thinks that would make it seem like I don’t have the cojones to say something, since it’s a Thunder Mountain Ranch project, and I’m more directly involved than she is.”
Damon took off his Ray-Ban sunglasses and massaged the bridge of his nose. “That makes sense, I guess.” He put the glasses back on. “So who else is after you to buddy up to the Chances?”
“Lexi is, sort of. She figures they’d want to know because they’re civic-minded and ready to help anybody, and there’s a family connection through me, which makes it more likely they’d want to help. I admit that’s a good point, but she’s not pushing me to do it.”
“Have you and the Chances talked at all?”
“Not yet. But I promised Lexi I’d go with her when she conducts a riding clinic over there on the fifteenth.”
“That’s less than two weeks away.”
“It sure as hell is, and I still don’t know what to do. That would be the time to mention Thunder Mountain Academy if I’m ever going to, but...”
“I get it.” Damon wondered if anyone who hadn’t been a foster kid would, though. “You don’t want to meet them and immediately ask a favor.”
“Right.” Cade blew out a breath. “But I finally called Molly’s dad last week because I thought I should start with Molly’s side of the family. So here I was on the phone with an uncle I’ve never met, and we’re talking about my mom dying, and he starts to cry.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah. Can’t blame him. She was his sister, but I got choked up, too. I thought I was over it. It’s been fifteen years.”
Damon nodded in understanding. “Stuff can come back to bite you. I still have that same nightmare. Not as much, but I had it again last week.”
“Yeah, sometimes I have bad dreams about my dad, too.” As Cade left city traffic and continued on to the highway that would take them to the ranch turnoff, they stopped talking. Damon appreciated that about his brothers. They all had demons of one kind or another, and they sensed when to end the chitchat and devote some time to just being quiet.
Cade had his load to carry. Abandoned by his abusive father, he’d lost his mother to cancer. By then his mom had changed all their records from Marlowe to her maiden name of Gallagher. Cade had assumed her family had turned their back on her, but really she’d been too ashamed of her situation to notify her family of her illness. Now Cade had suddenly been thrust into two extended families, which could be good once he got over the awkward parts.
Damon had no illusions that he was connected to any reputable families. He’d run away at twelve and had concocted an elaborate story that had landed him a temporary home with the family of a kid he’d known at school. By the time CPS had been called in, his parents had left town without a trace, probably relieved that he was gone.
In his recurring nightmare, he was a kid barely existing in the pigsty of whatever cheap housing his parents had found. While they were passed out drunk, he searched the cupboards for something to eat, and nothing was ever there. He woke up shaking and sweating.
When he’d lived in the cabin with Cade and Finn, they used to tell him jokes until he’d settled down. And they’d always kept snacks around for those times, too, because he’d wake up starving even if he’d had a good dinner that night.
To calm himself these days, he got up and walked around whatever house he was renovating. He kept his surroundings neat. He put away his tools, swept up sawdust and closed paint cans at the end of every day. He always had food in the cupboard, too.
Eventually, Cade broke the silence. “Did you ever go to that shrink Rosie recommended, the one the county would pay for?”
“Once. She was okay, but I got more mileage out of mucking out stalls. Did you go?” As close as they were, it was the kind of thing they would have kept to themselves.
“Yeah, five years ago after Lexi and I had our big fight about getting married. Nice lady, and she gave it to me straight. She said marriage would probably be a mistake until I had a better handle on who I was and what I wanted out of life. She was right.”
“I’m sure she was, but at the time I was royally pissed at you for running out on Lexi. Poor girl was a basket case.”
“And now she says I did her a favor.”
Damon chuckled. “The woman has attitude. Is she coming to dinner tonight?”
“Yep.”
“Good. And Rosie told me she’d invited Phil so we can meet each other before we start work in the morning.”
“Yep.”
“What’s your take on Phil?”
“Um...” Cade paused to clear his throat. “I’d rather not say.”
Damon stared at him. “What do you mean, you’d rather not say? Don’t you like him?”
“Look, I can’t talk to you about Phil without breaking a solemn promise to Lexi, and I’m not gonna do that.”
“Why in God’s name would you make such a promise?”
“Can we change the subject?”
“Is he an escaped felon?”
“No.”
“Undocumented alien?”
“No. Did you notice the wildflowers along the road? They’re spectacular this summer. I don’t think I’ve ever seen—”
“Screw the effing wildflowers! Is he gay? I’ll bet that’s it, and if you all think I’m too prejudiced to work with a gay man, you’d be dead wrong. That’s not an issue with me, so—”
“Phil’s not gay.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“There’s no problem.”
“If there’s no problem, why are you dancing all around the subject?”
Cade sighed. “I knew I should’ve had Lexi pick you up.”
“If you’d sent Lexi to fetch me, I would have known for sure something was fishy.”
“Yeah, but Lexi’s better at handling things like this than I am.”
Damon rolled his eyes. This was going to drive him crazy. “I have half a mind to invoke the Brotherhood oath.”
“Please don’t. Then I’m caught between betraying the oath and betraying Lexi. My head will explode.”
“I just bet it would, too, honest as you are. Which is why I won’t do that to you.”
“Damon, it’s nothing bad.”
“It better not be.”
“We’re almost there. In about two minutes this discussion will be irrelevant. Admire the wildflowers until we get there.”
Scowling, Damon glanced out the window. He had to admit that the purple, yellow and occasional splashes of red along the road made a pretty picture this time of year. But what was the deal with Phil?
Cade pulled into the circular drive in front of the rambling house where Damon had spent the happiest years of his life. Fourth of July bunting hung from the porch railing as it did every year. This place gave him such a lift that he couldn’t imagine not being able to come back here. The Kickstarter project just had to work.
Rosie and Herb must have been watching for the truck, because they came out on the porch to greet him. Leaving his duffel, he jumped out, pulled off his sunglasses and jogged up the steps to give each of them a big hug. Damn, but it was good to be home. He’d been at the ranch three weeks ago, but it seemed longer.
“Oh, and Phil’s here,”