Summer Days (Fool's Gold #7)(45)

He drew in a breath and picked up one of the wrapped packages of soap. “They brought us baskets every holiday. There was plenty of food. Not leftovers that someone dug out of the back of his pantry, but real food. Turkeys and hams, big roasts. All the fixings. Pies and cakes. There would be movies for us kids and books for my mom.”

“That sounds nice.”

“It wasn’t. I always knew when they were coming. I answered the door and I could see the pity in their eyes.”

As he spoke, Heidi knew he wasn’t the Rafe Stryker she’d met, but instead, a ten-year-old boy who couldn’t provide for those he loved. The one who had been left with an impossible task—providing for his family.

“It wasn’t your job to take care of everyone,” she murmured.

“Someone had to.”

“Your mom was doing it.”

“She was overwhelmed. There was too much work and no help.”

“So you did what you could.”

“It wasn’t enough.”

She understood why he was so concerned about May. Back then, he’d been unable to protect her. Now he could protect them all. Yet that attention came at a price. When one of his siblings didn’t measure up, Rafe was unforgiving.

“Tell me about your sister.”

He stared at her. “What do you want to know?”

“What is she like?”

“Younger. I was nine when she was born.”

“I thought your dad died when you were eight.”

“He did.”

“Oh.” Heidi couldn’t make the math work.

“It was a few months after. Mom was having a tough time coping.” He put the soap back on her desk. “Shane brought some guy home. A cowboy here for the rodeo. I guess my mom spent the night with him. He left before we were up, and we never saw him again. A few months later, she told us she was having a baby. Then Evangeline was born.”

“That can’t have been easy,” Heidi said.

“Mom is strong.”

“I meant for your sister. To know she doesn’t completely fit in with the family. That she’s a constant reminder of what your mom did.”

“It’s not like that. Not for either of them.” He hesitated. “I don’t know. Maybe it is. Evie’s never around. Shane and Clay come by to see Mom every few months, but not Evie.”

Heidi guessed that Rafe was much more clear on the problem than he wanted to let on. But admitting it would mean dealing with it. As long as he didn’t see there was an issue, he could ignore the situation. “Where’s your sister now?”

“She’s a dancer. She went to Juilliard. She’s very gifted.”

Heidi waited, but Rafe didn’t say any more.

“You never said what she’s like?”

“I don’t spend much time with her. When she was a kid, she was always dancing.”

“Was she always the outsider?”

He stood. “Is this another of your townie things? For someone who embraces the idea of community, you like to put people into groups. Us versus them.”

“That’s not fair.”

“Maybe not, but it’s accurate. Evangeline is my sister. I love her. Sure, I don’t know every detail of her life, but if she was ever in trouble, if she ever needed anything, I would be there for her. We all would. We’re a family.”

He stalked out of the room. Heidi watched him go, wondering if Evangeline would agree. May had decorated the living room with pictures of her sons, but there was only one of her daughter. She had a feeling Rafe hadn’t spoken to his sister in months. Maybe longer. She supposed every family had secrets, even from each other. The trick was loving your family, despite the secrets…or maybe because of them.

* * *

MAY SMOOTHED THE PAPER on the kitchen table. “What do you think?” she asked anxiously.

Heidi studied the drawing. She saw the outline of the barn as it existed today, and then how it would nearly double in size if May had her way. There were plenty of stalls for horses, storage areas for feed and other supplies, wide doors and an open second story for hay.

“It’s wonderful.” And expensive, and would only add to her bill should she win the case.

“Good. I was hoping you’d say that,” May told her. “I’ve spoken to Shane and mentioned the ranch to him. I’m hoping he’ll want to come here.”

“Shane?” Heidi pulled out a chair and sat down. “Here?”

She didn’t think she could survive a second Stryker brother. She was having enough trouble with Rafe.

“You’ll like Shane. He’s much more easygoing than Rafe. I’m sure that comes with not being the oldest.”

Heidi traced the drawing and knew there was no way to say no. The last thing she needed was May upset with her. But if she wasn’t careful, the Strykers would weave their way into every part of her world. If that happened, there would be no win—for any of them.

CHAPTER TEN

RAFE WATCHED YET MORE lumber being unloaded. Thanks to his mother’s grand plans for the barn, what had started out as a simple repair job had turned into major renovation. When she’d shown him her drawing the previous day, he’d made a few minor changes and promised to look into getting it done. This morning she’d informed him she’d spoken with Ethan, had hired his men for the remainder of the summer and had already ordered the necessary supplies. Now Rafe figured he would be lucky to ever get back to his office in San Francisco.