Tight.
Yet what these women shared, this tight family bond, was everything Kenzie had missed in her own family since Michael died, everything she craved. They were offering her a place inside that inner circle. It was too good to turn down. Impossible to refuse. Under the guise of the partnership, she could rediscover what it meant to have whole family unit, not a broken interpretation of what might have been. She could have this place, this space, this sense of belonging, even for the short time left until she handed Gizmo’s recovery wholly to Reagan.It was selfish, but she wanted to experience what it felt like to be part of something outside the Malone name, something that had been built on hard work, sweat, tears and genuine talent versus parental expectation, unavoidable responsibility to grieving parents and the burden of obligation based on nothing more than her last name and bank balance.
This could blow up in her face on an epic scale. Ty could accuse her of lying and she’d have nothing with which to refute his allegations other than her own assertion she’d only done what he asked her to. Except the whole partnership thing. That was a big ol’ lie. Nothing more, and nothing less. She should say no. She should get out of there before the brothers became involved and a similar obligation led them to open their homes, and their lives, to her.
Gizmo bugled again. The horse’s third call echoed across the open air, forlorn and lonely, a spirit lost between what had been and what now was.
That did it.
“Okay. I’ll stay.”
7
CADEANDELIhad insisted Ty get some sunshine this morning. Unfortunately, his brother’s driving skills in the Mule had gone from pretty damn bad to downright crappy. Eli didn’t seemcapableof missing the rocks and staying out of the ruts as they traveled through the heart of the ranch. They were all fighting to keep from grunting and groaning as they crept along, every movement exaggerated thanks to the pace Eli insisted they keep. Ty would be lucky if he didn’t refracture his neck or end up knocking a kidney free and having it land in the heel of his boot.
“Almost there,” Cade called to him.
“Forced cheerfulness doesn’t suit you,” Ty snarked.
“No?” Cade asked with even more false enthusiasm. “Then, you know how I feel after living with your cranky ass the past couple of weeks. Being a total jerk hasn’t suited you...or those of us who have to putupwith you.”
“Cut it out, both of you.” Eli’s reprimand was as effective as dry tinder tossed into a burgeoning wildfire.
“I don’t understand why you insisted I come out this morning.” Ty, facing backward and with Cade at his side to help stabilize him, was beginning to sweat with the effort to stay upright. “This is stupid. I should be resting.”
“All you do is ‘rest,’” Cade answered with air quotes. “You’re not putting much effort into your physical therapy, you’re not doing the exercises in between sessions, and frankly, you’re approaching the point where I’m going to take you for a walk one of us doesn’t come back from. Hint? I’ll make it home just fine.”
Ty’s temper shot north. “I broke my damn neck, Cade. What would you have me do? Jump right into the middle of the life I led? Maybe take a local girl out for a night of dancing and a little fun? Or better yet, why don’t I get in the saddle and see howthatgoes?”
“Chickenshit,” said Eli from the front seat.
Ty’s jaw fell open as far as the brace would allow it.
Cade caught the look on his face and laid a hand on his shoulder before speaking to their eldest brother. “That might be taking it a little far.”
“No, it isn’t. If he’s going to treat his body as if it’s this fragile palm frond, getting up each day and refusing to push himself to grow and get stronger, then I’ll call it like I see it.Chickenshit.” The Mule coasted to a stop, and the putter of the engine died when Eli pulled the key. “The truth sucks, particularly when you—eitherof you—don’t want to hear it.”
“Did you hear a word I said?” Ty demanded, forcing himself to slip from the rear-facing seat and, with the aid of his walker, get his feet under him before slowly rounding on Eli. His next words died on his lips, though, when he realized where they’d brought him.
The barn.
And that meant...
Gizmo.
“No.” Voice hoarse, eyes gritty, Ty stumbled, but Eli and Cade each grabbed an arm to steady him. “I can’t do this. Take me to the house. Now.”
“You want to go back?” Eli let him go and slipped into the driver’s seat, cranked the engine over and took off at breakneck speed. “Walk,” he shouted as he sped away.
“I can’t...” He shuffled his feet around until he faced Cade. “I can’t do this.”
“Huge difference betweencan’tandwon’t.” His older brother settled the walker in front of Ty and moved out of reach. He pulled out an apple from his pocket and tossed it to Ty. “Time to stop lying to yourself. You may notwantto do this, but you can. Suck it up and get it over with. Tell Gizmo I said hello. I’ll be within shouting range if you run into trouble.” Then Cade spun on his heel and walked away, rounding the corner of the barn and disappearing from sight.
Movement in the barn told Ty he wasn’t alone. That he couldn’t see who it was irritated him. He didn’t want this. Didn’t want to be stared at as if he was some crash-test dummy. Didn’t want to be the topic of conversation in the bunkhouse. Didn’t want to be the subject of discussion. Didn’t want anyone’s pity. He could withstand—had withstood—a lot, but not that. Never that.
Cade’s accusation that Ty had thrown in the towel stung. He’d tried so hard to retain some sense of himself, that same sense of humor, the same wit and flirty banter with the opposite sex. It didn’t come easy. Not when his life had been reduced to a series of moments, a few breaths that refused to come and a heart that stopped beating. And yeah, it had happened that way. It was the one thing he remembered in an otherwise void of blackness.
He remembered he’d been looking at Kenzie when his heart stopped. She’d watched him fight for every breath he could steal, witnessed his heart stall out, and she’d stood there and cried as darkness took him under. She’d wept for him, but not once had she reached out to him.