Wild Ride: BBW Western Romance (Under Open Skies Saga Book 2) (29 page)

His eyes narrowed.

“
I love you, Hunter. I did
n’
t mean to, hell, I did
n’
t want to. But I do. I just, I do
n’
t know you like I thought I did
.
”

“
I see
.”
Hunter was quiet for a long time before he looked up at her and asked
,“
what do you want to know
?
”

“
Who was she
?
”

“
Just a girl, from when I was young. I thought I was such a big shot. Gonna be a famous rider someday, you know? But she got her hooks on me, and she pulled me right in. I fell, and I fell hard. We got together, started livi
n’
together. Then the money started runni
n’
out. Mom was
n’
t about to give me any, and I was
n’
t about to ask. So I stopped doi
n’
what I loved, and I started doi
n’
what she wanted. Worki
n’
odd jobs, tryi
n’
to make ends meet
.”
He shook his head
.“
Hell, I even tried to stay in the rodeo while doi
n’
it. Just about tore myself up in two, worki
n’
too damn hard and getting nowhere
.
”

“
Did you love her
?
”

It flew out of her mouth before she had a chance to stop it. She did
n’
t want to ask that question, did
n’
t want to know.

“
I thought I did. No, I did. I loved her, but I was just
a…
plaything to her. Someone to play house with. She started going out a lot, hanging out with the other cowboys, going home with them. I let myself stay blind to it all for a while. Hell, I even married her despite the fact that my best friend told me she was cheati
n’
. Cody tried to warn me
.
”

“
Oh
.
”

“
I was blind, and in love, and stupid. She finally left me when she caught herself a bigger fish. Divorced me, got married. Hear she is living well
.”
He looked her over
.“
I ai
n’
t loved no one for a long time after that, Kat. Not until now
.
”

She did
n’
t want to hear those words, she was
n’
t ready, not ready to be loved. But she did
n’
t have a choice. She did
n’
t have a choice in any of this. It was all happening so fast, and she was getting swept up in it.

“
I love you, Kat. I have
n’
t been the best at this, but
I’
ve been alone for a long time. Ai
n’
t going to quit trying
.”
He reached over and pulled her into his lap, kissing her softly
.“
Can you be patient with me? In a lot of ways
I’
m just a cranky, mean old bull who needs the right touch
.
”

“
I think I can try
.
”

“
Tha
t’
s all I can ask for
.
”

Kat stood on her fathe
r’
s porch, her hand on the doorknob, but she just could
n’
t find the courage to open the damn door. She needed to find something that connected the dots. Anything. Even if that meant she had to search every nook and cranny of her fathe
r’
s house to do it.

She turned that damn doorknob and stepped into his house.

It wa
s…
spotless. Her mother must have kept having cleaners come in on a daily basis, because she did
n’
t even see a speck of dust. She hoped that all she had done was simple cleaning, because she was
n’
t sure where else to look.

Almost all of his files at the office were public, kept in a secure location, so if he had any evidence, any scrap of paper that might link Sarah to him, that might  show motivation, it would be here. In his mansion up on the hill. The one she could
n’
t bare to step in, let alone live in, despite her mothe
r’
s protests.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. Her mother. 
Dammit, think about her and she is summoned.

“
Hi, Mom
.
”

“
Kat?
I’
ve been trying to get ahold of you for days
.”
The exasperation in her voice made the
in days
elongated, a feature that made her roll her eyes. Luckily, her mom was not there to see them.

“
Sorry, there has been a lot going on with the business
.
”

“
Yeah, apparently you and your father shared that in common. Too busy with work to talk to me
.”
Ah, so today he was a villain. At least it let her know the mood
.“
What are you doing now
?
”

“
Going through the house, looking for som
e…
keepsakes
.”
Better she did
n’
t know the truth, it would lead to questions, and arguments, and she was
n’
t ready for that. Her mother was never involved in this part of his life anyways, so it made no sense to stick her into it now.

“
I still do
n’
t understand why you do
n’
t just move in, I mean the entire thing is paid
,
”

“
Mom, we talked about this
.”
She was in this study, digging through his desk while trying to ignore her mothe
r’
s constant guilt trip.

She was three drawers in when she noticed a small stack of letters, wrapped in rubber bands, on the top was one with her name on it. In his handwriting.

“
Mom, I am going to have to let you go, something came up
.
”

“
Wha
-
“

Click.

She was
n’
t going to deal with her right this moment. This letter was far more important.

So she did the only thing she could do. She ripped it open, trying her best to save the envelope, it was after all, one of the last things she had with his handwriting still on it.

There was just one page in that envelope, and she fingered the paper, hoping for  more. A dozen, two dozen, hell, an entire manuscript. Something to help her lead, but all she got was one single, solitary, lonely page.

Kat,

I have
n’
t been the best father, I know that. But know that I love you, and am so proud of you. I gave this to you, this house, this company. Everything. Because I believe in you.

But I have
n’
t always been honest with you.

I wanted to tell you when the time was right, but I guess if you look at something that way, no time  is ever the right time. And now, yo
u’
re probably reading this as you go through my house, as a way to stave off your mothe
r’
s nagging, if I know the two of you.

So let me be to the point. You have a brother. Your mother and I were not always together, and before I knew her, I was with someone else. That person had a child, and after I was married to your mother, I found out I had a son.

I am sure, as you know by now, that we stayed married for you. My greatest regret is not telling you sooner.

Now that you know, I expect you want to know who. His name is Cody James and he has been waiting for decades to know you. Find him. Get to know him.

You can trust him. He is a whole lot tougher than he looks. I know yo
u’
ll work it all out.

Do
n’
t take any wooden nickels,

Dad

P.S. Please do me one last favor and deliver these letters.

Kat stood there, with her mouth open and a small stack of letters in her hand, each one addressed to a different person, the next being Cody James.

Kat grabbed her phone and dialed Hunter.

“
Hey, you busy
?
”

“
Just up at the facility doing some physical therapy, why
?”
Hunte
r’
s voice was playful
,“
you need me to come get you, maybe take you back to my place and practice there
?
”

She could
n’
t let the thoughts that were clouding her mind distract her, as much as she wanted to go back to his place and d
o…
whatever it was he wanted, she needed to stay focused.

“
I need your help, I need to find Cody. I think
I’
ve figured everything out
.
”

“
Where are you
?
”

“
Da
d’s
”

“
Stay right there,
I’
ll come get you
.
”

“
Cody, Did you know
?”
She barely waited for the door of his house to open before the words flew out of her mouth. It was a small place, nothing befitting the child of a business woman, but it did
n’
t surprise her. He seemed like the type who wanted make his own way.

“
Did I know what
?”
He stared at her, in a pair of pants, his eyes groggy as he looked her over
.“
What the hell did you come all the way out here for
?
”

He was
n’
t angry, more like amused.

“
Who you are
?”
Shit. That sounded stupid
.“
Did you know we wer
e…
who your father was
?
”

“
Are you asking me if I was aware of our common lineage
?
”

“
Why the hell did
n’
t you tell me
?
”

“
Because it was
n’
t for me to tell. He did
n’
t want me to, it would have been too complicated
.
”

“
So all this time you have been pretending to be my friend. To care about me
.
”

“
I do care about you, Kat. You did
n’
t ask for this, any of it, and neither did I. You did
n’
t even know me. I may have gotten to live near him, to know him. But, I was his secret child. His secret life. I wanted to hate you, the spoiled little brat that my father got to claim. The legitimate one, but you were earnest. And you were kind
.
”

“
Hunter, did he know
?”
She glanced over to the truck that had him in it. Waiting for her. He drove her out to Cod
y’
s place, all without saying a word.

“
Of course not, I mean, maybe he suspected, but he never asked. It was
n’
t like I was the only fatherless kid tagging along after your dad. Do you think he would have kept something like that secret, from you? The only people that knew were me, your dad, and my mom. Oh, and Hank
.
”

“
Fucking hell. Why would
n’
t he tell me
?”
Kat shook her head and looked down
.“
I would have liked to know I had
a…
brother
.
”