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“Of course I have. It’s my job. More than that, it’s my family’s legacy.”
I look around, trying to find a place to go. I was pretty sure that my brother wouldn’t appreciate my eavesdropping on his fight with his wife—again—but the only exit was out in the barn where the duo was fighting. Yeah, no way in hell I was doingthat. Maybe they’ll leave soon so I can try and sneak out without them noticing me?
“What legacy? You’re arancher, Aaron!You’ve been working yourself to the bone, and for what? Maybe if you found a different job, you wouldn’t have to work so hard. You’re barely home. You’re the first out of the house, and most days, you don’t come home until late at night. You barely get to spend any time with Gage.”
“That’s bullshit. Gage comes to the ranch every day and hangs around the barn, helps me with some small tasks, and I take him out riding.”
“But what about me, huh, Aaron? What about us? When do we get to do something?”
Fuck, this is not going well.
The tension coming from the two of them is so thick I can feel it out here. The silence stretches for what seems like forever before Aaron finally says, “I wanted to take you out to eat the other week, but you said no.”
“You wanted to take me to The Rose Garden!”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“It’s the only restaurant in this godforsaken town!”
I wince as her words ring in the quiet barn.
The horse huffs next to me, so I place my hand on its neck and give it a soft rub to calm him down.
I honestly didn’t know what to make of it. Aaron and Cheryldated all the way through middle and high school, and then they got married the summer after they graduated. They always seemed to be so united and happy together, but I guess something changed since then.
“This is what this whole fight is actually about. It’s not about work, not about me not spending time with Gage. Butthis.You want things I simply cannot give you.”
“Can’t or won’t, Aaron?” There is no missing the accusation in Cheryl’s voice. I wait for my brother to say something, to reassure her, but there is only silence. “That’s what I thought.”
I hold my breath, listening intently, but there is only the sound of the horses until…
“Fuck,” Aaron mutters quietly before something rattles.
The horse flinches, but I pull at his reins, trying to calm him down, and just when I succeed, a tall figure appears in the doorway.
Aaron’s dark eyes meet mine, but there is no anger, just resignation. “How much did you hear?”
Shit. So much for sneaking out unnoticed.
“Enough,” I admit. “I’m sorry. I didn’t plan on listening, but the only way out was through that door, so…”
I lift my shoulders in a half-hearted shrug.
He looks around the stall, that impassive expression on his face. His marriage was clearly on the rocks, and yet he didn’t seem to care the least bit. I couldn’t understand it. The Aaron I remembered didn’t give up on things that mattered to him, and family was one of the most important things to him.
“You want to go to The Hut?”
My brows shoot up at the unexpected suggestion. I couldn’t think of the last time Aaron and I hung out. The two of us always ran in different circles since we were kids, and any time we were forced to be together, we’d get in a fight. “Like now?”
“Yes, now. I need somethingto drink.”
My gaze goes over his shoulder as if I expected Cheryl to come back screaming.
“I’ll be sleeping on the couch anyway. There is no sense in going back home now and upsetting Gage with another fight.”
Another fight?
How many fights were there?
