with you. I don’t want to see or talk to your brother.”
“Don’t blame Grant.” Morgan stood in the doorway. “I knew you’d throw me out.”
I wish I could really hate you.
The tension could have been split with an ax.
“I’m sorry.” Grant shoved his hands in his pockets. “But a matter needs to be settled, and I’m here to see it’s done.”
“Apologies are useless words to your brother.” Casey focused her attention on the younger man. “He uses them as he sees fit.”
“I’m not referring to apologies,” Grant said. “My brother owes you an explanation for his bad temper, not just for today but for a lot of things. What happens afterward is out of my hands.”
For the first time, Casey glanced Morgan’s way. Lines creased the corners of his eyes. “I’m not in the mood to hear long stories that mean nothing or promises that belong in a spittoon.”
Morgan’s hand rested on the doorknob. “Five minutes, Casey,” he said. “Then, if you still want to go back to town, Grant will take you. And I’ll never bother you again. I promise.”
Her gaze rested on Grant. He silently begged her to listen. For him, she’d give Morgan five minutes. “All right.” Crossing her arms, she sat on the bed.
He closed the door. “I need to tell you about Kathleen.”
Casey studied the violet flowers painted on the pitcher and basin on the washstand.
“My . . . my wife.”
She’d never heard her name before. Sitting motionless, she waited for him to continue. Did she really want to know the story, supposedly the reason for Morgan’s bitterness?
“She died over four years ago . . . Kathleen was murdered.”
Casey’s gaze flew to Morgan’s face. She sensed an explanation more horrible than any evil ever conceived.
Agony gathered in his turquoise eyes. “Jenkins forced himself on Kathleen and killed her.”
Casey gasped and covered her mouth.
Morgan took a deep breath, the nightmare vividly depicted on his face. “The scar on Jenkins’s face? Kathleen put it there just before he used the knife on her. I got to the cabin in time for her to tell me his name.” He stood and moved toward the window. Outside, one of the ranch hands called for another. A horse neighed. “She died in my arms.”
Casey covered her face in her hands. A sob from deep inside rose until she could no longer disguise it. All the words Morgan ever uttered now held undeniable meaning. The many times he’d lost his temper. The hostile looks, his stalking of Jenkins, and his initial plan to use her to get to the outlaw. No wonder Morgan fought any feelings for her. No wonder he warred with himself to drive her from his heart and mind.
“Why didn’t you tell me? You should have told me right from the start. If only I had known. If only I had known.”
“And what could you have done?” he said. “I wanted to tell you. I tried, but the words hung in my throat. I hated Jenkins with everything I could possibly feel. I hated him and wanted him dead. I wanted to kill him with my bare hands. The thought lived with me day after day until it became the reason I breathed.” He paused and took a deep breath. “Laid up in Vernal, I found something that I thought I’d never find again. I fell in love with you in a matter of hours. It made no sense. Still doesn’t. But I loved you more than I hated him. The realization that I had to give up one or the other made me furious. You made me want to live. Jenkins made me want to die. I selfishly thought I could keep the truth from you, never thinking I’d hurt you time and time again.” He turned from the window. She’d never seen tears from a grown man.
“Take the time you need, Brother.” Grant placed a hand on his shoulder.
Morgan shook his head. “I have to do this now. I never wanted to catch Jenkins. The chasing and hating pushed me on. My only purpose in life was to kill him, and the chase carried me nowhere except to my own private hell.”
Casey waited, numb and in more misery than she could ever remember. Silence lingered.
“Just when I thought I’d made a turnaround—”
“Stop it, Morgan.” The truth fluttered like a banner across Casey’s heart. “You don’t understand. It’s my fault Kathleen died.” Her gaze swept across the room, not really seeing Grant or Morgan but the glaring