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“He isn’t going to find out.”
Wade snorted. “Yeah? How are you going to manage to keep a secret like that? A new guy in town is sure to draw extra attention.” Wade gave Tad the side-eye. “And a foreigner at that.”
“I’m not a foreigner,” Tad interjected. “I’ve got my citizenship.”
“As I was saying,” Wade shot a scowl at Tad. “People are going to notice. It won’t be long before they figure out—”
“Do you think he could stay here?”
It was as if the wind had been knocked out of his lungs. His gut reaction would have been to tell her no. But then he wouldn’t be able to keep an eye on the guy. Having him close would be wiser. Brielle wasn’t thinking clearly. She needed someone to bring her back to reality. Wade’s jaw tightened. He glanced at Tad and then back to Brielle. “He’s not sleeping in the house. We’re already filled to the brim.”
Tad shot a look toward the house. “Really? Looks like your house is plenty big… if a little run down.”
Before Wade could fling a retort at him, Brielle offered an explanation. “Wade has eleven brothers and sisters.”
Tad’s only reaction was a long, slow whistle. He chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck. “There’s nowhere else?”
“You can sleep in the barn with the other animals,” Wade muttered.
“Wade,” Brielle admonished. “I’m sure you have some space.”
He shook his head. “I’m not letting him anywhere near my family. And you shouldn’t either. Do your little experiment and leave me out of it. When he’s gone, we’ll all be better for it.” He stormed off toward the barn, knowing he wasn’t going to be able to handle a conversation with his brothers right away. He needed to let his shattered dreams settle.
5
Brielle
Brielle glared at Tad. She wanted to shout at him for upending her life this way, but she couldn’t. This was as much her problem as it was his. Only, she hadn’t realized just how crazy he was when she’d gotten married.
Any normal guy would have forgotten her and filed the annulment after she snuck away. It was one weekend one summer when she didn’t know what she was doing.
Tad gave her a crooked smile, and a tremor started in her stomach. He was cute; she had to give him that. He had just enough scruff on his jawline to make him look like the cowboys around here. All he needed was a hat and a pair of rugged jeans.
In her younger years, she would have been a sucker for his accent, his blue eyes, and his dark hair—despite it being a little long for her taste.
There was no way her father would approve of him. Not with the way he looked. If she wanted her father to accept that this stranger was going to be hanging around, she’d need a good story.
Her eyes widened as an idea formed in her mind. “Wait here,” she muttered to Tad. She barely got the words out before she darted in the direction that Wade had headed. This had to work. Otherwise, she might as well go to her father and wait for him to disown her.
By the time she got to the barn she’d seen Wade escape to, he was nowhere in sight. She burst into the barn and came up short. The barn wasn’t nearly as well maintained as her family’s. In fact, there were places in the roof that still needed to be repaired and the floor was just dirt.
Wade had to be here somewhere. He couldn’t have just disappeared into thin air.
“Wade?”
Horses shuffled in their stalls. The scents of manure and dirt filled her nose but so did the smell of leather. These were the kinds of smells that felt like home. It didn’t matter where the barn was that she mucked out. It could have been anywhere.
Wade’s barn may have been run down, it might not have power or insulation, but it had good bones. The Keagans’ ranch was something to be admired. It was a testament to how something didn’t have to be grand to stand the test of time. Wade was doing a great job at showing just how resilient he was.
She wandered along the stalls, her heart heavy with the realization of what she’d just put him through. Wade probably wanted nothing to do with her, and she couldn’t blame him. She’d pushed him to help her when that was likely the last thing he wanted.
Brielle knew this was a bad idea before she’d even stepped foot in here. To ask Wade for more could blow up in her face. She just had to hope that Wade was the kind of man she thought he was. “Wade, I know you’re in here. I have an idea. A couple of them.”
Still no answer. Should she really be all that surprised? When this was all over, she’d have successfully ruined yet another friendship. Brielle sighed. “I know you hate me, but—”
“I don’t hate you.” His voice came from directly behind her. It was low, almost menacing.
She jumped, whirling around to face him. Wade was shrouded in shadow. While it was still the middle of the day, the barn was darker without the extra windows or electricity of the more modern barns.
