through his dark hair.
But he didn’t yell. Didn’t fume.
In fact, he didn’t say a word.
His reaction—or lack thereof—was far more frightening to Laney than if he’d ranted and raved. The fact that he could contain his emotions suggested an entirely unexpected strength of character. The thought would be more comforting if that strength didn’t seem so focused on hating her.
His eyes were spitting fire, his gaze accusing her of a myriad of offenses.
She tipped her chin, unwilling to give him an inch in this silent war of wills. She had no reason to back down. He was the one making all of the incorrect assumptions here, not that she needed to explain herself to him. She’d done nothing wrong.
Anyway, it was none of his business.
“I don’t understand. How was the ranch Brody’s to give?” Slade’s gaze shifted to Carol, and Laney observed the immediate change in his demeanor. Tempered. Respectful. Deferential. Everything he wasn’t whenever he spoke to her. “Not to put too fine a point on it, but doesn’t the ranch belong to the two of you? I guess I just assumed—”
Grant held up a hand to staunch Slade’s flow of words. Slade actually looked relieved that he hadn’t had to finish his sentence. As well he should be.
“We aren’t getting any younger,” Grant explained in a no-nonsense tone. “We spoke to Brody about the ownership of the ranch right after we found out he’d married Laney. He told us he was planning on raising a family here. It seemed only right to pass the reins along while we were still alive to see it.”
Slade winced visibly and Laney wondered what he was thinking.
Carol moved to Laney’s side and placed one arm around her shoulders and her opposite hand on Laney’s belly. It would have bothered Laney had a stranger been so intimate, but she already considered Carol a mother to her. “And now you can see just how right we were to make that call when we did. We couldn’t possibly have known about the baby at the time, but the good Lord had it safe in His hands. Now Brody’s family will be able to live and thrive on this ranch. It isn’t quite the way we envisioned it, but—” Carol’s voice cut out with emotion “—at least Laney and the baby will have the ranch to help get them by.”
“What about y’all?” His question was directed to Carol and Grant but his eyes were on Laney.
She hated how Slade was able to make her feel as if she’d done something wrong when she hadn’t. He had no right to even think such negative things about her, never mind hint his suspicions aloud. She had left a perfectly good career in business management at a large marketing firm in order to honor Brody’s memory and raise his son or daughter the way Brody would have wanted. In the country. On the land. Did Slade imagine she would heartlessly throw Brody’s parents to the curb after all that?
The Becketts were already family to her, and as dear to her heart as her own mother and father. They had welcomed her and embraced both her and her unborn child. They had never once questioned her relationship with their son, as complicated as that had been. She was perfectly aware she owed them more than she could ever repay.
But she would, of course, give them every courtesy she could to make their lives easier in any way she was able. So why did she feel the need to justify herself to Slade?
“Laney has been nothing but kind,” Carol assured Slade, her tone brooking no argument from him.
“I’m sure she has been,” he responded, sounding as if he believed exactly the opposite. “But still—you have to understand why I’d be worried about your future.”
Only the fact that Slade sounded genuinely concerned about the Becketts kept Laney from pelting something at him. He seemed to be missing the point—or rather, all of the points. It was high time to set him straight.
“There’s nothing to worry about. Grant and Carol are staying right here. I may technically own the ranch, but in a very real way they have taken me in when I needed them most. I can never begin to repay their generosity, but I’m certainly going to try.”
Slade brushed his palm across the stubble on his jaw and gave Laney’s belly a pointed look. He appeared to be debating something in his mind.
She tensed, ready for the worst he could give.
His gaze shifted to Carol. Without warning, he strode forward and enveloped the older woman in a big, affectionate bear hug, dwarfing Carol and causing her to giggle like a young girl. “You know I love you both.”
Laney nearly fell off her stool. Of everything Slade could have said or done, verbally and physically expressing his love for this family was the last possible guess she would have made. Who would have imagined that the harsh, judgmental cowboy Laney was familiar with had a soft side? Clearly he held great affection for the Becketts, and to her very great surprise, he wasn’t afraid to express it.
“If y’all are set on accepting Laney into your lives, then I will, too. I’ll show her around the ranch and give her some pointers on country living. She’s got a huge learning curve here, and I’m sure she can use all the help she can get.”
Laney sniffed indignantly. That was all well and good for Mr. Arrogant, assuming she would be doing back flips because he’d conceded to allow her to live in her own home, and had, in fact, offered to help her, whatever that meant.
As if she needed his assistance—with anything. He made it sound as if he was doing her a favor. It obviously never even occurred to the big lug that she might not want anything to do with him. As if it was his decision to make whether or not she was part of his life. No need to ask her what she thought about it.
Even if she wasn’t seven months pregnant, she would in no way be doing any kind of gymnastics over Slade McKenna. Hadn’t he already created enough havoc in her life? Hadn’t he stuck his nose into her business when he had no right to be there and ultimately been the primary cause of the demise of her marriage? Hadn’t he led Brody down all the wrong paths, tempting him with all manner of reckless ideas when Brody most needed to learn to be responsible and to live up to his commitments?
Laney wanted nothing to do with him. Not one single thing.
But when Slade raised his milk glass in a silent toast to her, she realized just how difficult it was going to be to avoid him and all his meddling in her affairs. The Becketts accepted what he said at face value. They clearly adored him, and he filled an extra special role in their lives now that Brody was gone.
Whether she liked or not—and she didn’t, not one bit—it appeared Slade was about to become a permanent part of her life.
Slade awoke in a cold sweat, thrashing back and forth as he wrestled with the blanket that had somehow become knotted around his ankles. In his mind he kept hearing the eight-second buzzer—a bull rider’s favorite sound and now his worst nightmare.
He groaned and yanked at the stubborn blanket, refusing to let his thoughts go back to the moment that had darkened his life permanently. Unfortunately, his life was about to get even more cloudy, with the distinct possibility of thunderstorms in his near future.
He
