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He didn’t get a chance to say anything due to the presence of a beat-up truck making its way on the long dirt driveway.
She held her flat hand to shield the sun from her eyes, squinting as it got closer. But it wasn’t until he stepped from the vehicle that she realized the mistake her father had made. “You didn’t call Lucas. That’s Elijah,” she hissed.
Her father shot her a strange look. “No, I distinctly remember speaking to Lucas. I asked for him directly.”
“Well, that isn’t him. That’s his older brother.”
He glanced over toward the approaching cowboy. “Is there a problem with that?”
“Yeah, it’s a problem,” she muttered. “He hates me.”
Another surprised look from her father, but this time he didn’t have a chance to ask her to expound on what she’d said. Elijah stopped stiffly in front of her father, then held out his hand. “Mr. Perez. My brother said you might need some help with your farm.”
Her father nodded. “Yes. We really appreciate anything you can do.”
Elijah didn’t even give her the courtesy of meeting her gaze. “Show me what you’ve got and we can get started.”
5
Elijah
“I’m embarrassed to say I’ve let things slide around here lately. It… hasn’t been easy.”
“Dad! We’re doing fine. And even if we weren’t, no one would blame you for any of it.”
Elijah glanced from Carlos Perez to his daughter, making sure not to let his gaze linger so long she caught him staring.
“I’ve not been entirely honest with you, Scarlett.” Carlos stopped and faced his daughter. “We’re having a hard time making ends meet. It’s nothing that can’t be fixed, but we do need some extra help.” His eyes darted toward Elijah, then back to Scarlett. “But I don’t know how much we can afford to pay someone to do it.”
Scarlett glanced at Elijah, then turned her father slightly as if their conversation couldn’t be heard with that movement. “That’s why I’m here. I can help.”
“Sweetheart, I know you mean well, but there are just certain things—”
She shook her head vehemently. “Don’t give me that. I know you raised me to want more in my life than that of a rancher’s wife, but I’m not going anywhere.”
Carlos took her hand in his and patted it.
Something strange was happening in Elijah’s gut.
Oh goodness.
It almost felt like he was feelingguiltyover what he’d said to Scarlett the other day. This was not good.
Or maybe he felt bad for her and her father. He probably shouldn’t be standing here and inserting himself into their family problems.
The instinct to take a step back and let them work out this little disagreement was so strong it made his stomach churn, but he kept his feet planted. Perhaps it was the curiosity of how Scarlett would try to get herself out of this predicament that made him stay. Or it was his concern for Carlos. Either way, he wanted to know how this would end.
“I love you, Scarlett, but even I have to admit that your being here isn’t what should have ever happened.”
Pain filtered across Scarlett’s face, but she didn’t meet Elijah’s eyes.
“You’re wrong,” she murmured. “I should have come home a long time ago. Then maybe you wouldn’t feel that way.”
They stared at each other, both with hardened gazes. Elijah should have definitely walked away when he’d had a chance. He shouldn’t be here to witness family problems. He had enough of those of his own. And from the sound of it, Carlos needed a lot more help than he’d let on when he’d spoken to Lucas on the phone. He needed to hire someone.
But if they didn’t have the funds to do even that, there was no chance for them. Scarlett wasn’t able to run the ranch on her own.
“You’re not going to convince me to leave, Dad. I’m here to stay. I’ll work from dawn until dusk if I have to. I’ll watch YouTube videos and read books—whatever it takes to get the work done. Heck, I’ll dip into my savings—”
