Chapter 7
Kannen
There’s a sweet spot on the ranch every morning that I love to see. It’s when the sun hits the trees right as it’s rising toward the sky. Usually, I sit out on the porch with a cup of coffee and give myself that few minutes of appreciating sweet Texas life.
During that time, I think about all that I’m grateful for. I think about how happy I am in Lucky River. How glad I am that I have this ranch. I think about what I can do for Stormy. And how to be the best person I can for her.
But I couldn’t take the time for the coffee and sitting on the porch this morning. I had an ass to kick. As soon as Jude arrived at my place, I’d told him what an asshole Stormy’s ex was and the two of us paid him a visit. It went well for us, badly for him.
“Still thinking about that?” Jude asks as he adjusts his Stetson. His horse nickers softly.
We rode out to check the ranch’s land instead of working on the barn since the order for the roofing didn’t come in.
“Yeah, I am.” My horse turns his ears backward like he’s listening in and I pat the side of his neck. “I didn’t know her ex was like that.”
“If you had, would you would have taken Stormy away from him?” Jackson asks.
“If she would have had me. But I would have beaten his ass either way.” I grip the reins tightly for a second before relaxing. I wanted to show her ex the business end of my fists today, but I’d promised Stormy I wouldn’t punch him and I’ll never break a promise to her.
But I never promised I wouldn’t give him the fear of getting a whooping.
“He needs his ass beat.” Jackson’s face darkens. His father was an abusive prick and the quickest way to get on Jackson’s shit list is to hurt a woman. “He showed up at the station claiming the two of you threatened him. I told him I knew both of you and it wasn’t a threat, but a promise.”
“You should have shown her ex the mugshot and told him Kannen wasn’t afraid to do hard time again.” Jude grins at me.
“Man, I’m sorry about that.” Jackson laughs. “I forgot to delete it, so it was accidentally uploaded with the rest of them.”
“I didn’t know what the hell was going on. My phone went crazy with notifications until I finally silenced it. But I know you didn’t mean for that to happen.” I glance at my watch.
“You hear anything yet?” Jude asks.
I’d told him earlier about waiting on the private investigator to get back to me. “He said he’d have something today. I’ll head back and check my email.”
On this part of the ranch, we can’t get good phone reception. That’s the only downside to where I live. If Stormy needs me, she can’t reach me. I need to figure out a way to fix that.
We turn the horses around and head to the ranch. As I dismount, Jackson says, “Want to go into town and grab a beer later?”
“Can’t. I’m helping Stormy with preparations for the rodeo.”
“Still chasing her?” Jude asks. “It’s been years.”
“I got time,” I say as they follow me into the house.
They’re hovering when they normally don’t. I know they’re concerned with what I might find out about my biological family, but I’m already braced for whatever it is.
Inside the room that will eventually become an office, I open my laptop and pull up my email.
“What’s it say? Which one of us it?” Jude asks.
“Give me a second.” I open the message and skim the contents.
“Which one?” Jude asks again.
“It says they had two sons. Flint and Kannen.”
“So it’s Flint,” Jude says.
“We were both little when we were abandoned. I was found on the side of a highway. Flint was nowhere in sight,” I tell them as I read.
The report doesn’t say how he ended up there, but Flint went to a children’s home, and I can’t even continue reading. It hurts finding out about his suffering while I was raised in a good home.
I found him. My brother. It’s surreal. I’m excited but also filled with grief over all the moments that were lost between us.
Jude makes a phone call and I hear him explaining everything.
I touch my fingers to the laptop screen, running them across the words that describe what happened to my brother. I wish I could erase them. I wish we could have traded places. I’m still trying to manage my emotions when several trucks pull up out front.
“Come out with me,” Jude says.
The whole Richford family is here. I search and then see Flint. I’ve had casual conversations with him in town and at his family’s ranch when I was there with Jude.
I can’t speak. I can only stare at the man I didn’t know was family.
Flint strides forward. “Brother,” he says, his voice thick and breaking. He wraps me in a bear hug. “My brother,” he says again, thumping me on the back.
I grip him tightly and we stand that way for a while.
Finally, he steps back and puts his hands on my shoulders. “I’m older than you so I missed out on a lot of years bossing you around. That’s a shame.”
I laugh, then moving in unison, the rest of the Richford brothers surround us. Each one of them hugs me. “My brother,” they all say.
And just like that, I’m part of the bond they forged not by blood but by choice.
Gavin and Frances Richford, Flint’s adoptive parents, also hug me and welcome me into the family.
“Well, I feel like a fucking third wheel,” Jackson says.
And everyone laughs.
“Get over here and I’ll hug you,” Frances says.
I’m glad that my brother has this family after all he went through.
The hours fly by filled with conversation and questions and laughter and a few tears.
Eventually, everyone but Flint and Jude leave and then the three of us continue talking and comparing our histories. Flint tells me about his wife, Arizona and his kids.
Jude talks about the funny memories growing up in the Richford house and some of the growing pains they all experienced when all the boys were first adopted. Gavin and Frances took in all eight boys at once and Gavin was instrumental in getting the children’s home shut down for good.
Then Flint tells me about the former ranch manager who forged paperwork to get a loan using the Richford’s ranch as collateral. They nearly lost the place and are still hunting for that con man.
I don’t know the guy but I’m angry on their behalf.
We talk until the sun starts to fade, then Flint stands. “I got get home to my wife, but we have plenty of days ahead of us to get together.”
As I walk with him to the truck, I say, “I’m sorry things were bad for you as a kid. I wish it had been me instead.”
He stops walking. “I wouldn’t have wanted that. It was hard, but I ended up alright. If I hadn’t gone through it, I never would have been adopted by the Richfords. And if that hadn’t happened, then I wouldn’t have known Arizona.” He claps me on the back. “Where are you heading?”
“I’m meeting Stormy. We’re still working on plans for the rodeo.”
Jude grins and tells Flint, “If Kannen gets his way, Stormy will become our sister-in-law. But he’s been trying to be with her since high school.”
I toy with the brim of my Stetson. “I don’t mind waiting.”
“Rainee was that way, too. Not interested in me at first, but I didn’t give up,” Jude says. “Of course, it was easier for her to fall for me since I’m handsome as fuck.”
I laugh.
“He’s right.” Flint gestures to Jude. “Not the handsome part. But Like Rainee, Stormy’s been through a lot. Don’t give up.”
“I don’t intend to.”
We promise to meet again tomorrow and then I’m on my way to Stormy.
She’s already at the rodeo’s office trailer by the time I arrive. She stands and comes toward me the moment I step in.
“Rainee told me that Flint’s your brother.”
I remove my Stetson and set it on a short bookshelf close to the door. “Yeah, it’s been a whirlwind kind of day.”
“I already made coffee.”
She links her fingers, acting nervous.
“Alright,” I say, pulling out the same chair where I sat last night.
“About the mugshot and all those comments…”
So that’s what’s bothering her. “I silenced my phone, it’s no big deal.”
“To you,” she says.
“What do you mean?”
“Did you read those comments?”
I shake my head. “I don’t give two cents what people I don’t know think about me.”
“Well, I did. I read through some of them.”
She sounds mad. Almost jealous.
My hopes perk up. “And?”
“Some of them were saying they wanted to…you know.”
“No, I don’t know since I didn’t read them.”
“A good portion of them were saying they wanted to sleep with you. A few of them said they’d drive down here to ride that bad boy cowboy. They were talking about blowjobs and—”
I laugh and she stops speaking.
“You think it’s funny that they want to have sex with you?”
“I think it’s funny that you’re mad about women who never had a chance and never will.”
She runs her hand through her hair. “I am mad as hell.”
“Why?”
“I…don’t know.”
“Mmm.” I think she does know but doesn’t want to say.
She heaves a sigh. “I’m not trying to blow hot and cold with you, I promise.”
“I know you’re not like that. You want to be hot with me all the time.” I’m only teasing but Stormy frowns.
“You’re right. I do.”
What’s she saying? “But this morning you said last night didn’t mean anything.”
“I know what I said.” She licks her lips. “That was me protecting myself and protecting you.”
I’m out of my chair like a rocket to kneel beside hers. “What do you mean?”
A tear streaks down her face, followed by another until she’s crying steadily. “I’m not lovable and you might think you want to be with me, but you won’t after a while. You’ll see.”
My heart is fucking breaking. How…who…why hurt her like that? Why???
I turn her face toward me. “I see a woman who’s smart and capable and so beautiful that I look at you in awe. I see a woman so fucking lovable that I fell for you at the first glance.”
“But—”
I put a finger against her lips. “I’m not going to let anyone hurt you with words like that, not even you.
” I thumb away her tears. “I’ve seen you get up each time you fell.
I’ve seen all the storms that hit your life and I’ve seen you dance through them.
You’re funny and sweet and so fucking amazing. ”
Her lips tremble. “I think you got the words mixed up. Did you mean I’m an amazing fuck?”
I laugh. “That, too.”
She smiles, then bows her head. “I don’t know where the brave woman I used to be went. I lost sight of her.”
“You’re still you, my sweet Stormy. Your light just got covered in the wounds that other people gave you, that’s all.” I take her hand and rest it against my heart. “I never lost sight of you and I never will.”