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The horsebeneath Brielle plodded along at a gentle pace, offering her time to sort her thoughts. She had a history with Wade—not much of one—but enough that she had been more willing to open herself up to him. That had to be the only reason she felt closer to him than Tad.
She had to continue to remind herself that she hadn’t wanted anything to do with Wade when this whole thing came crashing down on her. At some point that had shifted, and she was saddled with the realization that if she didn’t give Tad a decent shot, she might as well sabotage this experiment right now and not pick either of them.
Her heart revolted at that idea. The reason she was doing this wasn’t just to keep her mistakes a secret. She was giving herself an ultimatum—to settle down and find someone to spend her life with.
If she were completely honest with herself, she would admit that the notion of giving her heart fully to someone was terrifying. It was so much simpler to have the marriage as an excuse in the back of her mind and flit from one relationship to the next.
Right now, she couldn’t see how picking either of these men could steer her wrong.
Well, not until Wade lost his temper.
There was something to be said about a man who would protect his family and his livelihood versus a man who couldn’t control himself or his jealousies.
“You okay, love?”
She glanced up at Tad and offered him a small smile. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
He chuckled, urging his horse to wander up beside her. He had quite a nasty bruise on his face, but at least no skin had been broken. The discoloration of purple and a greenish-brown color made her wince when he’d arrived at Slate Rock Ranch for their outing. She found it hard to focus on anything else when she was looking at him. He stared at her expectantly, putting an end to her wandering thoughts.
Ugh! He’d been talking, and she’d let her thoughts drown him out.
She forced a smile again and nodded. “You’re probably right.”
His expression faltered, and she froze. That wasn’t what she was supposed to say. Her face flushed and she looked away. “I’m sorry, I got lost in my thoughts. What were you saying?”
Tad’s gaze locked onto her. Even when she wasn’t meeting it, she could feel it tear into her and delve deeper as if searching for her deepest secrets. “I was saying that I can tell something has shifted between you and Wade—something intimate. I was wondering if the reason you couldn’t focus was because you were thinking about him.” He went quiet for a moment. “A kiss, possibly? Maybe more?”
Her head snapped up and she scowled at him.
He lifted apologetic hands. “Sorry. I wasn’t trying to pry.”
“That sounds exactly like what you were doing.”
Tad shook his head. “I was merely trying to get a feel for where things might be heading for the two of us. I don’t want to be left holding the bag, so to speak. If there isn’t a chance for us…”
She shook her head vehemently. “We’ve only just started to get to know each other. I can’t in good conscience let you leave when you came all this way.” Brielle pressed her lips together. “Tell me about yourself. More than the surface stuff. Like, why did you move to Vegas?”
The smile that flitted across his face was a confusing one. She could have sworn he was surprised by her question, if not slightly apprehensive. “You don’t wantthatstory.” He chuckled dryly.
“Sure I do. I need to get to know the real you. I guess you don’t have to tell me your deepest, darkest secrets. But I would like to know who it is I married.”
He seemed to consider her words. It was almost like he was struggling with a battle inside his head until he finally nodded. “Why not? That’s what I’m here for, right?”
She smiled.
“Well, as you know, I came from a broken home.” His brows creased as if this part of his story was the hardest thing he had to relive every day. “My father stole from us to go drinking. When my mom finally got him to sign the paperwork, he took everything we had and left with an actress.” His sad eyes darted to meet Brielle’s. “We were living in California at the time. It was hard to make much money. When you start out impoverished there, you stay that way. I worked two jobs right out of high school. My mom could barely keep things together.”
Brielle’s heart twisted and knotted, making her chest burn with a deep-seated ache. She’d grown up in a home with one parent, but she’d never had to experience any of what he’d described.
“Anyway, I thought there had to be a better way. And one day, I saw a flyer.” He glanced once more at Brielle and his ears turned red. “I figured I’d done worse things than dance on a stage in my underwear. The pay was good.” He shrugged. “I was able to save enough money doing… certain gigs… that I could move back to California and get my mom into a safer neighborhood. Saved myself a nice little nest egg, and now I only do special… parties. But only when I want to,” he hurried to add.
“I’m not going to judge you, Tad. It sounds like you had to deal with your share of struggles growing up. I’m impressed you didn’t end up becoming a criminal or something.” She gripped the reins in her hands, staring at them as her skin turned white from the pressure. Wade had become a criminal.
“Yeah,” Tad muttered. “Me too.” His voice sounded far off—like reliving his past had dredged up some stuff he hadn’t been prepared for.
Great. She’d been the one to bring that on. Time to lighten the mood. She swallowed at the knot that had formed in her throat and glanced back toward him. “I think you’re brave and generous. There aren’t a lot of men who would be so willing to provide for their mother after the life you two led. I’m glad it worked out.”
His features were tight as he stared at her. She squirmed beneath his gaze, wishing her light tone had been enough to make the current tension crumble, but it hadn’t. “You’re a good woman. I can see why Wade cares so much about you.”
