My mind was spinning and couldn’t seem to land on a place where serene and pretty Brynn was married to man more than twice her age and terminally ill.
“After years of trying to protect her and keep her safe, dad had had enough. The only way to get her away from her family and the abuse permanently was to tie her to a different family. I was in Boston, Sutton was all tangled up with Daye’s mom, and Lane was too young to get married. Since he’s so fond of telling you all about me I don’t have any problem telling you he would have put a ring on her finger in a heartbeat. Brynn was barely eighteen and dad married her to set her free, but a lot of folks didn’t see it that way. They accused him of taking advantage of her and her of just wanting to get her hooks in a fairly well off, but not long for this life man. It wasn’t easy for either of them, especially since Lane has always had a thing for her but it was the best, most effective option. She’s always been family and she did a good job taking care of everything until I could get back home where I belonged.”
I blew out a long breath and shifted on the saddle. “That’s one hell of a story.”
He grunted in front of me. “It’s not my favorite one to tell. What about you? You ever make it down the aisle?”
I choked on a laugh and shook my head even though he wasn’t looking at me. His attention was focused back on the trail ahead.
“No. Not even close. I’ve only had one serious relationship in my entire adult life and it turned out not to be as serious as I thought.” That got me a curious look but the mules started to act up and he had to shift his attention away from me just as quickly as I got it. “In fact, it was all a joke.” That was on me.
“You’re skittish and unsure, but there is no doubt that you have good lines and will make for one hell of a ride. What the hell is wrong with the men where you come from?” He tossed out the very Wyoming compliment without looking at me.
I gaped at his back and couldn’t hold back an actual laugh of disbelief. “Did you just compare me to a horse?”
He shot me a smirk as he shifted the reins in his hand to the saddle horn in front of him so he could work on the ropes attached to the mules. The other animals obviously wanted to stop and it was taking everything Cy had to keep them going.
“You wanted a cowboy, cowboys know about two things: good women and good horses. Just so happens that both have similar traits.”
I huffed, torn between being flattered and insulted. “Well, thanks . . . I think. And there’s nothing wrong with the men where I’m from. Most of them want someone who is willing to put them first and is open to sharing their life with them. I’m not that girl. I’m too focused on my own life and my own issues to take on anyone else’s, and honestly, I’m not very nice most of the time.”
He let out a low whistle. “Control freak.”
I snorted at him and muttered, “Takes one to know one.”
“So, what’s the deal with the guy who turned out not to be so serious?” He had been so open and transparent with me when talking about his marriage, I figured I owed him the same.
“He tricked me by being so agreeable and unassuming. He was attractive, but not head turning. Warm rather than hot. He was smart and witty, but not obnoxious about it. I thought he was perfect, and for once there was someone in my life I enjoyed spending time with for more than a few hours besides Em. He never cared that I didn’t want him to stay over. Never got upset when I canceled plans because of work. He never made any kind of demands on me. He never questioned me. He never bothered me. He never challenged me or tested me. He fit himself seamlessly into my life and because of that, I was sure we were meant to be. I thought he got me.” No one knew that I was perpetually on the defense against everyone because I had an uncontrollable fear of being left, thanks to my crappy mother. I never let anyone get close because I didn’t trust them to stay if they had the choice to be with me or to leave.
“I ignored the fact that it shouldn’t be that easy. I totally blew off Em when she pointed out it was weird that Chris always came to my house and never invited me over to his. He met her but never offered to introduce me to his friends, and he never cared that we always stayed in, never really going out anywhere in public together. I figured he was going out of his way to make it work the way I wanted it to because he was so into me. Turned out, I was custom made to be the perfect side piece. He had a wife and kids at home in the burbs.”
Cy’s dark head whipped around and I was taken aback by the angry snarl on his face. He was livid, not at me, but for me. It made me shiver and like him even more than I was already starting to. “How did you find out he was married?”
I made a strangled noise that was almost a laugh. At some point during this trip, I’d managed to find more than heartbreak and disappointment in the situation. It was all so outlandish and ridiculous I couldn’t help but find the humor in parts of the pain. “His wife hired the firm I work at for a consultation to do some market research on a new vegan makeup line her company is getting ready to launch. When I went to her office for the first meeting, there were pictures of her and Chris and their kids all over her desk. It was a major contract that stood to make my company a lot of money. I couldn’t say anything to her because I was afraid she would drop the contract and fire my firm. I would have lost my job and there’s no way I would be able to find another one without solid references. It was a nightmare, but I got through the meeting and called Chris on his bullshit the second I got the chance.”
“After years of trying to protect her and keep her safe, dad had had enough. The only way to get her away from her family and the abuse permanently was to tie her to a different family. I was in Boston, Sutton was all tangled up with Daye’s mom, and Lane was too young to get married. Since he’s so fond of telling you all about me I don’t have any problem telling you he would have put a ring on her finger in a heartbeat. Brynn was barely eighteen and dad married her to set her free, but a lot of folks didn’t see it that way. They accused him of taking advantage of her and her of just wanting to get her hooks in a fairly well off, but not long for this life man. It wasn’t easy for either of them, especially since Lane has always had a thing for her but it was the best, most effective option. She’s always been family and she did a good job taking care of everything until I could get back home where I belonged.”
I blew out a long breath and shifted on the saddle. “That’s one hell of a story.”
He grunted in front of me. “It’s not my favorite one to tell. What about you? You ever make it down the aisle?”
I choked on a laugh and shook my head even though he wasn’t looking at me. His attention was focused back on the trail ahead.
“No. Not even close. I’ve only had one serious relationship in my entire adult life and it turned out not to be as serious as I thought.” That got me a curious look but the mules started to act up and he had to shift his attention away from me just as quickly as I got it. “In fact, it was all a joke.” That was on me.
“You’re skittish and unsure, but there is no doubt that you have good lines and will make for one hell of a ride. What the hell is wrong with the men where you come from?” He tossed out the very Wyoming compliment without looking at me.
I gaped at his back and couldn’t hold back an actual laugh of disbelief. “Did you just compare me to a horse?”
He shot me a smirk as he shifted the reins in his hand to the saddle horn in front of him so he could work on the ropes attached to the mules. The other animals obviously wanted to stop and it was taking everything Cy had to keep them going.
“You wanted a cowboy, cowboys know about two things: good women and good horses. Just so happens that both have similar traits.”
I huffed, torn between being flattered and insulted. “Well, thanks . . . I think. And there’s nothing wrong with the men where I’m from. Most of them want someone who is willing to put them first and is open to sharing their life with them. I’m not that girl. I’m too focused on my own life and my own issues to take on anyone else’s, and honestly, I’m not very nice most of the time.”
He let out a low whistle. “Control freak.”
I snorted at him and muttered, “Takes one to know one.”
“So, what’s the deal with the guy who turned out not to be so serious?” He had been so open and transparent with me when talking about his marriage, I figured I owed him the same.
“He tricked me by being so agreeable and unassuming. He was attractive, but not head turning. Warm rather than hot. He was smart and witty, but not obnoxious about it. I thought he was perfect, and for once there was someone in my life I enjoyed spending time with for more than a few hours besides Em. He never cared that I didn’t want him to stay over. Never got upset when I canceled plans because of work. He never made any kind of demands on me. He never questioned me. He never bothered me. He never challenged me or tested me. He fit himself seamlessly into my life and because of that, I was sure we were meant to be. I thought he got me.” No one knew that I was perpetually on the defense against everyone because I had an uncontrollable fear of being left, thanks to my crappy mother. I never let anyone get close because I didn’t trust them to stay if they had the choice to be with me or to leave.
“I ignored the fact that it shouldn’t be that easy. I totally blew off Em when she pointed out it was weird that Chris always came to my house and never invited me over to his. He met her but never offered to introduce me to his friends, and he never cared that we always stayed in, never really going out anywhere in public together. I figured he was going out of his way to make it work the way I wanted it to because he was so into me. Turned out, I was custom made to be the perfect side piece. He had a wife and kids at home in the burbs.”
Cy’s dark head whipped around and I was taken aback by the angry snarl on his face. He was livid, not at me, but for me. It made me shiver and like him even more than I was already starting to. “How did you find out he was married?”
I made a strangled noise that was almost a laugh. At some point during this trip, I’d managed to find more than heartbreak and disappointment in the situation. It was all so outlandish and ridiculous I couldn’t help but find the humor in parts of the pain. “His wife hired the firm I work at for a consultation to do some market research on a new vegan makeup line her company is getting ready to launch. When I went to her office for the first meeting, there were pictures of her and Chris and their kids all over her desk. It was a major contract that stood to make my company a lot of money. I couldn’t say anything to her because I was afraid she would drop the contract and fire my firm. I would have lost my job and there’s no way I would be able to find another one without solid references. It was a nightmare, but I got through the meeting and called Chris on his bullshit the second I got the chance.”
