Chapter 12 Ryder #2
Twenty minutes later, I was parked in front of the Nelson Ranch house.
The tents were now dark and there was no music drifting across the yard.
But the house lights were on, and I could see a single figure sitting in a lone rocking chair on the front porch.
It was Evelyn, waiting for me just like she’d promised.
I climbed out of my truck, my legs feeling like lead as I approached the porch. Evelyn stood, her eyes filled with concern as she took in my appearance.
“Oh, honey,” she said softly, reaching for my hand. “Come inside. Let me see that.”
I hadn’t even realized my knuckles were bleeding until she pointed it out. The adrenaline was still coursing through me, numbing the pain, but now that she mentioned it, I could feel the dull throb spreading up my arm.
“It’s not as bad as it looks,” I mumbled, but followed her inside anyway.
The Nelson house was warm and inviting, nothing like the cold mausoleum I’d grown up in. Wedding gifts were stacked neatly in the corner of the living room, and the faint scent of cake and flowers still hung in the air.
“Sit,” Evelyn commanded, pointing to a kitchen chair as she gathered first aid supplies. “Now, you want to tell me what happened?”
I sank into the chair, suddenly exhausted. “He came after me and… well, I hit him, Evelyn. I finally hit him back.”
Her hands paused for just a moment before she continued preparing a warm washcloth. “Can’t say I’m surprised. That man’s had it coming for years.”
“He told me—” My voice cracked, and I had to swallow hard before continuing. “He told me he never wanted me. That he should have left me at the hospital when I was born.”
Evelyn’s face hardened as she gently cleaned the cuts on my knuckles. “Pete McGrath is a miserable excuse for a father. Always has been.”
“You knew him back then? When my mom was pregnant with me?”
She nodded, her eyes sad. “I knew them both. Your mother was a beautiful soul, Ryder. So full of life and love.” She wrapped a bandage around my hand with practiced ease. “And yes, the pregnancy was risky. The doctors warned her. But she wanted you more than anything in this world.”
My throat tightened. “Dad said she died because of me. That I killed her.”
“That’s a goddamn lie,” Evelyn said fiercely, surprising me with her vehemence. “Your mother chose to have you because she loved you already. The only person who killed her was fate, or God, or whatever you want to call it. Not you. Never you.”
I blinked back tears, her words soothing a wound I hadn’t realized was still so raw. “Why would he tell me that?”
“Because he’s a bitter, angry man who never learned to grieve properly.
” She finished with my hand and sat across from me.
“He loved your mother with all his heart, I’ll give him that much.
But when he lost her, something broke in him.
Instead of cherishing you as her final gift, he resented you for surviving when she didn’t. ”
I looked down at my bandaged hand. “Do you think he’ll ever change?” I asked, my voice small. Despite all the logic I could muster, a part of me still yearned for a father and a family that loved me.
Evelyn reached across the table and covered my injured hand with hers. Her touch was gentle, motherly in a way I’d never experienced before.
“Some men can, honey. But Pete...” She shook her head, her eyes sad but clear. “I’ve known him for over thirty years. He’s had plenty of chances to change. To heal. To be the father you deserved.”
“And instead, he became a monster,” I whispered.
“People become what they practice being,” she said simply. “Your father practiced being angry for so long it became who he is.”
I nodded, feeling the weight of her words. The kitchen was quiet except for the soft ticking of a clock on the wall. Through the window, I could see the moonlight casting long shadows across the yard where just hours earlier, people had been celebrating love and new beginnings.
“What happens now?” I asked, more to myself than to Evelyn.
“Now you get some rest,” she said firmly. “Cole and Jesse left for their honeymoon right after the reception, so you can stay in the guest room as long as you need. Tomorrow, we’ll figure out the next steps.”
“I can’t just leave,” I said, thinking of Connor. “There are people at the ranch who could get hurt if Dad decides to take his anger out on them.”
Evelyn’s eyes narrowed slightly. “You mean Connor?”
Heat rushed to my face. “Not just him. All the guys on parole. Dad was drunk and furious when I left. There’s no telling what he might do.”
“Pete may be a bastard, but he’s not stupid,” Evelyn said. “He knows better than to mess with that program. If he does something stupid, it could cost him a lot more than some cheap labor.”
I wasn’t convinced, but I was too exhausted to argue. My hand throbbed, and now that the adrenaline was wearing off, every muscle in my body ached with tension.
“I’ll check on them tomorrow,” Evelyn promised, seeing the worry on my face. “First thing. But right now, you need to take care of yourself.”
I nodded, suddenly overwhelmed by how much had changed in just one day. This morning, I’d woken up in my own bed, excited about seeing Connor at the wedding. Now, I was essentially homeless, having finally stood up to my father after years of abuse.
And somewhere in the bunkhouse, Connor was sleeping, unaware that everything had shifted.