Cowgirl Up and Ride (Rough Riders #3)(116)

They remained quiet, lost in their own thoughts.


“I’ll stay up with him at the Boars Nest tonight,” Kade said. “I’m too wound up to sleep anyway and Ma will know somethin’ is wrong with me if I go home.”


“Guess that gets you outta mornin’ chores,” Kane said.


“Talk to Uncle C about this. I’ll talk to my dad. We’ll come up with somethin’ because far as I’m concerned, tonight was the last straw for Colt’s employment anyplace on the ranch.”


Kane retrieved the keys from the bartender and drove Colt’s truck home, then helped Kade get Colt into the house.


After they’d dropped Colt fully clothed in his bed, Kane said, “About what happened with Skylar—”


“Not talkin’ about it with you now, or ever, Kane. Let it alone.”


He nodded and Kade heard the door to his brother’s room close.


It was a long night.


***


Colt stirred around eight o’clock when Kade dumped a bucket of cold water on him.


“Get up, *.”


Colt rubbed his jaw and wiped water from his face. “What happened last night?”


“I hit you.”


“Why?”


“Because you’re a drunk and an * and an embarrassment to this family.”


Colt leaned over and threw up in the bucket on the other side of the bed. When he got to the dry heave stage and finally sat back up, Kade tossed him a bottle of water.


“I don’t remember nothin’.”


“You’d be the only one. It’s sure to be all over Crook and Weston Counties today.”


“Shit.” He closed his eyes. “Am I really that far gone?”


“Afraid so.” Kade paused. “You remember Dag is dead?”


He nodded. “What else has happened?”


“Channing doesn’t want Colby to work with you because she’s afraid you’ll get him killed.”


“Great. My sweet sister-in-law f*ckin’ hates me.”



“Not hate, she’s scared, Colt. We all are. Then there’s the situation between you and Cord.”


Colt’s eyes opened. “What situation?”


“You got into a fistfight with him at the Golden Boot.” When Colt continued to have that same blank stare, Kade filled him in on everything else up through last night.


His head drooped to his chest in absolute shame. “I’m sorry. I’m so f*ckin’ sorry.”


His deep baritone was scarcely above a whisper. “What the hell has happened to me? I don’t remember nothin’,” he repeated.


Kade didn’t answer. He just let Colt soak it all in.


After a while Colt stood and shuffled to the bathroom.


Half an hour later Colt propped himself against the doorway to the kitchen. He cleared his throat. “I need help.”


Kade didn’t offer anything.


“I need help in a bad way. No more drinkin’. No more druggin’. No more whorin’.”


When Colt met his gaze, Kade wasn’t the least bit surprised to see Colt’s tears.


“I know I don’t got no right to ask you, but will you help me? Will you take me some place to dry out?”