ you’ve kept from him.” I lifted a shoulder and lowered it. “You didn’t tell him because you wanted to protect him.”
“You don’t pollute the people you care about with your garbage.” With shaky hands, I slid the sheet pan in the oven and set the timer. Thankfully, anger started to overtake the panic. That I could deal with.
“To protect them,” he repeated.
I pressed my lips together. “He knows everything, though. Just not every single detail.”
“And you feel like you know nothing about him,” he surmised.
“He doesn’t trust me.” I rinsed off petite red potatoes. “I don’t expect a recap of every second of his life, but a murder confession?”
“The way I see it, you get exactly why he didn’t tell you, because you’ve done the same for him.”
“Is that why you and your grandfather kept the dire financial situation of the ranch from the rest of your family? Toprotectthem?” The word was bitter on my tongue.
“Damn right.” His jaw was set, chin lifted.
“Did you ever think that all of you working together would have been better than just the two of you bearing the burden?”
“Nope.” He took another swig of beer. “You ever think about telling Daniel everything he doesn’t know about you?”
I fumed at him. “It’s not the same. There’s nothing to be done about the details he doesn’t know about me. On the other hand, Vivian and I could have helped him do something other than confess to murder. Your grandmother might have come up with another solution to your ranch’s problem.” The details of my life I’d just referred to were fighting to get to the surface, but I clung to my anger, refusing to let them out of their box. They’d had enough playtime.
“Probably,” he conceded. “But Granddaddy and I fixed things up, and she didn’t have to worry for nothing. Sparing her that means more to us than anything.”
“Would you hand me another sheet pan? It’s in that cabinet you’re leaning on.”
He bent and slid the metal pan out of its slot. “Where should I put it?”
“I’ll take it.” I placed it on the worktop beside the cutting board and lined it with parchment paper.
“Men like Daniel and my granddaddy—”
“And you.” I shot him an accusatory look.
“And me.” He drained a little more of his beer. “Our need to protect the people we love takes precedence over everything else.” I wasn’t buying it.
“It boils back down to trust. I understand why Daniel lied. I just don’t agree that it was justified.” I scooped the potatoes onto the sheet pan and drizzled olive oil over them. “I’m not over it, and I don’t know when or if I’m going to get over it. Daniel sacrificed his family for a stranger.”
“It doesn’t sound like that man’s a stranger to Daniel.”
“Well he is to me!” I shouted, the pan clattering to the stovetop when I dropped it. “Those people came in here and could’ve killed us all. If we’d had even a tiny clue about them, that wouldn’t have happened.”
“You’re right.”
