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Zeke didn’t look up at her. He kept his eyes trained on the paper in front of him. “I didn’t attack him.”
“Okay,” she drawled. “You didn’t have to embarrass him. You put him on the spot.”
He peeked at her. “Life is full of uncomfortable situations. We are a close family. If he’s even remotely serious about dating you, it’s better for him to be fully aware of what that would entail sooner rather than later.”
“We only recently started dating. That doesn’t mean we’re going to getmarried.”
“That boy has been coming around for months. Don’t pretend this only began a few weeks ago. Trust me. Adam plans to stick around.”
She didn’t know if his words thrilled her or terrified her more. Perhaps it was a mixture of both. Adam hadn’t said he loved her even after she’d said it first. She’d thought he would have said those three words before leaving that night, but she refused to push the issue. He needed towantto say it.
Even still, she let her smile spread from ear to ear. “You really think so?”
Her father glanced up at her once more, a brow lifted. “I know so.” He folded his newspaper and placed it on the table before getting to his feet. “Do you know if Brielle is home?”
She shook her head.
“Well, if you see her, tell her I’d like to speak to her.”
“Is something wrong?”
His left cheek twitched and his jaw tightened. Taking a deep breath, he set his firm gaze on her. “You all think I’m unaware of what goes on beneath my roof.”
Faye stared at him blankly.
He leaned closer to her. “Let me tell you something. This is my domain. I know what is happening at any given moment, and I’m tired of looking the other way. I’m done pretending, and Brielle needs to stop skulking in the shadows. It’s time for her to grow up and take responsibility for her life.”
She gaped at her father. Was he suggesting that he knew about Brielle’s unsavory escapades? She’d been the first one to break their father’s rules. She’d been the one who continued with those habits even after the rules were lifted.
And their father had known.
Faye could feel the heat start in her stomach and spread outward. Her face flushed and she avoided meeting his gaze.
“You’ll tell her I want to speak to her?”
She nodded. “If I see her, I’ll let her know.”
He placed his hand on her shoulder. “Thanks.”
22
Adam
Adam pulled the socket wrench around one more time firmly then reached out to check the bolt. It wasn’t going anywhere, and now the car he’d been working on all week was done. All he had to do was reset the diagnostic and contact his customer.
Then it would be on to the next car and the next one after that. The daily grind had really become what everyone had said it would. There was nothing new or exciting about his job. He had recently lost the vibrance his life once held. It was as if Zeke Callahan had sucked the enthusiasm Adam once had for life right out of him.
That wasn’t fair.
He couldn’t blame Zeke for all his own misgivings lately.
Adam could only blame himself.
Faye had made several valid points. He’d even looked up the stats. While deaths weren’t the most common, several riders ended up with head trauma or other serious injuries every year from rodeo accidents. Some of those said accidents would incapacitate him to the degree that he wouldn’t be able to do his mechanic work. He had managed to pick one of the most dangerous hobbies there was.
And yet, it still called to him. There was something missing in his life, and he hated that he couldn’t put his finger on it.
Once upon a time, he’d felt the same thing and ended up leaving this place for a life in the city. But that life had ended much in the same way.
