Broken(7)

Her father stroked the back of her head as he rocked her from side to side. “It’s okay, baby. You’re home now and it’s all that matters.” He grabbed her forearms and pulled away from her to reveal tear-moistened eyes of his own. As her gaze locked with his, love welled within her heart. She was finally home.


Chapter Two

Cade brushed Sugar’s chestnut coat with steady strokes, trying hard to maintain focus on his task. Frustration ate at him with each passing second but there wasn’t a damn thing to do about it. Somehow he’d have to figure out how to get through these next several weeks without going crazy.

When the mare whinnied, tossing her dark mane from side to side to signal her displeasure, he realized he was being too rough. Rubbing her nose in an appeasing gesture, he attempted to soothe her. “I’m sorry, girl. I guess I have a lot on my mind. I didn’t mean to take it out on you.”

Sugar snorted as if to say there was no excuse. Cade grinned. She was a true diva. At least the animals never changed. “I guess you’re not going to let me off so easily, huh?” He reached into his pocket and produced a sugar cube, which she quickly gobbled from his hand. She nudged him slightly with the tip of her nose.

Cade chuckled. “So all’s forgiven?”

The horse snorted. Good ole’ Sugar. She never let him down.

“Bribing the animals again I see? It’s no wonder they give anyone else who wants to groom them a hard time.”

Cade didn’t bother turning to greet his brother when he entered the stable. He knew what was coming and didn’t have the patience to be bothered. He’d been avoiding Stone like the plague these past several days. “Don’t you have anything better to do than stalk me?”

“I wouldn’t have to if you didn’t hightail it out of a room whenever I enter it.”

“Maybe there’s a reason for that.”

“I never figured you for a coward, little brother.”

“When I want a personal assessment of the kind of man I am, I’ll visit a shrink.”

Stone moved closer. “You can’t hang out in here for the rest of her visit, you know.”

Cade clenched and unclenched his jaw as he resumed brushing Sugar. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Stone, and frankly I don’t have time for guessing games.”

“Bullshit. Jocelyn has been home three days now, and you’ve been hiding out in the stables, and running errands that take you off the ranch for long stretches.”

“It’s called doing my damn job. You’re making mountains out of molehills.”

“Let’s be honest here, Cade. You could easily have sent one of the men on those runs and you probably would have in most circumstances. You’re delaying the inevitable, you know. It’s only a matter of time before you two have to face each other again.”

Cade’s nostrils flared and lips tightened. What he really wanted to do was deck Stone for his interference, but he just managed to keep his temper in check. He was tired of the sympathetic looks his brothers had been shooting him since Jocelyn’s arrival. Knowing what they were thinking annoyed the hell out of him. Why were they making a big production about him seeing someone he could care less about? “Yeah, I know. What’s it to you?”

“You’ve been ornerier than a rattlesnake in a chicken coop and I for one am getting tired of walking around this place on egg shells. I talked to Decker and Ridge and they both agree with me—”

“Hold it. If I wanted to hear what the three of you were saying behind my back, I’d have asked, but as you can see I’m not interested. Why don’t you go bug someone else? As you can see I’m busy.”