Fate (Steel Brothers Saga #13) - Helen Hardt Page 0,43

looking forward to, but I’d still have time to spend with her, show her my home, let her see the beauty of the western slope. Peaches and apples were in season, fresh off the trees from our orchard. It was perfect timing all around.

Except for the stuff I wasn’t particularly looking forward to.

But that wouldn’t take long. Wendy had an Achilles’ heel other than me, and I had to take advantage of it.

Larry and Tom were already at school. As for Theo, I never knew when he’d show up. He might be around. Rodney Cates might be around. He and Theo’s sister were a couple that started all the way back in high school, and they spent time in Snow Creek sometimes.

Those days seemed like another lifetime, but when I returned to Snow Creek, it all came back to me like it was yesterday.

That wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

I’d had some amazing times in my hometown and on my ranch. I’d also had some dark times—times I wished I could take back, remove from my life.

Most of those times took place during my high school years as a member of the Future Lawmakers Club at Tejon Prep School in Grand Junction, a half-hour drive from Snow Creek.

The Future Lawmakers.

Not Future Lawyers, even though two of our members—Tom and Larry—had aspirations to attend law school. Future Lawmakers. At the time, I figured that meant helping to make laws, becoming legislators, or even judges, helping to interpret existing laws.

I looked down at my right ring finger.

The ring.

Our emblem, designed by Wendy.

She’d never told us its significance, and I never pressed her. Now? I hesitated to ask.

I had a love-hate relationship with the ring. It represented a time in my life where I was young and had all the possibilities in the world. It also represented people who’d changed, who were still changing, and not for the better.

I wiped my mind of the memories. Once I did what I had to do, this weekend was about new beginnings, not old high school memories and regrets. I’d brought Daphne on a whim, but I was determined to make this a nice weekend for her. This would be the first of many times she’d come to my ranch, I hoped.

Yes, the first of many.

And if I was successful this weekend, she and I would never have to worry about Wendy Madigan again.

“Wake up, baby.” I nudged Daphne softly. “We’re here.”

“Mmm.” She opened her eyes. “What time is it?”

“A little after two. We made good time. Come on. Let’s get inside so you can get some sleep.”

“Yeah, sure. Okay.” Daphne sat up and opened the car door on her side.

I got out as well and grabbed both our bags from the back. “Come on.”

I unlocked the front door, and we walked in quietly. “Shh,” I said to Ebony, giving her a pet.

“She’s beautiful,” Daphne whispered.

“Yeah, she’s a sweetheart. Brandy’s around here somewhere. Probably in bed with my dad. They sleep with him when I’m not home.”

Daphne knelt down and let Ebony pepper her face with licks and kisses. “I love her. I totally love her.”

“She’ll lick you forever if you let her.”

“I’m okay with that, I think.”

I laughed softly. “I’m going to let her outside for a few minutes. Then I’ll show you where you’ll be staying.”

She stood, letting go of Ebony and nodding. After the dog was safely outside, I grabbed our bags and led Daphne down the hallway to the guest room farthest away from my parents’ master suite.

“This place is huge,” she whispered. “I feel like I’m in a hotel.”

I opened the door and flipped on the light. “Here you go.”

Her eyes were still wide as she gaped around the room. She walked forward and opened the door to the walk-in closet, which was empty. “This closet is seriously as big as my dorm room. I’m not even kidding.”

“I know. I lived in the same dorm when I was a freshman. It took some getting used to after having all the room I could ask for out here on the western slope.”

“Where’s your room?” she asked.

“Right next to this one,” I said.

“And the bathroom?”

I nodded toward the second door in the room. “Right there.”

She walked toward it and opened it. “My own bathroom?”

I nodded. “All our bedrooms have their own bathrooms.”

She shook her head. “You actually live like this? I know the Steel ranch is successful, but just how successful are you, Brad?”

“I’m not overly successful at all. My father and mother are.