Broken(29)

His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. She noticed his fists clenching at his sides and she knew how difficult it must be for him to accept her decision. Finally, he expelled a deep breath. “If that’s what you want, I’ll honor your request, but I don’t like it one bit.”

“Thank you, Daddy.” A pregnant pause lapsed between the two of them before she decided to change the subject to temper his simmering rage. Telling her story had been painful enough without rehashing it over and over again. “I didn’t know about your heart attack. I swear. I never received a call or an email. I was moving a lot for a while and all my correspondences were handled by an assistant I’d had problems with. I don’t know if she didn’t relay the messages to me or somehow they got lost, but I honestly would not have ignored word from the ranch about your medical condition.”

He raised a brow at her change in topics and she was sure he knew she was avoiding discussing that incident. Releasing a deep breath, his shoulders sagged in defeat. “I believe you.”

“Are you okay now? What happened?”

“It was very minor. The doctor put me on a strict diet and made me lose a few pounds, but don’t you worry about me. Your old man still has a lot of living to do. Besides, Lavern won’t let me go anywhere. She’s got me eating rabbit food. No grown man should be subjected to this diet.” A gleam of light twinkled in his eyes at the mention of his fiancée. He led her back to bed and they sat down beside each other. Then, he pulled Jocelyn within the crook of his arm.

She leaned her head against his shoulder. “I like her a lot. I’m glad she invited me to help her with the wedding.”

He nodded. “Me too. She’s a good woman. After Mei died, I didn’t think I’d ever find anyone I loved as much. I was wrong. Lavern has filled the hole in my heart that’s been there since your mama passed. I’m not saying Lavern has replaced her, nor do I think she wants to, but I know Mei would have wanted me to be happy. She was just that kind of woman.”

“I know. I still miss her even after all these years, but you’re right. She wouldn’t have wanted you to be alone.”

“I can only wish you the same happiness I’ve found.”

Jocelyn smiled weakly, not able to reply to her father’s comment. Her one chance at love had been cruelly taken away from her and she knew there was no point in dwelling on it.

“Jossy?” Her father broke the silence that had momentarily fallen between them.

“Yes, Daddy?”

“There’s someone else you owe an explanation to.”

She stiffened, knowing who he referred to without asking. “I can’t. Promise you won’t say anything to him.” Jocelyn grabbed a fistful of her father’s nightshirt in her earnest plea. The last person she could tell was Cade.

He sighed. “Sweetheart, you should have seen him when he came back from Dallas after you’d rejected him. He was picking fights, staying out late, drinking too much, and the women he’d bring to the ranch…well, let’s just say they weren’t the kind you’d introduce to your family. Earlene was fit to be tied when she came across one of those floozies. I think his brothers gave him a well-deserved walloping for that. I was worried about him for a while, so I can only imagine what the other boys thought. Lord knows, Earlene and I shared our concerns over many a cup of coffee.”

It cut deep to know how badly she’d hurt Cade. She wished she could have prevented it, but condemning him to a life she knew he’d eventually come to resent would have been far worse. “I’m sorry to hear that,” she said quietly.