gripping it tightly. “Hello?” But there was nothing but a dial tone now. Frowning, she set it back down on the hook.
She didn’t think for one second that Court Barlow would give up that easily. This was just the calm before the storm.
Chapter Nine
‡
S eth was floored about the little girl. Looking at her had been like looking in a mirror. He thought back to Rowan pleading with him a few nights before, begging him to keep Court away. Now he understood exactly why it had been so damn important to her. He had no idea what his youngest brother would do once he found out he had a daughter, but it wouldn’t be good. Seth could minimize the fallout, he hoped, by getting to him first and softening the blow. But he had no firm idea about how to do that. There didn’t seem to be an easy way to drop an anvil that large on someone’s head.
If Seth could get to him, get him alone, though, Court could have time to process the news before he did anything rash. With the shock of losing Dad so suddenly and with tensions between Court and Walker at an all-time high, Seth could easily picture Court lighting out for the rodeo again to get away from it all—maybe this time he’d never come back.
Seth was determined not to lose another member of his family right now, and he pressed the accelerator almost to the floor. The sooner he was at Snake River, the sooner he could smooth things over. At some point, Court and Rowan were going to have to sit down and talk things out. Seth didn’t have any illusions about what that would be like. He didn’t know the full details of their breakup, had never really wanted to know, but Sawyer had mentioned once the rampant cheating, that she’d caught him in the act, and that Rowan had been devastated by it.
He could believe that. She’d always seemed like a nice girl. Shy but happy. A girl like that was putty in Court’s hands, and that would’ve been about how much he valued her, too. Court went through women as though they popped out of a vending machine with the press of a button, like toys or snacks.
He guessed he could understand Rowan not wanting to tell Court, at least not right away, not in the middle of a nasty breakup. But keeping it a secret for years, now that was unbelievable. Rowan Archer had a hell of a lot of explaining to do. Seth still felt sorry for her, though. He remembered the look on her face (and the disapproving glares of everyone else at the feed store). She seemed terrified for anyone to discover the truth. She must have been through hell raising the girl alone all these years.
Rowan had been a kid herself, then, and everyone, including Court, was going to have to try to keep that in mind.
He swung his truck into the driveway and parked in front of the house. One look at Court out the driver’s-side window told Seth that he was too late to break the news easy to his youngest brother. Court was stomping back and forth across the hard-packed gravel, cell phone to his ear. Seth was surprised that the slush hadn’t melted in a wide circle around him. Court was clearly breathing fire.
Seth shut off the engine and stepped down from the cab. As he crossed the driveway toward Sawyer, who was standing at the foot of the porch steps, he jammed his hands into his pockets.
“Edith Hellman called from the feed store,” Sawyer said quietly when Seth got close enough.
Seth groaned. Bad news travelled fast.
“She wanted to know if you wanted the bill for the Archers’ feed order charged to our account.” Sawyer had been eyeing him closely, but now his gaze skipped to the truck bed, which was loaded with bags of sheep feed alongside the custom grain mixture Dakota bought for the horses.
Seth swore under his breath. Edith Hellman knew damn good and well that Seth was paying for the order out of his own pocket. He’d gone over it with her as her employees had loaded the truck. “Damn busybody,” he muttered.
Sawyer sighed. “Well, we’re damn lucky that I
She didn’t think for one second that Court Barlow would give up that easily. This was just the calm before the storm.
Chapter Nine
‡
S eth was floored about the little girl. Looking at her had been like looking in a mirror. He thought back to Rowan pleading with him a few nights before, begging him to keep Court away. Now he understood exactly why it had been so damn important to her. He had no idea what his youngest brother would do once he found out he had a daughter, but it wouldn’t be good. Seth could minimize the fallout, he hoped, by getting to him first and softening the blow. But he had no firm idea about how to do that. There didn’t seem to be an easy way to drop an anvil that large on someone’s head.
If Seth could get to him, get him alone, though, Court could have time to process the news before he did anything rash. With the shock of losing Dad so suddenly and with tensions between Court and Walker at an all-time high, Seth could easily picture Court lighting out for the rodeo again to get away from it all—maybe this time he’d never come back.
Seth was determined not to lose another member of his family right now, and he pressed the accelerator almost to the floor. The sooner he was at Snake River, the sooner he could smooth things over. At some point, Court and Rowan were going to have to sit down and talk things out. Seth didn’t have any illusions about what that would be like. He didn’t know the full details of their breakup, had never really wanted to know, but Sawyer had mentioned once the rampant cheating, that she’d caught him in the act, and that Rowan had been devastated by it.
He could believe that. She’d always seemed like a nice girl. Shy but happy. A girl like that was putty in Court’s hands, and that would’ve been about how much he valued her, too. Court went through women as though they popped out of a vending machine with the press of a button, like toys or snacks.
He guessed he could understand Rowan not wanting to tell Court, at least not right away, not in the middle of a nasty breakup. But keeping it a secret for years, now that was unbelievable. Rowan Archer had a hell of a lot of explaining to do. Seth still felt sorry for her, though. He remembered the look on her face (and the disapproving glares of everyone else at the feed store). She seemed terrified for anyone to discover the truth. She must have been through hell raising the girl alone all these years.
Rowan had been a kid herself, then, and everyone, including Court, was going to have to try to keep that in mind.
He swung his truck into the driveway and parked in front of the house. One look at Court out the driver’s-side window told Seth that he was too late to break the news easy to his youngest brother. Court was stomping back and forth across the hard-packed gravel, cell phone to his ear. Seth was surprised that the slush hadn’t melted in a wide circle around him. Court was clearly breathing fire.
Seth shut off the engine and stepped down from the cab. As he crossed the driveway toward Sawyer, who was standing at the foot of the porch steps, he jammed his hands into his pockets.
“Edith Hellman called from the feed store,” Sawyer said quietly when Seth got close enough.
Seth groaned. Bad news travelled fast.
“She wanted to know if you wanted the bill for the Archers’ feed order charged to our account.” Sawyer had been eyeing him closely, but now his gaze skipped to the truck bed, which was loaded with bags of sheep feed alongside the custom grain mixture Dakota bought for the horses.
Seth swore under his breath. Edith Hellman knew damn good and well that Seth was paying for the order out of his own pocket. He’d gone over it with her as her employees had loaded the truck. “Damn busybody,” he muttered.
Sawyer sighed. “Well, we’re damn lucky that I
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