22. Grady
Grady
Tally perks up the second she sees us, trotting over to the gate in search of a peppermint, no doubt. Leah, ever the softie, has one ready for her by the time she comes to a stop. The way her eyes sparkle as Tally takes the little candy from her palm is enchanting.
I hate the fact that this beautiful woman has spent all these weeks thinking I hate her, but I’m so glad she finally knows the truth.
At least, I hope she does. By the way she smiles at me now, she has to. Words are my enemy, so the little touches are hopefully comforting enough.
“You want to go to the stables and eavesdrop on the meeting your bitch mother is going to be holding?” She quirks a brow, nudging me with her elbow.
I hold in a laugh and nod. Of course I want to listen. Not because I care what she has to say. No, I care about the kind-hearted, high-strung man who wears a smile to conceal his worries.
I know my mother, I’m all too familiar with her subtle, festering rage.
She’s going to eat him alive, and Bridget will happily join her in devouring him.
I’ve had an entire lifetime to learn how to tamp my nerves down and control my reactions—they only make it worse.
Imagining her fangs sinking into him has my blood boiling.
This must be what Leah feels when Bridget is… well, Bridget to me.
I hook a lead to Tally’s field halter, and we begin the short walk to the stables.
Leah is keeping her face flat, trying to hide her concern, but I can read her.
Decades of learning people’s intentions through their faces has proven to be a blessing and a curse.
Right now, I have to pretend I don’t know how upset she is, because I’m also abundantly aware that she’s not a fan of being coddled.
In fact, she’s quite hardened for such a small woman. I get the sense that her home life had a lot to do with it. She doesn’t talk a ton about where she came from, but there are definitely hardships she doesn’t share.
And that’s okay.
I don’t need to know everything about her to want every part of her. The things she does show me are enough.
Mother would surely tell me I’m reckless, na?ve, settling for less than a Hart should. If she finds out I’m also bedding my dear little sister’s intended husband, well, maybe I could finally get the boot from this nightmare of a family.
I curse myself internally for the thought, knowing full well that she’ll never let me out of this hell.
Not as long as I pose a threat. Until I’m “perfect” and ready to conform to her rules and expectations, I’ll always be just that—the thing that haunts her worst nightmares. A flaw in the family name.
That’s what makes my sassy little goddess and secretly sweet bad boy so special. Aside from my cousins, they’re the only people I have ever met who see me. They never bat an eye or make me feel like a bumbling fool when my mouth won’t work. It’s freeing and beautiful.
They’re beautiful.
And now that they’re mine, I’ll do anything I can to protect them. Well, anything that won’t upset Parker and his rules.
Leah voiced her apprehension yesterday. I should have done the same.
She’ll work diligently to uphold our promise, so I’ll follow suit to the best of my abilities.
If nothing else, I respect his determination.
I know Bridget, and could never imagine having to be the object of her delusional, self-centered fantasies.
The thought sends chills up my spine, bringing forth a shudder.
“You’re stuck in your head over there, huh?” Leah speaks up as we reach Tally’s stall.
I sigh, offering a half-shrug in response. If she knew how much chaos was running through my mind, she’d join me, and that would be catastrophic.
“Hey,” she murmurs, slinking into the far corner of the stall, finger curling in a silent command.
I freeze in place, glancing over my shoulder.
“They’re all in the office. Nobody is going to see.”
My body takes control of itself. Carefully latching the door, I close the gap between us in two strides, lips on hers in an instant. Tally, the perfect accomplice, moves to the stall entrance, further blocking the view from outside.
“Grady, wait,” Leah whimpers as I trail my mouth to her throat. “I think I heard a car pull up.”
Her words extinguish the fire in my veins. Shaking my head, I blow out a frustrated breath. How can I be so careless already? We also don’t know how Parker feels about us doing things without him.
Maybe we should have that conversation and worry less about what others think.
A pipe dream, I know it is. Keeping up appearances is all we have right now.
Parker is one hundred percent correct, Mother has the money and power to make me disappear.
Not in the murderous sense, though I wouldn’t put it past her.
But she can easily send me away—putting me up in a hovel with no phone or internet.
Nothing but a shitty “butler” who would keep me in line until I’ve “learned my lesson”.
She’s done it to my cousins on a few occasions. A “time out” as she says. They go dark for a month or so, then come back acting the way she wants, only showing their faces when she instructs. Being raised by her after their parents died has made for a sad life.
Deep down, I wish I could help them. At one point, we were close. Until Mother decided that it was time for us all to “step up”.
The way she swooped in and took over everything when Father died still gives me chills.
To this day, I’m not convinced that she didn’t have him killed just to sit on her figurative throne.
I know that’s far-fetched. Heart attacks happen, especially when in such a high-stress position.
I was barely eleven when he left us, so there was nobody to fight for an investigation. It’s a shame.
The stable door opening grabs my attention. Quincy and Warren, faces tense, drag their feet straight into the office.
“I can’t believe I almost fucked your cousins,” Leah sneers next to me.
I can.
No insult intended to her, but they’re attractive and have no problem talking to women.
I hate that we’re so disconnected now. Part of me still yearns for the brotherly relationship we once had.
At least I could live vicariously through them before.
The last couple of years have sucked without their stories and kinship.
“Let’s move closer so we can try to hear.” She tugs on my arm.
We slink out of Tally’s stall, tip-toeing toward the solid metal office door. The shrill sound of Mother’s voice makes my stomach roll. The benefit of my stable solitude is not having to listen to her squawk on a daily basis anymore. It’s actually been months since I’ve had the displeasure.
For Parker, I’ll endure it.
“And… do… have to say…” Her muffled scolds are barely audible through the door. I can almost see the veins bulging in her neck as she chastises Parker for “failing”.
We all know Bridget is a bumbling idiot who has no business trying to compete at this level, but Mother needs an heir, and I’m not good enough.
The world beyond Hartbrook doesn’t even know I exist.
“And you two!” she screeches—so loud I’m sure it could be heard from outside.
My blood goes cold. She brought my cousins here to yell at them?
Oh no.
“You… distract her… failures!” High-pitched, filled with clear malice, the words I can make out have me fighting the urge to vomit… or break the door down.
“Did you hear that?” Leah stares up at me, wide-eyed. “I think… I’m pretty sure she tried to use them to distract me!” Though she’s whispering, it’s clearly intended to be an angry scream. “How fucking rude. That’s low, even for her.”
I have no clue how she heard enough to figure all that out, but it’s not an impossible idea.
“You, Brat.” Seething words filter through the door, clearly speaking to Bridget now. “Try harder.” Her command is clear as day, like the threat layered on top.
Bridget says something I can’t decipher. She’s keeping her voice low and controlled. Probably the smartest thing she’s ever done.
The only word of Mother’s response that makes it through the barrier is “gone” which stabs me in the chest. Those four letters carry immeasurable weight coming from her.
After a beat of silence, Leah and I retreat to Tally’s stall, pretending we just got back from the pasture. I brush her coat while Leah combs her mane, picking out stray leaves.
Mother is the first to exit, paying me no mind as I lean over the door to see the defeat in all four of the others’ faces.
Clearly, the meeting did not go well for anyone involved.
What worries me most is Parker. He seems to be in a stupor—eyes glazed over, dragging his feet. He doesn’t even acknowledge that Leah and I are standing here, watching with held breath.
When the others finally leave, she rushes to him, framing his face with her hands. “What’s wrong? What happened in there?” Her voice wavers as their eyes meet.
Stepping beside them, I squeeze his shoulder. “Carrie’s?” I offer, knowing how much he loves it there, anywhere but here, really.
He swallows, damp eyes meeting mine, and nods.
“I’ll drive. My truck is right across the road.” Leah takes him by the hand, leading him out the door.
Following closely, I climb into the back seat of her truck, sitting behind him. My hands know better than I do, and find his shoulders on their own, kneading at the tension he’s holding. Between the massage and the distance we’re putting between Hartbrook and us, he slowly relaxes.
With a sigh, he leans back. “Thank you both. I—the things she said. Holy shit.”
“We could hear a bit of it. Are you good, Puddin’?” Leah looks over for a split second, pulling off the private drive.
“Puddin’? Hear that, Hulk? We’ve both got adorable nicknames now.” He flashes me a strained smile, his usual “I hope this sells my false happiness” toothy grin. The one I see straight through but never let on. We all wear our masks, who am I to shatter the illusion that his is effective?
“Sorry, old habits. Please ignore me.” She curls her lips between her teeth.