Taming a Texas Rascal (Bad Boy Ranch #6) - Katie Lane Page 0,48
sorry I didn’t explain things to you before. I should have.”
As much as he should’ve told her about the situation before they got there, she couldn’t very well blame him when she was keeping her own secret. Once they got to the ballroom, they were directed to the family table by one of the hotel staff. It was empty and the staffer explained that the rest of the family was taking pictures outside in the courtyard.
“You should go and be with them,” Maisy said. “I’ll be fine here.”
“They have Mattie.” Sawyer pulled out a chair for her. “If they want me in the pictures, they can always just duplicate his image.”
“That’s not quite the same. You’re two different people.”
“But he’s the good one,” he said as he helped her push in her chair. “I’m going to go get us a drink at the bar.”
Sawyer didn’t make it to the bar. Maisy watched as one person after another stopped him to talk. She didn’t know if they knew him or just thought he was the groom. Either way, Sawyer seemed to have no problem charming them.
“Sawyer has always known how to work a room.”
Maisy glanced over at the distinguished-looking older gentleman standing at the table. He looked enough like Sawyer that Maisy thought she knew who he was. “You must be Sawyer’s daddy.” She held out a hand. “Maisy Sweeney.”
He shook her hand and smiled. “I’m his father’s brother. David Dawson.” He took the chair next to her. “So you’re Sawyer’s date?”
“Actually, we’re just friends.”
“Ah.” He glanced at Sawyer who was talking to an older couple. “Well, that’s even better. Sawyer can use a good friend.” He looked back at her. “One who understands him.”
“I can’t lay claim to that. Sawyer doesn’t talk about his feelings much.”
His smile got bigger. “Then you do know him. Everyone thinks Sawyer is an extrovert, but he’s really an introvert who hides behind an impish smile and carefree façade.”
“You don’t think Sawyer is carefree?”
“I think he cares too much. At least for Mattie. Growing up, he was extremely protective of his brother. My brother and sister-in-law are good people, but they struggled dealing with a child who had a disability. They gave Mattie love and sent him to the best schools for the deaf, but they gave Sawyer all their praise for being the perfect child—their golden boy. Which is why I think Sawyer decided to be so imperfect.”
Maisy stared at him as she remembered what Sawyer had said before he left to get the drinks. But he’s the good one. “You think Sawyer became the bad boy so Mattie could be the good boy?”
David shrugged. “It’s just a theory, but it would explain the radical change in Sawyer when the boys were teenagers. He was a top student, a star athlete, and a responsible young man who dreamed of becoming a veterinarian. And then suddenly he stopped getting good grades, dropped out of sports, and did anything he could to tick off his parents.”
“Sawyer mentioned that he wanted to be a vet.”
David nodded. “He’s always loved animals. But when Mattie decided he wanted to be a vet too, Sawyer lost interested in becoming one. Or maybe once again he just wanted Mattie to be the one who shined.”
Maisy was stunned by everything she’d just learned, but it explained Sawyer’s underachieving. He didn’t want to be the best. Especially if it took the limelight off his brother.
“I hope you’re not trying to psychoanalyze Maisy, Uncle David.” Sawyer walked up and set a bottle of beer in front of Maisy before he took the chair next to her. “My uncle is a psychiatrist and he loves practicing on unsuspecting victims.”
That explained why his uncle had spent so much time trying to figure Sawyer out. It also made Maisy believe in Uncle David’s theory even more. She looked at Sawyer and saw him in a new light. He wasn’t just an underachieving rodeo bum who made her heart beat faster. He was a caring man who had sacrificed his own dreams for the happiness of his brother.
She had to wonder if he had even sacrificed the woman he loved.
When the bride and groom arrived with the rest of the bridal party, Maisy watched Sawyer’s reaction closely. But like his uncle said, Sawyer hid his emotions well. He stood and smiled and clapped like everyone else as the bridal party was directed to a table at the front of the room. That smile slipped when his parents arrived