“Because I offered to keep an eye on things up at the ranch while everyone was away,” Beth explained. “I check in on the cabins every two weeks anyway, so I’m just bringing my visit forward a couple of days.” Not that Conner O’Neil was ever pleased to see her.
“But why is it your problem?” Mikey shrugged. “It’s not like they’re going to pay you extra to go traipsing off into the valley to spy on a guy who probably doesn’t want to be bothered.”
“I don’t expect them to pay me extra for doing my job.” Irritated by his dismissive tone, Beth held his gaze. “And, by the way, aren’t you supposed to be getting some kind of summer job? There’s plenty of work up at Morgan Ranch or in town.”
“Ranching and waitressing?” Mikey pulled a face. “Not really my thing.”
“I don’t care if you think those things aren’t good enough for you anymore, Mikey, you still need to be contributing to this household.” Beth kept her tone even. “I can’t afford—”
“You’re the one who wanted me to go to college, and now you’re complaining about the cost?”
Wes frowned. “Mike, you’re being a real jerk right now.”
“What’s it to you?” Mikey swung around toward Wes. “You get to stay here full-time with my mom while I—” He suddenly stopped talking and headed for the stairs. “I’m done with this crap.”
Beth set her cup down on the table, motioned for Wes to stay exactly where he was, and set off after her son. This time she didn’t bother to knock when she went into his bedroom.
“Michael, that was totally out of line.”
He was sitting on his bed, his hands clasped between his knees, his gaze on the floor.
“I know. I’m sorry.”
She stared at his bent head for a frustrated minute. Should she back off, or was it time to have things out with him? She knew she avoided confrontation, but he wasn’t his father, she had to remember that.
“You wanted to go to college. It was all that you talked about your whole senior year.” Beth leaned back against the door, arms crossed over her chest, and studied him. “Is something wrong? Don’t you like it anymore?”
“College is fine.” He let out a breath. “It’s just . . .”
“Just what?”
“Dad wrote to me.”
Coldness settled like a fist in Beth’s gut. Of all the problems she had anticipated helping him with, this was not one of them.
“From prison,” Mikey added, like she didn’t know where her ex-husband currently resided.
“Okay.” She managed to nod, even though she was screaming inside.
“He said that he’s had loads of time to think while he’s been incarcerated, and he realizes what he did was wrong, and he wants me to forgive him.”
There were so many words Beth wanted to say, but choosing exactly where to start was proving way more difficult than she’d anticipated. She tried to remember her therapist’s advice about taking deep, calming breaths through her advancing panic.
“Do you want to read the letter?” Mikey offered.
Beth shrank back against the woodwork as though he’d thrown a bomb at her. “No thanks.”
“Look, I know he was awful to you, but you believe in forgiveness, right? That’s what you always told me.” He looked hopefully up at her. “He wasn’t always bad; you must have had some good times together.”
“Mikey, when I was pregnant, he choked me so badly that I almost lost consciousness and then he kicked me down the stairs.”
Pain flickered in his eyes at her stark words.
“How could you expect me to forgive someone who did that to his own wife and unborn child?” Beth asked. “Or is this really about you asking me for permission so you can forgive him?”
“I don’t need your permission.” He looked away from her.
“You’re right, he can be very charming, which is why Wes’s mom and I ended up in relationships with him, but he was also controlling and violent when he didn’t get his own way.” She forced herself to take a breath. “You know what he was like. You were there.”
“I wrote back to him.”
“Mikey . . .” Beth slowly shook her head, her heart hurting for him so badly.
He suddenly looked up at her. “I just wanted to talk to him, you know? To try and understand.”
“Understand what, exactly? That he was a drunk and an abuser?”
“He’s trying to change, Mom! He’s staying sober and he’s working on his anger issues. Why won’t you give him a chance?”